Customer Reviews

The Lucky Shopping Manual: Building and Improving Your Wardrobe Piece by Piece

5 star:		(97)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is the book I always wanted to write. The Lucky Shopping Manual, together with "What not to wear", is all a woman will ever need. "What not to wear" will teach you exactly what clothes are right for your body shape and the Lucky Shopping Manual will help you transform this information into a functional wardrobe. The book is written with the same passion for helping women develop their shopping skills as the magazine. Andrea Linett has an extremely discriminating eye for what looks cool, relaxed, and put together on the street and she generously shares her observations with us. I believe the real value of the book is to demystify sales, over-abundance, and high-end fashion magazines; and to keep your eye, mind, and budget focused on the gaps in your wardrobe and how to close them. Linett and France manage to nail down the essence of cool, sophisticated street dressing into easy-to-get formulas with room for experiments. Every high-end fashion designer that I admire but cannot afford claims that their only goal is to make women look beautiful and desirable -- Linett and France, together with the authors of "What not to wear", fulfil this mission in a smart, street-wise, and sophisticated way; and for every budget.

I learned a lot from this book - basic do's and don't's that really opened my eyes to some of my own fashion faux pas. But the book is really aimed at under 30 girls who are also size 10 or less. I took the book with me on a shopping trip to five of the stores listed in the book. None of them carry clothes for anyone larger than a size 10. I'm 45 and I felt very uncomfortable in all of the stores.

This is a super book, choc o'block with information. The hard decision is not if you should buy it, but which cover you should get. The book comes with several different covers. I hate to admit I stood at the bookstore debating if I wanted the copy with the classic red pocketbook or the trendier camel colored Marc Jacobs bag! Order from Amazon and let them decide for you.

Inside the book you will find scads of information to help you look great. The authors will show you how just a little tweaking can result in a totally different look. What to look for in fit. How to make your pieces work from one season to the next. And the little details that make a good outfit an exceptional one.

The book also includes examples of everyday women and the types of garments they choose and why. It's inspiring to see the special wardrobe favorites of others. Lovely Shoshanna Lonstein shows off her curvy figure and shares what clothing looks best on her. Pictures are shown of her favorites including her fabulous Prada mules, cashmere sweaters and gold vintage bag. Makes me realize why and how much I enjoy the staples in my own closet.

Sample chapters include, sweaters, swimwear, undergarments and shoes. What to pack for a 3 day trip, streamline your closet, classics to collect, 20 great pieces worth the expense and more.

The back of the book also includes a page of "Lucky Breaks". These are coupons for discounts at benefit, underglam, bluefly. urban outfitters and nine west. Better hurry up though they expire December 31, 2003. (Not sure if future printings will update these).

Great fashion resource!

1. No funky-looking women hamming it up in outdated clothes. In fact, all clothing photos feature no people so you can focus on the clothes!
2. Specific answers to problem bodies (i.e., what kind of every article to wear based on your body's characteristics--big butt, pear-shaped, slim-hipped, short, love handles, etc.).
3. A slough of clothing combinations (even underwear!) to fit any budget or taste: Take a summer dress, for example, and show it with various accessories to make it appropriate for any occasion or attitude. Includes both modern and classic items.
4. Common-sense suggestions on what to look for in terms of fit, and what to spend or not spend your clothing dollar on!
5. Places to get all the great clothes featured.
6. Care tips for clothing.
7. Has "what not to wear" type suggestions that are dead-on and not at all snippy or incredulous.
8. Love the high-quality color images and almost total lack of text--who needs it?

Complaints:
1. Nothing to help athletic or tall builds.
2. No info about care of fur (and storage facilities are the top issue in this category!).

This book is really written for the under 30 year old woman. It is very detailed and thoughtful but I really couldn't say that I picked up any good fashion ideas for my age group (50+ years). I have bought The Pocket Stylist by Kendall Farr and some of the "What not to wear" series and have found them fantastic and appropriate.

I think I will give The Lucky Shopping Manual to my daughter who is 25 years and she will love it.

The best thing about this book is that it is chock full of pictures of every element of a woman's wardrobe: tops, skirts, dresses, work clothes, fun clothes, formal wear.

This book is extremely useful as an "idea" book. Maybe you're bored with your look and want something different. This book is great in helping you visualize how different pieces may go together. They give you tips about how to wear certain fabrics--leather, silk, tricky sweaters and lengths. I feel that I can be a little bit more adventuresome in my look. I found that I was able to take things that were already in my wardrobe and wear them in a different way. It's also a good book to look through before you go shopping if you're in a rut.

I feel that this book is geared more toward women who already have a sense of their personal style and what looks good on them. The tips provided go beyond the basics to things that take a "good" outfit to something more polished and chic. It might be a little overwhelming for those who are just starting out in creating a new wardrobe or look. With all of the ideas provided, I could see how a beginner might start buying without a driving principle and wind up with clothes that she does not feel comforable in. I would recommend a book like the "Pocket Stylist" by Kendall Farr in addition to this book for someone jsut starting out.

I have never felt like I had so much direction with shopping and style as I do now. This book has been very helpful to me. I am usually the kind of person that finds one thing that works and can't quit buying the same thing... the 10 Favorite GAP t-shirts in my closet are a testament of that. I have really felt inspired to go out and shop for a variety of things that aren't just a shot in the dark-- they're stylish and lovely and flattering in the fit thanks to the new information I have. I really appreciate that the concepts are presented without highlighting any particular company. I shop at thrift stores, DownEast Outfitters, TJ Max, and very seldom at retail stores since my husband is in school and I'm at home with three children. I've read the opinions of many that this book is only geared toward certain ages/walks of life, but I think that's debatable. Perhaps some styles recommended won't work for everyone, but if you study the concepts and reach inside for your own style and creativity, you can hone each idea to suit your taste. Color schemes and overall fit is are subjects worth studying for any age. Another instance: I am not going to put heels with jeans unless I'm going out with my husband. A flat of some sort works better when your carrying a 3-month old around, tying shoe laces, running errands with children, or whatever. But I look at the style and concept of the heels and look for that in lower shoes for everyday use. I'm very impressed with the way that exceptions are noted and personal style is respected, too. I expected the "handbag" section to be propoganda for having a handbag for every outfit. Not so. It first asks the question, "Are you a handbag sort of person?" If not, they recommend just having an everyday bag that's versatile, practical, and structured even when filled, in addition to a tote and an evening bag. Anyway, that's it. I love the book. One of the most worthwhile purchases I've made in the past 10 years. Thank you Lucky!!

This book has changed the way I look at my own body.

See, when I used to go shopping for clothes - while there were things I loved on the shelves or hanging on the models, they looked awful on me. Similarly, clothes that suited my friends did not suit me.

I always though this must just be proof that I was ugly and terible and had a crap body. The usual teenage anxiety.

If only I had this book when I was a teenager. I've only had it a month, but already I've revamped my wardrobe - got rid of things that never really suited me, built up the basics, and picked out cuts of shirts and jeans that do suit me - and now I keep intentionally wandering past mirrors just so I can catch a glimpse of how I look. I'm so incredibly happy, and I feel utterly gorgeous.

This book goes through different garments - shirts, jeans, skirts, jackets, accessories, etc - and demonstrates how to put outfits together, what cuts suit what body shape (including ratio issues, like someone who has a long torso and short legs, broad shoulders and so on). There is a lot of sensible advice that can be tailored to suit your own personal style, and if you follow the guidelines in the book you're practically guarranteed to have something in your wardrobe to suit every occasion.

This book has done more for my self estem and personal style than years of angsting and fruitlessly searching through clothing stores without assistance. I am going to purchase some more books like this as a basis for comparison but really, this is more than I ever thought I could get out of a book on dressing well!

Another added bonus is that I now am much more confident about asking for help at clothing stores. I know what to call different cuts, I come into a store with a clear idea in my mind of what I like and what looks good, and communicate exactly what I'm after, which has resulted in me finding a few really great items I would have missed without assistance!

After reading all the great reviews, I couldn't wait to receive my Lucky Shopping Manual. Unfortunately, I found it very thin. In fact, it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Many of the pictures were too tiny to be of use, and I just don't see how cap sleeves can be the universal sleeve (unless we all have arms like Evangeline Lilly). The "helpful" packing lists at the end were laughable. Yes, maybe the apparel shown would fit into the tote, but what about hair product, makeup, underwear? You'd need a separate bag.

I ordered several books in the fashion/style genre recently, and I am sending my Lucky manual back to Amazon. The ones I am keeping are How to Be a Budget Fashionista, How Not to Look Fat, Science of Sexy, and The Pocket Stylist.

Also, while it seems readers either love or hate the Chic Simple books, and while they don't take different body types into account, I love browsing through the Chic Simple original Clothes. It taught me a great deal about which foundation pieces I needed for a basic wardrobe. And though the publishers love to repurpose many of the same photographs from other Chic Simple books, I also like Chic Simple's Work Clothes, What Should I Wear?, and Dress Smart for Women.

If you don't know much about fashion or how to build a wardrobe (or what kind of clothes look good on your unique shape), then I suppose Lucky is a helpful book to own. I know I won't be buying the Lucky magazine any time soon.

This book scored 4 stars for me because:

* It gives straightforward, practical shopping and fashion advice.
* The presentation of the outfits a la Chic Simple (clothes, shoes, accessories, by themselves minus a person modeling them) are elegant in my opinion
* The book gives you an idea of which staples of item (skirt, tops, shoes, etc) to own to keep you covered and which ones to add if you already have the basics
* A lot of the outfits presented are actually chic and wearable by most everyone. Options on a per season basis are presented too.
* The color combinations of the outfits are also great. While the book shows outfits in timeless neutral-and-color combinations, there are also color-color combinations that do not overwhelm.
* The book also shows outfits in interesting mixes of textures as well as prints.
* The sections on packing for a three-day trip, streamlining your wardrobe, and rules of shopping are good bonuses too.

The following are the reasons why my rating is one star away from the perfect rating:

* I've been a fan of their magazine for years now, and I must say that I've already seen some of the featured clothes in the book in previous issues of the magazines
* The pieces of advice on fit are ok, but Christa Weil's Secondhand Chic gives a more comprehensive advice on this topic. Both visual and feel cues are discussed in detail in that book. Secondhand Chic also offers advice on how to make the most out of one's figure which would complement those of Lucky Shopping Manual's.
* They could also do a separate section on shirts next time instead of integrating it in the Tops section.
* Perhaps they could also feature sections on watches and jewelry.