Customer Reviews

Open and Clothed: For the Passionate Clothes Lover

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I'm not a passionate clothes lover. My wife got this book. Still I find myself reading it every chance I get. You can open to any page and get fascinating history/anecdote/thought on humans and their clothing and how it might all relate to you. Lots of quotes, lists, questionnaires, ideas, advice, etc. And scholarly endnotes to boot. As a lazy reader who appreciates a quick fix of entertainment/enlightenment I recommend it totally.

Do you wear clothes, at least some of the time? Then this book is for you. It's a smart, funny guide for how to get more satisfaction out of your sartorial life. There are flashes of a Fran Liebowitz-like hip Manhattan wit, and Siegel is never cruel. I also can't help making mental comparisons with Diane Ackerman's detailed, evocative writing on and for the senses. Intellectual nourishment comes in the form of fascinating information about the history of fabric and fashion; the book's self-help framework provides sustenance for your emotional development. For instance, there's a handy chapter on how to (and how not to) clean out your closet. For spice, there's an odd chapter on how to dress for your own funeral. I know this all sounds like a bizarrely unlikely, even impossible combination, but you've just got to try the book and see for yourself. The beginning of the book is a great place to start, but you could start at any other chapter and have just as much fun.

Every few months I buy a "woman's" magazine or fashion magazine looking for that elusive "something". Within the pages of OPEN and CLOTHED, however, I found it all. This is a book for people who want integrity with their fashion statements, whatever they may be. This book offers insight and support for REAL women (and men), not just wannabe models. Siegel's voice is strong and clear, full of warmth, humor, and above all, a style that never goes out of fashion.

Open and Clothed is for the kind of person who loves to fill out pop psychology questionnaires in magazines (this book is full of them). It doesn't say anything new about clothes and women's roles, etc. If you really want wardrobe advice, buy a straightforward wardrobe-planning guide that helps you analyze your daily needs and budget, and focuses on practical advice, without your having to wade through endless explorations of your childhood, your inner feelings, etc.

Open and Clothed is one of the most interesting, intelligent, funny and unique books I've read in a long time (and I am an avid reader!). It is not only about clothes and fashion, but about the human being wearing the clothes and the dynamics thereof. A person's relationship to clothing is explored in a way that opens the subject in what I think is an unprecendented way. A must read for all who wear clothing!