Customer Reviews

Simple Isn't Easy: How to Find Your Personal Style and Look Fantastic Every Day!

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this little book! The message is simple. Less is more! If you can pare down your wardrobe to figure flattering pieces that blend with the rest of your garments you will have an easy workable wardrobe. The authors suggest you shop your closet, not the stores. Which would you rather have a rack crammed full of mismatched clothes, or an orderly small selection of easy to find items that look GREAT on you! The authors give tips on how to pare down and make your clothes work for you! By following the suggestions given you will organize your closets, spend less money, and look better. They also give tips on caring for your clothes. The style of the book is easy and breezy. And its pocketsized, easy to tote in your bag. I love the authors sense of humor too. It can be hard to simplify even for the authors. I read in Vogue that one of the authors Amy Fine Collins had an incredibly vast shoe collection. So "Simple Isn't Easy" for most of us! But reading and rereading this book can help!

Simple Isn't Easy is one of the best books I've ever read. Its sage advice transcends clothing and even style. Simple is not easy. It is very hard to cut through the stuff in our wardrobes AND our lives and allow focus on the items that enhance our appearance and the quality of our lives. Its not about "less is more", although in most cases less is more. What's true in our closets is true in our homes, in our workplace, in our cars, in our daily routine, in our lifestyles, pick the things and activities that fit well & enhance your experience of the world, bearing in mind that those things change in time. This book sums it up better than I ever could. I gave my copy to someone and now I must find another copy. Its the one book that every woman must have.

Almost ten years have passed since I read this book. What I leaned from this book stayed with me since then. I naturally started following after the rules and it became my habit. Now, I never have to be late for work, trying to find which one to wear. What a relief. It took me almost ten years to follow the rules completely. It takes time to know which style you are most comfortable with, to know at stores which items you are going to wear for many years to come and which ones you won't before you buy them , and to be able to dicard the items you like but do not wear anymore. Recently, I found out that it is even more time-saving to have a tailor to duplicate my favorite suits or dresses. (They are not that expensive, considering I wear them twice a week for at least 4 seasons.)
When I moved out NYC, I left the book to the trash can with my other things, not knowing it is such a valuable book. I only read one time, but it is lasting in my mind forever. This is such a book.

Over the years I've read almost every wardrobe and style book on the market, trying to find something that would help me feel comfortable in my clothing, without trying to turn me into a fashion plate (I'm allergic to the very concept). Then I found this little book, and I haven't read another book on clothes since. Anything and everything you need to know to find your OWN style and develop a simple pared down wardrobe that looks great is in here. Olivia and Amy walk you through everything from evaluating your current wardrobe, to finding your best look, to common pitfalls and fears. It's a little book, but every page is packed.

The common thread of simplicity (even if it isn't easy), is also applicable to far more than just your clothing. There's a lot of wisdom in this little book.

More useful,thought provoking and entertaining than many books twice the size (and price). Concentrates the mind quick smart:the only downside is seeing half the contents of ones wardrobe disappearing in the direction of Oxfam within hours of turning the last page,but oh,the relief of not being issued with a style prescription! Contrary to what 99% of style doctors think,a navy blue blazer is not a wardrobe staple if it makes you look like a British Airways stewardess (I'll bet they don't wear them off duty).Ditto trenchcoats if you're under 5'6".And as for camel ANYTHING - not unless you're Meryl Streep,darlings.Grab this book,and start offloading!!

If you are looking for a book that will help you redefine your style while getting rid of garbage that we all hold on to for some reason- this is the absolute perfect book! Goldsmith goes through step-by-step how to pare down your wardrobe and only where pieces that look good on you.

I've read most of the books on building a wardrobe, and this packs more sense into less space than anything else on its subject. Along with the 80's books on the "capsule concept" (also no longer available) this gives a way for everyone to build a wardrobe that works. I hope they reprint it soon -- I'm wearing out my copy!

This sharply focused little book teaches you to select and settle for nothing less than the best in what looks good on you. That means you spend money on what looks good on you, and you DON'T spend money on anything else (you put THAT in the stock market!) It makes you tough. It gets you to focus. It makes you beautiful.

Since I was curious after reading all the great reviews, I borrowed this book from the library. It is a pretty good book, but not worth the high prices they're asking on the used market unless it's autographed.

Good Points: Empasizes paring down your closet so that every piece you have works; lets you know it's okay to have a favorite outfit in more than one color or fabric (i.e. a "uniform" so to speak). Comes down on the fashion industry as part of the reason women don't look as good as they could in clothing (wouldn't be surprised at all if this is the reason the book is out of print). Emphasizes putting together "outfits" in your closet, as opposed to hanging your separates in sections (although if you do this paring down right, thinking of your entire closet as a travel wardrobe, then everything should go with everything, regardless of what you pull out). Great section on how to take care of your clothes.

Bad: No pictures, unless you count caricatures of the authors. No real descriptions on how to dress to cover figure flaws, just an occasional mention of some of the camouflage dressing of the authors.

It's a small, mass-market paperback and almost half of the book is repetition and/or fluff. One example is when they say that one reason to shop is to replace a proven (i.e. "workhorse") wardrobe item. An entire paragraph is spent explaining why one of the authors replaced a black turtleneck with a cashmere one after being dissatisfied with cheaper ones. Who cares?

Even though this book talks about personal style, as do other books, the authors seem to think that everyone is passionate about style--believe me, not everyone is. Some of us want to look good, but have better things to do with our time and money than spend it on clothing. Some things like comfort and ease of care are important to us.

Bottom line: 95% of what is in this book (including "capsule" or outfit dressing" is in other books, although this one does a decent job of condensing it into a compact form (but it could be smaller and then even more useful). I think the title is a misnomer, because none of their exercises is difficult to do. Get it from your library, if you can.

Until this book is back in print, I would suggest the following books:

Does This Make Me Look Fat? by Leah Feldon
Brenda's Wardrobe Companion by Brenda Kinsel
I Don't Have a Thing to Wear by Judie Taggart, Jackie Walker
Ready to Wear by Mary Lou Andre

and if you need color pictures:

The Lucky Shopping Manual by Andrea Linett

This book focuses on the self-disciple necessary to develop -- and control -- a wardrobe that is successful for you. It's title says it all -- simple is NOT easy! Read this book twice a year to reinforce it's message. You won't regret it.

Don't be fooled by the little size of this book. Every page contains useful material. I strongly recommend this book as a gift for fashion victims -- oops, I mean the fashion challenged.