Customer Reviews

Things a Woman Should Know About Style (Things A Woman Should Know Series)

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

 

 

The cover and title hint that we'll learn things about style in this book, such as how iconic women like Audrey Hepburn (pictured on the cover) wore what suited them best. The photos are sparse, however, much of the copy is pointless for American readers (do you really want an evaluation of what the Queen of England wears?), and the rest of it consists mainly of things you probably know already--or have considered but found your own, more flattering, solutions. Do we really need another book advising everyone to wear black, for example? There are several more appealing neutrals. Unless you're starting completely from scratch, you'll be disappointed.

If you're already a "classicist" you'll just roll your eyes and skim through this. Be forewarned-- there is a LOT of blank space and large type in this book. The 160 page description is deceiving. The book measures only 5 3/4 x 6 inches and I read it in 1/2 hour. It's a magazine article in book form.

I couldn't quite get the author's curious obsession with CAFTANS; ghastly garments--and guaranteed to make ANYONE look fat! Shouldn't one raise at least one perfectly groomed eyebrow at any book that has Audrey Hepburn on the cover yet extols the virtues of CAFTANS? Hmmmmmm.

The author also has a thing for white high heeled pumps, which most women would do well to avoid; except perhaps on their wedding day.

This is intended as a jokey gift book, not a style manual, so if you're looking for the latter this isn't it. It is a very light read, agreed, and yes, it's from a British publisher and a British perspective. But if you want a small, glossy present for a wannabe friend, or just want something stylish to keep in your bathroom, this isn't a bad choice.

this is not a terrible choice of a style guide for those looking for a classic movie star icon sort of style. it is excellent for bathroom decor and can serve as a beginning for someone looking to cutivate a style similiar to audrey hepburn, grace kelley, jackie o, or marilyn monroe. a word of caution, it is written in a very brittish vernacular.

This book is awful. I consider myself pretty undemanding of my light reads - if I'm wasting time reading while I'm cooking or taking a bath, just about anything will do. I've spent an hour on a magazine for diabetics, for pete's sake, and I'm not even close to having diabetes. So I thought I would enjoy this book, since I can be quite girly.

But this book is awful. The author writes in short one-liners obviously intended to be heavy with wit, insight, and knowledge. But she totally and completely bores me. I can't even bear to resign this book to reading while cooking or bathing - I'm just going to re-sell it. And that's something I NEVER do. I still have biology textbooks from college because I couldn't bear to get rid of a book!

I found myself disagreeing with so much of what she said (like the idea that you should almost always wear a little black dress, and that red is the color of sexual predators). She contradicts herself (like when she says that a black shift dress is perfect for a garden party, and then only a couple pages later says that only pastels are appropriate for a garden party - and specifically warns against black). Some of her information is just flat-out wrong (like when she says that going up a cup size on your bra automatically makes your band larger even if you keep the same band number - I am in the lingerie business, and I promise that she is mistaken).

This book also seems horribly dated even though the copyright is from 2003. She warns against buying the latest, trendiest power suit with large shoulder pads (this isn't the 80s! I wouldn't even know where to find something like that anymore!) and says that there is no such thing as a heel over 6 inches (recent fashion has absolutely proved otherwise, even totally outside of the "stripper shoe" realm).

If you have zero style knowledge, this book will misguide you. If you know even the slightest bit about style, this book will bore you. If you are a normal woman who has a basic understanding of style, you will laugh out loud at some of the suggestions she makes. Don't waste your money!

.............and buy just about any other book. This book is poorly organized and I can' think of a single bit of information I haven't read many times. Spend your money on something else.

This terrific little guide should be on every woman's shelf - especially those who want to transform their ultra trendy wardrobe into one that may be still "on trend" but kicked up a notch, sophisticated and chic. In others words, grown up.

This is possibly the best book on style ever. It is not a book on fashion. It is about classic, tasteful elegance and, in my view, is quite superb. There are very few pictures other than of the divine style icons - Grace, Audrey, Katharine, Marilyn etc - and this lack of pictures emphasises the point of the book. Spare, witty and enigmatic.

I picked this up at a local shop and I have to admit I found the author's English attitude and dry sense of humour quite whimsical.

However, as other reviewers have pointed out, it's an explanatory magazine essay in book form, though interspersed with quite wonderful quotes, such as « Une robe n'a de sens que si un homme a envie de vous l'enlever, je dis bien l'enlever pas l'arracher en hurlant d'horreur. » (Trans: A dress makes no sense unless a man wants to take it off -- that is, to remove it, not tear it off howling in horror.) And there are a few deliciously dishy tips, such as how to have a signature scent no one else has -- go to a cheap chop in France and buy their (invariably cheap) house scent, and then sadly tell those who compliment you on it that "it's not available in this country".

In sum, I cannot frankly recommend it to anyone, but not because of a flaw of the book itself per se, it's because it's written both at an advanced level (making it insuitable for those ladies who are still looking desperately for style à la Audrey Hepburn at Top Shop) and at an elementary level (making it insuitable for those ladies who are looking for a way to seem a touch more soignée, rather than staying too safe and Sloane-y).

However, this is coming from an American, and for all I know, British women are actually listening to Susannah and Trinny, so perhaps it suits in the home market?

This is a very good style source. One caveat. It's a British publication written in "British" English. Can be difficult at times for U.S. readers(e.g. "trainers" = sneakers)to plow through.