Customer Reviews

Women's Wardrobe (Chic Simple)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have looked for years for a definitive guide to building a wardrobe of chic, classic clothes. This is it. I sew most of my clothing, and this has been a wonderful guide and inspiration for me. I took the good basic pieces I had in my closet and have slowly added to them using the authors' wonderful advice. I now have a beautiful wardrobe, I look sophisticated and polished, now matter what the occasion, and I never look into my closet any more and think "I have nothing to wear". It has even helped me find just the right accessories to go with my beautiful clothes. I would recommend this book to sewers and non-sewers alike. It can make a real difference in the way you look, and eventually, the way you feel about yourself. I am much more confident when I know I look great!

The problem with all CS books is they show pretty outfits, which anyone with a little taste can create, but they lack direction on integrating the pieces into a functional wardrobe. Are the pictures pretty? Yes. Do you need another purple jacket that doesn't match with anything else than one outfit? CS books are about 90% single-outfit ensembles. Consider this before buying.

I found this book to be timeless and extremely helpful, not at all trendy. Unlike the fashion mags which are outdated one week after they go on sale, this book gives tips on how to build a year-round wardrobe from the ground up, with basic, timeless fashions and advice on how to coordinate tops, bottoms, shoes. It is a big help for those of us who are shopping addicts and tend to buy trendy clothes and accessories only to find we don't have a thing to wear 4 months later. Also try "Dressing For Occasions", another Chic Simple book. I would not recommend this for fashionistas in the big cities or women with an interest in lots of inexpensive trendy up-to-the-minute items.

The design and photos are beautiful and elegant. I loved the layout and it's a book I enjoy leafing through for pleasure.

As a practical guide to building a wardrobe I found it frustrating. The clothes shown are lovely but seem very geared toward people with a lot of money and/or time who can afford to purchase chothes at exclusive boutiques (or comb through sales racks & thrift stores). Many items shown also come from private collections. As a small, pear-shaped mom with a limited budget and no time I just couldn't imagine how I'd ever build such a wardrobe.

Sooo if you want a lovely book to look at, this is great. If you want a quick, easy to use workbook for any budget, look elsewhere.

I continue to dream of a simple workbook that will help a woman with budget, time, and figure limitations build a great wardrobe. (Feel free to email recommendations).

the song "get a job" usually pops into my head, because most of the clothes (sans the summer beachwear) are for proffesional wear, and may be too formal for everyday (buisness casual is getting more and more casual). That said, this is the BEST fashion source book I have ever read because rather than focusing on the avant garde, it gives simple instructions on how to build a wardrobe, not imitate anything trendy, and I have seen many reveiws complain that this book is difficult to follow on a thrift store budget, but I regularly shop at the Salvation Army, and haven't experienced a problem finding simple cut black blazers and beige sweaters. (Anything you can find at the Gap you can find at the thrift store three months later) If you do want a good thrift store guide try anything by Rachel Ashwell, or the book Second Hand Chic.
But I think this book can save you money, because it does suggest that you look through your wardrobe for your favorite pieces and shop in your closet, mixing and matching what you already have. Finding new combinations of outfits really can be like having new clothes, it also suggests swapping accesories to vamp up something you already have. These options are much cheaper then running out to the store (even the thrift store) to get new clothes.
This book is also very well designed, with full color pictures and wonderful typography, but the best reason to get this book is the back section, it is true that this is not the flashiest part of the book, that there aren't even any pictures, but it does give a guide of what to wear based on where you live and what your body type is. It covers all kinds of body flaws and how clothes can help you hide them. (If you have a big bust, don't wear high pants with belts, etc.) At the very least, it helped me find a good suit for interviews.

This book has great pictures -- full color, lots of white space (like those great DK books for kids). I found the clothing to be slightly matronly and not exactly pret-a-porte, but perhaps that's because I'm younger than the target audience (women 30+).

What this book does right: give you a basic understanding of a basic wardrobe and how to shop intelligently to put together a good closet of basics; a checklist of must-have items (or at least items to think about owning); a basic understanding of higher fashion and why/when it's useful to own some more expensive pieces of clothing; great photos (of not-necessarily-great outfits).

I enjoyed the tone of the book, intelligent and sassy, like an older more-fashionable friend. I also enjoyed a section that gave a general picture of how fashion plays out in different regions, just for the social science buff in me.

I wouldn't make this book your fashion bible, but if you are fashionably clueless, it's a good place to start.

This Chic Simple book is written for those who have a closetful of clothes but nothing ever to wear. It helps women pull together a total wardrobe and focuses on such key elements as:

*style
*elements of clothing (color, fabric, texture)
*clothes (underwear,outerwear,suits etc)
*care of clothes
*definitions/glossary of fashion jargon

The book is very well illustrated with full color pictures and drawing. It does not give specific advice and seems to be written more for those in the clothing business/fashion designers. But overall, i enjoyed this book.

Beautiful color photos make this book visually interesting, and solid information makes it more than a comic book for grown-ups. The writing style is breezy and inviting and accessible to everyone from fashion-conscious teens to single-again midlifers.

Season-by-season, the authors serve up strategies for developing a functional wardrobe from the odd assortment of garments that clutter many women's closets. Tried and true looks are emphasized for their versatility and longevity, but they are supplemented with numerous helpful hints about changing the looks with accessories and tailoring them for occasions. The authors discuss shoes, underwear, handbags, and jewelry among other items--the whole clothing gamut.

The photos typically feature upscale designer garments but the authors make it clear that the look is important, not the brand, as less expensive clothing styles frequently follow in the footsteps of their more illustrious relatives. "Women's Wardrobe" is about finding your personal style, not about making Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren wealthier.

There are plenty of tips to make weeding out your closet less painful, and good advice on determining what replacement items to buy. (Forget about buying colors according to what "season" you are--most people can wear most colors if they know what they're doing.) Attention is paid not only to actual calendar seasons, but to regional influences and body types.

"Women's Wardrobe" is great fun, useful head to toe, under to outer. Make sure you take it as a starting point, though, and not as the final say in cultivating a personal style. But after a sensational start like this book, who would want the fun to end anyway?

I bought Chic Simple Women's Wardrobe when it first came out, and had reason to pull it out again when my wardrobe needed a complete overhaul due to weight loss. To my delight, the advice and the styles contained within are as fresh now as they were eight years ago. If you're looking for good, basic advice on how to build a classic wardrobe, you won't go wrong with the Chic Simple philosophy, and this book is a wonderful embodiment of it.

I used to just have a jumble of clothes-with few outfits and nothing to wear! This book helps you pull together peices for a rich, classic, long lasting look. The photos are beautiful and the clothes are magnificent (and expensive!) but once you see the look you'll be able to reproduce it at your own budget. It also offers plent of information to help you recognize quality clothes and accesories. After reading this book, I threw out half my closet and began to build a timeless, upscale wardrobe!