Customer Reviews

Work Clothes (Chic Simple): Casual Dress for Serious Work (Chic Simple Guides)

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

 

 

This was an okay book, I really felt the information could have been presented in a better way.

Someone felt "cute" layout and font changes on every page would make a good presentation style for this book, I found that it made information difficult to track and the overall style was confusing. Once I was able to decipher the information, it was very good, and very helpful!

One additional warning - the majority of the book was dedicated to male attire. Women had their own section, but, it was a chapter (with assorted extra nuggets of information elsewhere), not a full half of the book.

I really like how the Chic Simple books have no models. Looking at super trim men and women could have taken away from the real purpose in these books. While I can't exactly duplicate each outfit at Walmart, I can use these pictures as guides. Each outfit may not be your "style," but you can pick and choose which clothing and colors will make you look your best, and go from there. One day I'll be brave enough to carry the Chic Simple books around with me when I'm shopping!

This book boasts the catchy, elegant chic simple layout, with fully accessorized outfits laid out against a white background. The focus is on classic (and expensive), quality clothing (cashmere twin sets, Chanel flats, $300 Hermes scarves)-- but you could copy the ideas using less expensive basics. The idea is to pare down your wardrobe to the essentials, accessorizing the essentials to look polished & perfectly put together. The text is interesting, filled with quotes from movie stars and other famous people, with witty comments about the clothes, what one leans in business school, etc. However, you'll probably be drawn to the photographs and captions the first time through. Only about a third of the book is devoted to female attire, so if you're a woman, looking for advice about women's wardrobe concerns, you might be better served looking elsewhere.

The first thing you notice is the avant-garde wannabe type setting which distracts from the message. Then you notice there is a ton of "fluff" in the book. Quotes from books written in the 1940s that are supposed to convey what fashion was like back then and stuff like that; I didn't buy this book to find out about the history work fashion through this century.

The book does have some useful information when it starts talking about fitting clothes and finding quality. However, Josh Karlen's "The Indispensable Guide to Classic Men's Clothing" does a superior and more comprehensive job in this department.

The best part of this book is when it starts talking specifics about ensembles. Unfortunately the captions that go along with the pictures often lack details that are necessary for a clueless shopper. If I had a clue I probably wouldn't be looking in this book. What kinds of slacks are those? What color are they? What fabric are they made of? I know that I need to find my own what suits my own style and tastes but give me something to at least start with!

The downside is that this kind of information -- displays of men's clothing ensembles -- can be found in magazines like GQ for a fraction of the cost of this book. If you want to learn more about some of the "theory" of fashion look to another book. If you want more "concrete" examples then leaf through this book at the bookstore...and get a subscription to GQ.

This is the sort of book one gives to new grads, people re-entering the workforce, people starting a new job in a different company/region/field/etc. Lots of visuals, which is always a good thing in fashion advice books. Some of the printed info could have been better arranged. (The creators need to sit down with all three of Edward Tufte's books.) The type face of some pages was waaaaaay too small!

Another thing. This isn't really a book for women. The section containing advice for women is just thirty pages out of a total of 174. (hmm.)

Still, I'm glad I bought it a few years back. It has lots of good, basic info on clothing construction, fabric, color, classic style, etc., none of which has dated at all.

(Actually, I think I need to re-read it.)

This book is a very good primer into the area of formal dress.

As an earlier reviewer said, there are a lot of allusions to the 1940's, because the authors feel that the '40s are the last decade when the common man actually dressed well. I disagree, but let'sa move on.

As the title says, the book is about clothes one may wear to work. There are a lot of great combinations and a few that are horrendous. But, that is to be expected in a book about an area as subjective as fashion.

I would also say that the book should have specified that it is for both men and women. It is a bit disappointing to buy a book, only to see that half of it is entirely inapplicable to me.

This is a decent book for those who want to start learning about style and how to match clothes into combinations. I recommend it, but just barely.

Much better than the same authors' "Dress Smart Men" in the Chic Simple series. Presents a variety of clothing combinations, many actually useful. Would have been better if it had been seperated into one book for men and one for women -- half the book is useless.

This book is a visual treat of stylish photos of beautifully put together clothes. The text gives useful information about a topic that has caused confusion in many offices. The information is practical and sensible. The only minuses I found is the book can be very self-consciously "hip", and there is an overuse of words such as "urban" and "edge". I would recommend this book to anyone who works in an office environment, and wants some ideas about casual dressing.