Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Funny girl Lancaster has crafted a successful career by honing the breezy, bloggy style she first exhibited in Bitter is the New Black; her latest, in part a backhand to the resurgent 80s fashion trends, is sure hit resonant, hysterical notes for anyone who came of age in the era of the Preppy Handbook. Authorial voice is at the heart of Lancaster's charm, and she chronicles her early 20s-blunders from fashion and finances to academics and retail jobs-with a candor that few will be able to resist. Lancaster confesses to a fascination with plastic (the material, not the credit card), gloating over her impressive new Liz Claiborne bags, and difficulty finding faithful friends, even (especially) in her Greek affiliations ("Even though I read Seventeen and Glamour every month, I'm already thought of as the Jean Jacket Jackass in my rush group"). Falling somewhere between David Sedaris and Laurie Notaro, Lancaster's goofy charm will no doubt continue to win fans, as well as influence the next generation of sardonic, winning, self-effacing memoirists.
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Product Description

The hardcover debut from the New York Times bestselling author- the prequel to Bitter is the New Black.

In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals how she developed the hubris that perpetually gets her into trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers will meet the girl she used to be.

Think Jen Lancaster was always "like David Sedaris with pearls and a super-cute handbag?" (Jennifer Coburn) Think again. She was a badge-hungry Junior Girl Scout with a knack for extortion, an aspiring sorority girl who didn't know her Coach from her Louis Vuitton, and a budding executive who found herself bewildered by her first encounter with a fax machine. In this humorous and touching memoir, Jen Lancaster looks back on her life-and wardrobe-before bitter was the new black and shows us a young woman not so very different than the rest of us.

The author who showed us what it was like to wait in line at the unemployment office with a Prada bag, how living in the city can actually suck, and that losing weight can be fun with a trainer named Barbie and enough Ambien is ready to take you on a hilarious and heartwarming trip down memory lane in her shoes (and very pretty ones at that).

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 365 pages
• Publisher: NAL Hardcover; 1 edition (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451226801
• ISBN-13: 978-0451226808
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,202 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Fashion
  #18 in	Books > Entertainment > Humor > Essays
  #65 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Women

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hard to recommend, May 24, 2009

By	Elizabeth A. Hein "Elizabeth" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have read all of Jen's books. Bitter was amazing! I told tons of people to read it and not one was disappointed. Pretty in Plaid sadly I will not be giving a hearty recommendation for. I agree with another review, chapter one was a gas! And there were moments of great stuff in this book, but not enough to make you want to turn the page. I am sad this book did not live up to my Jen standard. Read her first two, maybe her third but take a pass on this one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts off strong..., June 15, 2009

By	book lover - See all my reviews

...but quickly fades. The first entry was funny enough, but subsequent entries wear thin very quickly. I think she is trying to come off as Adrian Mole, but her life isn't that interesting nor her comments that clever. I got a third of the way through and then-enough. Might appeal to twelve-year-olds though.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Funny, but not "wet your pants" funny, June 10, 2009

By	Megen Duffy - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If I hadn't read Jen's other books and nearly put myself into a coma with laughing, I would think this was hilarious. In comparison, it's just OK. It's still worth buying and reading, but I just like her adult books better. The memoir stuff is all right, but the timeline fast-forwarded at the end and felt disjointed.