Three Black Skirts : All You Need To Survive (Paperback)

by Anna Johnson (Author) "Strict dieting without exercise, exercise without rest, worry without sleep, sex without love, love without work, duty without fantasy, a slice of cheddar cheese without..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Little Prince, Diana Vreeland (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
It's the real thing. It's about getting your life together. It's about looking damn fine. It's about man handling. It's about the casa question. About solitude. About stain removal. Whether you're a young woman just out of school and starting a career or a harriedly successful thirty-something, if you're still wasting time looking for stockings that match or struggling to keep on top of credit card bills, you need help. And not a glossy monthly's unattainable idea of help, but the stuff that works-the nuts and bolts.

Anna Johnson's THREE BLACK SKIRTS is the book that delivers. In a voice that's knowing, smart, hip and funny-and with the author's own retro illustrations to match-Ms. Johnson cuts right to the core of the chaos that passes for life today and shows how to find order, balance, fulfillment. She covers it all: health, dating, career moves, finances, entertaining, body image, sex, and, of course, the indispensability of owning three black skirts. She offers the twenty basics for money management, and three keys for shopaholics to gain control over their passion. A workshop to build better food habits. Ten ways to get to sleep. Dress codes to the major cities. A Schmoozer's Guide to Compliments. Principles of Modern Courtship. And everything in between, from an extensive stain removal chart to eleven ideas for reawakening your spiritual life.

From the Back Cover
Balance, Strength, Well-Being –and a Killer Wardrobe FEATURING: THE MAXIMS OF CHIC 16 MONEY RULES GRACE – UNDER – PRESSURE ENTERTAINING MOOK MANAGEMENT LOVE – THE 15 MYTHS BODY IMAGE BOOSTERS MEDITATION, YOGA, RETREATS, AND FINDING THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

It's about solitude. It's about stain removal. It's about beauty, and what to do when feeling blue. It's about attitude and atomizers, stock funds and stockings that match. It's about life – your life – and how to get it together.

In a smart, funny, and refreshingly down – to – earth survival guide, Anna Johnson covers it all: health, dating money, career moves, style, sex, nutrition, responsibility, home décor, body image, friendship. And, of course, the indispensability of owning three black skirts – one to seduce, one to succeed, one to slob out in. What else is there?

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761119396
• ISBN-13: 978-0761119395
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #135,427 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Smart, funny, usually practical, July 8, 2002

By	Amazonbombshell (Milwaukie, OR, USA) - See all my reviews

Let's face it, girls: no amount of book-reading is going to magically transform the person that you naturally are into a cool and collected bombshell who looks like a million dollars in classy heels at all times and says the right thing in every situation, whether she's volunteering at a soup kitchen, breaking up with her partner, or whipping up something truly magnificent for dessert.

That said, it's easy enough to make simple changes to help yourself become more organized, take control of your life, feel more beautiful, improve your skills, and find joy in the simple things.

Anna Johnson's smart and sassy little pink guide is perfect for helping women everywhere do just that. She covers finances, entertaining, spirituality, happiness, tools, wardrobe, friendships, dating, jobs, careers, homes, depression, body image, love, and the responsibility to give back to our world. She's funny, her retro drawings are irresistably cute, and her savvy advice pulls no punches. Read it, think about how it works with who YOU are, and see how much fun you can have.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The fourth "black skirt", October 9, 2000

By A Customer

I was given "Three Black Skirts" as a Christmas prez at the end of 1998 - I'm amazed that it's taking this long to get to the American public as, from what I've read of this print, it is the same book. I loved it. Fantastic and realistic, I read this book three times in a row across several less-than-fab evenings when my other mid-week single person options were either the ironing or ( ) telly. I then didn't sight it for the next 4 or so months as it made it's way steadily through a bunch of similarly impressed friends. This book didn't patronise me, it made me laugh. It also gave me my favourite bruschetta recipe as well as practical info about money, relaxing, clothes, compliments and sex. It made my 21-year old self feel good about my body and have a little more of an idea about reasonably scary adult stuff like money management. I know exactly where it is in my bookcase. A great buy.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic advice for improving your life., April 9, 2001

By	mirope "mirope" (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is a book designed for those of us who don't usually read self-help books. Anna Johnson has compiled lots of good, sound advice for getting your life in shape. Among other things, she covers finances, makeup, clothes, home decor, love life, physical health in this one engaging book. For me, the best part of the book was her introduction. Her philosophy is a good one - you're never going to have it all together in all parts of your life so don't feel like a failure every time your house isn't cleaned, you have a junkfood attack or run your hose. Try to do a little better where you can, but don't think you can do it all. This isn't anything new, but Johnson gives it to us with a fresh and modern perspective.

Johnson has relied upon experts for many of the specific topics with generally good results. Each topic is pared down to its bare essentials. Sometimes it's easy to forget that these are just tips, not a must-do list. Don't consider all of her advice to be dogma; many of them are just a reflection of her personal taste and lifestyle. For example, she pooh-poohs waterproof mascara, but for those of us who were contacts and put in a lot of eyedrops, it's essential. Similarly, ignore the rules on clothes and decor if they don't work for you. Everyone has a different figure and no one style of dressing or article of clothing works for everyone. Nevertheless, Johnson's taste is simple and classic, and you can generally feel safe following Johnson's advice to the letter.