I Love to Read!

I am reading three books right now: How to Have Style by Isaac Mizrahi, Autobiography of a Wardrobe by Elizabeth Kendall, and The One Hundred, by Nina Garcia. While they are all books about clothing, they are very different from one another.

Mizrahi's book appeals to me the most as his philosophy about dressing and style reflects my own and my work with Santa Barbara wardrobe consulting clients. He does not find faux dowdy women who, with $5,000 and a team of stylists, does Cinderella-like transformations. Instead, he shows how women of all shapes and sizes--NORMAL women--can look and feel better about themselves with some style advice and education. He listens to each woman, helps her to determine what inspires her and asks smart questions to lead her into a style evolution. The photographs are entertaining and inspiring.

I had so much hope for Kendall's book. The concept is great: telling a woman's life story from her wardrobe's point of view. But the writing leaves me flat and I don't find the wardrobe's voice very sympathetic. I mean, our clothes should like us and be on our side, right? Still, I want to finish the book.

Garcia's book is an informative, breezy read and her introduction is very good. She tells the reader that this is her list of the 100 pieces she cannot live without as a stylish woman and instructs the reader that this list is a guide; the reader must make a list of her own. Thank goodness because a must have item for me is certainly not a caftan or black leather pants! She understands that what a woman needs is clothing that reflects her various moods and roles in life. She also gets that a woman's wardrobe changes as she goes through life.