Book Review: The Thoughtful Dresser

The Thoughtful Dresser: The Art of Adornment, the Pleasures of Shopping, and Why Clothes Matter by Linda Grant

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wow. It has been a looooong time since I reviewed any kind of book. And when I started this book, I didn't think I would ever finish it, but last night in the wee hours of the morning when I should have been sleeping I got to the end. Hallelujah - I finally finished a book!

I really, really enjoyed this book. As I have gotten more involved in the style blog community - both with my own blog and in reading others, I felt like this was a good time to explore some deeper thoughts on fashion and style in general. And this book did not disappoint. The author's premise is that all depths are covered by a surface and that the surface matters. That what you wear and how you dress sends a message to the outside world, one that is seen and judged by every person that you encounter.

I was surprised at the depth of the writing of this book. The author, Linda Grant, certainly can turn a pretty phrase and in my opinion is very well-written. The way that the book reads is also very interesting. Rather than carrying one cohesive thesis throughout the book, it is more like a series of articles covering differing topics and areas within fashion and its surprising depths and impact upon women and their views of themselves and the outside world. And Grant does a great job convincing the reader of fashion's necessity to the lives of people - no matter what hardships we go through. She begins the book examining fashion and the Holocaust. Not two topics you would ever think would go together, but Grant does an admirable job in showing how the two actually converge.

The other thing that I loved about the book was Grant's look back into history at fashion - particularly how the world has changed from post World War II to present day. It not only is a great look at the history of fashion, but also a look at women's history post-World War II as well. And it is surprising to discover that even as women made strides to "liberate" themselves and assert our rights, we actually have become trapped by images forced at us of models with pre-pubescent bodies wearing high-fashion clothing and told by the high-fashion design houses that this is what is considered "beautiful". It is a fascinating look back and helps one to realize that this hasn't always been considered the standard of beauty.

The other thing that is fascinating about the book is how seriously women take beauty. And how we cope through unthinkable tragedies by tending to this basic human desire that we have - to look beautiful. It makes sense to me, especially after reading John and Stasi Eldredge's Captivatinga couple years ago, but it is very interesting to see Grant come to the same conclusion.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It definitely broadened my view on the importance of fashion and style and any time my worldview is broadened, I am a fan.

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Thoughts for a Wednesday

I have too many thoughts these days to have one single coherent one, so here it goes:

1 - Spring is right around the corner and my whole being is shaking with joyful anticipation.  Truly, this is my favorite time of the year.  I may have been born a winter baby, but there is nothing like a warm day after a cold, blizzardy winter to lift the spirits to the heights of heaven.  Sandals, dresses, t-shirts, light cardigans, green, green, green, flowers, daffodils, spring cleaning - I love it!!  Too bad there is rain predicted the rest of the week, but oh well - spring is almost here!!

2 - I am obsessed right now with all things fashion.  From Bravo tv shows like "Shear Genius" and "Kell on Earth", to the old standby "Project Runway", to picking up InStyle, Vogue, Elle, and Lucky spring fashion magazines, to finding and discovering this whole world of fashion blogging (which you can find many links to on my blog list), I am in love with all things fashion right now!  I can't help it!  I keep getting inspired and loving everything that I come across.  But I need to start regulating my love to just looking at pictures and getting inspired with all that I already have.

3 - So in watching the Oscars the other night, I noticed to my utter surprise, joy, and amazement, that one of the main dancers during the Best Score montage, was none other than B-Boy Cloud...who I was THREE FEET AWAY FROM AT RED BULL BC ONE!!

4 - Only 9 episodes left of Lost - in some ways I am utterly relieved and in others I am going to be completely devastated when this is all over.  I wonder if I will ever watch network television again.

5 - I am in love with yoga.  It has opened a door to me that I rarely have - that of quiet meditation and yet challenge all at the same time.  It is so awesome and clears my head in a way that I have never experienced with other forms of exercise.  I have learned so much and highly recommend it to everyone :).

6 - This season of ABDC is severely lacking.  In fact the past two seasons of ABDC have been real lackluster.  Maybe all of America's talent was captured in Seasons 1-3 with the likes of Jabbawockeez, Fanny Pak, Kaba Modern, SuperCrew, Beat Freaks, Quest Crew, Strikers All Stars & BreakSk8te.  The only crew that comes close to being as exciting as these past ones is Saltare.  And I miss Shane Sparks.

There are other things floating around, but that is all for now - I can't focus my thoughts enough to have more coherent thoughts other than those! Buona Sera!

Oh Fall Fashions...

A bug has bit me. Something that goes by the name of "shopping" and "new fall fashions" and this desire to create pretty things. And then I got the new J. Crew September catalog. And, to borrow a phrase from Rachel Zoe (and yes, I feel a thousand times dumber for doing so), "I died".

I L-O-V-E what this fall season is bringing to the table. I was not really inspired by the spring or summer collections from any catalog, retailer, or designer but I can't say the same for fall any longer. All of the sudden the right mixture of layers, textures, colors and accessories are coming together and I LOVE it! It may also have to do with the fact that these things are hitting me at the same time that I have been aching to do something creative, and seeing all the new things out there has made me want to just use myself (or other people!) as a canvas instead of a big white square.

I do want to throw out there that I'm not saying I'm a huge fan of everything - I'm talking to you suede booties and neon anklet socks - but as I see outfits put together, I see the separate pieces and my own creations coming together. And I love what's coming out!

Maybe I should have never left my job at Wet Seal.

PS - for some fun fall fashions coming out, check out one of the blogs on my blogroll, Camp Comfort. Loving most of the things that she has been posting lately - been my inspiration thus far for new ideas!

**PPS - My awesome and best friend T just helped me discover an amazing new fashion blog, The Sartorialist! Check it out! The pictures are amazing!

Paging Tim Gunn

Those who know me, know that I love fashion. I love clothes, jewerly, purses, shoes, scarves, design - there are very few things that I don't love about it all. It's one of my favorite creative outlets. I love it for its art and how it is an art form in and of itself. That is why it pains me when I see fashion travesties out there in the great wide world. To caveat - I am sure I have committed my own travesties or oddities and I'm certainly no Stacy London, Clinton Kelly, or Tim Gunn. But there are three things that I believe no woman should ever deem to wear.

#1 - Rompers. The picture to the right says it all. Never, ever, ever should a woman ever put something like this on. And the fact that the picture above is from a well-known designer and sells for hundreds of dollars is a travesty beyond travesty in my opinion. There is just no body shape that this would ever look good on.

#2 - Jumpsuits. Unless you are an extra in Top Gun 2 - Goose Lives, no jumpsuits should ever be worn. Never, ever, ever, ever! My young eyes were scarred once by watching a woman squeeze herself into a tight, single-piece jumpsuit of denim material at Wet Seal and it is an image that will never leave me. The poor woman. And poor me! I remember when the jumpsuit arrived in the store, I wondered who would ever deem to put it on - I got my answer, for sure! So never, please never, go for the jumpsuit. Not even Beyonce can pull this look off.

#3 - Velour Track Suits. Jenny From the Block unfortunately brought these into the fashion world and I personally think they should never have come into it. Maybe - maybe - if you're just lounging around at home they are ok, but really. Let's be honest. How can anyone feel good about themselves wearing a velour track suit? And please note - I'm not knocking sweats - not in the least. I would much rather have someone wear their actual sweats than a track velour suit. Because when you are wearing sweats, you are declaring to the world, "I don't really care about what I look like right now, and I dare you to say anything about it" (which I admire and adhere to at times), whereas a velour track suit says "I wanted to try looking cute but deep down didn't really want to be cute so I decided to put this velveteen bunny suit on instead." Just wear jeans, please!

Those are my top three things I think no one should ever wear. What about you? Do you have anything that you think no one should ever put on? Been guilty of any of these? Post in the comments!

Learn Something New Every Day...

You have no idea how fun this is for me - just discovered this website and its fun widget tool. This is something that I would probably wear to work - what do you think?

I would wear this during the weekend....

This is a fun, casual "going-out" look...

And I just like this look as a general summer outfit...

Post your thoughts on my style choices! :)

The Inspiration of Project Runway

One of my absolute favorite TV shows is Project Runway. Ever since I got hooked into this show, back in Season 2, I have been a diehard fan. I love it. There are so many elements that go into making this one of the absolute best reality shows out there (it should have won the Emmy, not Amazing Race, no matter how much you like Phil Keoghan!). Some of my favorite things about this show:

1. The Creativity - I cannot imagine what it would be like to be in a room with all of these creative people. They are all visionaries and are able to execute some of the wildest things I have ever seen, with materials that I can't imagine ever, ever being used for clothing. I would absolutely love being in the room with these people, though I think the reality-prone, practical side of my brain would start to kick in if confronted with an overwhelming dose of creativity.

2. The Judges - I love, love, love Nina Garcia, Michael Kors, and Heidi Klum. I don't always agree with their assessments, but I love their personalities and critiques of the designers.

3. Tim Gunn - I'm sure there are people out there that think Tim Gunn's appeal is overblown. It's not. He is such a good mentor and critic and always wants to see the designers succeed in their challenges, but he's not afraid to offer them advice on their designs or construction of their pieces. His phrase, "Make it Work!" is a priceless challenge to everyone, no matter what line of work you are in - figure out how to make it work!

4. The designers - I don't think there is a more eclectic bunch of personalities on one reality television show than this bunch of people. Some are divas, some are bad-asses, some are genuinely nice. But they all have strong personalities - they are the kind of people, that if you met them at a party, would probably be at the center of several discussions. There aren't too many wallflowers in this bunch!

5. The fashion - I just love it. I love seeing the dresses and collections that these designers come up with. It can be incredible, it can be awful. But it is inspiring to me to see what they pull off - and then whether or not I am inspired by their creations to come up with something of my own!

I am such a dichotomous person - I love both fashion and sports, classical music and alternative hip-hop, working hard and being lazy, history and business. No flippin' wonder I can't figure out what path I'm supposed to take!