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A style classic: What Not to Wear
By Meg | June 16, 2007
I originally found this book at a library book sale earlier this year. This is literally the first ever “beauty” or “style” book that I ever bought. I had flipped through a few related books previously, but most of them were filled with ‘fluff’, read like clothing ads, and/or look dated due to a reliance on that season’s fads. Although several years old, the photos and suggestions in this book did not look dated at all. When I got home and read through the book, I was not disappointed one bit. In fact, I credit this book as being part of the inspiration for this blog.
Through photo comparisons and clearly listed tips, the authors Trinny and Susannah show readers how to dress - and more importantly, not to dress - to work with various body features that can be problematic.
Here’s the list, if you’re wondering:
- big boobs
- no boobs
- big arms
- big butt
- no waist
- short legs
- flabby tummy
- saddlebags
- short neck
- thick ankles & calves
Each feature receives attention across a dozen or so pages of photos and tips. While the book is only about 150 pages and can be read in a day, it is concise and worth coming back to again and again. The introduction is only 6 pages long and mostly explains the philosophy of the book. The first paragraph reads (with the original emphasis):
Looking stylish is as much about knowing what not to wear as it is about knowing what suits you. It’s about being honest and coming to terms with the fact that some parts of your body aren’t great and understanding that certain clothing only serves to exacerbate these problem areas. So many of us trundle through life not making the most of ourselves because we are lacking in self-confidence, convinced that clothes don’t matter or have no idea where to begin. But the more you know about your body, the easier it is to look great.
You won’t find pages and pages about how a makeover changed some lady’s life or a chapter on the authors lives. The photos of Trinny and Susannah clearly illustrate their points about what to wear, or not. Although they are both beautiful women (in a refreshing lady-next-door way), differences in their body shape show how the same outfit on different people can look great or awful.
I really can’t say enough about this book. My biggest criticism is that I wish Trinny and Susannah would smile more in the after shots. If you are looking for a great beginning guide to picking clothes for your body, you should definitely check out this book. Even if you already have a good idea of what not to wear, it’s still worth flipping through.
Tags: Book Reviews, Fashion, Style
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June 20th, 2007 at 12:25 am
I agree, this was a “founding” book for me. I started my whole “I want to look good” thing after reading this.
June 20th, 2007 at 12:39 am
I bought the book in April. In May I started up this blog. It definitely wasn’t a coincidence. I’m glad we both found this book :)
September 25th, 2007 at 1:28 am
[…] things work or don’t, and give recommendations based on body shape and situation. It’s What Not to Wear on steroids! I especially like the advice sections entitled “The Rules”. For example, […]
September 28th, 2007 at 1:23 am
[…] and Susannah are the authors of one of my favorite style books, What Not to Wear, so I was eager to have a look at their other books. I was especially intrigued by the title of […]
October 11th, 2007 at 3:25 am
[…] that they would go deeper into the topics. A lot of it isn’t that different from their book What Not to Wear, which I prefer for style advice. I wish that they would just assume that we’ve all ready […]