Dear Fashionistas,
I was recently at one of my favorite “cheap chic boutiques,” better known as TJ Maxx, and found this really cool and informative book while in the check out line. For folks interested in eco-friendly beauty and fashion, Style Naturally looks like a great resource. Authored by eco-fashionista and activist Summer Rayne Oakes, the shopping guide provides a comprehensive list of resources online and world-wide, including many retailers in Texas, naturally.
Fashionably Yours,
Nik
The lovely people at Gotham Books were kind enough to contact me and send me a delightful book to review, titled Are You A Jackie Or A Marilyn?: Timeless Lessons on Love, Power, and Style by New York Times bestselling author Pamela Keogh. Fascinating and funny, Keogh wastes no time delving into the professional and private lives of American style icons Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Marilyn Monroe.
I must admit I’m really not a Marilyn fan, but Keogh wrote about her with such passion and conviction that I actually took a genuine, although fleeting, interest in the blond bombshell. I identify more with Jackie, frankly, because I’ve paid more attention to her life, her place in American history. So to answer the book’s central question, Are You A Jackie Or A Marilyn?- hands down I’m a Jackie girl.
While I probably wouldn’t have picked this book on my own, given my lack of interest in Marilyn Monroe, as you can tell from the series of dog-eared pages, I really enjoyed this book and plan to return to it again and again as a stylish reference guide. No small feat, Keogh deftly blends historical facts with tongue-in-cheek style, beauty and relationship advice to produce a work that is a fitting tribute to two of America’s most celebrated leading ladies.
What I Liked About This Book:
What impressed me and what I found most valuable were 1) Keogh’s extensive research in general, and 2) her accounts of what, and who, Jackie and Marilyn wore and where an aspiring Jackie or Marilyn girl of today might shop. A cornucopia of couture designers, skin care lines and stylists (some of which I’ve never heard) filled the pages of Chapter 2 Emulating Jackie Style and Marilyn Style and Chapter 3 Cultivating Beauty. Schlumberger, Zoran, Creed Fleurissimo perfume, Fogal, Norman Norell, Kenneth Battelle- in the words of Samantha Jones, I could hear the decadence calling! In Chapter 7 The Life of the Mind Keogh also reveals what Jackie and Marilyn kept on their bookshelves; I found it so fascinating I practically dog-eared every page of that chapter!
What I Disliked About This Book:
This book, much like the divas in its pages, is a bit high-maintenance. Each chapter is crammed with so much information (not extraneous mind you, just extra with a capital “E”) that it becomes distracting. Subcategories have subcategories. There are the J&M Life Lessons, J&M Field Notes, J&M Quicktests, the Secret Secrets, headings in pink and subheadings in bold, sections of text in pink or gray boxes, plus all the illustrations by Meg Hess (which are just divine, by the way.) Certainly, the succinct and classic adage of “less is more” applies here. I think the Quiz included in the introduction, the quotes at the beginning of the chapters along with the footnotes, the Secret Secrets and the delightful illustrations would have been enough.
Would I Recommend This Book? Yes!
All in all, I found this book thoroughly informative, witty and fun. Keogh’s extensive research into the lives of these two fascinating and famous women is to be applauded in and of itself. So if you are a fan of Jackie or Marilyn- or you are aspiring to their iconic style, this is a must have for you! Are You A Jackie Or A Marilyn is available for purchase here.
About the Author:
You can read more about the impressive and stunning Pamela Keogh here or check out her book trailer on YouTube below. As a Vassar girl herself, I suspect Keogh is more like Jackie, though her blond tresses and sassy demeanor pay tribute to Marilyn! So Ms. Keogh, Are YOU a Jackie or a Marilyn?
Fashionably Yours,
Nik, A Jackie Girl
“Before there was Sex and the City there was…Sex and the Single Girl.”
Clever. Hilarious. Unapologetically honest. The makings of a great friend are actually qualities found in Helen Gurley Brown’s infamous book Sex and the Single Girl. The quintessential guide to navigating single hood, this book by Cosmopolitan’s Editor in Chief first hit the mainstream in 1962 when being a single girl was actually considered taboo. After all, any decent, self respecting girl should be married, and the sooner the better!
I read this book years ago, after becoming a fan of Sex and the City on HBO. A sampling of some of the timeless mantras Ms. Brown wrote-
Regarding the Wardrobe:
“The question is: Is your image really coming through? If your clothes aren’t saying ‘Wow!’ it’s probably the lack of taste. Not money…taste!” (Amen to that!)
“What is this highly touted little item called good taste and where do you get it? I think good taste is what’s beautiful…Everybody can’t have the same taste, of course, but it’s amazing how many people can agree on someone who has it.”
Regarding the Apartment:
“A more impressive way to impress is with what’s inside- you and the furniture! Dazzled by you both, nobody will remember they came through a slum to get to you.”
Regarding Men:
“I think marriage is insurance for the worst years of your life. During your best years you don’t need a husband. You do need a man of course every step of the way, and they are often cheaper emotionally and a lot more fun by the dozen.”
Scandalous! Especially for 1962. While this book has been around the block, it’s lost none of its sharp wit or youthful boldness and is still laugh out loud funny. Exuberant and effervescent, Sex and the Single Girl is still the ultimate guide for being single and fabulous.
Fashionably Yours,
Nik
Original Book Cover
Professional fashionista and stylist Daisy Lewellyn is sharing her love for fashion with the world. Her new book, “Never Pay Retail Again” is a fashion bargain bible that shows you the way to a better wardrobe without breaking the bank! A self-professed “bargain babe,” Lewellyn has worked for In Style and Glamour Magazine and styled many an A-List celebrity- including the Two Parkers: that would be Eva Longoria and Sarah Jessica.
The book covers such topics as where to find the best bargains, how to make money from shopping and coveted secrets of fashion stylists, editors and designers. I cannot wait to get my hands on this book, and you shouldn’t either! It’s available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
To learn more about Daisy, check out her website, www.daisylewellyn.com and her blog, The Chocolate Fashion Blog.
Fashionably Yours,
Nik
Dress & Man's Suit, circa late 1700's
A while back, I wrote about byrd & bleecker, a charming Fort Worth stationery shop brimming with books and baubles of all sorts. After receiving an email from the store about an upcoming sale, I decided to stop by and peruse their inventory, just in case some of those fabulous Noshii brooches were on sale.
While the brooches were no where to be found (they were so cute, I’m sure they sold out long ago), I did come across a magnificent two-volume book set at 50% off, aptly titled “Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Century” by Taschen publishers. A veritable encyclopedia of selected pieces from the collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, this study in clothing through the centuries is at once engaging and inspiring. From rococo dresses to Coco Chanel, it is the perfect conversation piece on any coffee table or reference guide for any fashion enthusiast.
Fashionably Yours,
Nik
