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

What’s better than Sex?  Apparently, more of it.  I personally thought that there shouldn’t be a Sex & the City 2…the first movie definitely delivered the goods and I felt they should quit while they’re ahead…

I was wrong.

SATC 2 is, well, decadent, sensuous and sumptuous and whatever else you can think of that is anti-recession.  It is a sensory overload of fashion, sisterhood and unabashed indulgence, you know, just like the latest nightclub craze but without the pesky hang over or regrettable one-nighter.  No, SATC 2 and its lush scenery linger on your mind and invite you to get lost in the imagery and adventure.

With that said, I won’t spoil it for my SATC Sisters (and Brothers, you know who you are) who have yet to view this jewel of a film, but I’ll just give you a quick synopsis:

The movie picks up 2 years later and we get to see how everyone’s relationships have progressed- or regressed- as it were.  There’s an overall sense of dissatisfaction by the girls that drives the story line: dissatisfaction with work, children, aging and the monotony of marriage.  To alleviate the frustration, the girls jet away to luscious and sizzling Abu Dhabi for an all-expenses-paid vacation secured by PR genius Samantha Jones.  The ladies always travel in style- from the suites on the plane to four white Maybachs to personal attendants, there was no shortage of ultra-luxury.  All I gotta say is if my lottery ticket hits, I’m heading east.

While I love the stars of the movie, I think my favorite character this time was all the luxury services rather than, gasp, the fashion.  Don’t get me wrong, I was mesmerized from the first scene, with Carrie’s neck sporting a $200,000 bejeweled stunner by none other than my jewelry crush, Solange Azagury-Partridge, but once they stepped on that plane, that mansion on wings, I was blown away by the unbelievable spoiling, I mean customer service.  Lastly, I’m excited about the book SATC 2: The Stories.  The Fashion.  The Adventure.  It’s a break down of all the clothes Carry wore in the movie- I can’t WAIT to get my hands on it!  See below for an example of the contents.

For those of you who haven’t seen it, I hope you make it out to the theaters this weekend- you won’t be disappointed- Carrie On!

Fashionably Yours,

Nik