Monday, September 22, 2008

Review: The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia

Okay, I admit that I am not a Fashionista. I live in a rural area and wear a uniform to work, so the chic part of my wardrobe is slim. But I would love to improve in that area (I keep watching What Not to Wear, hoping something will sink in) and this book is a great guide.

There are quite a few items on this list of 100 that I actually own, surprisingly. Little Black Dress, Wayfarer sunglasses (so glad to learn that those are classic, I've been wearing them since college), Ballet Flats, Cable-Knit sweater, iPod (!), Jeans (of course). L.L. Bean Tote Bag...I have several! Nice to know that I am not as far out of the fashion loop as I thought!

Some entries I will never have, I don't need an evening dress and will never spend the amount of money that will buy a car on an "investment bag." And some don't seem fashionable to me at all. White jeans, do people really wear those? And a Caftan. Really? Didn't think those were ever actually an accepted style. Outside of your own home, that is. But what do I know?

Those examples aside, this is a fun book. There are little boxes throughout with the history of different pieces and "fun facts," too. The brilliant illustrations by Ruben Toledo really make the book. No matter what your level of style, you are sure to find something that you already own listed and it will help you add the essential pieces you might be missing.

The One Hundred is published by Collins Living. ISBN 978-0-06-166461-8

Order The One Hundred from Amazon

5 comments:

Marie Cloutier said...

fun. sometimes i think "information" like this is better suited to a magazine article than a book, but hey. clothes are fun, right? :-)

The Tome Traveller said...

You're right Marie, it could have been a magazine article. There wasn't that much actual writing in the book, there were lots of great illustrations, but the whole thing could have been shorter. But it was a quick, fun read.

Anonymous said...

Carey, this sounds like a fun book!

I would so wear white jeans if not for the three kids and one dog.

Nothing stays white around our house :)

(I clicked through from the spotlight post at J. Kaye's Book Blog!)

Anonymous said...

Whew! My mental checklist had some of these pieces on it, so I guess I'm not going to be pulled in for a total makeover anytime soon :)

I'm curious as to the rest of the list ... if it has to be dry-cleaned it's probably not in my closet!

tashiana said...

wow this looks very cool
quite a diversion from ur usual reviews
i'd love to see a list of classic fashions
sadly i have yet to own a little black dress lol


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New Hampshire, United States
Bibliophile, Anglophile, Traveller... I have been an avid reader all of my life, since I took the Dr. Seuss Dictionary away from my Mom when I was less than a year old because I wanted to read it myself. In college, where I earned my degree in English Literature, I was often asked "What are you going to do with it?" Now I finally have the answer to that question!!! Being employed as a Flight Attendant for twenty years has given me a lot of life experience and, better still, a lot of time to read. I love to travel for fun, too.