Style Clinic: How to Look Fabulous All the Time, at Any Age, for Any Occasion

by Paula Reed

Book Overview

Fashion's best-kept secrets from London's leading fashion authorityWhy is it that simply getting dressed in the morning can be a bewildering experience? Last month's must-haves date you faster than a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060793546
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: William Morrow
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.9" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Great style guide

The book starts out talking about a distinction between the concept of style and the concept of fashion. Style is different from fashion in the way that fashion trends come and go and style is timeless. It helps knowing exactly what works for your body type and your style personality. What pieces worth splurging and what to buy cheap. What needs to be renewed often and what will last. The book also talks about classics - the pieces that will never go out of style. I especially enjoy that part since I prefer timeless pieces over new trends. Trends come and go and there is no need to follow each one, especially considering the fact that not all trends will work well for a particular body type. As the book mentions, if one looks great in boot-cut jeans, there is no need to get into unknown territory of skinny jeans just because they are trendy at a particular time. there is no need to deviate from what has worked well for you in the past. The basic moral is - Fashion makes you desire things you should not. Shop your style, not the hottest fashion trends. Alos the book lists some timeless classics, such as trench coat, LBD, tuxedo suit, good jeans, classic knits such as twinsets, turtleneck and v-neck sweater. Personally I am a big fan of trench coats, cashmere, good jeans, twinsets, pearls and LBD. Then the book goes into what should be kept in your closet and what should be discarded. The more you buy, the less it seems you have to wear. Buying a lot does not mean that everything you buy will work for you, most of us buy impulsively on a whim and then end up with disfunctional wardrobe. And that's where the Style Clinic comes in. It helps you to decide what to purge from your wardrobe and what is worth keeping. Next subject is wardrobe basics - white shirt, cardigan in your favorite color, suit jacket that goes with your skirt, 3 pairs of pant: jeans, tailored work pants, and smart day-to-evening pants, classic LBD, couple of casual t-shirts and tank tops, dressy round-neck top as a dressy alternative to a t-shirt, day skirt, 3 pairs of shoes: boots, ballet flats and a pair of high heels. The list of basics is followed by details about each item, how to pick the right one and what to wear it with. Also there is plenty of advice on how to find the perfect fit for your body, on using colors and prints in order to emphasize or camouflage, dressing appropriate for your age, and some successful shopper tips. Such as CBS: coat, bag, and shoes formula and other useful rules. Second part of the book talks about each piece of clothing (jeans, skirt, dress etc.) more in depth, what to wear it with, what kind to choose for each body type, how to build a coat capsule, how to select a perfect pair of pants, a skirt, dress, accessories etc. Well illustrated with pictures of celebrities that fit a particular body type and/or wearing particular article of clothing. I'd highly recommend this book since it has a good advice for any occasion

Got my attention

I've read several books on fashion, body type, etc. Like many, I have too much stuff and am overwhelmed. This book got my attention and hit the important points home. I am now really purging my closet and shopping differently. It emphasizes that only have what is wonderful and it does that in a variety of ways. Why wear anything which isn't the best looking on you? Better to repeat a wonderful outfit with a new accessory than wear something 2nd rate.

Basic Style 101

This book is the perfect combination of Nina Garcia's The Little Black Book and Lucky's Style Manual. I was looking for a book that was similar to either and luckily, I found this book! It has a list of "the basics" like Garcia's book, but instead of drawings, it has pictures like Lucky's. After reading this book, I felt an urge to organize my closet and redefine my style. I find most fashion books to be either (1) too wordy causing me to lose interest or (2) has too few pictures of the fashion - and they are usually pictures of styles that is beautiful but impractical to wear. This is the type of book that you can use as reference and will never go out of style. I wish more fashion books were like this. Btw, if you're into vintage fashion, there is a book similar in style to Garcia's book (which I love) that combines drawings with brief description/ history of each design/ designer called Shopping for Vintage: The Definitive Guide to Vintage Fashion by Funmi Odulate and Richard Merritt, which is brief but informative without all the extraneous information.

Pop Culture - Real-world style advice for real-world women

If you've been religiously collecting fashion magazines for the last 25 years, then this book is NOT for you. Authored by Paula Reed, style director/columnist of many UK fashion magazines, a devoted fashionista won't look up from this book thinking "Hmmm, that makes so much sense." However, if you're a working woman who's been spending your weekday mornings looking at your bursting closet and frantically trying to figure out a passable outfit for the day, or a mom pinching pennies for your family's outfits, then Style Clinic is a book absolutely worth keeping. Style Clinic - How to Look Fabulous All the Time, at Any Age, for Any Occasion lives up to its title, as well as to the belief that: while fashion is time-bound, style is timeless. Filled with practical instructions, checklists, guidelines, tips and advice about dressing up from head to toe, for every type of event all throughout the year, whatever your body type and budget are, this volume is worth every penny you save from not buying another coat or another shirt which you won't be using again, or worse, ever. The information is organized, and quotes about style and trends from well-loved designers and style icons also grace the pages, giving readers a better understanding of the thinking behind their products. Following the tips in this book, you will surely be making better choices the next time you dress up. Reviewed by D. Harms

Lucky Garcia

I didn't think I could love a book as much I love Lucky's Shopping Manual, a timeless classic for crafting your own style. However, Paula Reed's Style Clinic jutxaposes the practical, readily applicable, styling advice of Lucky's Manual with the chic sophistication of Nina Garcia's seminal texts (Black Book of Style and the "Hundred"). While you love the whimsical drawings by Ruben Toledo in Garcia's book, it left you wanting actual photographs to help pull the concepts together. In terms of its visual appeal, Reed's Style Clinic delivers what Garcia's texts do not. The chapters are well organized, easy to understand and apply, provides styling choices at every price-point, as well as to-do lists, and suggestions for essential items. The book stresses QUALITY over QUANTITY and the photos are beautiful, vibrant, and inspirational. I had the book two days before I went and purged several ill-fitting, overly trendy, cheap garments from my closet and what a difference it makes! Lastly, while many love Lucky's shopping manual, it does tend to lean heavily towards the early-mid twenties, size 2-6 crowd. Reed has styling recommendations for any age, the thin, curvy, top heavy, and bottom light. Like Garcia, Finney (the budget fashionista), and Tim Gunn, Reed stresses Style over fashion and trends. Sound advice in an economy where many of us are recessionista converts. In short, GO GET IT! YOU WON'T BE SORRY!