Obsessed by Dress

by Tobi Tobias

Book Overview

Are you obsessed by dress? Do you wonder if your obsession is a virtue or a vice? The flourish of a creative spirit or a sign of conformity to social norms? If so, you're in good company. Juxtaposing quotations from Virgil to Coco Chanel, Tobi Tobias reassures us that the obsession with clothes is as old as human history itself.

Jane Austen, Mae West, Christian Dior, Virginia Woolf, Andy Warhol, and Mark Twain are among the many who have their...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807006068
• ISBN13: 9780807006061
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.7" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read

One doesn't have to be a clothing aficionado to have a rewarding time with Tobi Tobias's "Obsessed By Dress." A small-size book with a biggness of content, "Obsessed" is alive with famous-person clothing quotes, meticulously researched by Tobias, reflecting her passion for Dress and great writing. Dickens, Proust, Virgil, Keats, Dior, Dorothy Parker, and RuPaul are among those quoted.

For the well-dressed mind

This is a lovely book, full of wit and surprises. It's obvious that Tobias has chosen quotes from books with which she is familiar, rather than compiling a hodgepodge of witty bon mots, selected at random. The bonus, in addition to making one think about fashion and its place in civilization, is reminders of books one has read, or wants to read, or should.Armed with a few quotes from this book and a little black dress, one could conquer any cocktail party in fine style!

Swept away...

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this gem of a book. It has a sweep and intelligence that I have never experienced when reading about fashion. It made me laugh out loud, and reconsider the pleasures of enjoying putting myself together even for getting through my average work day. I loved it, and will be giving it as the perfect holiday gift for the person who has everything!

Pure Pleasure

This artfully arranged collection is sure to interest anyone who loves either clothes or writing. Although you might want to sit down and read it all at once--the "compiler," Tobi Tobias, has arranged her material with a magisterial hand, lending this little book a logical sweep and compelling coherence--this book is the ideal night table resident. It is also an ideal gift--whether all by itself, or tucked into something to wear. And just as with the astringent dance criticism Tobias writes for New York Magazine, reading this will make you smarter.

Packed with perfection

This small book is dense with pleasurable passages. One cannot read it once and set it aside. The literary extracts and essences contained here are organized with great sophistication and guile. The dividends for reading the book are revelations from great literature and the pleasure of recognition - love of adornment is both universal and unique.