What's a good read in fashion and style?
Through the years I have collected a few fashion books that have helped me understand what personal style is all about.
Essentially, my own definition is Style is the essence of being graceful and confident, of having a sense of humor with fashion. To develop it is simply by knowing, through trial and error, what you feel most beautiful and comfortable in. You can get inspiration from your peers, from your environment, from the culture you grew up in, from the movies you watch, or the people you see.
And of course there is also inspiration found in books, as it narrates the personal experience of individual folks that have become gurus of style.
One of my favorite fashion reads is the Nina Garcia collection of four books on style. They were published from 2004 to 2009, however, their content is relevant and the advice is timeless.
The principles, advice, and Nina's observations on style can withstand any fashion trends may it be a year or five, or even a decade from now.
After all, to be graceful, confident, and humorous are virtues that garments cannot produce. They come from within, honed by experience.
These four books are MUST READS.
The Little Black Book of Style
From the Publisher:
"Every time you dress, you assert your identity. With style, you tell the world your story. In that way, style affords you opportunities to think about your appearance as a quality of your creative character.
The Little Black Book of Style helps you to explore your own fashion voice—the piece of you that joyously revels in the glamorous experience of creating your best self.
From cultivating good taste to guarding against definite fashion faux pas, Nina Garcia offers readers the ultimate guide to follow when it comes to dressing their best. Including tips on how and when to wear an outfit, occasion-appropriate wear, advice on how to combine colors and textures, and inspiration on how to achieve your own signature look, you learn how to experiment, storyboard, archive, and play.
Timeless and universal, this book seeks to remind women that eternal style is internal style, and that everyone has what it takes to discover themselves through the colorful palette that is fashion."
The One Hundred
From the Publisher:
"With her style philosophy firmly out in the world, Nina decided to address the most popular question readers consistently ask her: Exactly what are fashion's timeless pieces?
The One Hundred answers this question and provides women with a tangible style map to follow when planning a shopping trip and stocking one's closet.
With illustrations from world-renowned fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo, The One Hundred contains the 100 items that Nina believes will never go out of style and that have become absolutely indispensable for any woman attaining her own eternal fashion look."
The Style Strategy
From the Publisher:
"From much-loved fashion maven and New York Times bestselling author Nina Garcia comes her most indispensable style primer yet--this one focused on looking timelessly chic, all while saving money!
Armed with Nina's no-fail The Style Strategy, fashionistas will not only discover a myriad of shopping alternatives sure to help them attain high-end looks at lower prices, but also learn how to maximize what they already have through maintenance, ingenuity, and creative style choices.
Step by step, Nina helps readers honestly answer three key questions--What do I have? What do I need? What do I want?--before making purchases, so they can effectively eliminate any unnecessary spending."
This book also celebrates some of the most extraordinary women of the past, who remained admiringly fashion-forward during their own era's economic hardships. The Style Strategy is a must-have for this season and all seasons!"
The Look Book
From the Publisher:
"Every woman, at one time or another, has contemplated an all-important job interview, first date, formal party, or important presentation and wailed to herself and to her closest girlfriends, “What should I wear?”
In Nina Garcia’s Look Book, style guru Nina Garcia solves this universal quandary with an inspired and unbeatable combination of fashion knowledge and common sense.
She shows us the pieces, the accessories, and the strategies to create the looks that will take us from the first day on a job through the day we ask for a raise and beyond, from the first time we meet our boyfriend’s parents (or his children) through the day we see our own children walk down the aisle.
With Nina by your side, you can’t go wrong. You’ll have all the tips you will need to navigate every day looking your best. True style is not about having a closet full of expensive and beautiful things—it is instead about knowing when, where, and how to utilize what you have."
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