The Pocket Stylist: Behind-The-Scenes Expertise from a Fashion Pro on Creating Your Own Unique Look

Rating:
Summary: Great book for overhauling your wardrobe.
Review: About a month ago, I'd decided to upgrade my wardrobe in an attempt to upgrade my career. I bought this book along with "What Not to Wear" (by Trinny Woodall, et al) and I absolutely suggest that combination. The Pocket Stylist really goes in depth into what looks good on your body type, the care and feeding of your wardrobe, how to have your clothes tailored, and a number of other essential ingredients for a great wardrobe. It's well written and easy to apply. But, it doesn't actually tell you what looks bad on you and what you should avoid at all costs, and that's where "What Not to Wear" comes in. Together these books make a perfect primer on putting together a great wardrobe.

I was brutal and totally cleaned out my closet. I applied the principles from both books to rebuild my wardrobe (surprisingly, I did not have to spend a lot of money) and since then almost every day someone asks me if I've lost weight. It's amazing how something as simple as changing from a crew neck to a v-neck, or tapered pant legs to straight leg can improve how you look.

Every woman who wants to look good should have this book.


Rating:
Summary: Fashion at your finger tips.
Review: Empowered by the Ms Farr's words, I began my "make over" by liberating my closet. Her words echoing in my head, I found how easy it was to assess what looked good and what needed to be tossed. My next task was to find an outfit for a wedding. I can't thank Ms. Farr enough for her guidance. In under an hour, I was able to complete my purchases and return home a sane woman. I hate to shop, but with the Pocket Stylist in hand, I found the style that fit my body type and looked good without having to try on a hundred different outfits to find the "one." Thank you for creating a guide to help women everywhere, turn shopping nightmares into pleasurable experiences!

Rating:
Summary: If you only buy one fashion book, buy this
Review: Farr zeroes in on what's probably the most important truth in fashion: Understand your silhouette and which shapes flatter it, and the rest is really pretty easy. I've bought several books on fashion, but this is probably the best. If you buy this book and back it up with one of Leah Feldon's, you're covered!

Rating:
Summary: A single source on how to look your best
Review: I am a French woman living in the US and have been looking for a book to teach my teenage daughter all the things that French women know about dressing well. This is THE book. It has everything. It covers subjects that may be covered elsewhere such as body type and flattering style, fit, how to build a wardrobe, what to invest in and what to have fun with. What I found most valuable, though, was how the author dispels the myths that fashion magazines promote. For example, she tells you how she prepares for a photoshoot and erases the myth of effortless good looks. She advocates that looking good is not about wearing the latest fashion, but knowing what makes you look good and wearing it. She outlines a basic wardrobe of timeless high quality basics that flatter and supplement with trendier and cheaper items that are fun but will not last as long in your wardrobe. This is how I dress and I can testify that it works.

I will be for ever grateful to my grandmother for teaching me to recognize when a garment fits and when it does not. Therefore, my highest mark in this book goes to the two pages explaining how to tell if a jacket fits. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

If you want just one book to teach you how to be stylish, this is the one. If you want to further explore how French women dress, look at "Chic and Slim" by Ann Baronne.

Rating:
Summary: too many words no pictures nothing new all common sense
Review: I don't know who wrote the other reviews, but they were WRONG. This book is very dissapointing, there was absolutely nothing new, and while it gave a few pages on one body type, it gave it only half a page for other types. The language is more appropriate for a college text than a styling book. I bought this book with "the lucky Shopping Manual" and there was simply no comparison, the lucky book was filled with great drawings and samples, I just couln't put it down, as for this book, I tried several times to find something interesting, something I didn't already know, and found nothing. I wish the authors had used their creative thoughts to put it into drawing or pictures rather than lengthy confusing paragraphs.


Rating:
Summary: LOVED this book
Review: I finally have my eyes opened to what is going on in the fashion world. I learned I have a 'body type' and what looks good on it. I've purged my closet and could finally let go of items that 'weren't quite right' but I had always kept; now I know why they don't look good!
I am going shopping this weekend armed with my Pocket Stylist and a measuring tape :) No more wasting time being frustrated in the dressing room! This book was a huge learning experience, was worth every penny.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointment
Review: I read all the other reviews before ordering this book and compared them with reviews on several books on this topic. I am disappointed with this book. There is nothing new here. A Vogue Magazine would have been better worth my time and money. Also, the sentence structure and punctuation are so poor that many sentences had to be reread several times to understand, and some sentences were just a string of Nouns with a period at the end.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Source of Information
Review: I really enjoyed this "little" book, it was full of practical, useful information. The tips on body shape, correct methods of measuring and where to look for the ideal merchandise were all very helpful. It's always a surprise to me (after dressing this body for all these years) that a complete stranger could offer such accurate suggestions without even seeing me! The advice is sound and practical and I'm always a big fan of embracing who I am rather than trying to create something I am not. A very useful tool.

Rating:
Summary: Made sense but room for improvement
Review: I've just received my copy of this book and, while I haven't read it from cover to cover just yet, I have had a chance to read the first couple of chapters and skim the rest. My initial conclusion is that this is going to be a useful and timeless book for anyone who cares enough to read about fashion without many pictures to help you visualize. However, that doesn't mean it's not without its faults. Mainly, I had issues with some of the "fashion vocabulary" (what exactly IS "roushing" anyway?). At the very least, the book needs a glossary. If it had pictures to go along with the definitions, this book would be perfect. At this point, this is my only complaint. The information contained in the book is very useful otherwise.

Rating:
Summary: Help with the basics for the fashionista wannabe
Review: If you already have a sense of Self, your own style, and know how to look in a mirror when you get dressed, you won't need this guide, and it won't help you develop a quirky, stand-out-from-the-crowd style, which can really come only from within. The authors point to icons like Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe, who had a lot more going for them than just good fashion (such as great charisma, being photogenic, buckets of money, and the advice of top stylists). But if you're a trend-follower, the book will help you look more pulled together even without your own unique look; a better subtitle might have been "Advice on Classic Dressing for Your Body Type."