Dressing Smart in the New Millennium

Rating:
Summary: Dressing Smart is fun, easy, and above all *useful*!
Review: After reading this book and using some of the advice given, I started receiving tons of compliments (especially from my husband!) I used the website mentioned in the book to find my Color Type. I feel better about myself, I look better and it didn't take a lot of effort.

Rating:
Summary: not very much help
Review: Although this book had a bit of useful information, I did not appreciate the MULTIPLE vague references to "magic dust" and the author's personal stories. I also did not appreciate the many suggestions as to how to appear sexy, or to attract a mate. I am a married, working mother, and would NOT sleep in my husband's previously worn dress shirts as pajamas as she suggests.(My kids would look at me funny.)
I was looking for more specific advice on keeping a simple, flattering, professional wardrobe. The author does not have a grip on the real-world demands on women of life, career, children, and family. Her book is projected from the single life of a New York fashion model. Not very helpful for the rest of us. Don't buy this one--you'll waste your money.

Rating:
Summary: JoAnna Nicholson Plays Fairy Godmother to Your Cinderella
Review: Back in my school days, I used to envy the girls in my class who had big sisters. Usually, these girls were avoiding the klutzy mistakes the rest of us made because their older sisters told them the pitfalls to avoid and what to do to be the coolest of the cool. In her book "Dressing Smart for the New Millennium," author and image consultant JoAnna Nicholson becomes that cool, hip and in-the-know big sister for those of us who are clueless about what looks fab and what looks drab, what looks chic and what looks cheap and what looks terrific and sexy as opposed to terrible and sleazy. And, the best news: Nicholson promises us that we don't have to be skinny little supermodels to look sensational. No matter what our weight, height, ethnic group or appearance, she has the fashion and make up tip to make us look like a million dollars -- and often, we don't have to spend a dime on our wardrobe to do it. She tells how to mix and match jackets and other separates so that one outfit can be worn a jillion ways and gives tips about how to look great even at the end of a busy day. Did you know that you can keep your lip color from wearing off at a meal? Simple: just use a lipliner pencil as a first coat underneath your lipstick; when the latter wears off the undercoating will show, making you look like you still have lipstick on. Why didn't I think of that? And by using shoulderpads and "pegged" skirts -- straight skirts that are narrower at the hem than at the hips -- you can look more slender even after the extra holiday pounds. Who should buy this book? You should, if, in the author's words, you wouldn't want your favorite movie star to see you as you are right now. She tells us not to leave the house in "grubbies," because you never know who will see us looking our worst. Nicholson says that even royalty has asked her what she does to look so good. After trying a few of her tips, and getting more compliments than ever before, I believe it. Before you go spend a mint on a new outfit, invest in this book. It could save you from making a fashion mistake. And, who knows, it could turn a few heads.

Rating:
Summary: I Hope She Dresses Better Than She Writes ...
Review: Count me in as another perplexed reader wondering how on earth this book has scored so much positive press. Even under the lax standard extended to self-help titles, this book is a disaster: poorly written, disorganized and ultimately unhelpful.

Did I say poorly written? The author reads like a graduate of the Cosmo Girl School of Writing, and the editor who passed this manuscript ought to be hauled in for an eye exam. Multiple exclamation points compete with italic, boldface and all-caps emphasis, all within in the same sentence.

The book has no discernable organizational structure, just a rambling series of 200 "Smart Tips" (and, yes, this author puts every other phrase in quotation marks). Someone new to wardrobe planning would have no idea where to start, not in the book and not in her closet. Nor is there an index or a comprehensible table of contents to help the reader.

Even being firm with myself and putting away the metaphorical red pencil, I still hated it. The content is insufficient and uneven. For example, there are no illustrations, line drawings, or color charts. None. There are literally no graphics anywhere in a book about clothing, color and style.

Too many of the "Smart Tips" are sketchy, bulleted lists of catch-phrases. It's as if the author cribbed a substantial portion of this book from training transparencies.

Then there are the annoying little self-adulation events, averaging one every other page. This author claims to have "founded" (yes, I "caught" Quotation Mark Fever from her!) the "color and image consultant industry"; she name-drops alleged clients every third paragraph, and makes constant references to her illustrious career, business, modeling experience, sexiness and all-round perfection. The absolute kicker is the entire "Smart Tip" which warns the reader against retaining any color consultant NOT "trained by me, or by one of my fabulous directors of training!"

I am put in mind of the old adage, "The rabbi who must praise himself has a congregation of one."

I think this lady probably knows her stuff, and could likely do a good job in a one-on-one setting. IF you can get past the dreadful writing, the lack of organization, the absence of graphic help and the bragging, bragging, bragging, she has a few reasonable tips and pointers. However, the book's defects render it unusable.

Instead, for style development, try the lusciously-illustrated, comprehensive and positive "Triumph of Individual Style" by Carla Mathis and Helen Connor. For a traditional, straightforward wardrobe and style guide, you can't beat "Looking Good" by Nancy Nix-Rice.

Rating:
Summary: She Knows Her Stuff!
Review: Finally! A book that everyone can read! I find Joanna's style and humour very attractive and friendly! It certainly makes for enjoyable reading - not to mention all of her bright ideas that help me to look my best at any time. I enjoy her enthusiam and positive outlook about ALL women and their hidden potentials. It's a fresh and helpful tool for any women's library. This book should find its way to the home of every lady! It's well written, well thought out and easy to follow. I have enjoyed applying her simple and elegant concepts to not only my wardrobe but also to my confidence as a woman. She is full of praise and encouragement while she writes with undeniable knowledge about her area of expertise. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: A book about color & clothing, with no color or illustration
Review: First off, I'm not a career counselor, wardrobe stylist or even an artist. I tend to just throw stuff on in the morning for work (fortunately I have a job that doesn't require a "corporate suit" look). I ended up picking up this book mostly because there were some handy tips -- things like what length skirt goes with what type of shoes, etc. that I thought I could use.

However, I'm perplexed that a book that focuses so much on clothing styles and colors has not a SINGLE illustration or color panel! Does the author assume I know what an A-line skirt is, or that I can tell the difference between coral and pink-coral in my mind? She places particular emphasis on your skin tone and its color, because that is how you base your entire wardrobe's color system. According to her, it is very important that I know the difference between coral and pink-coral... and that which I choose depends on what my skin tone is. However, aside from listing celebrities with certain skin tones, she never really explains how to judge your own skin tone. A comparison wheel or something -- ANYTHING -- would have been very helpful. The only color you get is the book's cover.

It's not until you read the middle of the book that you discover that the author is a founder of a color consultancy organization that charges people to find out what colors work best for them (the book's cover does not mention this). While I'm sure her certified consultants are quite good (after all, THEY must have that color chart that got left out of the book), after reading the book and visiting her Web site (which she advertises inside her book), I feel like I've just been sold one big infomercial on how to hire one of her consultants. Caveat emptor.

Rating:
Summary: Very strange . . .
Review: I have visited another bookseller's website and I have been surprised at the number of rave reviews that this totally unimportant book has generated. Here too there are many reviews. It looks like the reviewers are selling the book. Like I said on the other website, the literary style of those reviews reminds me too much the author's. Again, I give this book two stars, one for the paper it is printed on and another one for the glue that keeps it together!

Rating:
Summary: not very much help
Review: I must say, I can't understand any of the negative reviews. This book is so vital to looking your very, very best. I have read it 2 or 3 times now and I use the tips/principles outlined in the book to go shopping.

Before I read Joanna's book, people looked down on the way I dressed. To be honest, I was dressing in the same colors that my mother wears (and wearing some clothing cut in an unflattering way). These colors look good on her, but they wash me out, even though at first glance, our complexions look very similar. Now, people are always complimenting me and I get a lot of looks from men, including my husband. In fact, I buy his shirts now based on the color principles. I really don't think that there needed to be a color chart in this book because if you think about what looks really good on you already, that is the first clue to finding other clothes that would look good as well.

Also, the same advice applies to knowing what kinds of clothes to buy in the future. If an outfit makes you look too heavy or otherwise bad, then there is some design element in that outfit that is not working for you. For instance, I am a fairly slim person, but I have wide shoulders and wide hips and large thighs. If I purchase a blouse or other top that is not tapered at all along my trunk (from under the arms to my hips), I look about 10 pounds heavier than if I wear a tapered top. I also do not wear flared pants for this reason. But I discovered this by analyzing what looked good on me and pinpointing why. So now, I kind of have "uniforms" that I wear because I look good in them. The concept of uniforms is discussed in a fantastic book, "Simple Isn't Easy" by Olivia Goldsmith. This book is not in print any more, but I would HIGHLY SUGGEST finding a used copy, because it will complement this book. Many of the world's best dressed designers wear "uniforms" because it is their best look.

Tip: Here is how I determine if a piece of clothing might look good on me. I put my hand on the center of the garment to see how my skin looks next to the fabric. If the skin on my hand looks healthy and my skin and the fabric are not competing against each other for attention, then I will try it on to see how it looks. What I have found is that blues, pinks, purples, and reds that are of a medium tone (not pastel and not dark or bold) look best on me. I don't buy anything that doesn't enhance my skin color. As Joanna says, color is the first accessory, and its free!!!

Also, I have freckles and wavy hair. That is somewhat of a visual distraction, so I normally do not wear blouses/tops that have a print. If I had straight hair with clearer skin, then I would probably look a lot better in prints. Joanna talks about who looks good in prints.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, along with "Simple Isn't Easy." Good luck to you all!

Rating:
Summary: A "Must Read" For Anyone Serious About Looking Her Best
Review: JoAnna Nicholson has shared in this book a great wealth of information about getting everything right in one's appearance, which, if heeded, could make an enormous positive difference in a woman's life. No detail is overlooked. This book, with its interesting anecdotes, is written in a friendly, conversational style that makes reading it an enjoyable as well as an informative experience.

Rating:
Summary: Looking My Best in Less Time
Review: Ladies and Gentlemen:

I have found the book, Dressing Smart in the New Millennium, by JoAnna Nicholson to be very helpful to me. It has given me new confidence in organizing my closet and putting outfits together in advance, therefore, saving me time and helping me to look my best every day. I no longer stare at my closet and wonder, "What should I wear today?"

I recommend it highly to all women.