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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Guide
Review: I found Suzy Gershman's book very informative and enlightening in the ways of the fashion industry. Some of her advice is excellent: trying on a collection of clothing BEFORE it goes on sale to see what pieces look good and would be worth buying - tbis is exactly the time-saving advice I need. Other pointers are geared less toward the typical reader - for example, buying incredibly expensive handbags and then never using them, so they remain in pristine condition, is just not an option for many women. But no "How-to" guide is meant to be followed to the letter, and many of the author's tips and fashion "musts" are going to find a way into my wardrobe. After reading this book I feel that I a) know what to look for in clothes in terms of both quality and style, and b) can make informed choices to spend my money more wisely. I liked this book so much, I have recommended it to my style-conscious friends and plan on buying my own copy. (Note to disgruntled reviewers: there's always the library!)
Rating:
Summary: I Loved this Book!
Review: I loved this Book! There were no glossy pictures of the latest fashions but that turned out to be a good thing because the advice becomes timeless. I now know how to tell a quality item from a cheap item and have been able to go into stores and disregard a lable and discern an item of true quality from an item poorly made. This alone was worth its weight in gold. I am an avid thrift store shopper and cannot believe the beautiful items I have found there. Yesterday I pulled an Armani dress out of a jumble of clothing merely because I examined the stitching and fabric and knew I had a quality item. The lable was the last thing I looked at. However, it was no surprise that it turned out to be an Armani because the structure of the garment told me it was quality first. My copy is quickly becoming dog eared. If you do not have unlimited funds to spend on clothing do yourself a favor and buy this book so you can make the most of the money you do have available.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth a quick read - but don't buy it
Review: I really enjoyed reading the first half of the book. The author shares a lot of insider info about how apparel industries work, some of which I never heard of elsewhere. For example, she says that usually items you see on catalogs are 40 to 50 percent marked up (overpriced), which confirmed my belief in buying only from the overstock/sale section of a few well-reputed mail order merchants and never paying full price, except for very rare occasions. As a person who hate those fashion magazines full of unreachably priced designer dresses and their "Buy'em now, or you're a loser" sales pitches, I found this book very useful and informative---until I came to the latter half. From there, it went downhill. It became clear that she had no interests at all in those personal color theories by Carole Jackson, author of "Color Be Beautiful" and her colleagues that have influenced so much on how to dress ourselves wisely since the 80's.... Contrary to Ms.Gershman's advice, there is no one-ane-only set of must-haves for every one of us when it comes to clothes. Your wardrobe will look a whole lot better if it evolves around your own color groups....I think Gershman missed her targeted readers completely, especially in the latter half of the book. Just look at those ridiculous prices frequently quoted in this book. She brags that a $400 handbag for travel is a bargain (perhaps only because it was marked down from nearly $1000?) and uses it as a back-up of her more expensive handbags. Now you get the idea...Besides, I find some of her word choices are disturbing and far from sophisticated. I really doubt the editor was paying close attention; otherwise it could not have filled with all those...jobs! Although the latter part is worth only one star, the first half is good (I'll give it generous five stars), as I already said. I consider... this book is as well-spent as taking a non-credit Saturday class at my local community college. Considering half of those two-hour classes on self-help topics are wastes of time and money.... But you could have done much better going to the library first.
Rating:
Summary: Good bargain hunting techniques, poor wardrobe advice
Review: I really enjoyed reading the first half of the book. The author shares a lot of insider info about how apparel industries work, some of which I never heard of elsewhere. For example, she says that usually items you see on catalogs are 40 to 50 percent marked up (overpriced), which confirmed my belief in buying only from the overstock/sale section of a few well-reputed mail order merchants and never paying full price, except for very rare occasions. As a person who hate those fashion magazines full of unreachably priced designer dresses and their "Buy'em now, or you're a loser" sales pitches, I found this book very useful and informative---until I came to the latter half. From there, it went downhill. It became clear that she had no interests at all in those personal color theories by Carole Jackson, author of "Color Be Beautiful" and her colleagues that have influenced so much on how to dress ourselves wisely since the 80's.... Contrary to Ms.Gershman's advice, there is no one-ane-only set of must-haves for every one of us when it comes to clothes. Your wardrobe will look a whole lot better if it evolves around your own color groups.... I think Gershman missed her targeted readers completely, especially in the latter half of the book. Just look at those ridiculous prices frequently quoted in this book. She brags that a $400 handbag for travel is a bargain (perhaps only because it was marked down from nearly $1000?) and uses it as a back-up of her more expensive handbags. Now you get the idea...Besides, I find some of her word choices are disturbing and far from sophisticated. I really doubt the editor was paying close attention; otherwise it could not have filled with all those...jobs! Although the latter part is worth only one star, the first half is good (I'll give it generous five stars), as I already said. I consider... this book is as well-spent as taking a non-credit Saturday class at my local community college. Considering half of those two-hour classes on self-help topics are wastes of time and money.... But you could have done much better going to the library first.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book with plenty of useful advice.
Review: I went shopping today and came back with fabulous stuff that suits me, that I can use, and that was on second markdown -- the ultimate test of this book's usefulness. Gershman obviously has her own sense of style, but I think that the basic principles of her approach to shopping and to creating a wardrobe are applicable (with a little tweaking to account for personal style) to everyone. I liked the fact that she holds unusual vintage items in high regard (I do, too). I just finished Leah Feldon's "Does This Make Me Look Fat?" and liked this book, with its breezy, girlfriend-y tone, much better. And I didn't even notice the cussing.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for wealthy matrons
Review: This book contains the absolute best advice if you look like Suzy, think like Suzy, and have Suzy's enormous budget for clothing. Unfortunately, her personal style is much too matronly for me, and I'm 47 years old. She allows her personal -- and rather unfortunately, dismal -- taste dictate what she masks as general advice for all. One needs to look no further than the painfully hideous photo of her on the front cover, wearing gigantic pearls that threaten to engulf her head, which is in desperate need of an updated haircut. Some of her advice is just plain bad. A navy suit for everyone? She forgets that not everyone has her skin and hair color nor has a need to dress in ultra-conservative, business attire. No black or gold purse for evening? That's fine if you have an unlimited budget to buy one of her $1,000 bargain purses in different colors to match all of your outfits. If you don't buy different colors, then you'll forever be stuck as the woman with the purple, pink, or whatever-color-you-choose purse. She may not personally like black, but it is indisputably one of the chicest and most sophisticated colors. Keep in mind that the advice on the book is being dispensed by the person parading in the insipid outfits on the back cover. Although she does give a good insight behind the doors of the retail fashion industry, one still needs an annual multi-thousand dollar budget to even begin to take her advice. She also assumes that the reader, besides being incredibly wealthy, needs to dress in an ultra-conservative manner which allows little room for femininity or personal style. Come to think of it, I think Suzy would be the perfect fashion consultant for Queen Elizabeth of England - their styles are almost identical. My mother is nearly 70 years old and wouldn't be caught dead in some of the elderly fashions that the author is wearing. It is remarkable that anyone could take the advice on style in this book seriously. I would, however, recommend this book to anyone whose idea of fashion includes adding color to a burlap bag. But then again, Suzy's idea of wearing huge fake flowers and baseball-sized pearls may or may not be an improvement. The target audience for this book is extremely limited and should be noted.
Rating:
Summary: Great for wealthy matrons
Review: This book contains the absolute best advice if you look like Suzy, think like Suzy, and have Suzy's enormous budget for clothing. Unfortunately, her personal style is much too matronly for me, and I'm 47 years old. She allows her personal -- and rather unfortunately, dismal -- taste dictate what she masks as general advice for all. One needs to look no further than the painfully hideous photo of her on the front cover, wearing gigantic pearls that threaten to engulf her head, which is in desperate need of an updated haircut. Some of her advice is just plain bad. A navy suit for everyone? She forgets that not everyone has her skin and hair color nor has a need to dress in ultra-conservative, business attire. No black or gold purse for evening? That's fine if you have an unlimited budget to buy one of her $1,000 bargain purses in different colors to match all of your outfits. If you don't buy different colors, then you'll forever be stuck as the woman with the purple, pink, or whatever-color-you-choose purse. She may not personally like black, but it is indisputably one of the chicest and most sophisticated colors. Keep in mind that the advice on the book is being dispensed by the person parading in the insipid outfits on the back cover. Although she does give a good insight behind the doors of the retail fashion industry, one still needs an annual multi-thousand dollar budget to even begin to take her advice. She also assumes that the reader, besides being incredibly wealthy, needs to dress in an ultra-conservative manner which allows little room for femininity or personal style. Come to think of it, I think Suzy would be the perfect fashion consultant for Queen Elizabeth of England - their styles are almost identical. My mother is nearly 70 years old and wouldn't be caught dead in some of the elderly fashions that the author is wearing. It is remarkable that anyone could take the advice on style in this book seriously. I would, however, recommend this book to anyone whose idea of fashion includes adding color to a burlap bag. But then again, Suzy's idea of wearing huge fake flowers and baseball-sized pearls may or may not be an improvement. The target audience for this book is extremely limited and should be noted.
Rating:
Summary: A good start to wardrobe basics
Review: This is a good basic start up guide to women who need help in refining their wardrobe, learn about fabrics, etc. The author shares her personal ideas on what to buy and when. Included in this book are tips on:
**style
**retail secrets
**wardrobe building
**basics
**accessories
**trends Her suggestions are a little impractical for those not in a business environment (one of her tips is to buy 1 suit per season). She bases her wardrobe on jackets/blazers and suits/skirts. This may not be practical for the younger, more casual urban girl. But for those wanting to look more polished and put together, this book can give you a good start.
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