Synopses & Reviews
Women in Clothes is a book unlike any other. It is essentially a conversation among hundreds of women of all nationalitiesand#151;famous, anonymous, religious, secular, married, single, young, oldand#151;on the subject of clothing, and how the garments we put on every day define and shape our lives.
It began with a survey. The editors composed a list of more than fifty questions designed to prompt women to think more deeply about their personal style. Writers, activists, and artists including Cindy Sherman, Kim Gordon, Kalpona Akter, Sarah Nicole Prickett, Tavi Gevinson, Miranda July, Roxane Gay, Lena Dunham, and Molly Ringwald answered these questions with photographs, interviews, personal testimonies, and illustrations.
Even our most basic clothing choices can give us confidence, show the connection between our appearance and our habits of mind, express our values and our politics, bond us with our friends, or function as armor or disguise. They are the tools we use to reinvent ourselves and to transform how others see us. Women in Clothes embraces the complexity of womenand#8217;s style decisions, revealing the sometimes funny, sometimes strange, always thoughtful impulses that influence our daily ritual of getting dressed.and#160;
Review
“This full-fledged style icon is sharing her most intimate thoughts on her muses, aesthetic, childhood, and heartbreaks in a new diary-meets-scrapbook.”—
Teen Vogue
“Smart, trigger-quick wit….Chung gives her fans style inspirations, personal anecdotes, helpful beauty tips, and recreation advice.”—Paper Magazine
“We can finally tap into the uberchic mind of ultimate It Girl Alexa Chung….Featuring the fashion-savvy Brits writing, drawings and personal photographs…. Just what weve wanted from our top girl crush.”—Foam Magazine
Review
and#8220;Poems, interviews, pieces that read like diary or journal entriesand#8212;all these responses help the editors fulfill their aims: to liberate readers from the idea that women have to fit a certain image or ideal, to show the connection between dress and and#8216;habits of mind,and#8217; and to offer readers and#8216;a new way of interpreting their outsides.and#8217; and#8216;What are my values?and#8217; one woman asks. and#8216;What do I want to express?and#8217; Those questions inform the multitude of eclectic responses gathered in this delightfully idiosyncratic book.and#8221;and#8212;
Kirkusand#160;
and#8220;Thoughtfully crafted and visually entertaining, this collection, edited by Heti, Julavits, and Shapton, uses personal reflections from 642 contributors to examine womenand#8217;s relationship with clothes in a deceptively lighthearted and irreverent toneand#8230;.it also inspires meaningful questionsand#8230;the prose is spliced with striking visualsand#8230;[a] provocative time capsule of contemporary womanhood.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly
and#8220;[A] delirious assortment of conversations, essays, journal entries, and photographsand#8230;This big, busy book feels like a thrift store brimming with jumbles of clothes and accessories and alive with womenand#8217;s voices. Their comments and stories are canny, funny, incisive, twee, surprising, and caring, as thoughts and anecdotes about clothes touch on everything from gender to beauty, sex, mother-daughter relationships, aspirations, money, human rights, health, work, creativity, and violence. A uniquely kaleidoscopic and spirited approach to an irresistible subject of universal resonance.and#8221;
and#8212;Booklist
and#8220;This is the wisdom of the crowd, and while it's not authoritative or prescriptive, it's reassuring and fun.and#8221;
and#8212;Associated Press
and#8220;This charming patchwork expands the scope of fashion writing by looking not at forerunners of style but at how those outside the industry think about what they wearand#8230;.The range of women involved [is] dazzlingand#8230;a welcome addition to writing that often focuses on a single trend for all.and#8221;
and#8212;Madeleine Schwartz, The Boston Globe
and#8220;[A] thoughtful, droll, and often moving tomeand#8230;Women in Clothes is the pulchritudinous addendum to Mr. Twainand#8217;s famous quoteand#8212;clothes make the woman.and#8221;
and#8212;Sloane Crosley, Interview
and#160;and#8220;[A] winningly zine-like compendium.and#8221;
and#8212;Meghan Oand#8217;Grady, Vogue.com
and#8220;Women in Clothes dares to dive into the realm of heels and chiffon to suss out the deeper underpinnings of what we wear.and#8221;
and#8212;Bustle.com
and#160;
Review
andldquo;Kim Kardashianandrsquo;s book of selfies has serious competition.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;The colorful and inspiring new release is packaged appropriately in a square-shaped book that acts as a chic hard copy of your Insta-feed. Bringing all of your favorite designer Instagrams together in one place, this is the latest must-have for any fashion loverandrsquo;s coffee table.andrdquo;
Synopsis
The darling of the fashion world and co-host of the music TV show Fuse News shares her inspirations, musings, and her own very personal and eclectic style
With influences that range from the sultry beauty of Jane Birkin to the rocker chic of Mick Jagger, it s no wonder that everything worn by Alexa Chung instantly becomes the latest trend. Already a hugely popular television personality and a muse for Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld, Chung is now a co-anchor of the nightly music show Fuse News, covering today s hottest acts and entertainment news. Chung s first book, It, provides her legion of fans with a long-awaited inside look at her fascinating world.
A wholly unique collection of Chung s personal writings, drawings, and photographs, It covers everything from her candid thoughts on life, love, and music to her favorite ensembles and how to decide what to wear in the morning. With Chung s characteristic wit, charm, and refreshingly down-to-earth attitude, this full-color compendium is a must-have for anyone who loves fashion, music, and just about everything Alexa Chung."
Synopsis
Now available in paperback: musings, inspirations, and styling tips from the darling of the fashion world
With influences that range from the sultry beauty of Jane Birkin to the rocker chic of Mick Jagger, its no wonder that everything worn by Alexa Chung instantly becomes the latest trend. Already a hugely popular television personality and a muse for Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld, Chung was also a cohost of the nightly music show Fuse News, covering the hottest acts and entertainment news. Chungs first book, It, provides her legion of fans with a long-awaited inside look at her fascinating world.
A wholly unique collection of Chungs personal writings, drawings, and photographs, It covers everything from her candid thoughts on life, love, and music to her favorite ensembles and how to decide what to wear in the morning. With Chungs characteristic wit, charm, and refreshingly down-to-earth attitude, this full-color compendium is a must-have for anyone who loves fashion, music, and just about everything Alexa Chung.
Synopsis
A witty, gracious, and charmingly illustrated anti-consumer manifesto Like most people, Sarah Lazarovic covets beautiful things. But rather than giving in to her impulse to spend and acquire, Sarah spent a year painting the objects she wanted to buy instead.
Based on a visual essay that was first published on The Hairpin, A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy is a beautiful and witty take on the growing and#147;slow shoppingand#8221; movement. Sarah is a well-known blogger and illustrator, and she writes brilliantly without preaching or guilt-tripping. Whether sheand#8217;s trying to justify the purchase of yet another particleboard IKEA home furnishing, debating the pros and cons of leg warmers or calculating the per-day usage cost of big-ticket items, Sarahand#8217;s poignant musings will resonate with any reader whoand#8217;s ever been susceptible to an impulse buy.
Synopsis
A beautifully illustrated ode to self-expression and personal style, featuring more than 225 contributors, edited by three critically acclaimed authors.
Synopsis
Author of the bestselling I Love Your Style Amanda Brooks shares her personal stories, and sartorial highs and lows, from a life in fashion, with beautiful, eclectic, and inspired photographs throughout.
Synopsis
An original collection of photography from the biggest names in American fashion,
Designers on Instagram culls the most interesting, stylish, and unique photographs on Instagram from the designers that comprise the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Handpicked by the designers themselves, the images include choices from CFDA members such as Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Rachel Zoe, and John Varvatos.
Organized by content sections such as Behind the Scenes, Travel, and Parties, this glimpse through the lens of the designers themselves will provide photography fans and fashionistas alike with a brand-new take on their favorite tastemakers.
About the Author
SHEILA HETI is the author of five books, including the critically acclaimed
How Should a Person Be? and an illustrated book for children,
We Need a Horse. She frequently collaborates with other artists and writers.
HEIDI JULAVITS is the author of four novels, most recently The Vanishers, winner of the PEN/New England Fiction Award. She is a founding editor of The Believer and a professor at Columbia University.
LEANNE SHAPTON is a Canadian artist, author, and publisher based in New York City. She is the author of Important Artifacts and Swimming Studies, winner of the 2012 National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography.