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Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe; or, the Wonder Years before the Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase

by Jen Lancaster

Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe; or, the Wonder Years before the Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The hardcover debut from the New York Times bestselling author, the prequel to Bitter is the New Black, in Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals how she developed the hubris that perpetually gets her into trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers will meet the girl she used to be.

Think Jen Lancaster was always "like David Sedaris with pearls and a super-cute handbag?" (Jennifer Coburn) Think again. She was a badge-hungry Junior Girl Scout with a knack for extortion, an aspiring sorority girl who didn't know her Coach from her Louis Vuitton, and a budding executive who found herself bewildered by her first encounter with a fax machine. In this humorous and touching memoir, Jen Lancaster looks back on her life — and wardrobe — before bitter was the new black and shows us a young woman not so very different than the rest of us.

The author who showed us what it was like to wait in line at the unemployment office with a Prada bag, how living in the city can actually suck, and that losing weight can be fun with a trainer named Barbie and enough Ambien is ready to take you on a hilarious and heartwarming trip down memory lane in her shoes (and very pretty ones at that).

Review:

"Funny girl Lancaster has crafted a successful career by honing the breezy, bloggy style she first exhibited in Bitter is the New Black; her latest, in part a backhand to the resurgent 80s fashion trends, is sure hit resonant, hysterical notes for anyone who came of age in the era of the Preppy Handbook. Authorial voice is at the heart of Lancaster's charm, and she chronicles her early 20s-blunders from fashion and finances to academics and retail jobs-with a candor that few will be able to resist. Lancaster confesses to a fascination with plastic (the material, not the credit card), gloating over her impressive new Liz Claiborne bags, and difficulty finding faithful friends, even (especially) in her Greek affiliations ('Even though I read Seventeen and Glamour every month, I'm already thought of as the Jean Jacket Jackass in my rush group'). Falling somewhere between David Sedaris and Laurie Notaro, Lancaster's goofy charm will no doubt continue to win fans, as well as influence the next generation of sardonic, winning, self-effacing memoirists." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

In this prequel to "Bitter Is the New Black," Lancaster reveals how she has developed the hubris that perpetually gets her into trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers meet the girl she used to be.

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
just chris, August 31, 2009 (view all comments by just chris)
This book had me howling out loud! Who knew I wasn't the only one with Girl Scout badge issues (although I didn't take things quite that far). If you enjoyed any of Jen Lancaster's other books, or if you survived the fashion trends of 70's, 80's and/or 90's, this is a must read.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780451226808
Subtitle:
A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart Ass Pha
Author:
Lancaster, Jen
Publisher:
New American Library
Subject:
Personal Memoirs
Subject:
Authors, American
Subject:
Girls
Subject:
Clothing and dress
Publication Date:
May 2009
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
365
Dimensions:
9.32x6.32x1.24 in. 1.29 lbs.
Age Level:
17-17

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