Review: Fashion House: Illustrated Interiors from the Icons of Style by Megan Hess

I am normally not someone that buys books solely for the illustrations in them, but when I saw Megan Hess's Fashion House I liked the illustrations so much I just could not resist getting this book.
I was not familiar with Megan Hess previously, but I do like both fashion and interior design, and she combines both those things beautifully in this book, so I knew it was a book I had to have!

(I am afraid the photos I took of the book on my kitchen table with my phone really do not do it justice!)

I am not sure the book is really useful (although I did get some ideas from it!) but if you love fashion you will definitely recognize a lot of things, and the attention to detail is really impressive.

I loved this book and it actually got me thinking:
1. Maybe I should get books just for the illustrations more often?
2. That I should check out more of Megan Hess's work. (Luckily, I just found her website, so that should not be too hard!)

So while this book is not my usual style, I am definitely glad I made an exception for it and got it!

Review: The Private Life of a High-Flying Fashion Cat

Now, let me start this review off by saying I doubt anyone who is not seriously into fashion or cats, or perhaps preferably both would get this book. It is a very unusual book, with a very narrow theme, that may not appeal to most. But if you know all about Karl Lagerfeld and his cat Choupette, but would like to learn even more about them, or Choupette in particular, this book may be for you.

I actually am very interested in Karl Lagerfeld as a person, as I think he is really quite an usual, and of course very talented, person, and I do have a cat myself, so I am by no means a cat hater or anything, but I still found this book a bit too niched. And most of the advice "Choupette" gives in the book is really not that useful for anyone else with a cat, as she lives a very unusual life indeed.

I will say that Choupette is very pretty, so if you are looking for a book with photos of her, this book could be a good idea for you, but if you are looking for something else, another book about fashion or cats might be a better choice.

I do feel like I need to add that a lot of people do seem to like the book, as there is already another Choupette book in the works, but this book really was not for me and I must admit I spend very little time looking through it, that is how much I disliked it!

Review: How to be Parisian wherever you are

I love the style of Parisiennes, so I have read quite a few books about their style and secrets by now. Still, whenever a new one comes out, I still feel the need to get that book too. And sometimes it actually pays off! For instance, when I got the book "How to be Parisian wherever you are", written by not one, but 4 Parisiennes (Sophie Mas, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret and Anne Berest), I was pleasantly surprised.

Here is why:
First of all, even the look of this book is very Parisian, and so are the images in it. This might sound like something you could always expect from a Paris related book, but believe me, it is very often not the case as well. So I loved the sleek and minimalistic look of this book, besides its contents, as well.

Second of all, this book is written in a format that most people who read blogs will recognize, with top lists, summaries and how to guides. Not everyone will appreciate this, but I do, since it definitely makes the book easier to read, if you don't have time to read it all in one go.

The book also touches on topics that are not always featured in Paris style book, such as:
- What Parisian men think of Parisian women
- How the most famous and iconic Parisiennes were actually not from Paris, or even French
- How to maintain an air of secrecy, even in today's social media infused world
- How to host a dinner party
- Parisian snobbisms
- What Parisiennes read
and much more.

That said, this book is not only about how Parisiennes dress, but also about how they behave in relationships, what they do in their free time and other similar topics as well. I personally like that, since only reading about their looks can get a bit boring after a while, if you've read several books on this topic, like I have.

 (There is a lot of stuff about fashion and dressing, too, though, I would say around 40 % of the book is about that, so if you are only into that part, this book may still be worth getting, but there are other books that are only about that, if you prefer that)

I would definitely recommend this book to others as well, and I am pretty sure I will re-read it, maybe even pretty soon!

Review: Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy into the ultimate Style Statement

I don't think this has been mentioned on this blog before (even though I have mentioned it on some of my other blogs) but I am actually pregnant, expecting my first child. This is why I have been reading slightly different books than usual lately, including one on pregnancy style and fashion, by Amy Tara Koch, called Bump It Up: Transform Your Pregnancy into the ultimate Style Statement.

This book basically shares a lot of tips regarding how you can still look cute and fashionable, even though you are pregnant, and I liked that theme. I also liked the many practical examples, this is not a general or inspirational book, you get some very concrete ideas as well, which was nice.

So I definitely think Bump It Up could be a very good book to read, especially for first time mothers, early on in their first pregnancy. I assume once you're pregnant again for the second or third time etc., you will have found your own tips to live by. But if you haven't, this book might definitely be of help!

Review: A to Z of Hollywood Style by Sinty Stemp

This book is not really a style guide that explains how to achieve the look of certain Hollywood starlets, even though the title kind of gave me that impression. Instead, it's more of a collection of quotes relating to style, fashion and other related topics, from all kinds of Hollywood stars (most of them from the 30's, 40's and 50's, I would say).

So this is hardly a book for anyone looking for modern dressing or style advice, but if you have always liked Hollywood's Golden Era, this is a good buy, since this book is all about "the good old times" in Hollywood.

And while you may not learn a whole lot of new stuff while reading this book (I didn't anyway...) and might not find a whole lot of useful advice for your own style, it is kind of fun to read quotes like this, especially when all of them were said by people as glamourous as the Hollywood stars of yesterday used to be!

I think I would have liked the book slightly better with more photos of the stars in their heyday, but it's quite nice as it is too.

So I would definitely recommend this book for everyone into classic Hollywood glamour, since that is precisely what you get with this book. I'm not sure it's a great read for anyone looking for something more than a slightly glamour feel though...

Review: How to Dress for Success by Edith Head and Joe Hyams

I got this book at the magnificent book store Shakespeare and Company in Paris, the first English book store on the continent (very highly recommended for all book lovers, if you go to Paris, you simply have to go there!) on a recent trip to Paris. And just like Paris, this book is a true classic. It's written by the legendary Edith Head, the costume designer who won 8 Oscars in total and dressed legends such as Ginger Rogers, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and many others, so she knew a thing or two about style as well as fashion. And luckily, she had a chance to share some of her wisdom with the rest of us in this book!

I really liked this book, which may seem a bit weird to some, since the book was originally published in 1967, but a lot of the advice in this book is truly timeless. So I find a lot of it still makes sense in a lot of ways, and is really useful to read.

The illustrations in the book may seem a bit kitschy to some today, but I quite liked those as well.

So if you are looking for a truly timeless style book, this may be what you are looking for!

The book is rather small though, so it's not the best coffee table book out there, but quite cute, and as I said, a really nice read, so I would still recommend getting it. But as an actual book, not a coffee table one!

Review: The World According to Karl by Sandrine Gulbenkian

Karl Lagerfeld is a very talented designer, if you ask me, and while he has never been one of my favorite designers, he certainly is the most entertaining one. I am pretty sure everyone who is even slightly into fashion has heard some of his rather controversial and unusual statements in the past, but as far as I know, the book The World According to Karl is the first collection of interesting Karl Lagerfeld quotes.

Gathering all these quotes into one single book is a fun idea, and I am happy to say that this book is just as fun as it sounds! I think most people, even hardcore Karl Lagerfeld fans will read some quotes they haven't heard before if they pick this book up, because there is a lot of them!

I also like the design and look of the book, it feels very Karl Lagerfeld somehow, which is important, at least to me.

So while this book is not much more than a collection of quotes, it's still a both fun and interesting read. I am definitely glad I got this book!