Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Really interesting one. It was an intriguing balance of pretension, self-awareness, and lack of self awareness that still worked. Sometimes it felt she was being particularly judgmental, but then another one of the inset photos of people of the street whose style she appreciated would bring home that the judgement fit in perfectly with her overall point that it wasn't the particulars of style that matters, but that you cultivate your own individual (rather than herd) style.
I liked this a lot. She is very funny and smart. I didn't realize she wrote about fashion for the New York Times. It's awesome because she isn't a fashion professional of any kind she's just an extremely observant and very funny journalist who writes really well. Pretty much the best person to write about fashion IMHO. The photos aren't great and I wished they'd some drawings instead which would have been more effective to explain features of regional style.
I chomped this book right down. I don't agree with her on a lot of things (she really disdains fat people, for example), but she was always compelling. Part memoir, part anecdotes, part social theory, part fashion -- this book flutters all over the place. Each part is short, so you can just read a chapter here and there while reading other things.
Parts of this book were really interesting, but I couldn't help but notice that the author would, subtly or not, put down people who weren't like her. She kept referencing New York City sizing as if everyone looks just like her or the UES people.
I was intrigued after listening to the author being interviewed by Mark Maron on his WTF podcast, particularly since she lived on a Sausalito houseboat until she was 10. I don't know much about fashion, but this book gives a great look into the sociology of the different regions of our country. Enjoyed it.
The Kansas chapter gets bizarrely hostile towards fat people in a way cintra absolutely has the opportunity to address even slightly more apologetically than she does, but she doesn’t. Couldn’t stomach (ha ha) the rest after that.
I added this book to my priority pile when I heard Cintra Wilson on Marc Maron's WTF podcast.
Wilson writes with an acerbic, crass, snarky bite tempered with seasonings of joy and reverence, sometimes ironic, sometimes wholehearted. Her confident, exhaustive, and original descriptions are peppered with fresh, smart, and lively similes and allusions. Wilson manages to convey the sociological significance of fashion and style quite seriously, while maintaining an awareness of how absurd clothing often becomes.
The bits most likely to stay with me include the observation of how minutely fashion has changed in recent decades, and the oh-so-relatable bit about chasing down disappointing facsimiles of the flawlessly fitting items shoppers (regrettably) pass up in order to stick to a budget.
Wilson writes with an acerbic, crass, snarky bite tempered with seasonings of joy and reverence, sometimes ironic, sometimes wholehearted. Her confident, exhaustive, and original descriptions are peppered with fresh, smart, and lively similes and allusions. Wilson manages to convey the sociological significance of fashion and style quite seriously, while maintaining an awareness of how absurd clothing often becomes.
The bits most likely to stay with me include the observation of how minutely fashion has changed in recent decades, and the oh-so-relatable bit about chasing down disappointing facsimiles of the flawlessly fitting items shoppers (regrettably) pass up in order to stick to a budget.
Loved Cintra's writing style! So fresh, very descriptive but in a unique way. I particularly loved the chapters on Washington DC and the Kentucky Derby.
I give this book 2.5 stars. It wasn't quite what I thought I was getting. I thought it was going to compare the fashion in different regions of the country but it was more about fashion in specific cities during specific events that don't necessarily reflect the normal fashion of those places. That being said, I remained pretty interested while I was reading and it was a quick and easy read. On the other hand, I didn't find myself excited to get back to the book really either. I did enjoy her insights into fashion and style and what it means in today's world and the way fashion has changed over time. I also found it a little bit roaming...all in all, average book but a cool chick (I picked this book up because I heard an interview with her on the WTF podcast with Marc Maron).