Book Review: The Fashion File

"The Fashion File - Advice, Tips and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Men"

I borrowed this book from a friend a while back and thought I'd share what I thought of it.

The book aims to help you define your own style, it discusses things like silhouettes, colours, styles and accessories, guiding you through from making self-reflective choices to tips for executing the style. I like that the suggestions are realistic, there is a focus on quality rather than quantity, for example with a section on variations of a little black dress.

I enjoyed reading the book, although I did prefer the earlier chapters such as "defining your silhouette and secrets for dressing your shape" over the later ones like "a passion for vintage". One thing that disappointed me was that despite the frequent references to altering items to suit your style and altering them to fit you perfectly, it was always in the context of taking them to a tailor. I would have liked it if even the idea of generating your own style didn't just rely on what could be found on the high street or in vintage stores, but what your imagination allows you to create by sewing it yourself. But then, I'm slightly biased in that regard.

It was a lovely book to read, inspiring photographs, illustrations to die for and really well written. I'm not sure it's an essential book to have in your library, but I would recommend reading it.