Karen Robinovitz

Very out of date now but saying that I am probably out of date too..wearing the same style I did two or three seasons ago. It just works for me. Anyhow for a fashion book this is low budget and this edition has cheap cheap paper which does not set off the black and white photographs very well. It's kind of newspaper quality and since it's an 2005 edition the photos haven't stood up well.

There's a whole lot of fashion advice and tips and tricks that Sex in the City fans/girls/teenagers will find useful but the most interesting chapter to me therein was the one on de-cluttering your wardrobe.

I think the tone is meant to be funny, but couldn't tell as I really wasn't in the mood for this book, daughter had it hanging around and I was insomniac. I grabbed it but I was so bored I put out the light and relaxed into tossing and turning.

There's a Filipino proverb that says people who spend a lot of money are "angry at money" - "galit sa pera". They cannot stand to have it around, and play a game "Dodging the Creditors". My income isn't that sufficient to fool myself into getting rid of it. It's why my wardrobe needs de-cluttering as I'm loathe to throw much out in case I need it one day. Clothes I don't like more than often become my gardening clothes and is probably the reason why my front lawn still needs mowing.

I think the most useful advice in the book is to chop up your credit cards and see a credit counsellor before you fall down the rabbit hole. Most of us don't have Elle McPherson incomes. It was interesting reading some of the folks interviewed in the "Money!" chapter. One (Melissa) said that when she was in college it was the first time she became aware and fully comprehended the social and class differences of those with money (rich) and those without (poor to average incomes).For her friends with rich parents their lives were full of endless possibilities,they could imagine flying off on a whim to Miami or the ski slopes for the weekend just to get a good tan and some fun. For Melissa excitement meant a dinner downtown and paying for it the rest of the week eating cans of baked beans....

Well after this recent global crisis I think this book's message of teaching people with shopping addictions to curb it is it's major selling point but (sorry) 2 stars for poor quality paper and presentation.

Go on be brave.chop chop.

Actually I never buy anything on credit and I try really hard not to pay too much for books. This one came from a 2nd hand store. No more than $2.





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Fashionista Files is a fun and helpful book on the perils of fashion and how to shop in a way that will accommodate your lifestyle. I found there were particularly helpful tips such as shopping on a budget (go to Target and Army Navy stores), as well as other interesting information I hadn't known previously (good books and music fashionistas have at home). For those reasons I gave it three stars.

I do have to say, the love of brand names was rather heavy handed. I'm sure that is just me and how I was raised, but I felt this book would have been a lot better (and less of an amateur effort) if other aspects of fashion were examined-I felt too much relied on the authors personal experience (I'm sorry, but Juicy sweats are not the be-all-end-all of life).

I consider it a fashion 101 with some helpful tips that were nice to know. But for a true bible, get I Love Your Style-complete with hundreds of stunning photographs of fashionistas from different time periods and walks of life.… (more)