Product Description

First the Rush of excitement the invitation brings, then the anxious question, "What should I wear?"  And the usual answer, "I have nothing to wear."  (i)  Chic Simple (/i)  takes care of both of those universal worries, not only showing what is appropriate for whatever occasion but helping you find the crucial outfit in your own closet.

More than a guide to the myriad events that make up modern life, this is a volume that helps you understand how to build a wardrobe and master the trick to adding the essential modification for each season.

To accomplish this, (i) Chic Simple (/i)  begins by asking you to assess your body type, lifestyle, and budget and then shows you how to assemble a flexible but affordable basic wardrobe that will make you look and feel great at any event - a wedding, a charity ball, a funeral, a bar mitzvah, a board meeting, a dinner date, a Saturday brunch, or a night at the opera or ballet.  It's an easy-to-use guide, whether you're on the West Coast, East Coast, or in between, to dressing for life, season by season.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #241402 in Books
• Published on: 1998-12-01
• Released on: 1998-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Amazon.com
You're invited to an evening wedding in Atlanta in July--and you live in Quebec. Or maybe you're going to court to fight a speeding ticket. Or your high-school reunion is next week. What on earth are you going to wear?

Have no fear, the Chic Simple folks are here to put your worries to rest. What Should I Wear? Dressing for Occasions combines the classy, artsy photography and graphic style of past Chic Simple titles with comprehensive help for working out those wardrobe conundrums. You'll learn how to clean out your closet--and stock it with flattering looks that go beyond the black dress or suit. Geared toward both men and women, the book covers the sometimes dreaded "casual day" at work; how to accessorize; how to pick shoes for any outfit; how to clean your clothes to preserve color, texture, and shape; and best of all, what to wear to almost any occasion, be it a funeral, barbecue, shower, job interview, rock concert, gallery opening, a New Year's eve bash, or a night at the opera. What Should I Wear? also covers (pun intended) international dress codes, so you'll fit in whether you're visiting the Middle East or Seattle, where it's acceptable by many to wear jeans to a semiformal wedding.

The book is peppered with fun, sometimes racy quotes ("This dress exacerbates the genetic betrayal that is my legacy" --Janeane Garofalo in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion). But the most important one is from the authors themselves: "The more you know, the less you need."

Review
"Beware once you've read this book.  There are no more excuses except 'I'd rather be wearing a paper bag.'  Delightfully informative, witty, and, thank heavens, seldom overbearing, this book would make a great roommate or mother."
- WENDY WASSERSTEIN
Author of (I) The Heidi Chronicles (/I)

"Houston, we have a problem - patch me in to Chic Simple.  But first, a Cybill advisory for any woman with spiked heels and strappy sandals:  Wear them only when lying down."
- CYBILL SHEPHERD

"Armed with this wonderfully informative book and a full length mirror, you will always be simply chic."
- CAROLINA HERRERA

Ingram
"Chic Simple: What Should I Wear?" decodes the ritual of dressing, taking into account the occasion, the season, regional differences, and other factors. Full color photos & illustrations.

Customer Reviews

Women under 30, this book is NOT for you!
I was so dissapointed when I got this, especially after the great reviews I had read. Whoever said this book was for the under 30 crowd was seriously, seriously mistaken. I don't know how older people think the under 30 set dresses, but it's certainly not anything like this book!! As a 22 year old fashion-forward woman, I wouldn't wear a single piece in here! The looks are dowdy, frumpy and matronly. I don't know anyone my age, or even 30, who could pull off these looks without being mistaken for someone twice their age. I even showed the book to my 47 year old mother who said that even she couldn't wear the clothes shown.

Think I'm being too harsh? If you see this book at your local bookstore, have a look at the 80's snow suit on page 166 and the horrible 80's couch fabric dress on page 186, as examples. (They need no explanation once you see them for yourself.) Also, two of the occassions this book dresses you for are an Invitation to the White House and the Academy Awards. I don't know one real person who has ever gone to the White House, and if you're going to the Academy Awards you don't need this book because you have a stylist!

The "tips" for each region in this book are strange and rigid. I certainly haven't had to wear a Chinese dress while attending a dinner party at someone's home in LA (page 198). Also, as other people have said, this book is poorly laid out. Perhap the looks in this book would work for someone who is 50, but I think they may have trouble reading the tiny font; I know I did.

I received this book today, and I'm returning it today. To get USEABLE tips for my style, age and budget, The Lucky Shopping Manual is the way to go!!

As timely in 2003 as when it was written several years ago.
I adored this book. It gave great advice about dressing for every occasion, season and even city across the US and beyond.

Fashion challenged? You don't have to be...
This is a gorgeous book, organized by season with a sizable section for situation-specific outfits. This is the best ChicSimple women's book because it covers the areas that work, etc. cover, only now you get bonus material and only have to buy one book!

Some have criticized it for showing designer clothing or a more formal look than we in the South wear. Well, you can't go to the department store and find a one-off of some fabulous designer item if you don't know what it looks like. The ChicSimple team is using the book to train your eye so that you can put the looks together or approximate them. Most people don't actually see the REAL clothing from the runway, let alone see it put together in a wearable arrangement. The authors do it in a way that isn't fussy, but practical and comfortable. They do an especially good job bridging the work/work-casual chasm that so many people face with sections showing you how to work a black blazer or basic camel pants.