Taste: Acquiring What Money Can't Buy

This is a marvelous book and one that is going to stay on my bookshelf.

Letitia Baldridge is keeping manners and taste at the forefront of a decent human education and I applaud her in these efforts. It is critical in this day and age that we hone our skills in civility, rather than give in to the overwhelming trend to "trash" such skills.

This book contains the advice you have been looking for from that fabulous elder aunt. The book has been divided into five sections: Just Who Is This Person of Taste?; Good Taste in Fashion; Go, See and Educate Your Eye, Good Taste for Entertaining; and Tasteful Surrounds. In each section, La Baldrige tells tales of the iconic women whom she had the privilege of knowing, the official "rules" regarding each topic and, at times, she expounds on the standards of taste in today's society. Just like your fabulous aunt. But, just like your fabulous aunt, you will not agree with all of her expectations and, sometimes, her tales read more like a good Vogue magazine article than a book. If you are looking for an academic analysis of the demoralization of society, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a book that is a quick read, full of guidance (however personally impractical it might be for you, the reader) and stories of iconic women straight from the source, buy it and enjoy!!

This is the perfect book for our A.D.D. addled times. This distillation of some-number-of-year's experience as America's leading tastemaker and etiquette goddess is a fun-to-read, easy-to-absorb hommage to something we call could use a little more of - good taste. Letitia Baldrige is truly the stylistic "power behind the throne." She has reigned in Paris, Rome, Washington, New York and, most likely, Podunk. She knows her stuff inside out and could look down her nose like the haughtiest of grande dames at the daily blasphemies that are passed off as "world class" taste, but she never does, for two reasons: she has a kind heart and a well of humor that never seems to run dry. Read this book - you'll take away so much. One may not have silver-gilt flatware and haute couture clothes, but TASTE shows that one doesn't need them if you have the things that really matter - a curious mind, the aforementioned kind heart and an indomitable spirit.