The Grown-Up Girl's Guide to Style: A Maintenance Bible for Fashion, Beauty, and More . . .

This is an entertaining, fun read by an author who tells it like it is, even if the truth is sometimes hard to hear. She tells us that women of a certain age shouldn't wear shorts, sleeveless tees or anything our teenage daughters might wear and you know what? She's right. She has some excellent tips (color near the face in the form of a scarf is a great way to draw the eyes to your best asset, don't wear big prints unless you really want people to look at that area), and the photos of people on the street, as well as the author herself, can only make you laugh as you recall the fashion foibles of our collective clothing history.

I've enjoyed Christine Schwab for years when she presents the latest fashion trends on TV. The last couple of years I feel like I've experienced a "learning curve" watching the "What Not to Wear Girls" from England, but realizing that not all of their ideas apply to 40+ women. Now comes along The Grown Up Girl's Guide to Style. Life is fun as we continue to grow, learn, and modify. Christine offers good reasons why and why not to wear certain things and does so in a gracious and reasoned way. She covers so much and when I look at the beautiful photographs and re-read my favorite parts I find my otherwise hurried practical life inspired and the mundane made more creative! Re: Ms Ferle's comments, I'm not a "working girl" either (just a crazy-busy stay-at-home mom and proud of it), but I can pull some of the ideas and tailor them to my own lifestyle--it doesn't have to be all or nothing. I want to counter the notion that there is no room for the "free-spirited artistic expression"--something that I think has perhaps led women astray in their fashion sense. I think women are hungry for guidance and direction. There are actually valuable basics and principles that apply to all areas of life (including fashion) and some women haven't discovered where to stop with the ever changing fashion trends driven by a youth-worshipping culture.

I like this book. Christine Schwab is like one of your grown-up girlfriends, except her work IS style. Through real world and celebrity examples, the big picture of looking your best is revealed. Is it annoying, for instance, to have someone say that sleeveless tops are not a good choice for grown-up girls' arms? Perhaps, to some. But a lot of us have already figured out what's not looking as good as it once was, and just needed some confirmation of our worst fears, as well as ideas for how to work around it! I've already passed this book on to my best grown-up girl friend, and I'm sure, once she's finished it, we'll have plenty to chat about!

Finally, something to read with celebrity inspiration from someone older than Britney or Lindsay. After reading more than my share of "style" books looking for ANY guidance at all, I was elated to read Schwab's tome. She touches on everything from clothes, to make up, to surgery, and the ever popular 'what not to wear'. If you are over 40 and not interested in looking like the Olsen twins, this book's for you.

This is the greatest fashion/beauty book to come along in years. Christine Schwab is full of fresh and amazing ideas and she makes you feel like she's telling you about them over a cappuccino in her living room! It's a great read, full of new and interesting fashion/beauty ideas for the Grown Up Girl and also some tried and true advice that Christine has given us over the years on her many TV appearances (we can't hear these things enough girls!). But more than that, the book is full of honest and inspiring thoughts about life - life as a Grown Up Girl and life in general - all from someone who has seen so many sides of life and from such a unique perspective. After reading this book, I was so inspired to make positive changes - in my appearance and in my life! I highly recommend this for Grown Up Girls (and not-so-Grown Up Girls too!). A wonderful, wonderful book.