Vanity: The Art of Looking Good

Ok, this is the greatest present for something fun and uplifting. I brought it to a party as a forty-something present and everyone in the party started reading it aloud. It was the hit of the entire evening. I recommend it highly!

This book is just full of amazing information about who really originated certain styles in clothes and shoes. And it goes into hairstyles and cosmetics, too---and all other kinds of interesting stuff like tattoos and plastic surgery and nose piercing. What I found out is that the styles you think of as really modern didn't start out as dreams in the heads of the big-name designers, or flashy celebrities. They come from all over the world and some of them are hundreds of years old. Sure, I fuss in front of the mirror, as much as the next woman, when I'm fixing to go out. But I'm not a clothes horse and I don't ordinarily have an interest in fashion history, except maybe the couple of times I had a role in an old play or pageant, or really wanted to so something special for Mardi Gras. Almost any smart woman would love this little book. I think it's because the author writes it in such an amusing way, and because the art that shows all these styles is so colorful and original. And although this book is small, the author usually does bring things up to date.But as much as I like all the women's fashions, the stuff about men is just killing. Who says women are the vain sex?I definitely recommend this book! The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I wish there was more of it.