How to Have Style

by Isaac Mizrahi

book data

110 ratings, 3.22 average rating, 41 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		9%
4		30%
3		39%
2		17%
1		4%

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published

October 7th 2008 by Gotham

details

Paperback, 224 pages

isbn

1592403921 (isbn13: 9781592403929)

description

The king of real-world chic shares his tips and award-winning flair in a colorful guidebook designed to unleash every womans inner fashionista.

A tw…more

find at: Amazon • WorldCat • more options…

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 164)

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Mar 28, 2009

Kerfe rated it:

Read in March, 2009

Looking through the fall fashion collections on WWD.com got a little tedious--black, black, grey, black and white, black, maybe a touch of red or royal...solid, solid, fur, sheer, solid...and then there was Isaac Mizrahi. Fun, colorful, you might actually wear it.

Isaac's book, "How to Have Style", focuses on a group of women of all ages and sizes who do not look or live like models or celebrities. He asks them to try to get out of their fashion ruts and see themselves dif...more

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Jan 24, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

bookshelves: 2009

Read in January, 2009

recommended to Jennifer by: NPR interview

oh, Mr. Mizrahi. How I had such hopes for this book after hearing your interview on NPR. How excited I was by your intro "Before you can think about having style, you have to learn to look in the mirror and like what you see." That you said you "don't believe in makeovers" but then proceeded to alter the hair, eyebrows, make-up, clothes, and shoes of each woman in the book, and recommended dieting to one! (and it wasn't even the big girl!)

I had hoped for somet...more

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Jun 26, 2009

Kater Cheek rated it:

Read in June, 2009

This was on my list of "no thinker" books I needed after the past three. I like to read books like this to get an idea of how to improve my looks, and then get frustrated at how stratospherically expensive the designers' concept of "reasonable" is. (Ie. One dress costs more than I spend on clothes in three years.) I was also baffled by some of Mr. Mizrahi's suggestions, like when he took a woman who said she liked to hide her breasts, because they were large and made her sel...more

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Dec 27, 2009

Anna rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, fashion, nonfiction, style

Read in December, 2009

This lovely and fun style guide from Isaac Mizrahi takes twelve women facing typical style "challenges" -- "how do I dress stylishly on a budget?", "how can I introduce colors into my wardrobe?", "how can I look great if I wear a size 12 or larger?", "how can I shop like a stylist?", etc. Each woman gets her own little chapter where we see her style inspirations in the form of a bulletin board she creates, then we see Isaac and his team help her...more

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Dec 30, 2008

Abby marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read

Does this book have a pregnancy chapter? I felt distinctly uncool visiting another ward for a missionary homecoming last Sunday, with my panty hose making a distinct line across my big old tummy. It was distinct. For some reason I keep using that word today.

I want to be a two year old boy. Benjamin wore his pajamas and snow boots (at his distinct request) to the day care at the gym this morning, and everyone was laughing about how cute he looked. His hair was also sticking up. Nobody...more

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Dec 29, 2008

Emily rated it:

Read in May, 2009

This book is what I call ‘magazine-y’. Easy to read, lots of pictures, & lots of expensive stuff. I picked up a few tips. For example, I will try to wear skirts that hit at the skinniest parts of my legs (currently my pregnant-lady legs are chunky all the way down, so I will start this in a few months. Actually, my whole dang body is chunky. Except my toes, I think. I don’t know anymore. It is hard to see them.) So, I enjoyed the book as a casual read, but not something that I woul...more This book is what I call ‘magazine-y’. Easy to read, lots of pictures, & lots of expensive stuff. I picked up a few tips. For example, I will try to wear skirts that hit at the skinniest parts of my legs (currently my pregnant-lady legs are chunky all the way down, so I will start this in a few months. Actually, my whole dang body is chunky. Except my toes, I think. I don’t know anymore. It is hard to see them.) So, I enjoyed the book as a casual read, but not something that I would go to for actual style help. And I don’t know quite how to rate this book. How do you rate an issue of ‘Seventeen’, ‘In Style’, or ‘Vogue’??? So the 4 stars is a rating of ‘fun-ness’ of the book, not necessarily usefulness.

I know that you all would laugh at me if I followed the book’s advice and a) wore a zebra print coat with plaid pants, b) wore a big fur hat (even though it might be whimsical and fun), or 3) purchased a tuxedo from the boy’s department and wore it to a classy affair. Seriously, there were quite a few ‘yes’ styles that I was positive were mislabeled. I looked up and down for a NO-DO NOT EVER WEAR THIS note.

There was one lady in the book who wore jeans every day to take her kids to school, soccer games, etc. They replaced the jeans with a denim jacket, flouncy skirts, and kitten heels. Are you kidding? I need to wear jeans to cover my pasty white (& chunky) legs. And also, kitten heels get stuck in the grass at soccer games. Anyways, she looked cute, but the look was not functional.

And there was one girl who had just graduated from college and was working in her first corporate job. They dressed her in nylons and shorts, together. Um, I would not exactly consider that corporate wear.

And just a thought on personal styles: I think it is really hard to change a person’s style. If they are a socks-n-sandals person, it means that they like that style. Style comes from within. Some people are nerds within.
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3 comments

Oct 11, 2008

Cory rated it:

First off, I love love LOVE Isaac Mizrahi!!! If you like things like Project Runway but have not yet seen his fabulous documentary, Unzipped you should run right out and rent it. Okay . . . down to the business of this book. It's not your average makeover book, which is why I liked it so much. Isaac doesn't just say "You have big hips and here's how to hide them" as usually happens. Instead, he focuses on finding your own personal style . . . on what interests you and makes you ha...more

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Nov 14, 2009

Christina rated it:

Read in November, 2009

A lot of Amazon.com reviewers panned this book which I liked a lot because I thought it contained some gems in terms of advice: like shopping for only one item at a time and browsing multiple stores in one day for the one item, and then buying the best version that fits and flatters you. Also some chestnuts for petites and as I'm 5'0" tall he gave good suggestions. Though I do not believe a woman should always hem her skirts at the knee or just below. My contention is that if you have go...more

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Nov 15, 2008

Tarable rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in May, 2009

The biggest thing I learned from this book is that I need to be chosen as the subject of a book or television show about makeovers. Because having a group of professionals on your side makes a world of difference. The style team for this book includes a fashion stylist, hairstylist, makeup artist, and Isaac Mizrahi himself. I guarantee they could make me look fabulous. And I suppose the point of a book like this is to glean some of the expertise they use on the subjects in the book and apply it ...more

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Dec 30, 2009

Dori rated it:

I'm trying to build a wardrobe of work and dress clothing, and this book was a fun way to get new style ideas and tips. Isaac Mizrahi seems very real and down-to-earth; I especially love how his book uses real women as the models--awesome! Really helpful info throughout the book too, from how to pick evening wear to dressing up your jeans.

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Jan 02, 2009

Allanna rated it:

Read in January, 2009

Some interesting ideas and good advice ... but Mizrahi and I have some differing ideas on style. ^_^

The "About the Author," though made me laugh. It's great that he has a sense of humor.

However, Michael and I agree that he seems to de-emphasize women's waists. A little strange.

There were some great ideas in it, though.

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Dec 06, 2008

Melva Multibronzer rated it:

As much as I liked Isaac Mizrahi in the early 90's--he used to send his models down the runway smiling!--this book falls well flat of my idea of him. This book had a lot of hard and fast "do's and don'ts" of fashion that I didn't think he was so much into. Alas.

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Jan 06, 2009

mac rated it:

Read in December, 2008

I loved that this book really shows you how to think about your wardrobe and what pieces to add. I learned something from each of the case-study women that he works on/with, even if they had different style issues or body types from my own.

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Nov 02, 2009

Terri rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in November, 2009

Start with the premise that all women have style that they just need to be inspired and learn some basic tips and we get real women finding that style with Isaac's help and finding their true beauty. I really found the book fun.

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Feb 13, 2009

Miriam rated it:

Read in February, 2009

Pretty condescending and impractical for most people. I liked looking at the before and after pictures, but his reasoning that everybody needs to have certain items, or look a certain way was a bit pretentious. But all fashion books are this way I think.

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Dec 02, 2008

Claire rated it:

This book is really fun! It's like a fashion magazine, only not as focused on selling you stuff. It focuses more on helping you figure out what looks good. I'm a sucker for books with fun pictures.

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Dec 31, 2008

Sara rated it:

bookshelves: read--nonfiction

Read in December, 2008

I didn't like the styles pictured, but it's the best guide to really finding your own style, regardless of rules or trends, that I've seen. I want to make an inspiration board!! :D

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Mar 17, 2010

Juliana rated it:

bookshelves: just-read

Read in March, 2010

Unexpectedly wonderful. I really like his fresh, open, unintimidating advice about style. Great photos of all shapes, sizes and color of women. Definitely would recommend this book!

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Jun 12, 2009

Nora rated it:

Read in June, 2009

Nice in theory. Crap in reality. I mean, who dresses like this? Girls who work can't use their bra as the focal part of their wardrobe..unless they are working the streets..

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Apr 29, 2009

Amyneu28 rated it:

Read in January, 2009

I love IM! He has such a great, classic approach to fashion and real women's bodies. This book gave me some fab ideas to incorporate into my wardrobe. Plus, he's funny.

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