What do you think?
Rate this book
Style
A few lucky women have been born with style -- think Diana Vreeland and Jacqueline Onassis -- but for most of us, style is something that comes with time and experience. Above all, style begins with a sense of who you are and your self-confidence. Style comes from opening yourself to the world around you -- to books and movies, art, music, travel, and especially to other people.
In this upbeat and engaging book, designer Kate Spade talks about the many people and experiences that have inspired her. For Kate, movies as varied as The Swimmer and The Red Balloon have influenced her vision of style, as have such places as Mexico (where she and her husband, Andy, vacation each year), Napa Valley, and her hometown of Kansas City.
In the pages of Style, you'll find a large section devoted to the colors Kate most loves and suggestions for combining them. Accessories, which are the backbone of her wardrobe, are given full treatment here, including shoes, handbags, hats, gloves, and jewelry; and a portfolio of Kate's personal favorites from her own closet is showcased. Style in the office, evening style, even ideas for style when you travel and when you play are all featured here. The last section of Style focuses on maintaining your wardrobe, including tips on organizing your closet, caring for vintage clothes, and keeping your jewelry in good condition.
Style, with 230 watercolor illustrations, is a wonderfully personal and friendly book intended for readers of all ages and style temperaments. If there's one rule Kate espouses, it's that true style comes when you follow your own rules. Moreover, as the writers William Strunk, Jr., and E. B. White once wrote, "To achieve style, begin by affecting none."
In this upbeat and engaging book, designer Kate Spade talks about the many people and experiences that have inspired her. For Kate, movies as varied as The Swimmer and The Red Balloon have influenced her vision of style, as have such places as Mexico (where she and her husband, Andy, vacation each year), Napa Valley, and her hometown of Kansas City.
In the pages of Style, you'll find a large section devoted to the colors Kate most loves and suggestions for combining them. Accessories, which are the backbone of her wardrobe, are given full treatment here, including shoes, handbags, hats, gloves, and jewelry; and a portfolio of Kate's personal favorites from her own closet is showcased. Style in the office, evening style, even ideas for style when you travel and when you play are all featured here. The last section of Style focuses on maintaining your wardrobe, including tips on organizing your closet, caring for vintage clothes, and keeping your jewelry in good condition.
Style, with 230 watercolor illustrations, is a wonderfully personal and friendly book intended for readers of all ages and style temperaments. If there's one rule Kate espouses, it's that true style comes when you follow your own rules. Moreover, as the writers William Strunk, Jr., and E. B. White once wrote, "To achieve style, begin by affecting none."
112 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2004
11 people are currently reading
754 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
January 16, 2021
Last night I was yearning for the forbidden books currently locked in closed libraries. So today I'm trying unread books that I already have at home, as there are plenty. This one was a Christmas present and felt very surreal to read during lockdown. It comes across as a compilation of exceedingly superficial fashion magazine articles, beautifully presented yet entirely lacking in any content beyond 'green is a pretty colour'. I did not disagree, but found the tone and content distinctly trite. Kate Spade has never been one of my favourite fashion designers, because her style (as the book demonstrates) is very conservatively feminine. There's nothing excessive, severe, gothic, or outrageous about it, unlike my favourite designers Alexander McQueen, Thierry Mugler, Vivienne Westwood, etc. In pre-pandemic times, I would have merely been underwhelmed by unoriginal style advice like, 'Neither you nor your clothes will appear stylish unless you stand straight and greet the world with a sure and smart demeanor.' At the present time, however, the concepts of 'office style', 'packing for a holiday', and 'dressing for a party' seem bizarre and outlandish.
I've been working entirely from home for ten months, usually wearing pyjamas with a cardigan or jumper over the top. Recently I acquired extra sweatpants to alternate with my pyjama bottoms, which I layer with wool thermals and blankets to keep my heating bills down. Dressing for a meeting means ensuring my hair is combed and turning my dressing gown into a lap blanket. In the dim and distant past, I used to wear pencil skirts with blouses and ankle boots to work every day. It turns out that when you dress for comfort at home and ease of movement when outside for daily exercise, pencil skirts are entirely useless. Occasionally I put on several evening dresses at once for morale. Lockdown style is characterised by comfort above all else, though. Accessories have become pointless: who needs a handbag when you're just taking a half hour walk around the park? Sunglasses, hats, leather gloves - in this economy?? And jewellery, what could be more pointless at the moment? I'd forgotten it even existed, although in theory I do own some. Clothing and style are still of interest to me, but the pandemic has shifted my perspective on them considerably. Perhaps my personal style will turn away from oversized fuzzy cardigans, sweatpants, and wool socks when the plague abates and I start going outside for nonessential purposes. I suspect my disillusionment with pencil skirts will last, though. They really do constrain your stride length.
In any case, Kate Spade's style advice and practical tips on caring for clothing are unlikely to be new if you've ever read a fashion magazine or book before. I liked the watercolour illustrations, while not getting much from the text other than low-level irritation. More interesting style books that I'd recommend are Women in Clothes, The Curated Closet: A Simple System for Discovering Your Personal Style and Building Your Dream Wardrobe, and Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion.
I've been working entirely from home for ten months, usually wearing pyjamas with a cardigan or jumper over the top. Recently I acquired extra sweatpants to alternate with my pyjama bottoms, which I layer with wool thermals and blankets to keep my heating bills down. Dressing for a meeting means ensuring my hair is combed and turning my dressing gown into a lap blanket. In the dim and distant past, I used to wear pencil skirts with blouses and ankle boots to work every day. It turns out that when you dress for comfort at home and ease of movement when outside for daily exercise, pencil skirts are entirely useless. Occasionally I put on several evening dresses at once for morale. Lockdown style is characterised by comfort above all else, though. Accessories have become pointless: who needs a handbag when you're just taking a half hour walk around the park? Sunglasses, hats, leather gloves - in this economy?? And jewellery, what could be more pointless at the moment? I'd forgotten it even existed, although in theory I do own some. Clothing and style are still of interest to me, but the pandemic has shifted my perspective on them considerably. Perhaps my personal style will turn away from oversized fuzzy cardigans, sweatpants, and wool socks when the plague abates and I start going outside for nonessential purposes. I suspect my disillusionment with pencil skirts will last, though. They really do constrain your stride length.
In any case, Kate Spade's style advice and practical tips on caring for clothing are unlikely to be new if you've ever read a fashion magazine or book before. I liked the watercolour illustrations, while not getting much from the text other than low-level irritation. More interesting style books that I'd recommend are Women in Clothes, The Curated Closet: A Simple System for Discovering Your Personal Style and Building Your Dream Wardrobe, and Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion.
March 12, 2016
I do love these books by Kate Spade. There's one left to read and my library doesn't own it. I'm going to have to track it down. I guess the thing I love about these books is that Kate Spade has a clear and defined sense of style and it informs her whole life. Obviously. She makes her living at it. But, what I mean is this: though style informs her life and she loves fashion and good design, it doesn't take precedence over more important matters. She is obviously committed to good manners, close relationships, family, values like sharing and promoting others. I also love the way she's so publicly in love with her husband and they have such a strong partnership. These are fun reads. Again, with the great watercolor illustrations.
June 9, 2018
Delightfully civil, elegant
January 27, 2010
Boooooring. I like Kate Spade's style overall. It's very clean and and rather preppy but with quirks. All the quirkiness is sucked out when it is prescribed into rule/guidelines. The best part of the book are the quotes attributable to people other than Kate Spade!
Then again, what can you expect from a book about style? I was hoping for inspiring images akin to the Kate Spade ads which are full of whimsy and good ideas for style. Instead the book is filled with not very interesting illustrations of random things.
Overall, snore.
Then again, what can you expect from a book about style? I was hoping for inspiring images akin to the Kate Spade ads which are full of whimsy and good ideas for style. Instead the book is filled with not very interesting illustrations of random things.
Overall, snore.
April 14, 2015
Your opinion of this quick-read will come from what you are expecting of it.
Will it change your life? No.
Will you get to look at delightful drawings accompanied by Spade's repetitive lists of her favorite things? Yes.
It is a rather silly book with little actual advice, but it was fun to look at and the size charts throughout the text will provide a useful reference resource in the future.
Will it change your life? No.
Will you get to look at delightful drawings accompanied by Spade's repetitive lists of her favorite things? Yes.
It is a rather silly book with little actual advice, but it was fun to look at and the size charts throughout the text will provide a useful reference resource in the future.
September 30, 2024
Fun illustrations and Spade’s opinion on color combos, fashion pieces as well as her favorite classical movies, music and books. I love that she always has a clock in her office showing CST since she was born in Kansas and never wanted to forget where she came from + she agreed there are no steadfast rules for fashion, it is what makes you happy. (Circa 2003)
July 7, 2024
This was a handy beautiful guide to style. I found her style engaging and was delighted to discover that she was raised in the Midwest which could explain why I am so delighted by Kate Spade style.
April 23, 2025
1.5 Stars
Style is bright and appealing with its simple watercolor-like illustrations throughout, but it fails to be anything more than a coffee-table book. Flip through a few pages, and you're done; in fact, I had a hard time reading it from cover to cover.
I guess it just all came down to my expectations versus what the book actually turned out to be. I was thinking it would contain more practical style tips for the average person, such as how to create multiple outfits from the same closet staples or something . Instead, I got suggestions to "[walk] through the Tuileries in geranium-and-white striped mules" and to "[pick] up [my] aunt at the airport in olive green leather pumps and a camel hair coat". I may be too much of a plebeian, but I doubt that I would ever do either of those things, regardless of how much money I aspire to acquire.
There are a few nice facts and color combinations I found interesting, but other than that this book wasn't of much use to me. The way it seems marketed as a quintessential and all-embracing is a bit deceitful; it reads more like a look-book of Kate's own style. Even then, it had less meaningful content than I had hoped for. Kate Spade's definitely got style, but her glamorous wardrobe just isn't practical for me.
Style is bright and appealing with its simple watercolor-like illustrations throughout, but it fails to be anything more than a coffee-table book. Flip through a few pages, and you're done; in fact, I had a hard time reading it from cover to cover.
I guess it just all came down to my expectations versus what the book actually turned out to be. I was thinking it would contain more practical style tips for the average person, such as how to create multiple outfits from the same closet staples or something . Instead, I got suggestions to "[walk] through the Tuileries in geranium-and-white striped mules" and to "[pick] up [my] aunt at the airport in olive green leather pumps and a camel hair coat". I may be too much of a plebeian, but I doubt that I would ever do either of those things, regardless of how much money I aspire to acquire.
There are a few nice facts and color combinations I found interesting, but other than that this book wasn't of much use to me. The way it seems marketed as a quintessential and all-embracing is a bit deceitful; it reads more like a look-book of Kate's own style. Even then, it had less meaningful content than I had hoped for. Kate Spade's definitely got style, but her glamorous wardrobe just isn't practical for me.
February 12, 2009
This cute little book has many useful visual ideas and stylish prompts. Ideal for someone who has no sense of color or fashion. Though this book is a nice resource offering some clever ideas to those of us who have a sense of style. The sizing charts are also practical even though each designer tends to have a different perception of the dimensions of a size six figure.
I enjoyed my first reading of the book and like the watercolor illustrations. Admittedly, I won't be referring to many of the pages again since I prefer to use this guide for outfit brainstorming. Mrs. Spade does try to get the message across to "Dress by your own rules." The whole thing reminds me of a book I had as a child titled, "I Spy" with drawings of various household objects and their words. Simple, but entertaining none-the-less. The simplicity of the book jacket is appealing and Kate Spade's attempt to be the Emily Post of fashion is admirable.
I enjoyed my first reading of the book and like the watercolor illustrations. Admittedly, I won't be referring to many of the pages again since I prefer to use this guide for outfit brainstorming. Mrs. Spade does try to get the message across to "Dress by your own rules." The whole thing reminds me of a book I had as a child titled, "I Spy" with drawings of various household objects and their words. Simple, but entertaining none-the-less. The simplicity of the book jacket is appealing and Kate Spade's attempt to be the Emily Post of fashion is admirable.
September 30, 2016
Kate Spade is my absolute favorite designer and brand, so I was very intrigued to pick this book up. However, I was very disappointed after reading this. This book focuses on different aspects of style, specifically in Kate Spade trends and colors. This just seemed extremely pointless to me. It's great to learn about the Kate Spade style, but everyone's style is different and unique, so a book explaining one particular style seems useless. This was a cute idea, but was not executed effectively to benefit readers.
June 5, 2017
I love Kate Spade and have several purses and some jewelry/watches. That being said, while her book was incredibly charming, it was so incredibly unrealistic when it comes to 'style' for the average person. Maybe if I had someone to dress me every day, and a zillion dollars, I might be able to dress the way she chats about in her book. LOL I felt rather inadequate looking at my closet - I have zero possibilities to be stylish like Kate Spade.
December 18, 2007
I love the format of this book. Tiny, boldly printed watercolor drawings are sprinkled across the pages, illustrating some of Spade's references from books, movies and magazines. While some of Spade's preferences for certain styles are out of most people's league, the book and her comments are charming. Having borrowed this from my library, I will be purchasing it for my own collection.
November 17, 2008
This was a cute book of tips and thoughts by a hughly respected designer. I particularly like Kate Spade's use of color. The book talks about various colors and how to use them. talks abotu accessories and their importance and fun. And then there are helpful tips on caring for clothes and jewelry. And fabric guides. A light intro so to speak. Not a lot of substance but a quick light read.
October 3, 2012
Half the time she's quoting her husband, and most of the time she's recommending dated styles and reading materials. Bring on the practical and the long-standing. State your assumptions and your time periods. And for goodness sake, stop writing factoids in tiny four-point font at the bottom of each page.
February 26, 2013
I think this book was disappointing because it wasn't what I was hoping for. It didn't seem to give any advice for the fashion-challenged - it was more like a peek into Kate's closet without a lot of explanation why what was there was there. I love her design...but this book didn't really help me understand how she thinks. The last section on caring for your clothes was the most helpful.
Read
July 18, 2007A cute little book with color designations.....
Not much is ever out of style if you wear it well....
New Yorkie Kate's view on everything from scarves to umbrellas and that perfect black dress.....
Not much is ever out of style if you wear it well....
New Yorkie Kate's view on everything from scarves to umbrellas and that perfect black dress.....
August 5, 2009
Buku ini membahas tentang bagaimana berpenampilan, mulai dari mix & match. Banyak ilmu yang bisa di dapt dari buku ini. Dasar gw memang suka gk aware sama penampilan, tetep aja habis baca buku ini belum berubah menjadi orang yang stylist hahahaha
May 7, 2010
This one sits permanently on my desk.
Thumbing through never fails to inspire and her fashion 'rules' are a fantastic guideline and starting point.
The illustrations are fabulous and almost deceptively simple.
Definite keeper!
Thumbing through never fails to inspire and her fashion 'rules' are a fantastic guideline and starting point.
The illustrations are fabulous and almost deceptively simple.
Definite keeper!
March 8, 2013
I love these kinds of books! Lots of personal anecdotes, thoughts on the subject. Spade interjects quotes by fashion icons, as well as her husband, Andy. Illustrations are hand-drawn, making the text more intimate.
January 11, 2014
Charming as inspiration. Don't expect a lot of concrete advice, and there are no photographs, just drawings. I don't mind that... The idea is "Why, I'd love a pink coat!" not "I've got to have THAT pink coat."
March 20, 2015
The small illustrations and "color palette" off to the side really made this book interesting for me. It is always nice to hear what a style icon thinks, and I found this to be an interesting, cute read.
May 18, 2017
Typical, thus no 5-stars. However, I appreciate the classic yet unique perspectives of style across multiple genres which Spade represents. Quick read, lovely illustrations, and some great personal style & entertainment recommendations.
May 4, 2007
Short and simple, but always classy.
August 7, 2007
Birthday gift from my husband. Fun tips and insight into Kate's designs.
February 1, 2008
Man. All I need is a designer name and I too could write a book. I did copy a few fashion quotes out of this one, though. --notes from 2005
March 10, 2008
this was a nice book and very cute. I think it would make a nice gift.
March 20, 2008
A fun, cute book. I think Trinny and Susannah are a bit better in "What Not to Wear."
March 24, 2008
Fabulous handbook for all your style needs.
March 29, 2008
This is a crisp and refreshing little book. I rather enjoyed it. :)
December 24, 2008
A great reference book, filled with cute illustrations and quick and easy tips on how to pull off fashions, food, and social functions with flair and, well, style!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews