InStyle Style 101: What Every Stylish Woman Should Know

by InStyle Magazine

Classic and timeless style basics every woman should know.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, Self Help

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Bella]

Awesome! It's all those helpful clippings you find in magazines regarding home, decorating, beauty, fashion and so much more. The best part, you don't have a million magazines saved with pages tucked down.

[Lana. · Rating 2 out of 5]

When it comes to fashion, beauty, entertaining, and home, the stylish woman probably already has a good idea of what they are looking for or what effect they want to achieve. So, what exacly does Style 101 provide?

I expected a quick easy guide to help me learn how to be stylish without having to dredge through multiple magazines (for fashion, beauty, entertaining...). The introduction also, reassuringly, tells me it will be useful for when I've missed that class, "[t]he one where they just tell you in simple terms how to find flattering jeans..."

I found, a book with some interesting tips in each of those categories (and some good beauty tips that start with a healthy lifestyle), but few I would think that would help someone who doesn't already had some ideas of personal style and had read the magazines before.

Also, as a reference book, it does not make it easy to flip to any one section. The tips are mixed between the categories, so I felt I had search through many pages to find potentially what I was looking for. Thank goodness for the colour coding system and contents page ("Quick tips" are not listed here).

For details, actual helpfulness, and entertainment value, I would definitely lean towards Clinton Kelly's "Freakin' Fabulous: How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else".

[Am Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the tips were useful and informative, but this book suffered from a serious lack of pictures. It's very easy to say "don't do this because it won't look good" and blah blah, or "do this because it'll make you look beautiful" and so on, but without photo evidence for people to judge and compare for themselves, it's really all hot air.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky book packed full of tips for every "stylish girl". The layout of the book is a bit hard to get used to, ideas jump all over the place, you'll read how to light a room and the next page is how to build a shoe wardrobe.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Some good info and things to remember. The fashion advice is a little outdated in some aspects. I liked the section on home planning and pages about flower arranging. Handy for quick reference.

[Emily]

This looks like a great little resource on how to be most stylish!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Style Magazines book on more than 100 how to's from fashion, beauty, home and entertaining. This is a great reference book for the creatively challenged, shabby dresser and overall shlepper.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of life's simple pleasures. And I feel strongly that every woman should be equipped with at LEAST one style book.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great reference tool!!

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good ideas culled from the magazine.

[Tifinie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it tells u how to do stuff from fashion make up and home

[Nina]

A somewhat useful advice on styling clothes and interior.

[Victoria Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spare and chock full of information about fashion, beauty, entertaining and home life, "In Style: Style 101: What Every Stylish Woman Should Know" from the editors of "In Style" magazine, isn't a guide you so much read as use. You might not use tips in the "how to: buy silver" section or "how to: create a five-star bed" today but this book makes you feel they're there if you need them.
Written by Kathleen Fifield and designed by Studio Usher, I eagerly read it in one sitting while mentally noting which areas I wanted to refer back to. The most effective parts of the book for me were the ones that really broke down the instructions with accompanying photos such as "how to: find perfect pants" (p. 42-45) and "how to: get summer style to go" (p. 74-75). Excellent for those ladies who enjoy living their lives to the fullest, "Style 101" is the perfect literary accessory for any bedside table.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really informative and easy to read, a ton of great tips for the modern cosmopolitan woman from home decor, etiquette, fashion, beauty, and accessories.

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good tips, but a lot of them were impractical for me--the tips in the entertaining and home categories, especially.

Tips to remember:

How to look better in photos (68-69)
- Push chin out and slightly downward
- Place the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth as you smile
- Don't rest your arms against your torso

How to create a Bohemian knot (156-157)
- Divide hair (but avoid an obvious part) and create two low pigtails below ears.
- Twist both pigtails down and inward. Twist as tight as you can stand.
- Pull the pigtails together at the nape of the neck and gather into one. Secure with an elastic just below the original twists. Don't pull the new ponytail all the way through the last time--leave ends loose.
- Lift the loop up and in toward the scalp; tuck in.

For clothes tips, I'd go with The Lucky Shopping Manual over this one.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read the read the magazine InStyle, but I like their 'ahem' style! I would recommend this book to anyone who is a self-proclaimed dunce when it comes to knowing what kind of heel to where with what skirt or where in the house to put your potted plant. I'm probably going to buy this, which being a hardback, is a profound statement.

[Hillary]

i'm really just adding this book so i won't forget the tile. it's infinitely readable while working the reference desk or reading something when you only have short bursts of attention to pay to it, but alas it did not change my life and i would even go so far as to say i didn't think it lived up to its highly ambitious title.

[Natalya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected but very good. Crammed with tips and techneques