Pink Julep Reads: The Style Strategy: A Less-is-More Approach to Staying Chic and Shopping Smart by Nina Garcia

Photo Credit: www.amazon.com

I have had this book on my shelf for months, but I'm so glad I waited until now to read it! I feel like this book came to me at the most perfect time!!! As I'm planning to move to London in less than 2 months, I'm constantly thinking about what to get rid of and what to keep. Whatever I keep will cost money to send. Whatever I don't keep will cost money to replace, but I don't want to pay to send something I'll pay to replace as soon as I arrive. As you can see, this is a tricky process. Combine that with the fact that my wardrobe has suffered for 2 1/2 years with very little updating and I've got my work cut out for me!

Using Nina Garcia's style strategy is really going to make this process easy for me. I have to be honest, I only bought the book because I liked her first two books. Until I sat down to read it on Thursday, I had no idea what it was about. I just figured I'd like it and bought it, then stuck it on the shelf and never looked at it again until 2 days ago. That I started reading it now was just luck! Very lucky indeed!!!

The Style Strategy by Nina Garcia addresses the never-ending curse of "I have a closet full of clothes and NOTHING to wear" that plagues women regularly, but she tackles it in the now... a time of economic crisis, global recession and global warming. This book is truly intelligent! Anyone who says that fashionistas are dumb airhead bimbos has a thing or two to learn from Nina Garcia! She not only tells you what you the consumer can do now, but there are interesting tidbits throughout the book of how some of your favorite styles were created in times of war or economic crisis from necessity. For example when rubber was scarce in the old days, someone decided to make shoes from wood and cork, therefore creating the wedge, which I'm pretty sure each one of you has been wearing this summer! I know I have!

Nina suggests a purge to start. Getting rid of anything unneccessary, then an inventory of what's left. She then gives you the basics list (we all pretty much know that at this stage) and tells you how you can expand on that affordably with trends once your basics are down pat. There are plenty of inspiring ideas for mending, changing and updating old pieces so that they don't have to be thrown away. There are also inspiring ideas for how to be more socially responsible by making your consumerist nature more eco-chic! No, she doesn't tell you to dress head-to-toe in Hemp! She simply suggests donating instead of throwing in the trash, wearing pre-worn or vintage items when you can and a few other ingenius ideas that can help save our dying planet!

Nina also addresses the problem of wanting everything and only being able to afford some. One of the key points of this book is getting the most stylish wardrobe ever while fattening your bank account, not killing it. She gives great tips on when to splurge and when or how to save, homemade alternatives to crazy expensive skincare, and websites to browse so that you'll never again have to pay full retail price for anything ever again!

I would highly recommend this book to ANYONE! I personally think every female should read this book! But I would especially recommend this book to all my bloggy friends who are constantly going on shopping bans... you know who you are! If you apply the strategy in this book, you won't have to deny yourself... you will become a chicer, smarter shopper and be able to shop all the time. And you'll probably be a little better at it than you are now! BONUS! Also, a problem for me, I think this strategy will be helpful with the ever-growing problem of buying things and never wearing them. Great read!!!