Dress Your Best Life

Starred review from February 15, 2020
This is a thoughtful and fashion-forward approach to figuring out what to wear?and understanding how clothes reflect lives well lived. Model turned fashion psychologist and Fashion Institute of Technology instructor Dawnn Karen has carved a new niche, away from the popular fad that began in the 1970s with John Molloy's Dress for Success (1975). Some statistics to prove the importance of dressing: 100 milliseconds is all it takes to judge an individual; only 20 percent of owned clothing is ever worn. Yet before undertaking a massive closet purge, review Karen's advice. It's piled high with a dozen-plus case histories (which mirror common experiences both male and female), quizzes that help readers assess the ineluctable style thing, and tips that will save money?and psyches. Among them: How to resist retail temptation; Identifying your signature style; Expert closet edits; Taking a style risk with small things or statement outerwear. Karen's very apt conclusion: Don't be eye candy. Be soul food. Engaging, well-written, and (gulp) rather piercing commentary on getting dressed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)