Posts with tag reading

Ever wondered what the big deal about brooches is? Pick up a copy of jewelry historian Lori Ellinger Gross' Brooches: Timeless Adornment to learn the history behind these regal pins.

Also included are tips from top stylists, how to guides, and a look at dozens of fantastic vintage and modern brooches. It's the perfect easy summer read that will teach you a thing or two with the added bonus of learning how to incorporate something so elegant into your own wardrobe. It's also a great gift for any fashionista or brooch collector.

Check out some pretty sweet brooches at Swarovski to start a collection of your own.

At the risk of sounding a little bit nutso, we definitely think there is an art to packing the ultimate beach bag. If you can pack it up with essentials and still keep it light, then you've got the knack.

So your eyes need a little help, huh? Don't be miffed that you need glasses -- celebrate! This gives you a whole extra accessory to wear! Especially if you just need reading glasses and don't have to wear a specific prescription -- reading glasses are not terribly expensive, and you can find some amazing frames to show off your personal style.

The Black Dress by Valerie Steele is great for those who want to look at pretty dresses and read quick and interesting quotes – no heavy reading required for this book.

This book starts off with an essay written by Valerie Steele, who is the Director of Chief Curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (which is fabulous if you haven't been). The book then continues with glossy photos of famously fashionable black dresses in history accompanied by fun quotes like this one:

"For her fifth wedding, the bride wore black and carried a scotch and soda" – Phyllis Battelle on Heiress Barbara Hutton.

For those who want a bit more meat, the end of the book has more detailed blurbs about each photographed dress and its place in history.

The book was nice; it was like flipping through a special edition magazine about black dresses. I would have loved to see more pictures as the book is pretty short but for small price tag I certainly got my moneys worth. The book is listed at $19.95 but is selling for a little over $13 at Amazon.com.

Whenever I feel less than hot, I always grab my purse and head out to the mall because a new pair of shoes or a bag always seems to do the trick. Well, it looks like I can save myself some money because the key to being a "hot chick" can't be found at the mall.

The book How to Eat Like a Hot Chick teaches you how to look your best through what you put in your mouth. This book isn't your typical diet book; it's much more fun than that. The tone of book is like that of you and your girlfriends talking to one another. At one point in the book, I swore I wrote the darned thing.

There is nothing in this book the average girl can't handle because the rules are so basic. Did you overindulge with a big breakfast? Eat a pound of spinach for dinner to make up (or down, rather) for it. Going out for cocktails? Skip those sugary margaritas things and go for a 70 calories vodka and soda.

The book is light, funny and you can read it a matter of hours.

It's your well-deserved vacation. You're on the beach, sipping a cool drink, basking away in the sun. The paperback which has been collecting dust on your bedside table for the past year starts calling your name. You pick it up, and turn to the first page. To your dismay, the print seems impossibly small. Did the word shrink? Are you getting older? Can you squint through your sunglasses? How did this happen?

Does this sound familiar? If you're a book worm and a sun-lover, you have to check out Amy Sacks hip reading sunglasses. Sacks' collection features simple and clean forms in a variety of magnification strength. Modestly priced, these reading glasses offer a stylish alternative to the dowdy lower-range reading glasses you can get at the local drugstore. Price: $105.