August 29, 2010

Good Girls don't have to Dress Bad by Shari Braendel

I don't know any woman that hasn't watched at least one episode of TLC's What Not to Wear. I know I've watched more than just one and am always wondering, how would I put myself togethr a little better in the morning without adding in a lot of effort. So when I was offered the opportunity to review "a style guide for every woman," I jumped at the chance. And I read it cover to cover as soon as I got it.

The beginning of the book explains the concept that looks do matter and that the way you present yourself is a reflection of how you feel not only about yourself but about your faith. If you truly believe your body is a gift from God, a temple perhaps even, then why not treat it like you would a gift from God - wrapped up in shiny paper and with a lovingly tied bow. I tend to agree with Braendel's explanation, and it kind of hit home to me that maybe I should try just a little harder when I'm getting ready to go anywhere.

The rest of the book goes through step by step in determining the best way to find YOUR best look including in your clothes, makeup, hairstyle, and accessories. When I say YOUR, I mean it. The book is personalized not only by just body type, by your height, and by your coloring (e.g., hair, eyes). I found many of the suggestions to be ones that I had never heard before that are pretty easy to follow, and it even told me the colors that are bound to be my best.

However, my favorite part of the book actually had nothing to do with how to make me personally look better. It was a general guideline that I found the most intriguing and eye-opening, and it's called the 16-point accessory rule. It basically means that you give yourself points for what you are wearing and try to add up to 16 before you walk out the door. Points are as simple to get as wearing shoes (two points) and wearing a little makeup (1 point). It's very easy to get to about 12 points without doing anything extra at all other than thte basic necessities to walk out the door. The fun part is getting to the 16 points by adding in simple accessories (earrings, purses, belts, headbands, etc.) to add just a little oomph to your look. Since I read this book, I've gotten into a jewlrey and accessory kick and tried to constantly up my outfit just a little bit with a pop of color or sophistication with a pair of earrings or a bracelet - I'm in love with bracelets right now by the way.

Sorry for the accessory tanget, but I really enjoyed this book. I thought it had a lot of great tips to personalize your wardrobe and your overall look. I love the 16 point accessory game, and I really like the idea that the book is based on dressing modestly but still well. 5 stars.

1 comment:

  1. I agree If you truly believe your body is a gift from God then everything good follows. :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for joining our discussion of this book!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...