The Devil Wears Prada ~ Lauren Weisberger

Publisher: Broadway Books (2003)
ISBN: 0-7679-1476-7
360 pgs

Classification: Fiction
Genre: Chick lit
Age Level: 15+

Reader’s Annotation: Fresh out of college, Andy Sachs hopes someday to contribute to The New Yorker but her entry-level job as assistant to a fashion diva just may put off Andy from magazine publishing for good.

Summary: Though couture clueless, aspiring journalist Andy Sachs lands the job “a million girls would die for”: personal assistant to the chicly neurotic editor of premier fashion magazine Runway. As she struggles learn Posen from Proenza and Dior from Dolce, Andy finds herself so consumed with her boss’s increasingly difficult demands that she starts to put fashion before family. Has Andy been so easily seduced by Lanvin and Louboutin? Or is she just unwilling to turn her back on the most powerful woman in publishing? Despite Andy’s whining, this book is an engrossing, hilarious look at the editorial side of fashion, and is a must read for stylistas of all ages.

Notes: This book is a standout in the chick lit genre, though the movie starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway eclipses the book with its eye-popping fashion from stylist Patricia Field.
Flags: 4

A Girl Like Moi ~ Lisa Barham

Publisher: Simon Pulse (2006)
ISBN: 978-1-4169-1443-3
265 pgs

Classification: YA fiction
Genre: chick lit
Age Level: 13+

Reader’s Annotation: Book one of the trilogy titled The Fashion Forward Adventures of Imogene, A Girl Like Moi is an absorbing account of one sixteen year old’s quest to unleash the fashion diva within.

Summary: A self-described “should have,” Imogene knows she’s between worlds. Neither an “it” girl, nor a poseur, she simply wants the opportunity to showcase her talent for spotting trends and predicting next season’s must-haves. Imogene’s opportunity arrives in the form of a summer internship with the hottest fashion forecasting company in the Big Apple. But can Imogene concentrate enough on her job while she’s crushing on a certain Italian hottie? And is she smart enough to outmaneuver an unscrupulous rival intern? This story, with color illustrations by Sujean Rim, is a fashion feast not to be skipped!

Notes: Imogene is a dazzling, witty ingénue who could pass for the younger sister of Elle Woods (of Legally Blonde). Her story continues with Project Paris and Accidentally Fabulous.
Flags: 4

The Interns: Fashionistas ~ Chloe Walsh

Publisher: Harper Teen (2008)
ISBN: 978-0-06-137088-5
307 pgs

Classification: YA fiction
Genre: Chick lit
Age Level: 13+

Reader’s Annotation: Four summer interns compete with one another to be noticed for their journalism and fashion sense at a New York fashion magazine.

Summary: The Interns: Ansley, Ava, Nadine and Callie. The magazine: Couture. For one summer, these four aspiring fashionistas must cope with the demands of various editors at the magazine as well as with each other. Echoing Gossip Girl with a blogger known only as “Fashionista,” this book focuses more on the girls’ relationships than fashion. Ansley is the wealthy New York socialite interning merely to appease her parents. Nadine is a party girl who cannot seem to take her work seriously. Callie tries to disguise her small-town upbringing but seems to be tangling herself in the web of her lies, and hard-working Ava embodies the old saying, “still waters run deep.”

Notes: Sequel—The Interns: Truth or Fashion. Content to be aware of—underage drinking. Neither as industry insightful as The Devil Wears Prada nor as witty as The Fashion Forward Adventures of Imogene, The Interns: Fashionistas is nonetheless a decent read for one who simply cannot get enough of stories about labels and love.
Flags: 3

Model: A Memoir ~ Cheryl Diamond

Publisher: Simon Pulse (2008)
ISBN: 1-4169-5904-1
357 pgs

Classification: Non-fiction
Genre: Memoir
Age Level: 13+

Reader’s Annotation: Fashion model Cheryl Diamond is poised on the brink of supermodel status when a shocking incident derails her career.

Summary: This memoir offers unique insight into the glamorous and ruthless world of high fashion and the beautiful people who make us covet it all. At age sixteen uber-confident Cheryl Diamond, with her edgy look and gorgeous blonde hair, lands a contract with an exclusive NYC modeling agency. Diamond enjoys early success at photo shoots and on the runway until an unexpected trauma forces the young beauty to ask herself: is modeling really the career for her?
Notes: Diamond’s story makes for a good read that will be enjoyed by fans of America’s Next Top Model and any avid fashion magazine reader.
Flags: 4

Poseur ~ Rachel Maude

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (2008)
ISBN: 978-0-316-06583-2
289 pgs

Classification: YA Fiction
Genre: Chick lit
Age Level: 12+

Reader’s Annotation: Grouped together for a project, Janie, Charlotte, Melissa and Petra need to figure out how to play nice or they risk humiliation in front of their entire school.

Summary: Creative Janie is envious of her twin brother’s sudden popularity while haughty Charlotte is obsessed with all things French and Janie’s brother. Control-freak Melissa is passionate about everything to do with Melissa, and apathetic Petra is moved by very little. These four vastly different high school sophomores are thrust together by a well-meaning guidance counselor intent on fostering “the arts” at their elite Southern California prep school. The girls are expected to draw from their unique backgrounds and interest in fashion to collaborate on a label. Can they overcome their petty squabbles to create couture? Or will all four of them be exposed school-wide for the poseurs they really are?

Notes: Book one in a series. Sketches of original outfits enhance an otherwise bland story. Content to be aware of—underage drinking, drug use.
Flags: 3