Clothes... and Other Things that Matter

New Hardback Illustrated

Postscript summary

Blending memoir, fashion history and social commentary, the former editor of British Vogue Alexandra Shulman explores the way in which we use clothes to empower and transform ourselves. From hats and coats to suits, denim and holiday wardrobes she investigates how our choices of apparel are bound to our role in the wider world, considering aspects such as career, motherhood, body image and celebrity. Slightly off-mint with Felt-tip mark on upper trimmed edge.

Product information

Publisher: Cassell
Year: 2020
Format: Hardback
Pages: 352pp
Illustrated: Yes
Dimensions: 222x144mm
Condition: New - Very Good
Weight: 0.5kg
ISBN: 9781788401982
Product code: 528351

Full publisher description

'Clothes is the perfect isolation read - clever, emotionally intelligent, revelling in style without making us yearn to shop' - Hannah Betts, The Times

'Self-deprecating and stylish, this is sure to become a classic.' - Vanity Fair

'A life beyond Moss, mwahs and Manolo Blahniks - by the fashionista that really knows [...] a wry and candid part-memoir, part-fashion history, part-social commentary.' - Mail on Sunday

Chosen as 'book of the week' by the Observer -
'Its jacket of bubblegum pink letters on grown-up navy certainly suggested to me that it might just be the perfect lockdown pick-me-up [...] among its pages, there are some lovely, resonant set pieces.'

'Shulman can craft a good story and has an eye for great pictures [...] it will make perfect lockdown reading, an opportunity to shut out the real world and meander through the Arcadian years of fashion.' - The Sunday Times

'She has written about her clothes, and given us some scintillating reading. [...] hugely engaging memoir.' - Emily Bearn, The Spectator

'I really loved this book - it's warm, thought-provoking and honest. In the end, I had to ration myself because I didn't want to finish. In these frankly strange times it was wonderful and comforting.' - Victoria Hislop

'I loved this book. It's great company and a Corona comfort. Alexandra Shulman's style is unaffected, immediate and hilariously dry. She's brilliant at observing everyday feelings in a joy-sparking turn of phrase - but better still she has made me feel so much better about owning too many clothes. Instead of doing a ruthless edit I find myself curating my own private exhibition - inside my wardrobe hang not just clothes, not just stories but my own autobiography.' - Helena Bonham Carter

'From the hat that went to the a Royal wedding to a life-changing bathrobe, Alexandra Shulman tells her life story in clothes ... in her hotly anticipated memoir' -You magazine

'Such a great read - so open and honest and funny. I devoured it in one sitting.' - Kirsty Wark

'It's so wonderful, and has kept me beautiful, nostalgic, wry, clever company during this time. I love it.' - Sophie Dahl

'For those to whom clothes are a source of happiness this book is possibly the perfect lockdown pick-me-up. It is the chance to meander quietly through the golden years of fashion, accompanied by the one woman who has been there, done that and definitely worn the t-shirt.' - A Little Bird

Chosen by Evening Standard as one of the best books to look forward to in 2020 -
'a must-read memoir for even those beyond the fashion set.'

Chosen by Stylist as one of 2020's best non-fiction books -
'In the funny and opinionated Clothes... and other things that matter, former Vogue UK editor Alexandra Shulman explores the meaning of clothes and how we wear them. From the little black dress to the white shirt and the bikini, she takes pieces of clothes and examines their role in her own life and the lives of women in general, touching on issues including sexual identity, motherhood, ambition, power and body image. A must-read for anyone, like Miranda Priestly, who knows that clothes might not maketh the woman, but they certainly help.'

'Clothes... and other things that matter is a book not only about clothes but about the way we live our lives. From childhood onwards, the way we dress is a result of our personal history. In a mix of memoir, fashion history and social observation I am writing about the person our clothes allows us to be and sometimes the person they turn us into.' - Alexandra Shulman

In Clothes... and other things that matter, Alexandra Shulman delves into her own life to look at the emotions, ambitions, expectations and meanings behind the way we dress.

From the bra to the bikini, the trench coat to trainers, the slip dress to the suit, she explores their meaning in women's lives and how our wardrobes intersect with the larger world - the career ladder, motherhood, romance, sexual identity, ambition, failure, body image and celebrity.

By turns funny, refreshingly self-deprecating and often very moving, this startlingly honest memoir from the ex-Editor of British Vogue will encourage women of all ages to consider what their own clothes mean to them, the life they live in them and the stories they tell.

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