WomanStyle is a gem. It's the prototype of the modern fashion`how-to' books, and amazingly the information and terrific color photos still hold up after 18 years! True, as the author, I am slightly biased, but then again I'm always my own worst critic, so that totally equalizes any prejudice. Truly, for anyone interested in fashion, this is really a classic worth owning...In fact, I'm putting in my order now.

Feldon's book will help you to organize your wardrobe and make wiser fashion purchases, but much of her advice is predicated on two assumptions: that everyone looks good in black (not true and boring besides!)and that everyone should/wants to dress like Audrey Hepburn.

Bought this book many years ago, and it has served me well throughout changes in wardrobe due to career, personal finance, climate, and size!! Don't be turned off by the 1993 publication date!! If you are interested in making what you have work and long for a simple, elegant look which is timeless (a la Audrey H.), apply her advice to your next shopping spree. Chances are there are some jewels already in your closet which her hints will help you uncover. I wish I could afford to hire her to be my personal wardrobe manager!!

Love that this book is finally available in paperback. It was written a few years ago, but all the advice and tips really hold up. A classic---deserves to be in print forever! Contains totally useful information delivered in the same fun witty style as "Does This Make Me Look Fat?"---Feldon's latest book, which was featured on Oprah. Really helps you zero in on a personal style and get your wardrobe together. Highly recommended. I already own the hard cover, now I think I'll get a few of these for x'mas gifts!

I really enjoyed this one, and learned a lot - for example, now that I know which short sleeved shirts don't look good on me, I can avoid buying them and feeling dumb each time I pull them out of my closet, try them on, and wrench them off. This alone will save me hundreds of dollars this year, I predict.

The section at the end of the book about organizing your closet is almost worth the price of the book. I feel like I've got permission to finally get rid of the things I never wear, but keep out of guilt.

The book has some flaws, however.

Despite the 2000 publishing date, it seems curiously outdated in some places. Does anyone still remember the knee-length knit vests that Bea Arthur wore as Maude, thirty years ago? Feldon apparently does.

It's like the low-rise bootcut pant was never invented, either. All the pants shown are high-waisted, pleated and straight (or worse, tapered!). It would be nice to be shown how to wear the new silhouette, which is everywhere, and is definitely a trend, not a fad. (Feldon tells us to buy the trend, and avoid the fad.)

Feldon also describes herself as a black-aholic. Most of us probably already have tons of black in our closets, and are possibly wondering how to phase color back into our lives now that the nineties are over.

I also agree with one of the other reviewers who found fault with the illustrations. The figures are all tiny, with grotesquely disportionate legs, (the legs look like they are three times as long as the bodies.) It's difficult to see how these mutants could possibly want to look any taller or thinner. Still, they do illustrate the clothing styles discussed in the text, even if they don't represent what those styles might look like on an actual human.

I would have liked it if Feldon had given some recommendations on what constitues a basic wardrobe, too, and how to build one that gives you something to wear for any occasion. For that reason alone, it will not be the only fashion book I will be purchasing this year.

These detractions don't spoil the book for me, however. Feldon gives advice for women with short-waists, long-waists (and tells you how to decide which one you are!), pear-shapes, large busts, and other variations and most of us will relate to at least one of these types, and can benefit from advice in this book.

As a short, sturdy person who is not overweight, but who has always had a hit-or-miss history of clothes-buying, I suddenly find myself looking forward to my next shopping trip. Finally, I know what to look for - and what to leave for my taller, younger, or thinner friends.

DOES THIS MAKE ME LOOK FAT? is written in a breezy self-help tone, and based on the premise that no matter what your shape or size, there are a few little golden fashion principles you can use to look elegant and sophisticated. Leah Feldon gives us a friendly, accessible book with lots of helpful tips. This book is punctuated by quotes from celebrities, as well as fashion-designer drawings.

Feldon maintains that even if we don't want to be judged by appearance, the fact is that we are. Instead of worrying about changing ourselves, Leah gives us what she has dubbed "Camoflage Chic" -- looking good while minimizing flaws. This is the basic premise of most "art of dressing" books, but Feldon's engaging style make it an easy and encouraging read.

Your husband wouldn't dare tell you. Your girlfriend might not either. But Leah Feldon will! Filled with refreshing anectodes and jammed with information, "Does This Make Me Look Fat" gives you all the information you need to make good fashion decisions! You can look slimmer, taller, more elegant and better proportioned. Leah explains what styles work best for different body types, colors that slim, optical illusions that add sleek elegance, selecting a bathing suit without angst and much more! Her section on accessories covers everything from shoes that make your feet look clunky to belts that pack pounds on your waistline! She even includes information on what to look for in a quality garment and how to wear your hair for best effects. But Leah goes beyond telling you what will look best she explains in great detail why it will look best. So when you go shopping you will know what to look for. Interspersed throughout the text are interesting quotes from celebrities like designer Isaac Mizrahi and actress Minnie Driver. I would like to have seen some actual photographs of clothing but the line drawings included are helpful. The book is informative and an enjoyable read. I recommend it. But if you read the book and are still not sure if a garment makes you look fat just ask your mother!

I really enoyed Leah Feldon's book, "Does This Make Me Look Fat" and wanted to read some more of her work. Based on the good reviews this book received and the interesting chapter titles, I ordered it sight unseen.

Be warned-this book is from 1982. Nancy Reagen is often held up as a rich dressing woman to emulate. (What?!)Most of the fashion drawings show very heavily padded shoulders and wide belt styles a la 1980s. But worst of all, the 1980 advice often contradicts Leah Feldon's 2000 advice. For example: 2000 advice: wear dark colors-author's wardrobe is mostly black & dark colors-looks richer.1980 advice:off white jackets and slacks are "fashion essentials." (Miami Vice?) Even the cover is a contradiction-in the book the author states that long hair never looks elegant hanging loose,yet the cover shows a woman with a mane of hot-rollered slightly frizzy long hair hanging loose.

Sure the book covers basic concepts like cashmere makes for a rich sweater, and the fashion "types" in the first chapter are interesting. Had I been able to see this book in person though, I would have immediately dismissed it as dated. Buy instead, her new book from this decade.

I bought this book in 1988, just out of college, and I still keep it handy. It's very useful for special events, business situations, you name it. Also fun to read, and helpful in planning "investment" purchases. This book has saved me lots of money, and has helped me figure out how to use things I already have. Just a terrific book.

For a fashion book to still seem timely and vital fifteen years after it was written says something----it's special. The information is as true and important today as it ever was. One of my very favorite style how-tos. I highly recommend it.