A Shopper's Guide to Style Books

Got a budding fashionista on your Christmas list? Need some help wading through all the style books out there? Few have the time (or the money) to pick up on every bit of fashion/beauty/makeup advice available on the market. Here’s a start: pocket reviews of four fresh fashion titles, from the pocket-sized guide to the coffee-table tome. All titles are currently available at National Book Stores.

Star Style: Hollywood Legends as Fashion Icons By Patty Fox

It’s All About: This book presents a convincing case that old Hollywood’s movie stars still influence the way we dress today. After all, where would Gwyneth Paltrow be without Audrey Hepburn, Cher without Marlene Dietrich, Drew Barrymore without Marilyn Monroe?

From 10 profiles of well-known and not so well-known actresses like the Hepburns (both Audrey and Katharine), Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson and Dolores del Rio (who according to Orson Welles was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen), it’s apparent that today’s celebrities take their cues from the beauties of the past. In dishy, breezy style, Fox analyzes not only what they wore onscreen but the style elements of their wardrobe offscreen. Discover whether Marlene Dietrich’s cross dressing (which was ahead of her time) carried over into real life, or what makeup trick Marilyn used to achieve her famous pout. Learn how Audrey Hepburn was very insecure about her small bustline, and why Joan Crawford would change outfits 10 times a day.

With its gorgeous black-and-white photos, Star Style seems destined to become a collector’s item. Author Fox, who’s long been a Hollywood style watcher, has also done a book on star style at the Oscars.

Tips And Treats: Joan Crawford’s five fashion rules– "1. Find your own style and have the courage to stick to it. 2. Choose your clothes for your way of life. 3. Make your wardrobe as versatile as an actress. It should be able to play many roles. 4. Find your happiest colors – the ones that make you feel good. 5. Care for your clothes, like the good friends they are!"

Perfect For: Your favorite celebrity or fashionista; anyone who secretly wants to become a style icon.

Marie Claire: Real Beauty By Emma Bannister

It’s All About: Looking like you just came from the beauty parlor even when you don’t have the time or money. Written by Marie Claire beauty editor Emma Bannister, Real Beauty is chock-full of secrets for getting that salon look in hair, makeup and nails. Step-by-step photos teach you all the techniques, from dramatizing your eyes, to applying a French manicure, to fixing your hair for the evening. Best of all, since the title claims "achievable beauty for real women," it focuses not on perfect models, but five real women who share the same problems we do (including one Asian with typically oily skin and hair). Learn how to analyze your hair and face shape and what the best makeup colors are for you. Are you stuck in a rut or a beauty hoarder? Real Beauty will help you sort out your makeup bag, and invest in the proper tools. Divided into six sections, beginning with skincare and makeup basics and ending with haircare and beauty solutions, this stylish Marie Claire offering is one of the best all-around beauty books out there.

Tips And Treats: Cuts that work for Asian hair are layered. "Excess oil can leave your hair lank and lifeless, and one-length cuts can make things worse. Try chunky layers, which will add body and movement. Layers have an added bonus for oily hair–they lift the strands themselves away from the roots, allowing air to circulate and preventing oil from traveling down the hair shaft."

Perfect For: Women who want to look like they’ve just come from the salon, even when they haven’t.

In Fashion By Dominique Paulvé and Marie Boyé

What It’s About: So, you want to work in fashion? From fashion capital France comes this cute little book that contains all the facts you need to send you on your way. "The future is bright for jobs in design," chirp the authors, who notice a recent return of top designers to haute couture.

In Fashion provides an inside look at the industry, starting with a short history of fashion. Like, did you know that the first corsets were made and worn by men? Or that supermodels are rarely shorter than 5’9"? The bulk of the book tackles the skills necessary for the many intriguing jobs available, like grand couturier. Or maybe you ache to work as a fashion stylist, buyer or trend consultant. Designed to help you succeed, the book lists the fashion classics of the 20th century and studies women’s buying habits. All of this in a coolly laid-out, portable little volume. Working in fashion never seemed so glamorous.

Tips And Treats: Fun features like a fashion quiz, step-by-step patterns for making your own designer bag, and listings of the best fashion schools in the UK, like Central St. Martins, alma mater of Stella McCart-ney and most of Cool Britannia’s successful designers.

Perfect For: Anyone with a passion for fashion.

FACE UP: The Essential Make-Up Handbook By Ruby Hammer and Millie Kendall

It’s All About: Ruby Hammer and Millie Kendall are famous in Britain for being the founders of the Ruby + Millie makeup brand sold in exclusive pharmacies. With its fun, hip attitude and high-fashion colors, the brand is comparable to American brands like Stila. Ruby herself is a makeup artist for Italian Vogue and Marie Claire magazines, while Millie came by her expertise by once managing a Shu Uemura boutique. The two friends share the same philosophy: to create products that perform and are fun, and gaining confidence through makeup. It’s not a mask to be applied, they say, just a tool to "disguise flaws and enhance your good bits with a mere stroke of color."

Different chapters show you how to apply the essentials, from foundation to lip liner. Unlike other beauty tomes, Face Up offers a lot of professional tricks like contouring and highlighting, using the makeup mirror to gauge the total look, and Ruby’s mantra of "blend, blend, blend"! There’s an especially cool chapter on color and why most women are afraid to put it on. For those eternal fans of brown eye shadow, know that color can express different moods (example: red = very sexy; pink = fresh and bubbly; wine = sophistication; and brown = straight and serious).

With inspiring photos and edgy graphic design, Face Up by Ruby and Millie is as fun, colorful and accessible as their cosmetics are.

Tips And Treats: "In applying nail color, the most important thing to remember is the ‘three stripe’ rule. Start with a stripe of color in the center, and then one side and the other."

Perfect For: Teens, "tweens" or simply the young at heart who want to learn the basics of makeup.