A beautiful book written by a witty subject matter expert, The Little Black Book of Style has been a tremendous hit with our parent bloggers. Regardless of their personal interest in high fashion, they all agree that they’d like to shed the mom persona and resurrect their dormant sense of style.

Some were more dormant than others:

• “Reading [this book] is like taking French composition before passing French 101. Like trying to master the high dive before learning how to swim. Since I don’t have the time or inclination to read the fashion magazine prerequisites for this guidebook, I am completely out of my depth.“
• “I have become my own worst critic when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. I dread having to pick from the same three pairs of pants and six shirts over and over.“

Some were already on their way:

• “When I lost almost 50 pounds two years ago, I totally revamped my way of dressing. Gone were the schlumpy mom jeans, anything with an elastic waist that wasn’t workout gear or pajamas, and the boxy oversized jackets. I felt good about myself and wanted to project myself in a way that reflected it to the world.“
• “Just because I am a PTA/Soccer mom doesn’t mean I have to look like a slob. And just because I will never wear anything that is fresh off of a runway doesn’t mean I cannot have style.“
• “I received this book at just the right time in my life. My daughter is no longer a clingy baby and I no longer feel the need to wear my mommy uniform - khakis and a dark t-shirt (to hide stains). I want to look good again. I want to feel attractive and put together. I want to be a hot mama.“

And some are - if not full-fledged fashionistas - already reaching ideals to which many other mothers aspire:

• “…the combination of making it past the 100%-cotton-spit-up-absorbent-baby-care-uniform-phase, and working at one of Boston’s esteemed, male-dominated, and decidedly fashion challenged universities made me even more committed to looking stylish and feminine. So while I’m far from an ideal wardrobe (due to spending guilt and pickiness), I have, since becoming a mommy, become obsessed with pretty details, great shoes, and color, even at the casual level.“
• “I love clothes and fashion. J’adore Chanel and all things sparkly and Manolo. An afternoon reading Elle is one well spent in my mind.“
• “The focal point of the entire book for me, the point I wish American Women would repeat as a mantra while in yoga class, or getting their car washed, or picking out their bananas at the Piggly Wiggly is this: ONE GOOD PIECE IS BETTER THAN A HUNDRED CRAPPY PIECES. Oh, if women only truly understood this.“

But each one was inspired on some level, and that inspiration invariably boiled down to that last bullet point above. One blogger was especially pleased to find that guidance in this book, even though she admits she doesn’t always follow it:

“If you take the money you would spend on a bunch of cheap (not so great looking) clothes, you can spend it on some classic pieces that will make you look so much better. I’m not going to promise that I’ll do that all the time, because I sure do love a deal, but at least I will try to remain more conscious of the fact that you can get a deal and still keep your sense of style. I need to remember that cheap clothes sometimes look cheap and since they won’t last, I’ll have to keep buying the same thing over and over. The same thing that never made me look that great in the first place.“

What about that elusive sense of style? Is it acquired through designer purchases each season? Not at all. As one blogger summarized it, “The Little Black Book is not about buying more stuff. It is not trying to sell you on any one designer or style. It is about fashion freedom and following your instincts.” Another blogger added: “…it doesn’t tell you necessarily what to wear, but how to wear it.”

What about those instincts? Have they been completely sublimated by spit-up, or do we simply need to trust ourselves? “Every now and then we all run across a piece of clothing or a pair of shoes that are amazing. You know the piece. People are always asking you where you got that great skirt/pair of earrings/beaded bag. When you wear it you walk taller and straighter, your hips sway a bit and you feel amazing.” The idea is to compile a wardrobe filled with items that make you feel that way - “find the truly remarkable pieces in your wardrobe and pitch everything else.” Having style doesn’t mean conforming to trends, but “style is about being who you are and being an individual…[it] isn’t just for rich, skinny people. If you have confidence, you will look good in anything…”

What questions were left unanswered? One blogger wanted to trade in some of the illustrations for “some actual photos to help illustrate their ideas and suggestions better. The drawings that they do have are great but not very practical.” But another blogger insisted that “the book should be coffee table sized to showcase Ruben Toledo’s illustrations. I would frame some of the pages of the book, and was disappointed that such a larger than life artist was encased in a smaller than satisfactory wrapping.”

But the inspiration felt by the bloggers was undeniable. One mother, who admits that she is “tired of looking worn down and just plain old,” confessed: “It inspired me to clean out fifty three pounds of clothes from my closet. Yes, fifty three…Let me put it this way, in one of my blazer pockets, I found a binky. Keep in mind that my only child to take a binky gave it up at a year - he’s five now.” And another was reassured to know that her love of shoes can work in her favor: “My closet doesn’t have a single pair of Manolo’s or Jimmy Choo’s but it does have lots and lots of other pairs…I do appreciate the sentiment that shoes make the outfit and having LOTS of them is good, very good.”

Finally, of course author Nina Garcia herself was the object of much admiration. From her tales of growing up and traveling the world to her interviews with style magnates like Zac Posen and John Galliano, she knocked our socks off. As one blogger put it: “Only a person who has a stance on toe cleavage could run around interviewing Carolina Herrera and still project such fashion greatness.”

(Two visible cracks only, for those who haven’t yet read the book.)

Check out the rest of the blogger reviews and our final round-up review for more feedback on The Little Black Book of Style!

Wed 9/19 - Chaos Theory, Views From the Pants
Thurs 9/20 - Little Bird Reviews
Fri 9/21 - Mom to the Screaming Masses, Surrender Dorothy
Mon 9/24 - Quarter Rest, Three Kid Circus
Tues 9/25 - The Silent I Speaks
Wed 9/26 - Karianna, Mama Drama Stephanie
Thurs 9/27 - PunditMom
Fri 9/28 - Midwestern Mommy, Musings and Misadventures
Mon 10/1 - Her Bad Mother, Temporarily Me
Tues 10/2 - Round-Up Review on PBN