Book Review: Always Pack a Party Dress

Hi everyone!

I have another book review for you today and it's about the book Always Pack a Party Dress, and other lessons learned from a (half) life in fashion by Amanda Brooks. No I'm not related to her, but after reading this book I wish I was! I had never really heard of Amanda Brooks before but turns out she has had a variety of different jobs in the industry. She was Patrick Demarchelier's assistant in the beginning, then worked at an art gallery, then creative director for Tuleh and most recently worked the big ticket job of Fashion Director at Barneys.

I really enjoyed reading this book as it took me through Amanda's life and how she ended up where she is today. As she went through her many jobs in life, it was nice to read that not everything was peachy keen and she knew when she loved a job and when she didn't. I am at a point right now in life that I have no clue what I'd like to do when I graduate from school next year and it was settling to know that Amanda went through the same notions and still ended up having a great career in the end. When it came to the part of the book where she self admittedly "lost herself" while being away for Fashion Month, it was a real eye opener to see how hard people in the industry work and it's definitely not all glitz and glam. There is no doubt after reading this book that Amanda seems to have worked extremely hard on any job she's ever had and deserves every bit of praise she's gotten. I also love how she has admitted to going through multiple different styles throughout her life and has never had a true defined style, which I can definitely relate to.

My favourite part of the book would have to be the section on the years she attended the Met ball, and dissecting her outfits. She was not afraid to write down that she hated some of them and didn't have a good time certain years. I think it's important to know that even "fashion" people can feel unfashionable at times!

I absolutely recommend reading this book, whether or not you've heard of Amanda. She seems very down to earth and has a great writing style that kept me reading!