Some Like It Haute

By Julie K.L. Dam

Book Overview

A style and shoes-obsessed American girl with all the right press passes spends Fashion Week in Paris in a funny, charming tale reminiscent of Confessions of a Shopaholic.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446533408
• ISBN13: 9780446533409
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

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However, if you know the dates of Fashion Week better than your families' birthdays, this book is for you. Francophiles and Fashionettes alike will enjoy this deep into the behind-the-scenes look at fashion magazine reporting. The descriptions of Paris are fun and the clothes, well, the clothes are as delicious as finding a Helmut Lang jacket for 75% off at the Barneys Warehouse Sale. "War and Peace" it ain't. But a tasty little fiction "amuse bouche?" Absolutely.

Brigid Jones meets Nancy Drew

LOVED IT!!! This novel was a fantastic escape from the day to day rat race and pre-beach-weather dreary April showers. Imagining myself as Alex playing dress up at Chanel, shoe shopping, dining at outdoor cafes, and fighting Parisians for taxis literally took me away like a Calgon bubble bath. Not only was the story a suspenseful page turner, the references to the 80s, both music and hair, were precious. Most of all, I laughed out loud at the clever comments the author makes throughout the novel: highlighting the anxiety that a 30-something who went to high school in the 80s (in Dallas, no less!) would experience today "committing to bangs" or "declaring orange the new black". This book simultaneously embraces and satirizes the modern woman's "no brainer" of sacrificing comfort for fashion. As a reader, I cheered Alex on as she donned the "rubber dress" and stilettos, only to get busted "adjusting" while waiting for the elevator. I'd be first in line to see this as a movie, and I can't wait to read the sequel. Reader beware: I admit I succumbed to the seductive salespeople at Saks after reading this book. (I also picked up a copy of the book for my sister)

Fun Escape from Reality!!

It was a little early for "beach reads" when this book was originally released, but it should fit right in this summer. It's fun, light reading with characters who are mostly likable and a story that goes over the top just a little. Clearly not for the "fashion-illiterate", so if you don't know the difference between Chanel & Prada, or don't know who Michael Kors or Marc Jacobs are, you'll probably find this a little boring. But if you're a "fashionista" & enjoy a fashion-related "guilty pleasure" every now & then, this book is definitely for you!! Frequent name-drops of some of today's top designers & trendy celebrities can be found on nearly every page, which adds some fun (There's even a tongue in cheek reference to the "Hilton" sisters as our main character attends the same party as the "Sheraton Sisters"!). Designers from Prada to Chanel to YSL to Stella McCartney and so, so many more make such frequent appearances that it's almost like the designers & their clothes, shoes, handbags & accessories are supporting characters in the story! Definitely written with fashion-lovers in mind (what else would you expect from an editor from People mag?!) (WARNING! Do not attempt to read this book anywhere near the mall or while you have access to you computer & credit card!! Shopping is not recommended within 60 minutes of reading this book!!!) If you need a break from deep, moving, emotional stories with characters you become emotionally invested in & attached to, you might want to give this one a try. It won't take you anytime to get through it & shouldn't give you much pause for thought!! It's a very light, fluffy, fun read that doesn't take much thought at all. Your only emotional involvement in the characters might be envy, as one might only dream of having a closet or clothing allowance like Alex's!!! The last third of the book is definitely over the top with a pretty imaginative story that's just a little unbelievable - but if you can look past that and read it just for fun, you should find it entertaining. I appreciate the effort that Julie Dam made to write a story that's an escape from the "real world" of today. For just a little while each day, I was happy to put aside the trials & tribulatons that is my real life & enjoyed spending time with Alex & her friends in the City of Paris and the crazy, unrealistic world of fashion. Everyone needs a break and needs to have a little fun now & then - SOME LIKE IT HAUTE, if anything, will put a smile on your face, cause you to roll you eyes once or twice, and forget about being a grown up for just a little while!!! Isn't that what reading's all about after all?? Taking time out of each day just to relax & escape for a little while. This book definitely did that for me!! I look forward to what else this author brings us & whether or not she's able to sustain the level, or whether she takes dive along the lines of Plum Sykes & Lauren Weisberger, who de

Wonderful escape from reality

Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (3/06) "Some Like It Haute" gives the reader an inside look into the fashion world, albeit a much more humorous look than one would expect. Through the guidance of Alex Simmons, we are treated to the most important week of the year: Fashion Week in Paris. Alex is supposed to be there covering the shows for her job as a style writer, but instead, she manages to be publicly humiliated at the very first show she attends. She retreats to her hotel room in shame, only to venture back out again when someone else makes a bigger fool of themselves than she did. Once she is no longer the leading story, the world is safe again. However, Alex quickly decides to blow off her assignment, get involved with the man whose public gaffe got her out of the news, and solve a little mystery in her free time (the rare time that she is not out shopping). Through Alex's eyes, we see how obsessed the world is with fashion, and how obsessed the fashion world is with itself. Every move she makes is preceded by an evaluation of what effect her clothing will have on the situation. She is fashion-obsessed, yet smart and witty. Alex's interest in solving the mystery of a missing designer is mainly in the reward of his magnificent creations, with an exclusive story to be a secondary bonus. The characters are parodies of real people. They are over the top, haughty, self-involved, and superficial. In a word, they are fun! The situations these characters get themselves into are so crazy and unrealistic, it is hard not to question their sanity at times. In "Some Like it Haute," Ms. Dam has given the reader a real vacation. It is a light read, yet written in a way that you can't put it down because you want to know what the characters are going to get themselves into next. From the first page to the last, it is engrossing, and a wonderful escape from reality.

A Fabulous Read

Each of the other reviews give good descriptions of this book, but I just had to say that from start to finish, I could not put this book down. Dam knows how to write a page turner. From the moment we learn of the missing Manolos to meeting her high school French teacher in a shoe store in Paris to stumbling into a model at a fashion show, Alex's life is never dull. This was all within a few hours... just imagine this girl during fashion week. There's a missing-in-action designer, a hot potential love interest, and then Mom shows up. This book is perfect for the fashionista in all of us! The book led me to www.somelikeithaute.com which is a great way to catch up with Alex!