What Shall I Wear? Hardcover – November 21, 2012

While some of the advice is quite old-fashioned, the message is timeless. Fashion is not a trend and is more than just an outfit or ensemble, it is timeless and endures when it is right for you. Claire discusses finding your own style and that building your wardrobe with timeless pieces is critical to be fashionable from year to year. I think it is a wonderful read for those interested in fashion, fashion design, or American fashion designers.

I am very pleased with the book, it is as described, and was packed extremely well with great attention to protecting the book during transport. The author's ideas are timeless; they include fashion sense, fashion fun, as well as sage guidance tips for dressing your children/teens, delivered in a no nonsense and friendly manner. Highly recommend the seller and the book! "What Shall I Wear? The What, Where, When and How Much of Fashion" by Claire McCardell, published 1956

I heard about this book from Tim Gunn, whom I simply adore. The author, fashion designer Claire Mc Cardell, changed American fashion in her time (1905-1958). She made women’s dresses more comfortable, practical, while maintaining style and elegance. Her dresses had pockets, which few dresses at the time had. Sad to say, dresses with pockets still seem to be a rarity. She also popularized the use of ballet flats.Some of the advice in the book is obviously dated, things like dressing to please your husband, but me, being traditional and all, have no problem with that. This book is like stepping back in time and the illustrations in this book are just lovely.Two of my favorite quotes:“Never too much, never too little, never undue exaggeration, never downright carelessness. Ask yourself first of all: ‘Have I done my best to keep myself trim, without the danger of starvation diets, overexercise? Am I weight-conscious? Do I ever walk?’ Now if there are certain serious disproportions after you have done your part, you will obviously need the support of firmer underthings. But this does not mean punishing, rigid, unrelenting foundations.”“Don’t drive your husband and your friends crazy by talking about your diet all the time.”

I bought this book for my daughter who has a vintage clothing store. She uses it as a reference. Of course I had to go through it before I gave it to her. I was blown away by the beautiful pictures and the gorgeous styles. My daughter called me a couple days ago to say she found several items by Clair McCardell at an estate sale. She was thrilled that she was able to recognize them and verify what they were. She was also happy that the other buyers didn't. She was able to make a nice purchase to add to her inventory. She is thinking about starting her own collection of this designer's work. A beautiful, useful book.

Not the only book, of course, but I was 14 when this was published. It spoke to me and the "me" I wanted to become. Since then I've read it repeatedly to see how I'm doing. I've also photocopied it as gifts to friends for years. How nice that this book is finally republished. History has proven Claire McCardell was a fashion pioneer whose styles are both timeless and fresh. Her "fashion philosophy" was based on the belief that your life style and personal style should influence your wardrobe-- lessons still worth learning and remembering. Yes, you will need to disregard bits of advice about wearing gloves, etc., but the rest is spot-on and fun to read. It's a ***** recommendation both if you love fashion and are looking for great personal advice.

I found this book not interesting or inspiring or offering that much while I appreciate very much the brilliance of Claire McCardell. I would not recommend this book - it does not offer much insight into her as a person or about style, back then or now.

I enjoyed this for what it was. Very light reading equivalent to your standard magazine, though conversational and reflective of it's time. The illustrations are pretty cute!

Claire McCardell was an original! Her designs still look modern today, and women want to wear them. The few remaining copies of the original book have gotten too expensive for most of us. this has all her insights plus her little "McCardells", the figures she doodled to illustrate her ideas.Years ago I tried to copy a borrowed "What Shall I Wear?" by hand. I didn't get far and have been waiting until now to fulfill my need for one!

I had hoped this book would have more contemporary relevance than it does. The illustrations are delightful and the descriptions of items in Claire McCardell's own wardrobe are mouthwatering but it is aimed at the relatively wealthy American woman of the 1950s, not Everywoman of the 21st century.There are useful nuggets of information embedded in the text but you have to search hard to find them. I found Genevieve Antoine-Dariaux's 'A Guide To Elegance' of more practical use.But maybe I'm missing the point. Perhaps I should just enjoy the evocation of a particular period in fashion.

Wonderfully period but also contains some good advice that still holds.

An excellent book to give a glimpse into the past and see that most is relevant now. Great fun. Would recommend.

Tb