Since reading this entry by Susie of Style Bubble (& this one by Tricia of Bits & Bobbins) back in March, I’ve been after The Cheap Date Guide to Style. It has in fact been in the Amazon shopping basket since April, but I got it finally earlier this week.

Much to my enjoyment, it is a book which seems to think along the same lines as I do - that style is as unique to a person as their fingerprints… or at least that’s the way it should be.

I think Susie boils it down to a T :

After I read through the whole thing in about an hour, I concluded that for me, the book would be better named ‘Style Affirmation.’

Indeed, rather than being a “this is style and if you want to be stylish, you must follow”, it’s more of a “style is whatever you want it to be” type of book. Written by Bay Garnett & Kira Jolliffe who ran the former Cheap Date Magazine (which, by the sound of it, I think I would have loved when it was running) it has a somewhat “thrift is good” / “style is yours to invent” vibe about it.

Stylishness is elusive, yet everyone is innately stylish. It boils down to confidence about your appearance … style - to state the bleedin’ obvious - is in you. It is not something you can buy.

It may not be a “guide” (good thing in my opinion, I dislike “guides” because I think style is not something you can instruct), but it does give some handy tips such as having a stock basics & classics within your wardrobe.

The book is an excellent read for those who feel they need to be re-inspired by the concept of style. It’s all about having fun with clothes, portraying who you want the world to see and ultimately developing your own unique look - something which in the present climate of “fast fashion” seems to be diminishing.

I think this is a book I could have done with when I was going through my “no inspiration” stage a couple of months ago. It has in fact made me clear out my wardrobe and make the decision to boycott the high street in favour of secondhand items. I was in fact leaning toward doing this anyway, but after reading the book and the discovery of Cheapskate Chic blog & her charity shop finds, I seemed to stumble upon that choice.

In my eyes, reminding me that I do love clothes makes this book an excellent “guide” indeed.