The Cool Factor: A Guide to Achieving Effortless Style, with Secrets from the Women Who Have It

This book was fun from beginning to end! Loved the chapters; loved the pictures. The book is not about buying more but about how your wardrobe can work for you and understanding that an item of clothing can work in a myriad ways for different women. Such fun! Andrea Linnet used women she knew - young, middle aged and older - had them bring their own wardrobes to a photo shoot, and created this lovely book. The chapter on denim was great fun! Also, she has a unique perspective on "the basics." Not telling you to have a "white shirt" but the kind of shirt that has "these" details because of "these" reasons. She explains why a basic is a basic. A great read and re-read. Wish she would come out with The Cool Factor Part II. I'd be waiting in line.

I liked this book, but the women pictured in it were so skinny. This is not the book for women of a certain age who have a thick midriff. Plus denim is nice and leather is nice, but let's keep it in it's place!! It seemed to dominate the whole book. And I think if I wrote a book on being cool, I would not put myself in it as this author did.That being said, it was still a fun book with lots of good tips. Not quite as good as some other of her books, but I enjoyed it.

Pros: helpful photos and interviews with women of various aesthetics, well organized content, easy to read and comprehend, concrete examples of common advice like layering, mixing high low or feminine tough, friendly, accessible, and helpful toneCons: many of the same ideas found elsewhere, some of the layering suggestions are flat out ludicrous - An outfit with a t-shirt, denim shirt, vest, and denim jacket, and a belted blazer or three ways to wear a floor length silk dress to the office come to mind.Bottom line: If you are new to the how to dress genre and are over 30, this book is a good starting point. Several books on elegant dressing and French chic are equally useful. For more concrete details on creating your personal style, color theory, working with your shape, and finding high quality clothing, I highly recommend watching YouTube channels like Erin Busbee, Marianne LeCour, Audrey Coyne, or Justine Conte.

I love fashion, but I've always struggled to wear clothes in a way that "felt like me" yet also felt chic. This is the first fashion book I've read that truly resonated. It's about *real* style --- authentic, effortless, personalized style. That's exactly what I've been trying (and failing) to get at all these years! The standard fashion books and their recommendations never felt right. The book is full of a wide variety of inspirations and styles, so you can (and should) pick and choose what makes your heart sing. Some examples are more polished and classic, others more edgy. All are shown on real women. What is so amazing is you're getting the behind-the-scenes insights from these masters of style -- inspiring not only for their style, but for the businesses they have built.If you love juxtaposition and masculine-meets-feminine, you'll love this book. I just got mine today and can't wait to dig in further -- it's fun to flip through, but it's also deep. I can't wait because I think this is going to help me transform my style and finally develop a look that feels authentically me.

While the content itself - what I am able to read anyways - is good, the digital format does not work. You pay 9 bucks for for instance a photo with text boxes teasing you with their illegible content. There is writing there, but good luck trying to read it. Which is a shame because I love effortless. This book is not an effortless read, and I suggest you google Emmanuelle Alt's street style and skip this one.

I got this book after seeing it in a friend's bookshelf. It's the only book I've seen that both shows a wide variety of real women and how they dress AND gives fashion tips for how someone like myself dresses. I primarily work from home, so my uniform is a lot of button down shirts and denim and more denim with boots. And I'm so happy to find other women dress like that too and that there's finally a book out there for us.Plus it was really enjoyable to see the different women in the book and how they each create their own individual styles, sometimes even with the same clothing item. The photographs are beautiful and yes, these are the type of women that I'd see on the street and admire their style. So it's really nice to have a book that reflects that.

I love this book! What a fantastic fashion/style reference full of helpful tips, timeless advice, and great photos. A real treat!

Gostei das dicas sobre o que observar numa roupa para considerá-la uma boa compra. Achei as modelos um tanto inovadoras, mas foi bom ver que há vários jeitos de ser chique! Ainda estou começando a aprender. Senti que faltaram referências para ambientes mais formais e ocasiões festivas.

When you've read all the 'this is what French women wear', 'this is what's classic' etc etc books, this absolute gem is a constant inspiration for evolving your own style. It's unique in style books in my experience, and always inspires me - when I'm pondering what to wear, or need a bit of a shake up in the wardrobe, this book inspires me every time.Not for 'followers' or those who need to be told what 'the rules' are.But it will help you always look your own best self, and it does give excellent advice on some 'classics'....PS And compliments you get! It's amazing!!

This is a good fashion guide that's full of style inspiration. I like that it features women with a variety of styles, ages, backgrounds. It makes it more interesting in my opinion. I particularly enjoyed the "anatomy of the perfect" sections which focus on the key attributes to look for in basic pieces such as jeans, t-shirt, biker jacket...

really helpful, lighthearted yet totally workable. Definitely recommend!