Adena Halpern has used clothes to conform, to seduce, to console, to show off, and to hide. Whether she's recalling the agony of wearing the "wrong" sneakers to school in the seventh grade or confessing a sweet spot for men who wear suits, Adena lays bare her heart and her wardrobe, with memories tied not only to what she wore, but what everyone else was wearing, too. This is a story about growing up and finding out that clothes can make the woman, but only if she really knows herself.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was a light, easy read - I finished it in about a day and a half, and I'm not usually a quick reader. Adena is very relatable, even if you're not the type of person who goes out and buys a new outfit for every occassion. This book made me laugh and cry, made me want to hug the author and also made me want to shake some sense into her at times. She does reference designers, department stores, and styles of clothing a lot, so if you're not very familiar with those things, some of it might be lost on you, but it's still a really good read.

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In this book Adena Halpern shares with us some of the most memorable events of her life with her mother, her family, her friends, her ex boyfriends, and her work "one outfit at a time." Unlike Adena, I just can't relate my life to fashion, but I sure can relate to the humiliation she endured when she had to wear the "wrong" shoes to school due to her flat feet and when her Dolphin shorts split during gym class, hilarious. I enjoyed this book even though clothing doesn't rule my life, quite charming!

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I thought this might be just another fun-read chick lit book, but I was pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about Adena Halpern's life told via her perspective on her wardrobe. My daughter is about 8 years younger than Halpern and I could relate to many of the episodes and also the clothes (we lived in Indiana, so it probably took about 8 years for the fashions to get from Philly to IN!). The self-realizations at the end of the book were a good sum of the episodes that brought her to that point.

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At first this book started out as a kind of "walk down memory lane" at all the crazy clothing fads I had gone through and forgotten about, many laughs through those! But after chapter 2 or 3 I was starting to become concerned that the book was never going to actually have a storyline. But I made myself continue. And I am really glad that I did. About a third of the way through the book the story really picked up, hooked me and I finished the book the same night. Very entertaining, lost count how many times I giggled or laughed out loud. For any girl that grew up through the 80's and 90's you will completely relate to many of the things in this book. And for all of us who have been single in their 20's or 30's there is a million more things to relate to there too.

I would definitely read more of this author's books. Light, entertaining, and she made you feel like you really knew her by the end of the story. Loved it.

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I never like memoirs but this one held my interest.

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