That's What Fashion Is: Lessons and Stories from My Nonstop, Mostly Glamorous Life in Style

by Joe Zee, Alyssa Giacobbe

Joe Zee, the Editor in Chief of Yahoo Style, former creative director of ELLE magazine, and lifestylist on the new syndicated daytime talk show FAB Life , takes readers behind the scenes of the crazy and wonderful world of fashion in That's What Fashion Is , packed with never-before-seen color photographs from Joe's personal collection. From his early years styling shoots for Vanity Fair 's "Hollywood" issue with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz to his role playing himself on MTV's reality show The City to making celebrities look fabulous in the pages of ELLE and reporting live from the red carpet, Joe lets readers in on how the fashion industry really works, from the fashion disasters to the blockbuster successes. How do you shoot an entire magazine spread in Paris in 24 hours? What's a fashion stylist to do when he receives a panicked call from a dress-less Cameron Diaz on Oscar day? Can Joe pull together outfits from Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, and Calvin Klein for a Gwyneth Paltrow spread in 24 hours? And how do they make celebrities like Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Lopez look so great in magazines? These first-person stories are combined with accessible and practical tips for women everywhere, including what to wear on your first day of work, how to take a great selfie, and how to look amazing at any age. More than just a fashion biography, this ultimate fashion insider lets readers - for the first time - in on tales, tricks, and tips previously known only to the fashion elite in this funny and frank book.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

JOE ZEE is the Editor in Chief of Yahoo Style, co-host of the new ABC lifestyle talk show "The FAB Life", and the designer of Styled by Joe Zee for QVC. Previously, he was the Creative Director of ELLE, where he wrote a monthly column. Zee has worked with celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Johnny Depp.

Reviews

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Joe Zee is a very interesting person with a great work ethic and sense of adventure, but when it comes to writing, he's no Tim Gunn. Which makes sense, given that Gunn is an educator, and Zee is an editor, but I found very little that was truly interesting or insightful about Zee's life and work.

His early years as a Chinese-Canadian are interesting, sure, but that's not why anyone would read this book. I'm not sure what this book really is supposed to be and it doesn't feel like Zee really does either. Sometimes it's career advice. Sometimes it's fashion advice. Sometimes it's fashion career advice. Sometimes it's shameless name-dropping. It gets old after awhile.

This might be a good book for someone who is only familiar with Zee from his television appearances, but anyone who knows anything much more about fashion will find this book pretty lacking in substance if not in style.

(I received an Advance Readers' Copy as part of the Goodreads program.)

[Zivile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to an audiobook, once again, about a person's life that I've never heard of. But it turns out Joe is a big guy in fashion industry (behind the curtains, most of the time).
What is the most fascinating is how he evolved: he was a nerdy Chinese immigrant kid from Toronto but really really wanted to become a part of New York's fashion world. And he made it. Through all the hardship and almost-self-starvation, he managed to achieve so much.
He's quite inspiring and in the same time sheds some light on the fashion industry if we think you want to be there just to become rich (oh no!).
Also I loved that Joe himself read his memoir. I think I will stop reading memoirs - I will listen to them (if possible).

[Terri Durling · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the easiest book to read for a couple of reasons; the size of the book made it awkward and heavy; the photos and descriptions under the photos were impossibly small so very difficult to look at and read. A book of contrasts as too big on the one hand and too small on the other! In any case, I gave it a good go but found it all over the place much like the author himself, Joe Zee, who has changed his employer fairly often. It's a characteristic of the fashion world and modern day employment and joe admits it himself that he is a " slasher", the modern day word for people who no longer commit to one job but, to many roles/jobs - hence, they have multiple slashes on their resume. I hoped to learn something new and, I did learn Joe was Canadian, but couldn't wait to get out and make it big in the fashion world. And that he did. Although a procrastinator he thrives in an atmosphere of pressure and deadlines that would have most people in constant turmoil.

[Edy Gies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I throughly appreciated Joe’s insight into the fashion world. He wrote with lighthearted humility but also a confident exuberance that drew me in and kept me reading. While there was much I disagreed with him on his information was helpful and provided a stylist’s perspective on the world of fashion.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe Zee is a writer, stylist, fashion expert and so much more. This is the story of how he has made a name for himself in the competitive world of fashion. It includes interesting stories of his successes and a couple of less than successful moments. Filled with helpful advice, many photos and recognizable names this book is easily accessible even to those less familiar with fashion.

I confess I was not familiar with Zee beforehand, and I certainly don't consider myself a hard-core follower of fashion or Hollywood so lots of the names he mentioned were unfamiliar to me. However, I think for anyone who wants a career in fashion this book has lots of helpful thoughts. Actually, it has good advice for anyone starting up in any career. He seems like a very dedicated man who is passionate about his work.

My favorite part of the book were the pages of tips on everything from how to clean out the closet to the best places to eat in LA. I wish there were as many pictures of clothes as there are of Zee, but since this is his biography I think his fans will be pleased.

If you are looking for a book about the ethical issues surrounding fashion, this isn't that kind of book. If you are looking for what is in style this season, trends change too quickly so buy a magazine. If you are a fan of Joe Zee, designers, models, stars, and the world of high fashion, then this will be a fun book for you.

I received this book free as a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through a First Reads giveaway.
Joe Zee seems like a cool guy. He appears to have an unpretentious attitude towards fashion and some cool ideas. But his book really didn't break any new ground. Basically he tells us that fashion is hard work, the hours are unending and you have to think on your toes. Plus, the high amount of name dtopping bugged too. But I have read far worse.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Besides the fashion insider fun, Joe gives real life career tips. Take the crummy jobs. Don't expect to be in the big meetings when you're an intern. Fun read!

[Aja · Rating 4 out of 5]

An essential anyone who's every wondered what the fashion business looks like from the inside.

[Jeannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's Joe Zee, well-known stylist telling stories and dropping names! It's fun. The only reason I didn't rate it higher is that I wanted more stylist advice.