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An Innocent Fashion
“Writing in a fervently literary style that flirts openly with the traditions of Salinger, Plath, and Fitzgerald, Hernández is a diamond-sharp satirist and a bracingly fresh chronicler of the heartbreak of trying to grow up. Honest and absurd, funny and tragic, wild and lovely, this novel describes modern coming-of-age with poetic precision.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred)
The literary love-child of The Devil Wears Prada and The Bell Jar, this singular debut novel is the story of Ethan, a wide-eyed new Ivy League grad, who discovers that his dream of “making it” at leading New York City fashion magazine Régine may well be his undoing.
When Ethan St. James graduates from Yale, he can’t wait to realize his dream of becoming a fashion editor at Régine. Born Elián San Jamar, he knew from childhood that he was destined for a “more beautiful” life than the one his working-class parents share in Texas—a life inspired by Régine’s pages. A full ride to the Ivy League provided the awakening he yearned for, but reality hits hard when he arrives at Régine and is relegated to the lowest rung of the ladder.
Mordantly funny and emotionally ruthless, An Innocent Fashion is about a quintessential millennial—naïve, idealistic, struggling with his identity and sexuality—trying to survive in an industry, and a city, notorious for attracting new graduates only to chew them up and spit them out. Oscillating between melodrama and whip-smart sarcasm, pretentiousness and heartbreaking vulnerability, increasingly disillusioned with Régine and his two best friends from Yale, both scions of WASP privilege, Ethan begins to unravel.
As the narratives of his conflicted childhood, cloistered collegiate experience, and existential crisis braid together, this deeply moving coming-of-age novel for the 21st century spirals towards a devastating truth: You can follow your dreams, but sometimes dreams are just not enough.
— Kirkus Reviews (starred)
The literary love-child of The Devil Wears Prada and The Bell Jar, this singular debut novel is the story of Ethan, a wide-eyed new Ivy League grad, who discovers that his dream of “making it” at leading New York City fashion magazine Régine may well be his undoing.
When Ethan St. James graduates from Yale, he can’t wait to realize his dream of becoming a fashion editor at Régine. Born Elián San Jamar, he knew from childhood that he was destined for a “more beautiful” life than the one his working-class parents share in Texas—a life inspired by Régine’s pages. A full ride to the Ivy League provided the awakening he yearned for, but reality hits hard when he arrives at Régine and is relegated to the lowest rung of the ladder.
Mordantly funny and emotionally ruthless, An Innocent Fashion is about a quintessential millennial—naïve, idealistic, struggling with his identity and sexuality—trying to survive in an industry, and a city, notorious for attracting new graduates only to chew them up and spit them out. Oscillating between melodrama and whip-smart sarcasm, pretentiousness and heartbreaking vulnerability, increasingly disillusioned with Régine and his two best friends from Yale, both scions of WASP privilege, Ethan begins to unravel.
As the narratives of his conflicted childhood, cloistered collegiate experience, and existential crisis braid together, this deeply moving coming-of-age novel for the 21st century spirals towards a devastating truth: You can follow your dreams, but sometimes dreams are just not enough.
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2016
27 people are currently reading
1492 people want to read
About the author
R.J. Hernández
1 book28 followersR.J. Hernández is a Cuban-American writer and fashion stylist in NYC. He graduated from Yale University in 2011 and began work as an intern at Vogue, where he adopted the pseudonym Seymour Glass. While a fashion assistant at Elle and W, he wrote his first novel, AN INNOCENT FASHION, forthcoming from HarperCollins in July 2016.
Pre-order your copy of AN INNOCENT FASHION at any of the retailers below:
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Read his latest piece in The Paris Review:
http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/20...
Pre-order your copy of AN INNOCENT FASHION at any of the retailers below:
Amazon: http://bit.ly/1X3z52x
Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/4uAyXL
Books-a-Million: goo.gl/G6XbH4
iBooks: https://goo.gl/fPXXV0
Indiebound: goo.gl/bfnmVT
HarperCollins.com: goo.gl/7c0jjm
Read his latest piece in The Paris Review:
http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/20...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
August 2, 2016
"I always tell myself, for every thing I loved which I have given up in life, there was something that I gained...Sometimes I know that it's a lie, but—it's what I tell myself. And this is what you must tell yourself too...Tell yourself every day. Otherwise, one day you'll turn, and you won't recognize your dream, or yourself."
Growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, Elián San Jamar knew he was destined for a life of greatness, far beyond his dull, working-class upbringing. He dreams of a life of beauty, class, and culture, which puts him at odds with his father, who has traditional ideas of what constitutes a masculine ideal. Yet he is unbowed, poring over fashion magazines and waiting for the moment his life will change. And no magazine signifies the realization of his dreams like Régine, the leading New York fashion tome.
Under the guidance of a tough high school teacher, Elián is able to get a full scholarship to Yale, and leave Texas behind. At Yale he reinvents himself as Ethan St. James, an impeccably dressed student who seems ready-made for the high-class life he has dreamed of. He befriends Madeline, a wealthy young woman with ambitions to shake up the political world, and Dorian, the beautiful son of a famous fashion model, who show him the finer things in life that he has missed all of these years.
After graduation, Ethan achieves his dream—an internship at Régine. He knows it will be the first step toward becoming the magazine's fashion editor, and he looks forward to spending his days surrounded by beautiful fashions and gorgeous models. But all too quickly Ethan sees that the dream isn't all it's cracked up to be, as he is treated with barely veiled contempt by some of his coworkers despite his hard work, despite his desire to succeed in the industry. Then he realizes that just wanting something isn't enough, just working hard doesn't always get you what you want. And that is where Ethan starts to unravel, when he realizes that life and success in this dog-eat-dog world isn't about what you know, it's about who you know.
An Innocent Fashion is part social commentary, part psychological study of what it's like to pursue your dreams unceasingly, and what it's like when you realize your dreams aren't what you thought they'd be. There are elements of The Devil Wears Prada but it's not as satirical, and there are familiar elements of fish-out-of-water stories, when the poor young man finds himself in the midst of the world of privilege and excess.
I enjoyed this book but felt it wasn't sure what it wanted to be. I enjoyed the story of Ethan's childhood and how his dreams of being a part of the world of Régine sustained him. His work at the magazine was entertaining at first, and some of the lessons he learned were profound, but his poor treatment at the hands of coworkers grew repetitive after a while. And while I enjoyed his complicated relationship with Madeline and Dorian, I just didn't understand what message the book was ultimately trying to send, especially with the ending.
This is R.J. Hernández's first novel, and he definitely has storytelling ability and a talent for social commentary. Ethan was a complicated and interesting character (although a not altogether sympathetic one), and his journey made for a compelling read.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
Growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, Elián San Jamar knew he was destined for a life of greatness, far beyond his dull, working-class upbringing. He dreams of a life of beauty, class, and culture, which puts him at odds with his father, who has traditional ideas of what constitutes a masculine ideal. Yet he is unbowed, poring over fashion magazines and waiting for the moment his life will change. And no magazine signifies the realization of his dreams like Régine, the leading New York fashion tome.
Under the guidance of a tough high school teacher, Elián is able to get a full scholarship to Yale, and leave Texas behind. At Yale he reinvents himself as Ethan St. James, an impeccably dressed student who seems ready-made for the high-class life he has dreamed of. He befriends Madeline, a wealthy young woman with ambitions to shake up the political world, and Dorian, the beautiful son of a famous fashion model, who show him the finer things in life that he has missed all of these years.
After graduation, Ethan achieves his dream—an internship at Régine. He knows it will be the first step toward becoming the magazine's fashion editor, and he looks forward to spending his days surrounded by beautiful fashions and gorgeous models. But all too quickly Ethan sees that the dream isn't all it's cracked up to be, as he is treated with barely veiled contempt by some of his coworkers despite his hard work, despite his desire to succeed in the industry. Then he realizes that just wanting something isn't enough, just working hard doesn't always get you what you want. And that is where Ethan starts to unravel, when he realizes that life and success in this dog-eat-dog world isn't about what you know, it's about who you know.
An Innocent Fashion is part social commentary, part psychological study of what it's like to pursue your dreams unceasingly, and what it's like when you realize your dreams aren't what you thought they'd be. There are elements of The Devil Wears Prada but it's not as satirical, and there are familiar elements of fish-out-of-water stories, when the poor young man finds himself in the midst of the world of privilege and excess.
I enjoyed this book but felt it wasn't sure what it wanted to be. I enjoyed the story of Ethan's childhood and how his dreams of being a part of the world of Régine sustained him. His work at the magazine was entertaining at first, and some of the lessons he learned were profound, but his poor treatment at the hands of coworkers grew repetitive after a while. And while I enjoyed his complicated relationship with Madeline and Dorian, I just didn't understand what message the book was ultimately trying to send, especially with the ending.
This is R.J. Hernández's first novel, and he definitely has storytelling ability and a talent for social commentary. Ethan was a complicated and interesting character (although a not altogether sympathetic one), and his journey made for a compelling read.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
July 21, 2016
Considering the success of The Devil Wears Prada, I’m surprised this book isn’t getting more hype. The basic setup is the same (outsider at a fashion magazine) but aside from that, the two couldn’t be more different. The writing is a hundred times better. The comparisons to Fitzgerald and Plath are apt (luminous imagery abounds, and the author has a way with metaphors).
Gorgeous and definitely worth the read.
Gorgeous and definitely worth the read.
July 6, 2016
Review originally posted at
All Books Considered: 4 STARS
I'm not sure where to begin with this book -- it wasn't anything like I expected but it was juicy in its prose and plot and seriously lovely all the same. I would almost say this is a mash-up of The Devil Wears Prada and The Secret History with a smattering of Less Than Zero and The Bell Jar. Considering that all of these are favorite books of mine, this was such a compelling read for me -- I had no idea what I was in store for when I started this book but I loved it. Unlike those recent books I've read this year about millennials graduating from college and moving to NY that were complete failures, this was the book I've been waiting for! I think the difference was that there wasn't the adolescent obsession with money even though money plays a very big part in this book but there was a focus on more than just money and struggling to make it. It was complex and the relationships in it were very real to me and extremely entangled. I also immediately connected to Ethan -- I loved the narrative of his past told in scenes juxtaposed in the present to give a better sense of understanding of the him as a person but also his circumstances. This was a pretty wild ride -- I particularly loved the ending although I know it won't be for everyone. It was just so perfect for the mood and tone of the book.
An Innocent Fashion came out yesterday on July 5, 2016, you can purchase HERE , and I definitely recommend this one!
I'm not sure where to begin with this book -- it wasn't anything like I expected but it was juicy in its prose and plot and seriously lovely all the same. I would almost say this is a mash-up of The Devil Wears Prada and The Secret History with a smattering of Less Than Zero and The Bell Jar. Considering that all of these are favorite books of mine, this was such a compelling read for me -- I had no idea what I was in store for when I started this book but I loved it. Unlike those recent books I've read this year about millennials graduating from college and moving to NY that were complete failures, this was the book I've been waiting for! I think the difference was that there wasn't the adolescent obsession with money even though money plays a very big part in this book but there was a focus on more than just money and struggling to make it. It was complex and the relationships in it were very real to me and extremely entangled. I also immediately connected to Ethan -- I loved the narrative of his past told in scenes juxtaposed in the present to give a better sense of understanding of the him as a person but also his circumstances. This was a pretty wild ride -- I particularly loved the ending although I know it won't be for everyone. It was just so perfect for the mood and tone of the book.
An Innocent Fashion came out yesterday on July 5, 2016, you can purchase HERE , and I definitely recommend this one!
He ran his fingers lightly through my hair, his touch feeling like a hundred Holy Spirits flowing through me. I looked up from lap and into one of those moments in life marked by utmost clarity. From the depths of Dorian's expansive eyes, I saw the truth flowing: Aside from Madeline, Dorian was the best love I had--the best love I'd ever had, and ever would. A love so perfect, it even looked perfect.
July 14, 2016
An Innocent Fashion is a captivating story that is at the same time very meaningful and thematic. I loved the way Hernandez framed the main character's passion for fashion as a love for creating and appreciating beauty and art, and I enjoyed the way he wove stories from growing up, his time at Yale, and working in fashion together in a way that added meaning and significance to each individual story. Thanks for the great read!
July 16, 2016
What an emotional roller-coaster. An Innocent Fashion really grabs you and doesn’t let go … even something as mundane as a day of drudgery in the fashion office, slogging through designer clothes, becomes an extraordinary trial of ideals vs real-life.
The protagonist Ethan represents the most beautiful and idealistic parts of youth … I alternated between wanting to comfort him and also shake him to his senses. Every time I started to roll my eyes at his naivete (how did he NOT realize working in an office would be soul-sucking?), I was reminded that all adults were once just like him … when you’re that age, the world really DOES seem like this perfect oyster, waiting for you to come in with all your hopes and dreams to take the pearl that’s owed to you.
The author knows how to work a sentence - I don’t know anything about fashion but with everything described in exquisite detail, it wasn’t hard to visualize every dress and shoe and necklace. When Ethan thinks something in life is beautiful, he doesn’t just tell you … he makes you FEEL it. Same when he thinks something is ugly. That’s why it’s so devastating to learn that for him,beauty (and lack of beauty) has enormous, almost moral, consequences. You know from the beginning the world will be too ugly to sustain his passion and idealism, but still you hold out hope till the end.
The protagonist Ethan represents the most beautiful and idealistic parts of youth … I alternated between wanting to comfort him and also shake him to his senses. Every time I started to roll my eyes at his naivete (how did he NOT realize working in an office would be soul-sucking?), I was reminded that all adults were once just like him … when you’re that age, the world really DOES seem like this perfect oyster, waiting for you to come in with all your hopes and dreams to take the pearl that’s owed to you.
The author knows how to work a sentence - I don’t know anything about fashion but with everything described in exquisite detail, it wasn’t hard to visualize every dress and shoe and necklace. When Ethan thinks something in life is beautiful, he doesn’t just tell you … he makes you FEEL it. Same when he thinks something is ugly. That’s why it’s so devastating to learn that for him,beauty (and lack of beauty) has enormous, almost moral, consequences. You know from the beginning the world will be too ugly to sustain his passion and idealism, but still you hold out hope till the end.
March 24, 2016
This book is being billed as "The literary love-child of The Devil Wears Prada and The Bell Jar." The likeness to The Devil Wears Prada is obvious and undeniable, the other book that kept springing to my mind was American Psycho. While the innocent narrator in question, Ethan St. James, is certainly never violent, he also seems to be disconnected from people in a very Patrick Bateman sort of way.
He describes everyone he meets in terms of appearance. He is meticulous about business. He stopped loving the adored family dog (his only childhood companion) once it got old and ugly. He doesn't seem to realize that he wants to be his friends more than he wants to be with them.
That said, I thought the book was engrossing and could not put it down. The narrator is not exactly lovable, but his point of view was distant and alien and fascinating. The author has a gift for description. The depictions of fashion and clothing are absolutely tangible and gorgeously written, and the story perfectly encapsulates a certain era and a certain industry in New York. I thought it was fun and dark all at once.
He describes everyone he meets in terms of appearance. He is meticulous about business. He stopped loving the adored family dog (his only childhood companion) once it got old and ugly. He doesn't seem to realize that he wants to be his friends more than he wants to be with them.
That said, I thought the book was engrossing and could not put it down. The narrator is not exactly lovable, but his point of view was distant and alien and fascinating. The author has a gift for description. The depictions of fashion and clothing are absolutely tangible and gorgeously written, and the story perfectly encapsulates a certain era and a certain industry in New York. I thought it was fun and dark all at once.
July 7, 2016
An incisive take on class, race, sexuality, set against an opulent backdrop.
I’d read rave reviews and was skeptical at first (as one should be when a debut author is compared to Oscar Wilde or F. Scott Fitzgerald). Pleased to say the writing lives up to the reviews – looking forward to more from this author. Great book!
I’d read rave reviews and was skeptical at first (as one should be when a debut author is compared to Oscar Wilde or F. Scott Fitzgerald). Pleased to say the writing lives up to the reviews – looking forward to more from this author. Great book!
July 17, 2016
This was a total cover buy and it's going straight to my favorites. I absolutely adore this book.
July 21, 2016
I won this book over on instagram from the frequently phenomenal harper perennial.
I'm probably not the audience for this book, although I'm not sure who is. Someone with more money to spend on clothes, or more interest in reading fashion magazines. Perhaps someone with a more fluid sexual identity and impossibly beautiful friends and time to waste on unrequited love. Someone cooler than myself, clearly.
This is one of those stories where the author and the main character are suspiciously similar... Hernandez/ the main character (Ethan/Elian) clearly thinks highly of himself and for the life of me I can't figure out why.
The story goes back and forth between the past and present-- the childhood of Ethan and then his time at Yale (when he befriends Dorian and what's-her-face) and his current 'adventures' as an unpaid intern at a top fashion magazine. The scenes at Yale were the worst- boring and peopled with insufferable, vain, shallow, unrelatable characters.
I really don't know who is supposed to like these people- those of privilege will not appreciate the critique and the rest of us will find it trivial and unrelatable. Hernandez/Ethan tries to play the outsider- the 'born from poor parents and made to work for what others have gifted to them' but it doesn't fly. Even if he isn't as privileged, rich and beautiful as his friends he is still in the same room, so his endless bemoaning the fact that he has talent but no beauty falls flat.
The allusions to the Bell Jar are laughable. This book is as shallow as any fashion magazine, but it doesn't seem to understand that. At no point am I given a reason to care about the main character. He's embarrassed of his parents and poor upbringing yet uses that same upbringing as an unspoken reason why he's better than the privilege... all-in-all, no. Don't read it.
I'm probably not the audience for this book, although I'm not sure who is. Someone with more money to spend on clothes, or more interest in reading fashion magazines. Perhaps someone with a more fluid sexual identity and impossibly beautiful friends and time to waste on unrequited love. Someone cooler than myself, clearly.
This is one of those stories where the author and the main character are suspiciously similar... Hernandez/ the main character (Ethan/Elian) clearly thinks highly of himself and for the life of me I can't figure out why.
The story goes back and forth between the past and present-- the childhood of Ethan and then his time at Yale (when he befriends Dorian and what's-her-face) and his current 'adventures' as an unpaid intern at a top fashion magazine. The scenes at Yale were the worst- boring and peopled with insufferable, vain, shallow, unrelatable characters.
I really don't know who is supposed to like these people- those of privilege will not appreciate the critique and the rest of us will find it trivial and unrelatable. Hernandez/Ethan tries to play the outsider- the 'born from poor parents and made to work for what others have gifted to them' but it doesn't fly. Even if he isn't as privileged, rich and beautiful as his friends he is still in the same room, so his endless bemoaning the fact that he has talent but no beauty falls flat.
The allusions to the Bell Jar are laughable. This book is as shallow as any fashion magazine, but it doesn't seem to understand that. At no point am I given a reason to care about the main character. He's embarrassed of his parents and poor upbringing yet uses that same upbringing as an unspoken reason why he's better than the privilege... all-in-all, no. Don't read it.
July 17, 2016
This is one of those books where everything fits just right. In the foreground you have the drama and high stakes of the IvyLeague and high fashion worlds, but in the background you have a whole overlapping web of emotions and complex social issues. The author weaves together race, class, and LGBT issues without sacrificing the reader’s opportunity to indulge in sumptuous environments and colorful characters. A really special book. Five stars.
May 17, 2016
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads contest.
I was unsure of this book when I stated reading it. The characters seemed unlikeable. They slowly grew on me, especially Ethan. I started to really feel for him and by the end of the book, really was sad by how he ended up in the story.
The book really captured the frustration of life, work, and chances. How you can work really hard and have it just get you nowhere. While others do nothing and get ahead. It is not a uplifting book because of this but still is a really good read.
I was unsure of this book when I stated reading it. The characters seemed unlikeable. They slowly grew on me, especially Ethan. I started to really feel for him and by the end of the book, really was sad by how he ended up in the story.
The book really captured the frustration of life, work, and chances. How you can work really hard and have it just get you nowhere. While others do nothing and get ahead. It is not a uplifting book because of this but still is a really good read.
July 17, 2016
“At the magazine people talked about suicide all the time, but usually they were referring to fashion suicide, which was like social suicide but much more serious.”
This line in the opening passage got me hooked. The speaker’s voice is both dark and funny throughout — a beautiful balancing act, as Ethan himself might put it.
This line in the opening passage got me hooked. The speaker’s voice is both dark and funny throughout — a beautiful balancing act, as Ethan himself might put it.
July 17, 2016
I read about this book/author on Vanity Fair YESTERDAY and read it in ONE day. IT IS SO GOOD FOR SO MANY REASONS.
First of all—the language. It’s not a “hard” book to read but it is so gorgeously written. You can tell the author loves visual art just like his main character because it’s all just sentence after sentence of beautiful imagery—even the “ugly” things are beautiful to read about. It’s like listening to music.
Second—you get ALL the feels. I related to Ethan so much, especially dreaming of this perfect life and being disappointed. The author weaves the magazine scenes with flashbacks from Ethan’s past (especially Yale) so you really get to know him, and by the end of the book, every little thing that happens to him feels like either a dream come true or the end of the world.
Third—the characters. There were characters I hated so much, but the way he wrote them they are so incredibly REAL. Everyone knows a Madeline, and has been in love with a Dorian, and has had their life made impossible by a horrible boss like Sabrina. Even though they’re relatable, they’re also larger than life because the author makes all of their actions represent larger truths. For instance, Edmund being a sham is like the facade of the fashion industry, and beautiful Madeline/Dorian getting everything they want in life is like how good looks are constantly rewarded but hard work isn’t.
VERDICT: OBSESSED. READ IT!
First of all—the language. It’s not a “hard” book to read but it is so gorgeously written. You can tell the author loves visual art just like his main character because it’s all just sentence after sentence of beautiful imagery—even the “ugly” things are beautiful to read about. It’s like listening to music.
Second—you get ALL the feels. I related to Ethan so much, especially dreaming of this perfect life and being disappointed. The author weaves the magazine scenes with flashbacks from Ethan’s past (especially Yale) so you really get to know him, and by the end of the book, every little thing that happens to him feels like either a dream come true or the end of the world.
Third—the characters. There were characters I hated so much, but the way he wrote them they are so incredibly REAL. Everyone knows a Madeline, and has been in love with a Dorian, and has had their life made impossible by a horrible boss like Sabrina. Even though they’re relatable, they’re also larger than life because the author makes all of their actions represent larger truths. For instance, Edmund being a sham is like the facade of the fashion industry, and beautiful Madeline/Dorian getting everything they want in life is like how good looks are constantly rewarded but hard work isn’t.
VERDICT: OBSESSED. READ IT!
October 26, 2016
This book probably needed a sharper editorial eye; the prose is interesting and original in several places (especially as the book goes along) and much less so in others. At any rate, I responded strongly to Hernandez's Wharton-esque novel and its outsider narrator. I've experienced several of the desires and longings and fears as the queer, Latino protagonist, Elian/Ethan, and haven't encountered such an accurate vision of that specific experience of youth and its rapid passing in much other contemporary fiction.
July 17, 2016
People who claim to hate millennials need to read this book. It perfectly captures the duality of that generation (eager and liberal-minded, yet entitled and self-involved) without resorting to a) completely judging or b) completely forgiving. As with real people, the characters all exist in a gray area and as you learn more and more about them, it becomes even harder to place them into “black” or “white”.
July 17, 2016
A book so beautiful that at times you forget it's about depression. It definitely does share some similarities with The Bell Jar, one of my favorite books. Like Sylvia Plath, RJ Hernandez uses the fashion industry to raise questions about human worth and meaning. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a book that challenges their own thinking.
July 17, 2016
LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved that it was so different from any fashion-esque story done before and how Ethan's current life was juxtaposed against stories of his Yale years. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone!
August 13, 2020
3.5 stars
Ethan St. James’s dream job is to work at a fashion magazine. He graduates college, moves to New York City, and lands a coveted internship at Régine, the biggest fashion magazine in the world. As he quickly discovers though, Régine is not all he thought it would be, leading him to question everything he’s ever wanted.
For some reason, I was a bit skeptical when I started the book. It sounded like something I would enjoy, but then I thought that maybe I’d be disappointed. Well, original me was right- I really enjoyed this book. First of all, the fashion. I love reading descriptions of clothing and style, so the sartorial passages were right up my alley. Secondly, I know that I love books about twenty-somethings trying to make it New York City (hello real life, meet fictional life). Finally, the main character went to Yale University, which is my alma mater. As you can see, there were a lot of elements of this book that I could connect with and enjoy.
Our main character is a misfit. He grew up in a small, conservative town in Texas, and is teased for being different and having different interests than the other kids. It’s a coming-of-a-story in which Ethan explores his aspirations, his sexuality, and his identity. There’s also lots of fun and snarky commentary on the fashion industry. This felt like a fun and appropriate summer read.
Ethan St. James’s dream job is to work at a fashion magazine. He graduates college, moves to New York City, and lands a coveted internship at Régine, the biggest fashion magazine in the world. As he quickly discovers though, Régine is not all he thought it would be, leading him to question everything he’s ever wanted.
For some reason, I was a bit skeptical when I started the book. It sounded like something I would enjoy, but then I thought that maybe I’d be disappointed. Well, original me was right- I really enjoyed this book. First of all, the fashion. I love reading descriptions of clothing and style, so the sartorial passages were right up my alley. Secondly, I know that I love books about twenty-somethings trying to make it New York City (hello real life, meet fictional life). Finally, the main character went to Yale University, which is my alma mater. As you can see, there were a lot of elements of this book that I could connect with and enjoy.
Our main character is a misfit. He grew up in a small, conservative town in Texas, and is teased for being different and having different interests than the other kids. It’s a coming-of-a-story in which Ethan explores his aspirations, his sexuality, and his identity. There’s also lots of fun and snarky commentary on the fashion industry. This felt like a fun and appropriate summer read.
July 19, 2016
This is a great book to read more than once. I read it pretty fast (it’s hard not to get hooked) but some of the passages really make you want to slow down and savor. Consider this beautiful description of a nightclub:
“On one side of the room, a congregation of plush velvet booths facilitated the clinking of liquor-filled glasses between crossed-legged guests; on the other, an empty cabaret stage rose up from the shadows, awaiting the abuse of some inebriated high-heeled feet. Beautiful women hung drunkenly on the arms of eligible bachelors, and everyone was gulping gossip and champagne, overflowing.”
There aren’t enough books like this honestly. Beautiful language, setting, story, characters… An Innocent Fashion has it all.
“On one side of the room, a congregation of plush velvet booths facilitated the clinking of liquor-filled glasses between crossed-legged guests; on the other, an empty cabaret stage rose up from the shadows, awaiting the abuse of some inebriated high-heeled feet. Beautiful women hung drunkenly on the arms of eligible bachelors, and everyone was gulping gossip and champagne, overflowing.”
There aren’t enough books like this honestly. Beautiful language, setting, story, characters… An Innocent Fashion has it all.
July 19, 2016
An Innocent Fashion felt quite epic in a way I didn’t expect. I wouldn’t ordinarily associate ‘depth’ with a story set in the fashion industry, but the author uses the magazine world to explore meaningful topics like becoming an adult, and trying to find beauty in a heartless city like New York. The shallowness of the fashion setting and some of the characters serves a greater point about human society, and in the end leads to some important existential questions.
Want to read
March 28, 2016I won a copy of An Innocent Fashion by R.J. Hernandez in a giveaway for free on Goodreads First-Reads. Received my copy today and can't wait to get started. Eeek! Thank you for doing this giveaway! Review when finished!
July 29, 2016
Great, but strangely I hated all the people in this book. Still a solid 4 stars
December 13, 2021
I chose this book a bit haphazardly to get a "buy three for $6" deal and it sat on my shelf for a few years - not the most auspicious start, and I started reading with my expectations set pretty low. So I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I was won over by Ethan, an idealistic Yale grad confronting the realities of working in the fashion industry. Maybe it was my fascination with Fashion Television growing up, maybe it's the escapism of reading about beautiful people, maybe it's because we've all been in that first job, bewildered and floundering, but I was hooked. I would have liked more workplace scenes--Hernandez clearly knows this world, and the photo shoot scene was a tantalizing glimpse behind the curtain. Also, although it's beautifully written, if similes aren't your thing this is not the book for you.
August 5, 2018
This review also appears on my blog alexreadsboooks
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Ethan St. James just graduated from Yale and is fulfilling his dream of working at Régine, the fashion magazine that has inspired his lifestyle since he was a teenager. But interning at Régine isn't what he expects. He is lowest in the pecking order, he learns quickly that the reality of Régine is different from the perfect world of its pages.
This is the fourth time I try to start this sentence because to be quite honest I don't know where to start with this book. I picked it up because it sounded like a queerer version of The Devil Wears Prada, which was absolutely something I wanted to see. What I got was so much like The Devil Wears Prada that it was probably too much. Don't get me wrong, it's not a carbon copy, especially considering that Ethan has a completely different background, and with the narratives of his childhood and his college years interwoven with that of his time at Régine there is a lot more to it than there ever was to The Devil Wears Prada. But the story felt too similar for my tastes, everyone at Régine seemed too much like everyone at Runway.
On top of that An Innocent Fashion is hailed as having a "true millenial" main character and I guess Ethan barely is millenial, but I'm not entirely sure which part of being young and idealistic is so typical millenial in the grand scheme of things? And I'm not entirely sure you would want to pick Ethan as a typical millenial. To be completely honest he is a pretentious narcist, and that just seems too much like the "criticisms" hurled at millenials in the media all the time. To call him typical for my generation feels very much like buying into the myth of the "Me Me Me generation" (to quote Time magazine).
And I think this was probably one of my main problems with An Innocent Fashion: I found Ethan to be unbearable. He was so pretentious and trying so hard to be perfect. And to be honest his well-being hinged entirely too much on this one dream he had. Maybe I'm just the wrong person to read this book, but I just couldn't connect to that at all. There is so much more to life than having one dream and following that.
A lot of this only scratches the surface of my feelings about this book, but to discuss this in greater depth would also mean to dig deeper into the novel, and I'm not sure this review post is the place for that. But while it did make me feel for the characters, it just wasn't quite there for me. It didn't feel original enough, and Ethan and his friends just weren't relatable. If you like literary fiction with a dark turn I definitely think this could be a book for you, it definitely wasn't for me.
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Ethan St. James just graduated from Yale and is fulfilling his dream of working at Régine, the fashion magazine that has inspired his lifestyle since he was a teenager. But interning at Régine isn't what he expects. He is lowest in the pecking order, he learns quickly that the reality of Régine is different from the perfect world of its pages.
This is the fourth time I try to start this sentence because to be quite honest I don't know where to start with this book. I picked it up because it sounded like a queerer version of The Devil Wears Prada, which was absolutely something I wanted to see. What I got was so much like The Devil Wears Prada that it was probably too much. Don't get me wrong, it's not a carbon copy, especially considering that Ethan has a completely different background, and with the narratives of his childhood and his college years interwoven with that of his time at Régine there is a lot more to it than there ever was to The Devil Wears Prada. But the story felt too similar for my tastes, everyone at Régine seemed too much like everyone at Runway.
On top of that An Innocent Fashion is hailed as having a "true millenial" main character and I guess Ethan barely is millenial, but I'm not entirely sure which part of being young and idealistic is so typical millenial in the grand scheme of things? And I'm not entirely sure you would want to pick Ethan as a typical millenial. To be completely honest he is a pretentious narcist, and that just seems too much like the "criticisms" hurled at millenials in the media all the time. To call him typical for my generation feels very much like buying into the myth of the "Me Me Me generation" (to quote Time magazine).
And I think this was probably one of my main problems with An Innocent Fashion: I found Ethan to be unbearable. He was so pretentious and trying so hard to be perfect. And to be honest his well-being hinged entirely too much on this one dream he had. Maybe I'm just the wrong person to read this book, but I just couldn't connect to that at all. There is so much more to life than having one dream and following that.
A lot of this only scratches the surface of my feelings about this book, but to discuss this in greater depth would also mean to dig deeper into the novel, and I'm not sure this review post is the place for that. But while it did make me feel for the characters, it just wasn't quite there for me. It didn't feel original enough, and Ethan and his friends just weren't relatable. If you like literary fiction with a dark turn I definitely think this could be a book for you, it definitely wasn't for me.
September 8, 2016
I bought this book on the basis of reviews comparing it to the writing of Sylvia Plath, F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.D. Salinger. Unfortunately, it ended up being closer to Lauren Weisberger.
Matters were not helped by the fact that the narrator came across as insufferable from the very beginning. Elian/Ethan is self-centered and displays an almost sociopathic lack of empathy. When his only friend, the family dog named Lola, dies of old age he does not cry and instead observes his mother "choking on her own fluids, a wad of crumpled tissue pressed to her face as tears escaped her chipped red fingernails." He goes on to describe how she looked at the dead dog and "buckled, the fat flapping beneath her arm as she groped blindly for my shoulder." When Elian finally cries, he says it is "not for Lola, it was too late for her - but for myself."
In the later stages of the book, he oscillates between breathless hyperbole and sniveling self-pity. Goodness knows I can connect with the story of someone who dreams of making it in the fashion industry and sets about achieving their goals with no outside help, but by the end of this book, I did not care about Elian one way or another.
Matters were not helped by the fact that the narrator came across as insufferable from the very beginning. Elian/Ethan is self-centered and displays an almost sociopathic lack of empathy. When his only friend, the family dog named Lola, dies of old age he does not cry and instead observes his mother "choking on her own fluids, a wad of crumpled tissue pressed to her face as tears escaped her chipped red fingernails." He goes on to describe how she looked at the dead dog and "buckled, the fat flapping beneath her arm as she groped blindly for my shoulder." When Elian finally cries, he says it is "not for Lola, it was too late for her - but for myself."
In the later stages of the book, he oscillates between breathless hyperbole and sniveling self-pity. Goodness knows I can connect with the story of someone who dreams of making it in the fashion industry and sets about achieving their goals with no outside help, but by the end of this book, I did not care about Elian one way or another.
August 14, 2016
2.5 Stars
Elian San Jamar believes he is destined for a better life than the one his working class multiracial parents share in TX. He receives a full scholarship to Yale and becomes friends with Madeline and Dorian, both wealthy and “beautiful people”. Elian becomes Ethan St James and interns at Regine, an upscale fashion magazine, where he pursues his dreams and visions of his “fabulous” future.
For me, this was not an easy read. It was well written but I found each character far removed from reality. I can understand why with Madeline and Dorian as they are privileged but Ethan, for some reason, has unrealistic goals for himself in the time period allotted to achieve his dreams. The world of fashion appears extremely shallow. I didn’t like Ethan’s references to the mediocre lives of those whose choices in life include working at non-glamorous jobs, marriage, raising children, etc. I don’t envy Ethan’s vision of how life is supposed to be -- “beautiful”. Yes, Ethan, you are clueless as to the meaning of the word and, yes, youth is wasted on the young. Grow up!
2016(45)
Elian San Jamar believes he is destined for a better life than the one his working class multiracial parents share in TX. He receives a full scholarship to Yale and becomes friends with Madeline and Dorian, both wealthy and “beautiful people”. Elian becomes Ethan St James and interns at Regine, an upscale fashion magazine, where he pursues his dreams and visions of his “fabulous” future.
For me, this was not an easy read. It was well written but I found each character far removed from reality. I can understand why with Madeline and Dorian as they are privileged but Ethan, for some reason, has unrealistic goals for himself in the time period allotted to achieve his dreams. The world of fashion appears extremely shallow. I didn’t like Ethan’s references to the mediocre lives of those whose choices in life include working at non-glamorous jobs, marriage, raising children, etc. I don’t envy Ethan’s vision of how life is supposed to be -- “beautiful”. Yes, Ethan, you are clueless as to the meaning of the word and, yes, youth is wasted on the young. Grow up!
2016(45)
September 6, 2016
Saw this book on a ‘must-read’ list and devoured it in two days. The main message: Don’t trust appearances. Looking at it from the outside, Ethan thought the fashion world was so full of glamour and beauty, but once he saw a little deeper, he realized it was ugly in its own way. On the flip side, you’re made to believe at first that Ethan is just this privileged self-indulgent kid but as you get to know him, you realize he’s just human and trapped in the same complicated web as anyone else (even the fashion people who hate him).
Ethan is an amazing character and richly described, from his childhood to his college years and his present. Everything that happens in the past illuminates some part of Ethan’s present, so you get to know him inside and out.
It’s a sad book in some ways, but strangely hopeful and uplifting at the same time. A kind of beautiful tragedy
Ethan is an amazing character and richly described, from his childhood to his college years and his present. Everything that happens in the past illuminates some part of Ethan’s present, so you get to know him inside and out.
It’s a sad book in some ways, but strangely hopeful and uplifting at the same time. A kind of beautiful tragedy
September 7, 2016
Growing up in uninspiring Texas, the main character Elian yearns to live surrounded by beauty. When he earns a scholarship to Yale, he reinvents himself as ‘Ethan’ and befriends Madeline, who helps him get a taste of the life he always wished for. The two fall in love with the eccentric son of a famous model, and the three enjoy an “innocent” love triangle until the real world intervenes.
After graduation from Yale, working-class Ethan strives to continue living extravagantly by getting a job at an elite fashion magazine, Regine, but basically realizes the real world doesn’t provide equal opportunities across class lines, leaving him adrift from his rich friends and his dreams of a rich life.
A great book overall. It is well-written and engaging.
After graduation from Yale, working-class Ethan strives to continue living extravagantly by getting a job at an elite fashion magazine, Regine, but basically realizes the real world doesn’t provide equal opportunities across class lines, leaving him adrift from his rich friends and his dreams of a rich life.
A great book overall. It is well-written and engaging.
January 3, 2019
This book wasn't anything like how I expected, and to be honest I wasn't entirely certain what I was signing up for when I began the book. But after reading it, I can honestly say that it was juicy in prose, creating a captivating story that brought me through the emotional rollercoaster of a millennial graduating from high school and moving to the US. The structure was quite complex and I enjoyed how Hernandez referred to his past with scenes juxtaposed in the present, for me, this made the relationships very real and complex. I also immediately connected to Ethan-- there was something about the way the main character observed his surroundings and reflected on his experiences that really stuck with me. Overall, the book is quite a wild ride and I would recommend it to anybody.
September 2, 2016
AN INNOCENT FASHION IS A TRUE LITERARY GEM. A FRIEND RECOMMENDED THE BOOK AS A "MUST READ" . AS A PERSON WHO IS BY NO MEANS A FASHION GURU OR FOLLOWER...I RELUCTANTLY DECIDED TO GIVE THE BOOK A TRY. I WAS IMMEDIATELY SURPRISED BY THE VIVID LANGUAGE,THE INCREDIBLE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, AND A STYLE OF WRITING THAT TOTALLY ENGAGED MY MIND INTO A WORLD WITH WHICH I WAS TOALLY UNFAMILIAR. THE STORY SHOWS THE IDEALISM WE ALL HAD BEFORE WE REALIZED THE CRUELTY AND REALITY OF OUR REAL WORLD. THE AUTHOR R.J. HERNANDEZ WEAVES SATIRE,HUMOR, AND TRAGEDY IN A MAGICAL PROSE THAT MAKES "AN INNOCENT FASHION" A MUST READ FOR ALL !
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