Shopping for the Real You: 10 Essential Steps to a Better Wardrobe for Every Woman: Fashionistas, Fashion-phobes, and the Over 50

by Andrea Pflaumer, Susan Tait Porcaro (Illustrator), Douglas Gorney (Editor)

Andrea Pflaumer shares the fundamental principles of clothing selection from the world’s top color and style experts. Shopping for the Real You distills that wisdom into this concise and thorough guide to show readers:

• How to determine the highly specific and unique colors that work for you
• How to choose garments and accessories that harmonizes with your features and personality
• Which silhouettes best enhance your body type
• How to dress with panache and taste throughout all stages of life

This book is a useful and practical shopping companion to help you avoid mistakes, save money, and look great in any environment. The illustrations, charts, and questionnaires make the process fun, enlightening, and foolproof.

Andrea hosts the Shopping for the Real You, and Vital Vivacious and Visible after 50 video series. She shares fashion updates and tips with her readers through her website, shoppingfortherealyou.com and is a regular contributor to multiple blogs including SheSavvy, Better After 50, Huffington Post, Sixty and Me as well as national and local magazines.

Genres: Nonfiction, Fashion

203 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 25, 2013

About the author

Writer, educator and former dancer Andrea Pflaumer has had a life-long passion for fashion and clothing design. After retiring from a career as a dance teacher and certified instructor of the TM® meditation technique she published her first fashion article. That led to a ten-year assignment as a contributing editor for the East Bay Monthly’s Shop Talk and Shopping Around features.

Since the 1980’s she has studied and researched the principles of individual color and style analysis with some of the pre-eminent experts in the field.

You can follow her regular updates and blog posts about fashion trends and how they relate to the real you click here.

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am repeated recommending this book to others so want to save it here on my list. My only regret is that I didn't read this book 30 years ago! It has been such a boost to find that at times I look better at 50 than I did in my 20s because it took me this long to figure out what looks best on me. It's been a fun project and took me several months to get through.

[Paula Johnsen]

Excellent book through and through - thanks so much Andrea - happy to recommend!

This is a book worth keeping and re-reading many times. I really enjoyed how you put everything together so well, (congratulations on creating such a well thought out book!I and particularly enjoyed the yin/yang clothing concepts, and body types which were "created" by David Kibbe in the '80's. Though Kibbe's was an interesting take on the original ideas, I found the two ladies who originally created the concept, expalined things more fully and with less rigidlity. Kudos for giving these two ladies the credit they so richly deserve. Went to archive.org, and found the original books to read for free, if this helps anyone interested: Art and Fashion in Clothing Selection and the Art of Costume

Personal Appearance. You can read the books for an hour, or for 2 weeks. Your choice. Both books are delightful.

I also appreciated how you took their descriptions to a new level, and added twists and individuality to the concepts so that readers don't obsess about "what body type am I , REALLY? You encourage your readers to think on it, and then let it Be, and let it unfold naturally.

Also found the info on "angelic" body type to be interesting and insightful in your book , and am looking at more detaiils from John Kitchener's System of Seven Style Essences.

[Lesa Parnham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read her last book, so I was kind of disappointed that I got basically the same book, just updated. The book was interesting but didn't seem to apply to me vert much at all, which was a huge disappointment. I was a natural dirty blonde, now I have auburn hair and never intend to let it go gray, that is one part I didn't understand , if it is red, and going to stay red, what is the point of figuring what kind of gray it would be? Secondly, I didn't really agree with a lot of the colors. As far as I can guess I am a summer, but I see colors I would never wear. Ms. Pflaummer states over and over how she doesn't like black, but a LBD is a wardrobe staple for most, especially one with dark auburn hair and blonde highlights .As far as I could see there was hardly any discussion about jeans. Which I live in but firmly believe can be dressed up or down. The category that I fell into is youthful, and I didn't agree with most of these categories. Lastly, the stores mentioned at the end were about 95% of what I would call high end stores. She refers to Macy's as a mid-level store. Some of us can't afford it, but still want to stay fashionable. I wish I could find a book for middle class people that includes make-up. Any suggestions?

[Chianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Coloring section of the type tables was cringe worthy. I've met people of random coloring who are like me...exuberant/lively...really...what utter rubbish.

And the store list by type...more rubbish - even for 2013 [purchased without noting the year published]...what a way to pigeonhole style and limit things...

Some semi-handy tips [figure out what store/designer works for you shape, wear harmonious colors, accentuate what you love, shoes, hair, good proportions, tight with looser, etc. - in short, basic AF] - but every single one of them can be found on a blog or IG post...seriously...only reason for two stars over one.

https://www.petitepoire.ca/category/s...
[blog example]

https://gabriellearruda.com/
[another blog example - and she has a YouTube channel if you don't like to read - very engaging] - [and NOT at all self-important as this author comes off with faux self deprecation - CRINGE]

I hate I paid for this [saw it recommended somewhere and I like to read].

[Kayla Ritcheson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really helpful! It was a quick read, and I honestly learned a lot. I think the chapters on body shape and structure were especially helpful. I also liked the list of stores at the very end and the breakdown of what styles/colors/sizes they generally carry.

(It loses one star for me because the author often recommends things like personal shoppers or stylists that would be out of a middle-class or low-income budget. Also, she seems to be highly influenced by eastern and new age philosophy.)

[Leslie Helmerci · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good guide for those who are interested in learning about color analysis, figuring out your fashion style, and learning about the fit and cut of clothing that will look best on you. The author gives good advice on how to put all this information to good use without being overwhelmed. I would rate this book at a 2.5 stars.

[Soph · Rating 5 out of 5]

wish I had this book when I was still working

This is a marvelous book with tremendous suggestions about style, consider, considering all aspects from color, to body type, two personality, etc.. I highly recommend it no matter what stage you might be in life, though it’s probably more useful for people who are still working full-time.

[MD · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started reading this I was a little worried I wasn't going to get much out of it. It starts with discovering which colors are best for you and I honestly couldn't find anything that spoke to my coloring - gray hair, dark brown eyes, light skin. Nor could I figure out whether my skin tone is warm or cool. I'm going to ask my daughter to read the book and maybe she will be able to help me out with that part. And by now maybe I kind of know my best colors anyway.

But after I got past color, it started to make a lot more sense to me. There was a lot of information I already knew from magazines, and even junior high home ec. But then I got to the chapter about proportion, balance, and scale and encountered some information I hadn't heard before about paying attention to the ratio of the different pieces of clothing to each other and to areas that are bare. I also found the suggestion to analyze what I like and don't like about other peoples clothing interesting. I have done that sometimes when I notice someone who looks very nice, especially if they are my body type. But now I have better tools to analyze it in light of my own styles.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Primer

I’m someone who was never tuned in to fashion. I wore what made me comfortable instinctively, and I probably made a lot of fashion mistakes along the way. I wanted to better understand how to make solid wardrobe decisions that suited me, not the latest trends. This was a good primer that offered solid advice for the fashion beginner. Basics you should have been taught by your mother or sister, but maybe didn’t pick up on, along the way. Nothing mind blowing, but good fashion advice to help you form the basis of your style should you need it.

[Andrea Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really practical guide. I really like this system.

[Vania Maneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that book! I find it very inspirational and practical at the same time!