I: A Memoir

by Isaac Mizrahi

Isaac Mizrahi is sui designer, cabaret performer, talk-show host, a TV celebrity. Yet ever since he shot to fame in the late 1980s, the private Isaac Mizrahi has remained under wraps. Until now.

In I.M., Isaac Mizrahi offers a poignant, candid, and touching look back on his life so far. Growing up gay in a sheltered Syrian Jewish Orthodox family, Isaac had unique talents that ultimately drew him into fashion and later into celebrity circles that read like a who’s who of the twentieth and twenty-first Richard Avedon, Audrey Hepburn, Anna Wintour, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey, to name only a few.

In his elegant memoir, Isaac delves into his lifelong battles with weight, insomnia, and depression. He tells what it was like to be an out gay man in a homophobic age and to witness the ravaging effects of the AIDS epidemic. Brimming with intimate details and inimitable wit, Isaac's narrative reveals not just the glamour of his years, but the grit beneath the glitz. Rich with memorable stories from in and out of the spotlight, I.M. illuminates deep emotional truths.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Fashion, Biography, Biography Memoir, LGBT

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 2019

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isaac Mizrahi, born in 1961, is probably best known as a fashion designer, and that is indeed one of his many talents. But Mizrahi is an entertainer at heart, and has been since childhood. In this memoir Mizrahi writes that seeing Stephen Sondheim's Broadway show 'Follies' at the age of nine inspired him to set up a puppet theater in the family garage.


A scene from Follies

Isaac constructed the stage as well as the puppets, and sewed "over the top costumes" for his animated performers. For materials, Isaac got scraps of cloth from his fashionista mother Sarah, who edited her store-bought clothes and gave Isaac the remnants. The young producer also tiptoed into his parents' bedroom when they were asleep, and sneaked cash to buy fabric and extras - like feathers and sequins - from the textile store.


Isaac Mizrahi with a puppet of himself

Isaac periodically put on puppet shows for the neighborhood kids. He named his puppet reviews Follies, though they were original creations - not knockoffs of the Broadway show. Mizrahi's puppetry went on through the early years of high school, when he'd schlep a mobile puppet theater to children's parties across Brooklyn, to earn spending money.

Mizrahi notes, "My commitment to the puppet theater was obsessional....this was an escape for me. My early life felt hopeless....I was stuck in a school, in a neighborhood, to some extent a family I didn't belong in."

Mizrahi grew up in an insular Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn, and always knew he was different - with his effeminate mannerisms and fantasies of having a husband. Mizrahi notes, "I stuck out like a chubby gay thumb" and observes, "There wasn't a moment when I didn't feel claustrophobic looking at my prospects there. Even at a young age I was demoralized by this. I knew there had to be a better place for me in the world."


Isaac Mizrahi with his mother


Young Isaac Mizrahi


Isaac Mizrahi with his sisters


A Syrian Jewish synagogue in Brooklyn

Schoolboy Isaac, who attended the well-regarded Yeshiva of Flatbush, deliberately isolated himself - hurt by taunts of 'faggot' from classmates as well as adults and even rabbis. This probably referred to Isaac's feminine behavior rather than his sexual orientation because "homosexuals were so taboo they weren't even a subject of discussion."


Yeshiva of Flatbush

As he grew up Isaac realized that his natural attraction to men was part of him, and feared "If God hated homosexuals, he hated me." These feelings were exacerbated by Isaac's father, who would say, "I think all fairies should be lined up and shot." Isaac planned never to tell his dad he was gay, noting "My modus operandi was hiding and denying."

Isaac did confide in his mother when he was 18 (after his father died), and she claimed she had no idea he was gay. Sarah Mizrahi accepted her son, but advocated a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy with regard to Isaac's two older sisters and the rest of the Syrian Jewish community. This didn't work, of course, but the subject was (and is) rarely discussed in Isaac's presence.

In addition to puppetry, Isaac developed an interest in women's fashions at a young age. From the time he was six or seven, Isaac would accompany his mother to Loehmann's, a store that sold discounted designer clothes. Sarah would prop her son in the corner of the communal fitting room with a coloring book, but little Isaac ignored the book and observed the ladies. He looked at their clothes and "studied their anatomy and choice of underwear."


Loehmann's clothing store

Norman Norell was the most important designer at that time, and Sarah once found a Norell pants ensemble, called pajamas, which was worn in the same context as an evening dress. Mizrahi recalls that the sailor-inspired outfit "seemed very glamorous to me."


Norman Norell with some of his fashions

A few years later - when he was 9 or 10 - Mizrahi set up an atelier in the family's basement, where he sketched apparel, and stitched clothing on a sewing machine he'd saved up for himself. Isaac's father Zeke - who manufactured children's clothing - drove his son to the sewing machine store, suggested a better machine than the one Isaac had chosen, and even ponied up the extra twenty dollars.

This was gratifying to Isaac, who knew his father didn't approve of him. Mizrahi remembers being on a carnival ride at the age of five, where he posed and waved "like a homecoming queen I'd seen on TV." Isaac thought this was funny, but Zeke Mizrahi turned away, as he did when an older Isaac put on puppet shows or did female impersonations. Isaac - who loved to sing - would 'do' Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Dionne Warwick, and Liza Minelli....to the applause (or sometimes meanspirited ridicule) of his audiences.

One adult who did support Isaac was his Uncle Sammy, who smiled and waved when young Isaac posed on the carnival ride. Moreover, when Sammy heard that Isaac liked to paint, he bought his nephew an entire oil painting ensemble in a wooden box, and taught him how to use it.


Oil painting kit

Thinking back, Mizrahi writes, "My parents did their best considering the time and circumstances. They just wanted me to fit in. And they tried not to appear TOO disappointed that I didn't. They wanted me to be thin and athletic and manly. They hated that I was mostly at home in the garage playing with puppets, or sewing, or painting. Even practicing the piano too much got on their nerves. They wanted me to play outside in the sunshine. They coped by 'looking away', which I was well aware of."

In comparison to his sisters, Isaac was odd man out in the family. He recalls, "My sisters were gorgeous, thin and lithe....my chubbiness, my loneliness was contrasted with my sisters' beauty." He writes, "My body always seemed to present problems, and I always had weight problems. I attributed the shame I felt about my body to being fat. By the age of 12, I was 5'8" tall and weighed 250 pounds. Then began the nightmare of weight control that has been the bane of my existence for as long as I can remember."

After his Bar Mitzvah Isaac was depressed and fatter than ever, and knew he had to get out of the Syrian Jewish community. With encouragement from his English teacher at Yeshiva of Flatbush, Isaac applied to the Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, located in Manhattan. He was accepted to the drama department, and it changed his life forever.


Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts

In the beginning, Isaac was a square peg in a round hole. He notes, "Things were topsy turvy at first in this 'modern libertine environment' that was SO different than Yeshiva." Isaac had to wear tights in acting and dancing classes and was too embarrassed to change in the boys bathroom, so he changed in a deserted back stairwell. He "felt like the butt of some terrible joke, with tights on", but by year two the rules relaxed, and he could wear whatever he wanted.

Mizrahi had ballet classes and modern dance and yoga, all taught by Charles McGraw - a prototypical 1970s gay man who made Isaac less self-conscious about himself. Manhattan's Upper West Side - where many of Isaac's classmates lived - became a hangout, and Mizrahi's friend Gina Belafonte introduced him to her father Harry Belafonte. This even impressed Isaac's parents.


Harry Belafonte and his daughter Gina

By Isaac's sophomore year in high school he was sketching designs for manufacturers and got paid $75 for handbag sketches. This was easier - and more lucrative - than hauling a puppetry rig around New York....and Isaac gave up the birthday party gigs. By senior year Mizrahi had sold sketches for tops, shoes, jean pockets, and handbags.


Isaac Mizrahi briefly appeared in the movie Fame, which was based on his high school

A few years later Isaac started a design business - called 'IS' - with an elegant, 30-year-old, Syrian Jewish woman called Sarah Haddad. Mizrahi's parents were in favor of this, glad he gave up ideas of entering show business. His mother "emphasized the glamour of the fashion business and her love for clothes." The business didn't last long, but was good experience for later.

Isaac's life became wilder during his teens and twenties, and he frequently hung out at Studio 54 and other nightclubs - which were full of flamboyant people and attractive boys. At 17 Mizrahi even traveled to Paris alone, so he could see the Louvre, eat delicious French food, and launch a trip to several cities in Europe.


The Louvre (circa 1980)


Inside the Louvre


Delicious French pastries

Afterwards Mizrahi enrolled in Parsons School of Design, and had jobs with Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein. According to Mizrahi, "Ellis's offices were salon-like and glamorous, and influential people were in and out all day." There, Isaac met people like Glenn Close, Lauren Hutton, Tommy Tune, Mariel Hemingway, Lauren Bacall, and more.


Parsons School of Design

Though all this was fun and exciting, it was disheartening in some ways. Mizrahi writes, "The gay culture in that world nourished me in some ways and fed my self-loathing in others.....The more I catered to the whims of those fabulous [thin handsome] men and women....the more proof I had that I was the fat ugly kid from Brooklyn....unworthy of a second glance."

In addition, the AIDS scourge started then, in the early 1980s, and many of the fashion glitterati - as well as members of the ballet and theater community - died over the next ten years. Mizrahi laments, "I took these losses personally on two levels. I grieved for the people I loved, and I was terrified for myself." As a result, Isaac had only a handful of boyfriends from 1981 to 1986, since the only fool-proof protection seemed to be abstinence.

On top of all this, Isaac suffered from anxiety, depression, and insomnia all his life, for which he's consulted many psychiatrists, psychics, and astrologers.

Isaac was ultimately persuaded to get his weight under control when he worked for Calvin Klein. He recalls, "Calvin's designers vied for Calvin's attention, and the thinner you were, the more likely you'd be to catch his eye." So Isaac went on a diet, became very thin, and "dressed like a punk Audrey Hepburn", with his hair in "Jew-dreads" and kohl on his eyes.


Fashionable Isaac Mizrahi

Mizrahi finally started his own business in the mid-1980s, in a large studio in Soho. Liza Minelli became a client, Mizrahi's shows were reviewed by the New York Times, and his name was soon at the top of every fashion page in every major newspaper in the world.


Isaac Mizrahi with Liza Minelli


Isaac Mizrahi with some design sketches


Isaac Mizrahi fitting a dress

Though Mizrahi is a brilliant designer, he's not a great businessman, and his design company went under in the late 1990s. At that time Isaac decided to change direction, and become "a thinker, writer, and performer." He wrote and launched a one-man cabaret show; developed a successful television talk show; made costumes for the opera and musical theater; directed a children's production of 'Peter and the Wolf'; was a judge on Project Runway All Stars; and more.


Isaac Mizrahi has a cabaret show


Conan O'Brien on Isaac Mizrahi's TV talk show


Isaac Mizrahi directed a production of Peter and the Wolf


Isaac Mizrahi was a judge on Project Runway All Stars

When he gave up designing Mizrahi had more free time, and embarked on a delayed 'slutty phase', during which he met a lot of men and had a lot of 'vertical sex.' He observes, "I was lucky not to get arrested or beat up or get diseases." He also adopted a rescue dog, a border collie-golden retriever mix called Harry, who was his beloved companion for 16 years.




Isaac Mizrahi and his dog Harry

Isaac has met everybody who's anybody, including actors, actresses, television personalities, supermodels, politicians, writers, photographers, singers, publishers, and so on. Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, became a close friend, as did actress/comic Sandra Bernhard, dancer/choreographer Mark Morris, and composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim. An award-winning 1995 documentary called 'Unzipped' - which follows Mizrahi as he plans and shows his 1994 collection - raised his profile even more.


Isaac Mizrahi with Anna Wintour


Isaac Mizrahi with Sandra Bernhard


Isaac Mizrahi with Mark Morris


Stephen Sondheim


Naomi Campbell (left) and Linda Evangelista appeared in Unzipped with Isaac Mizrahi

In the early 2000s, Mizrahi met a 'shiksa god' named Arnold Germer, who looks like "a Puerto Rican Cary Grant." Their on-off love story is charming and a bit fraught, like a Hallmark romance movie, and they ultimately wed in 2011.




Isaac Mizrahi and his husband Arnold Germer

Mizrahi ignored the siren call of fashion for years, but was eventually drawn back into the profession. First he partnered with Target for a ready-to-wear line, then went on to sign a contract with QVC....on which he appears regularly.


Isaac Mizrahi on QVC

If you read the book, many of the names mentioned will be familiar to you, including Jane Fonda, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Helen Mirren, Andrea Martin, Rosie O'Donnell, Diane Sawyer, Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer, Diane Lane, Elizabeth Taylor, Diane Keeton, George Clooney, and many more.


Hillary Clinton in an Isaac Mizrahi dress


Michelle Obama in an Isaac Mizrahi dress


Isaac Mizrahi with designer Marc Jacobs at an AIDS fundraiser run

Nevertheless, Mizrahi's narrative doesn't feel like 'name-dropping' and the author doesn't tell tales out of school. Instead, Mizrahi comes across as modest, intelligent, engaging.....and a 'mensch.'

I liked the book and would recommend it to people who follow fashion and fans of celebrity memoirs.






Some Isaac Mizrahi fashions

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Katie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi was a huge deal back in the 1980s and 1990s. I say that very confidently because as a kid growing up back then I remember his name being mentioned frequently when Joan Rivers would ask on the red carpet "Who are you wearing?". And while he might not be dressing the A-List crowd as much anymore, he is still involved in the fashion world and he also has found a place in front of the camera on various tv shows. Definitely fair to say there is a lot of creativity flowing through his veins.

I'll admit, I mainly wanted to read this book to hear some good fashion world stories. I was impressed he was able to make Anna Wintour sound almost human rather than the cold image she normally presents to the rest of the world. And I thought it was really cool he not only got to meet his idol, Liza Minnelli, but also strike up a friendship. I found it fascinating that seemingly overnight celebrities just started expecting to get free clothes from designers to wear to events and how that is the norm now. For sure my favorite parts of the book involved just random stuff about celebrities.

I did find myself bored from time to time with the first half of the book. His childhood growing up as a gay male in a Syrian Jewish family was certainly fascinating but there were parts that dragged on a bit. I did enjoy the parts of the book that explored his relationship with his parents and his siblings and their families. His relationship with his mother in particular sounds supportive in some sense but also complicated. I'm glad he included what it was like living in New York at the height of the AIDS epidemic. It seems like too many people have long forgotten what a scary and difficult time period that was so it was good to hear his perspective.

I read an advance copy of this book and was disappointed that the Golden Globes groping incident with Scarlett Johansson was not mentioned. It got big press back in 2006 and it seems like such a glaring omission to not have some sort of explanation in the book especially living in the #metoo era. I really do hope his thoughts on the matter find their way into this book before it's published.

Overall, I do recommend this book not only if you are a fan of his but also he really is a unique individual so if you like memoirs this is a pretty safe bet.

I won a free copy of this book but was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a long-time reader of memoirs and have found there are two types. One is a "slash-and-burn tell-all"; mean, venal, and usually intended to get back at someone in the memoir-writer's life. These books tend to make for ultimately tiresome reading as the rancor gets in the way of any kind of balanced portrayals. The other kind of memoir is a more gentle, less vicious look at the memoir-writer; his life and the influences of others on that life. Isaac Mizrahi's book, "I.M.: A Memoir" is definitely the second type.

Isaac Mizrahi is a noted clothing designer who has dazzled the fashion world with his work. But like many designers, he is a man of many talents. He is also a man with many life influences, including his Syrian-Jewish upbringing, his struggle with his weight, his homosexuality and how he's dealt with it, a life-time of depression he's been able to keep at bay, and his seeming intense enjoyment of his life and work. In his book he writes about his family - parents and two older sisters - and the Brooklyn Syrian-Jewish community he grew up in. His mother was his main fashion influence, encouraged him to attend the Preforming Arts High School, and has been a huge booster of his career. His father's acceptance was somewhat more difficult; Isaac's early "differences" from the other children and his artiness made the father-son connection tenuous. When Isaac's father told him he loved him right before his death, it was an important moment in his life.

Mizrahi's book highlights his work and how his designs have developed over the years. His business life was often his personal life and Mizrahi has some great anecdotes of the people important in his life. His book is surprisingly kind to others while honest about himself. Of course, readers must trust the memoir-writer's truthfulness. And not only truthfulness, but trust in the writer's appraisal of his own nature. Isaac Mizrahi seems like a perceptive and honest writer and his book is quite enjoyable reading. I'm only awarding the book four stars instead of five because it lacks any pictures of Isaac Mizrahi and the people in his life and the designs he's made. I came across an article on-line from the Daily Mail which reviewed the book and published quite a few pictures that should have been in the book.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a literary world that is overcrowded with memoirs that don't have a point, Isaac Mizrahi's look back on his rollercoaster of a career in "I.M." has a point but loses it often throughout the story.

Mizrahi was born and raised in a conservative Sephardic community in Brooklyn. Surrounded by bullies and religion he found solace among puppets, theater, and design, and these items that once gave him solace propelled him into design school at Parsons, work with the likes of Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein, and eventually gave him the moniker "the bad boy of fashion." Much of the book bounces from chapter to chapter in Mizrahi's life as he opens his own fashion house, wins a Sundance award for his documentary, makes a deal with the devil in Chanel, and then leaves fashion as he grows up. "I.M." shines a light on the "incrowd," obsessed world of the bougie 80s and 90s, and Mizrahi does well at pointing out how the 21st century revolted against this world, refusing to allow the fashion editors, who too often confused themselves for gods, a pedestal on which to remain.

Mizrahi's voice comes through best when reflecting on the pieces of his childhood and young adulthood that connect his creativity to his vulnerability. Unfortunately the book loses much of this vulnerability as it progresses, and Mazrahi, unable to acknowledge how the linkage between his loneliness and feeling "abnormal" for being unmarried at 40, ends his memoir in so cliche a way it makes the zeal and zane of the early portion disappear. For heaven's sake, Isaac, you of all people should know there is nothing better than feeling abnormal.

[Billie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, damn. Now I have another (imaginary) new best friend.

I love memoirs on audiobook, but spending so much virtual time with the author-narrators really does give one a false sense of intimacy. This isn't a bad thing, it just makes me feel slightly melancholy when I realize that I don't, and likely never will, know these fascinating, funny people.

Now I just need to figure out the seating chart for my rollicking, imaginary dinner party. I hope everybody likes mac-n-cheese and wine in a box.

[Meribeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing is authentic, you can clearly hear Isaac’s voice. The only thing that would make this a better memoir would have been to include photos of his fashion designs and the significant people that were and are part of the story!

[Emily Stepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This truly was a performance in book form. You must listen to this read by Isaac himself, there is no other way. I love everything about him!!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading iconic fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi's witty and disarmingly candid memoir is like sitting down with a smart, warm and opinionated friend who effortlessly captivates with tales of triumphs, failures and perseverance. Mizrahi begins his memoir as a pudgy and insecure gay boy growing up in a Syrian Jewish Orthodox family in Brooklyn, N.Y. "I've always identified more as a woman than anything," writes Mizrahi, "and if times were different I might have chosen to become a female in appearance; in a lot of ways I operated in the family like a third daughter more than an only son." After eight years at a yeshiva school, Mizrahi was accepted at a Manhattan performing arts high school and began to bloom.

At 15, he launched his own fashion line, creating clothing so outrageous that the outfits gained him and his teenaged friends entrance to the notoriously exclusive dance club Studio 54. During these years, he writes, "The gay culture in that world nourished me in some ways and fed my self-loathing in others." The workload of designing also hindered his sex life. "One traded one's sex life for a life of fashion servitude," he writes. "We were referred to as 'Fashion Nuns.' " Then, his friends and coworkers began dying from a mysterious new disease called AIDS.

There's plenty of star-studded gossip and insider information (he and Sandra Bernhard considered having a child together). But mostly I.M. is a heartfelt and inspiring memoir told with candor and style. It'll be catnip for book clubs.

Isaac Mizrahi's candid, witty and stylish memoir mixes gossip and heartfelt tales of overcoming long-held insecurities.

[Ryo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book for free in a giveaway.

I'm not a big fashion person, so I didn't go into this memoir knowing a lot about his fashion design work. The first half of the book, where he describes his childhood in a Syrian-Jewish household, struggling with his sexuality and pressures to conform to traditional gender roles, paints an interesting picture of his origins as a fashion designer, though it does kind of drag on for a bit longer than I would have liked. The second half, though, seems to actually go by too quickly, in contrast. Years go by in a matter of sentences, the timeframe sometimes jumps back and forth, and his romance with the love of his life takes up a very tiny part of the book. The second half of the book is full of famous names and brands, which I suppose is a large part of the fashion industry, but I missed the more intimate, deliberate feel of the first half. At times there are lists of garments or celebrities, and it feels like a bit much. But overall, an interesting memoir of an interesting person I barely knew before reading it.

[Olivia Stepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

reminded me of save me the plums a little bit. very old new york sophistication…. parties with liza minelli, cigarettes and photo shoots with audrey hepburn, europe trips with italian nobility, dinner with manolo blahnik. name dropped joe allen, un deux trois, and il cappuccino. lost me a little bit towards the end and sometimes the timeline jumped around a lot. still funny and interesting and personal

[Blake Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dramatic, campy, and fully himself, Mizrahi has successfully channeled his obsessiveness into a thoughtful and meticulous memoir.

[Tisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t read many memoirs, and I don’t keep up with fashion news, and I don’t have a Jewish mother, and I’m not struggling with being overweight, amd I’m not gay, and I don’t have time to read all the books that people recommend to me. BUT, I LOVED THIS BOOK! I’m a long-time fan of Project Runway, and I often shop at Target, and that is how I know Isaac Mizrahi. But his story is far more than a story about the rise and fall of fame and success in the fashion industry. This memoir honestly portrays his lifelong struggle with his weight, his coming to accept his queerness, his often humorous view of his own life story, his loving but frustrating relationship with his mother, father, and sisters, and his search for happiness as a gay man who doubts his every move. My son recommended this book to me, and I was skeptical at first and reluctant to put it ahead of all my other TBRs, but once I started reading, I could not put it down. He writes beautifully, and his story reveals the complex person that he is. I’m looking forward to part two, which I hope he writes, as there’s still more to tell when this one ends. If you are so inclined, which I was, you can rent and watch his documentary “Unzipped” on Amazon Prime. It’s excellent!

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of the book is beautifully written and fascinating. Issac tells of a troubled childhood in an insular group of Syrian Jews who dint accept his effeminate and flamboyant behavior. The religious school he attends is conservative and the rabbi critical of him at every turn. For high school he finally talks his mother into allowing him to attend the public performing arts school in NYC. He loves it there but the subway rides ate dangerous and upsetting. His father works in the garment district and hanging out there until his father gets off work in the evening so Issac doesn’t have to take the subway turns out to be a future career move. He learns the fashion business eat gets jobs after school, eventually turning it into his own business. His mother and father support this but he has to hide his homosexuality from them. Then the book takes a turn. The story of himself as a successful designer turns into a name dropping trope. It bored me and I was disappointed. The book needs a insert of photographs so I can get a better idea of his work. This is missing. Unfortunately it hurts the book.

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, comprehensive and candid memoir from Isaac Mizrahi. He writes well about his fascination for and eventual disenchantment with fashion and drops many, many names along the way. His personal life is on display as well. What I wish had been included were photos of Mizrahi and his costumes and early fashion. The words don't do justice to the clothes. Recommended for people who follow fashion, even from afar.

I read this while reading Viv Albertine's fine To Throw Away Unopened. The two books dovetailed somewhat, especially the dysfunctional families from which both artists emerged and the pop cultures (U.S. and British) in which the two made their marks.

[Hanje Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun hearing about Isaac Mizrahi’s life and all the interesting and famous people he has worked with and do over the years. The only downside was that although he described things beautifully, I wanted to see the dress he designed or the sketches he did. I was craving the visual. I finally did a google image search or two and found the dress Liza Minnelli wore or the sketches he drew for one thing or another. It helped, but I still think an illustrated edition is a great idea. Good stuff.

[Jodie Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book and listened to the audio book which in this case I preferred as Issac narrates it with such passion. So entertaining! So enjoyable! Funny! Endearing! The book was almost as good as seeing him in person at his performance last month in Princeton NJ.

[Michaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

---Full disclosure: I received this book for free from Goodreads. ---

A proper memoir full of background story involving coming-up in the world struggles, trepidation in love & family, & of course, the requisite coming to terms with one's own self.

I don't want to give story away, but the contrast in how sewing & clothing fit into the lives of Mizrahi's paternal line, what it was to the women in his life, & how Mizrahi, not fitting in neatly anywhere, incorporated sewing & clothing into his toolbox of coping mechanisms, was quite interesting. Additionally, I had no idea about about his "showbiz" aspirations & endeavors, so that was all new. Having knowledge about that arena much have assisted him later when designing for projects with celebrity clientele.

Personally, I quite identified with his struggle to carve out his own life & leave behind the pretenses & strictures of an upbringing in old-school religion. Doing such a thing is quite a process, but no matter how far one goes, one can never fully shake off certain bits of such an upbringing. It sits deep inside you & never quite fully allows you to to get clear of its jaw-like grip, no matter how much the rest of your psyche has developed. The fight seemingly never ends, although one does adjust to some degree.

Also, I quite enjoyed both the writing style, & Isaac's ability to own his thought processes. He has become comfortable w/ the fact of life's hardships & sadness, & as any people who have had to fight the world have done, we accept it as part of how things work. It allows oneself an ability to prepare for painful experiences & not be quite as taken off-guard by them. Unfortunately, it also leads to catching crap in the form of push-back & dismissal from people who try to ignore the difficulties of life w/“positive thinking," & other bullshit forms of denial that set people up for disappointment. In reality, people who anticipate the possibility of problems are often better prepared to weather them when they arise. Most people, however, misinterpret the psychological processing of stress & anxiety not as a coping mechanism to deal w/ potential disasters before they strike, but rather as negativity or cynicism, or pessimism, rather than a realistic view on the world. To be successful, however, one must be prepared, & that entails anticipating potential hurdles & preparing for them, which is in fact exhausting, although many times worth it in the end if one is really committed to their goal. In Isaac's case, I believe it is safe to say it has paid off. I do wish we could quote from the ARC's, b/c I LOVED a paragraph wherein he seems to have accepted who he is in this particular regard. I paragraph which I particularly saw myself in. (P. 360 at the bottom, re: the dog & giving in, trying one's best, & "complaining.")

Finally, I wish to say that Mr. Mizrahi has broken a wall in my mind. The way this book is written there are a lot of sentences beginning w/ conjunctives. That is a pet peeve of mine for which I normally would not stand. Under normal circumstances I would consider it lazy writing, & the effect of it would be such that I would lose my ability to remain in the story. I've given up many books altogether b/c the fragmentation caused by such writing left me disconnected & unable to participate in the narrative. In other words, the disjointedness would normally keep throwing my mind out of the story, & I'd eventually become tired of all the effort necessary to repeatedly re-enter the tale, & would abandon the book altogether as a wasted effort. (Always frustrating.) In this book however, the effect was such as to successfully mimic Mizrahi's manner of speaking. I was so surprised at how well such a thing was employed, so that it became a rather appropriate stylistic choice that allowed him to be there speaking to me as I read it. If one is not familiar w/ the way in which Isaac speaks, pull up a bit of video before reading this book. You can hear him thinking, & witness the very deliberate attempts to accurately convey what it is he is working through in his head before & as he speaks to another. It's wonderful, & as such I will applaud the writing style.

I recommend this to anyone interested particularly in fashion, of course, but it might also be a good fit for those caught in a structure that has already laid-out who they are expected to be, if they are struggling w/ a self-identity that does not conform to those particular standards &/or expectations. Ultimately this book is about owning who you are, & the struggle that comes with accepting that, no matter what your dreams or goals are in this world. It addresses the very real internal fight that comes when insisting to the world at large upon ownership of oneself. All of that, mixed in with stories of the particular era he was living through, & flavored w/ his olde world, & old Hollywood originating influences, makes for quite an interesting combination on one's mental palate. Definitely a pleasing experience for this reader. (Thank you, Mr. Mizrahi.) –-- Oh, & I would be remiss to not mention the very classy cover choices. Well done, indeed.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a life!

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook. 13 hours of just Isaac and me in my car. I wasn’t bored for a second.

[Maggie Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isaac is deeply introspective. He has made his career about beautiful things. Lots of names, he dressed everyone beautiful. I love everything about this story.

[Ursula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started to read this book and it felt slow to me. Got the audiobook and enjoyed it much more. I found it refreshing that Issac was honest but yet not mean spirited about people in his life. It made me like him even more. I loved all the late 1970-1985ish NYC restaurants and clubs named in the book. It brought me back to that incredible time in NYC. Great memoir to add to your list.

[Judith von Kirchbach · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the book since it was the book club pick for the Happier with Gretchen Rubin Podcast book club, but it did not really capture me in the way other books have.


I knew a bit about Isaac Mizrahi and was excited to learn more and I like reading memoirs, but I did not enjoy this book.
The book is s l o w. It reads like Isaac Mizrahi is telling the story to a note taker and constantly goes off on tangents, much like we all do when telling a story. The problem, is that this was not corrected during the editing. The writing is all over the place and there is a lot of repetition, which is boring. It is a constant who is who name dropping, that feels lacking any real merit, there is no deeper meaning or thought implied it is really just relating having met so and so for lunch, which feels strange especially since the book definitely did not need dropping the name of the 37th famous person. Also, his timeline of events is constantly changing. He is such an interesting man and there is a fascinating biography there, I wish that his editor helped him to better organize his thoughts on page.
I was disappointed by this book club pick, thankfully I liked the other memoirs much better !

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a huge fan (or critic) of the writer. Pretty much didn't know who he was. Just sounded like a good book and it was a good read for a few days. Got it from the library so the $ was perfect. I think fans of his fashion or show biz stuff might really like it. It's well written and I am jealous that he went to the high school that the movie "Fame" was about.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve long been charmed by Isaac Mizrahi and adore him even more now. His life is fabulous and full of success and the who’s who. The big surprise to me was how much of a religious (Jewish) upbringing he had. His story of the time and place he was brought up in while hiding his gay identity was fascinating.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really serving up the scalding hot tea I was hoping for. More heartfelt and introspective. I did appreciate his whole "Kids, in the late 80s, the general population was scared of and mean to gay people" thing. It wasn't that long ago, Aquaria.

[Sue King · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little hard to follow sometimes but reading it is probably like being in Isaac Mizrahi’s brain. I enjoyed the stories he told in this memoir. He’s a fascinating guy.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm off memoirs

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hats off to Isaac Mizrahi for his candid, highly personal memoir. Mizrahi is a true Renaissance Man – fashion designer, cabaret performer, talk show host, QVC presenter, director and writer, who, from childhood, worked hard to develop his talents and has succeeded across the board.

It wasn't easy for Mizrahi to grow up in the conservative, insular community of Syrian Jews in Brooklyn. He broke every norm as an artistic homosexual in an environment that was highly critical of anyone who challenged the status quo. Having lived in Brooklyn for a number of years just blocks from the Yeshivah of Flatbush, the religious day school he attended as a child, and being a mainly non-religious cultural Jew myself, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for him from the late 60s into the 70s and beyond.

It is easy to forget just how different things were for the Gay community back in the late 80s when Mizrahi was a young man, where even in New York, rampant, systemic homophobia was everywhere. I worked in the fashion world too, and counted many Gay men among my friends, acquaintances and colleagues, and the horror that was AIDS decimated and changed that world drastically. It is sad to remember the deterioration and deaths of my neighbor just down the hall from my Manhattan apartment, then a co-worker and friend's lover, and every day the sight of so many young men who were once healthy and vibrant barely able to cross a street, and the constant obituary notices in the New York Times of both the famous and unknown (except to their partners, families and friends).

Despite that backdrop, Mizrahi has had a spectacular career, with great successes as a designer and in the theater arts. He tells all, or at least quite a lot, in this recent memoir. Listening to him read his book is both fascinating and excruciating.

It is fascinating and exhilarating to hear of his development of his many gifts from childhood onward, and his relationships and friendships with his clients and friends, who have been legion. He has known, worked for or made clothes for nearly every big name in the worlds of fashion (Perry Ellis, Halston, Richard Avedon, Anna Wintour...), entertainment (Liza Minelli, Barbra Streisand, Sandra Bernhard, Sarah Jessica Parker...), literature, dance, art and design (Mikhail Baryshnikov, Maira and Tibor Kalman). There are so many amazing anecdotes about the famous names in this book that should be for the reader/listener to discover for themselves.

The excruciating yet also enthralling part is his recitation of his painful childhood and family relationships, his struggles with depression, weight and insomnia, and his disappointments in his work, friendships and intimate relationships. It is impossible not to feel for him, especially listening to his story in his own voice. He has experienced more highs and lows than most of us would ever be willing to reveal.

For anyone with any interest in fashion, theater arts, New York life from the 60s onward, especially as seen through the eyes of a true insider, this memoir will keep you listening, or turning the pages, to learn more or perhaps to remind you of your own triumphs and struggles, whatever they may be.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He's some designer who sells his clothes at Target."

Prior to this book, that was the sum total of my knowledge of Isaac Mizrahi. As anyone who knows me can attest, I'm never going to be accused of being a fashion maven so that's actually more than I know about most designers.

Needless to say, this book was nowhere near my radar. But, the two memoirs I pegged to mark off my TBR list aren't available as audiobooks so I decided to play a little game of "Library Book Roulette" and listen to the first book that was recommended.

I admit I had a moment of hesitation before confirming I wanted to check this out because, ugh, a stuffy designer? Is that really what I was in the mood for? Well, no, but it turned out I was pleasantly surprised and in the end very happy with the book the library chose for me.

Mizrahi is nothing at all like I was expecting. His memoir is brutally honest, made me laugh more times than I can count and also at one point made me cry. Growing up "different" in a tight-knit Jewish community at a time when being gay was still very much taboo (though not understanding at the time what being gay even meant or was or that it even applied to him), Mizrahi did not have an easy time of it and quite frankly, I found myself happy for him thinking of what a big F.U. his ultimate success was for those who made his life miserable as a child and teenager.

This story has a lot of heart. It starts with his early childhood and carries the reader through his life up to around 2018 - 2019. It is full of honesty, confusion, heartbreak, humor, love and loss and ultimately triumph. I'm happy to say my preconceived notions were off the mark and I'm glad I listened to this as it left me feeling admiration and respect for what he went through to succeed. He does kind of bounce back and forth a bit with the storytelling and that can be confusing - one second he's in college and then all of a sudden he's back in high school type of thing - and there is a lot of name dropping, though not in a pretentious way, but more in a matter-of-fact "this happened because of my relationship with that person" sort of way. You don't become one of the top designers of your time without having relationships with famous people! But I did get bored with it after awhile.

I suspect he has a lot more stories to tell and I found myself curious as to how he chose to tell the ones he did - and what those who he included in the book think about his sharing them! I can't say that I'll run right out and buy his clothes, but I will definitely recommend his book to those I think will enjoy it.

[Shelby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I ended up not hating it as much as I thought I would, although he remains largely stream of consciousness (almost) and he still uses the word effeminate way too often. He name drops a lot of the time, and his stories start somewhere almost interesting, then by the end of the chapter you realize you took four subject jumps back into him name dropping famous people he’s met.

I can see how the book would be attractive to someone, maybe they are more familiar with the fashion industry, they have lived in New York or they currently do and can go along with the descriptions of the city. But it just didn’t hold much for me. Some of it I related to, being gay in a religious family and coming to terms with the fact that he couldn’t tell his father (mine too died before he “knew” knew of me, if you can make sense of that) and his descriptions of his feelings appeal to me, but he’s just so overtly pompous? Is that the right word for it? I’m not sure, that feels too harsh, but nevertheless somewhere along those lines. He also says things...especially in the beginning, that you just know are fake, or exaggerated. A 6 year old standing up to a clerk telling him his mom “isn’t his honey”? Nope I don’t buy it. He paints himself as this savior of women’s rights, and really he just is overly infatuated with his mother? That sounds harsher than I mean it to, once again, but I just don’t know how to explain it...I’d say read to get the feel but honestly it isn’t worth the read. It’s almost 400 pages of him humble bragging about his career sprinkled in with insights on what it was like to be an closeted/then openly gay man in the 80s.

The book was interesting, the world has changed so much since his book, although you’re never really sure of the timeline he jumps around so much. I would give it 2.5 stars but ya can’t do that here. I wouldn’t recommend the book to anyone unless they were very into fashion, or even had a slight idea of who this man is.