Fashionistas

by Lynn Messina

Life at Fashionista magazine can be a real bitch. Especially when you work for one.

Vig Morgan finally worked her way out of the assistant-for-the-bitch-from-hell trenches only to get stuck in a sea of editors. But Vig isn't like the other associate editors at the aggressively hip and overwhelmingly current Fashionista magazine. For one thing, she couldn't care less which star wore which designer to which party. Sure, she's clever and witty—and just as ambitious as the next overqualified underpaid underling, but she would never get drawn into a plot to depose the evil editor-in-chief. Or would she?

Jump with Vig into the choppy waters of scheming, backstabbing, free speech, flirtation and fashion, as the lackeys at the bottom of the masthead band together to take down the queen at the top, with some unexpected—but not necessarily unpleasant—results.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Fashion, Literature

286 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Lynn Messina is author of more than a dozen novels, including the best-selling Fashionistas, which has been translated into sixteen languages, and a series of Regency romance novels. Her essays have appeared in Self, American Baby and the New York Times Modern Love column. She lives in New York City with her sons.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a reprint from a book written in 2003, and it shows. I am assuming (yeah, I know what they say about the word assume!LOL!) that this book is getting ready to come out with a new publisher and perhaps as an e-edition. Some books can overcome the world's changes and roll with them; this book could not.

Fashionistas has been compared to The Devil Wears Prada -close but no cigar. The characters ALL of them were dislikable, and all of them deserved what they got except for Vig. She deserved worse.

*ARC supplied by the publisher.

[Kourtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's never good when I finish a book and think "Oh thank GOODNESS I'm done with this!" I think this stems from my mother instilling in me the need to finish what I started. I found nothing enjoyable about this book, and what was so disappointing was the hype that I built up in my head about this book.

The story is about a bunch of self-absorbed one dimensional characters trying to bring down their wannabe "Miranda Priestly" from Devil Wears Prada editor. Only difference is that Devil Wears Prada had believable characters. Between the incessant whining and disillusions of the friend, and other characters that I kept confusing because names did nothing to differentiate who was who past the narrator Vig (and with a name like Vig how could you not remember?) I just wanted the abomination to end!

I should have known this would not be good once Lindsey Lohan was on the cover spouting positives about the book. And could anyone really see her playing ANYONE in the movie version? I'm going with no...

[Lori Anaple · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know how when you have a nice enough neighbor and you say hello across the yard and it is pleasant? Now imagine that the neighbor came over and kept talking to you. The conversation doesn't necessarily make you want to poke your eyes out with red hot spears, but you don't want to invite them in and pour a glass of wine either. You know what I am talking about. That is this book.

No character development at all. Vig just works. That is it. Nothing else. Even her bit of a romantic interest is involved with her work. Her friends all work.

And here is the thing with her friends and coworkers, I couldn't keep them straight. I am not a stupid woman either. But I kept finding myself wondering "Who is this one?". Not a good sign.

Now, it sounds all depressing but it isn't complete suckage. It is a bit cute and fun. Perfect for the beach because you won't get completely invested and be loathe to put it down and get into the water.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this more than the Devil Wears Prada, which is very similar in subject matter but much, much more popular. Fashionistas is not your standard "chick lit" with its deadpan main character and its experimental form and style. It seems like the author and Maya, the main character's best friend, have something in common. I guess it doesn't please everyone, but I liked it. It could have used some more editing, though perhaps that was just my old and cheap edition.

[Pratyasha Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why my library had this tagged as "romance", since it wasn't at all a romance. This is a story of a woman finding herself in the frothy, fluffy world of fashion magazines, but without the silliness that usually comes with the finding of oneself. The writing was head and shoulders above the typical chick lit style, with almost a literary feel, and the story was fast-paced and engaging. Two complaints - the characters are thrown at you quickly, so that it is hard to remember who one is, or you wonder if perhaps you've already met this one and forgotten her, and that's why the description isn't there; and the ending is a bit too pat. Beyond that, a stellar read, and a refreshing break from the girl-gets-boy story.

[LG · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked it up thinking it would be a cheap knock off of the Devil Wears Prada. And it was.

[Jil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even ontspannend boek om tussendoor te lezen maar niet bijzonder. Qua verhaal lijkt het wel wat op the devil wears prada, maar die vond ik veel beter. Wat mij betreft geen aanrader om te lezen.

[Francesca Pallavicini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Troppo troppo troppo semplice. I capitoli davvero corti (male) e uno stile molto sciapo (magari colpa della traduzione).
Privo di sentimenti: un libro con una trama consistente, ma vuoto.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vig Morgan works for Fashionista magazine. After two years as the assistant to Jane Carolyn-Ann McNeill, Vig got promoted to assistant editor and got to live the dream. Although it seems like the dream isn’t quite what she expected. Instead of being able to write interesting pieces that she goes out and finds and then pitches to her editors, she is tasked with writing articles about the things they want. She has to write quick pieces that feature celebrities over creativity, writing something insipid over innovation. But after years of having her self-esteem shredded and her work mangled, she has lost the will to fight it. She takes her assignments and does the writing and keeps putting one foot in front of the other.

Then she gets called into the meeting.

Three of her fellow assistant editors call her into the women’s restroom for a meeting. But not their usual restroom, the nice one over by the advertising department that you need a key code to get into (truth be told, Vig didn’t even know it existed and spends the first part of the meeting just taking in the luxurious alternate reality of the sofas and beauty products and quiet of this magical restroom). But then she realizes what’s going on. The other assistant editors have a plan, and they’re sharing it with Vig because they think she’s the linchpin.

Fashionista magazine isn’t the best or the brightest. It’s a magazine about fashion and celebrity, recycling the same ideas over and over again. But that’s the magazine that Jane Carolyn-Ann McNeill wants, and she rules it with an iron fist. But her assistant editors are tired of being under her thumb, and they finally have a chance to oust her. They have a plan, and Vig is the linchpin.

Fashionista has just hired Marguerite Tourneau Holland Beckett Velazquez Constantine Thomas as the new editorial director, after her six years as editor in chief for Australian Vogue. Jane clearly was not on board with this decision, and it’s this rift that the plan is based on. For the plan, they have to get Jane interested in featuring a new artist whose work is highly questionable and often maligned, whose Gilding the Lily exhibit features statues of Jesus in haute couture, dresses mainly, but from top designers. Jane’s support of such a controversial artist will sully the magazine, and she will be fired, allowing Marguerite to take over as editor.

They have it all figured out except for one thing—how to get this artist onto the Fashionista schedule. That’s where Vig comes in. They need the events editor Alex to put the artist’s showing on his event list, and he is in debt to Vig as she did a makeover on his sister the previous year, and now she’s happily married to a rich man and they’re expecting a baby.

Vig isn’t convinced that Alex owes her one, or that the rest of the plan will work either, but she decides to give it a shot. As she tries her best to stick to the plan, she starts to learn what’s really been going on around her that she never noticed. And as she learns more about her coworkers than she ever expected to, she finds out that the plan might work after all. But more importantly, she’s starting to figure out what it is she really wants from her time at Fashionista and for her future.

Fashionistas is a story about a fashion magazine in New York City. But it’s also about young women figuring out who they are and who they want to be. It’s sly and snarky, entertaining and engaging, and smart and surprising. Author Lynn Messina brings the industry to life through the crowded cubicles of those in the middle, offering some insights for having made it that far but not yet understanding what it takes to get to the top.

I had a lot of fun reading Fashionistas. It’s a quick read, but there are unexpected twists and delightful surprises. The characters are fantastic, strong women (mostly) I’d love to work with, and I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with them. This one is a fun read for anyone interested in magazine publishing, fashion magazines, or stories about young women finding out what’s important to them and chasing their dreams.

Egalleys for Fashionista were provided by Potatoworks Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

[Ifnur Hikmah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Vig Morgan, 29 tahun, redaktur madya di majalah Fashionista. Fashionista ini majalah yang fokusnya ke selebriti. Love, life, home and décor, anything, semuanya related to celebrity. Majalah ini dipimpin oleh Jane McNaill, editor in chief yang enggak banget. Plin plan, galak, egois, moody, tapi kerjanya enggak bener. Ketika Fashionista kedatangan kepala editorial yang baru, Marguerite blablabla *sumpah, namanya panjang banget. Semua nama belakang mantan suaminya disebut-sebut*, Jane yang notabene musuh bebuyutan Marge sejak dulu terlibat perang dingin.
Sialnya, Vig diajak oleh Allison, Kate, dan Sarah dalam rencana menggulingkan Jane. Mereka punya empat tahap rencana dan Vig jadi faktor penentu karena Jane agak segan sama Vig *Vig mantan asisten Jane sebelum dipromosiin jadi redaktur madya* dan Alex Keller, redaktur peristiwa yang kayak monster karena marah-marah terus, ada utang budi kepada Vig karena makeover yang dilakukan Vig kepada adiknya. Meski awalnya ragu, akhirnya Vig mengikuti rencana itu.
Rencana itu melibatkan, Gavin Marshall, dengan pamerannya yang berjudul Gilding The Lily yang kontroversial karena bisa membuat pihak gereja marah. Vig dipastikan harus memaksa Jane meliput acara ini sehingga akan banyak protes untuk Fashionista, pengiklan mundur, dan Jane dinilai gagal lalu dipecat. Lalu, akan dipilih editor in chief baru, tentu saja Margueritte yang sejak awal sudah terlihat tulus dan baik tanpa cela.
Hasilnya? Well, unexpected.
Komentar jujur: ini buku tentang apaan, sih?
Gue minjam buku ini dari Mbak Yuska, semata karena gue tertarik dengan blurb di kover belakang. Majalah fashion dan intrik di dalamnya? I couldn’t ask for more. Gue enggak punya alasan lain buat enggak baca buku ini. Terlebih penulisnya, Lynn Messina, mantan reporter InStyle, which means, pasti feel majalahnya dapet banget.
Hasilnya? Gue kecewa.
Gue bahkan bingung mau mulai review ini dari mana.
Oke. First of all, characteristic. Gue enggak bisa menangkap karate Vig ini kayak apa. begitu juga dengan jane. Gue nangkep Lynn pengin membuat Miranda Priestley wannabe tapi epic fail banget. Gue malah enggak akan mau kerja di bawah Jane yang enggak jelas kayak gini. Marguerite lumayan. Tapi di ending ternyata Marge berbanding terbalik dengan Marge yang diperkenalkan di awal, gue enggak melihat korelasi yang nyata. Kesannya maksa. Tokoh pendamping lain juga aneh. Apalagi Maya, sahabat Vig. Sumpah, gue emoh temenan sama orang kayak Maya. Tapi secara Vig sendiri juga quirky yang literally aneh seaneh-anehnya manusia, wajar, sih, mereka temenan.
Gaya menulis Lynn juga gue kurang sreg. Memang, sih, gue baca terjemahan, tapi gue cukup mengerti tone menulis dia di bahasa Inggris kayak apa. Baru bab awal gue sudah mulai keberatan untuk lanjut. Tapi, karena gue tetap keep positive, gue berharap ada something special di halaman berikutnya. Tapi, begitu gue sampai di halaman akhir, well, gue enggak ada perasaan senang atau apa seperti yang biasanya gue rasain setelah sampai di halaman akhir.
Tiga, no chemistry. Antarsemua tokoh. Enough said.
Sekarang tentang majalah Fashionista sendiri. Gue yang anak bawang di dunia majalah aja sampai tahu kalau itu majalah enggak sehat banget. Dalam waktu sekian bulan gue jamin hancur tuh majalah. Bayangin, seorang redaktur peristiwa, which is jabatannya udah tinggi, selama dua tahun lebih enggak pernah ke kantor, enggak pernah kerja, tapi malah kuliah arsitektur dan kerja di biro arsitek lalu mendelegasikan pekerjaannya ke asistennya? Dan bodohnya, dari sekian banyak orang di Ivy Publishing, which is korporasi media besar, enggak tahu? Enggak make sense. Logikanya enggak sampai. Udah gitu Jane kerjaannya yang enggak bener juga enggak make sense. Dari pengalaman kerjanya di majalah lain yang sama sekali enggak profesional, kenapa coba dia bisa diminta kerja di Fashionista? Enggak make sense.
Dan endingnya apa banget, deh. Maksa.
Gue berharap menemukan another Lauren Weisberger tapi enggak tuh. Katanya ini best seller. Tapi, ya, gelar best seller enggak jadi jaminan, kan? Katanya akan difilmkan, tapi sejak 2003 enggak ada kabarnya tuh.
Jika ada sisi positif, mungkin gue agak related ke Vig. Vig tahu majalah itu payah tapi dia bertahan. Ketika Alex bertanya kenapa dia bertahan, jawabannya realistis. I need money and I have to live. Gue pernah ada di titik ini, dulu, dan satu-satunya alasan gue bertahan di situasi itu hanyalah karena gue butuh makan. Selain itu, Vig berasal dari Missouri yang tergiur kehidupan glamor kota besar sehingga pindah ke New York dengan tujuan kerja di majalah. Well, gue juga pernah ngerasain itu dan ngelakuin itu.
Ada satu fakta yang gue temuin di Wikipedia Lynn Messina. Dia dipecat dari InStyle karena menulis novel ini. Ini agak lucu menurut gue. Majalah Fashionista itu InStyle banget. Related to celebrity. Di novel ini, Vig menghina-hina Fashionista sebagai majalah sampai yang membodoh-bodohi masyarakat dan hanya menang di glossy photo. Isinya nol besar. Pertanyaan yang ditanyakan ke narasumber juga pertanyaan ringan enggak ada isinya. Artikelnya juga nol besar. Ketika akhirnya Vig punya ide tulisan, dia menjualnya ke New York Times dan akhirnya dia dipecat. I mean, semua orang bisa merasa, lho, kalau kedua majalah ini mirip. Kalau Lynn menulis novel ini setelah dia dipecat, bisa aja dia menuangkan kekesalannya ke novel dengan menjelek-jelekkan majalahnya. Kalau ternyata novel ini ditulis ketika dia masih kerja, berarti bisa aja dia curcol ke novel dan InStyle enggak terima lalu dia dioecat. Well, gue ingat omongan editor in chief majalah gue.
“Begitu lo kerja di sini, lo jadi ambassador majalah ini. Lo ikut menjaga citra majalah ini. So, lo harus menjaga citra majalah ini karena itu terkait dengan citra lo.”
Hubungan nasihat itu dengan Vig adalah, sebagai ambassador dia menjelek-jelekkan majalahnya. It means, dia menjelek-jelekkan dirinya. Udah tahu payah dan lo punya opsi untuk cabut, kenapa malah bertahan? Gue sering menemukan orang kayak gini. Mengeluh dan menjelek-jelekkan tapi bertahan. Gue memang pernah enggak suka sama satu kerjaan tapi gue diam. Gue jujur bertahan karena butuh gaji. Menurut gue, mendingan lo diam dan keep semua kekesalan itu daripada diumbar dan bikin orang punya impresi negatif sama lo, kan? Itu, sih, pelajaran penting yang gue lihat di novel ini.
Dalam setiap pekerjaan, kita punya opsi. Bertahan atau pergi. Apa pun pilihan kita, pasti ada risikonya. Dan kita harus siap menanggung risiko itu sendiri, bukannya mengumbar ke muka umum.
Back to this book. Terserah deh dibilang best seller author atau apa, gue enggak mau lagi baca buku Lynn Messina karena first impression yang jelek ini.

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, it seemed like I was observing a group of women making plans, gossiping, trying to reach different things, and most of the time remaining stuck in place, as it so happens to many of us. The story of Fashionistas is fun, easy to read, has incredible descriptions of places and people, and the plot is so unexpectedly so far-reaching and designed not to work that the ending is unpredictable! Dreams do come true!
I downloaded a free copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest review.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lettura piacevole, tipica dell'estate. Fashionista ti integra nel mondo editoriale in cui farsi una posizione è impossibile, soprattutto per colpa di Jane - la direttrice della rivista che incentra tutta la sua vita sulle celebrità. Libro discreto, ben scritto, pieno di colpi di scena. Sarà a causa del genere ma non ha quell'impatto emotivo che hanno altri libri. Per essere un chick lit direi che è promosso. Tre stelle meritate.

[Giofab21 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Nightmare boss within an imaginary world of excess has been the basis for more than one story so was hoping for a newer perspective than what I've heard before. A fun read but nothing extremely unique to make the impact I was expecting and felt it lacked the connection to any of the characters in order to try and find someone to relate to or root for.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest opinion.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so interested in this book, since it was compared to The Devil Wears Prada, which I loved and the premise sounded great but unfortunately it didn't live to my expectations, There were too many characters not well defined and at times the plot had no substance in it.

I'm sorry I cannot give a better review, because I really wanted to like the book but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Hmm well I just found this book boring and all the girls acted like mean girls from highschool instead of grown adult women in their late 20's and in their 30's. I feel like the author was trying to hit a "Devil Wears Prada" sort of vibe but it just didn't get my attention unfortunately.

[Tiffany Jurgens · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a fluff read but not even an enjoyable one... I feel like it's just an account of events. I feel no connection to any of the characters or the things that happen to them. Every "chapter" is only a couple pages and describes a quick moment for the character, then we pivot to something entirely unrelated for the next chapter.

[ShanKL]

I guess I am a little baffled as to the "WHY" this book is being relaunched. I could understand if it was a GREAT book but this novel is just ok. Fast read with short chapters and a ton a characters. Maybe in 2004 it was a perfect read for that time, but not sure we need it in 2021.

[Vnunez-Ms_luv2read · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a light read, but not a good read. This book dragged and made me lose interest quite a few times. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

[Jozefien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book on holiday. It is comparable with The Devil Wears Prada, so if you like chicklit and fashion, I think this is a good one 😊

[Iman Fawzi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is totally not my thing. Very thin storyline and characters. 1 star is too much!

[Emilayday Adamcyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, quick read. Some parts jumped around without a lot of segue or character description to remember who was who, but it's chick lit, so we all know what we're re getting into here.

[Tetty Marlinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

#253 - 2022
Genre: Chicklit

[zoe white · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not memorable in the slightest. took no brain power to read. i just didn't care about the characters at all. they were uninteresting and immature.

if you want a brainless book this is the one

[Ruby Astari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. A good old-fashioned American chicklit about urban career women.

[Lisanola · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[ellen bivins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was cute enough. Pretty quick read. Nothing bad to say about it.

[jacqueline tynan · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf with 20 pages left... I couldn't put myself through more misery

[marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

divertit i juvenil, love it. n’haurien de fer una peli.

[Carmen (TheReadingTrashQueen) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only once before have I been this glad to have finished a book, but in that case it was because I just didn't like the way the story didn't fit my expectations after reading what it was about. In this case, it has more to do with horrendous writing and the worst possible case of predictability and lack of imagination.

Perhaps it doesn't help that I read this after having read the Hannibal series, but normally I quite like this type of book (Shopaholic series, The Devil Wears Prada etc etc) so I didn't expect the change to matter. What definitely didn't help was the fact that I had to read this in the deplorable Dutch translation.

There is no depth to these characters, and the one character you could feel sorry for, angry for, accepts what happened so easily that you don't have anything left to be angry over; except the bad writing.

What bugged me the most about said writing is the repitition that was used. Repeating the same sentence three times, with nothing else inbetween is awful enough as it is; it could only work in a humorous way, and only once. In this case however, it was deadserious, and even I could have written a dozen different ways to write those parts of dialogue without repitition. Add to that that it wasn't just once either, but about five or six times, with the last two following each other up; nothing else inbetween but some bleak discriptions of faces and/or emotions.

I could feel my braincells dying while reading this and the only recommendation I can give for this book is to stay far far away from it.