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The Style Checklist: The Ultimate Wardrobe Essentials for You
America’s favorite “Style Guy,” and author of two style guides for men as well as our own, Before You Put That On , now encourages and teaches women how to “shop their closets” first and buy with an intelligent eye. His style philosophy is: Less is Modern.
The good news is: the most stylish clothes you can have are probably already in your closet. But savvy women are on a perpetual quest to find the perfect addition to their wardrobe: the perfect bathing suit, a traffic-stopping pair of jeans, that classic little black dress. While the editorial pages of high fashion magazines can offer inspiration, they can’t help you find what works for your looks and lifestyle. But Lloyd Boston’s The Style Checklist offers basic guidance to help make your everyday commute your runway. With solutions to common fashion problems and a lot of how-to advice, this book simplifies and demystifies how to achieve style.
The good news is: the most stylish clothes you can have are probably already in your closet. But savvy women are on a perpetual quest to find the perfect addition to their wardrobe: the perfect bathing suit, a traffic-stopping pair of jeans, that classic little black dress. While the editorial pages of high fashion magazines can offer inspiration, they can’t help you find what works for your looks and lifestyle. But Lloyd Boston’s The Style Checklist offers basic guidance to help make your everyday commute your runway. With solutions to common fashion problems and a lot of how-to advice, this book simplifies and demystifies how to achieve style.
- GenresFashionNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2010
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106 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 30, 2010
Is ultimately a checklist for women who want a classical style--not for fad followers!
April 28, 2023
In spite of the fact that this book is aimed at upwardly mobile women who have more money than fashion sense - there were a couple of small nuggets of wisdom for the "average" fashion consumer that are worth remembering.
1. Set a budget for slightly higher than you would expect and then go over it a bit more - even if it hurts, because quality definitely shows both in style, and in durability of the goods purchased. (this I knew)
2. A good tailor is your best friend - because unless the item has been specifically made for you - it probably won't fit as well as it could without a little assistance from an excellent tailor. (this I knew)
3. Stylish women never have the designers name splashed all over their clothing and/or accessories. (this I knew)
I enjoyed the handy suggestions on how to pair your items if you want to look good, better or best. I also appreciated the very handy 5 page checklist of the "essentials" that every fashionable woman should have.
Not as fun were the suggestions regarding how to wear things based on your age. Some of them totally smacked of "ageism" and they just don't take into account that sometimes even if you are 60 or older - you can wear something that is marketed specifically to a 20, 30, 40 or 50 ish woman because you have the body for it and/or you have the confidence to pull it off.
And while I don't intend to dispose of the bulk of my wardrobe, - there are definitely some upgrades that I can make to look my best.
1. Set a budget for slightly higher than you would expect and then go over it a bit more - even if it hurts, because quality definitely shows both in style, and in durability of the goods purchased. (this I knew)
2. A good tailor is your best friend - because unless the item has been specifically made for you - it probably won't fit as well as it could without a little assistance from an excellent tailor. (this I knew)
3. Stylish women never have the designers name splashed all over their clothing and/or accessories. (this I knew)
I enjoyed the handy suggestions on how to pair your items if you want to look good, better or best. I also appreciated the very handy 5 page checklist of the "essentials" that every fashionable woman should have.
Not as fun were the suggestions regarding how to wear things based on your age. Some of them totally smacked of "ageism" and they just don't take into account that sometimes even if you are 60 or older - you can wear something that is marketed specifically to a 20, 30, 40 or 50 ish woman because you have the body for it and/or you have the confidence to pull it off.
And while I don't intend to dispose of the bulk of my wardrobe, - there are definitely some upgrades that I can make to look my best.
February 7, 2017
This is one of my favorite books for wardrobe essentials. Lloyd Boston's book helped me choose pieces that I could mix and match for everyday where from office pieces to out on the town. I still refer to this book regularly.
August 27, 2020
Great guide. Good to pull out every so often when editing your closet.
January 2, 2017
I think this is a very solid book centered on building a wardrobe. Although most of the clothing and accessories featured are what I would expect to see in this sort of book, Boston includes several wardrobe elements that wouldn't have occurred to me otherwise. The photography is beautifully done as well. I would have appreciated more concrete information on which brands to choose (the only brands Boston really mentions are Chanel and Tiffany which need no recommendation), what to look for in terms of fit for different body types, what to request in tailoring for garments based on body type, and how to care for and store the garments.
October 27, 2012
No exactly a novel, but it’s already in goodreads so I’ll add it to my list ;-)
I’m revamping my wardrobe and borrowed several fashion books from the library. This was the first... each page is dedicated to a “classic” item of clothing that the author thinks every woman should have in her closet.
The author opens the book with a prologue in which he states that well-dressed women don’t have huge closets. They have a few quality pieces that they recycle. Less is more. Love that! The trick is to have the right few pieces - “classic” items - and the book’s goal is to help with that. However, once this wisdom is dispensed, the book follows with about 100 “must have” items.
My goal is just to have a few go-to outfits for each season. To truly get quality and reuse! But, I live in the midwest, not a major city or fashion mecca. Excluding work, different peer sets usually only see me about once a month. Three nice outfits a season gives me a new outfit each month.
However, I enjoyed looking through the pages at each item. Clearly the author had to cast a wide net with his “classic items” to capture all style types. I am about 75% classic and 25% chic. (No bohemian or whimsical here.) So I easily discarded half his recommended items based on those basic style types. I only want items I love and know I’ll wear!
Looking at each item separately made me think about pieces independently and re-imagine how to pair them with other pieces. I also appreciated the history included with several pieces. I love knowing how styles came to be - it makes them feel more special. I also appreciated his style and fit tips included with certain pieces.
I should mention that I found this book applicable to all races. The author is black and uses a lot of black women as his “style icons” (ughh, Michelle Obama) and gives specific advise to “sistas” in his book. At one point he even references “ghetto speak”! However, (if you aren’t black) overlook that and you will still get good information. He does a good job of pinpointing classic items that transcend race.
Overall, I’m glad I read this book. It helped me identify some classic, reusable items to seek out when building my wardrobe.
I’m revamping my wardrobe and borrowed several fashion books from the library. This was the first... each page is dedicated to a “classic” item of clothing that the author thinks every woman should have in her closet.
The author opens the book with a prologue in which he states that well-dressed women don’t have huge closets. They have a few quality pieces that they recycle. Less is more. Love that! The trick is to have the right few pieces - “classic” items - and the book’s goal is to help with that. However, once this wisdom is dispensed, the book follows with about 100 “must have” items.
My goal is just to have a few go-to outfits for each season. To truly get quality and reuse! But, I live in the midwest, not a major city or fashion mecca. Excluding work, different peer sets usually only see me about once a month. Three nice outfits a season gives me a new outfit each month.
However, I enjoyed looking through the pages at each item. Clearly the author had to cast a wide net with his “classic items” to capture all style types. I am about 75% classic and 25% chic. (No bohemian or whimsical here.) So I easily discarded half his recommended items based on those basic style types. I only want items I love and know I’ll wear!
Looking at each item separately made me think about pieces independently and re-imagine how to pair them with other pieces. I also appreciated the history included with several pieces. I love knowing how styles came to be - it makes them feel more special. I also appreciated his style and fit tips included with certain pieces.
I should mention that I found this book applicable to all races. The author is black and uses a lot of black women as his “style icons” (ughh, Michelle Obama) and gives specific advise to “sistas” in his book. At one point he even references “ghetto speak”! However, (if you aren’t black) overlook that and you will still get good information. He does a good job of pinpointing classic items that transcend race.
Overall, I’m glad I read this book. It helped me identify some classic, reusable items to seek out when building my wardrobe.
June 9, 2012
This was a fun read. More useful to someone still in the workforce. Also for a young person, probably working in a larger city. That said, I enjoyed the approach that Mr. Boston used. Chapters are headed Work, Weekend, Saturday Night, Travel, etc. Within each chapter, stylish choices are presented. For example Saturday Night starts off with The Party Dress. Options and essentials pertaining to the dress, in this case, are given a 1-page discussion. The highlighted item (dress) is in a full-color photo on the facing page, paired with its perfect partners. In the case of the dress, these were The Nude Heel, The Signature Scent, The Cocktail Ring, The Statement Evening Bag, and Tiffany Diamond Studs.
There's quite a lot of room for personal differences and choices, but the book would be a useful guide, I think. Even though I might pass on the cocktail ring and the diamond studs - I get the concept. I like that the author explains the "why" as well as the "what". That's what makes it a useful book - only for women, though. No men's styles are presented. I suspect they may have an easier time of it? Dunno. But this book is for women.
There's quite a lot of room for personal differences and choices, but the book would be a useful guide, I think. Even though I might pass on the cocktail ring and the diamond studs - I get the concept. I like that the author explains the "why" as well as the "what". That's what makes it a useful book - only for women, though. No men's styles are presented. I suspect they may have an easier time of it? Dunno. But this book is for women.
January 9, 2018
I've read so many wardrobe checklist books and none of them seem to be saying anything new. Perhaps this is because the requirements for an acceptable wardrobe never really change. I agree that there are basic closet items that are helpful such as camisoles, jeans, suit jackets, evening dresses, but what demographic are these books addressing? What type of woman? What lifestyle? What size? It is important to say. It is not enough to say "style checklist." What kind of style? The conventional, corporate style? Whose style? A lot of the items were ok, but I wouldn't say that they were necessarily stylish- at least not in my eyes. A lot of the items are just not necessary for the average person. That is why I think it is important to define your audience. However, what made this book ok in the end is the checklist at in the back of the book. If you have no idea how to dress and you really need some pointers... or if you just got a new job and you feel like you don't exactly know what to wear, then this book can be helpful in that way. As far as defining style, no. This author did a good job at defining corporate/business attire.
April 26, 2012
"The Style Checklist" by Lloyd Boston was everything I hoped it would be and needed to read. I confess, I'm the girl who gets confused buying an outfit unless there's one like it on a manakin right in front of me. I'd just stand there thinking, What will I wear this with, does it match, will these pieces go together or look ridiculous?
The Style Checklist is a straight forward easy to understand guide to building a wardrobe. I love it! He names 10 must have items in each of the 10 sections, and most people are going to have a few of these staples already hanging in their closet. Mr. Boston gives suggestions of how each piece can be worn and with what. Beautiful color pictures of timeless celebrities and hot fashion accessories lend plenty of eye candy while illustrating Boston's vision. Of the 100 pieces, there were only a couple that I didn't love, but could easily substitute.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to dress nicely and build a mix and match wardrobe.
The Style Checklist is a straight forward easy to understand guide to building a wardrobe. I love it! He names 10 must have items in each of the 10 sections, and most people are going to have a few of these staples already hanging in their closet. Mr. Boston gives suggestions of how each piece can be worn and with what. Beautiful color pictures of timeless celebrities and hot fashion accessories lend plenty of eye candy while illustrating Boston's vision. Of the 100 pieces, there were only a couple that I didn't love, but could easily substitute.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to dress nicely and build a mix and match wardrobe.
January 14, 2011
I like this book and Lloyd has a lot of good information. Most of the information is geared to women working outside of the home. I wish that it had more help for those of us that do not work outside the home but don't want to live in sweats and t-shirts either.
January 16, 2011
2.5 stars. It was ok, but I guess I thought there'd be more about what to choose for specific body types - it was all rather vague. Interesting to see what some people think are "essentials" that most regular people can't afford....
September 15, 2013
I don't like style books that are just a list of items. I don't need 1 suit, much less 3. There wasn't really much to take away from the book as Boston isn't teaching you how to figure out your own must have list.
December 12, 2014
Simplified, Fun & Beautiful!
November 22, 2016
Perfect book for someone needing to update their wardrobe. Boston has the perfect necessities for every occasion. The examples and ways to tie aspects of your closet together are amazing.
October 14, 2011
Pretty good, gives lots of practical advice. Liked his other book as well.
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May 14, 2019Excellent!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews