I'll Drink to That
A Life in Style, with a Twist
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4.3 • 140 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The stunning true story of Bergdorf Goodman’s legendary personal shopper
Eighty-six-year-old Betty Halbreich is a true original who could have stepped straight out of Stephen Sondheim’s repertoire. She has spent nearly forty years as the legendary personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman, where she works with socialites, stars, and ordinary women off the street. She has helped many find their true selves through fashion, frank advice, and her own brand of wisdom. She is trusted by the most discriminating persons—including Hollywood’s top stylists—to tell them what looks best. But Halbreich’s personal transformation from cosseted young girl to fearless truth teller is the greatest makeover of her career.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sartorial style becomes a philosophy of life in this spirited memoir by Halbreich (Secrets of a Fashion Therapist), Bergdorf Goodman's legendary personal shopper and the subject of the 2013 documentary Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's. From her affluent childhood in 1930s Chicago, through her moneyed but turbulent married life in New York, to her divorce and nervous breakdown at middle age, Halbreich recounts her life in clothes. High-end shopping had long been her major consolation when, in 1977, she found her calling: to help women rich and poor, famous and obscure find themselves by finding the right outfit at Bergdorf's. When dressing clients, Halbreich explains, "I try to steer them away from the herd and make them understand the beauty of individuality." She is a beacon of good taste and good sense, particularly when sharing her tart opinions on the vulgar fashion trends of the past quarter-century. The downside to her philosophizing is a tendency to lapse into clich . (Perhaps we do not need a personal shopper to pronounce that when she was unhappy she did not know herself, whereas "now I am happy, because I do know myself.") Still, Halbreich comes across as sage and gracious as she narrates a life full of incident, taking us inside the fashion industry and one of its great institutions.
Customer Reviews
Interesting and privileged life
You really need to love Bergdorf Goodman to love this book, but if you do it's a great time.
I'll Drink To That
Loved this book and read it in one day. Needs pictures though!