I myself am a big fan of books. Books offer something, I think, that the internet can't provide. Although the internet is pretty darn great, a book gives you the time to actually process what it states. You can browse through it again and again and again. And again, if needed. Now I know that this practically also can be done with something on the internet, but books, man. You can't sniff the internet, but you can sniff books (if I hadn't persuaded you yet...). 

At the beginning of September (or actually really sneaky on the 31st of August but sssshhh), I've read in one breathe Kate Moss Style: Inside The World's Most Famous Wadrobe by Angela Buttolph. Now I've owned this book for a very long time (I got it as a birthday present I think back in 2008) and had read it back then, but I hadn't had a vivid memory of it anymore. So I decided that there was nothing left for me to do than to read it again. And so I did. And I enjoyed it very much, thank you for asking.


I used to be a keen follower of Kate's dressing habits and often tried to recreate it myself. But at some point she just vanished from my radar I guess. However this book has made me fall in love all over again. The book came of stand due to the question "are you born cool" asked to miss Moss herself (or msr nowadays). The aim of this book is to answer that question as well as "What makes a style icon?'. Unconventionally, I think, she doesn't solidly just look at Kate's outfits over the years, but also concentrates on her life story in general (events, relationships and other potential influences) and how that has affected Kate´s clothing habits. As stated in the introduction "I wanted to get inside not just Kate's wardrobe, but inside her head. (...) For years we've wanted to dress how Kate dresses. But perhaps the real trick is to learn how to think how Kate thinks about clothes". 


Now to be honest, after reading this book I don't feel like I know how Kate thinks about dressing or clothes. Nor am I able to paint a picture of how her wardrobe looks like (and this isn't just due because I'm a bad painter). The book indeed gives you an insight into the dressing world of Kate Moss, only the perspective on it isn't from the inside out. It's more like you're lurking from the outside in through a tiny peephole. The door stays closed. There are a lot of people talking about Kate, but there's no Kate talking about her.

Besides that it's a really good read and it gives you a good view of how things turned out as they did for her (clothing-wise that still is). It's funny to see how certain things or people can influence you in a way that reflects back in the "small" things of life. It makes you (me) want to dig out the old photoalbums and just reminisce about life and clothes and people. And also it really makes you (me) want to go to vintage stores. They name drop quite a few... Just saying.


The book's design is very aesthetically minimal. The pictures really pop out of the book due to the consistent black and white framing (or otherwise two page coverage). I love the additional quotes next to certain pictures. It gives it a more personal touch instead of just plain analyzing data. I'd recommend it for anyone who's a Kate Moss fan or even just slightly intrigued by her (side note: if you're looking for gossip, this book ain't it. It's all purely clothes related). It's easy to read, it's filled with lovely pictures and just in general a nice coffee table book to own. And to display, naturally.

Love,
Dominique


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