Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

The book had an amiable optimism and a nice voice. I'm not sure I learned anything new, but it's a nice feel-good approach to dressing. I think the title is misleading, as one expects more practical advice on using what you already have in new ways.

Catchy title spoke to me.

Indeed the content and presentation was a great reminder about revisiting and reassessing your wardrobe. Make no mistake, I love clothing and textiles. So much so that I find it hard to throw things out. I’ve held on to vintage clothing from the 1930’s (I bought in the 70’s, or pillaged from older relie’s wardrobes ‘cause I adore the styles, the fabrics and the cut of those earlier fashions.) I still have fav jeans and pants I bought in the 80’s, even if I no longer fit into them. (Indeed I haven’t for many moons. Sigh!)
So how does this book help? There’s not much that is new but I like the short, sharp presentation.it’s reminded me that I can relook at what I have, and apart from those vintage pieces, I can look at how much I can reshape my thinking and subsequently my wardrobe.
As Newberger stated, “It’s easy to lust after the past” but don’t be constrained by what you used to wear. So true! Hilariously, I recently bought a wondrous slip dress, cut on the bias (I so love that bias cut). I adored it, but crucially I had a moment’s judgement lapse and completely disregarded the truth. I am no longer a slim young thing , I’ve actually never been tall and willowy is definitely out. Fortunately it looked fabulous on my daughter, so situation saved! See I needed to look at the current me and not the past me, not be trapped by a past “narrative,” to look to the now as the book encourages.
As Newberger so pertinently reminds us,
“Lusting after someone else’s style can be helpful for inspiration, but when it comes to dressing your own body, it can frequently lead to cluttered closets filled with garments that may look better on someone else.” Oh! Point painfully taken!
The chapter on buying reaffirmed my strict policy—if I can’t return it I don’t buy from that place, and
I need 30 days to consider to return or not. Any vendor allowing that has my support. Otherwise, forget it.
And buying multiple sizes. In some cases where I’m unsure of the labels sizing I’ve done that but that’s a huge initial monetary layout so the article has to be super special for me to consider that action, and ideally the company has to offer free postage for delivery and return.
The difficult chapter was buying things on sale. Hands up—guilty! I really need to take this on board as I’m so-oo tempted!!
I related to Newberger’s word about jeans. If you find a pair that looks great on. Buy them. Better to have 2 or 3 pairs that fit well and look good than to buy more that don’t. A definite occassion when “less is more.”
This is a no nonsense look at cultivating and reassessing your wardrobe which just suited me.

A William Morrow and Custom House ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This was a short, easy read that didn't really say anything I couldn't have read in an article of Cosmo.

How to Date Your Wardrobe made me reconsider what I’m buying and why. Heather Newberger is a professional stylist who wasn't always into fashion. A tiny little, tip packed book, perfect for anyone wanting to create a style they love.

Heather Newberger discusses how to gain control of your closet. From sorting through the clothing you already own to what you plan to buy this book gives real life advice. This is not a book with glossy color photos, the author does not tell you what you should buy. She recommends that the reader create a mood board that highlights the clothing they love. Patterns, colors, and textures, if you love a particular shirt, but it's considered a men's shirt, don't count it out, add it to your board. If you buy clothing online she suggests buying three of the items, one in your size, one a size smaller and then a size larger. try on all of them and send the ones that don't fit back. She points out that the number on the label doesn't matter, what matters is the fit. She points out that the label does not make an item stylish. It's how all the pieces work together. An ugly designer purse is still ugly, the label does not make it pretty. Buying the best you can afford does not require you to take out a loan to buy a designer shoe. I like that this short book covers basic ideas to help the real person create the perfect wardrobe.

I finished this book feeling a bit unsatisfied, and I'm not sure if I came into it with the wrong idea of what it was going to be or if the book was just disappointing. This book was a short fast read, and while it had some parts I found useful I was expecting a bit more practical advice and less personal anecdotes and feel-good platitudes. There were some decent tips in this book: trying on each item of your wardrobe to see if you still like the fit & feel, looking through all sections of clothing stores (not just the sections that match your gender/age etc.) and creating a list of exactly what items you want and need to have on hand when shopping instead of aimlessly meandering. The book also gave tips for online shopping as well, although some of the advice seemed a bit obvious, like the tip to examine your purchases once they arrive because they may look different than they did online. I'm not sure this book would be worth purchasing for these tidbits alone when one can find almost all this information easily in online articles for free.

I'm not sure how I feel about the cover. I like the font and the color scheme, but the sketches of the items are a bit on the childish and not "artsy sketchy" side for a book of this type. Maybe try some different, more stylized or elegant sketches.

As for the content, I feel that this book has some very useful ideas for people who are new to the concept of making a small wardrobe and small budget work. I do wish there was a chapter on how to upcycle and style Goodwill and secondhand items. That's a reality for most of us and often requires some at least minor knowledge of how to hem and update old things. You won't find anything groundbreaking here, no, but you will find good, solid info. Each book must be taken on its own merits, as well as how it fits into the genre.

In addition, I like the thread of body positivity throughout this book. That's worth a couple stars by itself. This is a new trend for fashion books, but this book does it better than most. There's no reason people of ANY size can't look great, and this book makes that clear. Some actual PHOTOS of such a thing would have been quite helpful, but would dramatically increase the publishing costs. Maybe some more sketches? It's hard for a plus-sized person to actually believe what you are saying if we can't see it in action.

A small note: this is for women only. Men or women who dress in many male styles (a la Katherine Hepburn) will struggle a little with this one.

Practical enough, though nothing I've not heard before. It's sort of like a cookbook without pictures, in that I want to see this person's actual ability to style a not-so-great collection of someone's clothes rather than assume we can all polish our turds of a closet.

Very short but highly practical guide focused on both dressing/fashion and self perception/self love. Rooted in body positivity, this could serve as a starter text for those new to the body positivity movement or those who find the longer more academic texts on this topic imposing.

3.5 stars. A brief primer on how to approach your wardrobe in a more positive, fulfilling way.

Heather Newberger is a professional stylist who wasn't always in to fashion. This book discusses how to approach your wardrobe and better understand what's working, what's not, and how to improve what you're wearing. She divides this into easy-to-follow sections that allow you to make progress. This isn't a book about what you should be wearing, but rather about how to figure out what works for you.

I enjoyed the lessons, but overall I felt like they weren't super ground-breaking, which is what prevented a higher rating. However, her approach is definitely more practical than just telling readers what's in fashion or what looks best on what body type; that approach most often leads to failure since everyone has a unique body and lifestyle they're trying to dress for.

In this short guidebook, stylist Heather Newberger aims to help you reinvent your wardrobe and learn tricks to become more confident in your own skin. It's all about inspiring your self-confidence, and less about what clothes to specifically wear through her helpful strategies and processes honed through years as a stylist. The quick book has an informative, yet conversational tone that feels approachable, realistic, and yet is still seen as an expert here to help. It's a book for those readers who are seeking a way to upgrade your style and closet with pieces that speak to you and make you feel like a million bucks. She offers handy popup pro tips throughout with specific examples of how to put her strategies into action to really focus on how to figure out your own personal style and harnessing that. She brings further tips about shopping, including where to go, mixing things up, and how to navigate the online marketplace. It's mostly about inspiring you to think critically about clothes so that you only have and wear what you love, need, and make you feel like a star.

A delightful book on fashion and wardrobe that is free of the usual advice about what items every closet should have. Instead it takes the practical and useful approach to think about your life, your body, and your current closet to discover the things that work best for you.