Rate this book

I'll Drink To That: A Life In Style, With A Twist (2014)

by Betty Halbreich(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1594205701 (ISBN13: 9781594205705)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Penguin Press HC, The

review 1: I'll Drink to That is a very entertaining book about the experiences of the woman who "invented" the concept of the personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman. She gives us dishy behind-the-scenes looks at the egos of the clientele and celebs that grace her office. She, personally, is a card. She is outspoken, abrasive, opinionated and quite spoiled, although she doesn't seem to notice or care about any of that nonsense. Clearly, she has a good eye for fashion and an eye for wrapping a person in clothing that is right or suitable (in her mind ) for that person. She tells of her early life as an only child in Chicago, who was, at the same time, doted upon and ignored. She tells of her dysfunctional marriage to a philandering husband who was carefree and a life of the party t... moreype, in comparison to her uptight Germanic personality. Her best chapters are when she tells about dressing all kinds of different women, and the problems/challenges/egos involved with getting women to feel good and look good at the same time. One other note: the editing of this book was sub-par. There were a number of editorial errors that clearly should have been caught in the galley stage. All in all, it was a fun read.
review 2: During the first part of the book, I dismissed it as First World Problems or 1-Percenter Problems. The book is about stuff that most people in the world never think about or worry about – dressing beautifully and tastefully in expensive clothes & accessories. I admit I do not get the passion for fashion, but I do enjoy looking at beautiful “red carpet” dresses. I listened further and found a woman of steel behind the fashion fluff. Betty Halbreich’s marriage breaks up and her children leave the nest. Up until then, Betty has led a life of “ladies who lunch.” She is offered a retail job to fill her time, which eventually leads to her self-created job running Bergdorf Goodman’s first personal shopping service, a job she has held for over 40 years. Over the years Betty has dressed First Ladies; movie , Broadway, and TV stars; movie and TV characters; socialites and debutantes; and others who can afford BG’s fine clothes. Betty is very exacting about her job and her life – she makes her own rules. But a woman in her 80’s with money can do that. I liked her and enjoyed her stories. She may come from what I view as a frivolous world, but she is woman who broke out of the traditional life of women of her era and social class and made her own way. Kudos to Jane Curtain who performed the audio version and gave a perfect patrician voice to Betty's words. less

Download links for: I'll Drink to That: A Life in Style, with a Twist

Advertising