CLOTHES…

AND OTHER THINGS THAT MATTER

ALEXANDRA SHULMAN

Cassell, 352pp, £16.99

Alexandra Shulman: quiet observer Neither an autobiography, nor a fashion manual, this is a memoir and social history narrated through the prism of fashion. Alexandra Shulman was editor of British Vogue for 25 years, and here she recalls the highlights and lowlights of her time by sifting through the contents of her wardrobe.

There is nothing clichéd about this fashion editor: ‘Yes, she may have had white high heels custom-made for her by Manolo Blahnik and handfuls of free Chanel jackets, but even while being a linchpin in the industry she remained fashion’s quiet observer… So many in fashion affect nonchalance, Shulman just has bags of it,’ said Kate Finnigan in the Daily Mail. For Gwendolyn Smith, writing in

inews, it was ‘an enjoyably blunt, witty read from a woman who knows that clothes are not the only thing that matter – but who understands that they teach us a lot about pretty much everything else that does’.

One of the conceits of the book is how we associate moments in our lives with whatever we were wearing at the time. Rachel Cooke in the

Guardian enjoyed this relatability in Shulman. Clothes are not only about fashion, but ‘the buying of clothes involves complex emotions as well as, sometimes, a certain spirited ridiculousness’. Still, she was critical of Shulman’s sense of discretion. After all, the author has spent time with some of fashion’s greatest icons, yet there is no propensity to tell-all.

Lauren Indvik in the FT agreed. ‘There are no insights as to how she climbed the career ladder, or navigated the choppy political waters of Condé Nast. When it comes to the famous people who pepper her book — a photo shoot with the Duchess of Cambridge, dinner with Richard Gere, a portrait session with Michelle Obama — she is resolutely closemouthed.’ More openness might have resulted in not only ‘a nice, intelligent, well-researched collection of essays, but also a riveting read’.