NONFICTION - June 28, 1992

IN VOGUE: 75 Years of Style by Georgina Howell (Conde Nast Books: $45; 255 pp.) The cover sings “Think Pink,” but the chorus of icons and images pictured inside are not just pretty faces. This is British Vogue’s 75 years of style--every one of which wears the face and fashion of a country shaped by war and its ensuing hardships. Long or short, change is the only constant, for inherent in war is drama even for generations to come. Add to this drama a chronic case of island fever and it is no wonder the English have produced the remarkable stable of talented artists, writers, editors and entertainers reflected in these pages.

Beginning with World War I, Georgina Howell kicks aside the rubble and peeks behind every door, looking into the lives of a people who thrive on the dramatic. What she finds is an England fashioned after the humor and fantasy salvaged from a history of hardship. Making less look like more takes a certain ingenuity, and that is where the British sense of style comes into play. Lean and spare as a pencil-thin skirt made on rationed fabric, this tale will seduce you into laughter as it teeters and totters on its heels, falling straight into your arms. Surprising as a new look at an old friend, “In Vogue” is a picture book worth reading.