‘Style Is Not Just a Size: Looking and Feeling Great in the Body You Have”

Author: Hara Estroff Marano

Info: Bantam Books, 1991. $15 paperback. 335 pages plus a three-page index. Marginally illustrated in black and white.

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About 35 million women in the United States wear a Size 14 or over, and yet many feel inadequate about their size because it can be hard to find stylish items that fit and flatter. The message seems to be that you have to be thin to look and feel great. Here is counter-programming to that idea.

Marano--creator of Vogue’s Fashion Plus sections--sticks mostly to concepts of esteem and confidence: not hiding how one looks, but making the most of it. And you get the whole package here, from hairstyles and makeup tips to advice on accessorizing and information on how to buy a bra that fits right.

Also, there’s information on how to evaluate your body shape and choose the fashions that make the most of what you’ve got--from jeans to lingerie and in between; how to build a successful wardrobe and always have clothes that you love to wear, not that you have to wear, and what clothing brands to look for as well as some store names you might not know about.

This is a valuable book for any woman with an image problem or who is already confident but wants to look her best. The first half of the book, Developing Confidence, especially could be an excellent guide for young women who seem to suffer the most from feeling different. Much of the advice is universal.