Frederic Fekkai: A Year of Style - A Beauty Guide for Elegant Women

Frederic Fekkai is a famous French hairdresser who is widely recognized as one of the best hairstylists in the world. He charges $750 for a haircut. He is based in New York, where he has owned a salon on Fifth Avenue since 1989. Fekkai also owns a salon in Los Angeles where he has created celebrity hairstyles for leading Hollywood actresses."The only real elegance is in the mind," Vogue editor Diana Vreeland famously said. "If you've got that, the rest really comes from it." Fekkai thinks like Vreeland. "Natural. Effortless. Chic. These words are music to my ears," he writes. "They evoke the very essence of a style that's both simple and elegant." The former art student has an artistic and elegant mind, and so he is able to think elegantly about all aspects of beauty from hairstyles and makeup to clothes and shoes.A Year of Style, his literary debut, is divided into 12 sections; there is one chapter for each month. Fekkai himself describes his book as "a month-by-month guide
to simplicity." For every day of the year there are beauty tips; lifestyle suggestions; or inspirational quotes. These appear in a left-hand column on most pages and supplement the main text. The chapter content usually corresponds with the month. For instance, June has a section on summer hair, and October has a guide on formal evening attire.The hairdresser's book has an emphasis on hair, but it is also about makeup, skin care, nails, clothes, jewelry, shoes, and entertaining. While there is no dispute about Fekkai's qualifications to write about hair, since he is one of the top hairdressers in the world, he is not nearly as qualified to address other related matters such as makeup and clothes. There are experts in the beauty and fashion industry who are both hairstylists and makeup artists, but Fekkai is not well known for both talents. As readers we don't know how much he leaned on other experts for his content. The book doesn't list any co-authors; it only identifies th
e photographer who provided many beautiful editorial pictures throughout his book.Fekkai covers many subjects but he often skims and moves too quickly onto something new when he could have dug deeper on the same topic. The main theme of his book is that simplicity is the key to style, but he can oversimplify. Simplicity is good, but Fekkai can be extremely conservative and a minimalist.For example, in his section on manicures, he says women shouldn't wear bright nail polish during the day or have acrylic nails. It's always risky to tell women what colors they should wear or like. Neutral colors can be pretty lifeless and boring if you're not an attorney, a librarian, or over 80 years old.Some women may find the book annoying by its sheer weight. It is much heavier than most beauty books. It is more like a coffee table book--at 2.5 lbs it weighs as much as a laptop! The publisher really should have used thinner paper, especially when the book is designed to be read every day.
The text is double-spaced and about every other page has a full-page photo, so there is not as much content as you would want in 288 pages. It is more like a 144-page book.After a while some female readers could find it a bit obtrusive to hear yet another piece of advice from a man in one more area of their lives. And what woman wants a man to tell her what should be in her purse?! The author is trying to be helpful, but eventually it can feel almost excessive, stifling or controlling.Some of the daily suggestions which require money indicate the book was written for upper-middle-class or even upper-class readers, i.e., women who can afford to get their hair cut at his salon, or jet off to Paris. But most of his ideas are reasonable and suitable for virtually any income level.It's a little frustrating that there aren't pictures of Fekkai's best hairstyles. Didn't he think readers would prefer to see pictures of his completed haircuts rather than ones of him cutting hair? Hi
s failure to show off his masterpieces was a huge lost opportunity, because a book of them hadn't already been published before this one, and hasn't been created since then.The title could be misinterpreted to suggest the book is mostly about clothes and not hair because the word "style" is commonly used to discuss clothes. But there isn't that much about clothes; up to half is on hair.A Year of Style is light and relaxing reading but it doesn't have too many new ideas or unique opinions. Its uniqueness and greatest value may be the basic concept and format where there is daily advice about beauty and lifestyle for an entire year. It can help create the habit of regular attention and focus on a good goal of a simpler and more elegant life.Fekkai shares some personal anecdotes but not enough. The volume is not an autobiography, but it would have been more interesting if he had shared more entertaining stories from his envied, glamorous life with the rich and famous.Frederic F
ekkai generally takes few risks and avoids all manner of controversy, but one of his strongest statements in the book is that he is against trends. He notes, however, he favors change. His idea is that it is better to wear what isn't trendy but flatters you than to follow a trend which is unflattering for you.Fekkai's intended audience naturally is women, especially those in their 30s and older, but he also offers some advice for men. One suggestion he made was men could wear evening watches with a mother-of-pearl face even though this style is much more common in ladies' watches. Because the look is fairly subtle, he believes it works for men, too. He has one piece of advice for parents about their kids: they should not get their hair cut at a salon until they are at least five years old.It's a good book for every woman who enjoys a light air of sophistication. You could call it the "Elegance Bible." It can lift your spirit in many aspects of daily living. It would suit fem
ale readers who need to tone down their style a bit, or those who want to keep it conservative. "Less is more" is one of the themes, but it's now almost a tired cliché. Anyone who is tired of minimalism may not like it. He's at the opposite end of the spectrum where there is no escapism or opportunity to let your freak flag fly.A Year of Style has the feel of a fashion magazine because of its liberal use of editorial photos and beauty tips. So it would be enjoyed by anyone who likes women's magazines. It is also a good book for those who want to slow down and simplify their lives in 2011 without sacrificing style, color, elegance, and creativity. Pick up a copy if you're a very busy person but your new year's resolution or goal this year is to stop and smell the roses.

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