This Is A Textbook, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      It might as well be!!!!!!!  Reading "Grace A Memoir," by fashionista, and Second-In-Command to ANNA at VOGUE, Grace Coddington, is like taking an Advanced Placement Course in Late Twentieth Century Fashion History.  You are going to need a notepad, darlings, because, in addition to the standard names we all know--and which I hope MY girls on here know---Prada, Dior, Gucci, Versace, Lauren, De La Renta, and Yves Saint Laurent--are names preceding the careers of some of these, whom I was not aware of.  Except Cecil Beaton, of course, with whom Grace did not have a favorable encounter.

                                       Late in the book, there is most definitely a chapter called "On Anna."  I know all of you out there, especially those who have read and seen "The Devil Wears Prada," may want to turn to that immediately, but don't.  Grace is very objective about whom she writes, including herself, and her depiction of Anna is not a hatchet job, but of a woman who knows what she wants, has humanity shining through her, if not all the time, and respects someone who does good work.  In fact, at one point, referring to "The Devil Wears Prada," Grace made me feel guilty.  She says she has no memory of the girl who worked there ,(Lauren Weisberger) who wrote it, and, when she looked the book  over, all it seemed the author did was to make fun of Anna, for profit!!!!!!!!!  Now, I am not saying I agree with this or not, I am just giving you Grace's take.  Nevertheless, you know what?  Despite this work being, as Grace terms, the bane of Anna's existence, when the film premiered in New York, Anna and her daughter, Bee, got dressed up, went on the town, and saw it!!!!!!!!!!
Darlings, even if you are not  an an ANNA fan, you have to give her some credit for having class.  But, you all know I just LOVE ANNA, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        It was admirable to see what Grace has come through--a car accident that aborted her modeling career, requiring her to have several reconstructive surgeries over a period of two years; the emotional, then physical disintegration, then premature death, of her older sister, Rose; and how she raised Rose's only child, her nephew Tristan.  Grace is a lady of substance and class.

                                          My favorite parts involved some of the shoots, particularly one in which they engaged designers to recreate scenes from children's literature, like "Alice In Wonderland" and "The Wizard Of Oz."   As I was reading all about this, I thought, "I wish I could get a look at some of these photos!!!!!!"
Well, darlings, you can!!!!!!!!!  In addition to her wonderful pen and ink drawings that reveal a delicious sense of humor, (wait till you see the one recreating the Raccoon Incident with Anna!!!!!!!!) as well as pictures of Grace at various stages throughout, at the end you get a collection of shots--and these include some of the Children's Story Photos!!!!!!!!!  They are exquisite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              But reading this book, enjoyable as it is, is like cramming for an exam!  However, if I had to put together a list of books for all my girls to make it socially in this world, Grace's book would certainly be in the Top Ten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The most educational fun one could have this Summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                If you loved Grace in "The September Issue," you will love her even more here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 But, Grace, we will have to have lunch at La Grenouille, or elsewhere!!!!!! I am deathly allergic to cats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  See you at ANNA's Christmas Luncheon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!