Up close and in real life, Nina Garcia, Elle Magazine’s fashion director and formidable judge on Bravo’s “Project Runway,” is an absolute knockout. Nothing she wears is necessarily on trend, but the combination of high fashion and exotic beauty is downright breathtaking. Which is why her fans are all ears when it comes to the fashion advice the Colombian-born expert conversationally doles out in “The Little Black Book of Style,” ($17.95, Harper Collins), illustrated by Ruben Toledo. “Perfection is overrated …,” she writes.
“The ones whose hair is not flawless, whose outfits are not perfect, who are somehow breaking the rules … I smile (at them) in silent worship.” Other lovely nuggets include how to avoid being a fashion victim (ixnay on the “it bag”) and a series of how-tos (how to dress on a first date, job interview, etc.) make this a fun read.
