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The Kingdom of Prep
- The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew
- Narrated by: Cheryl Smith
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
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Publisher's summary
One of Vogue's most anticipated books of 2023.
A quintessentially American fashion narrative about the rise and fall of the first lifestyle brand, J.Crew, and what the company’s fate means for the shifting landscape of the retail industry.
Once upon a time, a no-frills J.Crew rollneck sweater held an almost mystical power—or at least it felt that way. The story of J.Crew is the story of the original “lifestyle brand,” whose evolution charts a sea change in the way we dress, the way we shop, and who we aspire to be over the past four decades—all told through iconic clothes and the most riveting characters imaginable.
In The Kingdom of Prep, seasoned fashion journalist Maggie Bullock tells J.Crew’s epic story for the first time, bringing to life the deliciously idiosyncratic people who built a beloved brand, unpacking the complex legacy of prep—a subculture born on the 1920s campuses of the Ivy League—and how one brand rose to epitomize “American” style in two very different golden eras, and also eventually embodied the “retail apocalypse” that rocked the global fashion industry and left hollowed-out malls across the country.
In a juicy business narrative rich with humor and insight, Bullock combines the colorful characters of The Devil Wears Prada, the business insight of Deluxe, and the nostalgia factor of True Prep, to chart J.Crew’s origin story, its Obama-era heyday, and its brush-with-death decline through the stories of the mercurial characters who helmed the company. There is founder Arthur Cinader, who set out to sell the Ralph Lauren look for half the price, and his daughter Emily, who turned J.Crew into a new campus uniform, and then a temple to ‘90s minimalism. Then came ex-Gap CEO Mickey Drexler—the most renowned (and controversial) retailer of his generation—who took J.Crew to a never-before-seen peak, only to contribute to its financial disaster, and the brilliant designer Jenna Lyons, who rose from the anonymous ranks of a catalogue company to become a star in her own right, but burned so bright she left J.Crew in her shadow.
Through extensive interviews with more than 100 J.Crew insiders and top industry experts, Bullock crafts an impossible-to-put-down, neon-glitter-sprinkled tale that traces the trajectory of American style, invites us into the inner sanctum of fashion’s most bold-faced names, and weaves together the threads of style, finance, and culture like no other brand’s story in our lifetime.
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Cheap fashion has fundamentally changed the way most Americans dress. Stores ranging from discounters like Target to fast fashion chains like H&M now offer the newest trends at unprecedentedly low prices. Retailers are producing clothes at enormous volumes in order to drive prices down and profits up, and they've turned clothing into a disposable good.
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Very informative and worth a listen.
- By Suuki on 12-06-18
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Chronicles of a Fashion Buyer
- The Mostly True Adventures of an International Fashion Buyer
- By: Mercedes Gonzalez
- Narrated by: Mercedes Gonzalez
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Fashion is a business of smoke and mirrors, notorious for crushing the souls of most who dare to be part of the industry. Go on a global expedition with New York City-based fashion buyer, strategist, and consultant, Mercedes Gonzalez, as she learns that there is no glamour in fashion and that only cutthroat corporate espionage prevails. From politicking with blood diamond dealers and Russian kingpins to living in indigenous villages, she has relied on her street smarts and fear of her uncle in order to outwit the industry tyrants at their own game.
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Very Enagaging
- By Rainbow on 07-31-23
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Unlabel
- Selling You Without Selling Out
- By: Marc Ecko
- Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn, Marc Ecko
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Instructive as it is innovative, Unlabel will empower you to channel your creativity, find the courage to defy convention, and summon the confidence to act and compete in any environment. This blueprint will teach you how to grow both creatively and commercially by testing your personal brand against the principles of the Authenticity Formula. Marc Eckō shares the bruising mistakes and remarkable triumphs that reveal the truth behind his success, growing from a misfit kid airbrushing T-shirts in his parents' garage to the bold creator of two hugely successful branded platforms.
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...So Real, It Should Be Illegal
- By 2Fresh on 01-20-16
By: Marc Ecko
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This Is Not a Fashion Story
- Taking Chances, Breaking Rules, and Being a Boss in the Big City
- By: Danielle Bernstein
- Narrated by: Danielle Bernstein
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Danielle Bernstein spent her youth shopping at discount department stores, getting boozy in suburban backyards, and proposing marriage to every boy she dated. By age 19, she was a college dropout living in a West Village shoebox with three roommates and only six months to prove that her blog, @WeWoreWhat, could become a full blown career...or else board the train back to her mom's house. This Is Not a Fashion Story is the down and dirty tale of how a Long Island-born teenager became one of the most recognizable names in fashion.
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Waste of time
- By Leena on 05-18-20
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Warhol
- By: Blake Gopnik
- Narrated by: Graham Halstead
- Length: 43 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
To this day, mention the name “Andy Warhol” to almost anyone and you’ll hear about his famous images of soup cans and Marilyn Monroe. But though Pop Art became synonymous with Warhol’s name and dominated the public’s image of him, his life and work are infinitely more complex and multifaceted than that. In Warhol, esteemed art critic Blake Gopnik takes on Andy Warhol in all his depth and dimensions.
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Explaining an Enigma
- By Keith on 05-05-20
By: Blake Gopnik
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Often Wrong, Never in Doubt
- Unleash the Business Rebel Within
- By: Donny Deutsch, Peter Knobler
- Narrated by: Peter Knobler
- Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Often Wrong, Never in Doubt is an inspirational book from one of America's most colorful and exciting entrepreneurs. Donny Deutsch lays out the core principles that propelled him to create tremendous wealth, build a huge and influential business, and become a national personality.
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Deutsch is cool!
- By Michael on 10-27-05
By: Donny Deutsch, and others
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How Money Became Dangerous
- The Inside Story of Our Turbulent Relationship with Modern Finance
- By: Christopher Varelas, Dan Stone
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From a veteran of the trade, a provocative and entertaining voyage into the turbulent heart of modern money that sheds new light on the rise of our threatening and complicated financial system, how money became our adversary, and why finding a new course is crucial to a healthy society.
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Must read
- By Craig M. Stratton on 02-08-20
By: Christopher Varelas, and others
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Gods and Kings
- The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano
- By: Dana Thomas
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Sastre
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In February 2011 John Galliano, the lauded head of Christian Dior, imploded with a drunken, anti-Semitic public tirade. Exactly a year earlier, celebrated designer Alexander McQueen took his own life three weeks before his women's wear show. Both were casualties of the war between art and commerce that has raged within fashion for the last two decades.
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Captivating
- By kpaige on 04-15-15
By: Dana Thomas
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Tales from the Back Row
- An Outsider’s View from Inside the Fashion Industry
- By: Amy Odell
- Narrated by: C. S. E Cooney
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Cosmopolitan.com editor Amy Odell takes listeners behind the stage of New York's hottest fashion shows to meet the world's most influential models, designers, celebrities, editors, and photographers. But first, she has to push her way through the crowds outside, where we see the lengths people go to be noticed by the lurking paparazzi, and weave her way through the packed venue, from the very back row to the front.
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Funny & Engaging
- By Sarah on 10-03-15
By: Amy Odell
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Marvel Comics
- The Untold Story
- By: Sean Howe
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The defining, behind-the-scenes chronicle of one of the most extraordinary, beloved, and dominant pop cultural entities in America’s history - Marvel Comics - and the outsized personalities who made Marvel, including Martin Goodman, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby.
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It's as if this book was written for me!
- By Greg on 03-15-13
By: Sean Howe
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Comic Shop
- The Retail Mavericks Who Gave Us a New Geek Culture
- By: Dan Gearino
- Narrated by: Douglas R. Pratt
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The early 1970s saw the birth of the modern comic book shop. Its rise was due in large part to a dynamic entrepreneur, Phil Seuling. His direct market model allowed shops to get comics straight from the publishers, bypassing middlemen. Stores could better customize their offerings and independent publishers could now access national distribution. In this way, shops opened up a space for quirky ideas to gain an audience and helped transform small-press series, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Bone, into media giants.
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A good listen.
- By Amazon Customer on 08-30-20
By: Dan Gearino
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Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem
- A Memoir
- By: Daniel R. Day
- Narrated by: Omari Hardwick, Daniel R. Day
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
With his now-legendary store on 125th Street in Harlem, Dapper Dan pioneered high-end streetwear in the 1980s, remixing classic luxury-brand logos into his own innovative, glamorous designs. But before he reinvented haute couture, he was a hungry boy with holes in his shoes, a teen who daringly gambled drug dealers out of their money, and a young man in a prison cell who found nourishment in books. In this remarkable memoir, he tells his full story for the first time.
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Textbook for the Ages
- By Joël j. Sylvain on 07-13-19
By: Daniel R. Day
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Buying In
- The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are
- By: Rob Walker
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Marketing executives and consumer advocates alike predict a future of brand-proof consumers, armed with technology and a sophisticated understanding of marketing techniques, who can effectively tune out ad campaigns. But as Rob Walker demonstrates, this widely accepted misconception has eclipsed the real changes in the way modern consumers relate to their brands of choice. Combine this with marketers' new ability to blur the line between advertising, entertainment, and public space, and you have dramatically altered the relationship between consumer and consumed.
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Lets you in on the secret...
- By Jeff on 07-06-08
By: Rob Walker
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You Only Have to Be Right Once
- The Unprecedented Rise of the Instant Tech Billionaires
- By: Randall Lane
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Over the last three years, Forbes has published in depth profiles of this new batch of billionaires, including the founders of Spotify, Dropbox, Tumblr, and Twitter. Now, in a compilation introduced and updated by Forbes editor Randall Lane, fans and critics alike will get a comprehensive look at who these super-entrepreneurs are and what they say about their own success and their plans for the future.
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Awesome book!
- By Jamal Love on 06-17-15
By: Randall Lane
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Why We Buy, Updated and Revised Edition
- The Science of Shopping
- By: Paco Underhill
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Revolutionary retail guru Paco Underhill is back with a completely revised edition of his classic, witty, best-selling book on our ever-evolving consumer culture—full of fresh observations and important lessons from the cutting edge of retail, which is taking place in the world’s emerging markets.
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Author has knowledge but poor writing skills
- By Nidhi on 06-25-11
By: Paco Underhill
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Another case of author's narration not working.
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Not recommended
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Narrator ruins this book
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The Psychology of Fashion offers an insightful introduction to the exciting and dynamic world of fashion in relation to human behaviour, from how clothing can affect our cognitive processes to the way retail environments manipulate consumer behaviour. The book explores how fashion design can impact healthy body image, how psychology can inform a more sustainable perspective on the production and disposal of clothing, and why we develop certain shopping behaviours.
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In Fashionopolis, Thomas sees renewal in a host of developments, including printing 3-D clothes, clean denim processing, smart manufacturing, hyperlocalism, fabric recycling - even lab-grown materials. From small-town makers and Silicon Valley whizzes to such household names as Stella McCartney, Levi’s, and Rent the Runway, Thomas highlights the companies big and small that are leading the crusade.
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Very informative and optimistic
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The Curious Economics of Luxury Fashion
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The book includes stories of the people and workings of luxury fashion, from New York, London, Paris, Milan—and in the rapidly growing markets of China.
By: Don Thompson
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Vivienne Westwood is one of the icons of our age. Fashion designer, activist, cocreator of punk, global brand, and grandmother--a true living legend. Her career has successfully spanned five decades, and her work has influenced millions of people across the world. For the first and only time, Vivienne Westwood has written a personal memoir, collaborating with award-winning biographer Ian Kelly, to describe the events, people, and ideas that have shaped her extraordinary life.
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The story of humanity is the story of textiles - as old as civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun, the need for textiles has driven technology, business, politics, and culture. In The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel synthesizes groundbreaking research from archaeology, economics, and science to reveal a surprising history. From Minoans exporting wool colored with precious purple dye to Egypt, to Romans arrayed in costly Chinese silk, the cloth trade paved the crossroads of the ancient world.
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Pop journalism article lengthened into a book
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To Dye For
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Many of us are aware of the ethical minefield that is fast fashion: the dodgy labor practices, the lax environmental standards, and the mountains of waste piling up on the shores of developing countries. But have you stopped to consider the dangerous effects your clothes are having on your own health? Award-winning journalist Alden Wicker breaks open a story hiding in plain sight: the unregulated toxic chemicals that are likely in your wardrobe right now, how they’re harming you, and what you can do about it.
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Well written expose proves suspicions correct.
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When Women Ran Fifth Avenue
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In When Women Ran Fifth Avenue, journalist Julie Satow draws back the curtain on three visionaries who took great risks, forging new paths for the women who followed in their footsteps. This stylish account, rich with personal drama and trade secrets, captures the department store in all its glitz, decadence, and fun, and showcases the women who made that beautifully curated world go round.
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Read like a text book for fashion students.
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Grace: A Memoir
- A Memoir
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Overall
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Beautiful. Willful. Charming. Blunt. Grace Coddington’s extraordinary talent and fierce dedication to her work as creative director of Vogue have made her an international icon. Known through much of her career only to those behind the scenes, she might have remained fashion’s best-kept secret were it not for The September Issue, the acclaimed 2009 documentary that turned publicity-averse Grace into a sudden, reluctant celebrity. Grace’s palpable engagement with her work brought a rare insight into the passion that produces many of the magazine’s most memorable shoots.
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Grace a Memoir
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I'll Drink to That
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Overall
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Performance
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Eighty-six-year-old Betty Halbreich is a true original. A tough broad who could have stepped straight out of Stephen Sondheim's repertoire, she has spent nearly forty years as the legendary personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman, where she works with socialites, stars, and ordinary women off the street. She has helped many find their true selves through clothes, frank advice, and her own brand of wisdom. She is trusted by the most discriminating persons - including Hollywood's top stylists - to tell them what looks best.
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Inspirational, but not in the way I expected
- By Sand on 10-15-14
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Becoming Elizabeth Arden
- The Woman Behind the Global Beauty Empire
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Elizabeth Arden was a household name on six continents and a millionaire several times over before her death in 1966. Arden counted British royalty and social elites from the overlapping worlds of New York, Hollywood, London, and Paris among her clients. She revolutionized skin care and cosmetics, making it acceptable for all women to embrace glamour and wear makeup—not just actresses and prostitutes. She created a successful international business empire before women gained the vote and at a time when virtually no woman owned or ran a national company.
By: Stacy A. Cordery
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Deluxe
- How Luxury Lost Its Luster
- By: Dana Thomas
- Narrated by: Dana Thomas
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Once luxury was available only to the rarefied and aristocratic world of old money and royalty. It offered a history of tradition, superior quality, and a pampered buying experience. Today, however, luxury is simply a product packaged and sold by multibillion-dollar global corporations focused on growth, visibility, brand awareness, advertising, and, above all, profits. Award-winning journalist Dana Thomas digs deep into the dark side of the luxury industry to uncover all the secrets that Prada, Gucci, and Burberry don’t want us to know.
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Great books, terrible narration
- By andrewlb on 06-09-21
By: Dana Thomas
What listeners say about The Kingdom of Prep
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Elizabeth B Carothers
- 03-15-23
Really interesting niche history
This was such a fun listen! I love a good niche history. Really interesting story of a company that we know of so well.
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- Isaac M Rosen
- 09-21-23
Great writing, slightly too long
Very much enjoyed the exhaustive reporting and the author had an impressive writing style. Performance very passable. Would have loved it had they cut 2-4 hours.
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- Michael & Sara Longenecker
- 08-02-23
Entertaining story for anyone interested in fashion and/or business
Really enjoyed this book —it was interesting, fast paced, and performed well as an audio book. My only peeve is that it is heavy on names, so without seeing them in print, my brain doesn’t really remember who she is referring to 😅 But overall easy to follow and a fun listen!
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- LAURA HERRMANN
- 03-11-23
Interesting & Well Read
Great story, insightful bits about retail. Reader is excellent. Highly recommend if you are interested in retail.
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- Jenny Jenkins
- 05-28-23
Story of My Fashion Life
Wasn’t expecting to relate so personally to this business story. But like the author, my relationship to J. Crew and what its clothes seemed to promise and what they delivered, in all its variations on a theme, defined my everyday life. I was familiar with the broad outlines of the company’s founding and the Jenna Lyons years. But there were so many interesting details worth learning about — especially since the details represent the shifts and continuities in our own society from the 1980s to the present. The writing was direct and informative and I got a good sense of who the founding family, the Cinaders, were and who Mickey Drexler and Jenna Lyons were as people and professionals.
And if you didn’t think private equity has had a loathsome impact on our society before listening to this book, you will after listening!
The reader was clear but somewhat overly so, to the point of sounding mechanical. It seemed at first that she was reading for new learners of English or something because she spoke so slowly and deliberately. I listened at 1.2 speed and that helped a lot. And she seemed to warm to the subject and sound more at ease as the book went on. She certainly seemed intelligent and put the emphasis on the right phrases which unfortunately cannot be said about all the readers found on Audible!
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- stasi1974
- 09-19-23
Where's my rollneck?
Well researched, perfectly narrated, truly interesting. This was a great story well told. Even if you don't think of yourself as a fashion fan, this book functions as a great American history lesson. Highly recommended.
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- Michal Hughes
- 06-08-23
Even as a Non-fashion girlie, I still recommend
I found this book to be a very easy and enjoyable listen. I liked how Maggie (author) included a small amount of modern history during all the transformations the company has been through! A job well done! A+
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-01-24
Great book!
I loved this book! So much behind J Crew that I never knew about, and the narrator is great!
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- gpandret
- 10-24-23
Loved it!
Found this very entertaining and eye opening.
Being in the apparel business, I learned so much and as a consumer, it was a treat to hear so many behind the curtain stories.
Well read, I listened to the audio book, long, but fast paced and worth the listen.
The history of ready to wear, the mainstays of why things go wrong, and the insight into why shopping has changed were all great parts of this book.
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- Danielle Contino
- 09-26-23
I really enjoyed this
My father worked for J Crew in the 90s and I’ve been a long time customer so I felt pulled to this story. It definitely did not disappoint, I really enjoyed listening to it
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