FASHION Magazine

By Siofan Davies

In her second title, The One Hundred (Collins, $24), Nina Garcia crafts a shopping guide to help us fill our closets with timeless, stylish pieces—from the A-line dress to the zippered hoodie. If balancing the release of her book, wrapping up her fifth season as judge on Project Runway, and starting a new gig as fashion director at Marie Claire makes you wonder how she stays on her toes, that’s easy: It’s all about the shoes, of course.

What made you write The One Hundred?
“The first book that I wrote, The Little Black Book, was really about finding your personal style, instilling confidence and getting inspired. The second book, The One Hundred, is really about shopping! Now that you’ve read book number one and prepped, because it was like a Style 101, the second one is really to inspire you to build a wardrobe of things that are of value.”

And how did you go about choosing the items that were included?
“There are items we all have in our wardrobes and might not think they are as important as they really are, but these items have really withstood the test of time and if you take them outside, I don’t know, 15 years from now, they will still be valid and useful.”

In the book, you mention looking to your own closet when deciding on the items. Did you talk to any of your friends and colleagues?
“Yes, there was a lot of back and forth with my colleagues at work and with the other editors and it’s something that, as editors, we are always speaking about: ‘What are the items that are always here to stay? What are the basics of a woman’s wardrobe?’”

You discuss the importance of “self-editing.” Can you elaborate on this?
“First of all, I think that you have to shop for the things that work for your figure and work for you. I also think that it’s important to have a closet that is edited, and what I mean by that is that it’s not about quantity, but it’s about quality.”

When you decided on the list of items, did you put them in a list alphabetically so there is no hint of which one you thought was more important?
“Absolutely. I wanted it to be almost like the fashion dictionary of items that were necessary and yes, it’s alphabetized because all the items are really equal. I’ve tried to keep in mind that we are all different personalities as women and we have very different moods. One morning we might wake up feeling this boho-chic mood, and the next day you have to wake up and be a career woman.”

Is there any particular item that is your favourite to shop for?
“I’m a big shoe addict. Unfortunately, they’re becoming more and more expensive every season. That’s not good, but it’s a hard one for me to pass by.”

So was it hard narrowing down which shoes you decided to include in the book?
“Yes, I think I still didn’t narrow it down enough. There’s like 20 pairs, something ridiculous!”

If the book had been called The One Hundred and One, what would that one extra item have been?
“It would probably have to be another pair of shoes.”

So maybe your next book will have to be all about shoes?
“Yes!”

Nina Garcia's The One Hundred is in stores September 1.

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