I.M. A Memoir
Book Review - I.M. A Memoir by Isaac Mizrahi
Join us for March’s Virtual Book Club discussing IM: A Memoir by Isaac Mizrahi! I’m co-hosting this event with Nena Ivon of nenasnotes. As always, you are welcome to join even if you haven't finished (or started!) the book. Pour yourself a glass of wine and login to a friendly, casual discussion centered around books and reading. Click here for more info.
Reading I.M A Memoir by Isaac Mizrahi at the Historic Garment District in St. Louis, MO
I used to facilitate a student reading group when I was a Senior Lecturer at Indiana University. Every semester I would choose two fashion-related books to read with a select group of students. We’d meet every two weeks (usually somewhere off campus like a coffee shop or restaurant) and discuss a few chapters of the book. That reading group was one of my favorite parts of that job. If I still facilitated a student reading group, this book would have been chosen this semester (some other books we read include: After Andy, Beyond the Label, Fashion is Freedom, In the Name of Gucci, My Journey, Sargent’s Women, and Champagne Supernovas.)
Reading I.M A Memoir by Isaac Mizrahi at the Historic Garment District in St. Louis, MO
Isaac Mizrahi has had a long, varied career. Getting his big break in the fashion industry, he is also cabaret performer, talk-show host, and a TV celebrity. He became a household name in 2003 with his collaboration with Target, the first of their high/low collections with fashion designers who usually sell high-end, designer, or couture collections. He grew up in a sheltered Syrian Jewish Orthodox family, a long way from the glamorous and colorful life of the fashion industry. He had little in common with his sisters and often felt like a disappointment to his father. In his latest memoir he talks about life growing up, his childhood creative adventures, his sex life and the AIDS epidemic, and the arc of his career. Nothing is off-limits in this memoir.
I absolutely love reading memoirs by creative individuals, as you can see by the list of books I assigned my students. There is so much to learn about the individuals behind our favorite fashion brands. I felt like I finally got a glimpse of who the real Isaac Mizrahi is, not the character he portrays in public. In this book, he comes across as much more genuine than the tv persona we’ve come to adore.
Reading I.M A Memoir by Isaac Mizrahi at the Historic Garment District in St. Louis, MO
Reading I.M A Memoir by Isaac Mizrahi at the Historic Garment District in St. Louis, MO
