Grace & Style: The Art of Pretending You Have It

by Grace Helbig Narrated by Grace Helbig

Overview

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grace's Guide, comedian, and YouTube personality comes a beautifully illustrated, tongue-in-cheek book about style that lampoons fashion and beauty guides while offering practical advice in Grace Helbig's trademark sweet and irreverent voice.

It's clear to see I'm a style icon; remember, you can't spell icon without “con.”

I love clothes, accessories, and makeup as much as the next lady, man, French bulldog in a sweater, or child whose parents dressed her in a couture Halloween costume, but telling people how they should look doesn't suit me (clothes pun!). I have no authority in that department (I barely even shop in department stores). Instead this is a look at my own silly and nonsensical approach to style, and I promise only some of it is about sweatpants. This book is one part entertainment, one part irreverent fashion fun, and one part personal experience, including:

-My closet staples and jewelry MVPs, and what's actually in my makeup bag
-All about BLTs and BFFS...that is, Better-Looking T-Shirts and Best Feet Friends
-The bad-hair-day character wheel
-The Ten Commandments of online shopping
-A handy flowchart to help you decide “Should I actually buy this?”
-Red-carpet ridiculousness
-Grace Expectations: What your denim says about you
-And MORE!

I'm not stylish-I'm self-aware. I'm not polished-I'm perceptive. I'm not trendy-but I love trying. Because when it comes down to it, “style” is just a simple way of saying “I showered.”

Editorial Reviews

Sophia Amoruso

Grace embodies the first cardinal rule of style: don't take yourself too seriously. This book has heart and ha-ha's—two trends that never go out of style.”

Buzzfeed

"YouTube’s 'awkward older sister' is ushering in a new era of female friendship and femininity."

Jenny Han

"Grace Helbig is my spirit animal."

Marie Claire

Grace Helbig doesn’t take fashion (or herself) too seriously, which is what makes her part-parody-part-style-self-help guide GRACE & STYLE as funny, relatable, and, well, awesome as she is.

Tyler Oakley

Hilariously honest without missing a beat, Grace brings her irresistible voice and lovable personality to Grace's Guide. #MustReadImmediately.

Mamrie Hart

This book is just like Grace Helbig—hilarious, bright, and will cut you when you least expect it. Seriously, paper cuts are no joke. This is high-quality paper stock.

Hannah Hart

I've always looked up to Grace Helbig—and not only because she's a giantess!—because she has the extraordinary ability to accomplish whatever she sets out to do. I think this book is a testament to that.

Chris Hardwick

Grace Helbig is one of the funniest, most creative beings on this damn planet and if you don't read her book and enjoy the crap out of it you simply hate wonderful things.

Maureen Johnson

Grace’s genius is to make you laugh even when faced with something as mundane (and terrifying) as a job interview. And her honesty about her struggles with anxiety is particularly inspiring. I’ve been an adult longer than Grace, but I was doing it wrong. After reading this book, I bought six dozen sticks of deodorant, put my underwear outside my front door, and rolled around on the floor in a blanket taco. Thanks, Grace!

LA Weekly

Helbig isn't a flash-in-the-pan Internet personality . . . she's a brilliant comedienne.

Andy Cohen

"Grace Helbig is a sparkly vessel of wit and fun!"

Forbes

One of the sharpest, funniest voices on YouTube.

Kirkus Reviews

2015-12-09
A comedian and actress gives her slant on the world of fashion. In the introduction, Helbig (Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending to Be a Grown-up, 2014) delves into the very real eating disorders and body image problems she's faced in her life, but the majority of the book is a cheeky look at "one of the most hilarious subject matters in our society: beauty and style." With an off-the-wall sense of humor, the author gives readers her take on a variety of fashion do's and don'ts and provides lists of what certain types of clothing, hairstyles, sunglasses, handbags, and other fashion accessories say about a person. For instance, if you're interested in wearing a pair of jeans on a first date, Helbig provides a variety of descriptions based on the cut of the denim: "Skinny jeans means you're hip, you're cool, you're fashion forward, and you're full of guacamole and self-doubt….Flared jeans mean… well, I don't know that anyone who wears flared jeans would actually buy this book….Straight jeans mean you're gay." Sometimes the humor jumps the line from funny to borderline ludicrous—e.g., the author's suggestions of what not to wear on a night out or at work, which include recommendations like pizza and/or cookie dough, car parts, jetpacks, live snakes, meat, and board games. Despite the tongue-in-cheek nature, Helbig manages to slip in some practical thoughts under the "Mom's words of wisdom" sections, which should satisfy those who purchase the book in hopes of learning something useful about fashion. However, readers are forewarned at the end of the introduction that this book is not an "actual style guide," a statement that bears repeating. This is a humorous book on a subject many in society take seriously. For those who enjoy Helbig's sense of comedy, they are in for a great ride. A witty and entertaining jab at what's in vogue in makeup, clothing, and fashion accessories.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170769957
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	02/02/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Grace & Style

My eating disorder started during my senior year of high school.

WHOA. I KNOW. WAY TO KICK THINGS OFF ON A FUN, LIGHTHEARTED NOTE, HELBIG.

But let’s just go with it for a second. Because this book, this smattering of my thoughts on style and fashion and beauty, has been a really difficult thing for me to wrap my head around. I assumed it’d be easy to brain-barf some HILARIOUS feelings about tank tops and tube socks onto paper, but every time I tried to sit down to do it, I hit a wall. And then another wall. And another. Any countries out there looking to send a message to their neighbors and need help? Turns out I’m really great at putting up walls. HAHAHAHA, depressing sigh.

Once I started investigating why I was having so much trouble writing, I realized that no matter how funny you try to make the concept of beauty, it can still be a personal and sensitive topic for a lot of people, myself included. And I didn’t want to pretend otherwise. And I definitely didn’t want anything in this book to come across as arrogant or preachy because I’ve been negatively affected by the people and the images and the concepts touted by the fashion industries, so the last thing I want to do is trigger any insecurities you might have.

I wanted to take a second at the beginning of this book to give you a quick overview of my history of insecurity before getting into my present-day reflections on style. This is one part selfish and one part hopefully helpful. Selfish, because one of the ways I got out of the darkest period of my eating disorder was by talking about it; and hopefully helpful, because another way I got out of feeling so alone was by reading a butt-ton of books written by women who had also struggled with their body image. You see, YouTube didn’t exist during that time; instead, I bought books hoping to hear someone else’s story of suffering so I might feel less alone . . . BOOKS, YOU GUYS. So, who knows, my hope is that sharing this pretty sad personal time in my life might allow one singular person to feel less alone. And that’s completely worth it.

Or maybe you’re just here to find out five great tips for avoiding camel toe. That’s great, too! And trust me, we’ll get to that!

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