Some Like It Haute

Julie K.L. Dam
Warner Books (2006)
ISBN 0446533408
Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (3/06)

“Some Like It Haute” gives the reader an inside look into the fashion world, albeit a much more humorous look than one would expect. Through the guidance of Alex Simmons, we are treated to the most important week of the year: Fashion Week in Paris. Alex is supposed to be there covering the shows for her job as a style writer, but instead, she manages to be publicly humiliated at the very first show she attends. She retreats to her hotel room in shame, only to venture back out again when someone else makes a bigger fool of themselves than she did. Once she is no longer the leading story, the world is safe again. However, Alex quickly decides to blow off her assignment, get involved with the man whose public gaffe got her out of the news, and solve a little mystery in her free time (the rare time that she is not out shopping).

Through Alex’s eyes, we see how obsessed the world is with fashion, and how obsessed the fashion world is with itself. Every move she makes is preceded by an evaluation of what effect her clothing will have on the situation. She is fashion-obsessed, yet smart and witty. Alex’s interest in solving the mystery of a missing designer is mainly in the reward of his magnificent creations, with an exclusive story to be a secondary bonus.

The characters are parodies of real people. They are over the top, haughty, self-involved, and superficial. In a word, they are fun! The situations these characters get themselves into are so crazy and unrealistic, it is hard not to question their sanity at times. In “Some Like it Haute,” Ms. Dam has given the reader a real vacation. It is a light read, yet written in a way that you can’t put it down because you want to know what the characters are going to get themselves into next. From the first page to the last, it is engrossing, and a wonderful escape from reality.

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