Fashion Is Crazy (Book Review: Simon Doonan, The Asylum)

You want to learn about the ins and outs of fashion? Read Simon Doonan's "The Asylum." Before I started reading the book, I thought this was fiction, but really the book is a collection of essays about Mr. Doonan's experience working in the fashion industry. (He has been responsible for Barney's windows for the past 20+years) I thought the book would be fluff, to be honest, but it is insightful, witty, and he talks about a lot of truths. It was like spending a nice afternoon at the Barney;s restaurant with this fabulous guy who knows and has worked with some of the giants in the fashion industry. I mean, name it - he has an anecdote about them: Diana Vreeland, Suzy Menkes, Anna Wintour, Tom Ford. Some of my favorite stories include a story about his adventures friend's boyfriend, who is a dancer from The Gaiety (I actually know that man, believe it or not) and his involvement with Rei Kawakubo as she was developing her first scent for CDG. I feel like Mr. Doonan and I were in the same New York City at the same time and have fond recollections about his reminiscences. The book reads like the wind. I couldn't stop reading it, and found myself finishing it in the wee hours of the morning, sleep be damned.