From the library shelf

"Grace: A Memoir", by Grace Coddington. 

If you are a regular reader of Vogue, or have seen the film The September Issue you will know that Grace Coddington is the Creative Director of American Vogue magazine. In that film she comes across as completely batty, with her wild mane of frizzy red hair and take no-nonsense, stand up to Anna Wintour attitude. This book, her memoir, is also slightly batty but I found it completely delightful to read, full of stories and gossip and little illustrations for your amusement, as well as heaps of photographs, from her modelling days through to the photo shoots she produces for Vogue. 

Her writing is very simple and honest and extremely readable. Sometimes it goes off on a tangent and seems random, but I suspect that's how she is in real life as well. There's famous name dropping on almost every page, it's amazing how many people she has worked with throughout her career, and she also paints them in an honest light, very open about who is a diva or a queen, and how she has managed her relationships with them all to just make it work.

If you like fashion, and a bit of gossip, and some light reading then I can't recommend this enough. I flew through it, both fascinated and entertained. The only thing I will say is that in hardback form it weighs a tonne. Literally, it's like weight lifting at the gym and it presses heavy against your chest if you're reading it in bed. But it was worth it as I loved this book. 

Do you like memoirs? Is there a biography I shouldn't miss? Share below.