Bad Girls of Fashion: Style Rebels from Cleopatra to Lady Gaga

Gr 7 Up—The 40-plus "style rebels" past and present run the gamut from cheeky to outrageous to murderous, but the book's focus is on how these women used fashion to defy society and make their mark on the world. Queens (Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette), designers (Coco Chanel, Rei Kawakubo, Rose Bertin), artists (Cindy Sherman, Frida Kahlo), performers (Lady Gaga, Kathleen Hanna, Rihanna), writers and editors (George Sand, Anna Wintour), and even political dissenters (Pussy Riot) enter the spotlight for a few pages, then cede to the next "bad girl." The layouts are somewhat confusing; "Fashion Spotlights" featuring other bad girls are interspersed among the pages covering the main subjects, and sidebars about social and cultural events pop up in odd spots. While Buchholc's hand-drawn illustrations are charming, other art verges on clip art territory. An interesting choice in this mostly chronological presentation is the omission of death dates for its subjects, comical in the case of long-dead rulers and would-be monarchs such as Wallis Simpson, but more serious in other instances, such as the case of fashion stylist Isabella Blow, who took her own life in 2007. The ensuing narratives do mention the women's deaths, but having that information up front would be more accessible. "Iconic Look" sidebars about the subject or her era give author and illustrator a chance to shine.