With Hal Rubenstein's Dressing the Part: Television's Most Stylish Shows, readers finally have a book that tells them not only what to wear but also what to watch, if occasionally with the sound off.
Rubenstein (The Looks of Love; 100 Unforgettable Dresses) is no fan of the show Girls, but he can't deny its sartorial impact, nor that of the 49 other series he writes about here. The usual suspects are present (Sex and the City, Bridgerton), but so are some wild cards (Soul Train, The Golden Girls). Each selection is bundled into one of eight themed chapters: period dramas, crime shows, reality TV, and so on. For many series, Rubenstein finds or solicits insights from the original costumers, some of whom he interviews in sidebars effortlessly integrated into the book's sumptuous, photo-rich layouts.
Rubenstein manages to be a no-nonsense connoisseur of style without taking his mission too seriously. (He suggests that while bingeing the final season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, readers should drink a shot "every time you spot Mary's striking open square metal brooch prior to its appearance on her lapel in the final episode.") Rubenstein is also a keen-eyed decoder of looks, reading a message to female viewers in sequins-and-feathers-favoring designer Bob Mackie's work on The Carol Burnett Show: "you don't have to be a classic beauty to feel and look like a star." Dressing the Part doesn't presume readers' familiarity with designers, brands, or fashion lingo--just a passion for style. A passion for TV? Unrequired. --Nell Beram, author and freelance writer