The dictionary Anna Wintour might keep in her desk drawer

Miuccia Prada said, "Everyone who is smart says they hate fashion. . . . I have asked many super-serious people, [Then why is fashion so popular?' Nobody can answer that question." Now the author of the popular Guardian column Ask Hadley does just that in The Meaning of Sunglasses, examining the joys, silliness, and occasional insanity of our love affair with fashion. From (B) Botox"when fashion meets Logan's Run"to the joys of (V) vanity, Hadley Freeman has written an encyclopedia of lightly philosophical and instructional mini-essays to gladden the heart of everyone with a slight-to-obsessive interest in the fashion world.

In a tone both exasperated and affectionate she dissects our love-hate relationship with the way we look (and offers some tips on how to look better). With a razor-sharp wit that lives somewhere between The Devil Wears Prada and The Devil's Dictionary, Freeman is a versatile and exciting new voice.

"Belts aren't meant to hold up pants, according to Freeman, deputy fashion editor at the British newspaper the Guardian; belts are 'superfluous' additions to outfits that help cinch a waist or make one appear thinner. In her witty and acerbic debut book, Freeman notes what designer bags say about their owner (Fendi is for the 'well-groomed' lady); the messages different hemlines can send ('super short miniskirts will have men whistling Roy Orbison's greatest hit at you'); and the trouble with the 'unnecessary distraction' patterns provide. Her short chapters come at random as Freeman takes a haphazard approach to the fashion world by organizing her book alphabetically — which leads to some confusion as there are six separate chapters dealing with footwear. Her most convincing chapters expose the problems with the fashion industry, such as the unrealistic body image models like Kate Moss present. Readers plagued with indecision concerning what blouse is best or what jean style fits their body type can turn to Freeman, who doesn't pull her punches (ethnic clothes, like a pastel beach caftan, are 'offensive'; mittens are 'childlike'; and animal prints 'embarrassingly obvious')." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Hadley Freeman is the deputy fashion editor at The Guardian, where she writes the popular column Ask Hadley. Freeman attended Oxford University and received the Catherine Pakenham Journalism Prize. She has been a finalist for Young Journalist of the Year. She is a contributing editor for British Vogue.