Synopses & Reviews
Wacky chicks are women who turn heads, get people talking, and start trends. They dare to wear the outrageous and live life any way they see fit. And now New York Observer columnist and savvy social commentator Simon Doonan trains his most discerning eye on sixteen of these exceptional creatures, and shows how a fiercely embraced sense of individuality can be an inspiration to us all. Doonan interviews Wacky Chicks like Amy Sedaris, host of Comedy Central's hit show, Strangers with Candy; Suzanne Bartsch, the woman who taught Madonna how to vogue; and lower profile wacky chicks like hip hypnotist Jessica Porter and Isabel Garrett, a freestyle fashion designer working out of a trailer in a Florida nudist colony. As different as they are outrageous, these women share a powerful nonconformist bent, and in these pages offer their priceless guidance on beauty, business, fashion, love, motherhood, and unleashing your feminist wacky chick without losing your femininity. Whether Doonan is profiling a celebrity gossip columnist or a park ranger with a menagerie of reptiles, he consistently delivers his own brand of distinctively sophisticated, razor sharp wit. Truly original, Wacky Chicks is as much a whimsical self-help book as it is a hilarious and heartfelt tribute to these avatars of style and rebellion.
Review
"Simon Doonan is not just a brilliant artist, he is also a keen observer of the most wacky, insane pockets of our society. As a woman I applaud him, as a reader I laugh with him, and as a book buyer I can tell you andlt;Iandgt;Wacky Chicksandlt;/Iandgt; is worth paying retail for."andlt;BRandgt; -- Joan Rivers
Review
"My favorite fresh new writer of the year award goes to Simon Doonan...the most brash and brilliant thing in type."andlt;BRandgt; -- Liz Smith
Review
"[Doonan is] a postfeminist writer cloaked in the drag of a sly fashion insider."andlt;BRandgt; -- andlt;Iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt;
Review
"A rollicking ride through the loud, controversial, dramatic, and utterly engrossing lives of our society's most noteworthy Auntie Mames."andlt;BRandgt; -- andlt;Iandgt;Gothamandlt;/Iandgt;
Synopsis
In his bestselling Wacky Chicks, irreverent social commentator and humor writer Simon Doonan introduces readers to a bracing cross section of exuberantly unconventional women. In the pages of Wacky Chicks readers will find life lessons from a group of fearlessly inappropriate and fabulously eccentric women, including comedienne Amy Sedaris; fashion designer turned park ranger Spider Fawke; Warhol muse Brigid Berlin; Suzanne Bartsch, the woman who showed Madonna how to vogue; and many more.
Distinguished primarily by their wild originality and rule-breaking chutzpah, these women defy rules, shape the cultural landscape, and enrich the world. They are about as diverse a flock as you can imagine, but all of them are Belligerent, Resilient, Uninhibited, Naughty, Creative, and Hilarious (B.R.U.N.C.H. for short).
In a word, they are Wacky, and they are ready to enlighten you. A book that pays tribute to the wild and unstoppable female in each of us, Wacky Chicks is the ultimate guide to embracing your inner rebel.
Synopsis
In his bestselling andlt;Iandgt;Wacky Chicks,andlt;/Iandgt; irreverent social commentator and humor writer Simon Doonan introduces readers to a bracing cross section of exuberantly unconventional women: comedienne Amy Sedaris; fashion designer turned park ranger Spider Fawke; Warhol muse Brigid Berlin; Suzanne Bartsch, the woman who showed Madonna how to vogue; and many more. Distinguished primarily by their wild originality and rule-breaking chutzpah, these women defy rules, shape the cultural landscape, and enrich the world. They are about as diverse a flock as you can imagine, but all of them are Belligerent, Resilient, Uninhibited, Naughty, Creative, and Hilarious (B.R.U.N.C.H. for short). In a word, they are Wacky, and they are ready to enlighten you. A book that pays tribute to the wild and unstoppable female in each of us, Wacky Chicks is the ultimate guide to embracing your inner rebel.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Simon Doonanandlt;/Bandgt; is the bestselling author of andlt;Iandgt;Wacky Chicksandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;Confessions of a Window Dresser.andlt;/Iandgt; In addition to his role as creative director of Barneys New York, Simon writes the "Simon Says" column for andlt;Iandgt;The New York Observer.andlt;/Iandgt; He frequently contributes observations and opinions to myriad other publications and television shows. He is a regular commentator on VH1, the Trio network, and andlt;Iandgt;Full Frontal Fashion.andlt;/Iandgt; He lives in New York City with his partner, Jonathan Adler, and his Norwich terrier, Liberace.
Table of Contents
Contents Wacknowledgments
Introduction: An uprising of glamorous outsiders
Chapter 1
The Ladies Who Are Out to Lunch...or B.R.U.N.C.H.
THE BELLIGERENT, RESILIENT, UNINHIBITED, NAUGHTY, CREATIVE AND HILARIOUS SPIDER FAWKE
Chapter 2
Origins: Nature or Nurture...or Torture
BRIGID BERLIN -- THE WARHOL FACTORY GIRL
SUNNY CHAPMAN -- THE GLUE FACTORY GIRL
Chapter 3
Style: The Missile Defense System of the Wacky Chick
SUSANNE BARTSCH -- SHOWGIRL CHIC
JANET CHARLTON -- SABOTEUR CHIC
LISA EISNER -- CRITTER CHIC AND GEEZER CHIC
Chapter 4
Home: Safe Spaces for Space Cases
PEARL HARBOUR -- HOME IS WHERE THE TART IS
Chapter 5
Work: Chicks with Shticks
ISABEL GARRETT -- THE SPANDEX EVANGELIST
AMY SEDARIS -- VERMIN AND CHEESEBALLS
Chapter 6
Mating Habits
AUDREY "GOLIGHTLY" SMALTZ -- JUST GIVE HER $50 FOR THE POWDER ROOM
Chapter 7
Faith: Squeezing Your Inner Shaman
JESSICA PORTER -- HIP HYPNOSIS AND ZEN COMEDY
KAZUKO -- CRYSTAL-PACKIN' MAMA
Chapter 8
The Future: The Wacky Chicklettes
P5 -- THE EDITOR IN CHIEF
MARY CHRISTMAS -- THE RADICAL CHEERLEADER
Chapter 9
The Dark Side: When Wacky Goes Wack-Job
Conclusion