GUIDELINES Magazines provide the latest books on fashion

Books serve as guides to creating wardrobes and beauty routines.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- Fashion magazines -- indispensable trend bibles for a few months, disposable after that -- are getting a longer shelf life. InStyle, Lucky and Marie Claire are putting out books that are intended to live long beyond a Louis Vuitton Murakami bag.
Representatives from each of the magazines say the books are intended as reference guides that will steer women toward finding wardrobes and beauty routines.
While the books certainly are extensions of the magazines, their texts give more advice and insight into garment fabrics, construction and fit, and appropriate makeup for all different skin types than the usual blurb that accompanies glossy photos on the pages of a monthly.
Ironically, though, the fashion industry already calls magazines "books," so it'll have to come up with a new name for these weightier publications. "Encyclopedias" might come to mind after readers make their way through 200 or so pages.
Personal style
Figure flattery is Dressing 101 and developing personal style is more like the advanced placement course, according to "InStyle Secrets of Style: The Complete Guide to Dressing Your Best Every Day" (Melcher Media).
"Helping the reader determine what wardrobe would be flattering and appropriate for her is what the book aims to do," says Amy Keohane, vice president of development of InStyle.
Offering women a narrowly focused book, complete with figure flattery charts, complements the mission of the broader magazine, which also covers what's new in beauty, decorating, travel and food, she explains.
Like InStyle the magazine, "InStyle" the book uses celebrities to convey its message. If a woman's signature look is more feminine, she could try wearing a camisole under a gray suit like Ashley Judd, but if she's more casual, a T-shirt under a blazer like Meg Ryan wears might be a better fit.
But while the book aims to help women define their own personal style, it also offers options they may never have thought of before. "Having a signature look doesn't mean you have to wear the same thing everyday!" Keohane says.
Handy manual
Lucky creative director Andrea Linett calls "The Lucky Shopping Manual" (Gotham Books), which she co-wrote with the magazine's editor in chief Kim France, the fashion equivalent of "The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy," the book her family rushed to whenever a medical question arose.
Meanwhile, France sees it more as "'The Joy of Cooking' -- of shopping."
Either way, the book is full of illustrated definitions of just about every piece of clothing that would fit into a closet. The opening chapter on skirts alone explains the differences between pleated, pencil, tiered, asymmetrical, A-line and circle shapes, among others.
"There's nothing for sale in the book; it's just full of examples of how to wear this and that. The magazine is all about what's in stores now," says Linett. "Some basic rules apply no matter how old you are or what you look like. This is about getting dressed for life, not about what's chic right now."
Several real women -- as in non-celebrities -- who have developed signature styles that work for both their shapes and their lifestyles are profiled in the book, along with their wardrobes.
Linett even encourages readers to take the book with them into the dressing room. "It's supposed to be a guide, like a best friend would be. It's a best friend you can take shopping," she says. "If you're wondering 'Can I wear these boots with this skirt?' then look it up, the answer will be there."
Helpful hints
"Marie Claire Hair & amp; Makeup" (Hearst Books) should satisfy the magazine readers' "voracious appetite" for beauty news and tips for a while, says beauty director Didi Gluck.
Of course having almost 200 oversized pages devoted to beauty allows for even more advice, getting specific with readers about their eye shapes, skin tones and hair color, and it gives more space to analyzing why things work.
There are, though, some tips that some women will take to heart like commandments. Some of the "beauty intelligence" from the book includes:
UIf you want to look well groomed but not heavily made-up, ensure that you have no harsh makeup lines around the eyes. The secret is to blend thoroughly.
UFor blondes and those with fair hair, brown mascara is a more natural looking option than black, and if more definition is required, a brown-black variety is suitable.