Pearls of Wisdom

FANFAIR

LULU GUINNESS'S GUIDE TO LIVING WELL

Already strained to the point of collapse, smart coffee tables will doubtless accommodate Put on Your Pearls, Girls! (Rizzoli), an illustrated book of witty aphorisms and easy wisdom that go some way toward explaining the prim asceticism of its author, the accessories mini-mogul Lulu Guinness. Customers for her handbags and kitten heels, hosiery and umbrellas will know the philosophy; like pearls—beauty born of irritation, after all—the author's alter ego, Lulu, lives in a world where slavery to pretty things and all-round girlieness leads to the freedom to be . . . pretty and girlie. Arranged into a kind of 12-step guide to achieving stylish individuality, Guinness's suggestions include wearing a black cocktail dress to the office—a festive idea, certainly, but one that gives wide opportunity for misinterpretation by colleagues (office lush might be one; a night spent out of one's own apartment, another). Still, follow the directions and look at the pictures (by illustrator Martin Welch) and, ladies, your progress will be an unimpeded stroll.

EDWARD HELMORE