Review Detail

Twelve-year-old Louise Lambert is a typical teen, braces and all. But her love of true vintage fashion sets her apart, which at times makes her feel incredibly weird and incredibly alone.

The Time-Traveling Fashionista starts out as a seemingly light and fun tale, but by the end turns into a race between life and death.

When Louise tries on a bubble-gum pink gown at an invitation-only vintage sale, she finds herself swept back in time and aboard a luxurious cruise ship. Louise quickly adapts to a life of leisure, mistaken for seventeen-year-old movie starlet, Miss Baxter.

Although living in the lap of luxury surrounded by millionaires and fashion icons is something Louise has always dreamed of, a terrifying discovery makes Louise think twice about her old life. Maybe being brace-face Louise from Connecticut wasn't so bad after all.

The Time-Traveling Fashionista is a quick, weekend read. Fans of vintage fashion will love slipping into Louise's shoes, not to mention reveling in the outstanding full color illustrations that depict the gorgeous fashions of the era. Louise, like many teen girls, isn't happy with her self image, but readers will find her endearing and her life enviable.

Turetsky makes time travel as easy as slipping on a garment, and some of the "laws" will seem a bit too convenient, but this book isn't Science Fiction. It's a fun romp for fans of fashion, glitz and glamour.

Without giving too much away, I will say I found Turetsky's use of real historic icons as characters very appealing. I did a Google search after I finished the book and read up on them. That facet of the story makes it really come alive--an artful blend of fact and fiction.

I'm definitely in the mood to do some vintage shopping now! Who's coming with me?