Grace Mirabella, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine for 17 years and founder of Mirabella magazine, tells (with the help of a coauthor) of her 38 years working in the fashion industry. Born to immigrant Italians and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Mirabella attended one of the finest women's colleges, ran with a society crowd, and through admirable persistence worked her way to the top of Vogue magazine. Her tale of life at Vogue is repugnant yet fascinating. While neither talent nor skill was required to land a job there in the 1950s, a pedigreed bloodline or a certain "look" could land you in the editor's chair. Mirabella tells of working under a bevy of vacuous prima donnas obsessed with their own visions, who never bothered with the day-to-day administration of the magazine and as a result nearly ran it into the ground. Interesting for its portrayal of intrigue and plotting in the dog-eat-dog world of high fashion, her book also provides a great historical perspective on society, style, and fashion. Ultimately though, this book is somewhat disappointing, for she never really condemns the industry for its shallowness. Kathleen Hughes