Lively and flamboyant, the Hong Kong-based fashion model Elyse Sewell sews prose with the same qualities. Her anecdotal book, Beauty and the Biz, the International Adventures of America’s Third-to-Next Top Model (SCMP Books, 2006, 217 pages, HK$148), appears in the city’s bookshops.
Fashion-industry experiences and truthful tales about the sometimes-dreary “glamour” lifestyle fill the book. Elyse’s writings, often about new dining experiences, people-watching and cramped living conditions, first graced a popular Internet blog (elysesewell.livejournal.com). She supplements the amusing yarns and forthright comments with zany personal photos.
A youthful cover-girl, Elyse grew up in New Mexico and aimed to become a doctor. Instead, she gained attention by thriving on a reality-TV show, America’s Next Top Model. Later she graced the cover of Harper’s Bazaar (Asia edition) and the pages of Mademoiselle and Esquire, among others.
The appeal of Beauty and the Biz poses no mystery. Its readers brim with curiosity about the fashion industry and live vicariously through the author’s adventures. Elyse’s eye for detail and her glee in recounting even embarrassing mishaps delight her fans and lure new ones.
Approval rating: 84 per cent.
(September 3, 2006)
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