Pat in the City

My Life of Fashion, Style, and Breaking All the Rules

by Patricia Field

On Sale: 02/14/2023

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Pat in the City

My Life of Fashion, Style, and Breaking All the Rules

by Patricia Field

On Sale: 02/14/2023

Format:

Amazon Indigo

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About the Book

From the iconic stylist and fashion provocateur whose designs transformed culture—bringing the glitz of Studio 54 and the sophistication of Sex and the City to the mainstream—comes a playful yet intimate memoir of a life spent challenging conventions.

Carrie Bradshaw’s pairing of a tutu with a tank top is one of the most iconic outfits ever seen on television—and a look that turned avant-garde New York designer and stylist Patricia Field into a household name. But before she was crowned the fairy godmother of haute couture, Field was the owner of the longtime East Village emporium Pat Field, a haven for drag queens, club kids, starving artists, NYU freshmen, and creative visionaries alike. Presiding over downtown with her distinctive vermillion hair and a constantly lit cigarette, Patricia was a rock ’n’ roll den mother to everyone from Amanda Lepore to Lady Bunny to Patti Smith, with her store providing the city’s eccentrics with a place to discover a sense of family, home, and a rhinestone bedazzled bustier or two.

In Pat in the City, Patricia describes her journey from scrappy Queens kid peddling men’s pants to the fashion world’s most notorious renegade. As the daughter of immigrant parents, Field learned the principles of glamour from her entrepreneurial mother, and applied her NYU lessons on democracy to inform a fashion ethos that would reach millions. From her Studio 54 disco-glam styling to her award-winning work in The Devil Wears Prada and Sex and the City to today’s buzzy costuming in Emily in Paris, Field’s inimitable styling has pushed the envelope and created trends that have become the culture standard. Now in her seventies, Patricia Field is ready to tell her story—not to take a final bow, but to spread her credo of challenging convention and filling the world with joy and dancing.

Critical Praise

“A sparkling debut...fashion aficionados will relish this passionate ode to the power of style and individuality.” — Publishers Weekly

“A spirited personal history and a love letter to New York, fashion, and LGBTQ+ culture.” — Booklist

“Fashion lovers and fans alike will love the author’s anecdotes and photos from a unique life spent at the intersection of art and trendsetting styles....A bright, colorful memoir of an interesting life.” — Kirkus Reviews

"A nostalgic dive into a slice of fashion history, a behind-the-scenes look at famous TV and film costuming, and a celebration of the contributions of LGBTQIA+ culture." — Library Journal

"[Patricia Field’s] retelling of fashionable escapades from coming of age in 1960s New York City to the present day are laced with lessons, love, and loss, the personal stories acting as a confessional of sorts." — Vanity Fair