You Drop
Shop
Or Not
Celebrity stylist/author Phillip Bloch
dishes on his book, The Shopping Diet.
Suzanne Chessler I Special to the Jewish News
S
hopping for Chanukah — party
clothes and gifts — won't be a
last-minute rush for Phillip Bloch,
author of The Shopping Diet (Gallery
Books; $15).
The high-fashion stylist-model-actor
knows he will be wearing a classic look,
probably blazer, shirt, tie and jeans. He
also will be thinking in advance about apt
gifts for those close and not so close.
"We know Chanukah is coming so we
have to think ahead to avoid wasting
money and doing a lot of running at the
last minute says the 40ish Bloch.
"People shouldn't put themselves out on
a limb and in debt so that they're miser-
able until Passover. They should be able to
shop for the holidays and have something
left over.
"The index in the back of my book tells
a lot of places to shop and breaks down
how to shop on the Internet. It gives the
practical side of shopping ahead, and a lot
is just common sense'
Bloch's book, a general guide to budget-
wise clothes purchases and maintenance,
gained publisher attention as the economy
tightened.
"Five years ago, I came up with the idea
for the book and nobody was interested:'
explains Bloch, also a writer for the top
style magazines. "People didn't seem to be
worrying about saving money.
"Four years ago, the same thing. Three
years ago, I had a few people interested.
Two years ago, when I went around to try
and sell the book, four publishers wanted
to buy it."
The Shopping Diet, which comes after
his Hollywood-focused text Elements of
Style, asks readers to assess their personal
body types, wardrobe personalities and
what in their closet needs to be kept,
updated or tossed.
"I was a little bit of my own inspiration
for the book:' says Bloch, who has ward-
robe-advised a long list of stars, including
Sandra Bullock, Drew Barrymore, John
Travolta and Charlie Sheen.
"I tend to see myself as a binger (some-
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one who binges). I won't shop for months
and then I'll do something excessive. The
other day, I bought five ties. They are
things I use, but I didn't need five.
"I think holiday time is a good time to
be aware of a shopping diet. Because it's a
time of year when we all spend, we can be
a little more conscious of spending:"
Although Bloch recently had a brief fall
from his personal shopping diet, he was
reminded that people can revive clothes
they already have, know where the sales
are and ask sure-to-be gift-givers for what
they need.
While reviving can mean changing but-
tons on a black blazer, updating for this
season can include vests for
women and men and leopard
accessories (scarves, belts or
purses) for women. Red will
be a big color, says Bloch, who
did the style makeover for
Barbie's Ken and has designed
fine jewelry, men's shoes and
an eyewear collection.
"I wear turtlenecks a lot. I
think they're great to throw
under jackets to get classic
looks that can be dressy or
casual. They're very transfor-
mational."
Discussing dress beyond
the holiday, "transformational" is crucial
to Bloch's advice. Outfits are cost-wise if
they can be transformed from one type of
occasion to another.
Bloch, whose TV appearances have
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reached from Extreme Makeover to
America's Next Top Model, knew he wanted
to work in fashion and film after seeing
the movie Mahogany with Diana Ross. He
found work as a model in New York and
moved on to styling with related appear-
ances on TV.
Films, such as Wall Street 2, followed.
Jewish, with Orthodox heritage from
his mom and Reform heritage from his
dad, Bloch became active with United
Synagogue Youth and has come to believe
religious jewelry gifts can be wonderful
when given appropriately.
"Religious jewelry is very personal and
can look great:' he says. "It's important
that the person giving the
gift is not buying what he
or she would want. The
buyer must give what the
recipient would actually
use.
"Red strings (worn by
Kabbalists to keep away
negative energy), for exam-
ple, have to speak to the
people who will be wearing
them:'
When Bloch plans mass
gifts for business associ-
ates, he likes to combine
candy with a note that
explains charitable donations have been
made in honor of the people getting the
candy.
"I like things that are useful': he says. "I
like to do the present and do good:' CI
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