Author: Daniella Brodsky
Princess of Park Avenue is the second book in a series by Daniella Brodsky. The first one was the Diary of a Working Class Girl (read here). I am reading these books as part of my research into fashion and find them very valuable because characters in the book live fashion in the everyday. In this case, it is also the society that is described, or new society, to be more specific, because this is about influencers and socialites who walk around with cameras and get product endorsements by just showing up at events and making themselves look good. The book very nicely emphasizes, towards the end, that these are not real celebrities, which is interesting. What was also interesting was the detail about events, product endorsements, and the way of thinking of these women, the so-called princesses. The previous book I read on this also includes the Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes (see my blog here). These women are either socialites or both entrepreneurs and socialites. In the past, they would have been just socialites, but now they can be both (see an article about that here). They are known for their obsession with fashion, which is sometimes seen as trivial, but I see it as cultural capital, so I am interested in reading about them from a research (and teaching) perspective.
The main character in Princess of Park Avenue is Lorraine, a hairstylist from Brooklyn who gets forced to attend a L’Oréal hair coloring class where she meets Don, the brother of the most popular hair stylist from New York, Guido. She becomes a stylist assistant despite over a decade of experience and embarks on learning from Guido how to color hair, but more importantly, how to behave towards princesses and other celebrities who come to the salon. She is also desperately in love with Tommy, a guy from Brooklyn who works as a pizza delivery guy and who has been stringing her along for most of her life. As she starts becoming more successful, Tommy comes to her, and she starts wondering whether he is what she wants or whether it is a mysterious Matt, a guy next door from a rich background, who she knows from daily dog walks. The most interesting part is when she becomes a Princess by being accepted into the princess group based on a vote from four existing princesses. This then results in rich descriptions of brands, product placements, events, and the world of glamour that is described in the book. I made a lot of notes on this.
What is also interesting is the notion of class because Princess of Park Avenue is again about a working-class girl who tries to create a career in the city, like with the Diary of a Working Class Girl, and this part is narrated really nicely and runs throughout the book. In some ways, Lorraine struggles with typical class mobility issues many working-class people face. They climb the social ladder, find a career, and no longer belong to their working-class area, but they are not quite middle class either. Thus, many people find themselves in limbo. I thought this was really interesting and well-written. Another interesting thing was the notion of Italian culture and identity, which I thought was explored nicely. I particularly enjoyed superstitions because I know that superstitions always run rampant in Italy, and I thought this was well-written.
Overall, Princess of Park Avenue is not what I would normally read, and had it not been for my research and teaching, I would have never read this book, but I am glad I did because it is well-written, and whilst there is an underlying romance in the book, this is not pervasive or soppy. The story is not one of those where there has to be a romance in the book no matter what, even at the cost of creating ridiculous stories that make no sense. The book has sociological value due to its exploration of class but also careers because Lorraine contemplates a lot about the need to learn something she already knows and has to be an assistant despite over a decade of experience in hair coloring and talent. There is also a reflection on Guido’s ego and feeling threatened by Lorraine, which is explored in the book, as well as the cultural capital of knowing how to behave, conduct oneself, and understand fashion. A nicely written book with lots of food for thought!
Thank you for reading!