Best on Ground!
Feature image credit: Murdoch Books
For those not familiar with Fashion Critical, you’re missing out. The anonymous Aussie fashion blogger has amassed a following of nearly 320,000 followers on Facebook, the platform which initially launched them to fame, and nearly 130,000 on Instagram. Fans tune in for hilarious commentary on celebrity fashion wins and fails in bite-size captions, and now we’re being treated to a whole book filled with thoughts that Anna Wintour herself could learn from.
Hardcover, embossed, and pleather-bound, Fashion Critical already gets five stars before it’s even been opened. But luckily, this tome can walk the walk with side-splitting takes on the most memorable pop culture fashion moments of all time. It begins with a glossary of terms to align the reader with the author’s personal brand of lingo, which is definitely helpful for FC newbies (‘Crotch Whiskers’ are the creases that appear on satin garments after a star has been sitting down for too long, by the way, while ‘Do Ya Hair’ is pretty self-explanatory).
The book hits the ground running with coverage of the entire red carpet calendar from the Golden Globes to the VMAs, with a much-needed multi-page spread on the Met Gala, before diving into some of the most notable red carpet trends of the past few years. The third chapter takes us ‘behind the seams’ to dissect the various elements of a red carpet appearance, and also features an interview with designer Alex Perry, before we tuck into FC’s favourite looks of all time.
Every look that the author discusses has a corresponding picture so you can clearly see what they’re talking about, whether you agree with the commentary or not. And on that note, FC makes it clear from the beginning that fashion is subjective, and therefore so is fashion commentary. They commend celebrities for style experimentation even when it doesn’t land, the men are picked on just as much as the women, and the criticism always leans harmless rather than mean-spirited.
As a fashion editor, I basically swallowed this book whole, but you don’t need to be a sartorial junkie to enjoy it. The comic anecdotes and clever musings within make it a good light-hearted escape for anyone after a rubbish day in the real world. And as mentioned, the fancy hardcover combined with the glossy pages would make this a great coffee table book to gift someone who isn’t even going to read it — though they absolutely should. In FC’s words (borrowed from AFL terminology), Fashion Critical is 2025’s BOG.
Reviewed by Vanessa Elle
Instagram: @vanessaellewrites
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Murdoch Books
Released: October 2025
RRP: $34.99
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