Pat in the City

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

By: Patricia Field

Narrated by: Eliza Foss

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.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Fashion stories

Loved the book, a unique insight to the work of costumes, and knowledge of how things look and feel.

Great Book, horrible narrator

Anyone who is a fan of SATC or Devil Wears Prada will love this book. Pat's life story is very interesting and she is very detailed in her descriptions, What made this audible book suck was the narrator. I know what Pat's voice sounds like- raspy, smoker, New Yorker so it was a total drag that a plain, older woman is the narrator. I had a hard time getting past the narrator referring to 2-Pac as 2-Pack.

Memoir from one of the Fashion Legends of NYC

Yesssss, Pat Fields! When I was a waitress at Yaffa Cafe 10,000 years ago, she used to come in with her partner Rebecca and a huge entourage of lovelies. Through her shop and her costume design work (most famously on Sex and the City), she has mentored and influenced a legion of unique style mongers. By surrounding herself with colorful and courageous souls of all ages and all “pedigrees” she has carved out a singular and fabulous live, filled with vignettes that we can all pull from for wisdom and inspiration. And now, north of 70, she continues her work as a fashion consultant in film/tv and purveyor of one-of-a-kind fashion creations in her newest fashion art gallery. In a fashion universe of mass produced knockoffs, Pat Fields is a handcrafted original of the most exquisite quality. This is a wonderful read, but the narrator’s voice didn’t quite work for the material, so i had to star accordingly. Nevertheless, for anyone who cares about fashion, NYC or courageous women in business, this one is a must!

Beyond Fashion

Patricia Field is an icon and I chose this book because I was interested in her story. Pat in the City: My Life of Fashion, Style, and Breaking All the Rules was very different than I expected. I had hoped for a likeable person gently spilling the tea of her extraordinary life and times.

This book is almost two different books in one. The first part of the book begins at birth and moves forward into school age. This section was much too long and it seemed to be ghostwritten by someone other than the author.

Just when I was going to give up on this book, the writing changed and it seemed as though Ms. Field was actually telling the story. But then, the book disappointed me again. She describes her business acumen as being 100% on target 100% of the time. Even if that was the case, it does not make for a very lively story. On the other hand, Ms. Field takes the credit for many incredible changes in pop culture. Granted, she was a PART of these things but, taking the full credit for them seems misguided at best. The book includes a lot of details about the author’s love life and haircolor choices.

When the story finally comes to Sex and the City and the author’s relationship with Darren Star the tone of the book changes again. Suddenly, the enormously confident Ms. Field becomes extremely humble. So humble that she does not take the full credit for her work on Sex and the City. She even attributes much of the credit to Sarah Jessica Parker.

The author narrates the work herself and I think that is the perfect choice. I would recommend this book only to the most devoted fans of the author and of Sex and the City.

Fashion Lovers Rejoice

If you love fashion...you will love Pat's book. What a great listen...as told by Pat herself! I loved listening to Pat talk about the strong women in her family and how they influenced her to be a strong woman. Great stories about The Devil Wears Prada, Sex & the City and lastly Emily in Paris. The book was all I expected and more.