Vicky Tiel
The Absolute Woman: It’s All About Feminine Power
(Post Hill Press, October 2018)
Design legend Vicky Tiel shares everything sheâs learned about love, confidence, and style from decades of dressing the worldâs most powerful women.
As a young American designer in Paris during the swinging sixties, Vicky Tiel met Elizabeth Taylor and married her makeup man. Tiel and Taylor became fast friends and confidants, sharing their mutual love of sexy, fitted clothes and a fun-loving lifestyle.
Along with Parsons classmate Mia Fonssagrives, they opened a trendy boutique in Rue Bonaparte that catered to the hip and happening: fashion models, movie stars, and Paris society personalities. Vickyâs flirty miniskirts, daring dresses, and hot pants became all the rage, and a lifelong intimate friendship resulted between Tiel and Taylor as they gossiped, drank champagne, and trusted each other totally. While in Paris, Tiel met the great Coco Chanel, who became her mentor and advised her to create her own signature perfume. From these friendships blossomed Vickyâs gift for “Girlfriends Talk” advice, and her desire to share what she knows with other women.
Now, after years of pushing the boundaries of fashion with her best girlfriends, Tiel shares her tricks for living a bold and successful life. In THE ABSOLUTE WOMAN, Tiel writes with passion and humor about her one-of-a-kind experiences, from the glamorous parties and famous men of her career in Hollywood and Paris, to the Chanel straw hats and home-grown meals of her idyllic Florida home in âLife Part Two.â Youâll learn all her best secrets for living a sensational life: how to seduce and keep an ideal lover, turn a setback into success, steer clear of âcrazies,â eat for health and beauty, dress with poise, harness your smarts, and find the power to create the life you want.
Bringing together all of Tielâs best stories, original sketches, and personal photos, THE ABSOLUTE WOMAN is an unforgettable tribute to fearless women everywhere that will inspire you to unlock your own unique feminine power.
Praise for The Absolute Woman
“Vicky Tiel has inspired generations of women around the globe. She has the unique ability to empower women and give them the confidence gained through the combination of femininity and strength. The Absolute Woman will become an important companion for women who are looking to be inspired and bring out the femininity and power in themselves.”
âMindy Grossman, CEO, Weight Watchers International
“Vicky ‘absolutely’ understands a woman’s Mind, Body and Spirit. I love her ten points for Feminine Power, as well as her wise and wonderful guidance for dressing, working, eating and creating.”
âAmy Zerner, artist, designer, bestselling author
“Vicky Tiel has done it again! Her first book, It’s All About the Dress, was an absolute must read for anyone even remotely interested in fashion. And years later, Vicky apparently has more to say. In her latest book, The Absolute Woman, Vicky teaches women how to succeed in business without compromising their femininity, and she is living proof of how it’s done. Way before #TimesUp and the #MeTooMovement, Vicky Tiel was blazing the trail for generations of women to come. In her new book, Vicky explains how she went on to craft a successful fragrance empire. This book will inspire and empower girls everywhere, from Baby Boomers to iGens.”
âFrancesca Sterlacci, Founder, University of Fashion
“Vicky Tiel, through decades of beautifully dressing women from the famous to the infamous, knows practically everything there is to know about Femininity and Power. In her new book, The Absolute Woman, she will show you how to unlock that power within you.”
âJeffrey Banks, Coty Award-winning fashion designer, author
“The Absolute Woman: It’s All About Feminine Power, by Vicky Tiel is an ‘Absolute’ must read! The famed American born French designer has had quite the life thus far and she wants to share her knowledge and spread the word about female empowerment. If anyone owns the bragging rights to dish about taking control of your life and destiny, and owning who you are, it is Vicky, who revolutionized fashion in the 60s. Informative, motivational, and inspirational, it is also highly entertaining not to mention deliciously juicy, provocative (and just a little bit naughty) with pages filled with iconic images, Vicky’s own exuberant sketches, words of wisdom to live by, and memorable quotes. It has it all!”
âMarilyn Kirchner, Editor in Chief, The Look on Line
“Vicky always did it her own way and always succeeded. While others followed the tried and often not true path of fashion, Vicky thought outside the boxâand it always worked! The world is lucky that there is a Vicky Tiel.”
âMartha Kramer, Senior Executive of Mark Cross Handbags, Former head of Neiman Marcus Europe
Vicky Tiel shares some of the life lessons she took away from her decades-long friendship with Elizabeth Taylor on People.com
Vicky Tiel shares life and style advice on Washingtonlife.com
Vicky Tiel is a fashion designer with more than five decades of experience designing clothes for the worldâs greatest actresses, top models, and powerful socialites. Her âPretty Womanâ dress has been sold for over 30 years at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus exclusively. She joined the Home Shopping Network in 2011 where she has been selling her French fragrances, signature wrap dress, Elizabeth Taylorâs Liza Caftan, her books, and bedding for the past 7 years. She divides her time between an apartment in Paris, a log cabin in New York, a farm on the Florida-Alabama border, and a beach in St. Pete where she lives with her husband.