THE TIME-TRAVELING FASHIONISTA Series

I discovered this series when I was looking through an ebay used bookseller's inventory, trying to find a few more books to get 4 for 3. I bought the Cleopatra one and I think this one from that seller, but had to get the Versailles one from another seller. I can't remember. It's not really relevant, except to explain that I didn't read the series in order. I read the Cleopatra one, which is #3, first. And therefore was slightly confused. Read them in order. It wasn't the most confusing thing ever, but the little details make more sense if you read them in order.

Anyway, Louise is a 12-year-old who loves vintage clothing. She gets an invite to the Time-Traveling Fashionista pop-up sale, which occurs every now and then in different locations. At her first sale, she tries on a dress and boom, she goes back in time.

The way it works is that clothing has a memory and certain people can access that and send themselves back in time. They inhabit someone else's body and look like that person unless they face a mirror. Only in the mirror do you see who's controlling the body. Louise has some hints to work with, since every time she goes back, she's been studying a bit of the history of that time period. Not that she chooses things from those eras on purpose and most of the time, she's been doing fashion sketches in class and not paying full attention anyway. So she has to quickly figure out who she is and bumble her way around, trying not to let on that something is off.

The books also have her with some random problems with family or boys or her best friend, so they're kind of book-ended that way.

In the first book, she goes back to the Titanic and freaks when she realizes what ship she's on. She tries to warn people, but quickly learns that you can't change history. (Although she still tries.) She's actually in the body of one of her ancestors and throughout the three books, you put the pieces together and see that some of her ancestors were TTFs, too.

The second book is set at Versailles, before the French Revolution. This is the weakest of the three and the one I just finished tonight. I found it frustrating, because Louise tries to get Marie-Antoinette to see the problems, but M-A basically says her life is run for her and the only decisions she's allowed to make for herself are what she wears and how she does her hair, which is why she's obsessed with those things. The timing is also off, because Louis XV is still alive, so M-A is very young, yet Louise acts like the Revolution is going to start at any time. Count Fersen seems to be making his first appearance at court, which would place this in January 1774. Yet Louise is inhabiting the body of the Duchess de Polignac, who wasn't made a duchess until 1780, and was married in 1767, yet no pesky husband popped up to cause problems. Also, she didn't meet M-A until 1775. It's kind of a mess, which I'm only learning more about as I type this, because I stopped to research. This time period is not one of my strong suits. Heh. Anyway, let's move on.

From the weakest to the strongest by far. This book is far more interesting. It even has a more interesting set-up, because Louise is originally sent back in some clothes from the set of Cleopatra, but while there, tries on a necklace that proves to be genuine and she's sent back in time to meet the REAL Cleopatra...as one of her handmaidens.

Now if you don't know anything about Ptolemaic Egypt, it was DANGEROUS. Especially during Cleopatra VII's time. Everyone was out to rule and kill anyone who stood between them and the throne. Well, Louise gets dropped right into this and that makes this easily the most thrilling of the three books. I actually read it months ago, so I can't go as in depth as I did with my critique of the Versailles book, but I don't remember having any major complaints.

I definitely recommend this series. It's a fun modern story, but with great chunks of historical fiction in between. As long as you're not super-picky about the details, you'll have fun. Also, I haven't mentioned one of the best parts. The books are loaded with Sandra Suy's beautiful illustrations of multiple characters in gorgeous clothing and of the settings Louise finds herself in.

(Seriously, no matter what I do, this post wants these illustrations to be arranged like this. Madame du Barry's just got to be difficult! Oh, well.)