Ever wonder how Goths get their look, or how to make your style a little more punky? Aimed at budding preteen fashionistas, Alison Bell’s Fearless Fashion aims to be the “thinking girl’s guide to style.” Structured like a teen magazine, with a style quiz, kid-appealing page layouts, and splashy illustrations by Montreal’s Jérôme Mireault, Fearless Fashion is the first book in Lobster Press’s new What’s Your Style? series. A former editor for Teen Magazine and a writer and editor for the now-defunct Sassy, Bell has also written several other books for preteens and teens.

Bell begins with a brief history of fashion, doled out in bite-sized bits of information without enough supporting visuals to adequately depict the various periods being described. The next chapters jump into seven popular contemporary looks and how to attain them: Preppy Chic, Punk Rock, Goth Glamour, Hipster Cool, Skater Style, Boho Grace, and Fly-girl Flair. Throughout, Bell covers related topics that girls are interested in, from bra fitting to make-up application to tattoos and body piercings (which may cause some adults to raise their eyebrows). The brief mentions of eating disorders in the final chapter seem trite, particularly since the book falls into the same harmful pattern as many women’s magazines, with illustrations of the stick-thin supermodel body type prevailing throughout.

At its best, Fearless Fashion is an exuberant treasure trove of fashion lore. At its worst, the book appears hastily assembled and too current to be a lasting reference. Numerous references to 2004 and “what’s hot for this season,” as well as photos of current celebrities, will date the book quickly. As clothing designer Yves Saint Laurent once said, “Fashions fade, style is eternal.” Unfortunately, the trends in Fearless Fashion will soon fade, and clothes-conscious pre-teens will be more likely to spend their allowances on current magazines that cost a quarter of this book’s price.