Reviewed by Lady Verity
It’s never too late to fall in love. Just ask Norma Kamali. In fact, you don’t need to ask her because she’s written a memoir-guidebook that includes finding the love of her life at sixty-five -- and a whole lot more.
Norma Kamali: I Am Invincible is part mood board and part pastiche, brimming with the kind of originality one expects from a top fashion "creative." Writing now at 75, she reveals that her life plan “did not include any expiration dates we are fed regarding marriage, kids, and career.” Not one to fit the mold, she creates her own mold and shares it with her reader. There are no magic bullets here for health and glowing looks. Kamali emphasizes “there’s no substitute for a healthy lifestyle” and her guideposts are Three Pillars: sleep, diet and exercise.
There are positive aphorisms galore in big signboard font that sprinkle throughout the book. For example, one exuberant page reads: “massage supports a strong immune system by relaxing and distressing the body and mind. MASSAGES ARE MAGIC!” Then there’s another that says “OWN YOUR STYLE AND NO ONE ELSE’S.” Tell that to all the “trending” addicts out there. There’s even a model who pops up kind of jack-in-the box here and there, with an impressive wardrobe of one-piece bathing suits. One presumes she’s there for inspiration.
There’s a bit of this and that -- from Kamali’s plant-based recipes (“vegetarian” must be outdated) and a great recipe on her favorite homemade bread, to her own exercise routine and tips for insomniacs on falling asleep.
Important to those of us getting older -- and who isn’t? -- this is a book that celebrates the body and the spirit at all ages. Since it might take a large roster of helpmates to cheer us on, Kamali has a little black book of personal references and contacts listed appendix-like that she calls “resources,” from her dermatologist to astrologer and psychic. And if you’re not smiling yet, Kamali has an affirmation to inspire you: “SMILING IS A BEAUTY TIP!”
