A classic tale of personal transformation amid a stunning backdrop of previous world glamour and current high style, Betty Halbreich techniques from a trapped woman to a ferociously independent icon

Eighty-six-year-old Betty Halbreich is definitely a true initial. A tough wide who could have stepped right out of Stephen Sondheim’s repertoire, she’s spent nearly forty years as the famous personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman, where she works together with socialites, stars, and ordinary ladies off the street. She about I’ll Drink compared to that: A Lifestyle in Style, with a Twist offers helped many find their true selves through clothes, frank advice, and her personal brand of knowledge. She is trusted by the many discriminating persons-including Hollywood’s top stylists-to tell them what looks best. But Halbreich’s personal transformation from a cosseted young gal to a fearless truth teller is the greatest makeover of her profession.

A Chicago native, Halbreich moved to Manhattan at twenty after marrying the dashing Sonny Halbreich, a true character right out of Damon Runyon who liked the nightlife of New York in the fifties. On the top, they were a great match, but looks could be deceiving; an unfaithful Sonny was psychologically distant while Halbreich became progressively anguished. After 2 decades, the fraying relationship finally arrived undone. Bereft without Sonny and her identity as his wife, she

attempted suicide.

After she began the frightening procedure for reclaiming herself and started therapy, Halbreich was offered a lifeline in the form of a job at the legendary luxury store Bergdorf Goodman. Shortly, she was asked to perform the store’s initial personal shopping services. It was a perfect fit.

Meticulous, impeccable, hardworking, elegant, and-most of all-delightfully funny, Halbreich has never been afraid to tell it to her customers right. She won’t sell something just to sell it. If an clothing or shoe or purse can be very costly, she’ll dissuade you from buying it. As Halbreich says, “There are two things nobody wants to encounter: their closet and their mirror.” She assists women do both, every day.