Sykes, Plum 1969–

views updated

Sykes, Plum 1969–

(Victoria Sykes)

PERSONAL:

Born December 4, 1969, in London, England; married Toby Rowland (an Internet entrepreneur); children: Ursula. Education: University of Oxford, B.A., 1991.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY; London, England. Agent—Janklow & Nesbit, 445 Park Ave., New York, NY, 10022.

CAREER:

Writer. British Vogue, London, England, fashion writer, 1993-97; American Vogue, New York, NY, contributing editor, 1997—.

WRITINGS:

Bergdorf Blondes, Miramax Books/Hyperion (New York, NY), 2004.

The Debutante Divorcée: A Novel, Miramax Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Writer and fashion editor Plum Sykes was born Victoria Sykes, December 4, 1969, in London, England, the younger twin by half an hour to her sister Lucy. Sykes graduated from the University of Oxford in 1991, having studied history, then returned to London where she eventually joined the staff of British Vogue as a fashion writer, assistant, and editor. Her high-profile lifestyle and society family made her extremely visible in front of the camera and in the society pages as well as behind her byline. In 1997, Sykes moved to New York, where she became a contributing editor for American Vogue and a darling of the New York City social crowd as well, frequently referred to as an "It Girl."

In 2004, Sykes published her first novel, Bergdorf Blondes, which reportedly sold for an advance of approximately 600,000 dollars. The title of the book came from the lavish and pricy New York City department store located on the East Side, just steps from Central Park and the Plaza Hotel. The novel rapidly became a best seller, with more than a quarter of a million copies in print. Bergdorf Blondes is a modern-day tale of old-fashioned New York, recounting the story of the well-heeled women of New York City who, much like the heroine of an eighteenth- or nineteenth-century novel, want desperately to marry the right sort of a man—one with wealth and position who can keep her living a lavish, high-class lifestyle. Sykes herself was quoted on the Stiletto Effect blog as saying that "New York is still very much like the city you read about in Edith Wharton and Henry James, with all those social rules and girls wanting to get married."

Bergdorf Blondes features an unnamed heroine who happens to be a British-born magazine editor, recently transplanted to New York City to work on a prominent fashion publication. In a world that focuses on Chanel, the perfect tan, the effect of the perfect pair of designer jeans on a girl's rear view, and the importance of embracing Botox treatments, she joins the Park Avenue Princesses, whose primary interest in life is to find the husband of their dreams. Like any girl of her ilk, she travels in something of a pack, with her best friend, Julie Bergdorf, an heiress who stands to inherit a fortune even by Park Avenue standards. The girls often speak in a shorthand of their own devising, in which CBK stands for Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, PH stands for Prospective Husband, and Arizona refers to rehab. It is clear that Sykes mined her own experiences for the book, from her personal background to her job at Vogue. When asked what sort of research went into the writing of the novel, Sykes told a reviewer for Entertainment Weekly: "I went to the Paris Ritz and stayed there for two days…. I spent a lot of time taking notes on things like the bathtub and the dressing gowns." The book ultimately drew a number of comparisons to the writing of former New York Observer contributor Candace Bushnell, whose "Sex and the City" column spawned the popular television series staring Sarah Jessica Parker. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly called Sykes's debut effort "a savvy and viciously funny trip into a glittery, glitzy world we sure wouldn't want to live in—but by which we're more than happy to be vicariously consumed." Samantha Miller, however, reviewing for People, opined that "one wishes Sykes had abandoned chick lit conven- tions … [for] an all-out Tom Wolfe-style satire." A contributor for Kirkus Reviews remarked that "Sykes has a frightening insight into the mindset of unemployed, label-addicted blonds." Rachel Johnson, writing for Spectator, declared: "Any girl who can make me laugh out loud on every third page is a goddess in my book, and I haven't had so much fun since rereading the Mitford novels." However, New York Times Book Review contributor Choire Sicha observed that "Sykes … refuses to do more than gently critique her world. Sykes isn't bitter or disenfranchised or drunk enough to get all Truman Capote on her own personal Lee Radziwills. So her novel turns into a shallow romantic comedy in the early Meg Ryan vein."

With her next effort, The Debutante Divorcée: A Novel, Sykes turns the tables on her first book and, rather than focusing on women looking for husbands, she addresses the question of what a girl should do when the bloom is off the rose and the marriage ends in divorce. The book follows newlywed Sylvie Mortimer as she worries, despite her state of married bliss, that her husband might fall to the charms of notorious man hunter Sophie D'Arlan, known for going after only married men. Sylvie finds herself paying close attention to Lauren Blount, whose stylish approach to divorce has all the soon-to-be divorced society women sitting up and taking notice. Sylvie makes Lauren's acquaintance early on in her marriage, when her husband is called away on business during their honeymoon and Sylvie finds herself at loose ends. Lauren is visiting the same resort with a girlfriend, the two of them taking a reverse honeymoon of sorts in honor of their recent divorces. The friendship blossoms as Sylvie's marriage appears to be slipping into rocky territory, making it only natural for her to turn to Lauren for advice. A contributor for Kirkus Reviews opined that "the semi-existent plot and ditzy characters serve as background for a lesson in what to wear if you have money to burn." Christine Muhlke, writing for the New York Times Book Review, was similarly unimpressed. She remarked that "unlike the recent spate of revenge ‘novels’ written by outsiders who were refused admittance, this book was written by someone who got sucked in and she can't get up. Sykes is a bright young thing …, but there are too few winks to help us forgive the relentless lack of substance." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly commented that "though characters are as complex as the labels they wear … Sykes's Bergdorf formula is still light, wicked, namedropping fun."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2004, Meredith Parets, review of Bergdorf Blondes, p. 1039; April 15, 2006, Kristine Huntley, review of The Debutante Divorcée: A Novel, p. 31.

Bookseller, May 5, 2006, review of The Debutante Divorcée, p. 12.

Entertainment Weekly, January 23, 2004, review of Bergdorf Blondes, p. 68; April 9, 2004, "Puttin' on the Ditz: Plum Sykes Dives into the Shallow End for Her Much-hyped Novel, Bergdorf Blondes," p. 89; April 16, 2004, Troy Patterson, "This Year's Girl: Chick-lit Debutante Plum Sykes Is Poised to Jet-set to the Top of the Charts with Her Lowdown on High Society, Bergdorf Blondes," p. 50.

Glamour, April 1, 2004, Sara Nelson, review of Bergdorf Blondes, p. 173.

Hollywood Reporter, October 4, 2002, Minju Pak and Ian Mohr, "Miramax Prefers ‘Blondes,’" p. 38.

Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2004, review of Bergdorf Blondes, p. 59; March 1, 2006, review of The Debutante Divorcée, p. 205.

Library Journal, March 15, 2004, Nancy Pearl, review of Bergdorf Blondes, p. 109; March 15, 2006, Lisa Davis-Craig, review of The Debutante Divorcée, p. 65.

New Statesman, May 10, 2004, Wendy Holden, "Where to Wax," p. 54.

New York, May 1, 2006, "Noms de Plum: A Guide to Who's Who in the Name-dropping Semi-fictional World of the Latest Sykes Novel," p. 24.

New York Times, April 2, 2004, Janet Maslin, "Looking for Sales (and, um, Love) in All the Right Places," p. 31.

New York Times Book Review, April 18, 2004, Choire Sicha, "Plum's Tarts," p. 8; June 4, 2006, Christine Muhlke, "Unwedded Bliss."

New York Times Magazine, May 30, 2004, Deborah Solomon, "Hazards of New Fortunes," p. 13.

People, April 26, 2004, Samantha Miller, review of Bergdorf Blondes, p. 39.

Publishers Weekly, February 2, 2004, review of Bergdorf Blondes, p. 57; April 19, 2004, "Plum Terrific," p. 18; March 27, 2006, review of The Debutante Divorcée, p. 56.

Spectator, May 1, 2004, Rachel Johnson, "The Mating Game in Manhattan," p. 34.

Vogue, October 1, 2005, "Plum Sykes Ever After; the Novelist and Vogue Contributor Headed Home to Her Family's Estate in Yorkshire for a Pictureperfect English Wedding (Even If They Did Forget the Cake)," p. 362.

Women's Wear Daily, April 15, 2004, "Plum Pudding," p. 6.