I didn't read the measurements and thus the book is smaller than expected (not the thickness though; it is as thick as it looks in the images). However, I say true to size since the measurements were listed. The blue really stands out among the collection of fashion books on my book shelf. It's a great collection of sociological-historical images. For example, images from the 1940s of women shopping for leopard pelts really caught my eye (I am glad that period is long gone). There are images of Josephine Baker and James Dean, among other icons, which are to be treasured. As a 3rd example: there is a collection of images that show how Native Indian dress or other traditional dress has found its way into the mainstream. This section is very sociological as one might think about this in terms of exploitation or imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. This can be a very political book or a very straight forward fashion book - it all depends on your interests (IMHO).