Sharon Tate: Recollection

“The book is a treasure; the photographs are a trove of fashion’s past and a chronicle of times gone by.”

Let’s get the 600-pound ape out of the room right now. This book is an absolute celebration of a very short life, an unfulfilled potential. It is also a reminder that there was once an breathtakingly beautiful human being whose name was Sharon Tate Polanski. The inference is that by comparison to today’s crop of so-called stars and style icons, she would have been a beacon of taste and style in a sea of reality show and movie star wannabes.

Debra Tate serves up a love letter to her late sister and never ever is this paean in any way maudlin or depressing. To the author’s credit the book is very low on pity and very high on celebrating the life of her sister. High on life as it paints a picture of a young woman who by Hollywood standards was an enigma or maybe she was the “anti-star” of the movie capitol. One cannot help but think of what Sharon Tate might have evolved into had she not met a very premature end.

This book can be viewed or appreciated via several diverse perspectives: Sharon Tate the star on the rise, Sharon Tate the tragic symbol of the drug addled era and victim of a maniacal murderer and his cult, and lastly Sharon Tate, the exquisitely beautiful young woman whose tastes and persona certainly betrayed her humble upbringing.

Sharon Tate: Recollection is all about Sharon Tate and her love affair with her career, her family, her very brief marriage, and most of all, the public persona she built for herself without the help of any stylist or wardrobe advisor. She would have been a beauty that rivaled Elizabeth Taylor and had she lived, she certainly would have outshined any one of today’s headline grabbing so-called beauties. She possessed great style, a sense of self, and was fashion savvy.

For boomers, in particular, Sharon Tate: Recollection is a reminder of the times we grew up in dosed with some nostalgia and sentimentality regarding the era. This is an amazing tale of a young woman who had all the makings of great stardom as well as a place in fashion. Even though her time on earth was brief, she had already been photographed by the some of the greatest marquee photographers of the 20th century, was on her way to becoming a fixture on the social scene, and had been featured in every major fashion publication.

The book is a treasure; the photographs are a trove of fashion’s past and a chronicle of times gone by. The verbiage is brief and incisive and 99% spot on with the unfortunate inclusion of Kelly Osborne that was actually offensive given her lack of style or fashion knowledge. Mr. Polanski is treated with great deference and Sharon Tate: Recollection shows him off to great advantage. Lastly, Debra Tate should be thanked for her approach to the book and her respect for her late sister.