ðə wˈɜːld ʌv nˈuː jˈɔːɹk fˈæʃən wʌzðə sˈɛɾɪŋ fɔːɹ sˈaɪks fˈɜːst nˈɑːvəl, bˈɜːɡdoːɹf blˈɑːndz tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹ, wˌɪtʃ wʌz wˈʌn ʌvðə mˈoʊst səksˈɛsfəl ɛɡzˈæmpəlz ʌv "tʃˈɪk lˈɪt" ɔːɹ "ʃˈiːk lˈɪt" æz sˌʌm dˈʌbd sˈaɪks ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ ænd sˈoʊld ɐ kwˈɔːɹɾɚɹ əvə mˈɪliən kˈɑːpɪz wˈɜːldwaɪd.
The world of New York fashion was the setting for Sykes' first novel, Bergdorf Blondes (2004), which was one of the most successful examples of "chick lit" (or "chic lit" as some dubbed Sykes' writing) and sold a quarter of a million copies worldwide.