Pretty clothes *sigh*

I love beautiful clothes, and I love beautiful books. So, naturally, I love beautiful books about beautiful clothes. I don't think I will ever quite understand why I adore clothing so much, but that doesn't stop me from trying. I think one of the reasons I read about style is because I'm attempting to understand why it's so important to me.

Two books I absolutely must have are released this week.

Dreaming of Chanel is a follow-on from Dreaming of Dior, which I blogged about here. It contains gorgeous fashion illustrations of vintage pieces. I could spend hours gawking at them.

A Life in Frocks, by Sydney Author Kelly Doust, is the most beautifully produced new release I have seen in years. The cover image below doesn't do it justice. Really. Every page is printed in two colours (black chapter text and red headers), with colour fashion illustrations scattered throughout (printed onto the page, not on separate plates). The paper has a beautiful texture. My favourite touch is that when you peek at the naked book beneath the dust jacket, you find colour illustrations of cute lingerie.

Kelly Doust writes:

Over the years clothes have comforted me, given me confidence, lured love interests, made me invisible, secured jobs, aged me and given back my youth. ... It's a testament to their immense power that clothes can be so many things.

If you know someone who loves clothes as much as I do, think about getting them one of these books for  Christmas.

View on fishpond: A Life in Frocks

22 boxes

I'm moving house in about a month, so naturally I've started packing. I started with my books, mainly because once I've cleared the books out of my room there will be much more space to move around and pack everything else! So far I've packed 22 boxes of books. There are another four or five boxes' worth that I can't afford to pack just now...

Yes, they are labelled by category. This is because I hope to have help unpacking and organizing them at the other end (HA, that means you!). I need it, because otherwise I will waste an entire week pouring over books I'd forgotten I had.

I already got distracted by my picture books whilst packing. (I collect picture books. I also collect perfume bottles and handbags. Contrary to popular belief, I do not collect shoes. I just happen to have quite a few of them.)

Hair and influence

You've got to love these t-shirt designs from Hirsute History. I'm considering getting the Neil Gaiman one...

Never buy...

There are just some books I would simply never buy. Here's a few examples:


The book that tells you where to shop for clothes. Seriously. The only person who knows your shopping needs is you. Do a bit of research.
Instead, for inspiration: Grace Kelly Style: Fashion for Hollywood's Princess , The Sartorialist

The book with the film poster as cover art, so that film-going shoppers won't have to tax themselves too much trying to identify the book-the-film-was-based-on in the bookstore. You're smarter than that, right?

Instead: The Field Guide: The Spiderwick Chronicles: Book 1, The Lord of the Rings, Inkheart

Aren't they so much prettier?

The book you think you 'have to read' because everybody else has.
Here's a brilliant little-known: Girl in Hyacinth Blue

The cookbook without pictures. (Shudder!)
Here's some cookbooks I've had success with: Frost Bite: Everyday Food Fresh from the Freezer, Real Food: Healthy, Delicious, Easy to Prepare

The book that tells you how to be happy. I've never seen one that worked.
Try instead: Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ, Happiness, Enough: Breaking Free from the World of More

The Sartorialist

If you're into clothing, this is a book you must check out:

Scott Schuman's philosophy is inspiring- he's a fashion photographer who takes photos of ordinary people wearing their everyday clothes.

I like to wear things that look interesting, but still function as everyday clothes. I like colour. I like beautiful fabrics. I like things that are not the norm. I like clothes that make a statement about who I am.

This book is full of inspiration for out-of-the-ordinary outfits, like the "shirt as skirt" I just had to have. (Yes, I got myself one. It's so easy to make- no sewing required. Tip: only use a shirt with a pleat in the centre of the back. And pinstripes work!)

Look over The Sartorialist for ideas, or just because it's beautiful to look at.

(P.S. Thanks ML for putting me onto this book!)


Buy on fishpond: The Sartorialist

Merch, merch, merch

Alas, summer brings with it summer reading habits. For me, this usually means a general inability to commit to a book from beginning to end unless it is a.) incredibly engaging, or b.) a piece of fluff. The result is that I have nothing interesting to report in terms of my personal reading.

I did, however, discover a fabulous website where you can order t-shirts with all kinds of esoteric and hilarious slogans. There are a lot of wonderful Jane Austen Ts. I'm going to order these:

If you don't get them, brush up on your grammar and read Pride and Prejudice. Both will enrich your life.

And now for a complete contradiction...

Above is the cover of a book I am currently reading. It's a book about economics, not a strength of mine, so I'm struggling a little to keep up. But so far, the gist is this: while we view the world as if value and price were roughly equivalent, they actually aren't. 'Price' is a highly artificial construct, and to move forward responsibly, we need to recognise it as such. So far, so good.

You can read more about the book here, and a review written by someone who does understand economics can be found here.

Meanwhile, I'm also reading the book shown below, a chronicle of just some of the 3000 vintage fashion pieces inherited by author Charlotte Smith. Each double page depicts a gorgeous illustration of the dress (or other item of clothing) in question, alongside a charming story about the adventures of a woman who once wore it.

You can find out more about the book here and read the author’s blog here.

My dad would laugh and call me a ‘good little consumer’ (style is my guilty passion), but I truly identify with the attitude Dreaming of Dior takes to clothes. There is something about wearing clothes you love which transcends the desire to cover yourself and/or look attractive.

Clothes become part of your identity. They say things about you that you would never dare to say aloud. They remind you of the wonderful times you’ve had in them. They add beauty and colour to an ordinary day. Getting dressed in the morning is an opportunity to centre myself, to begin the day as the person I want to be.

In spite of that, the better part of me knows that Patel is right. I have too many clothes.

Buy on fishpond: The Value of Nothing, Dreaming of Dior