My style library

Today I thought I’d put up some book suggestions as I’ve got quite a collection of fashion and style-related books piling up next to my bedside table at the moment.

Thankfully they’re the sort that you can come back to at any time; I never do this kind of thing with fiction books because I find it too hard to keep track of more than one at a time.

 

A while ago a friend (who has a lovely website called We love Perth – check it out if you’re looking for things to do over on the west side, whether you’re a local or a tourist) recommended the book Parisian Chic to me for some style inspiration. It’s written by Ines de la Fressange, who used to be one of the ‘it’ French models in the 1980s and has some fabulous tips for aspiring fashionistas. The thing I like about the book is that it not only goes into detail about how to create essential Parisian looks (from weekend casual to evening wear) but Ines has also listed her favourite boutiques for items from high-end labels to kids clothes, accessories and even home wares. 

 

I’ve also been reading Zoë Foster’s book Amazing Face, which should be every woman’s bible for anything make-up and skin related. It’s spectacular and I may have developed a slight girl crush on her whilst reading it. (Who wouldn’t? She’s smart, hilarious and engaged to Hamish Blake. The woman's got it all!) In addition to being extremely informative – she goes into detail about the kind of makeup you should be wearing throughout the different stages of your life, as well as suggesting brands to hit up for said items – she’s got a wonderful way of writing that has literally had me laughing out loud numerous times. It’s a wonderful book that I have already recommended to tons of friends and that I hope to one day give my 13-year-old daughter so that she actually learns how to put on makeup properly. Zoë also has heaps of instructional videos on YouTube and writes for MamaMia (Mia Freedman’s website) about all sorts of wonderful stuff, so start stalking her!

  

Food, Fashion, Friends, by Fleur Wood. This is the ultimate coffee table book for any who dabbles in fashion, interior decorating, cooking, entertaining or general styling. Fleur Wood took time out from designing beautiful clothing to write a book about how to host different themed parties, what to cook, how to decorate and what the dress-code should be. The photos are crisp, the styling is spectacular and the recipes to die for. It’s one of my all-time favourite books, mainly because it combines all my most loved pastimes in one but also as it was a birthday gift from a very dear friend who happened to pull some strings and get it signed by the author. Clearly she knows me very, very well.

I’m in the process of building up my style and fashion library (separate to my fiction library, of course!) so any suggestions for future purchases are most welcome! I’d really like to hear what your favourites are, and would especially like to know about any gems that you’ve come across in your op-shop or market wanderings!

Shoes every woman must have: week 2

 Sandals

 

Now that summer is officially over, and we’re coming to the end of daylight savings, I thought I’d  write this week’s shoe post about sandals in an attempt to hang onto some element of warm weather. Strappy heels are fantastic for summer and will dress up basically any outfit. Throw them on with some colourful shorts and a top for an easy smart-casual look or pair them with a flowy dress for evening drinks .

The wooden-clog look is still going strong and these nude/tan Yves Saint Laurent numbers are beautiful. I can see them teaming perfectly with a brightly coloured dress (something in pink or royal blue would be amazing), a tan belt and beachy tote bag.

 

Flats are also amazing and there have been lots of gorgeous styles around this last season, especially in metallic like these beautiful Stella McCartneys. Perfect for summer they’re strappy and cute, the gold is great for the party season and they are versatile enough to be taken from lunch and shopping with the girls to a beach party or cocktails.

I particularly love this style from River Island (you can buy them here) and would even wear these with jeans on those rare warmer days in autumn and spring (gotta love that unpredictable Melbourne weather!). 

 

You really can’t go wrong with sandals – they’re really easy to wear and are a great alternative to heels in summer. One thing I will mention is that there’s a big difference between a peep-toe shoe and an open-toe shoe. For example, it’s fine to wear stockings with peep-toe styles but they don’t look so great with an open-toe, mainly because you can see too much stocking and are dangerously close to hitting socks-and-sandals territory. That said, stockings with peep-toe shoes that are any colour other than black can look clumsy, so if you’ve got red peep-toes and really want to wear nude stockings with them I'd suggest seeking out some open toe stockings.

Another tip is to buy leather wherever possible. Leather is a wonderful material that not only moulds to your foot shape over time but also breathes, so your feet won’t get too hot and sweaty in the summer heat.

Have you purchased any sumptuous sandals this year? Feel free to post some pics for the rest of us to pine over!