Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Incorrigibly plural

If pressed I'd have to say my lucky number is three, although today everything came to me in twos.

I started my day in one fresh-from-the-pack pair of pantyhose, laddered them by 11am and had to access my emergency pair I keep stashed in my desk at work.

I had lunch with a very dear old friend who, since I last saw her, has brought forth two children. On my way back to work after two courses of fine food I took two phone calls that filled my afternoon with predictable dramas.

I turned off my computer at two minutes past six.

When I came home there were two packages waiting for me.



The ivory bag is a vintage Koret, and the chocolately girl is a vintage Rosenfeld. They are both very welcome additions to my bag collection. Both were procured through eBay and come to me from the US, the centre of the handbag universe as I know it.

While my dinner was underway (I had two poached eggs) I noted my reading material for tonight includes two publications -  a magazine that has just been reinvented and an Australian fashion how-to guide which I am truly loving:




These pages are from Wardrobe 101, written by Dijanna Mulhearn and illustrated by Megan Hess.  This very beautiful book is a treasure trove of sage advice, tips, handy hints and contributions from stylists, bloggers & assorted fashion professionals.  The colour illustrations are particularly helpful and work alongside the author's well devised tips for combining colours in your daily outfits. The book also features relevant photographs and brief, interesting chapters about some classic garments and how they might work for you. Wardrobe 101 published in Australia by Thames and Hudson and is on sale at many local booksellers, though I bought it online at www.wardrobe101.com.au. The author even signed for me, which I thought was very stylish indeed.  It's a great read and highly recommended. 








   

The other fashion snack I plan to finish tonight is Company magazine, a British magazine that has just had a makeover. I have to say up front that Company's demographic is roughly half my age and as such the actual content is not entirely engrossing for me. BUT, she says in capital letters, I am borderline obsessed with its layout and production values. The mag was formerly a glossy - now it's small, sleek, glowing on smart matt paper and, most interestingly, set out like a style blog. The content borrows heavily on street style and young female bloggers while the editorials are far less didactic that the usual fashion mag rants, and read almost like a cosy chat.  I spend a vast amount of my waking hours consuming, analysing and contributing to mass media so I find the slow amalgamation of traditional media with new media fascinating. I bought the airmail copy of this in the excellent news agency in Darlinghurst.








Despite my fashioncentric reading list, I'm not sure whether I'll be making any grand statements with my clothes tomorrow. Sydney is sopping at the moment and my main concern is being low key and dry. I'm wondering if it's too early in the year to bring out the boots - they guarantee dry feet but are hellish if it gets too warm. It's a compelling dilemma, and I'm in two minds about it.