TOSSING & TAKING
I'm no style guru, trust me on that one. If anyone
could benefit from this post that would be me. I do however like to do my
research, and being the mother of a very active 4 year old, I do a lot of
waiting, waiting time that I’ve turned into reading time. I wait during her
swimming class, during dance lessons, in the car when in line to pick her up,
at playdates, the list just goes on. I carry my reading devices and books (yes,
remember those?) everywhere I go, I do not read but devour two to three books
in a month. They are usually fun light reads, and occasionally I’ll find one or
two that will stick with me and I will actually have some life changing
revelation after reading them.
Here are four must read style guides and some of the
style basics I’ve learned . I suggest you read these over and over again, keep
them as coffee table books (they all do have beautiful illustrations), keep a
copy in you office, and keep coming back to them for specific references every once in a while. I
promise you will always find something new that you can apply to the particular
moment of life you are in. And please, do not be mistaken and assume this will
only refer to fashion, though most make important references to this aspect of
style, you will find useful tips on LIFEstyles in general, eating habits, exercising,
socializing and really just developing a more positive attitude towards life’s
curves – the big scary ones and the small smooth ones.
1. HOW TO WALK IN HIGH HEELS
The Girl's Guide to EverythingCamilla Morton, Hyperion Books
Every girl should own this book. Period. This really is a guide to EVERYTHING.
From literally how to walk in high heels and how to be groomed , to how to eat
a lobster, decline with etiquette, be an art lover, look good in a photo, climb
a career ladder, buy a house, poach an egg, and even how to use toilets at
concert venues (yes! you read that right). You name the “How To” and you’ll
find the answer in this book. Keep it on your nightstand and this will quickly
become your etiquette bible. Download an extra digital copy to carry around on your devices, for those ‘waiting’
moments, I promise you’ll find at least one useful etiquette and style tip
every time you open it.
This book also makes a great gift for your girl friends!
BUY THIS BOOK
2. THE ONE HUNDRED
Nina Garcia
The title stands
for the One hundred timeless fashion pieces every stylish woman should own.
Listed in alphabetical order you’ll love going through your closet with this checklist
in hand, crossing off what you own and already missing what you don’t. From
Aviators, ballet flats, cable knit sweaters, diamond studs, LBDs and LWDs to
monogrammed stationery, pearl necklaces, striped sailor shirts, trench coats to
wayfarers and wrap dresses. Just don’t rush out the door yet to buy on impulse whichever
pieces you are missing. As Garcia warns, you will probably find your own One
hundred might be very different from your BF’s. And this is precisely what style is: unique and personal. Revise your own One Hundred. Invest wisely and do proper
research, remember these are timeless pieces you will want to wear today or in
twenty years. Bear in mind this classics usually do come back every now and
then, you will want to be the proud owner of each and every one of the One Hundred, and even pass them on to your daughters one day.
Remember to check out the rest of Garcia’s Style Series.
Bonus: Ruben Toledo’s beautiful illustrations make
this such an entertaining read. Trust me you’ll start at A and won’t put it down till you
reach Z.
3. PARISIAN CHIC
A Style Guide by Ines de La
Fressange with Sophie Gachet
Flammarion
I apologize
to the Italians, but if French know how to do something right (besides really
good fries) is to dress impeccably. They
always look pulled together and ultimately chic.
Former model and muse to Karl Lagerfeld, de la
Fressange was the first model in the 1980’s to sign a major modeling contract
with French fashion powerhouse Chanel and has since been the french’s definition of chic. In
this guide she revisits the Parisian style us tourists envy and unsuccessfully
try to imitate while in the city of light. Piece by piece, Ines chooses her
Magnificent Seven: a man’s blazer, a trench coat, a navy sweater, a tank top, a
LBD, jeans and a leather jacket. Ines also shares her own Parisian favorite spots
such as parfumeries, spas, florists, shops, hotels, cafes and restos still
undiscovered by us tourists and often
reserved just for Parisians .
The hilarious illustrations are de la Fressange’s own,
and the young beauty immortalizing the ultimate Parisian chic style in the gorgeous pictures is no other than de la Fressange’s daughter.
4. LESSONS FROM MADAME CHIC
20 stylish secrets I
learned while living in Paris
Jennifer L. Scott
By now, you may have
guessed Im a big fan of the French. French fashion, French eating, French
cookig, French living. After reading this book I finally understood the many
reasons behind this fascination with French culture explained in the beautiful and easy to follow words of Scott.
There’s something about Jennifer’s writing or the
anecdotes themselves she tells as a foreign exchange student who arrives from
southern California to a chic Sixteenth Arrondissement family, that makes this
such a fun read. I breezed through it but got so much out of this book. In the six months she got to spend with
Madame Chic and Madame Bohemienne , Jennifer trained her palette, developed a
healthy attitude towards food, mealtimes, her figure, exercise and all the
small joys of everyday life the French seem to master innately.
If you thought Nina Garcia’s one Hundred would give
you some closet work to do, try Jennifer’s Ten-Item wardrobe challenge!
This may seem as nothing more than a style book, but
it really is a guide to cultivate your mind, finding the simple pleasures in
life and living it passionately.
A delicious read you will want to share with your
entire family!
I may have no clue about style rules, but I do have
some basic closet rules of my own. For
example, every 4 to 6 months I
meticulously run through almost every item of clothing in my closet, and ask
myself a few simple, and what seem as extremely painful questions every time:
1.
Have I worn this
in the last year?
2.
Does this still
fit and/or flatter my current figure?
3.
Would I buy it
today?
4.
Would I wear this
today?
I also have other more drastic rules, for instance,
every time I go shopping for a new item, I give away an old one. That’s right if in one shopping trip I buy 10 pairs of shoes, I'll give away ten!
Once I counted over 120 pairs of shoes in my closet! Some of which I hadn’t
worn in years, others didn’t even fit. I thought about the many people in my
country who are lucky to have ONE pair of shoes. I gave away more than 60
pairs. Trust me I haven’t missed one yet. Sadly I’m still working on this
addiction.
Closet organising can be an intimate ritual or an excuse
to make the best out of a rather painful torture. Remember that great scene from SATC movie where Carrie
is getting married and invites the girls to her old apartment to sort out her
closet with the TOSS AND TAKE signs? what a great way to spend an evening with
your friends! They’ll probably make you toss what you want to take, but isn’t
that what friends are for?
If you did make it to the end of this post, I hope the
recommended literature is useful for reorganising not just your closet but all
other spaces and aspects of your life that need tossing and taking!
- The Little Black Book of Style, Nina Garcia
- The Style Strategy, Nina Garcia
- How to Look Expensive: A Beauty Editor's Secrets to Getting Gorgeous without Breaking the Bank, Andrea Pomerantz Lustig
- 30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know By The Time She's 30, by the editors of GLAMOUR and Pamela Redmond Satran
-Tim Gunn's Style Series: Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible, Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making it Work, and Tim Gunn: A Guide To Quality, Taste & Style
Thanks to my ever so stylish family & friends who recommended these books in the first place. Debbie, my fellow shopaholic and partner in crime when it comes to fashion splurges, and Andrea, whose timeless elegance and simple chic I will forever admire.
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