New year, new books

Happy new year! I hope you've had a peaceful and restful Christmas and are looking forward to all that 2016 may bring. After a few months of being in a bit of a reading slump, I was very happy to receive some lovely books from friends and family, which look tempting enough to tear me away from Mad Men (Season 4, I'm obsessed!). Last year's Christmas Reads post was pretty popular so I thought I would share with you a few words about which books I was lucky enough to be given this year. The only problem now is which to read first!

Public Library by Ali Smith

I've had this on my wish list since before it was published but somehow managed to hold off buying before Christmas. I've really got into Ali Smith over the past year after first falling in love with How to Be Both followed by Artful and then The Accidental. I can't wait to dig into this collection of short stories, all about the wonderful places that are public libraries.  I owe a lot to my local library which has provided me with copious amounts of fashion books, recipes and the classics over the years. Hopefully, there will still be some left to visit in the future!

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

Not much really needs to be said about Donna Tartt, she is a literary genius. Ever since reading The Goldfinch and then wolfing down The Secret History (whilst simultaneously trying to savour ever word) Donna Tartt has quickly become one of my favourite authors. I knew I had to get my hands on her other novels and was so pleased to discover this one on Christmas Day.

M Train by Patti Smith

Ah, Patti! If I could fan-girl about anyone it would be her, she is such a legend. Just Kids is one of my favourite books, it is so beautifully and poetically written, and Patti's sheer drive and creative nature shines through in every word. I cannot wait to be swept into her world again with M Train.

Women in this Town by Giuseppe Santamaria

My friend Grace surprise me with this gorgeous street style book. Based on the blog Women in this Town it captures women from across the world, documenting their personal style. Each section is divided by city, be it London, New York, Tokyo etc. and it's fascinating to see how each metropolis has its own unique style. I'm looking forward to flicking through this and hopefully gaining some inspiration and perhaps the impetus to be a little braver with my style choices in 2016.

VOGUE Colouring Book by Iain R Webb

Last but not least, a fun one to end with. Colouring books for grown ups have been inescapable this year and I was secret hoping I might receive one for Christmas. Low and behold: The Vogue Colouring Book - perhaps the chicest of them all?! My lovely mum scouting this one out and I had the best afternoon spent colouring in whilst watching It's A Wonderful Life! What I love about this book is that it's so beautifully produced with drawings straight from the pages of 1950s Vogue magazines, complete with captions describing each item of clothing in glorious detail. Once I got over the fact that I had to DRAW ON A BOOK(!) I had loads of fun deciding which colour gown each model should wear. Hardly the worst dilemma to have!

I hope you all had the loveliest festive season and have loads of good books and mulled wine to keep you company during winter! Let me know if you have any recommendations in the comments, I would loving to hear them!

Xx

100 years of Fashion Illustration

What is it about fashion illustration that makes my heart leap? There's something about it that I find just captures the essence of fashion, breathing life into clothes so perfectly, perhaps even more than photography. 100 Years of Fashion Illustration by Cally Blackman documents the changes in fashion illustration, from the thin art deco lines of the 1920s, to  the computer-led graphics of the noughties. What I love about these images is their ability to conjure up the entire feeling of the era in which they were published. Take Barbara Hulanicki's Biba girls; their oversized lollipop frames and doll-like eyes just scream the 60s. Whilst Celia Birtwell's drawings (below) have that unbounded sense of freedom and effervescence, like two Chagall figures gliding off into the night.

The book shows just how central illustration was to the fashion industry. These images were found on magazine covers, on dress patterns, in advertorials and on billboards. Fashion illustration dictated what what women should aspire to, it captured the whole feeling of the new season. Flicking through these pages, it seems that it was not merely the clothing that represented how women should spend their money, but the girl on page. She is often hidden under hats, glancing away, or completely absorbed by the letter or book she's reading. In short, these women, rather than staring out blankly from glossy magazine spreads, are shown to live their lives in these new fashions, whilst we are left to imagine the exciting goings-on in their lives.

My growing obsession for Mad Men has made me appreciate fashion illustration even more. Once considered to be simply adverts for products, many images of fashion illustration are now admired as museum-worthy works of art. Some of my favourites include Rene Grau who is known to have inspired David Downton, as well as Barbara Hulanicki's illustrations for her Biba designs.

Will the heyday of fashion illustration return? I really hope so! Instagram seems to be the best place for searching out talented illustrators who hark back to those good old days but are also creating something new and exciting. Some of my favourites working at the moment are: Kelly Marie Beeman, Drawing Feever and Unskilled Worker. Let me know any illustrators you are following at the moment, I would love to discover more. 

Have a great Sunday! Xx

Illustration credits: (1) Bill Baker, 1966 (2) Celia Birtwell, 1970 (3) Marcel Vertes, 1940 (4) Rene Gruau, 1967 (5) Tod Draz, 1950 (6) Alfredo Bouret, 1957 (7) Rene Gruau, 1954.

The Secret History of Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland fever is everywhere at the moment. The much-loved story turns 150 this year, and unless you've been living under a rock you might have noticed a few white rabbits, mad hatters and March hares cropping up around the UK. I've always felt a connection to these stories, and now that I'm living in Oxford, I'm not too far from where Lewis Carroll first met Alice Liddell, and where it all began.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a couple of tickets to the Charleston Festival, and of course I chose the talk on Alice. 'The Secret History of Wonderland' took the form of a conversation between two writers. The first, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, recently published a book entitled 'The Story of Alice' which chronicles the life of Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and his relationship with Alice Liddell. The second author was Vanessa Tait, who is the great-granddaughter of Alice herself, and whose novel 'The Looking Glass House' retells the story of the Liddell family through the perspective of their governess.

It was fascinating to hear from Vanessa Tait about the experience of having such a famous relative, and one who was a literary heroine. Vanessa spoke about growing up in a house filled with Alice's memorabilia, from gloves and jewellery to treasured first editions of the Alice books. There is a real sense of mythology surrounding the story of Alice, from the photographs of her as a street urchin staring unflinchingly at the camera, to the nature of her relationship with Charles Dodgson, so much is unknown and unexplained, and both authors spoke of this uncertainty openly. Whilst we'll never know many of these unanswered questions, there must be something special about Alice in Wonderland. The book has become such a widely used cultural reference, from Japanese Harajuku costumes to Beatles lyrics. I can't wait to go back and reread the stories and be inspired once again.

These photos are of the house and gardens of Charleston, which is just so beautiful in the summer months. See last year's review of the festival here.

Have a great weekend! Xx

Nautical Chic

Ahoy there! Say hello to a wonderful new fashion book to add to your collection. Nautical Chic by Amber Jane Butchart charts our love of seaside fashion from its historical and practical origins to its present-day incarnation as a modern day style staple. I have always been a fan of the humble Breton stripe, there's something so eye-catching about those hypnotic horizontal lines than means I find it hard to go shopping without coming home with another stripey top. I feel similarly weak at the knees whenever I spot a sailor-style collar or a set of brass buttons and once owned a pair of wide legged blue sailor pants which I loved but was too scared to leave the house in!

I've long been an admirer of fashion historian Amber Jane Butchart, she has a great blog and has written another book Fashion Miscellany, a compendium of fashion anecdotes. Reading through Nautical Chic it's clear to see that Amber has a real love of all things nautical, rivera and pirate. I love how she goes into real detail into the origins of our favourite clothing, instead of using the usual tropes and references, she really gets into the hows and whys of the ways we dress.

The book is divided into five sections, each detailing a particular aspect or 'character' of nautical style: the officer, the sailor, the fisherman, the sportsman and, of course, the pirate. It's fascinating seeing how each of these individual influences have evolved to form what we now think of as nautical style. Amber incorporates both history and politics into her analysis of maritime fashion. I particular love the mention of the ship-shape hat that became popular in 18th century France at the time of Marie Antoinette, and then, much later became part of the inspiration behind milliner Philip Treacy's hat collection of 2013.

Nautical Chic also captures that chicness and sense of je ne sais quoi that is part of the iconic Breton top. Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn and Anna Karina and Edie Sedgwick all feature as stylish women who popularised the Breton top as 'a marker of effortless classic French chic' that is both 'bourgeois and bohemian'. 

The book itself is gorgeous and scattered with quotes, illustrations and beautiful photographs. If you have even the smallest interest in nautical fashion, I'm sure you'll find something of interest in this book, so much of what we wear today is influenced by these styles and I learnt so many wonderful nuggets of fashion history through reading Amber's text. Now that we're getting into some warmer weather I will definitely be using this as some much needed Spring/ Summer fashion inspiration. As you know, stripes never go out of style.

Fashion on the Ration

I tend to think of WWII as being a lot more 'ration' than 'fashion'. Utility clothes, hair nets and industrial boots tend do away with any sense of high fashion. And old black and white photos do little to dispel that image of dull and dreary dresses. But Julie Summers', in her new book 'Fashion on the Ration', depicts the Second World War as a moment awash with personal style, inventiveness and the unstoppable force of Vogue magazine.

Going along to the book talk for 'Fashion on the Ration', which also lends it name to a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, I made my way to Oxford Literary Festival. Sitting in a lecture theatre in the middle on Corpus Christi College, (and feeling pretty high brow!) I listened along with a group of other attentive ears to hear Julie explaining the inspiration behind her book and some of the stories of those she met in the process of writing and researching. 

Julie talked us through some of the real life stories found in her book. From women making nighties out of unwanted silk parachutes, to altering coats so that they mimicked the emerging 'New Look' fashions, she demonstrated that sense of creativity and desire for personal style despite the relentlessness of rationing.

The idea of 'Beauty as Duty', one of the chapters of the book, was particular interesting in that it showed a woman's duty to appear primped and primed to perfection in order to send a message to the enemy that everything would continue as normal. Although, I found this whole notion more than a little uncomfortable, and from a feminist point of view this leaves a lot to be desired, there is something powerful in our use of 'war paint' as a means of warding off dull days. And it's fascinating to look at the effort that went into dabbing on a dash of red lipstick and perfecting that wave of hair as a powerful way of refusing to give in, especially in a time where clothes scarce and were re-worn year after year.

The book also discards that notion of the 1940s as being a time of drab frocks and tea dresses. As Julie, wearing an original rayon dress in fabulous terracotta, told us, the fabrics, scarves, hats and accessories of the time were often full of colour. As shown in the book, wartime adverts see women with bright greens and yellows, pinks and magentas, which were all available to buy in shops or imitate through dress patterns. I love the uplifting quality that these images produce, evoking a world where street style was perhaps more colourful and individual than it is today.

What really comes across in the 'Fashion on the Ration' is that, despite having often been denigrated as frivolous and trivial, fashion meant so much to these women. The efforts that they went through to keep their sense of style and to keep up with fashion, be it through saving up ration cards or creating new dress patterns, is pretty impressive. And it was interesting to learn that the revered pages of Vogue where just as treasured in times of war. Despite a number of setbacks, including having to relocate its London offices due to air raids, Vogue never stopped printing during the years '39-45 and steadfastly provided women with the latest trends from Paris, as well as ways to 'Make Do and Mend', giving women at home a little bit of hope and inspiration during times of such uncertainty.

I really enjoyed learning more about fashion from a historian's point of view as well as hearing about what my grandmother might have worn during WWII. If you have any interest in 1940s fashion I would highly recommend picking up this book, or heading over to the IWM in London to see some of the outfits for yourself! Have a lovely Easter! xx

The Lady in the Looking Glass

"People should not leave looking glasses hanging in their rooms any more than they should leave open cheque books or letters confessing some hideous crime." - Virginia Woolf 

I've been finding it really hard to focus on large amounts of reading at the moment, probably because it's so cold in my house that my brain just turns to mulch! So when I discovered this tiny book, at the princely sum of £3, I thought I'd give it a read.

Virginia Woolf is one of my favourite authors, I just love her writing style and the way her words flow so effortlessly. This little book contains five of her short stories, each one fizzing with thoughts, ideas, ramblings and musings. 

One of my favourites in this small collection is The Mark on The Wall, which shows the joys of what I can only describe as 'slow thinking'. The narrator pauses to notice a mark on the wall, a mark she can't take her eyes off. This leads to a chain of interconnected thoughts, as she ponders life and death and everything in between. Woolf's thoughts flit and fly at such a speed as she compares life to being 'blown through the Tube at fifty miles an hour', all whilst sitting and staring at a mark on the wall. I love that Woolf conveys a mind so overflowing with ideas but so contained against a stuffy setting in a single room. Perhaps we should spend more time staring at marks on walls!

The title story of this short book is The Lady in the Looking Glass. I found this the most pertinent of all these stories, as it encompasses something I've been thinking about a lot recently. There are so many think pieces about 'selfie' culture floating around at the moment, and although first published in the late 1920s this story could easily be applied to our obsession with selfies and our online personas today. Does our reflection in the mirror validate ourselves or diminish us completely? Within the story, the image the woman presents to the world vanishes when she steps in front of the mirror. Her selfhood was simply made up of intriguing unopened letters, and exotic jewellery from her travels. Hopefully we are made up of more than our Instagram photos and Facebook likes... I'm sure Virginia Woolf would have something to say on the subject!

I don't want to get too deep and meaningful on a Monday... but if your after a short read that still has a lot of bite I'd really recommend this little collection of stories.

Have a lovely week! Xx

Ladybird by Design

Last weekend I visited the wonderful 'Ladybird by Design' exhibition thanks to a recommendation from Little Lewes. The display is being held at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, which is a beautiful example of 1930s art deco architecture and really makes you feel as though you're on a sophisticated ocean liner.

The exhibition takes a look back at the many designs created for the iconic Ladybird books. Although focusing on designs from the 1950s to 70s, I'm pretty sure no self-respecting Brit of any generation could escape childhood without reading one of these. Seeing the original illustrations up close was particularly interesting as they showed the amount of detail that went into each individual image. The paintings have lost none of their technicolour glory, with bright lollipop reds, yellows and greens befitting and Enid Blyton adventure. There's something quite modern about the simple and classic way each image and book was presented, and I'm sure many of today's children's book illustrators owe more than a little to the Ladybird artists.

Whilst Ladybird books hold a huge amount of nostalgia for many of us (I know my mum learnt to read on a strict diet of 'Peter and Jane'), what's perhaps most striking is just how 'of their time' they were. The books are so gender specific it seems almost comical. We have 'Shopping with Mother' and 'Learning with Mother' as well as 'Helping at Home' (with mother!). All whilst the men are depicted going out to work or showing their sons how to wash a car. Luckily for us we can look at these books as nostalgic artefacts of a very different time, happy in the knowledge that Ladybird no longer define their books by gender stereotypes.

When viewed altogether it's overwhelming to see just how many books and series were produced. Ladybird covered seemingly every topic from party games to countries of the world, founded in an honest and almost naive attempt to educate children on every subject imaginable. They printed each book on a single sheet of paper allowing them to produce books cheaply and efficiently at a time of paper rationing, creating beautifully designed books that were available to all.

'Ladybird by Design' is free and continues until 10th May. There is also a book available to coincide with the exhibition.

Christmas reads

I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas and have had some time to snuggle up with a book. I was lucky enough to receive a few gorgeous new books from my family this year. My mum presented me with a big cardboard box filled with these four and I couldn't have been happier. 

1. Vivienne Westwood by Vivienne Westwood & Ian Kelly

I have always had a soft spot for Queen Viv and have read pretty much everything about her I could get my hands on (see here for another Viv book review). So I was over the moon to hear that the definitive autobiography was going to be released a few months ago. This is a very hefty book, with some gorgeous lesser-known images of Vivienne, her family and her fashion designs. I'm looking forward to whiling away these cold winter days by immersing myself in Vivienne's world.

2. Women In Clothes by Sheila Heti

I have to admit, I did have to drop a few hints about this one as it's slightly more unusual. Women in Clothes takes an almost scientific look at the clothes women choose to wear in real life. Sheila Heti's project was to get hundreds of women to answer  a questionnaire about their dressing habits. The result is an almost psychological understanding of why we wear what we do, our insecurities around personal style and how we get dressed every day. I was so intrigued by this concept and have high hopes after reading Heti's 'How Should a Person Be' in 2013.

3. Elsa Schiaparelli: A Biography by Meryle Secrest

This was a complete case of judging a book by it's cover. The bright pink lured me in and I was quickly dropping hints as to how pretty it was. My knowledge of Schiaparelli is fairly limited and after watching a ShowStudio talk earlier last year about the brand's relaunch I really wanted to learn some more about the woman herself. I'm excited to read more non-fiction this year and hopefully keep those brain cells a-moving!

4. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I was so proud to have read (and finished!) Donna Tartt's the Goldfinch last year. I don't know why but I had got it into my head that I wouldn't be able to finish it and what was the point of reading it etc. etc. but I'm so glad that I gave it a try. Donna Tartt's writing is, put simply, an absolute pleasure to read. Though her subject matter often involves history, art, classics and the like, her books never feel pretentious or inaccessible, they are just completely enjoyable and I feel like I'm learning new things and making connections all the time. I'm about halfway through The Secret History now and can honestly say it's steadily making it's way up the list of my favourite books. I'm trying to savour every word!

So that's it for my little Christmas book 'haul' - ugh how I hate the word haul! This was not an excuse to show off, I genuinely enjoy sharing what I'm reading and welcoming new books into my little book family. If you received any books for Christmas please do share - I'd love to know what your'e reading and am always looking for inspiration!

Xx

Charleston Festival: Part Two

Yesterday, (amid thunder, lightning and a lot of rain) I made the trek back to the festival to hear another talk. This time it was all about the 1950s. Rachel Cooke, the author of Her Brilliant Career spoke about what life was like for a woman in the midcentury. It was interesting to hear about the women she chose to investigate in her book, from architects to film directors, these women had fascinating lives. Writer Ben Watt also talked about his book 'Romany and Tom' which explores the lives of his parents, a musician and an actress, who struggled to live the lives they wanted in post-war London.

A lot of what I imagine of the fifties comes from the literature and plays I studied at university. I took a course called 'Angry Young Men and Women' which focused on the famous kitchen sink dramas such as 'Look Back in Anger' by John Osbourne and 'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' by Alan Sillitoe. Reading these conjured up images of life in the 1950s as one of poverty, drudgery and a lot of laundry - not a fun time to be a woman. At the time these books and plays trod new ground as they shone a light on the working classes and the realities of everyday life post-war. 

However, this talk showed that for some women, the fifties offered up a life removed from the mundanity of household chores and one of independence and a rebellion from the norm. 

I enjoyed hearing about these differing experiences of the 1950s. Although I'm a bit too young to ever know what it was really like, my grandmother held down a full time job during the 1950s and it's great that these experiences are also being recognised and discussed.

I loved visiting Charleston this May. It's such a beautiful place wander around, soak up some culture and eat a lot of chocolate and almond cake (which was amazing!). Hopefully it will become a bit a of tradition.

Xx

The Charleston Festival 2014 Part 1

Charleston Farmhouse is one of my favourite places to go to in the summer. Not only is it historically the meeting place of the bohemian 'Bloomsbury set' which includes my heroes Virginia Woolf, E.M Forster and T.S. Eliot, it is also beautiful house with a garden that comes to life at this time of year.

2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the Charleston Festival and despite living nearby all my life I've never actually been to the book festival due to school and university exams every May (thanks, education!). So this year I was determined to get tickets. I managed to nab a pair for Ian McEwan in conversation with historian Asa Briggs and another for a talk on the book 'Her Brilliant Career' by author Rachel Cooke.

So, on Friday I went along to the first of these talks. Although I've only read two of Ian McEwan's novels: Atonement and On Chesil Beach I nonetheless consider myself a bit of fan (Atonement is up there as one of my all-time favourites) and made sure to get a signed copy of Sweet Tooth.

McEwan was in conversation with Asa Briggs who is still writing history books well into his nineties. The talk was a great Bloomsbury-style conversation which covered everything from science to psychology, history to politics. I really enjoyed listening to this type of intellectual chat, it was one of those talks where ideas flow from one thing to another a great speed and my brain often found it hard to keep up with it all. I love conversations that link seemingly disparate things together although I think that post-uni I may have lost my skills of concentration! And I never thought I'd say I miss seminars...

Below are some photos from visit number one... stay tuned for Part II and all things fifties!

Xx

Judith Kerr in Conversation

On Sunday I went to a talk at Somerset House which was part of the 'Pick Me Up' graphic art fair. The talk was so special because it was none other than Judith Kerr in conversation, the author and illustrator of wonderful children's books such as 'The Tiger Who Came To Tea' and 'Mog the Cat'. 

I have such admiration for Judith after watching a recent BBC programme about her. At age 90 she has had a long and exciting career and her childhood is particularly interesting. She escaped from Nazi Germany as a young girl to start a new life in England where she began a career in Textiles and  teaching. It was only after having children that she began to write and illustrate the stories that her son and daughter loved best. The rest as they say is history.

What I love so much about Judith's books is the sense of humour and imagination found in her illustrations. And hearing her talk there's no doubt that she has lost none of that sense of joy and passion for what she does. Judith is currently working on a new book 'The Crocodile Under the Bed' and was happy to show the audience a few of the proofs for the book. She also joked about the fact that she is mainly remembered for her first book 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' which was first published in 1968, despite having written dozens of books since. It's a testament to her talent how well her books have stood the test of time and how well they are received by generations of kids.

I'm really glad I booked this talk and would really recommend to anyone to have a look at the Somerset House website as they are always holding small events of this kind as well as evening talks and screenings. I'm also am keen to get my hands on the recently published 'Creatures' which goes into detail about her life and career. If you're interested in seeing more of her childhood drawings then I'm sure it is well worth a look!

I hope you're having a lovely thursday! Xx

Great War Fashion

I'm excited to share with you a book I've really been enjoying over the last couple of weeks. I first saw it in Waterstones a few months ago and kept going back in to have a sneaky read, finally receiving for my birthday a few weeks ago. The book in question is 'Great War Fashion' by Lucy Adlington and it tells the story of fashion in the years 1914-18. What with it being the centenary of the First World War this year, this is a particularly timely read and gives a fascinating fashion perspective. The book covers everything from lingerie to sportswear, wedding dresses to mourning wear - no stone is left unturned! 

The book itself is a pretty hefty tome and contains some beautiful photos, many from the author's own collections. I love the fashion illustrations from the likes of Vogue which show the beautiful fashions of the day in a bright array of colours (often ignoring the realities of war!). Alongside these pictures there are letters and diary entries and other materials although it's written in a way that's really fun and lighthearted. I've learnt so many interesting facts through reading this which I've been spouting at anyone who'll listen!

Another thing to mention is that there is a real feminist narrative which sits alongside the story of the clothes these women wore. From the suffragettes who sewed weapons into their clothing to the restrictive corsets and long skirts worn even during sport, 'Great War Fashion' paints a picture of women who both enjoyed and resented the fashions of the time. Wartime life really shaped the way in which these women dressed. Photos of girls in factory dress and Land Army breeches show the physical freedom women were allowed through clothing as they took on traditionally masculine jobs. Sadly many had to give these jobs up as the war ended and settle back into domestic work. But for many things had changed irrevocably, leaded the way for the roaring 20s!

I've also been really into the BBC drama 'The Crimson Field' and this provides the perfect accompaniment to the series and makes me feel like a proper fashion geek as I now know all about the starchy white VAD uniforms! I'd really recommend having a flick through 'Great War Fashion' - it gives a whole new perspective to what I learnt in my school history lessons (if only schools taught fashion history!).