Between the Bookends

So I hope this is a start of a brand new section to the Halcyon Future Fashion blog! As I've already mentioned, I'm a complete bibliophile and beside my bed lies an ever growing and tottering pile of books.

One collection I've been looking at recently expanding is my collection of fashion and style books. As an aspiring fashion editor and dangerous clothes addict, they provide me with role models to aspire to be and images to be inspired by. They're informative, gorgeous to look at and unsurprisingly look damn good on the bookshelf too.

So I thought I'd share my current collection with you, especially because I made two new additions yesterday that I'm particularly excited about.

Latest purchases

The first is 'The Vogue Factor' by Kirstie Clements, former editor of Vogue Australia. It charts her career from the front desk of Vogue where she worked as a receptionist, to her rise to Editor some 14 years later. I couldn't wait to start reading, so am already devouring through it.

The Vogue Factor - Kirstie Clements

The second was a book I hadn't planned on purchasing, but was conned into by a clever marketing scheme. I'm always a sucker for those - the '3 for 2' or 'buy one, get one half price!' signs that lure you in. That said, it ended up being a great bargain and its a beautiful book to add to the shelf so I'm not too heartbroken about the whole thing. It's one of a series of books published by Vogue (common theme today!) called 'Vogue On', with each book a definitive little history and guide to iconic designers.

There were two on the shelf - Alexander McQueen and Christian Dior, which made it a hard choice to make! I ended up opting for Christian Dior, as I'm feeling more inspired by the classic styles at the moment, and I love looking at old fashion photography. I'll probably end up going back for McQueen at some point though...

The others...

1. Grace: A Memoir  by Grace Coddington

This was actually a gift I bought myself for Christmas (this seems to be a common theme with my fashion books actually.) I absolutely love it and would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in fashion (or cat lovers). Her personality shines through the pages as she recounts her incredible career - from growing up in the middle of nowhere in Wales, to a promising modelling career, to finally being the huge force she is today at US Vogue. I love the commentary she provides in general about modelling and the changing landscape of the magazine industry and she also draws the cutest illustrations! She was the surprising star of the fashion documentary 'The September Issue' which I would also recommend.

'Grace-ing' the cover of I-D Magazine

2. The Sartorialist Closer by Scott Schulman

This is the second book from the man behind pioneering street style blog The Sartorialist. I find this particularly inspiring when I'm facing the daily challenge of deciding what to wear. It's filled with pictures of stylish strangers from the streets of London, New York, Paris and Milan. But the main reason I love it is because its not just about fashion - it's focus is on style, which could be the way the subject carries themself or an interesting way they're wearing a particular accessory or colour combination. It's these little things, such as attention to detail and attitude, that really make you stand out from the fashion pack.

3. Style Notes by Maggie Alderson

A collection of Maggie Alderson's columns from The Age. Maggie is a london-born Australian author, magazine editor and fashion journalist. She's edited ES (the Evening Standard magazine), British ELLE, and in Australia Cleo and Mode. I was lucky enough to meet her when she was promoting her latest novel Everything Changes But You last year at the bookshop I used to work at, and she kindly signed a copy for me. The articles provide interesting commentary on anything and everything related to fashion - always funny, witty and informative.

4. Front Row - Anna Wintour: What lies beneath the chic exterior of Vogue's Editor-in-Chief  by Jerry Oppenheimer

This is a very well-thumbed copy that I picked up for about $10 about five years ago. It's an unauthorised biography of Anna Wintour and follows her from birth to her current position as possibly the most influential and important figure in fashion (and obvious US Vogue Editor). There are detailed accounts of both her personal and professional life and although admittedly - given that it is 'unauthorised' - one cannot verify that it's 100% truth or fact, it's certainly extremely interesting to get a clearer idea of what she is like. I always come back to this book and re-read certain parts, and if you can find it in any bookshops, definitely pick it up!

5. Beauty in Bloom - A collection of beautiful inspiration by Natalie Bloom

This is one that I bought on sale at my old bookshop, mainly for the beautiful illustrations. It's written by Natalie Bloom of Bloom Cosmetics and as well as looking absolutely gorgeous, it's also full of some great make-up and (inner) beauty tips, quotes and inspiration.

Gorgeous illustrations in 'Beauty in Bloom'

And that, so far, is my fashion bookshelf. Know of any books I should add to the shelf? Let me know in the comments below!

New Goodies: Shopping Haul!

Along with my new found obsession with Youtube beauty videos (a couple of years late to the party, I know), I've also found myself constantly watching 'haul' videos. For those of you who don't know what they are, they're basically where you show and talk about all your recent shopping purchases. It sounds quite inane, but I really enjoy them (think it might be the nosey characteristic in me!)

So I thought I'd share with you a few of my most recent purchases. Firstly because i'm in love with quite a few of them and secondly, because being currently unemployed my shopping habits may have to be significantly curbed for a (hopefully!) short while.

 1. Herringbone Ankle Grazing Skinny Trousers

I literally bought these yesterday and I'm already in love with them and planning our wedding. Alright, maybe a slight exaggeration but I'm very much looking forward to wearing them. The next week still looks to remain above 30 degrees, so it may be a little while before I can take them out for a spin.
 I've seen the herringbone pattern a lot in the shops recently, and I think we're going to see a lot more of it in the coming colder months. I personally love it - I think most of the time it's a very classy pattern, and I love the chic-ness of it in the monochrome tones.

These ones are very skinny, stopping just above the ankle - a length I think works well with a lot of shoes. The sides have a solid black strip which breaks up the block of pattern. I'll wear them for both casual and dressy events - during the day with a simple black top/shirt and boots and for the evening pair them with some mega high heels. I'll probably keep my top half simple and play about with some bright accessories. They were $49, which I think is an alright amount for a good pair of trousers - hopefully I'll get a lot of wear out of them!

2. Silver/Clear/Black Heels with Thin Ankle Strap

If the trousers are my new love, then these are definitely my babies.  I got these the other week from Wittner (basically where I get all my shoes) for a whopping HALF PRICE! Mind you, they were still a decent chunk of my pay check, but as soon as I saw them, I'd made up my mind I had to have them.

My Wittner babies

I've actually already worn them (for my boyfriend and I's 2 and a half year anniversary) and they're surprisingly comfy. Apart from the fact that I feel like Cinderella when I slip my feet into them, I love the elegance of the slightly lower heel and delicate ankle strap. It's a much welcome change from the mad high stilettos and chunkier heels that have dominated the past few seasons.

Thinking about it, they remind me a bit of these Louboutin ones... what do you think!?

Bad Boy Louboutin

3. Lovisa Jewellery

Now the whole Diva/Lovisa thing kind of confuses me but who is to argue with a 3 for 2 offer!? I've been into a Lovisa  a number of times, admired their wares but never actually bought anything. I tend to buy a lot of clothes and bags, but rarely accessories which is really starting to show in my wardrobe. Accessories are a fantastic way to cheaply update your wardrobe, so I thought i'd stock up while they had some good deals on.

Because the weather has been so amazing lately (hello lazy days by the pool in 30 degree heat!), most mornings when I have woken up to get dressed I've felt very summery - which would explain why I was immediately drawn towards the bright lights of the neon!

Now I don't normally wear dangly earrings because they tend to get tangled up in my hair, but I really liked the design of these ones, and think there's something kind of more 'grown-up' and 'fashionable' about long ones - (probably stemming from when I used to watch my mum get ready when I was younger - she had an enviable collection!).

I didn't actually plan for all the items to match - purely coincidence, I promise! The style of the necklace has been around for a long time and in a multitude of colours. I couldn't decide on one, so I chose the one that combined the lot! I was drawn to the neon enamel bangles - I think they're very vaguely reminiscent of the gorgeous Hermes ones (only the fact that they're bracelets and enamel really) but thought they'd brighten up a few outfit. The whole lot came to about $14 which I was pretty impressed about!

4. Finally - Magazines

This is a bit of a cheat one really, as technically I get British Vogue through a subscription (Thanks Grandma, Aunt and Cousins!). If you don't know, I'm originally from London and have lived in Australia for the past five years, and my Vogues are kind of my link back home and a way of keeping in touch with the trends. This is an especially good issue, hence the inclusion!

I did actually buy Yen, it's one of my favourite Australian magazines - it's always stuffed full of things a little off beat but always very interesting. I'm not going to lie - I picked up this issue mostly because of Lena Dunham on the cover - am currently OBSESSED with Girls (if you haven't watched it, DO SO NOW!). I think it's so impressive how much she's achieved and she's only in her twenties! There's also a great article/interview/profile piece on Grace Coddington, one of my favourite people ever. If you've seen 'The September Issue' or regularly read US Vogue you'll probably be familiar with her.

I treated myself to her autobiography 'Grace: A Memoir' around Christmas time and loved it. Thinking about it, I may do a review of it for the blog as I'd definitely recommend it! So stay tuned for that...


That's really only a selection of the things I've bought recently - let me know if you enjoyed the post/would like to see more/never want to see it again or if you've snapped up some great bargains/purchases recently!

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