The Beautiful Life: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in the 1970s Paris by Alicia Drake, $8.95 at amazon.com, Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones, $11.97 at amazon.com, Hungry By Crystal Renn, $16.50 at amazon.com: Everyone forgets about books! Books are such a great, easy gift. I do this with my dad every year. Well, he actually buys me books he thinks I'll never read and then pays me to read them, but that's besides the point. Obviously books work as a gift for anyone (Pride and Prejudice is always a winner. Just saying), but there are some great fashion-related books out right now that a lot of girls would love to see under the tree. The Beautiful Life (not like the CW sitcom) tells the stories of fabulous Parisian designers in the high-flying '70s--full of excess, drugs, intrigue, back-stabbing, and general juiciness. Any of sort designer expose is a serious page-turner for me. I've read and reread Fashion Babylon about 10 times, and it's still fresh and interesting. Edwards-Jones interviewed a ton of industry insiders and compiled their experiences into a peek into the life of an anonymous British designer as she puts together a collection. It's snarky, it's enlightening, it's heart-breaking, and it's hilarious, and trust me, even the most seasoned style aficionado will come away having learned something from this novel. Hungry is the book I really want. It's Crystal Renn's biography. If you don't know her, she's probably the most famous plus size model of the moment, but she wasn't always plus size. It's the story of her struggles as a regular runway model, battle with her body image, and her ultimate self-acceptance. Although it has a lot of fashion-related tidbits, I think it's interesting on a human level to experience her fascinating life story.
Obligatory Lara Stone pics: here's her in the new Louis Vuitton ads. Girl replaced Madonna, so major kudos on pulling that one off. I know a lot of people think she's awkward looking, that she has a Neanderthal brow, that she's weirdly proportioned for a model, but she's honestly my favorite model. She reminds me of Angelina Jolie. Her face has this raw, animalistic quality to it that can be insanely sexy or insanely alien-weird, and she does all that with gap teeth. And it's always nice to see a model that looks healthy.
Kron by Kronkron shoes: Green, black, and cream heels: 44,900 KR, blue, black, green, and white heels: 48,900 KR, black and cream heels: 36,900 KR: I have to thank Susie Bubble for posting about these shoes. Or maybe rant at her for showing me these shoes that make me want to drain my bank account. Either way. These are exactly the kind of shoes I've been waiting for: eccentric, on-trend, unique, with a bit of couture vibe but without the couture price (the prices are in Icelandic Kroners, but I've deduced that they're all under $375. I think). I love how these heels have a slightly retro, menswear vibe with the little tassels, but the bright colors and mix of textures give them a very fun, modern feel. This first pair plays off oxfords (these are my favs!), the peep toe adds a dash of flirtiness, and the thick heel and platform are on-trend and practical. This second pair feels a little Balenciaga to me--maybe it's the construction of the blue/white/black detailing, and the striped heel is so fun. It's hard to see, but the detail on the front of this last shoe is a huge bow. The contrast of the bow over the somewhat masculine lines of the shoe is fantastic, and this is such a refreshing take on the shootie trend.
Lush Brazened Honey Mask, available in stores, Ugg Australia Dakota Moccasins in Go Wine, $100 at uggaustralia.com: I'm intrigued with Lush. Their stores are always so lovely smelling, and I love their natural products and aesthetic. Evidently they only sell these face masks in store because they're so fresh they need to be refrigerated and can only be kept for 2-3 weeks. As far as I've deduced this tub costs about $10-15 and you get about 6 uses out of it, which is pretty decent, especially if you only get it every few months as a skin picker-upper. They have a wide variety of masks, but I'm interested in this Brazened Honey mask. It's supposed to exfoliate, detoxify, revitalize, and nourish your skin, and according to Makeup Alley it gives you a lovely, fresh glow. The Ugg Moccasins are a great last minute Christmas gift for any girl. Yes, they're Uggs, but they're slippers, so you really can't wear them out! The moccasin styling is fun and a little more chic than your average slipper, and the garnet hue is fun. These would definitely lighten up that Christmas morning pajamas ensemble.
Image Sources:
The Beautiful Fall: amazon.com, Fashion Babylon: ebooks-imgs.connect.com, Hungry: amazon.com, Lara Stone spreads: nymag.com, Kron by Kronkron heels: kronkron.com, kronkron.com, kronkron.com, Lush mask: makeupalley.com, Ugg slippers: uggaustralia.com.
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