Lookbook

Here is something which isn't in Nina's One Hundred, but which I've found to be incredibly useful: a Lookbook!

A lookbook is basically a collection of images for use as inspiration. It can be a thick book bursting at the seams, or a single page, or a spot on the wall you stick pictures on and which constantly changes. It can be as fantastic or as prosaic as you want. It can have pictures of items or outfits you like, or pictures of absolutely anything animal, vegetable or mineral which inspire you. It can be comprised of photos, swatches, and clippings from magazines or gardens. It doesn't matter. I've seen lookbooks with bits of wool, flowers, sticks, stickers, perfume tester cards, all sorts of flotsam and jetsam which pointed the owner in some way to where they wanted to go.

I use a scrapbook for my lookbook, gathering stuff up as it comes along and tearing it out when it loses favour. It's a fairly prosaic sort, comprised of items or outfits which I like the idea or look of, with the occasional comment or note. It's rarely taken literally – what a stylist does for magazine pages is not what is going to work for me on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes, it's just the idea of it, the direction of it, the mood of it, that's important.

If you like to follow trends, it's a great way of filtering and cherry-picking all the information coming at you from magazines, hardcopy and online. You only have in front of you the bits which you really like, and the rest you can ignore.

I've found lookbooks to be so useful, I have a mini “lookbook” I sometimes take to my hairdresser, with a YES page and a NO page. The NO page is primarily full of pictures of round, boofy bobs which hairdressers love to give me, but which I hate (my face is already round and boofy enough). The YES page is primarily full of cuts which I like but which, of course, are impossible for my hair (yes, my hairdresser despairs). But it's the idea, the general intent, which is the important thing. Having both YES and NO pages has been successful so far in avoiding the dreaded pumpkin head result. Worth it.

L. L. Bean Tote

I think what this translates into for an international audience is “large, basic, structured tote”. The kind you put your groceries in. The type some people use as nappy bags. I got a freebie one with a Harpers' Bazaar mag, once, and it gets used every so often, any time I need to carry something of a certain size.

However, I don't think of it specifically as a fashion must-have, although it beats the hell out of those ubiquitous nasty green boxy supermarket bags. Some sort of handy shopping bag is needed, certainly.

The utility bag I'm currently finding indispensable is the Envirosax (http://www.envirosax.com.au/ or http://www.envirosax.com ).

I keep one rolled up in my handbag organiser so I always have a tote with me for unexpected loads or purchases. They weigh nothing, are very compact, look great (I'm particularly liking the Japanese-inspired prints, but how many of these bags do I really need?), are washable, are strong, and large enough to go over my shoulder. And they're pretty :-)

Little White Dress

I’m not too sure about this one. White can be a bit stark, and quite blinding in bright sunlight. And it shows every little mark and crease. Some sort of summery dress is essential, something light and cottony that you can throw on at a moment’s notice for the beach or midday barbecue.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a LWD that could be a summery equivalent of a LBD. I'll let you know if I ever find such a thing. Maybe it's only for people with long, tanned legs?

And if you're going to buy a LWD, you need to make sure that you don't end up looking too bridal, too baptismal, too clinical, too something. With no colour, the cut and the fabric are everything. There might be a few broderie anglaise or otherwise embroidered LWDs out there which might be OK. Tricky.

Little Black Dress

Amanda[…] Why are you dressed like somebody died?
Wednesday: Wait.

--- Addams Family Values

The LBD! Of course! THE wardrobe essential ever since we ditched corsets (what a great day that must been, all those sudden deep breaths and pin-ups asking for their ribs to be re-inserted). Everyone should have at least one LBD in their wardrobe!

Anyway, this is going to be a pretty short blog entry. So much has been said (and is still being said) about the LBD, that I don’t think we need even more information about it. It is THE essential, and I'm wearing one right now while typing this just to make a point (a little Country Road loose wool jersey thing, with long sleeves and a tie at the neck). The key trick is finding the Perfect LBD, if such a beastie even exists. I think it must involve an improbable convergence of timing, sizing, pricing and planetary alignment.

If you don’t have a LBD, hopefully you have something which functions for it – a little brown dress, or a little navy dress or a … well, I just can’t think of what on earth else you’d use, really.

It will take a fashion revolution of a scale not seen since the 1920s to topple the LBD from its throne. Any usurpers out there?

Lingerie

My first reaction was: right, as if I’d go commando.

As I read through Nina’s chapter, however, I discovered that she was talking about frilly frippery. The sort you can’t wear under anything without it showing. The sort that is uncomfortable and scratchy and must match at all times. The sort which is expensive and which sits at the back of the undies drawer while the rest of the less exotic gear gets on with day-to-day life.

Camisole? Yes, but please not under blazers and jackets as suggested by Nina. Undies as outies is so 80s, and frankly a bit trashy for the office.

Silk slip? Yes, OK. Silk-y, maybe. No reason it has to be silk.

Negligee? Nah. A slinky nightie from Peter Alexander will do just as well without the somewhat laughable earnestness which can accompany such frivolous items.

Silk stockings because they drive men wild? Don’t know about men, but they’d certainly do my head in.

There are very stylish women out there who wear proper, trussed-up frilly lingerie every day as a matter of course and love it dearly. I am not one of them. Give me Bonds, Jockey and Ambré. Give me t-shirt bras and biniki briefs in lycra and cotton, give me invisibility and comfort. This doesn’t mean it has to be frumpy granny knickers and wide straps with iron clasps suitable for comrades toiling for the glory of the Motherland, either. Fine Lines, for instance, make glamourous and luxurious basics which are functional and beautiful AND comfortable. Some people find basics boring, but I never find sleek comfort dull.

I really don’t need frills and spills to feel sexy or glamourous. A good pair of heels is enough for that, and a great lumpy VPL won’t do at all. Bridget Jones understood that wearing big granny knickers was a sure way to use Murphy’s Law to her own advantage. I’ll bet she wasn’t wrenching them out of her arse all evening, either.

Frilly lingerie doesn’t even make it into my Two Hundred, let alone One Hundred.

Leather Pants

Yes, you read right: Leather pants.

Now, if everyone wore them, leather pants could single-handedly keep the talcum industry afloat for years. I’m pretty sure there’d be more demand for Lamasil, too.

Jim Morrison, Susie Quattro, Michael Hutchence, Keith Richards. These people can (could) wear leather pants. These people are rock stars.

If you are not a rock star or real fashionista, don’t. Just don’t. Please. If you want the shiny without the squeaky and sweaty, go for something like Sass and Bide Rats, which are fabulous even though I would look awful in them (hell, I can’t even wear skinny jeans).

No. Just, no.

Knee Boots

Nina and I are back to being in complete agreement! Knee-high boots are as essential as white t-shirts and jeans. They go under skirts of all lengths, under trousers, under or over jeans and under capris. They show a bit of knee, but not the whole leg. They keep your legs dry and warm. They’re dressy and casual all at once. They instantly add style. I have a few pairs of flat and heeled knee-high boots, and they all get decent use in the winter months. I would be lost without them.

Again, fit is everything. Aside from the length, width and arch fitting, if the boot bags excessively around the ankle and isn’t a slouchy boot, then it’s no good. If it’s too tight or too floppy around the calf, it’s no good (shoe makers like Benelli and Duo Boots will make boots for different calf widths).

Love, love, love knee-high boots.