Lady Melbourne: Books

Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

15.4.10

New books, boxes and heels

On twitter yesterday I posted a picture of me toppling off these rather vertigeous heels while shooting these photos. It was quite funny until I wondered if I was going to cause myself a serious accident because of my heels.

I have some new books to get through, I've just finished Sonya Hartnett's 'Butterfly' and just loved it. I think I may have asked a while ago if you had any recommendations for new books to read and that was one of them.

If you like Sonya's writing then I would definitely recommend the book, it was beautifully descriptive and enthralling.

I picked up this Cuban Habanos cigar box at an op-shop, and not that I want to promote smoking here but I fell in love with the imagery on the box. On the outside and inside cover there is this divine colour illustration of Romeo and Juliet with scenes played out in little illustrations around the sides of the box.

I'm going to re-appropriate it and turn it into a jewellery box to sit on my desk. I'm forever taking off my earrings and leaving them sitting on my desk so I figured they could hang with Romeo and Juliet.

Heels: Siren
Jacket: Sirrico

Jeans: Agent 99 from General Pants

T-shirt: Barkins

All jewellery: Ritual

11.2.10

Trying to stay dry on the edge of a storm

I took this photo right before the storm hit Melbourne, on my way home from town. I don't normally walk down the street with a book in my hand, but it just looked so good against the wrapping paper for my roses, I couldn't resist.

The flowers are from Flinders St, I buy most of my flowers there on my way home or on my way somewhere because they are convenient and cheap. $7.50 for a bunch of roses is pretty good value if you ask me. I have fresh flowers in the house every week in different spots, I think it brings the outside indoors, plus it just gives me so much joy to look at them.

Oh and thank you for your comments on whether or not I should keep my shoulder pads from the previous post, some of your comments made me almost fall off my chair laughing and I've decided to publish a few right here.

Bucca said...
If I saw you out and about I would half expect you to stalk across the room and throw a drink in someone's face before staring into the distance with a vacant expression lol

Jetsetting Joyce said...
Take them out, quick! You'll lose your peripheral vision :)

katiecrackernuts said...
I also have a jacket with shoulder pads to rival that. Op shop number and man, if you got tired, you could just lean your head to the left or right and have a snooze. Comfy and stylish.

Blouse: I bought it on the island of Burano, off Venice
Skirt: Camden maket, London
Heels: Verali
Bag: Value City Savers

8.2.10

Twirling like a crazy woman

I found this book under the stairs on the weekend, half read with a book mark in the middle. I'm not sure why I would have put it down(probably in the midst of studying last year) because it's quite entertaining. If you haven't read French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano then I would recommend it as the best non-diet diet book around.

I was going to head outside to take my photos today but we are sweltering in 34 degree weather so I am indoor bound.

I like a little breeze to show off the full circle of this skirt but a twirl I realised can suffice. Thank god for curtains so the neighbours can't see me twirling in the lounge room like a crazy woman.

Bag: Inherited

Skirt: I made it! Just do a search for 'circle skirt' and previous posts will come up

Singlet: H&M

Heels: Barkins

Belt: Far East Plaza, Singapore

29.1.10

R.I.P: J. D. Salinger

"All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."

J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Normally I would bring you Happy Friday on the last day of the working week, but today I'd like to pay tribute to J.D. Salinger who died on Wednesday.

Here is what the New York Times had to say:

"Mr. Salinger’s literary reputation rests on a slender but enormously influential body of published work: the novel “The Catcher in the Rye,” the collection “Nine Stories” and two compilations, each with two long stories about the fictional Glass family: “Franny and Zooey” and “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction.”

“Catcher” was published in 1951, and its very first sentence, distantly echoing Mark Twain, struck a brash new note in American literature: “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

I don't pretend to be a literary expert, but I love reading and books. I am named after Phoebe Caulfied, Holden's younger sister and the book has had a long lasting influence on my life.

R.I.P, J.D. Salinger.

'It was that kind of a crazy afternoon, terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything, and you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road.'

J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

22.1.10

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday kids!

End of another week and careering towards Australia Day public holiday next week. Are you celebrating? I have 20 millions bbq's to attend but I'm not complaining!

Speaking of which I'm reading Zoe Fosters new book which Penguin sent me earlier in the week as I'm on a little sojourn at the moment. I don't normally read 'lady fiction' and I'm happy to say that this is quite a snappy little book. I'm almost finished it, and while it's not something I would normally go for has been quite entertaining whilst on holidays.

Anyhow back to the topic of bbq's, this may perhaps be a completely Australian-centric thing but I laughed out loud when I read this in Playing the Field last night:

'As per the Australian Barbeque Rule Book, the men were unable to move further than two meters from the barbeque for fear that a mystery sniper would pierce their skulls with a white-hot laser.

They stood there in their uniform of thongs or trainers, sunglasses, long baggy shorts and colourful tight T-shirts, beer in hand, muttering about footy and ribbing each other constantly.

Meanwhile, the host and her helper (in this case, Cassie's mum Jan, a rotund woman in a floaty pink-and-white kaftan, who looked like she should be writing romance novels in a boudoir somewhere instead of handing out burnt sausages) ran inside and out with food offerings, stopping only to ensure everyone had some form of liquid in their hand at all times.'

Cute.

T-shirt: Hong Kong

Skirt: Camden market, London

Pearls: Primark

Heels: Urban Originals

Bag; Vintage(have had it for sale at the last couple of markets but no takers so now I'm keeping it!)

14.12.09

Book Club

I got home with an hour to spare to finish 'Juliet, Naked,' by Nick Hornby before dashing off to book club. I can't say whether I really liked it, I think my mind will be made up after a couple of glasses of wine and a good long chat about it.
Have you read it?

It's almost my turn to suggest a book so if you have any ideas throw them my way. I was thinking that it might be better to choose a new release book, with the hope that no one had read it. It's always hard with book clubs to come up with something that not everyone has read. Or re-read for that matter.

I noticed Sonya Hartnett's, 'Butterfly' which looks great and was released earlier this year, I'm still finishing Dracula so I haven't made it entirely to 'books published in 2009' yet!

Vote for me for Best Fashion Blog in the 2threads Fashion Awards!Pretty please!

17.11.09

Catching up for book club....

I lugged these flowers home from the city but I now have 3 vases filled with fresh flowers which is lovely. Who knew flowers could be so heavy?!

I picked up some new books on the weekend, one of which is Bruce Chatwin's 'Utz.' I'm trying to finish it for book club tomorrow night, I wasn't familiar with it until I had to read it but it's a lovely story. So here I am sitting in the sun blogging and finishing my book.

I've never read 'Dracula,' so that's next on the list.

And in case you are wondering, there may or may not be gin in my drink, and that may or may not be the Dior book in this week's Happy Friday give-away. Like the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books of my childhood, I'll let you decide on that one ;)

16.11.09

Our Girls Book Launch

Last week I was invited by Arcade Publications to attend the book launch for 'Our Girls: Aussie Pin-ups of the 40s and 50s,' by Madeleine Hamilton.

It was a wonderful night complete with fashion parade put on by Circa Vintage clothing, and some of the original pin ups in attendance.
You can check out all the fun and frivolity right here!

Author Madeleine Hamilton signing copies of the book

Esme & the Laneway, a wonderful reader who's name escapes me(pls correct me!) and me.

26.8.09

Book Club

Are you guys in a book club? I am and I really enjoy it. I love books, magazines, newspapers- hell I read my junk mail cover to cover.

I read a lot as a child and distinctly remember the MS Read-A-Thon at primary(elementary) school. It was a program to raise money for multiple sclerosis where you were sponsored by kindly family members and neighbours(actually, anyone willing to give a seven year old money) to read as many books as possible in a designated period of time.

Forget sports, it was a mission for me, I loved the challenge and looked forward to it every year.

In other house keeping news, Nuff Nang are holding their Asia Pacific Blog Awards and I would love it if you nominated me!

It may just send me to Singapore if I make it to the finals, but it could also send you there as well all expenses paid just for nominating. Get typing!

22.7.09

Reading Material

I was meant to showcase my magazines, jacket and bag but my phone has snuck in as well. I stuck with LG but ended up getting an updated model. It is so good to be back in the land of telecommunication that's for sure!
I do quite like Twitter though, it has been fun roaming around online so I will probably keep up my (once!) daily tweets.

I did say when I first showed you all this dress that I might do a few posts on the varied ways to wear it- the possibilities seem endless and I love clothes like that.

I think I've finally stumbled on a dress that is modern with a vintage shape, can be worn all seasons and feeds into my love of black, white and grey. Who knew it would be waiting for me in Suzanne Grae?!

Thank you also for your generous comments on my Fashion Journal pictures. I finally got my hands on a copy today and they don't look as good as I thought in print. On my screen the colours really pop, but I guess that's to be expected when print can be so unpredictable.

Still, I am mighty happy to be included!

Dress: Suzanne Grae

Cardi: Elle B

Tights: Voodoo

Heels: Scooter
Jacket: Sirrico
Bag: Zara

Cuffs: Lady Melbourne

26.6.09

Happy Friday!

Hello there, Happy Friday!

This skirt was given to me and at first I was a little unsure, but quickly fell in love with the electric blue in the skirt. It's my 'happy' skirt.

Every so often Penguin let me choose some books of their Popular Penguin list to send me. The latest batch arrived today so I have some hefty reading time ahead of me, but I love just having them on my shelf to look at while they wait their turn.

18.3.09

The Librarian

I think I've mentioned before that I read a lot, time permitting a book a week. I devour magazines and have invested virtually the GDP of a small African nation in my habit over the years.

I know I'm not alone in this, there are blogs on my blog list devoted purely to magazines and their content.

Even though I talk about my books and magazines I don't think I show them enough, so I'm on a mission to start to photograph the piles that sit on surfaces all around the house.

Top to Bottom:

Chanel, Francois Baudot and Francoise Aveline, Assouline, 2003

Grace Kelly: A Life in Pictures, Pavillion Books, 2007

Hopper, Rolf G. Renner, Taschen, 2000

Jeff Wall, Craig Burnett, Tate, 2005

Illusive: Contemporary Illustration and its Context, 2nd Printing, 2006

Vintage Fashion, Carlton Books, 2006

Lula issue number eight

Lula issue number six

Chanel: Collections and Creations, Daniele Bott, Thames and Hudson, 2007

Hotel La Chapelle, David La Chapelle, Bulfinch Press, 2006

Country Road are having a sale at the moment, I picked up this silk shirt today for $79 which I thought was a nice little mid week bargain.
Skirt: Savers

Blouse: Country Road

Flats: New Look

Pearls: A little shop in London of no name, in an arcade

Corsage: Chanel

P.S- to answer some of your questions, yes I am attending fashion week and will be kicking around the shows, the docklands or the pop up events. See you there!

Lady Melbourne has a new home!

15.4.10

New books, boxes and heels

11.2.10

Trying to stay dry on the edge of a storm

8.2.10

Twirling like a crazy woman

29.1.10

R.I.P: J. D. Salinger

22.1.10

Happy Friday!

14.12.09

Book Club

17.11.09

Catching up for book club....

16.11.09

Our Girls Book Launch

26.8.09

Book Club

22.7.09

Reading Material

26.6.09

Happy Friday!

18.3.09

The Librarian

You must be curious....