Gentlewoman style: the menswear edit



matches andrygyne disneyrollergirl

Are trends irrelevant? I think not. We still like to have a bit of a directional steer when we shop, otherwise it’s just a wall of product. For me, I have my perennial go-to trends that swing in and out of popularity. At the moment, ‘gentlewoman style’ is in, that borrowed-from-menswear-but-softened-up look epitomised by Phoebe Philo, Rejina Pyo and Louise Trotter (recently departed from Joseph). (more…)



Gus van Sant: The Outsiders



NYT T Magazine tribute to S E Hinton by Gus Van Sant

I loved this story by Lena Dunham in the New York Times T magazine about masculinity and its portrayal by female writers. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton was my favourite book as a teen; so very tender and evocative. (more…)



Is it too soon for beauty advent calendars?



Castelbajac X L'OCCITANE Classic Advent Calendar

This time every year we have this dilemma about whether it’s too early to discuss Christmas. But, hey, we need something to look forward to, right? The press got a first look at all the gifty launches a month or so ago (in a month-long junket known as ‘Christmas In July’) and so we’ve seen all there is to see of advent calendars, gift selection sets and the like already.

Beauty advent calendars still seems to have plenty of mileage in them (read my post on the business of advent calendars and beauty subscription boxes here) and brands and retailers are having to up their game in order to stand out. (more…)



First look at L’Oreal Paris X Isabel Marant beauty



L'Oreal Isabel Marant beauty collection

The L’Oreal X Isabel Marant beauty collaboration is about to launch and a few images have landed already has just launched! It’s a capsule day-to-night collection of essentials – think effortless #Frenchgirlstyle a la Isabel Marant herself. (Personally, I love her vibe, her grey hair and her rustic holiday home.) As Marant says, “for me, Parisian cool is not about social media perfection, it is a natural elegance. (more…)