SMALL PRINT:NO FASHION follower's coffee table would be complete without a fashion tome or two, and many carry the usual suspects – Voguecovers, perhaps; or Phaidon's The Fashion Book; even Gisele Scanlon's The Goddess Guide, the most unputdownable of any fashion publication this writer has seen.
Recent weeks have seen another fashion bible for the Christmas list in Harper's Bazaar's Greatest Hits(Abrams, $65), an anthology of magazine covers, fashion and editorial shoots under the stewardship of editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey. There's a photograph of Naomi Campbell running alongside a cheetah; Demi Moore at the top of a ladder, leaning over to pet a giraffe; Lanvin's Alber Elbaz seated in an armchair, holding an umbrella, seemingly floating on a lake in Central Park. It's an astounding testament to a creative vision that makes no excuses for a passion for fashion – a passion that is, in this book, juxtaposed with a strong political drive and a thirst for exploring the new.
Impossible means nothing to Christian Louboutin, of course – the purveyor of the iconic red-soled shoe, for whom heel height has nothing to do with comfort (he is said to have once stated: “I hate the whole concept of comfort!”). Beauty, on the other hand, is his bedfellow, and Christian Louboutin (Rizzoli, €100), available in Christian Louboutin boutiques worldwide, is a fitting illustration of this.
It is, much like many of the French designer’s shoes, a collector’s item, with a five-piece fold-out cover, faux-leather binding and an interior pop-up. This is not a book for snuggling up with in front of the fire; it’s a book for reading to an Edith Piaf soundtrack, while sipping at a glass of Dom Perignon. Aspirational? Perhaps – but delicious all the same.
Jeans with flare
OF LATE, the world of fashion has taken inspiration from the 1960s and 1970s – and nowhere more strongly than in jeans. While the pendulum has swung away from our precious skinnies, although only slightly (rest assured, we are unlikely to be parted from our trusty Topshop Baxters for several seasons to come), it has come down firmly in favour of the skinny flare.
This differs from your original bell-bottom jean in one crucial aspect: the skinny flare adheres to the line of your leg down to the knee, rather than flaring from the hip. From the knee, it will flare wildly – and widely – until it reaches the ground, covering the shoe entirely.
The best skinny flares come in a 36-inch leg, allowing for them to be worn over a chunky platform boot or sandal (with socks, if you please) and giving the illusion of legs that really go on forever.
Best buys? Majeat BT2 does a really smart skinny flare in a dark indigo (€139) – perfect for dressing up or for the (slightly casual) office, paired with a fitted blazer and shirt (buttoned up to the neck to touch on this season's androgynous vibe). Made in Heaven(€205, also at BT2) does a gorgeous version called the Marrakesh in a tan corduruoy – surprisingly, making a big comeback this season – while Dorothy Perkins'sversion (€60) is strikingly good.
Wear yours with fitted separates – the smart money’s on a monochrome upper half – and do not be tempted to go full-on 1970s. There is a fine line between taking inspiration from an era and playing dress-up; you’ll find it somewhere between paisley and hand-knitted jumpers.
Suited and booted
AS WITH every autumn/winter, the hunt is on for the perfect boot – something warm and cosy that will work as well with this season’s 1940s-style printed dresses as it will with the going-nowhere skinny jean. This season belongs to the ankle boot – think chunky platforms, stand-out colours and texture, texture, texture.
Here are a few of our picks:
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