One other thing that is an unnecessary pleasure because I should have been asleep really and not read about Mod's parkas, but in fact I am often too tired to fall asleep so I have to read, and what I am reading this week is a beautifully printed collection of essays by Luella Bartley about English style that Simon very kindly got for me.
I have never been a big Luella's clothes fan, they were charming and with a slightly vintage feel (I do not do vintage, it just does not work for my body shape and style) but I have always considered her to be one of these girls who are friends with all the stylists and fashion editors (therefore their work is on display in ELLE all the time) but their designs will not stand the test of time. Luella as a brand became a victim of their own success imho when it went bust couple of years ago, because if you are doing something that looks like the vintage find (that costs £3) why one would pay £ 300 for something that from a distance does not look much better than the original vintage design anyway? I was eyeing her skirts at some point at Harvey Nichs or Liberty's (or maybe at the sale at Urban Outfitters it was?) and dissmissed them all - designs were too short and way too girly for me. I am a Paul Smith's girl at heart (and a proud owner of one of his coats which unfortunately turned out to be extremely badly made if you want to know, but oh well, nobody sees how the underlining rips apart when you stretch your arms, all you can see is a beautiful, caschmere coat).
However Luella as a writer it is a completely different thing - she is witty, well sarcastic even, has her idea behind that book spot on and is very to the point. When she is nasty about English teenager's fashion choices it is all done with a good heart and in fact, all really very true. I have never been a fan of British dressing (and Luella quotes one of the French fashion editors asking 'vay do Bhritish womenz wear such ugly clouz?' < I have to find this exact quote but is sound something like that) but as a social fenomenon it really fascinates me. And the author nails it precisely. It is a brilliant read, I just wish they commissioned somebody else to illustrate that book - I understand that the book is supposed to be very original, underground and hip but I am still not getting bad drawings done after photographs. I simply do not get them. Just include the photographs for heavens sake! Perhaps it is just as like with the fact I was never able to get Luella's clothes either. But her way of writing about them, I absolutely love.
