In the Christmas Eve lull (similar to the eye of the storm, i.e. the calm before all hell breaks loose) I find myself doing strange things...like visiting Banana Republic's website. I know that some people get great finds there but their site always makes me think of millions of business casual outfits, yearning to be free. And currently, it's also home of the weird wallet semi-knock-off. The s.k.o. being something that's not a total copy of the original but is definitely heavily influenced...like these large and small wallets from Banana Republic...close enough to their Chloe cousins for the similarity to be noticeable, yet lacking the charm and overt shininess of the original.

From sweet oranges to slightly bitter marmalade in one easy step...

As I find myself spending more and more time online I am coming to really miss the actual process of putting pen to paper. Not that I'm taking a dislike to my beloved Apple laptop...I'm just feeling a little nostalgic. If I believed in New Year's Resolutions...and didn't regard them as a chance to set yourself up for failure...I'd say that I needed to resolve to "write" more. Instead I'm going to suggest that I need a pen of such beauty that it makes me want to write...like this cast bronze one which features, once again, my beloved skulls though, this time, in such a way that they resemble souls in purgatory. Not necessarily a bad thing as it would remind me of Dante's words...to "be sure that you write what you see".

As we're in an official season of gluttony and excess (I know that personally I seem to be cornering the market on red wine and British chocolate products)...and I have a collection of vintage health and beauty books...I thought it might be interesting to see how the advice has changed over the years.

Published in 1931, The Week-End Book works under the assumption that every household has a virtual pharmacy in their medicine cabinet. This is the "kill or cure" method for hangovers because, if you get this one wrong, you could have some problems.

THE MORNING AFTER

On the Morning After, comfort the cod and feeble brain by recalling the warning of Mayster Isaac Judaeus who saieth: "It is unpossyble for them that drinketh overmoche water in theyr youth to come to ye aege that God ordained them."

If it matters little to you whether the age that God ordained be reached or no, drink the following cordial:
Take a Sp. Ammon. Aromat. mx, Sodii Bic. gr.xv, Tr. Capsici miii, Tr. Card. Co. 3i, Tr. Zingib. Fort.mv, Tr.Cinc. Co.mx, Tr.Nuc.Vom.mx, Sp.Chlorof.mx. and Water of Orange Flowers up to 3i. Take also of Caffein Cit. gr.v, Acid Cit. gr.x, Tr. Aurant mv; and Water up to 3i. Add two tablespoonfuls of the first to two of the second drink and whilst the effervesence lasts.

The Harper's Bazaar Beauty Book, published in 1960, veers towards the bubbly perfectionism of a Stepford Wife.

Your Diet

The perfect day for beginning the winter diet is when the holidays have reduced you, but not your figure, to a state of groggy satiety. After the Christmas turkey stuffed with sausage, and the plump New Year's goose stuffed with sausage and chestnuts, and the assorted wines and liquors of the season's parties, you wake up feeling that you're ready either to hibernate like a big bear or do something self-improving.

Now is the perfect time to strike. Diet today, this New Year's Day of resolution. A thin little sliced chicken sandwich, a long stalk of celery, and a tall glass of orange juice will seem like the best meal you've had all year. And you can carry on from there with the good habits, either until you're back where you were, or better than ever."

Which brings us to the current day...and Barnes & Noble, when the cover of Glamour magazine caught by eye as it exhorted its readers to "Get to your happy weight!".

The disturbing thing is that while our concerns appear to have stayed the same over the years the method of delivery is disturbingly dumbed-down. It makes you wonder whatever happened to feeding your inner man?

On the face of it, "70's English Professor" shouldn't be a good look...virtually any movie set in a learning establishment during that period should have taught us that. Yet one look at this picture of Mary Kate Olsen and I'm yearning for a corduroy jacket with leather patches on the elbows and a leather bag capable of carrying a small mobile library. Yes, my inner nerd is fighting to be free...

Even though I may, on occasion, silently curse the sheer number of ads in certain magazines I do tend to enjoy browsing through them. I love what they provide me with...the ability to see detailed shots of some of the clothes or handbags I had my eye on...a chance to gain a sense of the woman that the designer sees wearing their clothes (and her lifestyle)...

But the ads for Marc Jacobs' Spring/Summer collection just confuses me. I like Juergen Teller's photography but why would a shot of writer/director Harmony Korine tucking into fast food like he hasn't eaten for a week induce me to spend vast sums of money on clothes? Join Weight Watchers, maybe. But shop? Not so much.

The clip from Monty Python's Holy Grail has (I admit) very, very, little connection to the rest of the post but, having worked my way through three (count 'em, three) articles on the UK Times' website on "How to shop the sales", I am in need of a change and there is a somewhat tenuous connection between Python's Grail and my own...quite a few things on my Grail List are French.

To explain, my Grail List is a selection of items that I have lusted over for a long period of time but which are way out of my budget. They're the things that are always in the back of my mind when I go sale shopping...because hope springs eternal that they may be sitting on a rail, marked down beyond belief. And, actually, I've been incredibly lucky. I have, on two separate occasions, been able to cross things off the G.L...namely a Lucien-Pellat Finet sweater and Chanel jacket.

In the spirit of the season, for fellow Grail List-ers, I wanted to mention this canvas Chanel jacket . From vintage online store Vagabond NYC...and listed at $385...I need someone to buy it now...before I realize there was a typo on my G.L. and I actually wanted two Chanel jackets (to go along with the Two French Doves on my 12 Days of Christmas list).

You only realize how complete your addiction is when you are forced to go cold turkey. No, I am not talking about a shopping ban...instead the loss of internet service for most of today...which caused pangs of anguish and made me fully appreciate how much this blog has become a part of my daily ritual.

Providing the internet demons play fair normal service will resume shortly.

I found this cute outfit of the day on Lucky's website and it made me want to pay tribute to the thing that makes "business casual" a much less painful experience for me...the not-so-basic basic. The loud, overly patterned, or very bright pieces which have a strange chemical reaction when added to "office clothes" in muted colors. The n.s.b.b.'s become a little more "appropriate"...and the o.c.'s are no longer "drone wear"...a middle ground of individuality is attained. And so, not-so-basic basic, I salute you!

When I was about ten...and a tomboy...I lusted after a penknife. With monotonous regularity I would submit my request and, with equally monotonous regularity I would be told "no, you'll cut yourself".

Then, one magical day, I was given a mother-of-pearl handled fruit-knife.

As you've probably guessed, there was a "fruit based incident" and, in my excitement over being able to slice an apple in bed, I plunged the knife into the fleshy part of my palm. Of course, I neglected to mention the incident to my parents (because, well, no one likes a know-it-all) but I still bear the scar, both physically and apparently mentally.

Which you'd think would have put me off small, sharp, instruments...but no. When I saw this Whittling Kit all I could think was that it could potentially be the greatest stocking stuffer of all time. Five pieces of wood, a small knife, and a one-page instructional guide...who could ask for anything more? Plus, when I run out of wood I could try to emulate the crayon carving shown below. And, if an accident should occur, I have a good excuse to use one of the Swarovski Band Aids I mentioned earlier in the week.

As they said in the A-Team, "I love it when a plan comes together".

This little Piggy went to market This little Piggy stayed at home This little Piggy ate roast beef This little Piggy had none And this little Piggy cried "Oie, oie, oie" All the way home As I typed out the verse above I realized that Piggy number three is essentially a cannibal...what with this, and the porcine totalitarianism of Animal Farm , pigs don't seem to be getting good press. Time for a change...and what better way to spread a little love than with these cute/cool accessories from Henrik Vibskov? The swine-y take on the, now ubiquitous, Keffiyah scarf gets the most points for originality but I actually need a laptop case…not wanting to be hog-gish but it would be a great stocking stuffer...

I've been severely underwhelmed with H&M as of late...it's seemed like anytime I went in I was surrounded by a sea of decidedly lackluster clothing...I know, I know, "it's H&M"...but it used to be the case that on every trip I found at least one item. In fact, I'd just about got to the stage where I was going to stop even going in. But, based on these pictures from their Spring collection, the tide has turned...farewell uninspired fire hazards designed by the color-blind...hello you chic, but funky, lady.

The seasonal blues...you know, the ones that attack when there are more hours of darkness in the day than light...appear to be taking their toll. At least I assume that's the explanation for my current fixation for "shiny things". The latest? These Swarovski studded Band Aids…they're over-priced, more than a little tacky, and they draw unnecessary attention to the fact that you're a klutz and have injured yourself again. So why do I keep clicking back to Miss Geschick & Lady Lapsus's site to take a look at them?

'Tis the season for 50's style fur hats...at least if you go by some recent pictures that I came across...as both Sienna Miller and several of the Face Hunter's street-stylers have been sporting chapeaus worthy of the chicest grandmas.

To be honest, I'm glad to see a few more people wearing this style...I bought one a couple of years ago at Prada (as modeled by the crazy Christmas cut-out)...when I was feeling flush and the words "mink" and "Prada" closely linked didn't send me into a complete state of shock. I wear it when I'm feeling lavish...and cold...and, though I don't want to be surrounded by people wearing the same thing as I am, it is nice not to feel like the only person alone in the wilderness...even if I am walking along in a fabulous hat.

I'm not suggesting mass emulation of the "Lizzie Borden Strategy for Settling Family Disputes" but I have to admit that she may have been on to something with the idea of adding an axe to her ensemble. While I was prowling around Urban Outfitters the other day I found a black plastic pendant...a hybrid of Karen Walker's silver axe pendant and the Perspex pleasures of Tatty Devine.

Better yet, it was on the sale table for a fiscally responsible $4.99...thereby striking a blow for the cause of affordable accessories.

I know, I seem to be obsessed with the weather at the moment...but, as we got about a foot of snow last night, I am in serious shut-in mode. I just want to turn on the fairy lights...make a pot of tea...put on something cozy...and hunker down. One look at Alexandre Herchcovitch's print dress and I get a mental picture of patchwork quilt, roaring fires, and log cabins. Somehow it manages to emanate a feeling of warmth and cosiness...pretty impressive for a short-sleeved, mini-dress.

As part of my recent jewelry frenzy I've been obsessively trying different ring combinations...hoping to find one that was wearable for everyday (so no over-sized cocktails rings), yet "different". The winning pick and mix consists of a "One Love" silver ring from Wright & Teague, a Victorian engagement ring, and a faceted red agate ring. If I hadn't found a selection I was happy with though I would have been ordering one of Iosselliani's ring stacks...six separate rings, in silver and gold, with a mix of Swarovski crystal and chain details.

Perfection...in an imperfect way.

As we are in the grip of yet another winter storm I wanted to say a few words on behalf of practical clothing. Especially since during the last few bouts of bad weather I've seen men and women in outfits more suited for a balmy day in June than the middle of an ice storm. And so, a few thoughts...

Gentlemen - walking around in minus whatever windchills with no coat, jacket, or scarf does not make you look "tough"...just mildly deranged...and frost-bitten. Shoes - I know it's what your mother told you and therefore horribly un-cool but having wet feet will make you miserable for the rest of the day...and ruin the shoes that you're so desperately trying to wear. Do yourself a huge favor, buy a pair of wellies and carry your nice shoes in your handbag until you get where you're going. Practical does not necessarily mean ugly - there seems to be the general thought that practical and cute are arch-enemies...they're not...though you may need to do some searching to track down their lair.

For all the appealingly twisted, fractured fairytale elements of Prada's Spring/Summer 08 collection the one thing that really induced feelings of lust in me were (probably unsurprisingly) the handbags. Specifically the striped bags. Admittedly slightly gaudy...a little tacky, in a 70's disco kind of way...they were, nonetheless, something that I could see myself getting quite a bit of use out of. In fact, the only negative in this love affair was that they looked a tad small. Then I happened upon Dansk's large shoulder bag...a little more 70's college student than disco diva but a definite addition to the "stripey bags I covet" list.