Thursday 23 January 2014

February Booklist

My goal for the year is to read one book per week and as the holidays provided an abundance of time it was a perfect opportunity to get ahead. My January list was accomplished and then some...

  1. Life at the Marmont by Raymond Sarlot
  2. Nightingale Wood by Stella Gibbons
  3. The Complete Short Stories of Truman Capote by Truman Capote
  4. In My Shoes by Tamara Mellon
  5. The Untouchable by John Branville
  6. The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey
  7. I am Dandy by Rose Callahan
  8.  The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berber by Mel Gordon
  9. The Freudian Slip bu Marion Von Adlerstein
  10. The World According to Karl Lagerfeld by Karl Lagerfeld
  11. The Flying Mannequin by Freddy
  12. Memos The Vogue Years by Diana Vreeland

 February's Book list is:
  1. Risotto with Nettles by Anna del Conte
  2. Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof
  3. The Society of Timid souls by Polly Morland
  4. C.Z. Guest: American Style Icon by Susanna Salk
  5. Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart


Monday 20 January 2014

Wish List

I always have a fashion wish list on the go. I typically know what my next purchase is long before I are ready to make it. This year I continuing to build my wardrobe of staples and to wear out the old before I take on any new. One resolution is to no longer fall for the charms of the cheap and cheerful and to invest in fewer, better pieces. We will see how that goes...
For now my wish list contains
A black Miu Miu clutch

A pair of red stilletos

A Georg Jensen bracelet

Dandy's and all their Glory


Thanks to an excellent Christmas gift by a dear friend, I have discovered the world of the Dandy. I am Dandy by Rose Callahan and Nathaniel Adams.
By definition, a dandy is a man who dresses above his class. This can be both a personal or political statement. Some say Dandyism is the ultimate expression of socialism as it is about people refusing to be defined by class. Others suggest is is far more subversive than that and that by dressing as if one is of the class above that which one is actually in this undermines the entire class system. Some men report that they are dressing in a far more expressive manner than other men chose, some are simply dressing for the life they want rather than the life they have, still others suggest they are using the traditions and tools of a previous era.
What must be pointed out is that a dandy is not defined by his sexuality, if fact, in no definition is any link made between dandy's and homosexuality (although this is a common misconception).
There are many distinguished gentleman in this collection, some have adopted very traditional paths while other seek out new paths as trail blazers of the form. Some work in fashion, others in the arts and some in conservative domains but, all have a unique sense of style. I wonder what a female dandy would look like? Perhaps most women are already dandy's at heart, we can't always afford those Jimmy Choo's but we can always justify the use of a credit card...

 Domenico Spano
 Edward Hayes
 Nick Wooster


Friday 3 January 2014

2013: The Year of the Headpiece

Chic Exchange is declaring 2013 the year of the headpiece. It may just be a trend here but, the headpiece seems to have really taken off this past year. No longer an accessory for the likes of Blair Waldorf, it has been taken to new sexy and fun places.
Take a look at the examples below.



And of course, when Queen Bey does it, you know it can't get much bigger! Putting it on her video album was all the confirmation needed

Thursday 2 January 2014

Booklist for 2014


As you may have read, I read 50 books this past year. In 2014, I want to take that up a notch to one book a week and make it to 52. So, here is my list of books for January. They may not stay the same but the goal remains - 52!
  1. Life at the Marmont by Raymond Sarlot
  2. Nightingale Wood by Stella Gibbons
  3. The Complete Short Stories of Truman Capote by Truman Capote
  4. In My Shoes by Tamara Mellon
  5. The Untouchable by John Branville

Wednesday 1 January 2014

What I read in 2013

Reading is a huge part of my life. It is an education, a source of inspiration, a comfort and an adventure. Here is a list of what I read in 2013, some of it was good, some not so great but, all of it gave me something to reflect on. I hope you find something here you may like

  1. Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Suzann
  2. Grace  A Memoir by Grace Coddington
  3. Save me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald
  4. The Hundred Year Old Man... by Jonas Jonasson
  5. The Vogue Factor by Kirstie Clements
  6. A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn french
  7. The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do
  8.  Isabelle Blow by Martina Rink
  9. Blow by Blow by Detmar Blow
  10. Lola Benski by Lily Brett
  11. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  12. Alexander McQueen by Judith Watt
  13. D.V. by Diana Vreeland
  14. A Life in Frocks by Kelly Doust
  15. Fabulous Nobodies by Lee Tulloch
  16. The Liar by Stephen Fry
  17. An Extraordinary Theory of Objects by Stephanie Lacava
  18. Empress of Fashion by Amanda McKenzie Stewart
  19. Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
  20. Black Jesus by Simone Felice
  21. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
  22. Journals by Keith Haring
  23. Reading by Moonlight by Brenda Walker
  24. The Secret River by Kate Grenville
  25. Collected Poetry by T.S. Eliot
  26. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
  27. A.L.T. by Andre Leon Talley
  28. It's all about the Dress by Vicky Tel
  29. What Maisie Knew by Henry James
  30. Encyclopedia of the Exquisite by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins
  31. The Adventuress by N.D. Coleridge
  32. Paris: A Love Story by Kati Marton
  33. Vagina by Naomi Wolf
  34. Tampa by Alison Nutting
  35. Hungry by Crystal Renn
  36. Legends of the Chelsea Hotel by Ed Hamilton
  37. Tongue in Chic by Kirstie Clements
  38. Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery
  39. The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
  40. No Signposts at Sea by Vita Sackville-West
  41. Flowers for Mrs, Harris by Paul Gallico
  42. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
  43. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
  44. Summer in Algiers by Albert Camus
  45. Something Childish but Very Natural by Katherine Mansfield
  46. Night by Edna O'Brien
  47. Allure by Diana Vreeland
  48. Scatter my Ashes at Bergdorfs by Bergdorf Goodman
  49. My Story by Marilyn Monroe
  50. Fragments by Marilyn Monroe
  51.  
    Chis Exchange is on Goodreads if you would like to see the ratings for these books or to follow us in 2014.