Love and Loathing in Melbourne

We turned 1! LIM's very first birthday has passed us by without so much as a shy giggle, so as we have missed the party we will honour her instead with our very first Love and Loathing post, which will become a regular feature from now on.

Maudrey and I are huge huge fans of Diana Vreeland, the most inspiring woman who made such pronouncements as "elegance is refusal" and "why dont you tie black tulle bows on your wrists?" She is famous for her "why dont you..."'s and so here we have some of our very own.....

LOVE

• Agyness Deyn- what can we say?(Pic from wenn)

• Hats. They protect us, sure, and they are mandatory at beaches and festivals, but try a proper one (ie not baseball or surf visor) down the street! They will be so warm in winter and keep your hair dry too.

• Brooches. Fix them upon yourselves at every opportunity- dresses, cardigans, shirts, jackets, why not? They look gorgeous and add a jewellery-like effect without weighing you down too much.

• Natural fibres. No, I dont mean hemp or scratchy linen, I mean cotton and silk and all things nice. Nicer against your skin, much nicer for your body temperature and natural cooling devices (ie, sweating) and so much more chic than nasty blended-poly-things

• Handkerchiefs. I'm sure your grandmother has given you some dainty ones with your initial embroidered on them or just some pretty flowers, so why not use them? You can use a different one each day and you are helping to save the earth, too.

• Bunches of flowers (Valentines Day!) are always divine and a solid bunch of one type of bloom is so striking

• Has someone done you a favour? Dig out your frilly apron and bake them a cake or slice as a thankyou, instead of boxed chocolates or supermarket flowers

• Wear bright nail polish as an accessory. Hot orange and pink look fabulous against black, or wear black itself for some ultra-chic polish

Also; Pink; Elle Magazine (US, not UK); extreme haircuts; 70s glamour; proper underwear that gives a nice shape; personal tailoring so things sit just right; bars where the music is low enough for you to talk; Romy and Michelles High School Reunion.

LOATHE

• Rachel Zoe. The woman admits to tanning! And she has the premature ageing to prove it. Not cool enough for Marc Jacobs, not cool enough for us.

• Midriff. Absolutely unacceptable anywhere bar the beach. No one wants to see your muffin top! We all have one, most of us manage to keep ourselves covered.
  

• Cargo Pants. Despite what some people say, they are NOT making a comeback. Nice try, Just Jeans, but we don't buy it.

• Tanning. Obviously uncool, but still the teenagers are going for it. Pale is so lovely. Think porcelain, alabaster, smooth, delectable.

• Burgundy polyester suits with pantyhose and runners. Enough said.

• Really messy hair with bows and floppy ponytails. The schoolgirls love it, but they are not doing themselves any favours, hanging outside McDonalds in Camberwell or Swanston St wearing neon tracksuits under their schooldresses.

And finally; too-short skirts; too-short shorts; makeup that is meant to have a "tanning" effect but just looks dirty; chewing gum with your mouth open; extremely loud, public mobile conversations; dead straight, flat hair; stripy highlights.