Post by Aoife
I’m pleased to announce that I shall be embarking on my first actual summer holiday for the first time in I dunno how long, in a few week’s time. I’ve been planning my hot (not mild, not warm, HOT!) weather wardrobe for some time now, and am in the process of whittling down all the lucky contenders vying for a place in my (check-in!) suitcase. As well as that I’ve been feverishly researching ‘holiday reads’, books that will have me turning the pages while I laze in the sun, with chapters short enough to snap shut almost immediately, should a sightseeing, cheese eating or wine drinking opportunity come along.
Gentle readers, I love a good read. I always have my head stuck in a book, like Belle in Beauty and the Beast but without the judgment (“There must be more than this provincial life” said no Country Mouse, ever!). Which is why Chanel’s recent haute couture show, the first under new artistic direction of Virginie Viard, so entranced me. For, t’was library themed! Our mother was a librarian and loves books, a love that we have inherited, so the marriage of books ‘n’ fash has caused quite the stir chez TMCM.
What can we take away from Chanel’s third incarnation, with Viard now at the helm? You can keep your specs on, your accessories minimal and your hair in a deceptively prim, but actually effortless ponytail. Wear nothing but flat black patent brogues and try out sequins for summer. Do the navy and black thing. Oh and wear but one b’feathered earring. These may not particularly suit the boiling heat of the Med, but I’m excited to nod to them come my return to Ireland and weather perfect for library dwelling.
Meanwhile, here’s how I might interpret the fashion meets literature and libraries theme while I’m en vacances en France.
Here’s Belle, the romantic heroine before she sadly succumbed to Stockholm Syndrome.
A fitting update on Belle’s classic outfit, non? That Cult Gaia bag could fit at least two slim paperbacks, and I’ve seen very similar styles in Penneys!
Rachel Weisz played a librarian in fun 90s action flick The Mummy, and I am rather taken with her nerdy-chic look. The movie is set in 1920s Egypt so light cottons and linen are the perfect choice for the heat.
Add a pair of heels and swap your specs for (prescription) shades, let your hair loose like any sexy librarian is required to do once she whips off her glasses, and you’ve got the look made!
You wouldn’t think that prison garb has a place on a fashion blog, but hear me out! Taystee and Poussey (RIP) on Orange is the New Black are dedicated librarians in the earlier seasons, and to be fair rock the looks that are given to them. And what’s one of the key trends for this summer? That’s right, boiler suits!
Wear yours with some very on trend strappy kitten heels and a bum bag to keep pesky pick-pockets at bay and you’ve got yourself a go-to sightseeing outfit (keep your flip flops in there too, there’s only so much almost twisting your ankle on cobblestones you can do in the name of fashion).
Is there a literary character more beloved than Elizabeth Bennett? As portrayed by Keira Knightley in 2007’s Pride and Prejudice, she’s yet another bookworm, and her tomboyish femininity is a dreamy look that’s hard to beat.
I get the feeling that our Lizzie wouldn’t be the most dedicated dress wearer if she lived in the 21st century, and would prefer something a little more like the above. Cool, breezy, casual but put-together, even her dear, interfering mama would approve.
While you’re here, would you like some reading recs for your own summer hols? Check out my other, book-based blog here!
Beirt 