That Extra Half an Inch

I am going to be brave and admit that I have been reading the new Victoria Beckham book and actually quite enjoying it.

It is very fashionable to mock VB for being too rich, too thin and too exposed. Her personal style is not to everyone's taste, but she always puts in 100% effort. No, she is not perfect and gets it wrong sometimes. I would even go as far as saying she does not seem to have fully grown into her style or her purpose yet. She is a work in progress, but then aren't we all?

The book is more entertaining than useful. VB clearly had a great time dressing up for the photo-shoots. Much of what she says seems blindingly obvious - like don't get your tits and your legs out at the same time - duh. But then if you have been out in Cardiff on a Friday night, you will know that there are many women who could benefit from such advice. The lists of the best shops to buy shoes, bags, jewellery, jeans etc are interesting, as much for those shops which are not listed as for those that are. I found myself wondering whether those included had simply paid for the honour. The inclusion of "high end" and "high street" is a good idea, although I doubt VB does much of her shopping from the latter. What is perhaps most refreshing is that she does not presuppose the amount of disposable income her readers possess. There are suggestions for all budgets.

There are some endearing anecdotes. In particular, VB reminisces over how her mum's friend gave her a Gucci carrier bag when she was in her early teens, which she used to carry around her school books, until the bottom fell out. This struck a chord with me - Yes it smacks of label-obsession, but it reminds me of a time when for myself and many of my friends a posh carrier bag was the height of sophistication.

Whether you love VB or loathe her, the overall message of the book is a good one: Less is more. Dressing simply is almost always more flattering. I would not describe VB as a fashion icon, I would say she is a normal girl in an exceptional situation. Indeed she emphasises this in the book by describing her face body and hair as "average". Some might say that this makes her ill-qualified to write a book about fashion and style. I would disagree. It is her "averageness" which makes her take on fashion so interesting and relevant to the average woman and her tone far less patronising than many "style icons".

This book will probably not change anyone's life (except perhaps those women out in Cardiff on a Friday night, should they happen to pick up a copy), but it is a fun way to pass an afternoon.

Pre-New Year Blues

For the past few days I have been feeling irritable, tearful and generally pessimistic about everything from the future of this country to whether my new hair colour makes me look like Morticia Adams. Yes, I am entering my annual post-Xmas-pre-New Year slump.

It is not helping that for the past week I have been eating an extra 1,000 calories per day (most of which consist of Fortnum & Mason truffles for breakfast), combined with late nights and travelling to see relatives. I cannot put my finger on it, but I'm just not feeling that great.

I have become accident prone. My husband has had to scrape me off the floor twice in the past 48 hours. The first as a result of my foot getting stuck in the lift to our appartment and me tripping over (I landed on the hall floor crying, pounding the lift door, surrounded by suitcases and bags of presents - just as our neighbours and their parents came in). The second incident involved me clocking myself on the cupboard door in the kitchen whilst unpacking the shopping.

New Year is always touted as being an exciting time, a time for celebrating and making resolutions for the coming twelve months. I have always found it to be a slightly disconcerting time, where you look ahead into the great unknown with trepidation.

However, one of the redeeming features of this particular week of the year is the ample shopping opportunity. I take myself into town (or even on the internet) to do some "sales" shopping every year, knowing full well that I will find nothing I like in the sales but will come back with something I have been coveting since before Xmas (and which santa/my husband failed to note). You have to be very disciplined to shop in the sales like this. It is very easy to talk yourself out of buying things you want at full price and in to buying things you don't want which are in the sale.

This year I have come back with the book "Heroines" by Jessica Ruston, some new Chanel mascara and Origins Ginger Souffle body cream; all of which were full price, all of which I wanted, and, hopefully, all of which will help to restore me to some form of sanity before going back to work on Tuesday. Result.