TREND I-SPY

  Ok, I am a bit obsessed with them at the moment, but no more and no less than anyone else. I have always been a fashion democrat and the way they flaunt those High Street labels simply gladdens my heart. Loved this article courtesy of In Style Magazine Kate and Pippa: Style Twins Kate and Pippa are a year and a half apart; but when it comes to fashion choices, they might as well be twins. They gravitate not just to similar clothing (they are sisters, after all) but to identical styles. Check out the pair as they mirror each other's day and evening looks (white denim and light-as-air silk gowns); preferences in cuts, patterns and colors (they love their cobalt!); and even their accessories (neutral leather satchels and white leather flats). 

The Crimson Petal And The White was recently shown as a four-part adaptation of Michel Faber's 2002 best selling novel. As the website dedicated to this fantastic production says, A tale of love, lust, desire and revenge, it reveals the true sexual politics of Victorian life. In the words of the heroine, Sugar: "If you dare enter this world, you had better tread carefully." Director Marc Munden on The Crimson Petal And The White: "We filmed in the courtyard of Manchester Town Hall - a Victorian gothic cathedral-like space - and brought in tons of mud, built slums and open sewers within it."   Sugar is a sexually adept prostitute whose reputation for sensuality precedes her; alluring and highly sought after she ‘never disappoints’. Her intelligence and wit sets her apart - self-educated and ambitious, she’s able to engage in heated discussion whilst satisfying her clients. Having spent years at the mercy of men, Sugar yearns

An unexpected offshoot of the Royal Wedding has been the excitement over the new Duchess of Cambridge's sister, Pippa Middleton. It got me thinking about sisters and how influential they have often been in the past in inspiring fashion and lifestyle trends. One of my favorite pairs to look at has always been the Bouvier sisters, Jacqueline, born in 1929 and (Caroline) Lee who was four years younger.  Jackie's relationship with her younger sister was curious from the beginning: a mixture of closeness and intense rivalry, protectiveness and the desire to dominate, jealousy and interdependence. It was a relationship that eventually soured, but was important to both for most of their lives. "Jackie's relationship with Lee was very much S & M," said Gore Vidal, who was connected to the sisters through his mother's previous marriage to Hugh D. Auchincloss II, who subsequently became their stepfather, "with Jackie doing the S and Lee the M.&qu