Sunday night review...Instyle Feb '10

I know, I know, it’s not Sunday night but we had such a busy weekend filled with friends and family that by the time we got the kids to bed all I could do was sit and stare at the flat screen! Back to work this morning, and I have to say I am seriously excited about the Feb edition of Instyle. Call me biased, I am an Instyle die-hard from way back (except when Lindsay Lohan was on the cover, eep!) but the last three editions have been super sensational. If anything the latest has raised the uber-edgy-slash-glamour bench-mark to an all-time high, placing it firmly above – in my opinion, the mecca of all fashion mags, Vogue! I will admit it’s a little OTT with high-end fashion but the contents still seem accessible, if only as a guide to those us on a post Chrissie sale budget.

Regular features including Your Look (p47 – 47), Shop It (p69-80), celebrities Instyle (p88-111) and What’s now (113-123) fairly pop from the pages in a montage of colour, allure and to-die-for accessories. Instant Style, the first of the Your Look feature has gone tribal in an appealing to the masses kind of way. Australian designer Thurley features heavily - check out the silk on p51...gorgeous, and then again on p77... (you may have seen her on the local red carpet as a fav of Geelong superstar, Gary Ablett’s gorgeous partner, Lauren Phillips. It's way out of my price range at the minute, but it’s fun to look! Meanwhile, Instyle’s love-love relationship with dynamic duo Sass & Bide continues. The You Can Do section is kind of cool for fab ideas on what to mix and match, but if you are like me and have to adopt a k-mart kind of ideology, then stick to what you can afford. It is highly unlikely, for example, that I am ever going to buy a leopard cardigan from Camilla and Marc at $380 (p60-61), but I have a ripping muted zebra cardi from Sussans ($49.95) that will do the trick nicely. Call me crazy, but I do like the Camilla silk ‘day-to-night’ jumpsuit (p66). At $451 however, I wouldn’t actually buy it, but I did see something similar on ebay just the other day at a fraction of the price.

The workplace is definitely a style magnet for fashion mags at the mo. My favourite spread features the relaxed muted tones on pg 72-73. I love the Sambag sequinned cashmere cardi on p72. Back to the coffee money for a cashmere investment me thinks, and you can’t go wrong with any dress from Jigsaw. I have to admit, I’m usually not a fan of the celebrity in-style feature as I have never subscribed to idea of a celebrity as my fashion icon. Let’s face it, they are surrounded by dozens of stylists, make-up artists and hair-dressers and are usually photographed wearing outrageously expensive items that most of us can only scoff at, but I do like the Danielle Spencer spread on pg104-111. There is something earthy about this high-profile wife and mother-of-two, to which a mere mortal such as myself can relate. Oh, and I love the look on p89. To top it off, the beauty (p126), well-being (p150) and life-style sections (P163) offer fabulous tricks of the trade ideas on how to glam up your day to day life.

The Feb edition launches Instyle’s second annual Women of Style Awards, so if you know someone worthy of a mention, get on line www.instylemag.com.au. The Feb edition of Instyle features Jennifer Garner on the cover...love the colour of that frock, and reader discounts at Sportscraft and Priori facials.

CHECK IT OUT: Sambag on line at www.sambag.com.au. The on-line shop is nothing to write home about, but you may be able to find a store near you, which could be worth a look. If you are cashed up and don't mind a spot of on-line shopping then also scope zimmermannstore.com. They are having a fab sale with most items at 50% off or more! My fav, the Lolo applique dress reduced from $375 to $190. Gorgeous!