Sunday night review (on Monday)...InStyle March '10

If you love InStyle for its breath-taking and carefully orchestrated fashion spreads, expert advice and can-do attitude then you won’t be disappointed in the latest edition. If you are like me, however, and love to gush over each page so you can bookmark your next fashion spend then brace yourselves for a shock. March InStyle is pre-occupied with high-end fashion and increasingly expensive brands – more so than usual and it’s leaving the suburban stylette-on-a-budget at home in its wake. Long after it passed to the dark side, I continued to worship my fashion magazine of choice. I could always find affordable treats and treasures throughout the glossy pages that now seemed fit for the super rich. The beauty of InStyle was its ability to make even the more expense fashion trends seem accessible, if only in theory. March is a different story. It’s hard on high and light on low and even the most imaginative of us are left overwhelmed.

While it still follows the same fabulous formula of regular features and how-to creations, the fashion element of this edition lacks the dream-like elegance of the previous months. It seems harder in some ways, unattainable and less...perfect with a high concentration on getting the "right look" rather than the look right (see New Essentials (p74-79) for clarification. No-one looks that good in pleated front pants with tapered legs and how many people do you know that own or want a woollen corset?). Don't get me all wrong though there are still some fabulous finds throughout the gloss including an Instant Style white combo on p64 for the Alice in the Eve blazer ($139.95 at General Pants Co) and Portmans cotton-denim duds for $79.95. The witchery trench on p68 is a good spend at $199.95 if you need a smart, go-anywhere outer layer for under $200.00. You Can Do (pg 70-71) is a good resource for wearing draped skirts, but again most pieces are too pricey to indulge. We would all love a Jayson Brunsdon silk jacket, but are more likely to pop into Witchery and save $550. Just on the drape, if you have hips and a booty then find a skirt with a drape down the front otherwise the excess fabric will make you look bigger than you really are. I also love the peep toe glass necklace on p79 ($149). Check it out at www.peeptoeshoes.com.au. Shop it (p81 – 88) is the new home of Hermés cuffs that cost more than my monthly mortgage. But,Diva are still in favour with affordable bling for any look and birdsnest.com.au have a pair of Karen Millen knee-length silk pant look-alikes (p82, $345.00) on sale for $59.95. Do check out p92, it’s a budget shopper’s dream. I just adore that little Jacqui E sequinned-silk tank for $109.95 and studded hip belt from Country Road for $59.95. Its just a shame that some of us have to buy the whole mag for just one page!

Thankfully the non-fashion aspect of the mag remains largely intact. There is still too much emphasis on celebrity-style for my liking, but some nice looks out of the AFI Awards. My picks are Kate Ritchie’s J’Aton Couture look on p120, Rachel Ward’s frock and hip belt (not the shoes!) on p121 and Asher Keddie’s Yoejin Bae gown on p127. The annual 101 Best Beauty Buys as voted by a panel of Australian experts makes an appearance on p168. Sadly, I don’t use any of the feature products but can absolutely recommend the Eco tools range of make-up brushes. They are available from K-mart (and probably most leading department/variety stores), are affordable and are encased in environmentally friendly bamboo. SMS your full name and address to 1997 5555 and you could win the lot. I also surprised myself by really enjoying Elaine Lipworth’s feature article about Courtney Cox and advise everyone to spend a few minutes and get to know this million dollar-an-episode editorial about a friend. She is brilliantly identified as a loving mum and business woman who, like the rest of us works hard to maintain a happy marriage and just happens to be loaded. To round it out, the latest edition features a 45-page wedding special. Still worth a good look – you might pick up a couple of good ideas for a cocktail dress or two, even if nuptials are not on your agenda any time soon.

At the end of the day, it is still a good fashion mag and does what it does best...creates luscious fashion experiences that if your imagination allows, can be recreated to support your paling budget. If this is what you want then don't hesitate to add it to your current collection. If you are after a style resource that points you in the right direction next time you go shopping however, then you might want to leave it on the shelf and borrow it from a friend. MF xx

Check it out: www.instyle-australia.com

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!