Off the Stands—A Monthly Magazine Review

May 2011
Cosmopolitan
Shop til you Drop
Harpers Bazaar




Most women are too time poor to flip through even one fashion magazine a month, let alone several. Welcome to Off the Stands, a monthly magazine review featuring reviews of a selection of fashion magazines currently on the stands.


As an avid reader, shopper and blogger, I dig through the month’s magazines and pull out the highlights—saving you time and money.


This month, three trends are reported in multiple mags— velvet making a resurgence, patterned pants are coming on strong and (my personal fave)...the color orange as  a must-have!

Cosmopolitan cosmopolitan.com.au

D Leather Bottoms Abound —especially shorts!
D Capes in various forms are a MUST! Long, short, solid, patterned, simple, embellished. 
D Something new and fun? Go for the belted trench vest. Hip & happening!
D It's a Ruffle Revolution! Find them on tops, skirts, sleeves, hemlines...everywhere.

Shop til you Drop shoptilyoudrop.com.au

D The entire May issue is dedicated to online shopping! Whoop WHOOP!

D Trend alert — the Peter Pan collar. Not sure about this one...tread carefully!

D Loungewear as daywear. Upstyled trackies & sweats? Hhmmm...

D Love the workwear section with lots of helpful how-to's for different career vibes. 

D Diggin’ the navy and kahki color combo recommendation accented with gray. 

Tres chic!

Harper's Bazaar harpersbazaar.com.au

Sleeveless Blazer at asos.com

D Must see the delicious photo feature on the color white.
D Sleeveless blazers as a chic new alternative.
D Fashion feature on never-out-of-style stripes! 
D Unique color combination on trend? Cobalt and black...Joan Jett here we come!














__________________________________ Why not look your best every day?

Book Review: Harpers Bazaar Fabulous at Every Age

Harper’s Bazaar 
Fabulous at Every Age your Quick & Easy Guide to Fashion
Nandini D’Souza & Jenny Barnett
Hearst Books, 189 pages

I was tackled and hog-tied by insomnia last night. In no doubt due to the multiple giant MUG-o-ramas of coffee I poured down my gullet late in the day. At 213am I woke up not only bright-eyed, but relatively bushy-tailed.

My brain, however, was unable to cope with reading anything with a plot and no identifiable amount of caffeine, desperation, or cash will get me to watch JerseyTrash or Kendra and her ilk on the tube.

So, I chose from the ever-multiplying teetering stack of style and fashion books I’m working my way through. Harper’s Bazaar Fabulous at Every Age 
Your Quick & Easy Guide to Fashion.

My love for Harper’s Bazaar is long held. It was my first fashion magazine and remains one of 
my absolute favorites. 

I blasted through this book in a little over an hour. I examined every page but spent most of my time studying my "age category." Sadly, I didn’t learn much. I formed an idea or two for a couple outfits, but I get that from an average magazine. I wouldn't consider it a "Guide" 
or much of a How-to source.

It’s a beautiful book to look through, but unlike competing books in this genre, it is light on new information on age-appropriate style. Also disappointing is the lack of informational credits on designers or where to buy.  

Unless you are after an expensive hardback magazine, I have found more helpful books in the category of fashion and personal style. I expect more from HB.

__________________________________ Why not look your best every day?