You are on Team Vertical Stripe if you prefer to wear vertical stripes. You are on Team Horizontal Stripe if you prefer to wear horizontal stripes. Absolutely any type of horizontal or vertical stripe is included in this poll, but diagonal stripes are not included.

I love vertical pinstriped jackets, shirts, skirts and trousers. But I also fancy a graphic horizontal stripe on a jacket or top if it isn’t too broad. I currently have both sets of stripes represented in my wardrobe. I can’t choose between the two so I’m sitting this one out on the bench with a large cone of frozen yoghurt. 

Over to you. Are you Team Vertical or Team Horizontal Stripe? Tell us why and no batting for both teams. 

This week’s titles are a celebration of text and image. Fashion meets fiction in Christian Lacroix and the Tale of Sleeping Beauty: A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir. Camilla Morton reinvents the classic “once upon a time” story to record the real-life bio of renowned couturier Christian Lacroix, famous for his sumptuous fabrics and dramatic style. With exclusive illustrations and digital collages by the designer himself, “this tale illuminates Mr. Lacroix’s creative magic while celebrating his unique life and career. The result is an intriguing combination of whimsy and memoir.”

For as long as I can remember I’ve had a thing for vintage book and magazine covers. I’m especially fond of the ones that use illustrations instead of photographs. In the twentieth century, each new decade brought its own iconic cover designers, each with a vast and impressive body of work. For obvious reasons it’s impossible to collect all these beautiful books, that’s why I’m always glad to see the artwork published in postcard form. Much more storage-friendly, plus these cards are lovely to send to friends or display around the house. Vintage Postcards from Vanity Fair – One Hundred Classic Covers (1913-1936) is a set that doesn’t disappoint. The box contains 100 postcards with beautiful, bold illustrations, representing more than twenty years of cosmopolitan Jazz Age design. A treat for fans of fashion, vintage cover design and art deco.

Do you also find vintage magazine covers hard to resist? And do you ever buy a magazine just because the cover illustration really speaks to you, even if the features inside are not your cup of tea?

Now in YLF Book Club

We are chatting about the movie version of The Devil Wears Prada, with a delightfully haughty Meryl Streep as editor-in-chief of Runway magazine. Once you’ve seen the “lumpy blue sweater” scene, the word cerulean takes on an entirely different meaning… Come join us in today’s kick-off thread to discuss the fashion, the actors, the magazine industry, and more memorable scenes.

Quick reminder: On the Book Club page you can find the schedule of previous, current and future Book Club titles.

Lisa loved this interesting article about French women and their scarves on A Femme d’Un Certain Age. 

Christieanne liked this tutorial on how to make your own shrinky bracelet on Rust and Sunshine. Let the creative juices flow. 

Nancylee is looking forward to seeing the new Trina Turk for Banana Republic collection in stores on June 7. 

Rosee highly recommends browsing through this post on how to build a vintage wardrobe capsule on Tuppence Ha’penny Vintage. 

Inge says that the Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, so browse through their archives where you’ll see photos dating back to 1946. You’ve got to check out the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. 

Anna suggests reading about the true origins of many tribal and ethnic prints on Refinery 29. Did you know that the Hawaiian shirt can be traced back to a kimono? 

Laurinda says that the pants hemming guidelines on Maker Mama are well worth a read. 

bj1111 enjoyed flipping through these fab Summer Finds For Under $100 on Vogue.

You got a glimpse of this outfit a few days ago because it’s what I wore to the photography meet-up at Alki Beach last weekend. I had first pulled together a bright red jacket with a dark blue denim shirt and matched it with a pair of black cigarette trousers and flats. But Greg reminded me that the red would be hard to photograph in bright sunlight, so I switched to this more neutral and subdued ensemble. 

The outfit, as Kari pointed out, picked up the colours of the scenery. I had unintentionally colour coordinated myself with the sky, water and pebbly beach. 

These are items you have seen me wear many times, along with my only pair of prescription sunglasses and an old colour blocked L.A.M.B bag. I really like to dress down my dressier items — like I’m doing with this silky patterned blazer — so that I can wear them more often. This dressing strategy does mean that I end up with a dressier casual look. But that’s fine with me. Wearing dressy items is very much part of my style.