You are on Team ’80s if you prefer ’80s fashion or ’80s inspired fashion. You are on Team ’60s if you prefer ’60s fashion or ’60s inspired fashion. Note: today’s fashion that is inspired by the decade but not actually of that decade counts towards your preference. 

This is hard. Apart from today’s fashion, these are my favourite fashion eras. I love ’60s fashion because the start of the era is very ladylike, polished and dressy, whereas the latter part is mod, graphic and fun. 

I love ’80s fashion because 1981 is when I first started to really enjoy fashion. Throughout high school, when I wasn’t wearing a school uniform or horse riding gear, I was experimenting with fashion. It was the era of the music video and I savoured every fashion statement that was made by my pop icons at the time. Oh, how fab we thought we looked in our hectically oversized tops and jackets, shoulder pads, studded belts, neon, colour blocked pumps, teased and peroxided hair, ultra violet lipstick, flat oxfords, pleated high-waisted pants, and jeans that nearly cut off our circulation. I had so much fun with fashion in the ’80s. 

Today I still gravitate towards styles with a ’60s or ’80s vibe, although the incarnations are modern and current. Both eras hold a very special place in my heart. But I’m determined not to be benched this week so I’m going with Team ’80s because I’m especially nostalgic about the decade. Those magical style feelings when you’re a teen are very memorable.

Over to you. Are you Team ’80s or Team ’60s? If neither eras appeal to you, or you can’t decide between the two, you’re sitting this one out on the bench with lemon meringue pie, coconut macaroons and a cup of Lady Grey tea.

This batch of pickings is for Team Casual and Team Neutral. Be sure to check out all the colour options and read the rave reviews. 

1. Paige Coated Sleeve Denim Jacket (Owen): If denim jackets are a wardrobe essential, try this two toned topper to change things up. The waxed black sleeves add a fab textural effect to your outfit. Runs small and long in the sleeve. Father Christmas generously placed this darling under our tree and I’m as happy as a clam. 
2. MICHAEL Michael Kors Perforated Belt Bag: I LOVED this when I tried it on in stores. Hands-free, minimal and interesting. I preferred the bag positioned much more to one side than to the front as the photo shows. A great look for single layer dressing. 
3. Fossil Perforated Leather Belt: Relaxed, semi-tucked tops look great with belts. This perforated style is pretty and particularly nice in both shades of brown. 
4. Vince Camuto Check Pattern Sweater: Graphic, fitted and fun for Spring. 
5. Nic + Zoe Bateau Neck Mix Knit Sweater: The high-low hemline has its advantages. Tailored yet roomy at the same time. 
6. Zella Soft Shell Jacket: Stretchy, fitted, comfy, sporty, and a little military inspired. Perfect layered under a coat. 
7. Jag Jeans ‘Rupert’ Denim Jacket (Plus): Great value for a piece that will have a high degree of style longevity. 
8. Sejour Quilt Trim Ponte Knit Jacket (Plus): Casual yet crisp, and not black. Nice fit and best worn open. 
9. Frye ‘Vintage Stud’ Crossbody Bag: This distressed number will age with grace. 
10. KUT from the Kloth ‘Litta’ Top: The magpies amongst us might like a little daytime sparkle with their casual wear. 
11. Splendid Stripe Cowl Neck Sweater: Super easy and lightweight with interesting bias cut side and back panels. 
12. Everybody ‘Patto’ Short Boot: Relaxed but not rugged. Fab new shaft height and super with all sorts of bottoms. 

Casual items like these are ideal for gal-on-the-go and weekend wear. Some of the items can be used to dress down dressier looks. Our age of casualization has its versatile advantages.

My Dad flew in from the Netherlands over the weekend just in time for Christmas, and we couldn’t be happier about it. Papa turned eighty a few months ago and we were unable to join him in London to celebrate with my brother and his family. So we celebrated yesterday! With homemade South African melktert and lots of tea. We also used the crockery set that my late Mum had custom made for their wedding anniversary many, many years ago. Papa was beaming and so were we. 

My Dad recently bought a pair of burgundy specs. Ordinarily, he would have left his specs choice up to my Mum. But he picked these out on his own and I’m so impressed! You are NEVER too old to have fun with fashion. This is a great reminder as we head into the New Year. 

We’re very grateful that my Dad still hops on a plane and flies over to see us once or twice a year. He’s doing exceptionally well, and at 80 he’s as vibrant, expressive and smiley as ever. And Rosie’s good spirits despite her heart disease warms our hearts even more. Christmas time at the Cox Castle is happy — the best Christmas gift of all. 

We at YLF wish you, your loved ones, the fur babies, absent friends and family, a happy and peaceful Christmas. There will be fewer posts this week as we take the time to relax with family. 

Discovering Persephone Books was like stumbling upon a small local boutique full of clothes that were screaming my name. The independent publisher’s concept immediately appealed to me:

We print mainly neglected fiction and non-fiction by women, for women and about women. The titles are chosen to appeal to busy women who rarely have time to spend in ever-larger bookshops and who would like to have access to a list of books designed to be neither too literary nor too commercial. The books are guaranteed to be readable, thought-provoking and impossible to forget. 

The fact that the books are beautifully designed didn’t hurt either: they all come with a minimalist dove grey jacket with cream label and a colourful “fabric” endpaper. Right up my style alley!

Over the holidays I like to reread old favourites, and this year I’ve decided on Winifred Watson’s Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. In this whimsical feel-good novel – Persephone’s best-selling title – a middle-aged governess accidentally ends up at the house of glamorous nightclub singer Miss LaFosse. A serendipitous event that will change her live forever. If there’s time I’ll also throw in the delightful film adaptation, with the always excellent Frances McDormand.

Because of their gorgeous design and smart approach Persephone books make stylish and meaningful presents. Here are five more gift suggestions:

For the cook – Kitchen Essays by Agnes Jekyll: A collection of culinary essays about post-World War I social occasions and the recipes to go with them, conjuring up a bygone era.

For the gardener – Gardener’s Nightcap by Muriel Stuart: An illustrated series of poetic musings on all aspects of gardening.

For the historian – Few Eggs and No Oranges by Vere Hodgson: Everyday life in London during the Blitz seen through the eyes of a social worker.

For the time travel fan – The Victorian Chaise-longue by Marghanita Laski: A young woman lies down on a chaise longue and wakes to find herself imprisoned in the body of her alter ego ninety years before.

For the entrepreneurial fashionista – High Wages by Dorothy Whipple: The story of Jane who goes from working a badly paid job in a draper’s shop to opening her own dress shop

Are you planning to revisit any favourite books or movies over the holidays? And were you also won over by the screwball-esque pace, fab period costumes and Cinderella transformation of Miss Pettigrew?

As this is the last Book Nook post for 2012, I want to wish everyone at YLF a very festive holiday week and a new year filled with hope, happiness and smiles.