Spring is in the air…
Can you feel it? If I’m honest, I’m writing this note on a wet and windswept day, but I’m hoping by the time you read it, the weather will have brightened, bringing with it the anticipation of garden days and sunny soirees. It’s this mood we’re sharing – with a big dose of optimism – in this issue. It starts with a shopping guide to dressing for summer weddings (as well as garden parties and fancy lunches) on page 12. There’s a new spin on the steadfast floral dress, showstopper skirts and some delicious daytime sparkle. On that note, White Hot on page 68 compels us to embrace sequins, silk and lace for the months ahead (I’m in), and in A Fresh Look on page 82, Red’s beauty team share their new-season must-haves (from uplifting scents to miracle balms). We’ve gone alfresco at home on page 112, where Hilton Carter encourages us to take our pot plants outside for the ultimate garden styling. Meanwhile, on page 150, Gretchen Rubin inspires us to get more connected with our senses and, in turn, the world around us.
My favourite read this month is The Shape Of Me, on page 28. To celebrate the new film adaptation of Judy Blume’s iconic pre-teen novel Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, three writers reflect on the piece of pop culture that had a profound effect on their own teenage years. I’ll confess, I devoured every single Judy Blume book when I was growing up – and those of Paula Danziger, who equally captured the angst, uncertainty and, at times, euphoria of puberty. I lived vicariously through those novels, but also the films of John Hughes; Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off set the tone for me of what life could and should be like. American high school seemed so much cooler and more exciting than my own all-girls grammar, yet although I deeply craved boys in letterman jackets who drove their parent’s convertibles, and wanted to be prom queen (or a cheerleader at the very least), clearly, none of this was to be my fate. Still, Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles remains my forever crush and one day I still hope to sit cross-legged in pink chiffon to blow out my birthday candles. A girl can dream.