If you love Paris...

...then the new release of a book called Fashioning the City: Paris, Fashion and the Media by Agnes Rocamora is, if this blog was Coco's Tea Party, the girl crush of the month!

Agnes is herself a women who exudes an easy chic associated with the streets of Paris, and a French je ne sais pas conveyed by the shrug of the shoulder. The book conveys a cultural and historical investigation into the space, the comments and the construction of Paris as a city of fashion, if not the fashion city.

If you long for a complete understanding of Paris, the literature, the construction of the city and it's perception and portrayal in the fashion press then Fashioning the City will take you on a tour via Balzac, Proust, Vogue, Le Monde and the Eiffel Tower itself.

The writing is intelligent, somewhat academic, but this in itself is refreshing in the day of attention grabbing subbing with little to fulfill the expectation. The discourse is punctuated with images that remind us of our own love affair with Paris and the fashion of Paris. The rich historical referencing to the space and use of the city is supplemented with Paris as a city of pleasure. Rocamoro reminds us that 'In the nineteenth century, Paris became increasingly perceived and fashioned as a center of pleasure, and amongst the pleasures it offered the visitor was sex...A particular kind of prostitute, the 'courtisane', became particularly associated with the French city.' And later in the book the imagery from Vogue Paris, August 2006 titled 'Nocturn Parisien' photographed by Mario Sorrenti remind us how sex still smolders with a glamorized image of a model suggestively posed as if she were a prostitute.

Somehow love, sex and fashion make interesting bed fellows but this is only one facet of Paris and Fashioning the City takes you on a full and in depth insight to the boulevards and side streets that reminds you of your favourite Parisien films, paintings and books and maybe evokes a heady parfum too!

It’s a good f***ing read

Janet Street Porter's latest publication 'LIFE'S TOO F***ING SHORT' is an easy and interesting read. Now, I'm drawing breath as I say this but it is a lot like mine. The genre is exactly the same – get on with things, get organised and stop wasting time and money. The difference between Janet's and mine is vast - she has got a beautifully presented and well edited little number. Mine, it's a real little basic model when it comes to presentation. I saw what my book would be like with a publication team to turn the excellent subject matter into something more visually pleasing.

Both Janet and I adopt a talking to you style of writing, and of course JSP is absolutely hilarious. Her style of straight talking is brought to life because as you read you can hear her distinctive voice. This book will keep you amused on the bus, tube or sitting enjoying the pleasures of a solitary coffee. It is useful and does prompt you to think. Her best advice is on careers. Her no nonsense approach and useful tips are inspiring. You can't go wrong with this sort of book if you want something to make a bit of a shift in your approach to a host of day to day matters.

Where I think JSP is borderline with her advice it's because the disparity of her income and choices are different to those who might not have the same disposable income. For example, yes the personal shopping service is good in Liberty but you need to have saved for an age to buy items if it is a special occasion or have quite a decent budget to buy items even though there is no pressure to buy. I think you might get away with not selecting a single item once but twice.....

Also Janet does the no ... her never to be seen dead in list was a poncho, wedge heeled shoes, pvc trousers and a jumpsuit. Well, it's just a view and not necessarily useful to make someone uncomfortable because actually they might like to wear wedges or ponchos/capes etc. I think throw away don't aren't necessary. In her holiday section she pointed out why choosing spa getaways aren't really holidays or travel. Her views and insight were interesting, funny and thought provoking. Her style section is good but has less substance. Her bit about altering designer clothes is great!

Overall you will get a lot out of reading 'LIFE'S TOO F***ING SHORT', however Make Do & Mend will really get you sorted on the money front, whereas JSP is more about cutting dead wood, saving time, making choices that get you to optimise your life.