Here Comes Your Man.

Despite wearing dresses 90% of the time, I am something of a keen voyeur of male fashion. When I see a nicely dressed man - whether it's an attractive young whippersnapper or an elderly man in his Sunday best - it never fails to makes me smile. So imagine my delight when I stumbled across the website Nerd Boyfriend - not, as you may immediately assume, some bizarre dating website, but a style blog of sorts. The premise is simple; it shows the wonderful musicians/ actors/ artists/ writers of yesteryear looking suave, then helpfully shows you where you can buy the modern equivalent garments. It also rings home the best thing about menfolk's clothing - if done well, clothes worn 50 years ago could just as easily be spied on the streets today! Without further ado, feast your eyes on these sartorial greats.

Admittedly, not a great fan of this outfit, but... puppy in pocket?! That's surely accessorizing at it's greatest.

Divine.

I love this guy; not only does he make wonderful music, but he has the most ridiculously strong French accent and is in possession of a great 70's Dad-beard. He also spouts some wise words, my favourites being:

• 'Everybody in France thinks that The Beach Boys are just silly guys with funny closies (!) but, in fact, they are big genius of music!'
  
• 'You know, the first feeling of love, when you are on the beach, and for the very first time you are almost naked in front of everybody, and you can see the girls almost naked, with the hot sun, and I love this kind of ambience... It's a song about that!'
  
• 'The message is, if you want to be a great lover, you have to be a good person.'
  

...Not to mention his spot-on impression of Serge Gainsbourg. Wonderful Sebastien!

Books Galore!

I have a little rule that if I ever spy a classic book in a charity shop, I must snap it up immediately, even if I have no intention of reading it for a good ten years or so. So, as you can imagine, my bookshelves are groaning with well-thumbed copies of Penguin classics, but sometimes you need a little light relief - books that make you chuckle, or consist of nothing but pretty pictures. Here are a few books I wouldn't mind waking up and finding magically placed on my bookshelf. Father Christmas, you listening? 

'Dear Diary' by Lesley Arfin

Having kept a diary since I was on the cusp of my teenage years, I sometimes like to have a little read of the truly old ones, just for lols. Well this young lady enjoyed reading hers so much that she decided to publish them! And believe me, they are rather excruciating. I first became aware of Arfin after obsessively reading her 'Ask Barf' column on Street Carnage; I strongly advise you take a peek, as they are sometimes valid yet always amusing.

p.s. It also features a foreword by Chloe Sevigny, nice!

'Moomins Cookbook' by Sami Mamila & Tove Jansson

Moomins are adorable and Finnish cuisine looks delicious, so a perfect recipe (oho!) for a cookbook it does make. Thanks to this gem I could learn how to make all the delicious treats prepared by Moomin Mamma in real life. With categories such as 'At The Garden Party' and recipes such as 'Laundry-Day Soup', how could anyone resist? Get in my life, please. 

'What Shall I Wear Today?' by Fifi Lapin

Sure, it's written by a fictional bunny-rabbit, but just you wait until you look inside... Despite having 'long ears, a flat chest and a generously padded tushe', this lady (sorry, bunny) can dress! This sweet little book stems from the blog of the same name, and features interviews with wonderful visionaries such as Charles Anastase, Erin Fetherston and Viktor & Rolfe! Sweeeet.

'Luella's Guide To English Style' by Luella Bartley

It looks like a 1950's school book, it's the perfect shade of 70's brown and there's a bloody fox on the cover! Oh, and it's written by Luella Bartley, one of the loveliest designers of the decade. Can't wait to wrap my sticky little mitts around this one. 

Swoon.

Because I am kind, I present to you this lovely video featuring the very suave Aaron Johnson, brooding around in the style of a 5o's matinee idol. As well as his face, I'm a little bit in love with these amazing outfits and his more than impressive quiff. Courtesy of 'Man About Town' magazine, a publication which smells as divine as it looks. 

Geek Alphabet

I enjoy this a lot! (Only recognised about half though, must try harder.)

Give Me Your Eyes, I Need Sunshine

....So, last night, I had the great fortune to hear one of my top ten all-time favourite songs performed live, by the truly marvellous Wolf Parade!

Accompanied by some of the finest folk I know, we trotted off to a tiny working men's club in the student area of Leeds to see everyone's favourite Canadian foursome. Despite some serious heating issues, they put on an absolutely wonderful performance and had us all bopping away and singing along with gusto. A quality of theirs that I've always admired is the way they sound constantly on the cusp of tears as they sing, and I was pleased to note that this rings true in real life. My only gripe was that they did not play 'Grounds For Divorce' (sob, sniff), but with such an extensive back catalogue, personal favourites are bound to be missed out.

 In my mind, I always imagine them to be middle aged, a little bit chubbs and impressively bearded, but in reality they're rather young, reasonably attractive and only one of them in possession of good-quality facial hair. How about that! Despite me bringing along my camera, I took approximately zero photos of them, as I was far too buy enjoying myself/ trying to maintain a decent body temperature. My apologies. I did, however, visually capture this lol-tastic moment in time for your viewing pleasure...

Daydream Believer

I'm currently a little bit obsessed with this here song, by the always-wonderful Animal Collective and Vashti Bunyan, a lovely folk singer from the 60's with a voice a bit like a pan-pipe. Always a good thing, I reckon. This song is ideal for the moment you open your eyes in the morning and as you close them at night.... and every moment in between, really.