There's no price tag on swooning....

Great Gatsby costume sketch courtesy of Prada

Fashion illustration is one of my secret (or not so secret) coveted skills. 

I can't draw to save myself, but I find looking at designer sketches even more pleasurable than the finished clothes. Like a visual poem, they conjure so many possibilities in a two-dimensional image. For example; this woman is on her way to a hidden bar to drink martinis amongst the cigar smoke, to a soundtrack of croaky jazz. She is naked under the coat, save for her fragrance of choice; Tabac Blond, and has left her lighter at home in the hope that her lover will smell it when he leans in to light her cigarette. (You can see the others here; I would love to know what stories they tell you!)

I'm already inside out with excitement to see The Great Gatsby, and discovering these Prada costume sketches was like finding presents tucked under the Christmas tree with my name on them.  

Thank goodness oogling via googling is free...

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My one wish in the land of birthdays

Image from Stylecaster.com

As a child I was seldom seen without a book, usually something by Enid Blyton. A particular favourite was 'The Enchanted Wood' where Jo, Bessie and Fanny climbed the faraway tree and had the most magical adventures.

I have never forgotten the final scene where the children visit the Land of Birthdays and are each allowed to make a wish in celebration of Bessie's birthday. Fanny wishes that she could fly and is given a beautiful set of magic wings. As a child I couldn't imagine wishing for anything else - how could you not want to fly?

These days my adult feet are firmly and happily on the ground (at least in my waking hours), and my one wish has changed. I wish I could draw! Now, kind readers, before you insist that of course everyone can draw I want to be clear about something: I cannot. Stick figures are about all I can manage, and Pictionary usually ends in tears. Give me a pencil and I can whip up a poem or a rhyme in no time, but any attempt at art is woeful.

When I saw this beautiful, whimsical fashion illustration by Rebecca Taylor for her forthcoming collection at New York Fashion Week, I was once again 8 years old and wishing I could scale the faraway tree. Somehow, Rebecca has climbed inside my head and drawn the outfit I would draw, if I could.

I have always loved Rebecca's clothes and am lucky enough to own a couple of her dresses. In the exclusive interview for Stylecaster.com Rebecca talks about finding inspiration in the contrast between the laid-back New Zealand countryside and the fast-paced New York lifestyle (read the interview here). If this is a sign of what's to come for her next collection, my bank balance is in serious trouble.

What about you, lovely readers? What would your one wish be if you chanced upon the Land of Birthdays?

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