From jet-set fashionistas to those of us who just fancy ourselves as honorary members of an uber-cool, air-brushed sisterhood, ?How to Walk in High Heels? is a must-have reference guide for any girl who ever regarded Manolo Blahnik with a god-like reverence or wished that that she could navigate life?s challenges with style and grace.
Since it?s publication in 2005, Camilla Morton?s seminal offering has garnered something of a cult-following, becoming the Bible of style-conscious women across the world. By providing her own, inimitable style of practical advice on ?challenges? such as, ?How to Be Stylish When Locked Out? and ?How to Blend in at B&Q? and commentating on a wide-range of ?issues? facing women in the twenty-first century, Morton has managed to produce an essential manual for the modern, image-driven female. She addresses topics ranging in diversity from the perennial favourite - ?How to Cure a Hangover? - to the perhaps not-so-essential ?How to Wear an Apron with Style?, and approaches each topic in a practical, no-nonsense manner. Her humorous yet inciteful style of communicating makes for compelling reading, even if you don?t have the slightest desire to become proficient in the art of blowing your nose gracefully. (Although, if we admit it, we probably all secretly wish we knew how!).
With an introduction from none other than fashion svengali, John Galliano, and contributions from such iconic figures as Kylie Minogue (?How to Enhance your Finer Assets? ? apparently, it?s all about the knickers!) and the super-model?s super-model, Gisele Bundchen (?How to Look Good in a Photo? ? smile and airbrush!), this ?Girls Guide to Everything? truly is a veritable compendium of who?s-who and what?s-what in the world of twenty-first century fashionable living.
While the majority of the books? guest contributors seem to have a lifetime membership of ?beautifulpeople.com?, they are clearly capable of a lot more than we may have heretofore given them credit for. Jewellery designer, model and muse, Jade Jagger ably demonstrates such extra-curricular skills in her essay on compiling your own soundtrack, while Stella McCartney provides some very solid and practical advice on dealing with your tailor.
However, not all of the advice and guidance in the book deals with such practical topics. The author herself somehow manages to turn the chapter on driving and car maintenance into an amusing, yet informative section for all girls to enjoy: Essays entitled ?How to get out of a car in a short skirt? and ?How to reverse park with style?, contain, whether we like to admit it or not, essential advice for any self-respecting, female car owner or indeed passenger (apparently, the secret is formerly, in parking with the kerb in sight and latterly, by ?stretching and sliding?!).
One of the funniest and most telling sections of the book occurs when Morton speaks of the necessity for every woman to know ?How to hold court from your sick bed?. Advising guests to keep their distance in a case of the flu, not in an effort to avoid passing on the illness but rather to avoid them seeing ?how red your nose is?, serves as something of a social commentary on our obsession with conveying the ?perfect? image and the surreal level of importance placed on appearances ? even when sick - in today?s society. Values and priorities in the modern age appear to be modelled on those of our Hollywood icons. While the author successfully manages to treat vastly diverse subjects in a manner that appears at the outset to be serious and almost groundbreaking, her seemingly sub-conscious ability to communicate humour and frivolity, allows even the plainest-of-janes amongst us to appreciate and empathise with the troubles that the Gwynnies and J-Lo?s of this world have to endure. As Morton herself eloquently puts it when re-living the background to her book: ?Once upon a breakdown in Paris?I realised to my horror that we were headed for a Gwyneth moment?. Indeed, if Ms. Paltrow had the benefit of owning a copy of this ?Girls Guide to Everything? on that fateful Oscar night many moons ago, she may have picked up a few tips from Ms. Morton on ?How to Deal With Unpleasant Situations??Pink, fluffy dresses and emotional outbursts indeed!
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