Guest Editor, Jane Rowley

Party, party, party – the 1920’s produced the ultimate good-time girl. She knew how to shop for divine outfits, spent hours preparing for a night out and hit the clubs with the ultimate good-time dance, the Charleston. Sophie Kinsella, the author of Confessions of a Shopaholic, has gone all historical on us and created a hedonistic flapper in her character Sadie, a ghost who haunts her hapless niece, Lara.

Lara has a lot on her plate when Sadie appears. She’s just been dumped by her boyfriend whom she’s desperate to win back, she’s invested all her money in a business she knows nothing about and her business partner hasn’t returned from a holiday to Goa. Meanwhile, Sadie has little on her mind other than finding her missing necklace, handsome men and dancing. Despite their differences, ethereal or otherwise, the girls discover they have more in common than revolting relations.

Sadie and Lara share the agony of a broken heart. A piercing pain most of us have experienced. Through her characters Sophie Kinsella encourages us to find strength in our relationships with genuine friends. Friends who allow us to be ourselves while simultaneously encouraging us to take the emotional risks that help us grow. Sadie, for all her brusque manner, has learned this lesson well and she pushes Lara, at times unmercifully, to rid herself of the negative’s that are holding her back.

Sadie works her way through Lara’s love life, her business relationships and her wardrobe. Lara returns the favour by uncovering the mystery of Sadie’s missing necklace and renewing Sadie’s faith in true love. But it’s not easy. After an expensive encounter with a vintage clothing shop Lara finds herself on an excruciatingly embarrassing first date and this is where Kinsella’s talent shines. Her clever observation of today’s mores and taboos means you’ll find yourself giggling as she pushes her character, Lara, further and further into social quick-sand.

Lara plunges from one ‘wish the earth would open up and swallow me’ moment to the next and because we’ve all had that thought at one time or another, Lara is a loveable character – after all, she’s every-girl. Even the predictable ending doesn’t seem to make Twenties Girl any less entertaining. Romance, a little bit of mystery and great clothes; that’s what every girl wants!

Available now: Random House RRP$32.99

Jane

Sophie’s hit book, Confessions of a Shopaholic, has recently been made into a film starring our very own Isla Fisher and I really cannot wait to see it, seriously this is one film that I’m really really excited to go and see!  Confessions was the first book of a hilarious series written by Sophie; Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot; Shopaholic and Baby, Shopaholic Abroad and Shopaholic & Sister.

Confessions is quite obviously about a Shopaholic and Rebecca Bloomwood has a very big problem. My mum and dad think I’m a shopaholic but no-one comes close to Becky! You will love the adorable, silly, and very sassi Becky Bloomwood and her envy-inducing wardrobe.

Drowning in debt, she ironically, snags a job as an advice columnist for a financial magazine and goes to hilarious extremes to keep her past from ruining her future. Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. Becky knows she should stop, but she can’t. She tries cutting back, she tries making more money. But neither seems to work. The stories she concocts become more and more fantastic as she tries to untangle her increasingly dire financial difficulties. Her only comfort is to buy herself something – just a little something – pink laptop alert, I want one

Becky Bloomwood takes over the Manhattan streets in a whirl of designer goodies with the help of Emmy-Award winning costume designer Patricia Field. “This character just shopped her life away,” Field tells PEOPLE, “Her wardrobe was massive. Her room was filled with racks and accessories all over the place, and it was like she lived in her closet.” Patricia and Isla worked together to create a character with a “very harajuku” style. Never one to simply wear jeans and a T-shift, Rebecca is all about the accessories (from hats and gloves to bags and a signature green scarf), which, according to Field, is the key to staying fashion forward on a tight budget. “Don’t buy clothes, buy accessories,” she advises. “Accessories in general are what really create your look, more so than your clothing. You tell a story with accessories.” The famed costume designer says of the movie; “It’s fashion. It’s funny, it’s frivolous and it’s frantic.” (Source: people.com).

In cinema’s from 12th March the book was set in London but the film is set in glamorous New York City … shopping capital of the WORLD I do declare!  And apparently the carpet was pink not red for the premiere in London, love it!

And of course the Beauty Industry has jumped on board with Too Faced releasing a limited edition beauty palette for every glamour girl on the go … this must-have palette features 15 products, including 2 concealers, Face Powder, 3 eyeshadows, Eyeliner Powder, Eyebrow Powder, Duo Bronzer Powder, Blush Powder, 3 lip glosses, 2 application tools, and even a checklist; everything needed for glamorous movie-star lips, eyes, and face … of course only available in America, boo hoo.  (Source:  stylebakery.com)

I know the film is out next month, but the book is definitely worth the read, it is the perfect pick me up for those moments when life hangs in the balance.  And make sure you pop over to the website and enter to win a Gucci handbag, now that’s a perfect pick me up!

Love,
Sassi
Your Pop Culture Gossip Girl