Tom Rachman’s The Imperfectionists charts the downward spiral of a Herald Tribune-esque newspaper based in Rome from its creation in the heyday of newspapers to today’s circulation-reduced, digitally-oriented times. Each chapter features a different employee of the newspaper and their personal and professional lives. As a journalism grad who ended up working in marketing and business, I get a bit sentimental about what my life would have been had I followed that path. This book was fascinating to me for that reason but I think just anybody who loves a good novel would love The Imperfectionists. What I especially loved were the characters and how well-developed and interesting they and their stories were.

I pictured the outfit as something a busy reporter would wear; practical without being plain. I mean, after all, the book is set in Rome, one of the fashion capitals of the world, right?

Get the book: The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

Get the look: Topshop shirt, Kate Spade iPad cover, Marc by Marc Jacobs watch, Topshop skirt, Topshop shoe boots & Ileana Makri earrings

I first read Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar in my late teens and read it once again in university during a women’s lit course.  This ’60s novel charts aspiring writer Esther Greenwood’s descent into depression. The young woman does a magazine writing internship in Manhattan and then spends a summer back home, living with her mother, trying to write a novel. The Bell Jar is often thought to parallel Plath’s own experience with mental illness, and in fact Plath committed suicide shortly after this novel was published. While I can’t say that the book is terribly uplifting it certainly appealed to me as an artistically-inclined, angsty young woman. I was surely the exact profile of most of the book’s admirers!

These days if I’m feeling blue, fashion really is one of the best medicines. I don’t think you could be down in the dumps wearing this ensemble, right?

Get the book: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Get the look: Kate Spade bag, Burberry umbrella, vintage ’60s ear clips, Kate Spade heels, Emilio Pucci dress, Essie nail varnish & vintage ’60s bracelet

I read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott as a girl, probably about eight or 10. I remember being engrossed by the coming-of-age story of the four March sisters. There was something so universal about the lives of the characters even though the novel was published in the 19th century. I read A LOT as a kid but this book was definitely a standout.

When I saw this vintage 1950s edition cover on Scott Lindberg’s Flickr page I knew it had to be the subject of a From Book to Look feature. The edition is likely out of print so it’s quite a lucky find, along with the rest of Lindberg’s collection of vintage books. I love the blue on the vintage Little Women cover, which the silk Stella McCartney dress perfectly matches. The Dannijo earrings, or really anything by Dannijo, I would kill for. The Boo won’t read this – though he’ll definitely take a good look at the pictures – but if I could transmit psychic vibes to him it would be: Get me something from Dannijo for Christmas! Guess I’ll have to whisper it into his ear while he’s sleeping!

Get the book: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Get the look: Dannijo earrings, Kate Spade heels, Kate Spade wristlet, Stella McCartney dress

Kate Spade has gotta be one of my all-time favourite designers. Her liberal use of colour and her playful approach to femininity and vintage style have won be over – through and through. The Jewelbox Sonya Coat is no exception.  From the richness of that beautiful purple to the large bow and ruffles in front that add a twist to your classic trench style, this tweed number is perfect for fall and guaranteed to make head turns. In any event, it definitely made MY jaw drop!