This is a post of jumble, consider that your one and only warning.

With less than a week to go before Rob and I leave for the UK (I’m coming back in June, but people are acting like I’m about to board the Titanic) I’ve been trying to tie-up as many loose ends as I can. With accounting, superannuation, banking, doctor’s appointments, booking train tickets, buying a new laptop, mentally packing my suitcase, going through piles of paperwork, buying travel insurance, and then trying (in vain) to organize Rob, I’m a bit blurred around the edges. I feel like my life is being controlled by someone holding a TV remote with an itchy trigger finger, because I seem to be jumping all over the place without actually getting anything done.

So I’ve done what I always do in times like these. I’ve turned to River Island, TopShop, Sportsgirl, Witchery & co. online. Retail therapy really does work, even if you just pretend to buy the things you want (I’d have to be one of the most practiced Pretend-Shoppers in the universe).

New Look jacket, Witchery cuff, Nine West heels, ‘The J Curve’ by Ian Bremmer from Borders, ‘Elizabeth - The Golden Age’ from Sanity, Diva earrings, Sportsgirl jacket.

As my boyfriend (and my wallet) will so willingly tell you, I am a bit of a fashion addict. Some items tempt my addiction more than others - you only have to read one of my old posts, ‘A Love Affair with Shoes’, to guess which. Oddly enough, whilst I do keep an eye on the runways and the latest designer trends, I have to admit that I’m far more interested in the affordable, wearable fashion you can find at your local mall or shopping centre. I’d much rather read a book about the history of fashion or about a particular label than I would Australian Harper’s Bazaar or Vogue. But that’s just me.

Here are my four must-read fashion novels, recommended by me to friends and customers over the years.

1. Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones and Anonymous.

You may recall that Edwards-Jones has written a number of ‘Babylon’ books, including ‘Hotel Babylon’ (which was then made into a TV series) and ‘Air Babylon’. ‘Fashion Babylon’ follows the pattern set by her earlier novels - it follows a fictional designer through the process of designing and showing two collections. Along the way Edwards-Jones uses her fictional characters to reveal real life gossip about designers like Marc Jacobs, Galliano and Yves Saint Laurent and about the other peripheral characters that float through the fashion world - Kate Moss, Stella McCartney and even Paris Hilton get a mention. Fashion Babylon is a bit of a guilty pleasure, but has enough ‘real life’ gossip to keep any fashion-minded reader interested.

2. Handbags and Gladrags by Maggie Alderson.

This is probably my favourite of the four as it’s written with a sense of humour by an incredibly talented author who has a background in the industry. Completely fictional but with a smattering of gossip and fashion facts, Handbags and Gladrags follows the story of a fashion journalist for a fictional magazine. The novel follows the character to Paris, London and New York for the seasonal shows, whilst detailing the devastating affair of the main character’s husband with a magazine rival. A bit trashy, but a good holiday read nonetheless.

3. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger.

Admittedly the movie was better than the book, in part because of Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep and in part because of the fast-moving screenplay. The book is good, although if you’re anything like me you’ll become quickly frustrated with the main character allowing herself to be used in a manner which only those with very poor self-confidence would ever allow. The book is great for revealing the inner workings of a fashion magazine, and is fascinating if you read the characterization of the editor as being a thinly veiled pastiche of Anna Wintour, real-life editor-in-chief of American Vogue. If you’re short on time, see the movie.

4. The Fug Awards by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan.

I have been reading Go Fug Yourself for years and still find myself laughing out loud at some of Heather and Jessica’s descriptions. Although they’re described as being fearless fashion journalists who will rip into anyone who wears anything ‘fug’, I actually think these girls are all heart (and I’m sure any long-term reader of their site would agree). Their newly released book discusses a number of the repeat-offenders to grace the pages of their site, as well as many of the common fashion errors the girls come across - such as their much documented hatred of leggings ala Lindsay Lohan. Anyone with a good sense of humour would enjoy The Fug Awards, even if they weren’t educated in the lore of fashion.

Honourable mentions: Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes (a fun read, but with an annoying main character) and Fashion by Christopher Breward (not a fiction novel but the Oxford History of Art text on fashion which I find is a great reference to have lying around).

A few years ago, as part of a Fashion History course I was doing for my undergrad degree, I learned just how harmful cotton can be for the environment. Although it’s touted by many as being all natural and incredibly versatile, cotton actually requires a lot of extra attention in the farming and processing stages. The truth is that in order for farmers to be able to grow large cotton crops such as is required for clothing purposes, they have to rely on pesticides and genetically modified plants, as well as a huge amount of water. Once the cotton gets to the manufacturing stage, the factories chew through large levels of water (steaming and rinsing) and chemicals (purifying, proofing and dying). Denim fabric in particular is one of the worst as far as water conservation during the manufacturing process is concerned.

I hadn’t really thought too deeply about the ethics of denim until my mum brought it to my attention a few days ago after she read about the problem in ABC’s ‘Life’ magazine. The article, entitled ‘Green is the new black’, mentions that 20,000 people die per year from accidental pesticide poisoning used in the growing of cotton. Moreover, for every kilogram of cotton grown in Australia alone, 4,268 litres of water is consumed. If this cotton is then manufactured into denim, another 7,000-29,000 litres of water are used in the washing and dying processes. Growing the cotton used in every pair of jeans requires one third of a kilogram of pesticide.

Nasty, right? Fortunately it appears that a number of labels are realizing just how harmful the growing and manufacturing of materials for clothing can actually be, and are taking steps to improve their fabrics and factory standards. The article mentions that an Italian brand, Nudie jeans, is producing clothing that is one hundred percent organic and which has been manufactured in ways that are not harmful to the environment. Levi’s has jumped on the band-wagon too, with a limited range of ‘Green Jeans’. Then there’s the Sugar Cane and Co Denim Clothing brand, which uses sugar cane fibres instead of cotton to make the denim fabric. Other labels claim to be cutting down on the pesticides used in cotton production, and still more are boasting that they incorporate ‘recycled’ denim (off-cuts and pre-loved jeans) in their designs. Some denim companies are researching whether hemp and bamboo can be used in the fabric production process instead of relying solely on cotton.

As a denim lover (I think I own seven pairs of jeans, two denim skirts and a pair of denim capri shorts), I would gladly pay a little bit more for my jeans if it meant that they were kinder not just to the environment but to the people that produced them. I’m not too fussed about hemp clothing, or about avoiding leather (it smells so good!), but environmentally-friendly denim is certainly something I can see myself getting into, so to speak.