Staying Relaxed...and Catching Up (Warning: Could be TMI)

One of the joys of motherhood is spending quality, quiet (usually) time with your little one while she eats. In my case, that means she's attached to me - quite literally. This also means that, now that I'm back at work full time (nearly through my second week of heartbreak, now), I get to spend time locked in a closet masquerading as a - ahem - women's lounge.* It also means, that since said closet has no TV or radio, a girl's gotta do something to keep herself occupied for the 15 minute stints sprinkled throughout the day. And, despite what our one supposedly enlightened VP says, I am not working on a proposal while pumping. I think my milk would dry up in about 2 seconds if that were the case.

So instead, I'm reading.

I'm an avid reader - always have been. From the womb through infancy (mommy dearest read me East of Eden when I was an infant - no wonder I'm so f-ed up) and beyond, I've got a bedside stack and a not-so-mild addiction. Needless to say, with The Bean's arrival, about all I can manage is a few pages of a magazine. Until now. These 15 minute sessions are going to let me catch up on all of the fashion and style books I have waiting for me in my stack. I've decided to dedicate that time to bettering my knowledge of The Industry.

First up - and first done: Justine Picardie's My Mother's Wedding Dress. Just finished in my last session today. An absolutely delightful collection of essays on the meanings we hold in clothing. Her career has introduced her to some pretty amazing people, and her family stories hold some incredibly touching - and stylish - moments.

Next? I'm going to have to dig out the style books, but I've got a history of the LBD and other fashion favorites, Madame Dariaux's Guide to Elegance, and a couple of biographies I've been meaning to read (Coco, Diana Vreeland, to start). I've also got two big honkin' coffee table books I'd love to add to the pile, but I'm already looking pretty conspicuous walking down the hallway with my oh, so stylish black backpack. So Anglomania and Elsa Schiaparelli will have to wait.

I'm open to suggestions, too, so let 'em rip...I promise to report in on favorite parts. And yes, this is the same list (sort of) that I recommended ages ago. Notice how many I've read since then.

*For the non-faint-of-heart, a Lactation Room. They're all the rage, I promise.