One of the things I love the most about watching period dramas is the poise that everyone has. The characters are all very graceful and lovely, addressing one another as "Mr" or "Miss", and never failing to thank someone for a service.

I just get lost in the simplicity of it all, knowing exactly how to treat a person in any given situation. Often I wish that that sort of behaviour - that attention to etiquette in any situation - was still relevant today.

But then, who says it isn't? Founded in 1946, the Emily Post Institute, Inc. promotes etiquette and civility. Their seminal book Etiquette is currently in its 18th edition, and is accompanied by books with titles such as The Etiquette Advantage in Business, Essential Manners for Couples, and Excuse Me, But I Was Next...

Aided by their online Etipedia, the Emily Post Institute aims to make life easier for all of us by promoting civility and consideration in all situations.

In the words of Emily Post herself, "Good manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use."

Check out the Emily Post Institute at www.emilypost.com, or head on over to our Hostess with the mostest page for some luscious tips on having guests, arranging flowers and much more.

David Downton is a fashion deity. But not in the same way Coco Chanel and Muiccia Prada are.
 
David Downton is a brilliant illustrator, a master of the pen and a gift to the entire fashion world. He has presented his interpretation and redefined the beauty and simplicity of fashion for such fashion moguls as Chanel, Tiffany and Co, Harpers Bazaar and Vogue.

Not only is he front row in most Paris couture shows, Downton has been responsible for illustrating some of the most beautiful women in the world.

See our David Downton gallery.

English born, Downton started drawing at a very early age, seeing crisp white paper and pens as the ultimate treat growing up, he began studying at college in Canterbury and concluded with a BA Honours in illustration at Wolverhampton in 1981.

He began working in any areas of illustration offering paid work, from advertising campaigns to cookbooks and it took him 12 years to find his feet and rightful place drawing for the fashion elite. It was a rare opportunity offered to him by the Financial Times to draw at a Haute Couture show in Paris, and he since then, has not turned back.

David Downton’s signature illustrations are famously breathtaking due to their unique simplicity. He works slowly and solitary, first drawing an interpretation of what he sees then subtracting details one-by-one.

The results are deliciously elegant illustrations that take you somewhere beautiful.

He is inspired by the line and movement of a runway piece-not necessarily the detail of fabrics or stitching, but the way they fall and move with the model wearing them.

Downton understands his art as a separation from the designs themselves and that what is interesting in fashion terms isn't necessarily what makes a good drawing.

His works have been used for many publications throughout the world, from Asia to America and even graced the cover of Vogue Australia in August 2009.

From fashion illustration, he has also extended to portraits of some of the most beautiful women in the world - Julia Roberts, Lily Cole, Linda Evangelista, Twiggy and Dita Von Tesse.

As well as these, he has designed T-shirts for H&M, tote bags for department stores in Korea and been honored with a doctorate for his contribution to Art in San Francisco.

It seems the world is in love with David Downton’s art, and we know exactly why!

See our David Downton gallery.

Through the evolving facets of his work, what remains constant is the timeless style of his drawing-its beauty never dates and its simplicity continues to inspire people all over the world.

If you are in love with his work as much as we are, you can enquire learn more from his official website or simply purchase a copy of his self-produced magazine "Pourquoi Pas"…Why not?

Note: All illustrations by David Downton

To buy a David Downton original, please contact William Ling at the Fashion Illustration Gallery in London.

More David Downton photos are available on our Luscious page on Facebook.

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Sotheby's are auctioning 20 items of jewellery and precious objects once in the collection of Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor.

Here are a few of them to make your jaw drop.

The onyx and diamond panther bracelet is expected to go for GBP1-1.5m so have a chat to your banker so he's prepared for the dip into your bank account.

More info from Sotheby's, as well as more pix in our Duchess of Windsor jewellery photo gallery.

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We are a big fan of self-taught photographer Alicia Bock and think you should be too! She has dreamy photos of everthing from seaside scapes to Paris streets, and fortunately you can buy some of her delightful, ethereal prints at very reasonable prices from her Etsy shop.

Learn more about Alicia from her aliciabock.com website, "like" her Facebook page, and enjoy some of the images below, as well as in our Luscious photo gallery.

See our Alicia Bock photo gallery for more.

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Editor's note: We came across Jade and thought she sounded like a luscious lady and deserving of some luscious love. We asked her to tell us a bit about herself.

Check out more of her illustrations in the photo gallery.

Well hello there you Luscious people, my name is Jade Boylan, I'm a 19-year-old aspiring fashion and picture book illustrator/writer/blogger, studying Art and Design at college in the Isle of Man.

I spend a ridiculous amount of my time pouring over fashion magazines dreaming of all the fabulous things I plan to buy one day when I'm rich and famous and can afford to spend three months pay-check on a scarf.

I'm also a total handbag addict. I think I can also honestly say that I would probably be lost without my two darling Chloé Paddingtons (kindly bequeathed to me by a very generous Godmother) but that my life will never be fully complete until I own a Chanel 2.55.  

Why is she fabulous?
I do my best to make the people in my life smile and laugh as much as I can (luckily I seem to succeed, most of the time). I also try to inject a little bit of glamour into my every day life. Doing the housework in red lipstick and a pair six-inch heels is one way to do this.  

Her friends would describe her as…
After much joking around they finally decided on: creative, charming, witty, reliable, thoughtful, generous, honest, loyal, a perfectionist, patient, unique and caring. Oh what lovely friends I have. 

Who/what does she want to be when she grows up? If I ever grow up (which isn't very likely) I'd quite like to be a professional children's picture book writer/illustrator.

To get my work published is a definite aspiration and I would love to see my illustrations printed onto things like bags and badges, T-shirts, shoes or even dresses.

I think just having an instantly recognizable style of illustration (like Jeffrey Fulvimari, Nick Sharratt or Quentin Blake) would be the ultimate dream come true for me. 
 

What does “luscious” mean in Jade’s world? To me luscious means lots of things. I get my daily dose of Luscious from this very website but I guess that 'Luscious' can be lots of things.

It can be the feeling of seeing my best friends or my family after not having been able to visit them for months and months.

Luscious is the way I feel when I get a new lipstick, a new pair of shoes or even better, a new handbag.

Trying to be as Luscious as possible is of course another daily aspiration, not necessarily one I always manage to achieve. But a girl can dream can't she... 

To check out more of her fab work online, head to Jade's official website or keep up to date with her through her blog here. She also has a Facebook page and is on Twitter.

See more of Jade's illustrations in our photo gallery.

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As little girls, there was no accessory superior to a hair ribbon matching a pretty outfit.

We have been so inspired though by the oh-so-pretty ads for Miss Dior Cherie that we feel the need to reacquaint ourselves the notion that details are everything: So buy a length of ribbon and perk yourself up with a little touch of pretty motivated by Dior.

For subtler styling, tie a small bow at the end of a bobby pin and clip it to the side.

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"My involvement is to create something that is alive and will be able to say new things. I want my perfumes to have an intelligence of their own, not just be slaves to my meaning." Alessandro Gualtieri

Once there was a student who went to Germany to take some “medieval” perfumery courses. His name was Alessandro and he had a passion for perfume.

He learnt the talent of the nose and after eighteen years producing perfumes for labels such as Diesel, Verscae, Valentino and Fendi, the time came for him to develop his own perfumery and formed Nasomatto in Amsterdam.

The perfumes in Nasomatto’s collection are rich and full of personality, reflecting Alessandro’s explosive joie de vivre and love of all things fragranced. Each one is highly concentrated parfum extrait and presented in stacked architectural bottles.

Their project is dedicated to people who have a strong interest in distinguished perfume choices. Alessandro believes that “our senses are the primary instruments which generate our instinctive reactions and drive our process of judging and choosing.”

It is the intention of Nasomatto to share this personal passion for perfumes and enhance our awareness of the impact of our olfactory senses.

These are some of the fragrances which have come to fruition through their quest to not only bottle scents, but to bottle emotions, sexual essence, drugs and food, life’s mistakes, life’s joys and to locate a place where dreams and reality meet at the illusive centre of perfume.

Black Afgano: The fragrance aims to evoke the best quality of Hashish. It is the result of a quest to arouse the effects of temporary bliss.

Absinth: The fragrance aims to evoke degrees of hysteria. It is the result of a quest to stimulate irresponsible behaviour.

Narcotic Venus: The fragrance is the result of a quest for the overwhelming addictive intensity of female sexual power.

Silver Musk: The fragrance aims to evoke superhero magnetism. It is the result of a quest for mercurian liquid love sensation.

Learn more from www.nasomatto.com

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If ever there was a reason for you to wish for your fingers to turn frosty, Mary Beyer's divine gloves is it.

Gloves were once an essential component of a lady’s everyday wardrobe and Beyer's beautifully tailored pieces are reminiscent of this ladylike era. Beyer's collections—available in every shade of a colour chart—are crafted from materials such as mink, suede, crocodile skin and include interesting details such as ties, cuffs and sequins.

Mary Beyer plans put gloves back to the exalted position of couture and made-to-order.

Opening a boutique at Paris’ Palais Royal in December 2008, Mary Beyer’s line of made-to-measure stylish tactile gloves are so well fitted that they allow you to manipulate the touch pads of iPhones and BlackBerrys – making it much easier for us Luscious types to choose accessories for elegance without the needless hassle of having to nearly always remove our gloves in order to make a call or to check your emails from your phone.

When next in Paris be sure to inspect her store at 32-33 Galerie Montpensier 75001 Paris, or visit the website: www.marybeyer.com.

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See also Glove Affair, on the Style Leader: Frocking up: What Wear When page.

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There are ways to update your wardrobe without spending a lot of money and in the middle of a Credit Crunch; there is no better time to be bold with your budgeting! Here are some simple ways to give your wardrobe a makeover without breaking the bank:

Clean out the closet
Sort through your clothes and order them into three piles: keep, toss and donate. Pack up all the clothes you don't need, wash them and donate them to a charity or op shop.

While it might involve a little research it is also worth looking into whether there are any recycled clothing stores in your area that pay for donations or offer store credits.

For example Savers, allowing you to make a little pocket money from your pre-loved fashions. Or alternatively gather your friends and host a ‘Swap-Shop’ party.

Play dress-ups
With the clothes you have chosen to keep, try to put together as many new combinations and outfits as possible. Mix and match old re-discovered numbers with newer purchases to find new ways to wear the things you already own. If it helps to remember your new looks, take a snap shot and put together your very own look book.

eBay it
Selling items on eBay is another great way to clear out the closet and make room for new purchases with the money you will make from selling the old. Make sure all items are in good condition, take some good quality photos and wait for the bids to roll in on your treasures. Visit www.ebay.com.au to register.

Bag, Borrow or Steal
Now days you can actually rent the stuff you can’t afford. To rent a handbag, go to www.bagborroworsteal.com. Or, just borrow. It’s old fashioned, and you don’t get to keep the clothes, but you’re wearing something different and that’s what counts. Once you consider sisters, friends and housemates, your Saturday night party garb options are endless!

Dye(ing) for new clothes
Get hold of some dye and turn boring old clothes a fab new colour. Cotton, linen and viscose all dye really well but note that any fabric that's mixed with polyester will result in lighter shades than shown on the dye box. Wool and silk should be dyed with a fabric hand dye. Also consider vamping up a faded frock in a flash by tie-dying it.

Cheap and chic
Consider cheap ways to transform an ensemble. Think printed neck scarves, belts and chunky jewellery such as necklaces and brooches. Most of these items can be picked up in charity stores, or if your luck your mother’s or grandmother’s wardrobes.

Alter-ego
A girl’s second best friend to her drycleaner is her tailor! Simple alterations such as shortening a skirt hem will make a world of difference to outdated ensembles. Consider this while treasure hunting in charity stores. Most simple alterations will not set you back a lot of money.

Good for something
Raid your boyfriend and brother’s wardrobes. Oversized items like black vests, cardigans, boxy blazers and the classic white button down shirt look beyond stylish when paired with skinny jeans and tights. Grab their ties while you’re there too, wear them as belts and headscarves.

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I know I am a grownup, but I still believe that there is nothing quite like a G-rated Walt Disney classic to take the sting out of a hard day at the office.

Now, thanks to Kidada Jones and her Disney Couture range of gold plated and Swarovski encrusted jewels, that warm-fuzzy feeling provided by Disney dreaming can last all day. The collections of whimsical pieces, all inspired by Disney classics from the archives include:


Cinderella platinum hinged bangle. Engraved with "A dream is a wish your heart makes" inscription. Featuring pink enamel heart with navy blue enamelled crest and rose Swarovski crystal heart charm.


"Fairest of Them All" necklace from the Snow White collection. Featuring a Red enamel poison apple on a 14K yellow gold plated 18" chain.


Tinkerbell Treasure Chest Ring that opens up to reveal a trunk full of Austrian Swarovski jewels. Plated in 14k yellow gold with an inscription from Tinkerbell inside that reads, “X Tink was here”.

All items come with Disney Couture Satin Jewellery Bag and the guarantee that you will feel like a princess! Available at www.frockshop.com.au , subject to availability.

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