Prada's Fall 2012 Menswear Collection

Browsing the Goth.net forums as I do, I saw a post with a link to the new fall line by the folks over at Prada which you can see here...those famous faces can also be seen in this video of the runway show:

Sigh...can I have one of those models for my very own lol? :-p

New Series: A Girl For All Time

I recently covered this intriguing new series here, but also wanted to spread the word here should folks who may not follow that particular blog. As stated, the series follows a family of Marchmont women, each of who live during an "exciting time in English history"...I like to think of it as a kind of American Girl: British edition lol. Anyway, upcoming ladies of particular interest to this site are Sophia: Your Georgian Girl and Amelia: Your Victorian Girl:

Check out the site for all the info and order from their US store.

The Absinthe Post

Probably one of if not the drink of choice and symbol of the literary elite at the end of the 19th century, that controversial elixir known as the green fairy has been legal in the US about five years now, and once again is making the rounds in the "hip" and alternative circles. Since then, quite a few brands as well books and other media have come out all waxing poetic about the infamous, legendary, and misunderstood beverage with the mystique that seems like it will never die...salute, and don't forget to share any links, thoughts, and reviews you may have on absinthe below!

BevMo listings

Hi-Time Wine Cellars listings (this is a store local to me)

Books:

Absinthe: History in a Bottle

Absinthe Cocktails

The Little Green Book of Absinthe

A Taste for Absinthe

The Book of Absinthe

Hideous Absinthe

Absinthe, Sip of Seduction

Distilling Your Own Absinthe

How to Make Absinthe at Home

Dedalus Book of Absinthe

The Absinthe Encyclopedia

The Wormwood Society

Slow Death in the Afternoon Podcast

Film Review: The Woman in Black

Aka: Harry takes a train totally NOT the Hogwarts Express to a mansion totally NOT Hogwarts and some seriously creepy stuff happens lol. In all seriousness though, I thought doing this movie was a great way to help Daniel Radcliffe move beyond the what must be suffocating HP bonds and show both his width as an actor as well as how far he's come in the 11 years since the first Potter film. He stars here as a young lawyer named Arthur Kipps who's grief over the loss of his wife in childbirth has made his work slip. As a way to save his job, he heads out to an isolated and abandoned mansion to settle the affairs of a recently dead widow. The people of the nearby village try to get him to turn back as it turns out they have a pretty bad secret: a ghostly woman in black is seen just before a child dies. Not believing, he carries on...until he too sees the woman and two girls die, causing him to delve further into finding out why this is happening and how to stop it. Though I was startled at times, as this a make you jump kind of film, I found it to be more creepy than scary which, I suppose, makes for a better viewing experience for me...rather than waiting for the next scare, I can actually focus on what's going on better. Not only that, but I love that sort of ambiance lol. As I said before, as this a jumpy type of film, do expect to do a fair bit of it. I thought Arthur's determination to try his best to help the village despite their seemingly unwillingness to believe he is was admirable, and the ending made me truly flustered, and made me exclaim "that was horrible!" but in the end I guess that makes for a pretty good film...which it is indeed. I recommend it if you like old school type atmospheric horror films, especially since this one was done by the home of that type of thing, Hammer. I give The Woman in Black 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Music For the Seasons

Some classical tunes from Amazon's 99 Most Essential collection to help celebrate the turning of the year...enjoy!
Autumn Classics
Spring Classics
Summer Classics
Winter Classics

Some more holiday tunes from them worth checking out:
99 Most Essential Romantic Masterpieces, 100 Best Romantic Classics, and Romantic Classical (ITunes Essentials) are perfect for Valentines Day, while 50 Must-Have Patriotic Favorites will have you ready to wave that flag on Independence Day, and 99 Must-Have Thanksgiving Classics will go down well with the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes.

Daily Life in 18th-Century England by Kirstin Olsen

Just delivered to my mailbox yesterday is this much desired tome. Part of the before mentioned excellent Greenwood Press "Daily Life Through History" series, this highly detailed guide tells, as the title states, how one would've lived back then. It covers both the public world (politics, the economy, law, education, etc.) and the private (marriage, family, housing, health care and hygiene, etc.), as well as recipes you can use to make an 18th century meal and a glossary. I've been reading bits out of it all day and every one was pretty informative. I give "Daily Life in 18-Century England" 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Second edition 

More Daily Life in Victorian London Books

Here's a couple more daily life guides I found that I wanted to share:

What was life really like in Victorian England during its transition from provincial society into modern urban power? Discover the effects of increased women's rights, technological advances, and Charles Darwin's discoveries on everyday life. This volume offers a fascinating glimpse into Victorian daily living, including women's roles; Victorian Morality; leisure; health and medicine; and life in all settings, from workhouses to country estates. This edition features an extensive guide to contemporary primary source material and further research, including information about finding authoritative sources easily on the Web. Illustrations, interactive sidebars, a chronology and glossary further illuminate the details of Victorian culture. This volume is an ideal source for students and teachers alike.

Discover the effects of increased women's rights, technological advances, and Charles Darwin's discoveries on everyday life. Engaging narrative chapters explore all aspects of the Victorian experience, including: fashion, morality, courtship and mourning rituals, crime and punishment, public school requirements, legal status (marriage, divorce, inheritance, guardians, and bankruptcy), sports like croquet and foxhunting, and the importance of religion.-Amazon.com

A most excellent guide to the era covering pretty much everything you can think of. It's one of the Greenwood Press's Daily Life Through History books...a series I can't recommend enough.

If you love reading those descriptions of the character's homes in novels, this is the book for you! A hefty 499 pages, this book is a great in depth look at the rooms you'd typically find in a middle class home and how they were used. From reviews I've seen, this one seems to be a favorite among Victorian enthusiasts.

More books by Judith Flanders

This book examines life in the big city from 1840-1870 and as with all her other books, Picard's work is both enjoyable and informative.

I found all these to be great additions to any library of 19th century/Victorian era lovers and hope you get to at least read one. Any reviews can, as always, be left below...enjoy!