Next thing you know, I’ll be coming home from work to find her in a bubble bath surrounded by candles and a glass of red wine.

This book, The Shiksa Syndrome, is my friend and mentor-like person, Laurie Graff’s (You Have to Kiss A Lot of Frogs, Looking for Mr. Goodfrog) latest book. We don’t get a chance to see each other often, but she is totally a cool woman and a great writer with a very striking voice.

I just started it tonight (even though it’s been out for a few weeks now…I’m unemployed, people! Cut me some slack!) and I think it’s just so cute and clever. Even though I’m not Jewish ( I guess that makes me a shiksa, right?!), it’s entertaining regardless of your religion. And though it’s definitely written with women in mind, I think that some boys could enjoy this as well. Dogs, too apparently, because Luna seems to be ENTHRALLED with it.

Jacques Helleu was Chanel’s artistic director for over 40 years. He died at age 69 in October of 2007 after a long illness.  As the driving force behind Chanel’s iconic ad campaigns, Helleu established Chanel as a key brand name in the market by featuring celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss and Catherine Deneuve.

This beautiful (and heavy) book, Jacques Helleu & Chanel, was a housewarming gift given to me by my friend and fashion buddy, Jeff. It is filled with stories about Helleu, sketches, and ads and photoshoots throughout the years of Helleu’s reign as artistic director.