Before you can come to my apartment and call me out for the little black book that is perched on my bookshelf reading "Nina Garcia's: The Little Black Book of Style" I am going to admit it. Isn't that the first step in recovery?
I'm not knocking Nina nor the fact that she wrote the book, which is a decently researched and entertaining tome, I am more bemused by the guilty pleasure of pouring over the book in the course of one afternoon at the Strand and subsequently buying it. I know I am "working in fashion" but I still blush when people see me reading fashion novels much the way I would were I sneaking in chapters of a self help title- which coincidentally is the section most often these books are located near.
So back to my point. She outlines in the book the importance of owning a classic man's watch. I know. I know. Of course she does. Is there anyone out there who would eschew a Rolex, a Panerai, or their boyfriend's Baume and Mercier (which was my old favorite to borrow)?
The tricky part is trying to obtain that look in the Recession.Depression or whatever other horrifying word the media is threatening us with today.
It is insanely difficult to procure a watch that doesn't require a few months of homelessness- especially, sadly, if you work in fashion.
So on the hunt I've found a line that is relatively new to the US from Switzerland which, when it comes to watches, is always a good thing. Called the Manoir Collection from Jacques Du Manoir, these Swiss made watches don't price over $350 (most retail for $299) and they look quite similar to
Audemars Piguet and
Hublot- lines that will undoubtedly cost you a five figure deduction on your bank account.
They are available
here.Admittedly, these are a bit of an edgier interpretation of a man's watch on a woman, but there is something extremely appealing to me about that heaviness and masculinity when paired with, say, a delicate dress.
