Style Notes

A while back I told you how apprehensive I am about bidding my beloved UK newspaper farewell. With just seven days to go these concerns are reaching fever pitch, particularly about reacquainting myself with the Australian papers. See, after I wrote last time, I made a discovery that does not bode well.

My long-time favourite, first-page-I-turn-to, column in the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend, is no longer featured. After 12 years Maggie Alderson, the woman behind Style Notes, is no longer standing at the back of the weekend magazine to entertain and educate me on a Saturday morning. I find this very sad and hope this is not an indictment on the magazine's editorial direction. Time will tell.

In the meantime I've found solace in Maggie's blog Style Notes. This week I was beside myself to discover that alongside one of her weekly posts, she included photos of her husband, her daughter, her mother, her study, her kitchen as well as one of her and her best friend at a wedding. I was elated to catch a glimpse of the people and places that I've heard read Maggie talk about for so long. I was so excited, in fact, that I was prompted to comment. Despite being hopeful of encouraging you to comment here, I very rarely comment on blogs.

But I commented and when an email popped into my inbox with her name on it a few hours later I nearly died. I thought, 'Maggie has read my two sentences and realised that her and I would get along fantastically well and she's going to ask me to be her new friend'. Regular readers will know this is not the first time I have entertained thoughts at the prospect of striking up friendships with women I feel that I know.Once again these thoughts proved delusional.

But Maggie, the woman whose persuasive voice on style, wardrobe and fashion has been running through my head for years, did write back. She didn't ask to be my friend but she did ask something. She asked me to spread the word to those who read and loved her column in the Good Weekend that Style Notes is still alive and well, it's just in a different location. Here on the interweb. So consider yourselves aware.

If you were a fan or you think you might be, have a read. She also writes in the Sun-Herald in Sydney and the Sunday Age in Melbourne.