Book Style: Sherlock Holmes The Novels

Today we get all four of the Sherlock Holmes novels by Arthur Conan Doyle: A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of the Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Valley of Fear. Let's break them each down:

1. I went with sexy, slightly badass secretary here. Some British nods with the Vivienne Westwood watch and the Cambridge Satchel. Also, it should be noted that the nail varnish is named "A Study In Pink" after the newest BBC incarnation of the great detective. And as the final touch, a subtle lip gloss to balance all the fuschia called, appropriately enough, "Sweet Revenge".
2. Spring weekend or maybe resort wear here. A lot of Indian and African inspired jewelry here makes a nice tie in to the treasure at the center of the drama in this novel.
3. Can't you just imagine a modern, albeit very hip, British lady sporting this outfit. Those spectators are fantastic (and I don't even like yellow!). A nice little nod to the eponymous hound with that wolf ring.
4. I admit to playing off more of the psychedelic, New Age-y vibe of the cover than the actual plot. Although I do think the geode jewelry is a good parallel to the coal country setting of flashback section of the novel.

Book Style: The Last Unicorn

My friend/coworker, Justus, put in a request for a The Last Unicorn Book Style. Peter S. Beagle's epic tale of a lone unicorn who goes in search of her missing kin has gone through several cover designs over the years and most people are at least passingly familiar with the gorgeous animation from the 1982 movie adaptation. I chose three covers to work with and I also restricted myself to non-pants outfits. For starters, I just don't think unicorns would ever wear anything as restrictive and utilitarian as pants and, also, Justus never really wears pants either.

1. The 40th Anniversary: This look is a little bit preppy and a lot of timeless, menswear style. I think layering a colored button-down underneath a top or dress let's you incorporate color in interesting ways. This slightly creepy, black unicorn ring is my favorite of the bunch.
2. The 1982 Mass Market: I thought of a pond the minute I saw this skirt, and it works so perfectly with this color scheme. The Essie polish is called "Carnival" which is perfect for this book. The taurus ring and the butterfly watch are both nods to characters in the story also.
3. The 1968 (Original): This sweatshirt is such a cheeky nod to the whole plot that I couldn't resist. I also decided that these graphic leggings would make a great base layer for a Last Unicorn outfit since her search leads to the sea. The three piece ring is something I'd really like to try but I'm convinced it would feel all weird. The final, perfect touch is this abstract minotaur necklace.