Win a FREE copy of The Meaning of Sunglasses by Hadley Freeman

Hadley Freeman is the diminutive Deputy Fashion Editor of The Guardian whose witty observations have won her the hearts of young fashionistas all over the world. Every fashion desk has their bright spark - you know the person who holds the end up and brings in all the punters. With The Telegraph it is Hilary Alexander, The New York Times have Cathy Horyn, the International Herald Tribune with Suzy Menkes and the shiny towers at Farringdon, London have the New York born Freeman. In her spare time she contributes pieces to Vogue and also penned a book about the psychology of fashion. The Meaning of Sunglasses: A Guide to (Almost) All Things Fashionable has been described as "an A-Z fashion for women who love clothes but don't take the fashionista world too seriously." The book will be released in paperback this week and to celebrate this those lovely people at Penguin are giving away copies to five lucky readers. How do you get one? Just send me an email to ondolady@googlemail.com and we will send the book out to you.

The Meaning of Sunglasses is released on Thursday 5th February.

The Ting Tings

R&B and hip hop is the sort of music I like and occasionally I indulge my appetite for pop music. When I was in States last year there was one pop tune that was continuously bandied about in films, TV shows and on the radio. Shut Up and Let Me Go by The Ting Tings. With the slick production accompanied by a strong guitar vibe I quickly assumed that they were an American act. I was totally floored to find out that Jules de Martino and Katie White are British. Manchester born, Katie is described as being brassy, funny and bold and the type of lass who says it as she sees it. Her partner in crime, Jules is an mellow and cool Cumbrian. The duo have been working together for four years and are united in their crusade to rock the foundations of pop music. They are based at The Mill which is an artist community based in Salford; funnily enough both of them were in different groups when they first met which split. With Jules on the drums and Katie on vocals it is no surprise that The Ting Tings have been compared to The White Stripes.

Their first single, That's Not My Name went straight in at number one last May along with their album titled We Started Nothing. Other catchy tunes followed such as Fruit Machine and the infamous Shut Up and Let Me Go which was used for an iPod commerical here. Now The Ting Tings are being accosted with awards left, right and centre such as the Brit Awards, NME Awards and the XFM Awards. So what better way to celebrate such a fantastic year by jetting off on a world tour. Today the Ting Tings kicked off their first leg of a four month tour where they will visit Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, the US and the UK. Wow that's got me tingling all over.

90s Fashion: The Era of Celebrity, Glamour and Style

The 80s was very much my era because it was when I discovered wonderful music, TV shows, films and books but when it comes to style and clothes, it was all about 90s baby. I was in my 20s during this time and I came of age by trying out different looks and discovering what suited me. BBC 4's fashion offering, Style on Trial - which is like a chronicle of the fashion decades - had it's penultimate show last night. They covered the 90s and with a panel that consisted of Mica Paris, Pearl Lowe and Ben de Lisi we were taken back to an era that embraced Britannia and celebrity. This was the decade when the country dipped into recession and we spent a good few years rebelling from the 80s and dressing down in t-shirts and jeans. It was also when grunge and acid house ruled the airwaves as well as the catwalk. I didn't like the Seattle born grunge with the matted hair, large over sized jumpers along with DMs. I just couldn't understand why anyone would want to spend all that time looking like a scruff. To me there was nothing chic about it and I was relieved when we moved onto something else.

That something else was high end glamour - ironically the complete opposite of grunge. Up there riding the crest waves was the enigmatic Gianni Versace whose glamorous and sexy dresses lead to the explosion of celebrity endorsed fashion. All the celebs loved Versace and he loved them back and decked them out in his opulent gowns - who can forget Elizabeth Hurley in that black dress held together with safety pins? Genius. This era was also about branding; marketeers reinvented themselves and logos began to symbol a lot more than a slick graphic. However the Labour government took this strategy to a new level and repositioned themselves as the cool party with an ethos that everyone wanted to be part off. Hence the birth of Cool Britannia and all that came with it. Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit on the cover Vanity Fair was just the tip of the iceberg. However, the epitome of the 90s was the trend in pick and mix fashion where fashionistas began to wear luxury labels with high street along with a dash of second hand.

Links a' la Mode: January 22nd

Check out the latest offerings in the world of style and fashion from the Independent Fashion Bloggers network.

• A Few Goody GumDrops - A Few Goody Gumdrops tells you how to own a Rockstar!
• Aysha’s Rabbit Hole - my new creation! still working on it though!
• Capitola Girl Jewelry Blog - brick house reds
• Couture Allure - Couture Allure takes a three day look at the inaugural fashions worn by Jacqueline Kennedy.
• Debutante Clothing - Mad for Vintage at the Golden Globes
• Dogmom’s Dish - Hayden Harnett for Target: The Good, The Bad, The So So
• dramatis personae - Etsy Designers: Mischief, My Dear! Shop Launch & giveaway!
• fashion in my eyes - Blake in Vogue
• fete a fete - Spring denim by Freedom of Choice & interview with founder Nathan Menashe
• Independent Fashion Bloggers - Swag Etiquette: How to approach the ‘freebies’ in blogging.
• Iwanttowearit - Come along as we mine Flickr’s Commons for fashion-related history lessons. Take a trip to Pie Town at the tail end of the Depression.
• Mademoiselle Robot - Vintage inspiration for Spring fashion.
• Nico Assatly - Old School Spring Favorite : American Eagle!
• Retro Chick - Brighten up the dull winter days
• Shopping and Info - Shopping and Info found some great deals on Graydn leather motorcycle jackets, Ella Moss, and Lily Mcneal cashmere this week.
• Solo Lisa y Nada Mas: - Affordable essentials for incorporating colour into a colour-phobic wardrobe
• Studio Purpura - Vicente Villarin - A Fashion Newcomer that Dares to Dream!
• Style Symmetry - Eyeliah loves props in outfit photos, do you?
• THE COVETED - Become Red Lip Royalty: Interview with Lipstick Queen founder Poppy King
• the musings of ondo lady - Meet Stephanie Savage, the queen of teen dramas such as The OC and Gossip.
• two months rent - i’ll take (or make) one of those a diy braided chain necklace