My Friday "phrase of the day" - well-behaved women rarely make history. Well, it doesn't mean that I set my "Dr Jekyll vs. Mr Hyde " darker side off the leash every Friday but it's definitely the day when I let myself sleep a couple minutes more, daydream at the office just for a minute or two (shh...), and no workout today (banzai!).

My Friday treats. A cheesy bacon and potato omelette and French toasts with peanut butter (who said it's just for kids). A treat for my mind and soul – a book on architecture I never had time to start reading: The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard.

My Friday look. It's a bolder look. And it usually takes less time to come up with something more daring than all smooth and simple. Hmm ... is everyone like this or it's just me? I won't wear any career killers but some of my choices for Friday are a no-no for Monday. Today it's a bit softer look but more appealing and flirtatious than usual, a lovely look not only for a Roman goddess but for a down-to-earth girl like me . A mocha off the shoulder dress with chunky, romantic antique jewellery. Kind of a sneak peek for my colleagues and friends at upcoming attractions for this Friday night.

My Friday song. See-Line Woman (also Sea Lion Woman) - a cover of a traditional American folk song by Nina Simone, or a more recent cover by Feist. Love its rhythm. It sets the right pace for the whole day and night, and makes me want to use my feminine charms, at least to give it a try:

see-line woman
dressed in green
wears silk stockings
with golden seams
see-line woman

Have a great weekend, everyone. Amo venerdi!

*The word for Friday in Italian venerdì is derived from Latin dies Veneris - "day of Venus".

Sun-kissed (but not too much, just a little smooch), without dark circles under the eyes, full of glow and health – I love my face after vacation. No makeup needed. This morning looking in the mirror as my altar I took a solemn oath: no more late night working, less coffee and more sleep. I've also lost four pounds but I'm not even going to promise myself that I'll keep it this way.

With four pounds more or less, I'm happy with my body. It took a long time to finally acknowledge it, believe it, live with it and enjoy it. It's always been two extremes with my diet. Either if it tastes good, spit it out or a balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. Now I'm somewhere in the middle, though often it is like walking on a tightrope trying not to fall back into either of the extremes.

One of the people who inspired me and still motivates me to be myself is Christina Hendricks (as Joan Holloway/Harris in one of my favourite television series Mad Men). I'm talking about the way she looks mainly. I wouldn't want her character to work in my office as a colleague . You don't want to pick on Joan, she'll snap back at you in the twink of an eye. But I love her character's witty dialogues, especially between her and Peggy.

It's the 1960s era and I love it. I would wear any of Joan's outfits to the office now. They are elegant and feminine. I like the way she uses jewellery to make accents. She often wears pencil skirts with brooches and a pen necklace to outline her hourglass shapes. Even Lynne Featherstone, the equalities minister, said, "Christina Hendricks is absolutely fabulous," praising her no-skinny model type image.

That would be another way of falling into extremes though. Skinny or curvy, you are to appreciate what you have. Another pinch of wisdom from Pamela Redmond Satran: every woman should know that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents... But I swear every time I look at Christina (Joan) I think if I were a man... What? I think I'll stop here .

"Mirror, mirror on the wall who in the land is fairest of all? - You, my queen, are fairest of all." – That's what I thought looking at myself in the mirror at the shoe boutique yesterday .

Mango peep toe platform high heeled court shoes ... Ah, the epitome of glamour and style. A pair of head-turners and jaw-droppers making men's hearts beat faster. Killer shoes! One word that is missing from this list – comfort. Taking the last glance in the mirror I proved it again that beauty is pain. Nah. I loved the shoes but they would kill my legs by the end of a 9-hour work day.

Let's be honest, like most other girls I grew up with the weight on my shoulders of Vogue, Elle and other guides to style and life in general that taught and opened up many things to me but also somehow made me deceive myself that fashion demands a sacrifice. For me it was always a choice between comfort and style, and the scales often tipped in favour to the latter. It did repay though with admiring gazes and compliments and that was probably worth all the corns .

Now that I'm approaching the 30 year mark (sigh), the scales start turning to comfort. What's more important – I realized I don't have to choose. Who said comfortable things can't be stylish? (uggs are forever!). I tend to choose comfy outfits and let jewellery do the work. Yep, jewellery is my helping hand in creating an elegant look. I prefer to invest more time and money into accessories (the pay day is coming – yeeehaaa!). The same dress would look different with a different set of necklace and earrings. That definitely goes lighter on my budget.

As I was about to finish writing, this "what if" type of thought kept bugging me. Can't help it but I need these shoes . Like a strategic weapon preserved for a special occasion – a woman should have something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour. Okay, you got me, I confess. I'm a beauty and fashion slave. We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious . Going to get those shoes tomorrow!

Thomas Crown: Do you play?
Vickie Anderson: Try me.

I can't think of a sexier couple than Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). I love the dress Faye is wearing in the chess scene. An airy, delicate, ivory-cream halter mini-dress. An instant classic. No accessories, just a modest brooch holding together cascades of silk and chiffon streaming down Faye's silhouette. Check it out on YouTube, the one with Galt MacDermot's tune Coffee Cold. It's poetry.

That would be my ideal look for a date in summer. Playful and chic with a droplet of Nina Ricci on my wrist. I would go a bit lighter on makeup. Can't blame Faye though. Hey, those were the sixties and false lashes were a must. But in any case, those were the sexy sixties.

The sixties fashion has been one of the most diverse and stylish. Elegant Jacqueline Kennedy followed by women all over the world trying to get the Jackie look, iconic and graceful Audrey Hepburn (in Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961), Brigitte Bardot, a seductive femme fatale in a bikini. This is one of the decades that I'm really thankful for. Thankful for suede mini-skirts, medallion necklaces, French manicure, go-go boots, moccasins, gypsy-style skirts, peace signs and the four greatest men with long sideburns – the Beatles.

Sometimes you don't have to invent anything but re-discover. I think I'll have a quiet retro sixties evening tonight and play a game of chess .

In the impersonal world of "made ins" I learnt to appreciate things that are really made, created with a personal touch. Dazzled by sparkly rocks, I sometimes overlooked simpler jewellery in their shadow. Simpler, warmer and ... wooden. Wooden jewellery, besides being friendlier to our environment, will cater to all ages and styles, no matter how picky or demanding you are. Each piece will have its unique colour and scent.

So instead of going Swarowsky, I'm going wood this time. If you're still weighing the alternatives, trust me, a wooden bracelet or a ring can be an equally eloquent conversation piece just as any exclusive set of crystal jewellery. Not that I'm putting all the shiny and glossy stuff away but have you seen any of the works by Anthony Roussel? His 3D wooden bracelets and rings are fantastic! Still, they are more art objects which is cool (and I'd really love to have one of his bracelets in my collection some day) but it's not exactly what I'm looking for this time.

A smooth, modest, with a little bit of ethnic flavour, casual bracelet that bares its wooden texture and adds character but doesn't steal all the attention. Or à la safari wooden bead necklace with animal prints. That's my choice to wear to the beach on my coming vacation . Sorry, can't help it but almost every post dwindles down to it. I've already started packing. Counting days and dreaming about the blue skies and ocean every night. What would Freud say I wonder ?