Ohne Titel

Backstage at Ohne Titel, New York Fashion Week (Spring 2010)

(via Of The Minute)

Pantone colour chart

Spring 2010

(via FabSugarUK)

Corseted

Horst's Mainbocher Corset, Paris, 1939

(via christie's)

Grasse

It's probably becoming obvious that one of my favourite places in the world is Grasse.

This is partly because I have some very close friends there, who I've been visiting since I was 15. But it's also the perfume capital of France - and therefore the world! The weather conditions in the area are perfect, and this meant that in the past there were extensive jasmine and rose fields (sadly all gone now), and from around the 1600s Grasse became the centre of perfume production.

On my most recent trip, we went to Fragonard factory and did the tour. It was quite interesting hearing about what it takes to be a "nose" - there are only approximately 150 in the world, and they train for around 10 years, can recognise an extraordinary number of different scents, and can't drink alcohol, smoke, or eat spicy food. They can only work for two hours a day, and produce something like 4 new fragrances each a year.

Fragonard is divine. There are several stores in Grasse, one of which is run by one of my French mum's friends. I came home with many goodies.... There's also a nice cafe, just across the road from the museum.

I love that the perfumes are sold in aluminium containers, which keeps them fresh for a lot longer. You can see them in the picture above.

(images via fragonard website)

Chaises

Antique chairs in Grasse, Cote d'Azur

Fantastic Mr Fox

On sunday I went for afternoon tea to a friend's house in Islington. She has just recently moved into a four storey house, near Angel. There was a canal festival going on down the road, and lots of people out and about on Upper Street.

On the first floor of the house is a deck that you access via a spiral staircase, which I love. (I remember playing on the spiral staircase at my grandparents house as a kid.) But the thing I loved the most about her place is the garden: a lovely English cottage garden, compete with an apple tree and a fox hole! Apparently the fox is quite friendly. He comes out and sunbathes on sunny days!!

Wish I'd had my camera...

This was my favourite Roald Dahl book when I was a child. Wes Anderson is making a film - due for release in November.

Light and Shadow

Flora by Gucci

Directed by Chris Cunningham, with Abbey Lee.

Country Cooking

I've been wanting to try this place for ages, and finally went last night for dinner. It's huge! There are four floors, with different styles of dining on each level. We were on the ground floor, six of us around a lovely big wood table. They pride themselves on seasonal cooking, and it was delicious. I had a steak and pepper pie - yum. It's cosy and cool at the same time.

Bumpkin, Notting Hill

Coveting

Dress by Erdem. Love the wild print in luscious silk.

(image via style.com)

Coco Momo

Cafe/bar on Marylebone High Street. They have delicious non-alcoholic cocktails. I had fresh raspberry and strawberry, with lemon juice and soda, and crushed ice. Delicious. My salad was also divine: buffalo mozzarella, with pesto, broadbeans, mint, lettuce and roasted tomatoes.

Coco Momo

Letter boxes

Love

Saw it - loved it.

Go Retro

This is the best store for antique, vintage and retro furniture. Discovered by one of my friends, it's on Chiswick High Road, and be warned that if you go in there, you'll want everything! They have things like industrial metal banks of drawers, Danish leather sofas, furniture made out of old grain sacks, art deco side-boards, and retro American crates and signs.

Have a browse on the website: The Old Cinema

No Through Road

Sophia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst

Iconic

I only realised recently that this portrait by Helmut Newton is of Elsa Peretti, jewellery designer for Tiffany & Co. It was taken in 1975, and she's wearing a 'bunny' costume by Halston.
(image via christies)

Cagnes Sur Mer

Last weekend I spent four gorgeous days with my best buddy on the Cote d'Azur. We stayed in a small village on top of a hill, called Cagnes sur Mer. It's half way between Nice and Antibes (15 minutes in each direction), and it's a medieval village with a castle at the top and stunning views down to the ocean.We stayed in a beautiful villa, called Villa Estelle. Amazing breakfast, lovely terrace where you can relax with a drink in the evening, and good spacious rooms. The only down-side was that it doesn't have a pool, and it was hot, but we just went to the beach instead. We discovered a delightful little restaurant, on the steep hill that leads up to the castle, called La Goutte d'Eau. Unpretentious, and very French; we went twice.

Storm Boy

Mr Percival, the pelican from Storm Boy, died today at age 33. Such beautiful imagery in this film.
(image via google)

Eccentric Locals

One of my colleagues just described me as a "vigorous, youthful mind" and himself as an "addled, hackneyed old buffer." Love it! (Except that he said so in the context of explaining why I should do all the work, not him....)

Jane Birkin style

(via fashionista)

The Writing's On The Wall

Top to bottom:
Cagnes sur Mer, Grasse, Mougins

Apt

(via dilbert.com)

London - New York

Loving this mashed together print of London and New York, from Ben and Lee Copperwheat, showing at New York fashion week.
(via style.com)

Buckle Boots

Old news now, but still covetable.