It is hot and sultry and beautiful. But after reading my emails, I am a little bit homesick and very heartsick for JFK (who is currently giving Japan a good shake on the design front).
What can I tell you about the way westerners dress in Goa, other than it is almost always either awful or nothing special.
Of course there are some beautiful fabrics here and the local women look amazing, especially when they dress up, but the westerners just look like old hippies. Even the young ones. I'll try and take some photos when no-one is looking to illustrate my point, if I can bring myself to inflict such a visual on you.
For someone who isn't really into wearing colour, there isn't a huge amount of choice but there is a lot of beautiful buttery linen which I might get made into something if I have any money left (unlikely).
For the moment I am attempting to hide away in my books - I'm swotting up to write something a bit meaty so am immersing myself in some serious female diarists with Nancy Mitford and Anita Loos for when it all just gets a bit too much. Reading Nancy Mitford does something funny to my vocabulary though.
I am still recovering from my rotten cold, so I can't smell much, but I think the way holidays smell, and therefore the perfume you wear while on them, is very important. My cold city perfume of choice, Stella, simply doesn't cut it and I don't want to smell like London.
Being unable to smell anything and also being in a bit of a rush to catch the plane made sniffing around in duty free a little out of the question.
But having recently finished consuming Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez's Perfumes, The A-Z Guide (recommended to me by writer, wit and perfume conoisseur Michael Bywater), I decided to trust them and buy something I have never smelt before but is apparantly a timeless classic of the kind they don't really make anymore.
Which is how I now come to be in a marble floored internet cafe in Goa surrounded by an aura of Guerlain's Mitsouko. Which, it turns out, is a better perfume for a hot and sultry holiday than I could possibly have hoped for.
It also doesn't blend too badly with the mosquito repellent.
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
A few last words
So the packing panic is over, the bags are full to bursting and I, with my effortless sense of timing, have lost my voice. My chest feels like it is full of tiny little burny things that get excited when I breathe in. On the plus side, this time on Friday I will be in Goa.
I'm afraid I have no idea what my access to the internet will be like, so cannot promise to be a regular blogger until my return at the end of December. Please bear with me.
In the meantime there are three things you need to know.
1 - The Sonia Rykiel for H&M lingerie is actually as good as it looks in the ads. I loved it, which marks a first for me and highstreet/designer collaborations. Just wish I'd got there earlier when they still had my size left in the things I wanted. I bought two lovely translucent loose-fitting silk chiffon vests, one in a pinky shade of nude and the other in black, which I will layer over each other or wear over my bikini.
2 - This is good;
I'm afraid I have no idea what my access to the internet will be like, so cannot promise to be a regular blogger until my return at the end of December. Please bear with me.
In the meantime there are three things you need to know.
1 - The Sonia Rykiel for H&M lingerie is actually as good as it looks in the ads. I loved it, which marks a first for me and highstreet/designer collaborations. Just wish I'd got there earlier when they still had my size left in the things I wanted. I bought two lovely translucent loose-fitting silk chiffon vests, one in a pinky shade of nude and the other in black, which I will layer over each other or wear over my bikini.
2 - This is good;
(Tra Tutti Coco Chanel-O-Mouse, $39.99, via LibertyLondonGirl)
3 - My favourite blogger Belgian Waffle will be selling rude biscuits at the Bust craftacular this weekend. I am beyond sad that I won't be able to attend and purchase baked goods that insult me, but not sad enough to miss out on Goa I am afraid. However, if you are in London, please go and say hello from me.
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Christmas wish list entry number 7 - Sonia Rykiel pour H&M
This may be controversial, but as a general rule I am really not a fan of the high-street/designer collaboration. No matter who the designer is and who the high street retailer is, it rarely works. The Jimmy Choo for H&M line was the perfect example - outside of the rarefied world of designer price points and expensive materials the shoes just looked slutty. Really, really slutty.
Even the +J range by Jil Sander for Uniqlo was a bit disappointing - it just didn't fit the way it should and the fabrics were below par.
The whole point about designer clothing is that it is seriously luxe. It fits perfectly, is made from incredible fabrics and is sold in shops where the sales people either stare down their noses at you or indulge your every whim. It's really not about having the same thing as someone else, or rummaging for your size on a rail of polyester, or battling a scrum of be-puffa jacketed weirdos for the best pieces.
This is why Kate Moss for Topshop works - it's not designer so the expectations aren't too high and the clothes have the mass appeal and relatively good quality that has made Topshop the queen of the high street.
But occasionally I still get excited when a new collaboration is announced, despite myself. The Sonia Rykiel for H&M range was one of these.
I haven't seen it in the flesh yet (being bed bound with the winter lurgy and worrying about what to pack for India on Thursday has taken priority), but it does look effortlessly pretty, is affordable and seems to be made from decent fabrics. It helps that they've taken a slightly different route - doing something different for Rykiel as well as something different for H&M. You're not constantly comparing the range to the designer's other work. It's new but still has Rykiel's flirty Parisian stamp on it. Plus the range is classic in a super girly boudoir, powder puffs and floral perfume kind of way as long as you avoid the questionable horizontally striped pieces. Perfect for a little stocking filler, especially given that Agent Provocateur seems to have lost its way a bit recently...
H&M also launched the range with what must have been a massively expensive show in Paris, which was worth every penny in my opinion as it made the collection seem like the real deal...
If I get a chance before I go on Thursday I will brave Oxford Street and find out if it's as good as it looks.
Even the +J range by Jil Sander for Uniqlo was a bit disappointing - it just didn't fit the way it should and the fabrics were below par.
The whole point about designer clothing is that it is seriously luxe. It fits perfectly, is made from incredible fabrics and is sold in shops where the sales people either stare down their noses at you or indulge your every whim. It's really not about having the same thing as someone else, or rummaging for your size on a rail of polyester, or battling a scrum of be-puffa jacketed weirdos for the best pieces.
This is why Kate Moss for Topshop works - it's not designer so the expectations aren't too high and the clothes have the mass appeal and relatively good quality that has made Topshop the queen of the high street.
But occasionally I still get excited when a new collaboration is announced, despite myself. The Sonia Rykiel for H&M range was one of these.
I haven't seen it in the flesh yet (being bed bound with the winter lurgy and worrying about what to pack for India on Thursday has taken priority), but it does look effortlessly pretty, is affordable and seems to be made from decent fabrics. It helps that they've taken a slightly different route - doing something different for Rykiel as well as something different for H&M. You're not constantly comparing the range to the designer's other work. It's new but still has Rykiel's flirty Parisian stamp on it. Plus the range is classic in a super girly boudoir, powder puffs and floral perfume kind of way as long as you avoid the questionable horizontally striped pieces. Perfect for a little stocking filler, especially given that Agent Provocateur seems to have lost its way a bit recently...
H&M also launched the range with what must have been a massively expensive show in Paris, which was worth every penny in my opinion as it made the collection seem like the real deal...
If I get a chance before I go on Thursday I will brave Oxford Street and find out if it's as good as it looks.
Monday, 7 December 2009
Lemsip and cashmere bedsocks
Today I am ill. I am in bed right now with tissues stuffed up my nose, stealing the neighbour's wifi as ours doesn't transmit as far as the front of the house. Because it is crap.
This post was nearly called snot rags and cashmere bedsocks, which was a bit too disgusting but i found it amusing enough to still want to share with you.
Anyway, I am alone in the house, have run out of episodes of Gossip Girl and Glee and am feeling very sorry for myself.
When I'm this miserable there are a few things I can always rely on to help make me feel a little less morose. Winning the lottery or receiving a pair of Louboutins in the post from a mystery admirer who wanted nothing in return would also work but they are unlikely to happen.
The first, and my most favourite thing in the world, is when JFK calls me little thing and strokes my hair. I have no idea why this is so amazing, it just is. Those two words from him somehow always make anything bad a little bit more bearable.
The second is Lemsip with Manuka honey. Right now the honey I brought back from my trip to visit LMWAI in Berlin is also working.
The third is some good old fashioned Jewish chicken soup, which reminds me of warm cosy feelings and everything good about my north west London childhood and my family.
And the last is cashmere. Glorious, soft, warm, comforting, ridiculously expensive cashmere. I firmly believe that a little bit of luxury is a huge help on the road to recovery.
When it comes to cashmere for the ill, though, the more stylish pieces, the ones you would wear in public, are no good at all. What you really need is a big cashmere scarf that was a gift from someone special or an oversized old cashmere cardigan you've had for ages that won't be ruined when you fall asleep in it sitting half upright on the sofa and drool on it. But if these things are not available to you (I only have one of them and I count myself very lucky as they are both rarer items than they should be), then the ultimate in sick bed luxury is cashmere bedsocks. They keep you warm and you are quite unlikely to get snot or vomit on them. They're not about style or looking good - they're about injecting luxury into the mundane and knowing that however rubbish your face looks, you are still wearing cashmere.
If you have a friend, relative or other who is, like me, in bed feeling sorry for themselves, forget chocolate and grapes, bring them bedsocks. They also work very well for anyone having to endure time in hospital, which is never that nice regardless of whether it is NHS or private or even if you're in there for something life affirming like childbirth.
Here are some of my favourites;
p.s. Cashmere bed socks are not appropriate as stand alone Christmas gifts, unless you have some kind of weird ironic sock gift tradition in which case if you give anything else you are just cruel.
This post was nearly called snot rags and cashmere bedsocks, which was a bit too disgusting but i found it amusing enough to still want to share with you.
Anyway, I am alone in the house, have run out of episodes of Gossip Girl and Glee and am feeling very sorry for myself.
When I'm this miserable there are a few things I can always rely on to help make me feel a little less morose. Winning the lottery or receiving a pair of Louboutins in the post from a mystery admirer who wanted nothing in return would also work but they are unlikely to happen.
The first, and my most favourite thing in the world, is when JFK calls me little thing and strokes my hair. I have no idea why this is so amazing, it just is. Those two words from him somehow always make anything bad a little bit more bearable.
The second is Lemsip with Manuka honey. Right now the honey I brought back from my trip to visit LMWAI in Berlin is also working.
The third is some good old fashioned Jewish chicken soup, which reminds me of warm cosy feelings and everything good about my north west London childhood and my family.
And the last is cashmere. Glorious, soft, warm, comforting, ridiculously expensive cashmere. I firmly believe that a little bit of luxury is a huge help on the road to recovery.
When it comes to cashmere for the ill, though, the more stylish pieces, the ones you would wear in public, are no good at all. What you really need is a big cashmere scarf that was a gift from someone special or an oversized old cashmere cardigan you've had for ages that won't be ruined when you fall asleep in it sitting half upright on the sofa and drool on it. But if these things are not available to you (I only have one of them and I count myself very lucky as they are both rarer items than they should be), then the ultimate in sick bed luxury is cashmere bedsocks. They keep you warm and you are quite unlikely to get snot or vomit on them. They're not about style or looking good - they're about injecting luxury into the mundane and knowing that however rubbish your face looks, you are still wearing cashmere.
If you have a friend, relative or other who is, like me, in bed feeling sorry for themselves, forget chocolate and grapes, bring them bedsocks. They also work very well for anyone having to endure time in hospital, which is never that nice regardless of whether it is NHS or private or even if you're in there for something life affirming like childbirth.
Here are some of my favourites;
Brora - £45 available in Arctic (poncey name for baby blue, above), oatmeal, rhubarb and winter white.
Catherine Tough, £39, oatmeal and ivory
The White Company, £25, these are especially good if you are feeling worthy as a portion of the ticket price goes to Breakthrough Breast Cancer Charity.
They do some amazing chunky knit ones as well for £50.
And finally these, which aren't cashmere but are by Falke, so we'll allow it just this once.
Falke angora blend, £20 for twin pack via net-a-porter.com
p.s. Cashmere bed socks are not appropriate as stand alone Christmas gifts, unless you have some kind of weird ironic sock gift tradition in which case if you give anything else you are just cruel.
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Christmas wish list entry number 6 - Topshop Parisian wedges
Ok, so technically this is more than one wish list entry, but Topshop has launched a collection that is so perfect I can hardly breathe from the lust. Some of the pieces from the Parisienne collection are starting to trickle through, hiding in the Jubilee collection pages on Topshop.co.uk...
First there's these Parisian wedges, which I could never wear as they'd make me about a gazillion foot tall. Plus at £130 they're not exactly cheap, but I want them anyway...
Then there's this rather lovely velvet boyfriend blazer, £70
Which would look super with this leather sequin mini, £75
Or this double layered bow skirt, £30
Plus this comfy Eiffel Tower embroidered T, £22, which I may actually buy anyway...
And this twist lock square holdall bag from the Highland collection, £35
Apologies for the Topshop overload, but during my trip to hell I had a surprisingly pleasant Topshop experience with an in-house Style Advisor called Alys that has prompted a new trawl of on the online highstreet's finest. Brent Cross may be hell, but Alys was an angel. Plus her aunt is a textiles designer for Yves Saint Laurent, or something along those lines.
Back to the future - the 80s attack and Yves Saint Laurent
So, last night was Miss L Trouble's 24th birthday party. It was messy. And it was 80s themed.
I know they've been a bit overdone recently, but I honestly believe a fancy dress party is better than any other kind. Especially when you have friends you know will make an effort. L and her partner in dressing up crime LMWAI have a solid gold reputation for being able to pull off a fancy dress event - they used to run regular themed club nights under the soubriquet The Dolly Rockers Club and still dj together. So L knew from past experience that her friends had some fancy dress pedigree already, which always helps.
Proper fancy dress does not involve wearing the sluttiest version of a uniform you can find. It demands a bit of imaginative thinking. But it also doesn't have to mean looking like a state.
It helps that the 80's have been a huge reference in fashion for the last few years, so most fashion-savvy girls - and even a few boys - will have something suitable around which to build a full outfit. However, I was thoroughly impressed by some of last nights efforts, although many of them reminded me why the 80s fashion comeback wasn't necessarily such a good thing;
Check out the gingham espadrille Louboutins with the red tights. Amazing.
Ever aware of the 'taste level' (thanks for that one Heidi Klum and Michael Kors), I scrapped my original plan to go as Princess Di. To be honest this had a lot to do with the beautiful 80s Yves Saint Laurent jacket I found in a charity shop earlier in the day and was desperate to wear, but the lack of blonde wig was making the Diana look difficult.
The jacket is truly a masterpiece. Black, subtly quilted with a metallic thread detail and big diamante buttons. It's a great shape as well - very structured with a central panel that curves out at the bottom to accommodate the pockets plus it is also in possession of some serious shoulders. It's a complete classic and worth every single one of the fifty pounds I had to spend to own it.
I went for the yuppie city PA look with some serious blusher, an authentic 80s shade of Guerlain red lipstick, tan coloured tights, mum's big gold dome clip on earrings, a cream neck scarf, very high heels and a high waisted black boucle skirt with seed pearl trim on the pockets.
Today I had to go back to hell to get my computer serviced, which isn't nice with an 80s hangover.
I'm now recovering by watching Beverley Hills Cop on the rather terrifying Sky Christmas movie channel and shall be retreating back to Fashion TV at the soonest possible opportunity (i.e. when the person in charge of the remote control leaves the room). So much for checking out the Sonia Rykiel for H&M today...Thursday, 3 December 2009
More London sample sales today!
Yes, I'm slow, but I've only just realised that there is also the Preen, Nicole Farhi, Ghost and Rainbow Wave sample sales today thanks largely to Urban Junkies who are really very good at this.
I'm in work til 6 so this will require some very careful planning if I'm actually going to make it to any of them. This evening is going to be crazy.
I'm in work til 6 so this will require some very careful planning if I'm actually going to make it to any of them. This evening is going to be crazy.
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