New Bag

Givenchy at www.bergdorfgoodman.com

I love the season's Givenchy bags. They are quite expensive, but unlike some other very expensive bags the quality of the workmanship is beautiful. The ones that will get all the hype this season will probably be the Saint Laurent bags - but don't go googling Yves Saint Laurent, because Hedi Slimane has decided the "Yves" bit needed to go. The new bags don't have the Y hardware on them, instead they look a lot like Celine bags, with a tiny gold embossed Saint Laurent logo between the handles. Seems an unkind gesture to suddenly render last season's customers outdated with their Y logo bags. For full disclosure I loved his predecessor Stefano Pilati, so I am not exactly objective.

Saint Laurent at www.bergdorfgoodman.com

Simplify = To Reduce To Fundamental Parts

As I have been moving my clothes, shoes and bags I am disgusted at the amount of stuff I have. A gorgeous friend (there she is on the left - if you haven't seen her Art for Interiors blog, find it HERE) has recently been looking more gorgeous than ever, and when I compliment her she says she doesn't understand why because she's been living in a temporary place, and therefore doesn't have access to a lot of clothes and is living really simply. But on Saturday night she had unearthed a pretty black top which she wore with some gold necklaces and she added a bright red lipstick, something I don't see her do often. I suppose when you don't have a complicated or showy outfit to steal the show, you become more creative with what you do have.

I am craving that simplicity in my wardrobe, and the way I have been trying to go about it is by bringing to the new house only the things I actually wear regularly, with an exemption for a few special occasion things. I didn't trust the movers to take my stuff, so I have been doing a slow move of my things from the old house in my Mini. It's a worthwhile experiment to bring along only the things you actually wear regularly (I decided three times a month counts as regularly). In fact, it may be the easiest way to a simple wardrobe. So far I have:

- 2 pairs of Mother jeans

- a pair of checked H&M capri pants

- a pair of black watch Zara capri pants

- JCrew animal print flats

- black Jimmy Choo pumps

- black brand new Alexander Wang pumps with thick ankle strap

- white Celine sandals with silver heel

- orange flip flops

- a pair of chocolate brown 10-year old Gucci boots with thick sturdy soles

- all my JDCamicetta Fiona dresses and tops (I wear these all the time, not doing a plug for JDC here)

- 3 stripy Saint James T-shirts

- 3 JCrew cashmere jumpers

- a JCrew khaki field jacket

- my custom made grey wool blazer jacket from Soong Tailors

- and a navy blazer jacket from Zara 

- a multi-colored Megan Park scarf with beige fringe.

When it gets hot, I would need some shorts maybe, but actually my JDC Fiona dresses will do just fine with a flat sandal. If I was really brave, I would toss all the other nonsense left at the old house. Because the frightening thing is, I can't actually remember what else is there!

Random Inspiration Pictures

If the stacks and stacks of inpiration files on my bedroom floor are anything to go by, I should never buy any magazines other than Vogue Paris or W. I also love blingy jewelry more than I thought I did. And there's no evening look I like better than a tuxedo tie with a white shirt.

Relocation

I am sorry for the lack of posts. That's because I have just moved. I have only gone a few yards, but it always just takes a lot more work than you think. I had years of New York, London and Hong Kong rubbish to throw out. I went thru roughly 800 magazines in the week before the move.

I spent time cutting up the Chinese answer to De Gournay wall paper to make bedroom pictures.

I found old inspiration books from when I decorated our Wimbledon house.

And with the weather as perfect as it has been in Hong Kong, I have spent a bit of time at the beach...

Do you wear yellow?

www.carolinaherrera.com

www.chanel.com

www.o2nd.com

www.siviglia.com

My boss at Burberry once told me yellow is the worst selling color on earth. So I pray for the fashion retail business this season, cos there is an awful lot of yellow around. 

Why not use a rubber?

JCrew Everly pump and Autre Chose wedge sandal

A regular soled shoe is nowadays called a single-sole shoe. And www.vogue.com thinks it is the preferred shoe of the moment, quoting a few people who use some generalities around about platform shoes re posture and calves and looking fat. Anyway, I guess it was a light news day.

Clearly I have NO clue what goes on, because I have been wearing single sole shoes for 2 years straight, and actually was just getting a bit excited to start wearing platforms sandals again in spring (I personally don't like to wear platform pumps though). I bought some baggy white jeans and thought they'd be super cute with my last year's Autre Chose clunkers (above right). I didn't wear much of those, because on the first occasion I wore them my dark blue jeans stained the front bit of leather. They immediately looked really ugly and I put them away disappointed, until about a month ago when I was using a rubber (if this makes you chuckle I mean an eraser) to rub off my daughter's drawing from the wall, and suddenly thought, hey I should try this on the brown vachetta leather.... I did, and it was miraculous. The blue stain came off in an instant. So do try it, they are really like new now. But stick with vegetable died leathers, I don't think you should use a rubber on anything which has any sheen.

But back to the single-sole v platform sole debate (yep I used the word debate regarding a chat about shoes - I know, don't say it), looking at the picture above, there's no question the single-sole shoe looks better in comparison, but I suppose it depends heavily on your outfit and where you have to walk. And Miuccia Prada sent masses of platform sock shoes down her Spring runway... She may not be as current as she once was, but she's still the queen to me. Although I won't be wearing socks with these sandals.

I have LOVEd FASHION (for almost 2 years now)

Happy Anniversary I LOVE FASHION

Marni for H&M

Celine

Cos jumper and Carven skirt

Eddie Borgo bracelet

JCrew jumper JBrand jeans Megan Park scarf (an altime favorite)

www.duchessajewels.com earrings

JDCamicetta dress

Cheers and thank you for reading!

How to stop eating chips

Taylor Tomasi Hill from a few years ago - picture from a www.vanessajackman.blogspot.com,  a very good Aussie but London based street style photographer.

Speaking of a mayonnaise belly, this is the picture I have on the fridge to stop me from opening the door. The problem is the Sun Chips are not in the fridge. Another problem is the very best bits are the extra salty ones all the way at the bottom. But I've had a run today, I did a good uh... 2 minutes of skipping, and I did endless lunges with weights in my hands. I think I have deserved to reach the bottom of that bag? Note to self: put a naked picture of Doutzen on the chips cabinet. And, now that I have said the words naked picture of Doutzen in this blog my views are probably going right up. You see, only upside coming from eating that bag of chips.

If you fancy something new for spring...

loooooove the thick gold rims on these Burberry Prorsum sunglasses

Mayonnaise Belly

As I was saying earlier today I ate too much whipped cream in Holland. And mayonnaise too. There are few dishes there that don't seemed to be whipped up with either mayonnaise or cream (as my semi-Dutch friend Mark pointed out to me). But no whipped cream belly is a match for a JDCamicetta Fiona top. Cos Fiona tops always disguise any holiday belly perfectly. And yes I do know this pic is sideways. We have sold out of the blue tops with red borders now. But there is still one of these gold ones in size Small. If you'd like to order, email jdcamicetta@gmail.com, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Tartan and Plaid

Oh Downton Abbey. Oh Downton Abbey. I can't remember another TV show which had better scenery, clothes and interiors. Even when the story doesn't interest me, there is still so much to see in every frame. The Christmas episode which aired on the 25th in England was set in the Highlands, and it's got me thinking of tartan. Or plaid, as the Americans say. I bought some Mcq Alexander Mcqueen black watch tartan pants and in my enthusiasm for mismatched prints and patterns I have conjured them up with a contrasting tartan shirt and a black knit jacket with gold embroidery. Balmoral Castle's got nothing on me. I am at the conjuring stage only, because I ate so much bloody whipped cream over the holidays that they won't fit me for a while.

the gorgeous innocence of young Princess Di

Zara keeps their black watch tartan blissfully more simple

The Queen and Prince Philip at Balmoral Castle

Scottish wedding dress

Stella Tennant in Chanel