Goodmorning

Some nice Alaia's to wake up with on a Thursday morning. Buy them HERE

Wanderlister

A friend sent me an email saying she'd seen my photo on www.wanderlister.com. It was taken at the Affordable Art Fair, where I noticed a couple of very well-dressed beautiful people behind me - and I had one of those intrigued moments when you wonder what those people do, where they work, where they live. I don't know why I never saw Wanderlister before, but it's lovely. Author J.J. Acuna goes to a lot of glam events it seems - I loved yesterday's post about a men's only whiskey tasting at Christian Louboutin.

It reminded me immediately of the lovely man I met at Sevva one afternoon last year, in his gorgeous shoes, which I assumed to be Louboutins. He was wearing vertically striped trousers a year ahead of the crowds. He was so nice and polite when I asked to take his picture and I really wish I had given him my card so he could have seen himself on the blog. I still wonder sometimes who he was - it's not often you see such an obvious non-banker at Sevva. Anyway, if you haven't seen Wanderlister, it's a good one - and a nice insight into fashionable Hong Kong.

I am about to try the red I decanted hours ago for my husband, looking forward to reading this month's Italian and French Vogue.

Brazilian Blowdry

I couldn't stop thinking of Robert Redford as Hubbell Gardner during my first ever Brazilian Blowdry. Just imagining running into him on the street and him asking me: have you started ironing your hair? I think I need a new romantic hero, cos mine is pretty ancient now. If someone would only do a remake of The Way We Were with Ryan Gosling

Catching up on my gossip magazines - who knew Coach is making such cute shoes?

Watching the world go by on the mid-levels escalator from windows of The Strand hair salon

And then tried Frame Denim for the first time. Lot of hype about those, probably thanks to net-a-porter's constant promotion of this new company - and the fact that Natalie Massanet was dating the owner. The jeans are super soft like Mother jeans and they have a nice true mid-rise waist. But I think they would be really great if you bought them 2 sizes too big and wore them as a boyfriend style. Jeans that have been designed as boyfriend jeans tend to be a bit too baggy for my liking but these would be perfect.

Don't blink...

... cos you won't ever see this again. I must publicly admit I was totally wrong and my husband was totally right about buying an outdoor dinner table. I thought we didn't need one, and he said we did. Okay, okay, so I was totally wrong!!!! Some of the best evenings during this almost-spring have happened sitting at that table. 

Lamma Island seen from the Peak

Now Don't Go Breaking My Heart

Don't go breaking my heart

You took the weight off of me

Oh honey when you knocked on my door

I gave you the key

 Nobody knows it

right from the start I gave you my heart 

so don't go breaking my heart

I won't go breaking your heart

I am singing it to you from my kitchen table but if you want to hear it from the one and only Kiki Dee (and Elton John), YOU HAVE GOT to click HERE. It's the ultimate happy song. I was thinking this morning how real life never ceases to make you disappointed, confused, or unsure of where it's taking you. Not shoes, however....  Although I will be eating beans on toast for the rest of the year.

Bossy Boots

My gorgeous but bossy friend Martine has just sent me this picture from the Rugby Sevens, demanding I put it on the blog. Well, I do love a red shoe!!

It's all about the shoes

New khaki Celine sandals next to Alexander Wang, zipper detail Givenchy, white oxfords by Robert Clergerie, and the black paint splattered flats are eons old Louboutin from Harrods and my London life.

I start my day every single day with my shoes. I think where I will be going - will I be walking on the smooth shiny floors of the IFC? Or the hills and steps of Soho? I look at the weather - rain and suede don't mix, neon pink looks forced in grey weather, extreme heat will make my feet swell up into blistery balls of fire. Then I may have a quick check of my pedi to see if it's fresh enough for sandals. From there I move up to the legs, the top, the make-up, the sunglasses.

I saw a great comment from a reader on the www.manrepeller.com. The girl was very frank and said when she spots another girl wearing something "in-the-know", she hopes to get the girl's attention so that she in turn will notice her own "in-the-know-ness", so to speak.  We all consider ourselves part of a tribe, right? So I should add that subconsciously I maintain another criterion for picking shoes in the morning: I consider who I am going to see or meet that day.  Like if I was meeting Sarah Rutson for example (I don't know Sarah Rutson!!!), I would be slapping as much Celine on my body as it could hold. There's no better way on March 23, 2013 to tell a fashion insider that you consider yourself a fashion insider than through Celine. It's an expensive tribe, fashion.

my feet in Celine, my legs in Phillip Lim - now where the hell is Sarah Rutson

One hundred dollar decorators

Is there anything more fun than decorating a house? Mum and I turned the whole living room upside down on the last day of her visit. It's turned out more polished than usual - I may need a few round or squiggly shapes to balance it - or possibly a patterned rug.... I love my new paintings. 

Karl Maugham from New Zealand - I practically begged art expert Nerida from www.artasiaadvisory.com and www.nerida1.blogspot.com to sell it to me

detail from my Shaun Ferguson painting

Matteo Massagrande on the right

A perfect bracelet for a date at Brickhouse

That was some fairly reckless driving down Cottontree Drive trying to take a picture of my bracelet with my left hand. But I can never get enough of pictures with my Mini dashboard...  And I was also very touched to get this present early this morning of a gorgeous cuff bracelet from a local company called Annie & Alex - which happen to be the names of my children as well (find them at www.annieandalex.com). The day got even better as it went along with a Mexican dinner at Brickhouse in Central. I feel a bit guilty for always calling the chef Kurt Cobain - he is a very special talent in his own right. Find Brickhouse HERE.

Brickhouse margaritas 

the unassuming but very talented Brickhouse chef

Where are the studs?

If you are going to be obsessive about something, you might as well go all the way. So here is a lineup of Valentino's runway shoes for Fall. I will need a bit of time with these - even though I find them all beautiful in the abstract, I can't yet imagine them in an outfit on me, other than for a dinner dress. All pictures from www.vogue.com.

all pictures from www.vogue.com

Clean happy shiny bangs

photo from www.timeout.com, see more pictures HERE

photo from www.timeout.com

The last time I had really thick bangs was when I was 14. The bangs that you really have to commit to - the ones that can't be pushed aside. I remember a distinct moment hanging out in the garden with two friends and looking in the kitchen window. I caught my reflection and thought I will always keep my hair like this. But I didn't, and now I no longer have the courage to try.

Dear Maria and Pier Paolo

These ones can be found HERE.

Please stop doing this to us. Every time I look I see yet another more beautiful version of your rockstud shoes. I want them all so much it's making me consider taking my kids out of private school. It's messing with my head. Stop making such beautiful shoes.

Matteo Massagrande

I bought this painting today

www.galleriastefanoforni.com

With my mum visiting I have reached clothes shopping overload - but there were a million things I wanted to buy at the Affordable Art Fair in Hong Kong yesterday and today. Mostly, I am dreaming of a house full of Matteo Massagrande paintings. Over lots of wine at dinner we talked about where we will live when we are old. England is the verdict I think. So I am writing this for the record: I would love a Georgian house with lots of big walls for all my future Matteo Massagrande paintings and then I would also like a checkered floor made of tiles rescued from the beautiful dilapidated buildings Matteo Massagrande paints. I grandly say rescued as if I want to save the beautiful elements of these lovely old Italian buildings for future generations - but my motives are entirely of the selfish kind. Find his paintings at www.shineartists.com in London.

Big short sleeves

I have started to love the look of oversized short sleeves on t-shirts and tops. Stella McCartney sweatshirt top and Phillip Lim embroidered top, both at www.net-a-porter.com

About knees and skirts

Long, longer, longest. Skirts by J.Crew (left and middle) and COS (right).

Before my recent move, I threw out quite a few skirts. I just never wore them, so they had to go.  But since I have started wearing the graphic J.Crew skirt on the left, I love skirts again. Yesterday I came across a picture of actress Diane Lane (who I love love love) and suddenly it hit me why I've had a change of heart - because my more recent purchases are much longer than the reject skirts. Knees are ugly, and longer skirts that cover them at least partially just look much more attractive to me at this point in time. I say at this point, because undoubtedly this has to do with the mood in fashion, but that is a good thing. It means there are many longer skirts around to choose from. If you are not super slim a good rule to go by is that the bottom of the skirt should be nearly as wide as the circumference of your hips. That creates a nice straight line from the hip down, while your waist will look much slimmer.

The over-the-knee dresses at Bottega Veneta for Fall 2013) were breathtakingly beautiful. Both pictures from www.vogue.com

Diane Lane seems to favor skirts just on or over the knee - and looks amazing in them

Geraldine Saglio styles H&M

In fashion print, the lines between high end and low end, expensive and cheap, have been permanently blurred. In H&M's current magazine Geraldine Saglio from Paris Vogue has styled top model Isabeli Fontana in H&M garb, and until you actually see the clothes in the store, it is hard to tell what they are, because the pictures are beautiful. I was in H&M yesterday and on the racks the clothes are often not so great. But with a bit of styling aptitude there are some gems to be found. The capri trousers below are made from a perfect mid-weight brocade, a mix of polyester and cotton, with just enough yellow to let you embrace the season's hot color but without looking like big bird. They would be gorgeous with even the plainest white shirt.

Hong Kong's Sarah Rutson gorgeous in Paris

Sarah in a pencil skirt at Paris fashion week - photo from www.vogue.com