I have been messing about in one of the spare bedrooms, with the help of the last roses from the garden I have been trying to make it pretty for some friends who are coming to stay this weekend...
Wishing you all a Wonderful Weekend
XXX
Friday, November 9, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Back to Black
If I could dress up like this every day, I would!
In winter black is always the new black for me! I am also partial to rich chocolate brown, deep reds or bright colours, cream or beige tones just wash me out so if I see something I like in a choice of colours black usually wins the day. Here are a few things that have caught my eye on my internet wanderings, I always opt for good quality classics that will look good and last for years, all the following items are makes that I have tried and tested...
In winter black is always the new black for me! I am also partial to rich chocolate brown, deep reds or bright colours, cream or beige tones just wash me out so if I see something I like in a choice of colours black usually wins the day. Here are a few things that have caught my eye on my internet wanderings, I always opt for good quality classics that will look good and last for years, all the following items are makes that I have tried and tested...
Boots from Ecco
I love to wear a boot with a high heel, I am of average height 5 '6 but I find my deportment instantly improves with a heel, which makes me feel more elegant not to mention the leg lengthening qualities. I also like to walk for miles so I need to marry comfort, height and style, sometimes this is not easy to achieve but a few years ago whilst walking past the shop Ecco during a visit to my home town, a store I had previously overlooked as most of the shoes and boots looked very sensible and I avoid sensible shoes like the plague. I purchased a lovely pair of black, plain, high heeled ankle boots, which had caught my eye in the window. They are without a doubt the most comfortable boots I have ever worn and I have walked for miles in them, three years later although they have been re heeled and soled they are as good as new. This season these Victorian style ankle boots are tinkling my bell.
Tory Burch
I love Tory Burch Tunics in the summer so I am lusting after this cashmere twist for winter which you can dress up or down, this neckline is so flattering.
Of course with an all black outfit you need some colour to break it up, coloured silk, patterned or cashmere scarves usually work for me. Jewellery wise I favour bold, statement pieces and I love vintage. I am loving Michal Golan Jewellery. I bought a piece a couple of months back, they did not have the piece in stock so they made it up for me, their service was excellent and when the piece arrived (swiftly) the quality was superb and the price extremely reasonable...I will be purchasing some more for myself and for Christmas gifts.
From the Turkish Bazaar collection.
From the Multi Bright Collection
"A lady always wears gloves" so my Mother tells me, she even wears them in the summer for driving. Not only do they keep your hands warm but they can also help protect you from nasty winter viruses. I think smart leather one's round off a winter outfit beautifully, especially the longer one's which look fabulous with a swing coat or three quarter length sleeves.
Dents have even brought out a touch technology version, so you don't even have to take them off whilst using a phone or tablet. Available here.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Something for the Weekend...More Renee
Perhaps the wrong season for shots of Renee relaxing on the Riviera but the beautiful, eternally stylish and mysterious Renee has become something of a muse for this blog and when I happened across these photos I knew I had to post them. In the short time that Renee and Jacques were together they seemed to be on one long, romantic and joy filled holiday. The timeless photographs that Jacques took of her keep me going through the dark days of winter and make me think of the coming of May when I will be able to have my own adventures on the Cote d'Azur. Marianne maybe the national emblem of France but Renee is worthy of becoming the emblem of the Riviera.
Wishing you all a Wonderful Weekend.
XXX
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
All Hallows Eve
I am re posting a Halloween post from 2010 because I don't think there is anything to beat a Gothic tale on All Hallows Eve...
Miss Havisham requests the pleasure of your company...
Trust me, you need to humour her
Mrs Danvers is waiting
Deanna Maksimovic
Can you see Cathy at the window?
Could this passageway lead to Bertha's rooms?
Remember, walls, have ears
So be careful who you trust!
Roman Solowiej
Where does this staircase lead?
Ahh, Dorians secret
Can you see Cathy at the window?
Where does this staircase lead?
Don't they make a handsome couple!
Do you see her?
Enter at your peril!
Waiting.....
You may need help.
Recommended Viewing for Halloween:
Great Expectations
Rebecca
Wuthering Heights
Jane Eyre
The Servant
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Bram Stokers Dracula
The Turn of the Screw
The Others
Sleepy Hollow
Wishing you all a Spooky but Happy Halloween.
XXX
Monday, October 29, 2012
Hurricane Sandy
Jacques Henri Lartigue
Jacques Henri Lartigue Storm in Nice 1925
Wishing all my friends in the affected areas of the Eastern Seaboard safety from Sandy during the next few days.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
The Downton Effect
Once again my poor blog has been woefully neglected. The reason; I have been back to dear old Blighty where I have been involved in family drama that would give the scriptwriters of Downton Abbey a run for their money.
I have been in Downton Abbey land, literally. Downton Abbey may be filmed at Highclere Castle in Hampshire but observant followers of the series will know that the program is set in North Yorkshire... coincidentally the county where I am from and where I found myself last week.
Like most things which become hugely popular Downton Abbey is currently being treated to a certain amount of derision and criticism; corny, predictable, hammy, wooden, clichéd, full of solecisms, and so on. There maybe some truth in some of these criticisms however like thousands of others I look forward to my Sunday evening fix of escapism which Downton Abbey provides so well. It may not always be 100 percent historically accurate, it may paint a rose tinted view of life in service far removed from reality but after all, it is fictional drama loosely based on fact. The costumes are glorious, the setting lovely and it's worth tuning in just to hear Dame Maggie Smiths wonderfully delivered one liners. But what is the Downton effect?
Downton Abbey is contributing to Britain's economy in a similar way that Mad Men has contributed to the vintage and retro market. The program (or is it now a brand?) has now been sold to many other countries and as we know is proving to be hugely popular worldwide. Visits to Britain's Stately homes and National Trust properties reached record levels last year and it would not surprise me if tourism to Britain has/will increase due to the Downton effect. Grand old British houses which have now turned into luxury country hotels, offering fine dining and sumptuous surroundings along with country pursuits, find their rooms fully booked as people clamour for a slice of a Downtonish experience. Even other British TV programs and documentaries have appeared no doubt on the back of Downton such as Doctor Pamela Cox's excellent 'Servants - the True Story of Life Below Stairs'.
Back to Downton Abbey Land, ahem, North Yorkshire, from my home town I can count five grand country houses I could visit all within a fifteen minute drive: Harewood House, Ripley Castle, Newby Hall, Goldsbrough Hall and Rudding Park and those are the one's still standing, according to my research 1, 841 English Country houses have been demolished, seriously reduced in size or lie in ruins.
Today inheriting a large country estate is a poisoned chalice, the upkeep and inheritance taxes are exorbitant only the grand houses which adapt can survive and profit. Nowadays rather than the lord and lady of the manor being waited on hand and foot by the servant classes they are more likely to be found working hard supported by a large team of well paid staff, maintaining and securing a heritage site, it's contents and land for future generations to enjoy. As we know most of Britain's great houses which are not owned by oligarchs, rock stars, bankers and exotic Princes are open to the public and offer everything from safari parks to photography and art courses or become venues for sporting and corporate events, weddings, rock, pop and classical music extravaganzas. And not forgetting film and photography shoot locations.
If it all becomes too much for a family or in the case of intestate wills, no issue or heirs a listed property can be turned over to The National Trust. Developers sometimes buy a listed property and turn it into luxury apartments. I know a few brave souls who have taken on crumbling country estates, lovingly restored them sometimes on a shoestring and turned them back into family homes or luxury boutique style country hotels and wedding venues.
And the others? Well there is still a staggering amount of British country houses and heritage sites at risk, quietly decaying, waiting for people with passion or deep pockets to rescue them. I found an excellent site whilst researching this post with great links to some of the most at risk heritage properties here.
All photos taken last week at Rudding Park
Wishing you all a Wonderful Weekend.
XXX
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Autumnal Cities, Exhibitions and Museums
Rainy Autumn in London via Pinterest
Autumn in Paris via Pinterest
As I mentioned in my previous post, Autumn is well and truly under way and I am starting to dream about visiting cities, for me this time of year is the best time for going to the great cities of the Western Hemisphere something about the cold tang in the air, strolling through leaf littered parks and streets, huddling under an umbrella before making a dash into cosy cafes, pubs and bars, afternoon tea in fine establishments and the more obvious attractions of the grand department stores, shopping, theatre, opera, galleries and museums...
I could spend hours at the Louvre in Paris or the V&A in London but sometimes it's worth taking a look at what's going on at smaller venues, here are some that have caught my eye and if I am lucky enough to find myself in Paris or London in the near future I will definitely be checking them out...Paris up first, two exhibitions which have piqued my curiosity.
Exhibition Interieurs Romantiques at the Musee de La Vie Romantique, Paris
exhibition organised by Daniel Marchesseau, director of the
museum, this time with Gail S. Davidson from the Cooper-Hewitt as
invited curator.
This is a collection of ninety watercolours of interiors collected over the past thirty years by the American dealer and collector Eugene V. Thaw and his wife Clare E. Thaw. The whole collection has been given to the Cooper-Hewitt museum in New York.
This is a collection of ninety watercolours of interiors collected over the past thirty years by the American dealer and collector Eugene V. Thaw and his wife Clare E. Thaw. The whole collection has been given to the Cooper-Hewitt museum in New York.
Edouard Petrovitch Hau (Estonie, actif en Russie, 1807-1887)
Petit
Cabinet de l’impératrice Alexandra Feodorovna, 1830-1835
© Cooper-Hewitt,
National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, photo Matt Flynn
James Roberts (Angleterre, vers 1800-1867)
Le Cabinet de travail du roi Louis-Philippe a Neuilly 1845
© Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, photo Matt Flynn
C.
Rath (Autriche probablement, actif dans les années 1870)
Alcôve
dans le salon de la grande duchesse Anna de
Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1877
©
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, photo
Matt Flynn
Hilaire
Thierry (actif de 1815 à 1825) Un salon dans le goût Restauration,
début des années 1820. (détail)
©
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, photo
Matt Flynn
Le Salon
de George Sand, Paris musée de la Vie romantique
© Musée
de la vie romantique / Roger-Viollet
INFORMATION:
Musée de
la Vie Romantique
16 rue
Chaptal
75009
Paris.
Telephone
: 01 55 31 95 67
www.vie-romantique.paris.fr
Open every
day from 10 am until 6 pm, except Mondays and public holidays.
Tickets at
7 Euros ( 5 Euros reduced price, 3.50 Euros half-price)
Hardbound
fully illustrated catalogue 30 Euros. (The museum has a small book
shop).
The
easiest and best choice of public transport is the 68 bus.
The exhibition runs until 13th January 2013
Meanwhile over at the Musee Quai Branly, Paris...
Why is long hair supposed to be
feminine ? Where do the beliefs about red heads come from? All these
hairy questions are explored in this terrific exhibition on hair and
their sexy mythologie.
Head for the Musée du Quai Branly to understand how hair has become an army of massive seduction.
If you don't have enough time, don't go grey overnight, the venue is open until June !
Not to be missed !
text from here
Information
The exhibition runs until 14th July 2013
Now
lets go to London where there are no shortage of small museums, in fact
there are so many small museums in London that whatever your interests
you will find one that appeals, most of them are listed and include
details on opening hours and directions on Time Outs wonderful site here
I have already visited a few on various trips but here are a couple on my yet to visit list:
Linley Sambourne House
Linley Sambourne House is the Kensington house where from 1875 Punch cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne lived with his wife and two children, and provides a chance to see a late-Victorian, middle-class home that has survived largely unchanged. Linley Sambourne House was passed on from one generation of the family to the next and almost all the original decoration remains intact, the rooms filled with the furniture and personal possessions the Sambournes left behind. A huge archive of diaries, papers, bills and letters also survived, providing an exceptionally detailed picture of daily life in the house. Around Christmas each year, atmospheric Victorian Twilight Encounters tours are held, which explore the seedier side of the artist's work.
Text from Time Out
18 Stafford Terrace, W8 7BH
Sir John Soane's Museum
This
is one place where the term 'spring cleaning' has probably never once
been uttered: Sir John Soane's Museum in Holborn. The museum is actually
the townhouse of one of Georgian London's most famous architects, Sir
John Soane, the man behind the Bank of England and Dulwich Picture
Gallery - and someone who was evidently not a fan of the 'less is more'
school of interior design.
Soane was an obsessive collector of art, furniture and architectural ornamentation, a hobby which he pursued partly for enjoyment and partly for research. In the early nineteenth century he turned his house into a museum to which 'amateurs and students' should have access. The result is truly amazing.
Much of the museum's appeal derives from its domestic setting. Rooms are modestly sized but Soane's ingenious designs channel and direct natural daylight and expand available space, including semi-secret doors that swing out like cabinets to display his many paintings (works by Canaletto, Turner and two series by Hogarth). It's only when you step beyond into the rear of the house that the sheer oddness of the building confronts you. Every space in this warren of rooms is filled with some artistic object, in most cases classical, be that a bust, column or statue. For a real 'wow' factor, search out The Monumental Court, a multistory affair stuffed with an array of sculpted stone detailing that was removed from ancient and medieval buildings.
At the lowest level of the court is a sarcophagus made of alabaster that's so thin it's almost translucent. It was discovered in a tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings before being removed by nineteenth-century treasure hunters. Soane bought it after the British Museum declined the opportunity; he was so elated, he partied for three days.
There are also numerous examples of Soane's eccentricity, not least the imaginary 'cell' - a set of rooms in the basement - set aside for 'Padre Giovanni', a fictional monk invented by Soane. The yard even contains the 'Monk's grave' topped by a headstone engraved with the words 'Alas! Poor Fanny!' - the grave actually contains the corpse of Mrs Soane's lapdog, Fanny.
What you see at Soane's townhouse is just as he intended it to be. He wangled a private act of Parliament to set up the museum and stipulate that its contents should be left alone 'as nearly as possible'. His wish is now even closer to perfect fulfilment thanks to a £6 million project to move the museum shop and facilities into neighbouring buildings, which should be completed by mid-2012.
Be warned, though: the curator only allows a certain number of visitors into the house at any one time, so you may have to queue briefly out on the pavement before being admitted. It's worth the wait.
Soane was an obsessive collector of art, furniture and architectural ornamentation, a hobby which he pursued partly for enjoyment and partly for research. In the early nineteenth century he turned his house into a museum to which 'amateurs and students' should have access. The result is truly amazing.
Much of the museum's appeal derives from its domestic setting. Rooms are modestly sized but Soane's ingenious designs channel and direct natural daylight and expand available space, including semi-secret doors that swing out like cabinets to display his many paintings (works by Canaletto, Turner and two series by Hogarth). It's only when you step beyond into the rear of the house that the sheer oddness of the building confronts you. Every space in this warren of rooms is filled with some artistic object, in most cases classical, be that a bust, column or statue. For a real 'wow' factor, search out The Monumental Court, a multistory affair stuffed with an array of sculpted stone detailing that was removed from ancient and medieval buildings.
At the lowest level of the court is a sarcophagus made of alabaster that's so thin it's almost translucent. It was discovered in a tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings before being removed by nineteenth-century treasure hunters. Soane bought it after the British Museum declined the opportunity; he was so elated, he partied for three days.
There are also numerous examples of Soane's eccentricity, not least the imaginary 'cell' - a set of rooms in the basement - set aside for 'Padre Giovanni', a fictional monk invented by Soane. The yard even contains the 'Monk's grave' topped by a headstone engraved with the words 'Alas! Poor Fanny!' - the grave actually contains the corpse of Mrs Soane's lapdog, Fanny.
What you see at Soane's townhouse is just as he intended it to be. He wangled a private act of Parliament to set up the museum and stipulate that its contents should be left alone 'as nearly as possible'. His wish is now even closer to perfect fulfilment thanks to a £6 million project to move the museum shop and facilities into neighbouring buildings, which should be completed by mid-2012.
Be warned, though: the curator only allows a certain number of visitors into the house at any one time, so you may have to queue briefly out on the pavement before being admitted. It's worth the wait.
Text from Time Out
13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2
Well
there's a few to be going on with, note I have only mentioned Paris and
London, I am currently fantasising of a Christmas Shopping trip to New
York, in December, it's been so long since I visited NYC...
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