Sophia Coppola marries long time love

I love Sophia Coppola's style. She's both elegant and hipster cool. That's difficult to pull off. She seems to have an innate understanding of what suits her.

Anyway, this past weekend she married Thomas Mars of the band Phoenix at her family home in Southern Italy. Which, by the way, also happens to be a five star hotel named Palazzo Margherita owned by Papa Coppola.


Her dress of lilac chiffon was custom designed by Azzedine Alaia. I'd love to see a full picture of the dress. It looks incredibly pretty.


Credit: Picture from People magazine

Kate's wedding.... Part Two

The September issue of Vogue.......featuring Kate Moss' wedding.
Forgive me for blogging about this wedding, not only for a second time, but immediately following the last blogpost........


As you might well imagine, I absolutely adored this wedding. It completely reflects the bride's style.

 What a divinely romantic photo of kate with her bridesmaids.

Love the pathway of flowers. The florist for Kate's wedding: Scarlet and Violet. You may remember my blog about Victoria Brotherson from a couple of years ago. I was lucky enough to work with Vic when I lived in London.

Isn't this an adorable shot of the bridal party ?

Lila Grace is Kate's daughter

I love that Kate kept with her 1920's feel and had classic Parisian cafe chairs and Art Nouveau chandeliers.

Edwardian wicker chairs and vintage iron table with simple but gorgeous flowers !

Kate with her dad and daughter Lila Grace.

Must remember to pick up the September issue.



Plus, Hamish Bowles takes us inside the wedding.


Wish I could have been a guest.....sigh!

Bespoke Country House Parties

So, last year I stumbled across this company that throws bespoke country house parties in the beautifully charming Cotswolds. It just so happens that one of the partners' in this retreat is  Sophie Conran (yes, that Conran, daughter of the great Terence). Man, it must be in their blood to be so entreprenuerial and also so talented. This family rocks !


And so does this place ! Temple Guiting is actually owned by a fellow called Steven Collins. Steven decided that he wanted to convert this family property into an investment. Smart man. Together with the famed Sophie Conran they have created this gorgeous retreat for anybody (which is semi affordable if you don't mind saving for a year and not take another holiday for another year --- the weekend rates will make you gulp a little) to hold your own private country party (just like the wealthy Edwardians did). 


Sounds good to me.You name it. It can be organized. They have experts from a varied and wide set of backgrounds. Hmmmm.....want to do a little fly fishing ? No problem. Always wanted to spend an afternoon baking artisinal breads ? No problemo. How about hot air ballooning, wine tasting, jam making, shooting, learning to play bridge/poker ?  It's covered. And of course, my favourite......the floristry course.


All this, and in the most gorgeous setting. The accomodation is to die for. Heck who cares about the activities. I just want to go and hang out....go for long country walks, read by a roaring fire, eat wonderful meals, drink great wine and sleep in the most sumptuous bedrooms ever !

Of course, there's always the  National Trust  or the  Landmark Trust  if you're not in need of so much pampering but still want to have that great country house/manor  experience. I think this is more my speed and more of what my wallet can handle. But if money were not an object........ then here I come Temple Guiting. Just for the weekend only.

More pictures and definitely more info on their website.

Baby, it's COLD outside !

Yep, as I write this on a quiet, beautiful Sunday morning, the temperature outside sits at -20 celsius dipping to -33 with the wind chill factor ! Ooooh yes, welcome to Canada. But I love it. The sky is a sparkly blue, the air is crisp, snow everywhere and there is a stillness that I find soothing. Mind you, you must be dressed for it and even then one needs to be careful. It can be dangerous at these temperatures.

But enough of winter, let's get onto dreams and fantasy holidays. Last year I stumbled upon a gorgeous website www.absolute-escape.com. I think I came upon it through the British newspaper The Telegraph.
Anyway, in the Property section there was an article about an interior designer who was selling Mas St Esteve, his home in the south of France with all of its' furnishings as part of the deal. Gosh, I wish I could recall the fellow's name but I can't. Sorry.

I don't know if he ever sold it or decided to hang on and rent it out but it's definitely for rent. For the modest sum of $10,000 per week (well it does accomodate 12 people - so that's not too bad) you can
enjoy this handsomely restored farmhouse located near the village of Isle sur la Sorgue also known as the "Venice of Provence". Have a drool, umm, I mean look ....

What a pretty sitting room. Imagine having a lovely cup of tea with a great book in hand. I love the sofa and the rustic jar filled with garden roses. 

Champagne lunch anyone ? I think a semi formal setting like this is so chic for a casual but elegant lunch. Oh, did I mention that it can be arranged for a Michelin star chef to be on staff should you not care for the "self catering" approach ?

Errr, can't quite read the label. Something about a ......... -du-Pape. Must be a local wine of some sort. The cheeses look scrumptious and the beautifully monogrammed napkins -- classic.

The kitchen has a lovely open, contemporary feel. It think it's quite big.

Nicely styled.

Nearby vineyard

Quintessential Provence view

The farmhouse at night. The Plane trees are magnificent. Have a look at the first photo for a better view.

Very old world. The curtains look very sumptuous.

                            

A favourite shot - a pretty, summery bouquet of chamomile flowers in a classic Provencal jug.

And of course we can't leave out the swimmimg pool. A much needed refreshing dip to keep the heat at bay.

Unfortunately I couldn't nab photos of the bedrooms, so if you want to check out the accomodation you'll need to go online.

Oh, and just in case Mas Ste Esteve doesn't suit, Absolute Escape also has two properties in Verbier, Switzerland for all you ski types and one property in Marrakech, Morrocco for a hit of exotica.

Here's to 2010 ............

Yipee !!

Oh to look this glamorous and so utterly bored !

While my New Years Eve party days are behind me, I could have a lot of fun lounging about on the sofa on the BIG night in this most gorgeous deep chocolate brown ball gown.

Let's see, we'll be sipping champagne (ok, prosecco) served with some delicious canapes, perhaps with some oysters (actually, no oysters - not a fave thing I'm afraid) and followed by scrumptious macaroons, ideally from Laduree, but realistically from Patachou (a great French patisserie here in Toronto).

We'll likely have some music playing softly in the background -- a little of everything; lounge, Cole Porter, Vivaldi, Brazilian bossa nova and a little pop and indie stuff just to stop things from feeling too highbrow. Depending on our mood, a film from The Film Buff might be in order (something cheery I hope) and if time allows and I can hang in there, a late game of Scrabble.

Throughout the evening we'll chat about our resolutions and aspirations for 2010......the goals, the dreams and the bets on how long it will take to break them !

Last year I followed a set of resolutions offered up on Vivre.com (of all places --my goodness) and found them to be spot on. They were all doable, achievable and I pretty much kept these in check for 2009. I think I'll build on these for 2010:

Well ok, I still have to work on the black clothes thing and planning in advance, but four out of six isn't too bad.

And.... I think I'd like to take up dance lessons.......

We'll see.

I wish all of you a most festive New Years Eve and a fabulous 2010 filled with good health, great joy and love.

Image 1: Anna Williams (photographer); Image 2: Vivre.com; Image 3: Toast

Just thought this was lovely.....

British designer L'Wren Scott

Image via style.com

I don't think the green translated to my post, but it actually is quite beautiful. You may have to visit style.com to get the true colour. I love the exaggerated boat style neckline, the 3/4 sleeves, the shapely style of the dress, and her cap is so chic - very Parisian, or could be 1930's New York. And the shoes..perfect complement. Very stylish indeed.

Great style never goes out of style...

Menswear clothing shop Harry Rosen is one of our clients.

Their flagship shop on Bloor Street in Toronto is absolutely  gorgeous. Newly renovated, the shop is an exquisitely culled collection of boutiques representing the best in men's clothing. The shop is so well regarded that Tom Ford has a boutique here which is so sumptuous even the dressing rooms are extraodinarily decorated. Apparently it is a mini version of his shop in NYC.

But there are other major and long established fashion houses inside HR (not to be confused with Holt Renfrew) that have their own boutiques. They include Armani, Dolce and Gabbana, Canali, Ermenegilda Zegna and Brunello Cucinelli. In fact, one of the special event days recently involved a visit from one of the world's finest tailors. The staff were soooo excited, and I must admit, it all felt rather glamorous. 

Anyway, the reason I tell you this is that I never thought of menswear shops as being interesting. But I have to say, each time I am there at HR, I am overwhelmed by the quality, styling and the attention to detail in men's clothing. The Italians in particular are outstanding and I would guess the best in the world. The cloths, silks, colour and pattern combinations are so incredible. So suffice it to say, each time I am there I tell myself I must dress better. 

Buying great quality clothing is never a waste of money. It is an investment. You WILL wear it for years to come. Because...... great style, quality and craftsmanship never go out of style.

Photo taken from Harry Rosen magazine "harry".

Everything about this gentlemen's outfit says first class. He could have had this jacket for five years, 1 year or just bought it today and it would look this good. This is sexy, no ?

Photo taken from Canali website.

Well, yes of course it's an adverstisement. And very on trend. Yet classic. The checks, stripes and diagonal stripes work. It's very chic, has individual style written all over it and yet, still classic.

So, the following is my fantasy wish list of quality, classic clothing for the upcoming coming fall season. 

Two design houses that dominate the fall season for me are Dries Van Noten and Brunello Cucinelli.

Dries Van Noten..... the great Belgian designer..... his clothes represent all the things I would love to wear whilst staying in town. Van Noten's superb use of colour and sophisticated styling are brilliant. And I love the nod to the 40's. Watch his runway show on line. I love the "film noir" approach on the catwalk.

And... for the country.....Brunello Cucinelli... Cashmere, hammered leathers and resplendent silks are their stock in trade.....

Oh, those gorgeous Italians !!!

I absolutely love this outfit ! The boots, the bag, the jacket. And oh, did I mention the cashmere tights ?

Fabulous !

Very fabulous !

Fabulous, fabulous !

Lovely.

Mmm... this could be a very town outfit. Ok, that bag is killing me.

Yes ok, this could also be a town outfit. Do you love the extremely long leather gloves ? 

Quality and classic styling should always be your benchmark. That's going to be my rule from now on. I know we can't all afford a full wardrobe of cashmere and silk clothes and spend silly amounts of money. But one great coat, one great dress, a fabulous bag and some amazing shoes/boots and you have the basics for an elegant, sophisticated look for years to come.