Posts from January 2018

lychee

January 31, 2018

So many childhood memories are triggered by food. I saw a handful of lychee this morning, and within seconds I was sitting at Mr Kai in Mayfair, age seven, noshing on dozens of lychee. It’s where my Dad used to take my brother and I and his then girlfriend after work late on Friday nights. I’d start off with a pile of prawn crackers, and then make my way through sticky ribs, egg fried rice and Peking duck pancakes with all the trimmings. Vanilla ice cream was a staple for dessert, and so was a bowl of lychee. I don’t remember much else about the evenings, other than the food and how exciting it felt to be out at a fancy, grownup restaurant. At home, my Mum stocked the fridge with lychee, too. I scoffed them by the dozen in front of the tele, and they were a staple in my packed lunch. There was a brief Lycheetini phase in my early twenties, (although, I don’t recall ever calling them that, thank heavens) but that’s probably the last time I came into contact with one. To be honest, the thought of eating a lychee, makes me recoil a little. Maybe I just had one too many?

 

Iris

January 30, 2018

I’d never heard of Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, but just one glimpse of the setting for her spring 2018 runway show, had me curious about her work. The show was held at the Galerie de Minérologie et de Géologie in Paris and although her work is not my thing, I found the sheer fantasy of it all captivating. Nature is a central inspiration (the collection is called Ludi Nature); “I think we as humans don’t even come close to the intelligence within nature. It’s funny how people think that nature is simple and technology is complex—it’s the opposite; technology is simple and nature is complex.” Take a look at the collection –– this dress looks to be made up of a dozen vertabrae.

Sofa so good

January 29, 2018

I’ve spent the last few days horizontal, nursing flu-ey symptoms with chicken broth, ginger tea and countless epsiodes of This Is Us. Thankfully, we have two very comfortable sofas to recline on. That said, if I was ever wanting to splurge on a third, this would be it. It’s ridiculously over the top and perfect for convalescing on.

A room of one’s own

January 26, 2018

Thankyou Google, I would have had no idea it was Virgina Woolf’s 136th birthday had you not featured her portrait today. This evening, some Mabin mothers gathered at the Rose Avenue Junior Public School in St. James Town for a women’s dinner. We ate delicious food, and talked about the challenges and joys of raising our children. Community and friendship is so important as mothers. And although in many ways, the women who gathered tonight are so different, a common love and struggle with our children, connected us. “Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.”

when life gives you lemons

January 24, 2018

Lemon curd is one of my favorite things to eat. I could eat it straight out of the jar. These delightful Dutch Babies –– pancake meets crepe meets popover –– are the perfect pillow for piles of lemon curd. This recipe says they’re a cinch to make. I think my children would fall off their stools if they came to dinner and found these at the table. My son is liable to scoff at the lemon curd, but I’m sure jam or crème fraîche will do.

j’adore dior

January 23, 2018

I went to the Christian Dior exhibition at the ROM on the weekend which left me all in a flutter. The ribbons, sequins and silks, oh my. It was learning about the companies –– Maison Hurel, Masion Rébé and Ginistry et Quénolle –– that produced all the hand embroidery that I found most fascinating. And the ones that created velvet ribbons, (Giron Frères) and dupioni silk (Staron). One of my very favourite Diors in recent memory, was the embroidered white dress that Mara Rooney wore in Cannes in the spring of 2017. It was modern day Hepburn. The sheer fabric added edge to her demure collar and hem length. And her choice of black heel and clutch was perfection. It was classic, crisp and utterly chic. Dior would have approved.

bed skirt

January 23, 2018

This is such a pretty idea for a valence –– a large piece of lace fitted to the box spring. I like the headboard also, with its lovely carvings. And while the whole look is fitting for a farm house, I think some colourful throw cushions and a chartreuse quilt would give the room a bit of a twist.

Lindo maravilhoso!

January 22, 2018

It’s hard to imagine, but soon enough we’ll be sliding bare feet into summer shoes. I’m a little in love with these rope sandals from San Paolo based designer, Lane Marinho. Her colour combinations are brilliant. Two small caveats: the shoes are only available in Brazil, and you need pretty darn perfect feet to wear them. So, I won’t be buying a pair, but I’m delighted to know they exist.

second skin

January 19, 2018

I came across these lovely body suits this morning –– the perfect first layer in cold winter. I love the muted colours –– pale blue, peach, cream and olive –– and fine ribbing. The last time I wore a bodysuit was circa 1995, with lots of eye makeup, bottle green jeans and biker boots. Twenty years later, this is more my speed. I should dig up the old biker boots, though.

Paris, Je T’aime

January 19, 2018

Despite its proximity to London, I’ve been to Paris only a handful of times. But my memories of each visit are very vivid. There was the cruise on the Bateaux Mouches with my mother, when I wore hibiscus pink leather shoes and ate frog legs for the first time. There was the most perfect tarte tatin shared with Jason at a bistro in the latin quarter. We had an argument in the street on the way home, which felt very nouvelle vague. Jason bought me Stephane Kelian shoes and an Eres bra on that trip. Our second visit, eight years later, was equally exciting. This time, I was four months pregnant with our first baby and buying D cup braziers at Le Bon Marché. Somewhere in between the Bateaux Mouches and Le Bon Marché, were two school trips with my very best friends. There was a rather major spat in the Lalique room at the Musee D’Orsay, but other than that we all got on swimmingly. If I recall, we spent most of our free time, sitting in tabacs painting our nails (Chanel had just launched Rouge Noir) eating Camembert and smoking Gauloise. I’d like to take my girls there one day. Maybe we’ll get on the Bateaux Mouches and look at Renoirs, or maybe we’ll sit in cafes and eat cheese all day.

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