I admire anyone with patience enough for quilting. It’s such slow, painstaking work. But the result can be so gorgeous. Cuban born textile designer, Lorena Marañon makes quilts that are as bold in colour as they are in design. Her embroidery work too, is so intricate and charming. Take a look at her work –– it’s really quite happy-making.
I love rings, and although I lean towards simplicity, I cannot resist the whimsy, colour and imagination of jewellers like David Webb, Alice Cicolini, Solange Azagury-Partridge and Holly Dyment. Dyment is from Toronto so I’d love to visit her studio one of these days. Think surrealist lips, slithery serpents and evil eyes in jewely colours. She spends a lot of time in India, and is inspired by the richness of the country’s colour and imagery. It’s hard to play favourites, but I’d be quite happy if this little fly landed on my pinky.
“I was born in 1940 during the second world war. I can remember being held up to the sky to see the doodlebugs, and drawing chalk butterflies on an air-raid shelter. We lived in Chatham, Kent. My mother apparently walked down from the hill to the hospital to have me in the middle of an air raid.” I don’t know much about Zandra Rhodes, but I’ve always respected her disregard for rules around print and colour. “More is more,” “anything goes” and “shrinking violets need not apply,” are her mantras. (I’m making all these up, but I doubt she’d object.) I remember being at a vintage clothing auction at Ritchies years ago, and missing out on a Zandra Rhodes dress. I didn’t even think about bidding. Today, I would. And I would wear it with a pink wig, just for laughs.
It’s not New Year’s Eve without a sequin or two. Whether you’re at home with a curry, or glitzing it up on a yacht in St. Barts, a little sparkle is a must. If Iole has her way, we’ll all be in ballgowns, (Jason & Antimo included) eating pizza and watching fireworks in Paris, London and Rome.
When I lived in Florence, my father bought me a pair of tobacco brown Gucci loafers from the city’s flagship boutique on Via Tornabuoni. I think that may have been my first, and until last week, last visit to Gucci. But these recent collections (since Alessandro Michele came on board) are too gorgeous to not see and touch up close. And yes, if money was no objet, I would snap up a least 20 pieces, including a watermelon pink blouse to wear with these embroidered white trousers. Too much? Never.
When an opportunity presents itself to wear something on your head –– I say, go for it. Life is so much more fun with a felt beret or a paper crown on your noggin. The headdress that Marika Shioiri-Clark wore to marry Graham Veysey in Texas this August was nothing short of sensational. It’s just the sort of extravaganza I’d like to wear with a red pulley to Christmas lunch.
Don’t you want to know what these two are nattering about? The photo was shot by Dave Bennett in ’91 after the premiere of Liza’s film, Stepping Out, and you can just can just tell they were in the midst of something juicy. “I like the image because, for just one second, her barriers are down,” said the celebrity photographer. “She’s just a young woman giggling with a girlfriend at a table at a party.” Between Liza and Diana, I see so much of my Mum at that time –– strapless ruffles, red talons, a tomboy pixie cut, Coca Cola and a giant crystal ashtray within reach. This was how she did a girl’s night out.
The Guardian ran a piece about the future of knitting and textiles a few weeks ago, spotlighting a company called Unmade, which uses coding to power knitting machines as though they are 3D printers. “You press a button and a garment comes out,” says one of the founders, Ben Alun-Jones. It’s the love and time that my mother-in-law pours into each piece that she knits for her grandchildren –– a mint green cardi and hat, a fisherman stripe sweater, a cream cable knit blanket –– that makes them so special, but the instant gratification of a bespoke piece does appeal. “We are building a completely new experience for the customer where you can be part of the creation process. We have made our own file format that is like an MP3 is to music –– we have created a .KNIT which is a file format for knitting,” says Alun-Jones. The Unmade website is up, and a temporary shop has popped up in central London in time for Christmas with an in-store knitting machine that will knit you a pully or a scarf on the spot. “Ultimately we are trying to create the highest personalized garment you can have,” says Alun-Jones.
My first pair of two-tone Chanel flats was a gift from my father in my late 20’s. I wore them for years, even with holes as big as two pence coins in the soles. I’ve kept them, of course, for gardening and jaunts to the sandbox. They’re so grubby and tattered, but I don’t have the heart to throw them away. In the meantime, my mother bought me a second pair a couple of years ago, that I’m doing my very best to keep looking chic and new. The key is regular visits to the cobbler. It’s easier to fix a heel, than to work a small miracle on a whole shoe. They’ll get a rest over the winter, because the nude on black only really looks good with bare legs. Little feet and long legs, that’s what all girls dream of. Clever Coco.
Once upon a time I smoked and wore lipstick and carried a clutch when I went out at night. These days, I walk out the door with a credit card slipped into my iPhone case, and that’s it. If I were to bring back the evening bag, Katrin Langer’s hand embroidered clutches are the perfect size for my pared down necessities. Plus, they’re just so charming and dainty. Now, how to choose just one?
All rights reserved © La Parachute · Theme by Blogmilk + Coded by Brandi Bernoskie