Garden Party: Fairs & Horticultural Fantasies

Connecticut. For the past two days I have been researching this tiny-but-perfectly-designed US state. A garden-loving friend told me we should visit the Trade Secrets Garden Fair held there in May (considered the Chelsea Flower Show of the USA), and so I've been trying to work out how. A 14-hour international flight, a 5-hour domestic one, a 4-hour 'rest' stop in NY, a 5am start and finally a 2-hour drive... I'm thinking we could quite possibly make it?

The reason for this crazy excursion? Trade Secrets and the state of Connecticut, particularly the Litchfield Hills, are considered a gardening 'Mecca' for horticultural lovers. My friend told me Ms Martha Stewart (pictured below at the fair) loves it so much she and her assistants go there at 8am on a Saturday with two empty SUVs to fill up. We hadn't planned on seeing Connecticut on our forthcoming US trip (we hadn't even planned to be in the US at this time), but now it seems to be first priority on the list! {Image of garden path above via Design New England. Image of gardening girls below via www.stephaniestanton photography.com. Image at very top via christinedarnelldesignstudio. wordpress.com}

The fair was co-founded by the inimitable interior designer Bunny Williams (above, with Ms Martha), who bought a farmhouse in the area and then wrote a bestselling book (also above) about its renovation and decoration. She now opens her extraordinary home to visitors on the same weekend. Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter has a weekender in the neighbourhood too. So does Annie Leibovitz, Michael J Fox, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Christine Baranski, writer Annie Kelly and photographer hubby Tim Street-Porter, and a thousand other low-key celebs. Bill Blass also owned a house in the region and retired there to design out his days.

What do they all do up there? Dig, apparently. "''Gardening is our sport,'' one local explained, dishing the dirt on the social activity. ''People garden here like other people play tennis.''

Indeed, Connecticut's VIP residents love gardening so much, many of them mob the stands at Trade Secrets for the antique cloches, artful topiaries, vintage wares and rare specimens. The people watching is meant to be more amazing than the plants. (And the fashion more amazing than the people!) Regulars include Oscar de la Renta and Carolyne Roehm.

I promise to take some photos, if I can sneak the Leica between the hydrangea leaves. But in the meantime, I was so inspired by this fair I thought I'd post a small selection of some of my favourite images of garden loveliness. Have you noticed how more and more designers are introducing botanical prints and horticultural images into their collections? I predict we'll be seeing a lot of flowers and leaves on frocks and sofas later this year. It's not surprising. Gardens are so wonderful, it's difficult not to resist.

A prediction of things to come? A page from British Homes & Gardens magazine's Feb 2012 issue.

Vintage botanical prints from the fantastic website Vintage Printables (www.vintageprintable.com), which lets you download vintage prints (including these lovely leaf ones) for free.

An old but much-treasured postcard from the Chelsea Flower Show one year.

French poet and art critic Dominigue Fourcade's Provence garden. One of the loveliest outdoor entertaining areas I've seen this year. Trust a poet to create an inspiring garden.

A house on Shelter Island that I had the good fortune to photograph last year. Designed by that talented duo Schappacher White, this was the guest cottage. It was as sweet as a pea.

My favourite gardening poster, a vintage Brussels print from the fabulous Izzi & Popo store in Melbourne, in our downstairs 'Gumboot Hall'. 

I can't understand a thing in it, but it always makes me smile.

A collection of treasured gardening books in our Gumboot Hall. These always make me realise I need to strive to be a better gardener! The two little peached lime trees and the miniature Metro entrance and lamp post were bought in a little store off the Palais Royal in Paris. 

If you haven't read any of Adam Nicolson's books, then do – he's one of the best garden writers around. Then again, it's not surprising. His grandmother was Vita Sackville-West.

Gumboots as art. 

I love everything about this. The simplicity of the scene, the double shelves with mismatching prints, the old wellies lined up like a leathery still life on the floor... even the leaf-green runner. So creative. {Via Homes & Garden Feb 2012}

The great Arts and Crafts garden at Hidcote Manor, which, along with Sissinghurst, has inspired Andy Sturgeon's design for the eagerly anticipated M&G Garden at Chelsea Flower Show this year. All three gardens encapsulate the ‘New English’ style of informal cottage-style planting schemes set within a strong, formal framework (often box hedges), although Sturgeon's will feature a modern mix of plants ranging from Aquilegia 'Chocolate Soldier' and Black Form iris chrysographes to clipped holly and domed umbels of hog’s fennel.

(On a little aside, we sold our house this week, just 3 weeks after we listed it. Apparently it was the Arts & Crafts-style garden that endeared it to the two sisters who bought it. I was so thrilled, as I spent most of my renovation budget on the garden rather than the kitchen, which is apparently where the money should have gone.)

Bunny Williams' glorious conservatory-inspired dining room, impressive alfresco pool house, and whimsical, folly-inspired bathroom at her Connecticut weekender, all of them inspired by her gorgeous garden. Bunny calls her bathroom 'Bath in a Garden Folly'. She says she was inspired by the grand garden rooms of 18th century Europe. Imagine washing the exhaustion off here at the end of a gardening day? {Images via Design New England}

Bunny's out buildings, which are just as elegant as her 'in' ones. {Mislaid credit: please notify me if you know}

A garden-inspired dining room at a Virginia home, also designed by Bunny Williams. The hand-painted trellis wallpaper is by Gracie.The topiary at left is planted in an antique urn from Treillage, Williams' New York garden store. {Via Architectural Digest}

An incredible trompe l'oeil in a grand American conservatory. Look at the roof. Just beautiful.  {Via Vanity Fair}

Windsor Smith's deliciously verdant hall, which has been featured repeatedly in the blogosphere but is still worth a little gaze. {Via House Beautiful}

An enchanting green house set up for afternoon tea. So simple and yet so sweet. {Via Millie's Laurel Hedge and Tove Anderson}

And lastly, it's a terrible photo, but this was my Valentine's Day gift to The Man this year. It's supposed to be a 'wisteria heart', created from entwined wisteria vines. 

Yes, I know. Rather wonky up top. It was difficult to train. (Or maybe it's the gardener whose skills are dubious?)

I had to point it out to him on Valentine's Day. (I didn't need to cover it up because he would have never guessed what it was before then.)

It was my little horticultural gesture of love.

With that, the blog is now taking a break for a little while. It's been a delight to see you here, and even more lovely to read your kind and thoughtful notes. I apologise for the brief halt in posts, but hope to see you back here again very soon!

A Little Thank You From Miss Coco...

Coco would like to say a sincere thank you to everyone who kindly sent their caring comments and 'get well' emails last week. We were all very touched, and apologise if we didn't get back to everyone who wrote in.

She is still, well, vomiting (I can't think of a more ladylike term for this), so I suspect her stomach and digestive systems have been compromised by the near-death, chocolate-scoffing experience.

However, apart from that minor ailment she seems to be very much back to normal health. (For which read: Utterly Naughty As Usual!)

We were all grateful she pulled through. Cooper most of all.

With licks and love from us.

In Defence Of The White Shirt

This is an apologetic little addendum for the recent post about 'fashion challenges'. I would like to sincerely apologise to all those Library fans who love their white shirts. Truly. I'm very sorry if I offended you. I would be thoroughly mortified if I did. I'm sure you all look beautiful in beige, and gorgeous in suede, and utterly sophisticated in a crisp white cotton shirt. I think I'm just jealous. I wish I could wear these fashion classics with élan. (Thank you for the lovely comments and emails too.)

I blame the fatigue. I've not been myself lately. We've had a big two months. Listing the house for sale. (Getting the house ready for sale.) Selling the house. Buying a new house. Trying to save one of our puppies from dying. Writing, writing, writing, trying to finish 3 books that never seem to end. And finally organising the logistics for a month-long business trip in May. I've been getting to bed at 3AM most nights. Indeed, it's now 4.09AM and I'm still here.

But lack of sleep is no excuse for provocative, tongue-in-cheek posts, and so, as an electronic apology, and a solemn attempt to make it up to you, I'd like to do a tribute to one of these great style icons. Here, with my love, is a look back at one of the greatest fashion classics of all time: the white shirt. With your permission, I'd like to sneak off to bed now...

Diane Lane. Oh, how I love Diane. (Did you ever see her film Must Love Dogs?). Look how she rocks a white shirt with that navy pinstripe number. 

The Women. Another fabulous film. See it just for the fashion. You won't be disappointed. (I've only seen the 2008 version, not the earlier ones, but I hear they're all great.) {NB I think this spread was from Vanity Fair}

A Vogue cover paying tribute to the timelessness of TWS.

Vogue contributor and New York fashion consultant Amanda Brooks shows how to do The White Shirt Look with casual elegance. Cuffs up. Buttons undone. Hair artfully loose. Black background behind. Almost looks like an Annie Leibovitz portrait.

Monica Belluci looks good in anything. But she looks especially good in a white shirt. For the record, I think brunettes do white shirts better than anyone else. But I'll go back in my fashion box now.

Julia Roberts sexing it up in Ferre. (See what I mean about the brunette thing?) Love the French cuffs on this shirt. (French cuffs make a white shirt.)

Keira Knightley sexing it up even more in the Coco Mademoiselle adverts. Another brunette.

Colin baby sexing it up even more as Mr Darcy. (Just had to toss this image in.) Look at those brunette sideburns. Remember how the shirt got wet in the lake? Classic scene for a classic fashion piece. Colin Firth should just walk around in a wet white shirt every day for the rest of his life.

Audrey Hepburn in a succession of chic white shirts for Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany's. {Via the great site rareaudreyhepburn.tumblr.com} I believe it was Roman Holiday that first popularised the white shirt. I could be wrong though. Don't lynch me.

More Audrey. This was rather a sexy pose for the normally demure Ms A.

Ashley Olsen, chanelling Audrey.

Another Ms Hepburn, who also loved her white shirts.

The famous scene from Pulp Fiction. Uma wears a white shirt with a certain sassiness, don't you think?

Designer Carolina Herrera, whose white shirts – whether her own or those from her collections – are always glamorous.

Elle, who always dresses well.

And me in a favourite white shirt from Ink. Just to prove I do wear and adore them. This was on the first date with my now-fiancé. (I know my hair was messy but I was so nervous.) Ah, those were the days. Young, carefree, skinnier, spare cash for highlights, Chanel lipsticks and expensive tuxedo-style jackets... Nowadays, all the money goes on gardening, renovating, books, wellingtons, travel and vet bills. That's what happens when you settle down in the countryside...  (PS I know I was trying to pose and I know it doesn't work. I could never pose very well. All the confidence was in the white shirt.)

The Genius of Jason Wu

Jason Wu stormed into the fashion headlines when he designed Michelle Obama’s iconic inaugural ball gown. He hasn't stayed out of them since. Up and up the Snakes and Ladders world of Style he has climbed, dressing stars such as Mad Men's January Jones (love that name), Amber Valletta and Diane Kruger along the way.

Now Mr Jason Wu is considered so significant in the world of fashion, Target recently asked him to design a line of Wu-some apparel for the cheap-but-slick chain store.

The first collection, released in stores on February 5, 2012, has been so well received, many of the pieces have sold out faster than you can say wu-hoo! (Sorry.)

Here's a little lookbook from the man who continues to take Manhattan by storm. Oh – and here's his bio from the wonderful Wiki, just to fill you in.

Born in Taiwan, Jason Wu moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at age nine and attended Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts and Loomis Chaffee, in Windsor, Connecticut. He learned how to sew by designing and sewing for dolls, and went on to study sculpture in Tokyo. Wu continued this career path at sixteen by learning to create freelance doll clothing designs for toy company Integrity Toys. He decided to become a fashion designer while spending his senior year of high school in Rennes, and studied at the Parsons The New School for Design at The New School. He later interned with Narciso Rodriguez. First Lady Michelle Obama is a noted Jason Wu customer.

She was introduced to Wu by André Leon Talley, Vogue Magazine's editor-at-large, who had been advising the current First Family on their appearance. 

Appearing on the cover of Vogue, Obama wore a Wu design, a magenta silk dress. Upon her arrival in London during the First Lady and President Barack Obama's first official European trip, Obama wore a chartreuse silk sheath dress designed by Wu; the next day she wore a Wu coat during her visit with the Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

And the Cinderella gown of New York Fashion Week 2021...