Well Red

I've been told I'm being a Christmas Grinch. I've been told that I'm not embracing the Christmas spirit to a sufficient Christmas standard. (Well, it IS only December 3.) I never thought I was a wowser but it does appear that I have lost the spirit of Christmas from the days when I used to live in Denmark. And so, to appease those who feel that I should be celebrating the festive season with a lot more punch (and glogg), here are some Christmas-inspired delights...

The Master of Red Drama isn't Santa Claus but another flamboyant gentleman... Valentino. No one does a red dress like this man. (Via manycolour.com)

I've seen this gorgeous Valentino gown a few times but I still love it. Imagine wearing THIS to an office party. I can imagine that longed-for raise would be forthcoming fairly quickly. In fact, wearing this dress, you could probably throw a couple of extra noughts on that figure you mentioned. (Via lyst.com)

More subdued but still very sweet. This cutie is one to wear to a Boxing Day luncheon with the aunts. Imagine it with a pretty hot pink ruffled skirt? It's called the "Seeing Spots" cardigan – which is what I'll probably be doing after too much mulled wine this Christmas Eve. (Via Gourman – www.gourmanshop.com.au)

Now THESE are worth being good all year for! Christian Louboutin's 'Eugenie' red satin pumps. Have you ever seen a more glamorous shoe? (Via theclshoesoutlet.com)

Now THIS is what you should be asking Santa for... Come to mama... (Via jewellery-ring.com)

Take a bit of festive cheer with you when you go on holidays. The Jets Classique spots collection is a little 1950's retro but still oh-so-sexy. Polka dots have never been so hot. (Via Jets.com)

Estee Lauder's Fig lipstick is so popular that some women have been known to ask their interior designers to match their walls to it. I think it would look beautiful in a dining room, with crisp white trim.

Ralph Lauren's Dressage Red. Interior designer Suzanne Kasler thinks this is the perfect red. "When I look for red I want a pure, true red, like the colour in the American flag," she says. "Ralph Lauren does absolutely the best. It's the essence of red, that American classic red. It makes me think of boating, or polo..."

This is what I received as a belated Chrissy gift from a very kind Santa last year: Louis Vuitton's limited edition volume of 100 Legendary Trunks. (Love the red spine!) What an incredible book. It was inspired by the equally incredible Louis Vuitton exhibition I saw at the Musée Carnavalet in Paris last year: a beautifully curated show of the French company's most memorable travel trunks, such as this, below. It just made you wish you had enough money to commission a set of Louis Vuitton luggage of your own.

Such as this, for example:

The Louis Vuitton Vacation Trunk. Not only does this fine piece of first-class luggage come coated in LV's protective Taiga leather, it features brass fittings, a glamorous red interior finish, a coffee maker, drawers for your laptop, and even a couple of solar panels within to power a flatscreen TV, a DVD player and a two-way radio. Everything you need for a prolonged stay on a desert island, really...

And one last cute pic. Wouldn't this kitchen look gorgeous in a classic old beach house? This would be the perfect setting to create a magical Christmas feast in. (Via haveninteriors.blogspot.com)

Inspiring Libraries, Part 2

As libraries seem to be a popular post on this site (you lovely readers are people after my own heart!), I thought I'd do another little post about some more inspiring literary spaces. Here are some of my favourite hotels that offer guests carefully curated collections of beautiful books. And beautiful spaces to browse them in.

HOTEL LE A, PARIS

The Hotel Le A (pictured below) is just about one of the most stylish little boltholes you’ll ever see in Paris. The result of collaboration between conceptual artist Fabrice Hybert and renowned interior designer Frédéric Méchiche, it was inspired by the shape of the Eiffel Tower (thus the ‘A’), and also the name of the street it sits on (Artois). Like its name, the hotel's interior is a picture of graphic simplicity. The lobby/reception is a slash of black while the bar and dining room is a whisper of white – a contrast of tones that results in pure architectural poetry. But by far the most irresistible space is the library, a elegant, licorice-coloured room graced with more than 300 books on design and fashion. No wonder the place is loved by magazine editors and photographers, particularly during Fashion Weeks. A place where pure minimalism meets maximum glamour, Le A is, to use well-worn cliché, a little bit of ooh la la. www.paris-hotel-a.com

THE MERCER HOTEL, NEW YORK

The Mercer (pictured below) is one of those typical New York hideaways that looks so edgy, you daren't go in. But don't let the facade and the A-list stars put you off. (The lobby is literally littered with them.) It's a surprisingly relaxed hotel with a surprisingly easy-going atmosphere. Even when the celebrity guests have a little hissy fit (as Russell Crowe did when he threw a phone around – yes, it's that hotel), the staff barely blink a professional eyelid. My favourite space in the hotel is not the restaurant (wittily named The Kitchen), or even the suites, but the lobby. Designed with an enormous floor-to-ceiling bookshelf filled with art, design and fashion tomes, it's the kind of reception where it's a sheer pleasure to wait for someone, be it a guest or a friend for a lunch date. (I confess that I often get there half an hour before an appointment, just so I can flick through the latest fashion volumes!) www.mercerhotel.com (Image courtesy of Mercer)

THE LIBRARY HOTEL, THAILAND

Sleek, minimalist and utterly surprising. If the cranberry-red swimming pool and matching umbrellas don’t hook you in, then the extraordinary architecture will. The all-white library (the only shots of colour are the book spines) is simply sublime. (Pictured below) As the old saying goes, read it, and weep, er... sleep. www.thelibrary.co.th (Image courtesy of The Library Hotel)

CARLISLE BAY, ANTIGUA

I haven't had the pleasure of travelling to this lovely hotel (pictured below), but I've heard so many fab things about it that it's high on my list. Particularly since I've learned that it has a fantastic library of 1,2000 titles, hand-picked by Philip Blackwell of the bookselling dynasty. The library is the inspiration of owner Gordon Campbell Gray, who, when he first opened the hotel, solicited lists of “Top 10 Beach Reads” from friends and travel editors. He then went and bought them for guests to read, and the library grew from there. There's nothing worse than being bored while on vacation but here, you don't need to worry. Just fill your bedside table or poolside stool with a pile of titles, ask the bartender for a cocktail fill-up, and sit back in literary heaven. http://www.campbellgrayhotels.com/carlisle-bay-antigua. (Image courtesy of Carlisle Bay)

Excuse me, Karl, It's up the Back...

For a few thrilling minutes, I was beside myself with excitement. I had heard through a Paris-based editor that Karl Lagerfeld had bought a copy of my Design in Black and White book. He had also decided, she said, to stock it in his 7L bookstore in Paris. This was, as you can imagine, astonishing news. I was so touched that I was almost speechless.

Then I saw this...
Somehow, I don't think he'll even notice my little book.

(Via The Selby)

PS Seriously Karl, this is not a good system. How are you going to find anything in this library? I'm worried for you. If you need me to re-organise, I'm more than happy to...

Apartment Rental in Paris

If you're considering visiting Paris next year, don't book into a hotel – although there are some truly lovely ones around, such as Le Senat and the Pantheon. Try renting an apartment instead. An apartment gives you a) more flexibility, because it will usually have a kitchen (great for preparing your own breakfasts and dinners), b) more privacy (no maids coming in at 11AM to tidy the room), and c) a more intimate sense of Paris. You really feel like a local when you're walking through a classic Parisian courtyard and then up an ornate Parisian stairwell to your own front door.

Here is a small selection of some fabulous apartments I've found over the years.

The Brad and Angelina Apartment

Once rented by Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and the Pitt-Jolie family, this glamorous penthouse, 'Brochet', is located on the Boulevard de Grenelle and is available to rent through parisluxeapt.com Love the view from the bathroom! (Images courtesy parisluxeapt.com)

The Quintessential Parisian Apartment

This apartment, 'Voltaire',  has everything you've ever dreamed of, right down to the elegant Parisian furniture and the silk taffeta drapes. Available through Chez Vous Paris Apartments - chezvous.com (Images courtesy of Chez Vous)

Another Classic Parisian Pied-a-Terre

This one, 'Sortilège', is also from the Chez Vous Paris Apartment group (www.chezvous.com). Their vacation rentals are some of the most stylish in the city.

Paris in the Winter

I love Paris in the winter. Most people don’t realise that Paris is more beautiful going into the colder months than at any other time. Under a dignified sky the shade of Dior grey, you can see the ‘bones’ of the city, including its noble architecture, through the brittle branchs of the trees. Somehow, the city seems finer, grander, and more spectaculaire. The shimmering cognac shade of the Seine under the morning sun (which changes through the day to a luminous petrol blue and finally to a silver the colour of evening slippers at twilight), the grand Aubusson grey of the famous cobblestoned avenues and the fine huître (oyster) shell grey of the architecture all co-ordinate to give the city an almost gentlemanly feel. The city is distingué (distinguished), poised and more handsome than Vincent Cassel.

Here are some images of Paris in this glorious season of starkly sophisticated beauty.

A Parisian Typeface

Here's another glamorous typeface. A designer called Moshik Nadav was so inspired by the world of fashion that he decided to create his own 'Paris' typeface, which is now being picked up by fashion magazines and luxury brands. The typeface is a cheeky, chic mix of beautiful ligatures and sexy numerals. You never hear those two words together – "sexy numerals" – do you? Well, it's about time we did! Personally, I'm rather fond of a sexy numeral, especially if it has more than seven 0s on the end...

Via trendland.net/paris-typface-by-moshik-nadav/

High Heels Typeface

So very clever! The clearly chic designer Zummi has created an alphabet inspired by elegant shoes. Mr Blahnik would surely love this.

Via trendland.net/high-heels-typeface and justbaustralia.com.au

Vogue: The Covers

Christmas has come early to our household this year. Last week, I received my first gift, and what a gorgeous gift it was! Entitled Vogue: The Covers, it's a enormous new tome filled with the best Vogue covers of the last century. If you love Vogue, photography, magazines or simply fashion, then think about putting it on your Christmas Wish List as a last-minute edition. (Abrams, $70)

Here's a glimpse at some of the lovely pages.

Beautiful Book Covers

Books are a difficult business. Especially at the moment. The number of books being published has increased to the point where the market is saturated, the online buying phenomenon has kicked bookstores in the knees and – to really finish things off – the book buying public isn't spending as much as it once did. So what do you do if you're a publisher and want to increase sales of a new books? Produce a truly beautiful cover.

Over the last few months I've started to see some extraordinarily gorgeous jackets emerge. Some of them have been inspired by the 'silhouette' craze that's sweeping book design, while others have gone for what a friend calls "ornate simplicity". The now-famous artist Rob Ryan was, of course, one of the first to highlight the beauty of silhouette or cut-out design (rob-ryan.blogspot.com), but others have picked up the trend and embellished it with their own graceful details. (More details on silhouette art in a later blog today.)

Here are some beautiful book jackets that have stood out from the shelves lately. Oh – and if you want to know more about the enchanting patterned covers of the Penguin Classics Hardcover series, designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, there's an interview with Coralie here:
greaterthanorequalto.net/blog/2009/09/coralie-bickford-smith-interview

Our Family

As Christmas is a time of family, I thought I would introduce mine.

My Other Half

I met RR in a gorgeous cafe called The European the day after I'd finished writing a novel about looking for love. (Is that serendipity, or what?) He bought me a G&T, I told him a dirty joke about a Scotsman, and they rest, as they say, is a mystery.
It's a wonder we ever got together, however, since we are as different as Liberal and Labour. He works in government/politics; I am a writer. He likes hunting; I am an animal lover. He loathes planes; I spent a lot of time travelling on them. He loves listening to politics; I loathe it (the result of interviewing a certain Australian prime minister several years ago). And he hates reading, whereas I adore libraries.
Not only that, he likes ACDC, Metallica and a lot of other bands who sing songs I can't understand. I, on the other hand, prefer classic 1970's music: Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison and even Neil Diamond. (Yes, I know, I must be the only girl under 42 who does.) I'm not quite sure how it all works but it does. Probably because he's lovely.
We are not married yet because I am dragging my heels with the reticence of Julia Roberts. We were meant to have married this month but, well, life intervened and I postponed it. We're now aiming for May 2012. It will be an elopement. I will wear my grandmother's pearl ring, my Chanel bracelet, and a home-made suit with whatever fabric I can find in the fabric closet. I've already had a big wedding in my life and the marriage didn't go too well. I don't want to jinx this one.

My Parents

My parents, Ross and Jenny, are lovely, but they're not like normal parents. They're what you'd call Extreme Adventurers. One journalist wrote that they like to take the Department of Foreign Affairs warnings and create travel itineraries out of them. It's not quite right, but it's not far off the mark. In the last two decades they've travelled through two wars, a tornado and a cyclone, and narrowly missed perishing aboard a sinking ferry on Peru's Lake Titicaca. They've travelled through South America, Patagonia, the Galápagos Islands, Alaska, Africa, the Arctic Circle and the Outback more times than I can count, and have traversed Europe and the US so much they know most of the plane timetables off by heart.
I've had the privilege of travelling with them several times but I can tell you it's not easy. For a start, they're both former school principals, so it's a little like travelling with, well, former school principals. We travelled through the US a few years ago and I felt like I had to write an essay at the end of every day. But I love them. They're smart, funny, witty, kind, and still correct my grammar. How could you not?

My Nieces

Alex, Meg, Gemma, Shae and Abbey

We have five girls in our family. (Or we thought we did, until two more grandchildren popped up this year that we didn't know about. But that's a story for another day.) We love all of them. It's difficult raising girls in this day and age, but these ones have turned out to be lovely. My sisters-in-law are the true stars. I don't know that I would have been as good at being a mother as they have been.

Our Dogs

Cooper and Coco

We tried IVF last year and stopped. It was too demoralising. So these puppies are our substitutes. And boy, do they take just as much work! (Tip: Don't get a Jack Russell. Your life will consist of one long marathon chasing after it.) So far they have chewed through an iPhone, a iPod, an expensive lamp, Christian Louboutin shoes, two vintage picnic baskets, a first edition book, my favourite Panama hat and assorted clothes. Including two much-loved Armani outfits. They will eat anything, even the ugly slugs that drown in the beer traps left out in the garden overnight. They test our patience, and they steal all the space in the bed. But – like the rest of the family – we adore them. Slugs and all

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas this year. 
With warmest regards from ours.