Iconic Ad Campaigns

There are some ad campaigns that you remember long after the collections have come and gone. These are the ads that mix fashion with whimsy and humour, and style with sassiness and cute street scenes. They're ads that Grace Coddington could have directed, with Rodney Smith standing behind the camera. They're ads that show a life we often wished we led. In fact, they're ads that we often wish lived in! Here are some ad campaigns that stand out from the rest.

J. Crew. August 2007. Such a cute ad.

Kate Spade. Fall/Winter 2009/2010. The balloon with the polka dots was an inspired idea.

And a few more from Kate Spade's incredibly creative and memorable ad campaigns over the years... (The company was certainly a leader in marketing until the Spades sold it and a little of the magic and talent was sadly lost.)

Lilly Pulitzer (below). The queen of bright colour, bold patterns and cheeky wit.

Ralph Lauren always shoots great ad campaigns. The one with Penelope Cruz (above) was spectacularly glamorous.

Here are two more.

Images from Ralph Lauren ad campaigns throughout 2008. I'm not sure which one I prefer? The image with the gorgeous gilt frames or the image with the gorgeous gentlemen...

These shots are not exactly an ad campaign – they're images from German Amica – but Karl loves the pix of Diana Kruger wearing Chanel so much he's posted them in his diary on the Chanel website. Clever marketing.

Cabana Drama

Cabana curtains are nothing new. They've been seen at swish hotels and chic pool houses for the past decade or more. But now I'm starting to see them on verandas, porches and entrances, too.

The sight of these glamorous swathes of fabric draped around a verandah or creating a stylish frame to an otherwise bland entrance has inspired us to sew our own theatrical drapes for this place. We hope that the effect will be as dramatic as these ones.

A country house outside Sydney. {Image via Vogue Living} I love the way the box hedges have been trimmed into geometric shapes to reflect the sharp lines of the house, and the way the curtains are cream so they blend into the architecture and don't detract from the lush, rich greens of the garden.

Another image from the same house. {Via Vogue Living} Notice how they've grown jasmine up the columns to create a kind of 'horticultural hem' to the ballgown-style drapes? The jasmine is also white and green, so it acts as a lovely segue between the white of the space and the green of the garden.

A Portland, Oregon, home belonging to designer Henry Brown and his partner Steve Bedford. {Image via Traditional Home} Look at how the pond matches the greens of the box hedges and jasmine... A truly gorgeous terrace design.

The Massachusetts home of Robert and Cortney Novogratz. This image has been featured in several places but I still love the freshness and originality of it. Those yellow and white drapes (which perfectly match the shutters) turn this entrance into a spectacularly dramatic space. I would have perhaps replaced the front door with a glossy black one, but I hate to nitpick so I won't. It's lovely.

A sweet cottage in North Carolina. {Via countryliving.com} 

This is a very old image from my archives so forgive me but I've mislaid the credit. (Please email me if it's yours and I'll duly credit you.) I believe it was a house somewhere in the Hollywood hills. In any case, this poolside scene reminds me of something out of The Great Gatsby... Only with a Spanish design focus rather than a Long Island one.

Musk Farm Garden

As part of the ongoing series of posts about beautiful gardens, I thought I'd show you one of my favourite Australian gardens, Musk Farm, an enchantingly sweet country garden near the village of Daylesford, in western Victoria.

I first came across this garden when I interviewed the owner, the renowned Australian interior designer Stuart Rattle, for the Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspaper's Sunday magazine. It was for story on city professionals who had moved to the countryside. He told me that when he first set eyes on the old dilapidated school house that would later become his home (above), it gave him something of an architectural shock. "I was expecting Howard's End," he confessed with a laugh, "but this looked like the World's End". But then he returned at twilight and in that shimmering golden light, the old house made his heart skip a beat. "I no longer saw the reality," he said, "but the fantasy."

Having fallen head-over-welingtons with the idea of country weekends with roaring fires and lots of whisky, he set to work on restoring the building and overhauling the grounds. It took a herculean effort, but according to Stuart it was worth every breath. Others thought so, too. In fact, when he was finished, the place looked so stunning that many design writers were astonished. The BBC included the property in a documentary about outstanding international gardens. Other publications, such as Vogue Living and Country Style, rushed to feature it in their magazines. And when Stuart opened the property to the public on a special spring Open Day, the place was inundated with visitors.

The house, which was inspired by New England architecture, has now been transformed from a run-down school house to a dignified gentleman's retreat, while the surrounding 35.6-hectare estate has been rejuvenated and turned into a productive farm. It even features a herd of rare British whites, a breed beloved of Winston Churchill. Not that Rattle's transition from city to country has been completely smooth. "I'm still waiting for tractors to come out in automatic," he told me, with a wry smile.

Here's a look at his magnificent house and garden at Musk Farm.

{Last two images via Vogue Living and Country Style. I'm not certain of the photographer so if these images are yours please let me know and I'll credit them. The remaining images are my own.}

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is an amazing site, isn't it? How many of you savvy bloggers use this site to analyse your readers and traffic? I've only just started blogging (despite having this website name for four years), and am rapidly trying to catch up with the systems of social networking. Google Analytics is part of the blogging learning curve.

Google Analytics shows where your readers are from. And how long they linger on your site. For example, I've discovered that most of my readers are Australian, and the majority are from Melbourne. This makes sense as I'm a Melbourne writer – and I also happen to adore this city. I've also discovered that the COLOURED posts are SO much more popular than the monochrome ones. (Are we Melbourne people the only ones in the world who like black and white?) But what was most surprising was that readers in other parts of the world came from the most unlikely places. Such as Alaska. And the UAE.

Google Analytics also shows you which sites your traffic is being referred from. And what keywords they're using to find your blog. (For example, my readers seem to like gardens, travel, hotels and Paris.) These kinds of analytics help you to figure out what your readers really like, and where you should perhaps be concentrating your writing energy.

If you're not using Google Analytics, try it. Just don't look at the "bounce rate". If it's not under 40% it can be a little depressing!

PS If you're a newbie blogger and disillusioned by your stats, don't be. It takes years to build up a readership. And everyone thinks they don't have enough readers. I once met a lovely girl in Savannah called Layla, who writes a blog called The Lettered Cottage. She has – wait for it – 40,000 readers a day. And yet she still feels it's not enough. Don't let your blog stats define who you are.

Country Life Cover

Last week, a lovely magazine called Yarra Valley and Ranges Country Life magazine published its Summer issue. This is a beautiful magazine that's distributed throughout Melbourne, the Yarra Valley wine region, the Dandenong Ranges and beyond into Gippsland. We often read it because it features achingly beautiful scenes of the countryside, and envy-inducing images of stylish interiors – which are usually far more stylish than ours. So it was rather a shock when the summer issue appeared on the newsstands and our house was on the cover! We thought we might be featured – the Country Life crew had asked to come around and do a little story – but we thought it might be shoved up the back of the magazine, between the Classifieds ads and the Subscription page. Not on the summer cover.

We were so touched, and so impressed by the quality of the shots. The CL crew did a wonderful job of shooting what is, in effect, a half-renovated house. Every week we're overwhelmed by the To Do list for this place, and every week I beg to sell and move back to an apartment in town! But houses take time to settle into, and this Country Life article shows how far we have come. It also brought a little bit of cheer into our life this week. Thank you Country Life. We were very touched.

{PS Will post some "before" and "after" shots of the interior tomorrow. I apologise that the quality of these scans aren't great. It's very late at night here!}

Pin Up Chic: Hollywood Swimsuits

Have you noticed that swimwear has gone all glamorous lately? It seems to have been taking its cues from 1950's Vogues and old Hollywood films. You only need to look at Chanel's 2012 Cruise Collection (which was staged at the Hotel du Cap in the south of France – a fitting backdrop for such a collection) to see how glamorous swimwear is now. Even Seafolly has started producing Hollywood-inspired styles, with frills, gingham, polka dots, halter necks and swimmers that look like they should belong on Capri or an old wooden motorboat off the coast of Portofino. It's about time we returned to elegant bathers. Just add a striped deck chair, some big black Jackie O-style sunnies and an azure-blue pool and you'll  soon be starring in your own Hollywood drama. (PS You seem to need VERY good hair to go with these bathers. No chlorine-soaked pool hair here.)

Here are some of the gorgeous swimmers I've been seeing around. Some are also from my archive files. {Top image of Chanel show via Reuters.}

A sleek, retro-style bikini (above) with a whole lotta glamour factor, from a beautiful spread in the just-released January issue of Australian Vogue.

An ivory lace knit swimsuit from Lover's collection, again from the January issue of Australian Vogue. Love the black and white lace espadrilles too.

A black maillot by the White Suede label, called the 'Crossed Love' swimsuit. Love that name. 

{Image from theage(melbourne)magazine}

A cheeky playsuit from Mrs Press' collection. Imagine this with a full-circle black skirt or even a cute wrap-around black skirt? You could slip the skirt straight off and be ready for a dip. It would be perfect for late-night cocktail parties! (As in... very late-night ones.)

{Image from Notebook magazine}

A fabulously glamorous maillot from Chanel's latest collection, as featured in the recent Chanel show at Brisbane's Government House. Look how sensational the matching gown looks? This is definitely one for Qualia girls. (And Qualia would have the black-and-white lounge chairs to match, too – for extra glamour.)

{Image courtesy of Absolutely Beautiful Things}

Another fabulous two-toned maillot from Chanel's 2012 Cruise Collection. Look at the one behind it, too. {Image via style.com}

A page from one of my favourite books, The Swimsuit, by Sarah Kennedy. (Cameron House publishers.) Not sure which designer did this swimsuit, but I adore the tomato-red beach bag and towel.

A spectacular ballgown-inspired suit from 1954 featuring sleeves and a burgundy bustle. Not sure how practical this is but it sure looks gorgeous. {Image courtesy of The Swimsuit}

A cute red polka dot swimsuit from a great Australian label called My Sister Pat. If you're into retro swimwear, do look up her website. She has hundreds of styles, and they're all gorgeous. www.mysisterpat.com.au/product

Another gem from My Sister Pat's collection. This number is called 'Myrtle'. This is how Myrtle's blurb reads: "Myrtle oozes 1950's elegance and femininity. After a morning dip, add a little classic denim to her pretty print and meet the girls for lunch..." Oh Myrtle, you're too cute for words.

A beautiful old Vogue cover. Look how the Vogue masthead has been created around the ball. Genius. Why don't they make covers like this anymore...?

{Image from The Art of Vogue Photographic Covers.}

From The Fuchsia Files...

The always glamorous, always gorgeous, always funny Faux Fuchsia has posted the most wonderful list on her blog this week. She's dubbed it Stuff That Makes Us Happy, and invited readers to contribute to it. Some of the suggestions are pure gold. Here are a few of the loveliest. Go to her blog –fauxfuchsiastyle.blogspot.com – for the full list.

Old people who hold hands.
A good night's sleep.
A garden.
The cool of an early morning before a hot day.
The beach in the rain.
Big roses.
Good cheese.
Fresh bed linen.
The sound of rain on a tin roof as you go to sleep.
A brand new notebook, ready to write notes in.
Being driven around New York in a town car.
Finding great books in the library.
Meeting old people who still love a good joke and a stiff drink.
Hydrangeas.
Gardenias.
Pedicures and shoes.
The sound of a swimming pool you have all to yourself.
Reading airfreight American Vogue.


These were some of mine:

The smell of summer gardens after the rain.
Discovering a wonderful garden, particularly a walled garden.
Packing a bag to go overseas (and the lovely sense of anticipation that goes with it - before you remember you need to travel through 26 airports...)
New York at Christmas.
Paris in September.
The sight of mauve wisteria on a grand old mansion.
Holding hands with my partner.
Home-made food of any kind.
Receiving a funny, kind or touching email, text or Facebook note from a friend.
The sheer pleasure of sitting down for half an hour to read a good magazine, such as Vogue Living.
Meeting a lovely shop owner, who remembers your name the next time you go in.
Happy people.
Interviewing a celebrity and discovering they're actually very nice. (NB Most celebs I've interviewed have been nice. I've only met one truly awful one; a former Australian prime minister.)
Chatting with teenage girls about boys, and shoes, and life.
Finding a lovely note that my partner has left for me to read, even though I've been grumpy all morning.
Making a chicken pie for my partner and seeing him eat it, and smile with delight, even though I know that it tastes like old flip flops.
Flicking through old photo albums, including other people's old albums. (There's something beautiful about old black and white photographs, isn't there?)
Holidays on the beach.
People who are gracious and kind.
People with lovely manners.
People who come for afternoon tea and bring French Champagne with them. (Love those people!)
Husbands and boyfriends who never remember to bring you flowers and then produce a sad, wilted bouquet from Safeway out of the blue with the line: "I thought you'd like these". (Like my man did yesterday.) So sweet.
Airlines that upgrade you. With you having to ask.
Drivers who let you into their lane, right in front of them, and then wave and smile at you.
Pomegranates, raspberries and blueberries - especially with really good quality vanilla ice cream.
Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. (Nothing but the sea and the tropical fish - bliss.)
Eating pomegranates or blueberries after you've been snorkelling on the reef, preferably on a beautiful yacht. Then having a sea plane come to pick you up and take you to lunch on a nearby island.
The lovely pink light at twilight, especially in the countryside.
Orchards.
Old-fashioned bikes. With old-fashioned wicker baskets.
White cottages.
Finding a favourite Chanel lipstick on sale that you thought was discontinued.
The scent of a new book.
Swimming in the sea when the water is calm and warm.

What are some of yours? Feel free to leave a note here, or add to Faux Fuchsia's extensive list.

Summer Lovin'

After a long, wet and miserable winter, everybody here in Australia is looking forward to the forthcoming summer. The first few days have been glorious, so if they're a taste of what's to come we're in for a treat this season. I'm looking forward to finishing writing a book that seems to have taken months to do (a non-fiction book about the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock), catching up with friends and family over the festive season, and then showing my niece Shae how to write her book (and showing her little cousin Lily how to take photographs for it). We're also hoping to grab a few days away, although with finances being kept in check it's more likely to be Tasmania or Adelaide than Tahiti or Argentina! Still, we love both places, so it will be wonderful to see these destinations again.

Here are some sun-kissed images to get everyone in the mood for the coming Aussie summer. {Top image from the book The Swimsuit by Sarah Kennedy}

The iconic pink umbrellas of Sugar Beach, by Andrew Badgley. {Via Flikr}

Tunisian bath sheets. Inspired by similar bath sheets used in the spa-style bath houses of Tunisia, these would be perfect for either a beach towel or a sarong. {Via My Island Home at www.myislandhome.com.au}

Pretty tea cups, perfect for afternoon teas with friends. 

{Via This is Glamorous blog and inspired-design.tumblr.com}

Or perhaps some pink bubbly, if you're feeling a little more decadent...

Find inspiration for the Christmas luncheon in Carolyn Quartermaine's gorgeous styling. {Via www.carolynquartermaine.com}

Deck the halls with... Cabriole Peony wallpaper from Designer Guild's Florimund Collection. {Via www.designersguild.com}

The Hula Bag, from Kate Spade. Perfect for a quick vacation in Hawaii. {Via www.katespade.com}

The perfect French fabric to redo a summer deckchair in. 

(Because deckchairs should always be striped.) {Via www.deckchairstripes.com}

Summer treats, inspired by the 'Prêt-à-Portea' High Tea at The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge. At The Berkeley, a new menu (or 'collection') of stylish delicacies is changed every six months to follow the changing seasons in fashion. The most recent collection saw Lanvin, Miu Miu and Burberry make their debut on the Berkeley’s tea stands. So chic – and so easy to emulate at home! (Although you may not be ale to capture the same air of refinement that The Berkeley does, of course.)

Map Magazine

A few weeks ago, the lovely editor at map magazine, Mikki Brammer, contacted me to ask if I would agree to an interview. Of course, I said, touched that she would even ask. I didn't know what map magazine was, but she was so professional, and so thorough, during the interview process, I knew it had to be a reputable magazine. Then the issue came in the mail. Well, what a incredible publication it is!

Defined by a sophisticated design that blends quirky elements with easy-to-read pages, map is full of fantastic content, from interesting profiles to whimsical What's On lists. Each issue is themed – the December issue was The Dreamers Issue, and January is The Design Issue – and all of the images, columns and copy are worth poring over. I sat and read it for hours. Furthermore, the level of professionalism that extends through map, from the interview process to the beautifully designed With Comp and business cards, is some of the most impressive I've seen in any company. I particularly love the innovative headlines. (I was dubbed an 'Inspiration Seeker'. How lovely. Wonder if I should put that on my business card?)

You can read it online at www.mapmagazine.com.au Thank you Mikki and map for including me in The Dreamers Issue. I am so thrilled to be part of this beautiful magazine.

Caviar Pie

Our entire family adores seafood. We particularly love prawns as part of the Christmas Day luncheon, a family tradition that dates back decades. (Seafood is ideal on what is inevitably a hot Australian day.) However, I'm also partial to a spoonful of caviar. So, too, was Diana Vreeland, from what I hear. In fact, she adored caviar so much, she created a Caviar Pie with it as the main ingredient. Guess what our household will be tucking into on Christmas Eve, accompanied by some lovely bubbly?

{Image by Oi-Cheong Lee from the Photographic Studio

for the Metropolitan Museum of Art]

Diana Vreeland's Caviar Pie

1 1/2 cups minced white onion, scallions or green onions
8 large hard-cooked eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
8 ounces cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
8 ounces caviar*, 2 or more colors if desired

Spread the onion on paper toweling to drain. Mince the eggs and combine with mayonnaise; set aside. Beat the cream cheese and sour cream together; it should be very smooth.

Lightly coat a 9" round springform pan with butter or cooking spray. Spread the egg mixture evenly over the bottom and sprinkle the onions on top. Drop the cream cheese mixture by spoonfuls atop the onion layer and spread gently with the back of a spoon. (Wet the spoon, if necessary.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Before serving, gently spread the caviar over the cream cheese layer in a decorative design. Use waxed paper or even string to outline your design. Accentuate with chopped chives, scallions or parsley, if appropriate.

Note: It's best to use inexpensive caviar in this recipe, such as Salmon, Whitefish, or Lumpfish. Some less expensive caviars do contain artificial coloring, however rinse the caviar in a strainer and drain on paper toweling before arranging and this will fix the problem.

Serve with good Champagne!