Miss Gwyneth Paltrow's Guide to Travel

Do you sometimes subscribe to completely frivolous blogs, just because you feel like some light fluff in the solemnity of your day-to-day life?  I do. Some of the blogs I like to look at – like tucking into a palette-cleansing spoonful of sorbet before the meal of life – are the ethereal delights of This is Glamorous and the elegance of DustJacketAttic. There are a few others too, that could be termed 'blog sorbet', but I'll add them to the Reading List on the side this week.

One of the blogs I subscribed to recently, simply because I thought it was a bit of pretty embroidery, was GOOP (well, the name tricked me, for a start). It's Gwyneth Paltrow's blog (GOOP...get it? It took me a moment too), and it's a weekly lifestyle journal of recipes, fashion, travel, wellness tips, cultural notes and more, curated by the talented Miss GP. I know some people are nervous of GP since she cried at the Oscars but I really like her. She was the only guest to write a personal Thank You note to Valentino when he hosted a boisterous bunch of celebs at his French villa one year. (I think he told this anecdote?) I do like a girl with good manners.

Anyhow, GOOP is gabulous. Sorry, fabulous. And far, far more than just fluff. This week's entry is the best yet. It's Miss Gwyneth Paltrow's Travel Tips. (And you just KNOW she's gonna have some good ones.) Furthermore, she's lassoed her friends, talent manager Seth Friedman, and stylist/author Donna Hay in to contribute. (Who knew she and DH were friends?)

Here's their Frequent Flyer Tips. And a few of mine too.

KEEPING CALM
Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C Packs. Take a couple of these bad boys as soon as you get to your seat and you're immune from the woggy germs of 200+ sick passengers. (I wish I'd done this last trip!) A hand sanitizer is good, too.
Calcium and magnesium supplements. Also take a few of these mid-flight to calm the system.
Shower en route. If you have to stopover (when flying to London, for example), find an airport such as Singapore that allows you shower. Donna Hay even washes and dries her hair. (I used to do this: it's a good trick. I might take it up again.)

SEATING
Use Seat Guru and Seat Planes to choose your seat. Good tip: We normally sit in the seats just behind Business Class on United flights, which have a metre of leg space in front. We still can't justify the price of Business Class seats. Nor First Class, for that matter.
If you need more space, ask if you can pay for an upgrade. If you don't have Frequent Flyer points, you can pay just $149 on United and get upgraded to Premium Economy – it's worth it when you're flying all the way from Sydney to LA.
Choose your airline carefully. If you fly Business, consider Air New Zealand and Virgin, which have wishbone configurations. You can get in and out of your seat easily.
If you're a family, consider Air New Zealand. If you fly Economy with a family, consider Air Zealand again. The airline has a new feature in Economy Class on their new 777 service called Sky Couch. You purchase an entire row for just slightly more than two seats would cost.

EASY QUEUES AND IMMIGRATION
If you live in the US or travel there a lot, subscribe to the Global Entry program. It allows you to bypass the often-ridiculous immigration lines when returning to The States. (LAX is famous for being awful.)
If you're Australia, get a passport with a chip. (The new ones.) It allows you to skip the Immigration lines at Sydney and Melbourne and go through the Chip Line (as I call it). My chip no longer works but I just waltz up to the officer and look confused.
Enrol in a Frequent Flyer program (I can't stress this enough). Even if you only do one overseas trip a year, the points and benefits will still make your life easier. If you're a United / Star Alliance Member, for example, you can skip the normal queues and check in at the Premium, Business and First Class section (SO much easier at NY's JFK) AND jump the normal passport control before the x-ray machines.

EASY UPGRADES
Dress well. Occasionally you'll glimpse staff’s monitors that read, 'Look for well-dressed people to upgrade.' (I thought this was a myth, but obviously clothes still count.)
Enrol in a Frequent Flyer program. You'll be more inclined to get an upgrade. (Being nice to staff helps, too)

LUGGAGE
Buy a carry-on bag with 4 wheels. Much easier to control. And buy a coloured one so you can identify it easily. (I bought an orange case in New York: you could see it from the moon!)

NOISE
Buy Bose noise-cancelling headphones. (You see them on every third passenger now.) They really do reduce unwanted ambient background noise, so you can hear what you want and silence the rest.

Here's a pic of Gwynnie mid-flight, courtesy of GOOP. She still looks good, even at 35,000 feet...

{Images via Dior, Coach, The Talented Mr Riply and GOOP}

Feeling Blue: Why Navy Interiors Reflect Our Mood

Life, Interrupted...

In 10 days we are moving to a new home. We had intended for it to be an investment property, as we had hoped / planned to move overseas. However, life has a way of throwing a cul-de-sac at you, and so we've gone overseas and come back again.

 {Butterfield 8, via Apartment Therapy New York}

The reason(s)? It's election year in the US and so job prospects in US politics are slim (ironically.) RR has had interest from several political players (those not burying their coiffured heads in policies), but it's not enough to give up the great job he has here. Not just yet anyway. In addition, we're realised that his mother is at a stage where she will need more of our help, and may even wish to live with us, intermittently or full-time. (And she is more than welcome to do so.) And my parents would miss us, too.  So we're here for another year or more. Melbourne winter, and all.

The irony is (and I was ruefully cognisant of this as I walked around New York), I could happily go and live in the US tomorrow. I could begin work there immediately. And there is far more work for me than here. (Look at Liz in her lover's Fifth Avenue apartment in Butterfield 8. She looks happy, doesn't she? This is before The Lover throws money at her, of course, and she throws a tantrum back. And then runs out the door with a bottle of scotch.)

I could also happily settle into a little cottage in Connecticut. Especially if it had a little garden. {Photo: Connecticut Cottages & Gardens}

But the road seems to have forked unexpectedly, and we're now taking the left track in life, rather than the right one. (Or should that be, the left door, rather than the right?) I'm hoping the skewed route still gets us there eventually, but I have to admit the detour has made me a little contemplative. No wonder I've been sombre all week. No wonder I'm posting images of bathers. And beaches. And New York streets. Anything to distract me from the fact that I'm still here.

Have you ever given up everything for your family? Have you ever sacrificed your own career to put your loved people first? I have to admit I've never done it. I've moved when I've wanted to; taken jobs where I've wanted to; lingered in places (Paris, London, Key West) just for the sheer pleasure of it. But when you create a family, your life becomes theirs. And theirs becomes yours. It's difficult to herd a clump of family members to the East Coast of America, especially when they're quite happy here, thank you!

The upside is, we love Australia. We love our families. And we adore Melbourne. We also have a beautiful home to move into. So I'm going to console myself with a bit of decorating. (And perhaps a glass of something, too...)

The colour scheme I've chosen for our new living room? You guessed it. Benjamin Moore's New York State of Mind. Or as close as I can get to it with a beautiful navy blue.

What's that old saying? If you can't have what you want, be happy with what you've got? Gratitude is a great thing sometimes, isn't it?

“So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed!” ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

{NB Have completely lost the sources of these images, possibly somewhere over the Pacific. Please let me know if you know, and I'll happily credit.}

The Glamour & Grace of Vintage Bathers

A few weeks ago I made one of those serendipitous discoveries that makes your afternoon a little brighter. I stumbled over a new website devoted to one of my favourite photographers, Dare Wright (below).

Dare was one of those astonishingly brilliant, gifted and incredibly stunning women who seemed to be able to do anything, from modelling for top magazines to writing bestselling books, to photographing shoots with her classic Rolleiflex; shoots that still look gorgeous, even today. She looked just as good in  front of the camera (see below) as she did behind it.

I'm so pleased to see there's a resurgence of interest in her work at the moment, led by a new website (darewright.com), a new book and quite possibly a movie as well. Her life was quite tragic, but the legacy of images and words she left mean she will always be remembered.

Inspired by Dare's gorgeous beach style (above) and also by a great post by Slim Paley, here – SWIM, about the revival of vintage bathers, swim caps and syncronised swimming, I thought I'd do a post on the glamour and grace of vintage bathers. It seems like the perfect thing to take our mind off the miserable winter here in Australia! (And the perfect thing to inspire the Northern Hemisphere as they head into summer.)  If you're heading somewhere warm in the next few months, I hope this offers some lovely inspiration.

BEACH GLAMOUR, 

VINTAGE STYLE

Great robe. Even more gorgeous hat. {Via Vogue}

To sweet to get wet. Lilac and white petal swim cap, from Saratoga {via saratogafinelingerie.com}

Balloons and beachy chic. {Uncertain of source. If you know who to credit, do let me know.}

With this swimming cap, you don't really need to wear anything else! Karlie Kloss by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia.

The line-up. A collection of bathing caps in the pool room of a friend's house (Mickey Robertson at Glenmore House in Australia.)

Pink perfection. [Via Conde Nast Store.]

Casual in a cardi. {Via Elle Germany 2011}

Dancing queens. 'Demi-Plie' halter maillots with ruffles by Marysia Swim. (Tutu not included.) {marysiaswimstore.com}

Darling, where's that drink you promised me? Oh my goodness, you're not the man I married! {Via Elle Germany 2011}

Classic glamour. {Via Vogue}

Cinematic elegance. Keira Knightly in Atonement. {Via Atonement publicity}

When Jack met black: 'The Swimmer' – the painting from the movie Something's Gotta Give. 

(Jack Nicholson actually suggested this artist for the set design; he has an art for art and thought this piece would give the set a summery lift. The artist is Kenton Nelson – www.kentonnelson.com)

John Rawlings for Vogue. {Via Vogue}

{Source unknown}

Via Slim Paley. {slimpaley.com}

Ulla Anderson, 1964. {Source unknown}

Karl Lagerfeld's Resort collection for Chanel, staged at The Raleigh's iconic baroque pool in Miami, scene of Esther Williams' original movies.

Cool in Chanel. A maillot from the 2012 collection. {Source unknown}

[Top image: Source unknown. Bottom image: Vogue cover.}

Floral fantasy. White petal swim cap, from Saratoga {www.saratogafinelingerie.com}

[Sources unknown.}

[Source unknown}