Anja Rubik - Vogue Paris 2010

Anja Rubik styled by Emmanuelle Alt at the Ritz Hotel.  If reality were not an obstacle that would be me.. the hair, the make up... dressed in black and white... 

All images are scans from Vogue Paris 2010

What's  happened to customer service in this world?

Next Saturday I am off to Canberra for all but 10 hours for the Masterpieces of Paris exhibit at NGA and really wanted to take High Tea at the exquisite Tea Room at the Hyatt - Canberra's only 5 star hotel. 

The great appeal of the Hyatt is that a person wanting to enjoy some of Canberra's many buildings and historic destinations can park at the hotel and have a pleasant afternoon exploring a range of attractions all within easy walking distance.  I'm looking forward to spending about an hour at the Old Parliament House which is just across the road. 

And that's where the trouble begins.

I rang yesterday, about 10 days before the trip to book for afternoon tea.  A gentleman answered the phone, and after I told him that I was in town for a few hours and had really been looking forward to dining there, all I got was "I'm sorry madam, we are very busy on the weekend, no room" and HE HUNG UP?

The whole tag of being-the-only-5-star-hotel-in-the-countries-capital-city must be getting to their head.  No offer of a wait list, no suggestions for alternative dining options at the hotel (and the website lists 4 other spots at the hotel alone).  So I took a deep breath and rang back and fortunately a different person took my call - she did what I expected from such an establishment - took my details down and told me she'd get back to me if a spot comes up, suggesting that as it's for only two, she's sure something will become available. 

Have you had any recent good or bad customer service experiences?  Maybe I was expecting too much...

With a major headache enducing, restlessness causing assignment due on Friday at 2359 hours, no car at my disposal on Saturday and the fortnightly play money well and truly depleted, the fact that Melbourne is keeping me happy with the weather still in the mid 20's is going to waste.  And the flu vaccine has made my arm SO sore, that the thought of going for a run down to the beach is making me squirm in agony.

The thought of the state of my wardrobe causes me just as much pain though.  It is currently spread out between the bedroom, the mobile rack in the spare room and a chest of draws behind the mobile rack in the spare room.  TORTURE.  Imagine the nightmare of trying to locate an item at 7.15 in the morning.

So to ensure my Saturday is not a complete waste of time, the grand plan is to

• wash, iron and fold the summer clothes which will not see the light of day until at least December (that includes you 7 pairs of bikinis taking over the underwear draw)
• sort through a whole draw of opaque tights and throw out the ones that have seen better days, and maybe, just maybe invest in my first pair of Wolfords!
• Ensure the bedroom wardrobe has the weekday clothing and the spare room all the play clothes, as clearly I have more time to be searching for playclothes when the occasion calls for them!

In the mean time, here's some walk ins that I daydream about while I'm searching for a black cami in the dark...

Cheap Thrills

I can't get away from the nautical look at the moment, can I?

Who's to know my world
Who's to share my worry
Mountains rise and fall all the time
And it doesn't mean a damn thing to God
So make believe in miracles instead




Who's to show no fear
Then cast the first stone at the mirror
And break the spell you put on yourself
And crack your shell wide open again
And make believe in miracles my friends




Who's to give everything
Just to serve what they believe in
That's the way you play the game of life
You create the world you want to see outside
And remember what it's like to play God
And make believe in miracles again
Make believe in miracles my friends

Balenciaga Paris - The Fragrance

This morning I am wearing a sample and I love it!

BALENCIAGA PARIS is a luminous, sophisticated fragrance with beautiful ingredients shaped in an innovative structure • Both modern and classic, just like traditional haute perfumery • A Chypre Violet with the green, fresh signature of the flower and its leaves, blender into a precious harmony of pure woods • A refined, feminine fragrance with a unique trail...

I would describe it as a fresh, floral.

As a David Jones card holder I also received a gorgeous little introductory booklet

And the bottle is just gorgeous!

As is Charlotte Gainsbourg as the face...

Perfumer Olivier Polge—he of Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb fame (an absolute hit)—has produced a floral chypre fragrance. Ghesquière apparently gave Polge a list of smells he liked, including floor wax, gasoline, carnations, and violets, and the esteemed nose chose violet as the center of the eau, grounding it in redistilled woods like cedar and patchouli. Petrol fumes didn’t make the cut, although there’s an intentionally urban twist to the fragrance. As for the prismatic bottle, it’s an homage to the signature Balenciaga cocoon-shaped cape, designed with direction from Ghesquière, who insisted that the flacon have a “head, neckline, and a body.” Gainsbourg has been shot by Steven Meisel to achieve the same effect in print form.

• Ghesquière elected by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world
• Ghesquière clothes for Balenciaga express a dualism: conservative world of good taste, on one hand, and the moody hard-edged style of the street on the other (Cathy Horyn)
• An investory of modern style
• Inspires himself by the Balenciaga values - volumes, silhouettes, cutting of sleeves...

An architect for design, a sculptor for shape, painter for colour, musician for harmony, philosopher for temperance...

30ml EDP AUD95... 50ml EDP AUD145... 75ml EDP AUD175...

Naomi Campbell for Vogue Russia

Russian Vogue maintains my love of fashion magazines which is slowly dying.  Despite her personal troubles, Naomi is the guest editor of the April 2010 issue.  It's a Naomi issue dedicated to her favourite things and favourite images.

Vogue Russia cannot be faulted, except for the fact that it's IMPOSSIBLE to buy a copy in Melbourne.  Magazine Cafe NY stocks it for a reasonable USD15.95, but paying for a mail forwarding service, I may as well buy it for AUD40++ on eBay.

I just love the near impossible-to-aspire to glamour.  Naomi is a super model.  I cannot envisage any of the current crop of girls pulling off shoots like this.

The above is my favourite Naomi shot - EVER - Russian Vogue December 2008

images scanned from Russian Vogue April 2010

Trends We Love: Sweatpants

They said that leggings would never catch on, but they are not going anywhere fast. 

"You should be aware people perceive sweatpants as workout gear," cautions Daniel Post Senning, moderator of the question-and-answer blog of etiquette experts Emily Post Institute. "Sweatpants will communicate workout wear to the vast majority of people."


A fashionable person loves nothing more than knowing this is what separates them from the masses. And that is why sweats may just work for a while.

Take Harper's Bazaar Australia stylist, Christine Centenera rocking these fabulous Josh Goot sweatpants in Paris.

It's a trend I'm certainly going to try.  No, not for dinner on a Saturday night or as an outfit for work on a Friday, but to breakfast on a Saturday morning?  Definitely......teamed with a tee and some great accessories...

Beautiful Blogger Award

The rules for this award are:

Thank the person who nominated me for this award - Thank you lovely Soul Princess all the way from Oslo xoxo

Copy the award and place it on my blog

Link the person who nominated me for this award

Share 7 interesting things about myself

Nominate 7 other beautiful bloggers

• Growing up I was a simple child... a tomboy... when I was 5, I wanted to be a hairdresser!  My ambitions have grown with time and now I dream of being a CEO of a charitable organisation.  (Hello Tim Costello)  I am not driven by personal wealth, but I think there's so much wealth in the world that can be shared amonst us all to ease the pain of the unfortunate.

• I can function without everything except sleep.  I can be hungry, hot, cold, sick or all of the above, but if I am not rested I cannot be productive.

• 
  
  I am a travel nut.  I love nothing more than visiting new places, experiencing new things and meeting new people.  Over the last 5 years I've been on more flights than I care to remember.  These experiences have made me into an expert packer and flier.  Rather than wasting valuable time washing, ironing, packing, waiting for luggage at the airport (my pet hate), putting outfits together...unpacking, then packing again, I travel with carry on luggage only 99% of the time.  I ensure everything matches and can be worn with everything else and I have a small pack of samples/travel size bathroom goodies that is always ready to go.

• 
  
  My idea of paradise is a hot, sunny day at the beach.. the smell of tanning oil, eating a fruit salad and melted chocoate.. sipping on icy cold water and people watching.  My parents love the beach equally as much as I do.  My two favourite beaches are Byron Bay in northern New South Wales and Cottesloe Beach in Perth. 

I'm hoping to visit Broome soon.

• 
  
  Almost daily, I dream of moving to Manhattan to live and work

• 
  
  I consider myself a high achiever and think that one of my strengths is persuation.  I feel as though when I set my mind on something I almost always get it, both due to my own hard work and my ability to sway opinion (haha, maybe I shouldn't admit to that???)

• 
  
  My family means the world to me.  My parents, brother and I have been through so much as a family.  I'd be lost without them. I know that no matter how dark the clouds get, they're always there for me.  And so is my B :)

I pass the award onto

Bottom of the Ironing Basket

Semi Expat

Diamonds in Champagne

Faux Fuchsia

Carly Findlay

Silver Beige

Peach Princess

Karl Lagerfeld's luggage was the talk of the weekend.  Why does he need 14 cases when he always wears the same thing, right?

Hmm, didn't they consider that maybe it's not his clothing taking up 14 cases?  Maybe it's samples/outfits for a shoot/props... pays to think outside the square...

Koko Lane, Richmond

Hello dear readers!


I am sorry for my lack of inspiring and thoughtful posts of late, but sometimes it's better to not say much at all...   


I hope you all had a lovely Easter.


Across the road from my office is a lovely store, called Koko Lane.  The lovely lady that owns it edits and puts together everything so well!  It's filled to the brim with French inspired furniture and homewares — this lovely store stocks a great range of French style furniture and ideas for your house including mirrors, glass, ceramics, photo frames and more.


I never fail to find something to purchase and stash away in my poor little  junk storage/spare bedroom to pull out once we finally move into our home, as opposed to living in our tiny apartment.


Here's some pics I took with my iphone when I was in there last week.  Apologies about the poor quality...

Gorgeous little coasters.  They make for great gifts.

I have a lovely collection of napkin rings that I've accumulated over the past year from this store.  They're all different and don't match, but are all silver, so they go well together.  At least I think so.

Excuse the glare through the glass.. this large clock is my latest purchase - I envisage it in my dream kitchen, ha!

On Good Friday/Veliki Petak we paint eggs red.  The red is a symbol of Christ's innocently spilt blood and also a symbol of resurrection.

They are taken to church on Sunday and blessed and one is then kept in the home as a protector for the rest of the year.