The Inevitable "Top Ten"

It’s still so hot in Perth. I didn’t know it was possible to get sunburnt after 6pm, but it is!

The only things one can do in this heat is stay inside with the air conditioning on and sort the washing whilst watching a DVD.

I’ve just watched François Ozon’s “Potiche” (a French idiom for “Trophy Wife”). It’s oh so French and silly. Catherine Deneuve is fabulous. I am putting her character, Suzanne Pujol, down as one of my favourite movie heroines. Set in the late 70s the fashion and interiors are wonderful – the DVD cover looks like a French version of “The Brady Bunch”.

Suzanne’s dresses (florals and pussy-bow ties at the neck) are tailored to a tee and her hair is perfectly coiffed. I love how she wears her Adidas tracksuit ensemble for her morning walk – hair in rollers “digging” the countryside and writing poetry about the scampering squirrels in her little note pad. She ends up being a real force to be reckoned with...

I was reminded of another female character that I adore, Etheline Tenenbaum (played by Angelica Houston) in “The Royal Tenenbaums”. Etheline is the matriarch of the house keeping everyone together. It’s interesting to note that her son, Chas (Ben Stiller) and his sons Ari and Uzi also trot around in a full Adidas trackie.

Adidas sure do attach themselves to some pretty cool movies.

Catherine Deneuve; Some Rights Reserved. Image by John McNab

Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC by -NC-SA 2.0)     

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en

Varsity Days

We are experiencing 40 degree Celcius days in Perth and winter just seems so far off. But I am dreaming of a letterman jacket for this winter to complete the Ione Sky "Gas Food Lodging" look!

I just checked www.style.com and a few letterman jackets have been seen on the streets of Paris this winter. 

Check out Tommy Ton's photos on style.com's “The Euro Index” fashion story (flick through to see the varsity sweaters):

http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/stylenotes/011112_Pitti_Menswear/

"The Varsity" photo by Afroswede. July 4 2004. Photo available under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

Beginning...Again

My new “hair crush” is Melanie Laurent’s character from the Mike Mills' film “Beginners”. She has a little side parted fringe and that messy French out-of-bed thing going on.  I must admit I've been trying to emulate it. (I followed my post-break up advice and just opted for bangs rather than lopping it all off in a fit of despair).

(my jowly portrait of Melanie Laurent!)

I really love "Beginners" – from the interiors (lots of plants!), the cinematography, Ewan McGregor and, of course, the beautiful little dog.

McGregor's character, Oliver, reminds me of the type of beau that I should really be going for. However, I must remember that it is a movie, it is fictional, it is NOT REAL!

B and I made a list of the characteristics we would like our potential partners to have – from personality right down to the type of shoes they would wear. Now, for some reason I kept mentioning corduroys … I really don’t know any men that wear corduroy trousers but I added this to my “perfect beau” list. 

I'd like to think that Ewan McGregor’s character, Oliver, would have a pair of corduroy trousers in his wardrobe.

So in the spirit of “Beginners” I’ve attached some photos I have taken inspired by this wonderful film (minus the cords).

House Plant "how to book" starter collection

My Mike Mills' print "Humans"

From Bighorn to Burma

On the way to our overnight stay we stopped off at the Hillary’s Boat Harbour market and visited le Hatchery’s stall. I purchased the oh-so-soft and luxurious “Capri” dress in charcoal – perfect for over bathers in the summer. It has raw tassles running down each side.

I have to disclose a guilty pleasure ... I am irresistibly attracted to American Indian paraphernalia. I haven’t succumbed to a dream catcher or decorative velvet carpet just yet but I am fascinated by the culture and have a number of vintage tee shirts in this vein.

When I first found out as a child that I had Indian heritage my heart gave a little flutter at the thought of being an American Indian. For a few seconds I was transported to the mid-west desert plains adorned in suede and feathers.I was a little disheartened, truth be told, when my mother had to explain that our ancestors were from Burma, not Bighorn. 

As a result of this fantasy I used to wander around the house with a pair of mum’s silk stockings on my head, which I would weave, into a long braid. I am unsure if I ever went public with this look. If I did, it never caught on in the school yard.

But the fascination remains. I have an amazing pair of mocassins that I found in a vintage shop in Osaka some years back and when I feel brave and creative I wear them.

I’ve noticed that the humble moccasin is revived every few seasons or so. Garance Dore just wrote about her pair recently on her blog. So from Paris to little ol' Perth the zeitgeist is in motion!

Gas Food Rest

I just had a mini-getaway with my son, N. 

Situated on the beach, the tourist site was full of chalets that had been customised by their owners - ranging from the "classic sea-side" style to what can only be called "garden gnome extravaganza". 

The setting reminded me of the 1992 film "Gas Food Lodging", starring Ione Skye. Oh how I loved her red "Letterman" jacket and brunette waves. On a visit to Prahran in Melbourne in the early 90s I purchased a vintage maroon jacket just like it (yes, there is that colour again - see previous post!) which I wore to the dance clubs of that era.

Places that remind us of long ago can be heart-warming. Our chalet was stacked with floral chintz complete with a kettle that required a good descale! The walls were sponged in corn-flour blue and the bed heads had side tables attached in glossy melamine - very Laura Ashley circa 1983. All that was missing was a cane peacock chair and a parlour palm.

The night before our departure I had slept terribly and before checking in to the chalet I spoke to my mother disclosing my fears. "Just relax, let me do some of the worrying for you", she said. Although I didn't want her to carry around my anxiety I took great comfort in those words. The world seemed very large at that moment with the ocean stretched out before me.

So N and I rested and although it was only one night away from home I felt like I turned the corner. 

To Let it Go

To live in this world

you must be able

to do three things:

to love what is mortal:

to hold it

against your bones knowing

your own life depends on it,

and, when the time comes to let it go,

to let it go.

Excerpt from the poem “In Blackwater Woods” by Mary Oliver (taken from “The Call: Discovering Why You are Here”; © Oriah Mountain Dreamer. All Rights Reserved; p. 101)

I have wanted to create a blog for a long time. It is ironic that I rarely post a status on my Facebook profile but that I now feel the need to express myself on the World Wide Web!

I hope to blog about my faith and art and other things of this world that interest me: fashion, art, interiors (including indoor plants - I am a child of the seventies after all!).

I didn’t however plan on starting at a time of flux – the result of a broken engagement. This experience is currently informing how I view my world and how I want to live my life, and, as the title suggests, it’s time now to let go.

So, to let go I have recently done the following, which I can highly recommend:

1. Move furniture around the house (the practical solution to running away).

2. Watch a television series – ALL back-to-back episodes. My choice, this time, was “Love My Way”. Previous break-up series include the complete “Gilmore Girls” (yes, the ENTIRE season…sad times) and “Gossip Girl”. My friend, B, recommends “ Mad Men” and “Secret Diary of a Call Girl”. A series is more cathartic than a movie as in times of despair it provides something to look forward to! And time is a true friend when this happens.

3. Reclaim yourself. My fiancé disliked large or dangly earrings and the colour maroon so I am now ensuring that each day I feature a component of these in the way I dress. As the relationship developed I did advise him that my Mimco rose-gold hoops were my “signature”, but, I hate to admit it, I soon wore conservative studs in his company. (Note: Reclaiming oneself must NOT involve a drastic hair-cut – this can be dire).

4. Read Maya Angelou (“Wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now”).

5. Listen to Joyce Meyer and Father Thomas Hopko pod casts – preferably when walking up a very steep hill. Not only faith strengthening but good for the calves!

6. Replace perfume. I have moved from Issey Miyake to its nemesis; Tocca’s “Florence” – from cool and crisp to the smoky floral of an Italian alleyway.

MOVE, WATCH, LISTEN & REPLACE…

I am in the process of letting go. It’s a great feeling. Further posts will be less indulgent I promise!