Tis the season

Hello world!

And so here we are yet again, another year almost past. Hope you’ve all enjoyed, or are still enjoying, a blissful holiday season. I know I am!

Though Christmas 2012 may be gone, its spirit is still lingering in the house of Rose, thanks to a turkey load of left-over turkey. And while I would love to fill these pages with scores of leftover turkey recipes (think turkey omelette, turkey pie, turkey breast stuffed with turkey, turkey mince, shall I go on?) I shall restrain myself and instead share with you my “other” favourite moments of Christmas 2012.

 

My love of decorating really went into overdrive this Christmas, with the perfect summer Christmas dinner planned. Up went the fairy lights on the deck, accented by yellow and white lanterns, down came the table setting with plum tree ferns and traditional red poinsettia’s, pop would go the beautiful French bon bons and...belly up would go all these plans come Christmas day, because lo and behold, mother nature decided to literally rain on my parade. Boo!

So while the much longed for outdoor dinner was never to be, here’s a glimpse of the festive table on the day:

 

Quick tip, if you’re looking to create an abundant centrepiece without splashing out on an enormous flower arrangement, why not use potted flowering plants, ferns and other au natural products
i.e candles, to create a decor fit for an...abundant centrepiece!    

I also have to confess that I did very well the Christmas present front.

A quick rundown of my kitty includes, my beloved Lily gifting me with the gorgeous interior design book Couture Interiors by Marnie Fogg. Though the Husband may have his faults (as we all do), present giving is not one of them. See glimpse of black and white stripey ballet flats and cute doggy slippers, courtesy of Country Road and eponymous sleepwear label, Peter Alexander below.  

 

Our family’s collective love of Paris and Manhattan extended to my present giving, with Lily receiving a pin from the recent Toulouse Lautrec exhibition and a pillow with references to the streets of Manhattan, and the Husband receiving a block of salted caramel chocolates, straight from the chocolatiers of France.

These items were also a reminder of our amazing holiday last year, which saw us visit these wonderful cities as one big fat family (Lily, me, our mum and dad, Petite Rose and the Husband). And while it was an unforgettable trip, it was all the more special because of the people I got to share it with. So, on that note, here’s to all your families in all its crazy shapes and forms, and a safe and happy New Year shared with those you love!

Until 2013...Rose. xx

He sells seafood by the sea shore

Hello hello!

It’s Lily here, inspired by Rose’s recent posts to provide a culinary update. To celebrate graduation, my friends and I went to the coast, with Mollymook being our chosen destination. Mother nature was not in our favour as we spent approximately 30 minutes on the beach in freezing wind which whipped sand against our legs (I never knew sand could be so vicious!). That being said, the culinary gods were definitely in our favour when we dined at Rick Stein’s at Bannisters. I had high expectations going in, given how Rick Stein is hailed in the celebrity chef/reality cooking/ABC programming world. I’m very pleased to report that my expectations were met!



Scallops with toasted hazelnuts and coriander butter, so delicious! 



Lobster Raviolo. Delicious mouthfuls of soft lobster encased in  pasta



Fried snapper in a spicy chilli sauce, this dish had some punch



Fish pie, crispy on the outside, creamy deliciousness on the inside 





Can never resist a creme brulee




The world really owes the person that made the first chocolate fondant 


I have officially started drooling in the course of writing this post. One of my highlights of the meal was a seaweed butter which was served with the bread, I don't know how to describe it but I can still distinctly taste it on my tongue. The restaurant itself was lovely, with doors opening out to a deck by the ocean. The only let down were mosquitoes which flew in and attacked during dinner. As much as I loved the indoor/outdoor setting, being forced to put on aeroguard at the dinner table kinda detracts from the ambiance. That aside though, the food was fabulous and I would go back any day of the week!

Lily xx

Much ado about nothing #2

Hello world!

Phew, what a week, Lily’s graduation, the Husband’s birthday and the week before Christmas!

And to top it off, you would think the end of the year would entail a quieter period at work, mmm not so much, think 12 hour days. Boo!

Having said that, the universe obviously felt sorry for me, because despite being exhausted and over whelmed, my weekend was full of spontaneous outings and a pre planned/much needed catch up with my gorgeous friends, Teak, JJ and Miss A.

One the things I love most about hanging out with these ladies, besides the non stop larfs, is gabbing about our mutual love of travel, food and art. Perusing the divine works of Toulouse Lautrec at the NGA (see Teak's eloquent write up here) then spending a lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon lunching at Canberra’s Me and Mrs Jones was food for the eyes, tummy and soul.

I loved Lautrec's pieces focusing on the 'working girls' of Paris. The images portray such tenderness and empathy towards the subjects. Just beautiful.     

I later came home to an immaculate house, which for those who know me, gladdened my heart to the nth degree (thanks Husband) and then out again for a long overdue date night.

A quick dinner at Mexican diner, Guzman y Gomez, with the barramundi quesadilla hitting just the right spots we settled down for a dose of 007.

Cinema Update

I have to qualify my review by declaring I’m not usually a huge James Bond fan. While I’m well aware of Bond’s iconic status and freely admit its strong appeal to movie goers, I guess I’ve always felt slightly uncomfortable with the whole ‘objectifying women/using them as props/Bond girl’ thing.

Watching Skyfall, however, made me slightly rethink this position. Not that I disagree any less with using women as props, but I realise Bond movies are as much about “plots” involving espionage, as they are about the objectification of characters. Not only are the women objectified, but so is Bond (cue 124 shots of a shirtless Daniel Craig) and even the violence get’s a high dose of glamour. Almost every element of the movies is stylized to fit within the Bond theme, so with that being said, I happily admit that I really liked Skyfall.

Daniel Craig’s appointment as the 7^th actor to play Bond was a masterstroke by producers. While wholly unfit to play the tall, dark, handsome Bond archetype, Craig brings a brutish, almost maudlin element to the character, which makes the movies far more interesting in my view.

While the plot of Skyfall is pretty stock standard, revenge, espionage, damsel in distress etc, the acting and direction is not. I was definitely surprised to learn, as the opening credits rolled to the beautiful sounds of Adele, that Sam Mendes was at the helm of Skyfall.

Mendes’s ‘American Beauty’ is a movie I very much liked, and with all his films, I feel he always brings a sense of reality and humanity to his characters. None of us are perfect, and that’s certainly the case with this version of Bond.

In Skyfall we get a glimpse into Bond’s childhood and perhaps an explanation of why he is so...well, detached. Skyfall also sees the transition of many of Bond’s characters, including Judi Dench as ‘M’ and the inclusion of a rather charming and youthful supplier of Bond’s famous gadgets ‘Q’.  Javier Bardem just proves yet again why he is so freakin versatile and fantastic, and while the beautiful French actress Berenice Marlohe plays the standard prop, she is dazzling to look at on screen.

Also loved seeing Naomie Harris kick some butt as Miss Moneypenny and all the supporting actors including Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney were fantastic. All in all, highly recommended, 4 stars.

Until next time...Rose. xx

I bought a zoo...I mean a dress

Hello world!

Quick one today. I was let out of the Zoo last Sunday by Petite Rose and the Husband so of course I headed to the Promised Land, the mall.

I bought a number of items, including a dress I don't need, a new pair of flats, as my current one's have expired, http://rusabs.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/robbing-peter-to-pay-sportsgirl.html and the best eye liner ever!

The dress is soooo comfortable, and the shirred waist is kinda cool, thanks Country Road, I'll be wearing this to Lily's graduation tomorrow!

http://www.countryroad.com.au/shop/woman/clothing/dresses/60152015/Shirred-Tank-Dress.html

 

I heart ballerina flats, my 1429th pair, thanks again to Country Road.

I love the 'Perfect Blend' eyeliner from Covergirl, it's super glidy and the pointed sponge is perfect for definition and winged eyes. Plus it's a steal at around $15.

 

http://www.covergirl.com/beauty-products/eye-makeup/eyeliner 

 

 

 

Until next time...Rose. xx

Much ado aboout nothing #1

Hello world!

In the habit of getting me to blog more regularly,as opposed to writing posts resembling War and Peace, I (and sometimes Lily) will attempt to capture a few key events/issues/purchases/ramblings each week, so that:

a) you stay with me, and

b) I can call my self a 'blogger', as opposed to person who occasionally writes random things...randomly.

I can't promise to be coherant, but I will try to be regular.

So on that vein, this week:

I'm trying very hard to live up to my self proclaimed status of being 'well read'. Thus am attempting this (review to come when I finish, which should be around 2020):

 

I'm finding it very easy to live up to my self proclaimed status of a  total money waster by purchasing a bunch of these every week (but it makes me ever so happy):

And I'm very much looking forward to presents under this (cue freak out at the prospect of entering the depths of hell, or more commonly known as department stores before Christmas) :

Oh and finally, my new headboard arrived this morning!

 

 

 

 

I chose this sweet check print by Fabric company Potpourri

 

 

 

Here's what it looks like in full. Kinda goes with my contemporary/vintage/old lady/no real theme interior style.

 

Until next time...Rose. xx

Style Icons, Iconic Style

Hello Hello,

As promised it’s Lily here to share some of my style icons. When Rose informed she wanted us to post about our icons, I have to admit I had a little brain freeze, nobody instantly popped into mind! Now this isn't because I don’t follow the fashion pages, as I have an unhealthy tendency to go straight to the ‘fashion’ tab on any website. No, my brain freeze was due to the fact that I take inspiration from many places. I dress according to my mood. Some days I might want to look very prim accompanied by the go to pearl studs, and other days I am all about printed trousers and chunky necklaces. That being said, here goes my list of icons... 

I couldn't write a post about icons and not start with Audrey Hepburn . So chic, so timeless, so classic,  she is the quintessential lady of style.

Evidence of my love for the classic, tailored look - I had the same dress made in 3 different colours

Above is Giovanna Battaglia, fashion editor at L'Uomo Vogue and W. I adore everything this woman puts on, and she may be my ultimate icon as she changes her look from day to day, sometimes fun, sometimes chic, sometimes bold. The black and blue skirt to the right is a copy of Giovanna's skirt which I had tailored in Vietnam. I am yet to wear it, as I want to find a top which will make the outfit as fabulous as her's (unfortunately I am not a 6 foot tall former model, so the bar has been set pretty high.)

When I mentioned I liked Emma Stone's style to Rose, she was a little dubious. I hope these outfits can convince her. I love the statement shoe on the left, and the print and sleeves of her dress on the right. Emma's outfits are actually a perfect example of when I say my inspiration comes from many places. While I wouldn't say Emma is an icon of mine, both these numbers struck a cord with me, so they were neatly put away in my style file. We can put Emma down as a watch this space.

                                     

Jason Wu Spring RTW 2013 - I am a big fan of his designs 

Carolina Herrera Winter 2012 collection - I always like her clothes, they have that classic timeless quality 

I hope that gives you an insight into my style and icons, as Rose said she is the boho to my tailored. That being said, the attack of the Sisteritis never fails to rear its heard, as both Gwen Stefani and Chloe Sevigny came to mind when I was thinking of icons, but Rose had already nabbed them!

Until next time,

Xx Lily

Me friend's want your style

Hello world!

As suspected, my previous post on style icons has resulted in a frenzy of feedback from my fans. And by fans, I mean three friends who I forced to read my post.

Even though I know these lovely ladies quite well, it was still fascinating to hear their stylistic inspirations. More interestingly, I can see how their choices reflect their everyday wardrobe. Needless to say, these women are among the most stylish people I know.

So here's to you Miss A, Miss K and Miss L for 1)  providing me with your feedback, and 2) for giving me an excuse to continue this post!

Miss A's Icons:

Uber chic former editor of  French Vogue/Tom Ford muse, Carine Roitfeld

 Current Editor of French Vogue, Emanuelle Alt (am assuming a key criterion for editing French Vogue is having legs which begin from the ear lobes)

 

Miss K and Miss L (both quintessential lovers of 60's fashion):

British fashion doyenne and fellow lover of bold make up, Mary Quant  

Vintage advert featuring Mary Quant make up. Me love.

I suspect Lily will be posting on her very own style icons in the upcoming days, so stay posted!

Until next time...Rose. xx

Me want your style ( update)

Hello world!

Given the tag line of this blog, lovers of couture and all that, Lily and I are often caught waxing lyrical re the sartorial choices of the people around us, and our style icons.

Like most things in life, we have very similar taste and pretty much see eye to eye on most things fashion-ey.

Having said that, I definitely lean towards the more quirky, boho, vintage look, while Lil'z is much more streamlined, often teaming classic tailoring with lux accessories, which sometimes can be a far better choice, as my affinity towards the quirky has sometimes seen me fall victim to some pretty horrendous trends - hello 80's revival ala ra ra skirts and neon off the shoulder tops, shame on you Rose, shame, shame, shame.

Anyhoo, before I embarrass myself further, here are my fave style icons:

Zooey Deschanel
Oh how I love thy whimsical style with your oh so perfect bangs

Love the fabric.

 .

My favourite city in Europe for style is defo London. Having visited Europe for the first time earlier this year, I was in awe of the place. The people of France and Italy were all so beautiful, and reeked of such glamour, that it figuratively hurt my eyes.

But, there's something about London. I think it was seeing the experimentation with colours and textures which really grabbed me. Plus as a lover of face art, I loved that the ladies were so bold with their make up.

Brit girl Lily Allen. Fellow wearer of winged eyeliner and lover of vintage.



Speaking of Brits, I have to give a shout out to one of my favourite designers of all time and fashion royalty, Vivienne Westwood.

Could a dress get any cooler?! 

Again, as someone who leans towards the Avant Garde (and melodrama) I really don't think they make em any better than Ms Westwood. I recently saw some of Ms Westwood's pieces at The National Gallery of Australia and my was I in love. Plus, I was insane enough to purchase a Westwood bag when I went to Hong Kong in 2008 (pre mortgage). I don't take it out very often but I'll treasure it forever.


The rest of my style icons in no particular order:

Gwen Stefani
Love her funky vintage/punk style and ever present red lip.

If I was a rich girl...I'd buy your wardrobe.

Sonam Kapoor

Indian Bollywood actress, Sonam Kapoor, is considered one of the most stylish women of India. Here's why.

Are y'all sensing I might like a red lip? 

Chloe Sevigny
The ultimate fashionista, blending quirk with couture.

Can I have your pins?

Michelle Williams
While it's hard to look away from her beautiful face, I love how she keeps it simple, focusing on beautiful tailoring and sweet delicate details.

This Vera Wang dress is one of my ultimates.

UPDATE!

I forgot to mention Miroslava Duma, the former Russian fashion editor, now storming the fashion pages with her bold, eclectic and oh so expensive wardrobe. While I wouldn't dream of attempting her look I am defo intrigued.

 

Until next time...Rose. xx

Self fulfilling crockery

Hello world!

I'm writing to you on this most lovely of evenings. As I sit on the deck, with the Husband cooking dinner on the bbq, and Little Rose scooting around on her bike, I can't help but feel pretty darn thankful.

Said deck, all tarted up.

With Christmas approaching and life in general winding down, I'm starting to go the way of Deepak Chopra, reflecting on the year that's been and making tentative plans for the one ahead.

Although many of my 2012 goals haven't really materialised (hello knitting scarf and starting post grad uni) I'm still determined to finish these projects.

You see that's the thing about self fulfilling prophesies. If I were my usual self, I'd probably be stewing in a pool of disappointment, bemoaning my inability to finish anything. But I’ve come to realise, it's this very act of self pity that stops me from progressing whatever it is I've started in the first place.

Come 2013 and 2014 and 2015 and 2016...( I'm guessing you know where I'm going with this) I'm determined to keep pursuing whatever goals I've set for myself, but instead of focusing on a finite and arbitrary time limit, I'm just going to go with the flow and enjoy the process of doing something as much as ending up at the finishing line.

So there it is friends, Rose aka Deepak Chopra’s lesson for 2012, self fulfilling prophesies are just that, something which you (the self) have control over. So let’s raise a cyber glass to that old proverb 'it's always better to have tried and bombed then to have succeeded and acted like an ass' or something.

Speaking of glasses, I recently procured the cutest tea/coffee cups. As an ardent lover of polka dots, these Maxwell and Williams cups have been on my wish list for quite a while. So what better excuse to buy them than ‘we’re having people over for an afternoon bbq and what’s an afternoon bbq without polka dotted cups?’.



 

Well that’s about it from me today, folks. Until next time...Rose. xx



    
 

Cat out of the bag

Hello world!

Exciting news. Our beloved Gibi has been featured in interior design blog Desire to Inspire's regular
'Pet's on Furniture' feature.

So proud of our kitty!

http://www.desiretoinspire.net/

Featured photo below.

Proper post soon!

xx Rose

A room of one's own

Hello blogosphere!

It's Lily here, with a title borrowed from the great Virginia Woolf. I hope I am forgiven for using her title in the literal sense, as you are about to see...

Approaching the end of my degree, I've decided that it's time for  me to venture out into the big, bad world and get a place of my own. Now I know this means I will no longer have instant access to my Mum's delicious cooking, and that I can't use my Dad having bought chocolate home as my excuse for eating large quantities of it....but moving out also means a chance to decorate my own place, hooray!

In true Lily fashion I  have already begun picking up pieces despite the fact that the moving out part is still months away, so here are my favourite finds.

I had always been dying for a dressmaker's mannequin (not because I am so talented as to actually use it for dressmaking) but because I love mannequins as a piece of furniture. This houndstooth patterned mannequin was actually Rose's find, who stumbled across it and called me in a frisson of excitement asking me whether I wanted her to buy it. As it is now lovingly adorned in my necklaces, you can see I said yes. The mannequin is going to serve as decoration inspiration for a 'boudoir of sorts' in my own place, see below!

Above are a selection of prints I have been collecting. The water landscape was picked up in a market in Kuala Lumpur, the Paris landscapes were a present from Rose from her trip to France (thanks Sis!) and the black and white photographs I got from the Salamanca Market in Hobart (which by the way are fantastic). I can't wait to put these up, and don't worry I will show you the end result :)

Given I used the title of feminist essays for this blog I thought it wouldn't be right if I didn't include something about an ass-kicking female. I recently finished reading Jane Eyre, and absolutely loved it. There is just something about a young woman in the 1800s who challenges men in a patriarchal society and asserts her independence which gets you. If you haven't already read the novel, I would definitely recommend it!

Until next time,
Xx Lily

All hands on deck

Hello world!

A quick one today. As noted in The Final Countdown, 'the dirt track masquerading as a backyard, now looking like a semi backyard' has been enhanced by the addition of the great Aussie deck.

And given a deck without chairs is like duck without water, we've recently procured a few outdoor pieces to soak up the upcoming Aussie summer.

 

The chairs with the orange cushions are my favourite piece. I love them even more because we picked them up for next to nothing at Little Rose's school fete.

 

If the weather permits, I'm thinking Chrstmas lunch outside...and on that note, gaaah two more months till Christmas. Happy holiday season!

 

Until next time...Rose. xx