I vant to suck your blood...

The whole world is going vamp-crazy with the release of the New Moon movie...and what better way to celebrate than adorning it on your neck? Puncture marks optional.

Necklace, Vermeat - www.vermeat.com

M xo

Culture Capital

They say London is the culture capital of the world, and I can certainly attest to that! I woke up early to score £15 front row seats to Breakfast at Tiffany's and then spent the rest of the day enjoying London's galleries and museums.

My first stopover was the Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art. It was a very pricey £12 admission *ouch* but it was certainly a different experience. What stood out most was the travelling convoy of bright red wax through three of the exhibition rooms...not to mention the cannon of wax which is fired through a door every twenty minutes. There was a bit of a trippy/vertigo experience in the mirror room which featured about six different mirrored sculptures made of stainless steel, the concept is challenging the viewers perception of space. I thought I was going cross eyed at some point! The exhibition is definitely a must-see. Photography was not permitted inside the exhibition so these will have to do.

After a healthy lunch at Wholefoods Market (plus an almond chocolate brownie that I nibbled throughout the day) I headed to the Whitechapel Gallery which is featuring a temporary exhibition from French photographer and artist Sophie Calle, titled "Talking to Strangers." One half of the exhibition revolves around a break up letter from Sophie's partner, which she then asks 107 women of different ages and occupations to interpret this letter. From a clairvoyant to a talking parrot, the results are amusing and insightful. The upstairs gallery hosts the second half of her exhibition which is collection of works from "The Bronx" where Calle asks a number of residents to take them to a place of their choice, and a telephone booth which she records conversations and interactions with passers by.

The icing of the cake was finally getting to see Breakfast at Tiffany's on the West End, based on the novel by Truman Capote. I read the novel awhile ago so it was exciting to see the stage production. Anna Friel stars as Holly Golightly, the role which Audrey Hepburn made famous with her black sunnies and LBD. The play opened in September to mixed reviews. I kept thinking that Holly Golightly would be a brunette, not a blonde? So it was weird seeing Anna Friel don a blonde wig throughout the whole play...there are a few shocks in the form of a nude Friel and her co-star Joseph Cross (not together, in separate scenes) which I didn't expect at all...but nude scenes aside the play was charming and entertaining. I'll be honest and say it does not come close to as good as Jersey Boys was, which is also showing in London at the moment but I saw it in Las Vegas in September.

I am looking forward to seeing the Gentleman of Bacongo exhibition at the Londonewcastle Project Space before I leave London...

Only 5 more days to go.

M xo

R.I.P Daul Kim

30 May 1989 -19 November 2009

M xo

And the winners are...

Top 99 Fashion blogs

Not surprising to see The Sartorialist at the top, with Scott Schuman's gf Garance Dore close by. I noted a few other blogs that I haven't seen before...looks like I need to catch up with my reading.

M xo

I just blogged to say I ♥ you.

In 9 days I will be reuinted with the two people who have always been there for me, no matter where I am. I love you both so much! Note the bottom two images are of mummy impeccably groomed and beautiful as always.

M xo

Get your bang on

Following on from a previous post about bangs..did I tell you I have a bangs obsession? Gorgeous - the hair, the style, the everything! <3 Images courtesy of Le Blog de Betty

M xo

Confession: Googling playlists from episodes of TV shows

Am I the only person who does this? My three favourite trashy/mindless TV shows that I regularly indulge in - Gossip Girl, 90210 and Melrose Place - feature some great up and coming indie artists. I recently watched season 3, episode 10 of Gossip Girl and the opening song is from thecocknbullkid (her real name is 19-year-old Anita Blay, from London's Hackney woohoo!). It took me awhile but I finally found the song I was looking for - catchy and sugar-poppy, called Boys and Girls and I can see it becoming a hit! You can listen to the songs from her new EP 'Querelle' here


M xo

Zippora Seven

This girl caught my eye ever since I saw her in an old issue of RUSSH. Her name is quirky too - I wonder what her parents are called! There was a lot of controversy surrounding topless images of the 17 year old Kiwi model in last year's RUSSH fashion spread. At least she's sitting in a bath full of Chanel No. 5 bubbles. Watch this face.


M xo

Bad days...

I'm writing to you from an internet cafe booth as our internet is down at home since we changed providers and they are too lazy to have installed it for us when they delivered the new modem etc.

To top that off, I locked myself out of the house on my way to the optometrists to get my sore, red and dry eyes checked out. AND my wallet. I spent the day at my friend's place in Manor House where he bought me pizza for dinner, yay.

I also hurt my back and sprained my ankle each within a day of each other. Why is this happening to me?

Bloody fantastic...just a week before I leave the country. Will post soon when internet connection is up and running.

M xo

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

I recently discovered this indie band, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - hailing from NYC with a really catchy song 'Young Adult Friction'.



Did I also mention I am in love with this girl's hair? How come my hair doesn't sit like that! Extra point for a cute wardrobe too!

Peggy Wang, image courtesy of thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com

M xo

Blogging 101

I'm trying to revamp and customise my blog format so it doesn't look so boring...I do love the B&W minimalist look but after triapsing through various other blogs it's made me realise that I want mine to stand out too. Check out an excerpt from Garance Dore's website...it is so simply laid out but she gives it a unique touch with her illustrations and these cute magazine/notepad like spreads.

Image courtesy of Garance Doré

Image courtesy of Garance Doré

Another problem I'm having is that I haven't seemed to find my 'niche' yet. Currently this blog is a tangle of everything that goes on in my life, with a specific focus on fashion, culture and travel. I need a lesson in Blogging 101!

M xo

The Almond Croissant Debate

I didn't end up going to Holland Park or Westfield today. Instead I wandered around aimlessly in Brick Lane and Redchurch Street (which is my favourite street in all of London by the way), poking through random 80s bric-a-brac and clothes at SICK, which is a little vintage shop at the intersection of the above named streets. Thought I could pull off floral MC hammer pants, but no, I couldn't.

Started to feel a little peckish so decided to satiate my curiosity and hunger with a visit to Franze & Evans, an Italian deli packed full of odds and ends my food shelf is begging for. I've passed this place a few times, the first time in May of this year when I saw their Breakfast menu in the window and one of the dishes was poached eggs with truffle oil. Yes, TRUFFLE OIL!!! My exilir of choice! Sadly, I didn't have enough money on me for heavy breakfast dishes, so their baked goods would have to do. Decided to try their almond croissant because it's been awhile since I've had one of those, and I also wanted to see if they could possibly beat the ones in Melbourne, from Laurent. Those ones are perfect - soft and mushy in the middle, yet crispy and flaky on the outside dusted with loads of icing sugar and toasted almonds. These ones were disappointing...they weren't soft enough in the middle and you could hardly taste the almonds. Blah. I paid £1.70 for mine. Melbourne - 1, London -0. I won't let that experience deter me from going back though, I'm going to have to at least try the poached eggs and truffle oil combination eventually ;)

Franze & Evans
101 Redchurch Street
London E2 7DL
+44 (0) 20 7033 1910

Interior shot - image courtesy of F&E website

Just so you know where it is! This shot was also taken from the F&E website

M xo

Henri Georges-Clouzot 'L'Enfer'

Marta and I just came back from watching Inferno (L'Enfer) at ICA. It was not at all what I expected. Firstly, I thought I would be watching an entire film, but it was more like a third of a documentary, a third of a reconstruction and a third of the actual film. L'Enfer was never completed. In 2005, 185 film cans were found and these were used to piece togther the 'final product' that we see today. Serge Reggiani, who plays Marcel, a man obsessed to the point of madness with his beautiful wife Odette (played by Romy Schneider), actually walked off the film set three weeks into filming due to a nervous breakdown; and Clouzot ended up in hospital from a heart-attack. It was an ill-fated production but as a recent review in The Guardian says, "This assemblage of lost footage is perhaps more fascinating than the actual completed film would have been." It is definitely a film I will remember for a long time.

L'Enfer is showing at the ICA and BFI Southbank for a limited time so I suggest you book your tickets before they sell out!







M xo

Lily Cole's eco-label 'The North Circular'

The North Circular is an eco-label founded by UK model Lily Cole. Made from Wensleydale Longwool sheep in Yorkshire, and spun into the coziest knitted pieces by a team of knitting grannies. Yes, you heard right. Visit their website and you can meet the dream team, including the shepherd and the sheep. Woolies with a conscience. What's not to love?

M xo

Cable Hooded Scarf £200

Online shop

Lily Cole modelling The North Circular collection

Oh Baby

COS £129

It was love at first sight. Comfort (thanks to the sturdy wedge heel) and style all rolled into one delicious leather boot. I think I could squeeze this into my luggage somewhere.

*Update 23/11/09 - I phoned every London COS store today to track down these shoes in a 38 but they have sold out. Nooooo!!!

M xo

Happy Birthday Mummy

This post is dedicated to my first lady, mummy :) It's her birthday today! Wishing you all the love, happiness, luck, prosperity and good health in the world. Thank you for everything you have done that has helped shape me into the person I am today.

I love you unconditionally!

M xo

Beautiful! I wish to look this good at your age (a lady never reveals her age as they say ;) )

Mummy and me at Michael Mina, Las Vegas

Daddy and Mummy on our recent US trip, September 2009

Style Icon: Anna Karina

...is a style icon, actress and muse to French director Jean Luc-Godard. I first came across the lovely Anna from the film Pierrot Le Fou, one of the pioneers of the French New Wave. Perfectly cut cheekbones, smoky eyes and envious bangs. I also love her spectacles in the second thumbnail photo below...she rocks HP glasses like no one can!





After a bit of Googling I found out that Kate Bekinsale did a cover shoot for Mean Magazine, posing as Anna Karina. Imitation is the best form of flattery as they say.


'


M xo

Nostalgia

My flatmate Marta just booked us two ticket to Henri-Georges Clouzot's 'Inferno', showing at both the BFI Southbank and ICA. I have never heard of Clouzot before but watching the trailer made me want to see what all the fuss is about! We're watching it at the ICA tomorrow. Here's a brief synopsis, courtesy of the ICA website.

A remarkable feat of reconstruction which brings back to life an unfinished film by director Henri-Georges Clouzot (best known for such classics as The Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques). In 1964, Clouzot set out to film the story of a man suffering the agonies of paranoid jealousy over his young wife (Romy Schneider). Clouzot spent months shooting screen tests and experimenting with the hallucinatory effects, but the film was shut down three weeks into production. Now, thanks to interviews with the original crew and using Clouzot’s test footage, we have a chance to witness what might have been.

Ah, retro movies...there's something so refreshing about old films. It reminds me of the Alfred Hitchcock film I was hoping to see at the BFI a few months ago, North by Northwest. Nothing like classic suspense for those cold, lonely Wintery nights.

North by Northwest - Trailer | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

M xo

Serenity now

London is full of parks where you can fully immerse yourself, relax, slow down and escape from the hustle and bustle, even if only for a couple of hours. I have visited most of them already - Hyde Park which is conveniently across the road from Harrods and my fave macaroon store Ladurée. I did a few workout sessions at Holland and Primrose Park with Khoa, Dot and Khuong during the warmer months. Lazed around on long summer evenings at Regents Park which also hosts major events like Taste of London and Frieze Art Fair. Have passed by Shoreditch Park many a time on the 141 bus, and let's not forget Alexandra Park with its 'palace' (totally overrated, it looks like some rundown concert arena and it's not old enough to look regal) at the top of the hill. My favourite has to be Hampstead Heath though. I have been twice, once when it was bloody cold and a group of us were having a picnic on the top of a hill. Second time in Summer when London was going through a heat-wave (I use this term loosely as that is anything over 24 degrees which we consider mild back in Oz) and people were sunbaking in their bikinis on the grass. I guess Londoners have to make do without a beach nearby! Hampstead Heath is smack bang in the middle of lovely Hampstead, like a quaint English village with cobblestone alleyways, big yet boutique celebrity homes and a really famous creperie stall with a constant queue snaking behind it. Oh, and did I mention the Heath has a fabulous view of the city?

So, keeping on the topic of parks, I've decided to visit Holland Park again, but not for an outdoor workout. I have been told there is a lovely Japanese garden hidden there somewhere and I intend to find it! Perhaps bring my Elle magazine and have a bit of a flick through provided I can find a bench nearby and it's not raining. Here's hoping! Since I'll be on the west side of town, which is a rarity nowadays (Soho/West End is as 'West' as I go...I much prefer the East Side), I've decided to pay a visit to Westfield. We're not talking about the shitty Donnie version in Melbourne (I heard it's been renovated. About time too!), but the recently opened super-dooper mall filled with high street goodie and luxe labels. Time to whip out the credit card and give it a workout.

From this I conclude that I've reached a balance: serenity and shopping. It will be a perfect day!

Westfield London

Japanese Garden in Holland Park

M xo