FRIENDS LIKE THESE

Wow it's been 2 months since my last post. What a terrible blogger I am. I can't believe we're now mid February - where did all the time go? I'm still recovering from Christmas. 

Now we're (well into) the New Year I hope everyone's resolutions are coming along nicely and not failing miserably like mine usually do. As well as my yearly staples (drink less, eat healthier, exercise more) I've added "Learn Dutch" as it's about time I stopped fannying around with my four words of vocab and pull my finger out. (I now have 5 words of vocab thankyouverymuch).

So, apart from these standard ones the other thing I want to do is to 
MAKE SHIT HAPPEN. 

I'm not really sure what I even mean by this yet, but I was thinking about my friends and how a lot of them have had the balls to take a leap and start their own thing -  I love it and am so impressed by them.

So this is a dedication to some of my friends who do cool things, basically that I'm jealous of. The inspiration is there for me to get off my arse this year and do something myself.



Ribbon and Roses

Marina set up Ribbon and Roses from Singapore after working in fashion for ten years in the UK. She has impeccable taste and it's such a beautiful site that it's pretty hard not to want to buy a LOT of things when you visit. It's absolutely perfect for present buying too. I wore one of R&R's maxi dresses to a wedding a few summers ago and have honestly never had so many comments (all good, I promise).
I recently did a guest blog post for her which you can see here.

My current R&R wish list all available from the website.



Korla

Jane was one of the first people I met when living in Singapore and one of the first friends I made. At the time she was still running her fashion label Pocket Venus but in 2011 started Korla Home with Ted Utoft which makes amazing textiles. My chair pads and my upholstered chairs are all covered in fabric that she designed. Jane epitomises the whole GETTING SHIT DONE ethos, not only has she run two successful companies she also has three kids. I think she's one of those people that actually has more hours in the day than I do, it's the only explanation.

Beatrice von Preussen

B is so creative she makes me feel like a complete square. Give her a bag of knick knacks and she'll knock you up an incredible art work. Her prints and etchings are adorable (we have the toy soldiers in Baby A's room) and so good for baby presents. Her Pots to Put Things in are so cool. 

Luckily she's Baby A's godmother so he get's amazing presents. Look at this! (Joint present from both GM's) I mean come onnnnnn...how awesome is that?

Bootique / Alice Cowen

Alice is a personal trainer and set up Bootique which was, and still is on my mini break wish list. After I had Baby A I imagined a long weekend getting fit in Mallorca at Bootique which just looks like the nicest way to do exercise and be healthy with a bunch of friends in a beautiful place. (Alice actually trained me too. Seriously. ONE time before my wedding. That's my level of dedication). 



The Black White

This is my friend Josh (the singer). He's in an awesome band. He actually trained as a lawyer but you know, he's a rocker at heart and you just can't contain that.

Silver Fig

I worked with Heather as a PA in London, the dream for herwas always to move to South Africa with her husband to start their own silver jewellery line. After I left the company she did soon after and made it so. I just love the mini wishbone and hummingbird necklaces. In fact I wonder if they'd make me a little Wolf.....hmm

Holly and the Wolf

Talking of wolves... Holly also worked as a PA in the same company (actually it was a very nice place, not sure why we all jumped ship) but she wanted to go back to her musician roots so she too took the plunge. Her voice is soothing, she sounds like Joni Mitchell. I love it. Listen to Funny People.

Pennard Orchard

I'm afraid I'm now too spoilt to do proper camping, this is way more my cup of tea. Luxury Tipis for Glastonbury and other festivals. In fact fuck it I think I'd rather live in one of these than my own house. Barty runs it with his wife and having grown up with Glastonbury he's somewhat of an expert.

Anton Heunis

I met Anton when I lived in Madrid back in ... a while ago. He'd started his own jewellery line but then it was a fledgling thing and not the juggernaut it is now. I went with him to Barcelona many moons ago to help him with his stand at a jewellery fair and he has given me some beautiful things over the years - what a very lucky girl. Anton is now soooo successful his gems have been featured in pretty much every single fashion magazine you can think of and worn by some serious celebs. I'm thrilled that he's done so well. His jewellery is EDIBLE.

So there we have it, some inspiration for 2013! 

TTFN

GATSBY ART DECO

"What's your favourite film?" 

There's a question that makes me panic. Although admittedly you're only really asked it if you are at the low ebb of a conversation with someone you don't want to be in a conversation with. The correct answer is something by the Cohen Brothers or maybe Wes Anderson to prove how knowledgeable and arty you are, but without fail the films that spring to my mind are The Devil wears Prada / Four Weddings / Dirty Dancing / Pretty Woman. 

You get the picture.

Fail. 

In 1996 Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet came out and it's still one of my all time favourite films -  a valid contender for the "favourite film" question if only I could block out Patrick Swayze and remember it in time. One of the main things that Baz Lurman nailed was the soundtrack - there are two volumes which are still incredible fifteen years later (and are still perched on the cd shelf with my name written in tipex from school).

Early next year, Baz L's version of the Great Gatsby is released and I'm frothing at the mouth with excitement. Set in the 1920's at the start of the Art Deco era it's got me feeling all Art Deco-y. 

Here's the trailer to get you in the mood.




I already have high hopes for the sound track if the trailer is anything to go by. In the 2 and a bit minutes above we've got Love is Blindness (by U2 covered here by Jack White) and No Church in the Wild by Kanye and Jay-z - in the same vein as R&J he's taken modern songs and shoved them smack bang back in the 1920's.

Gatsby promo poster...

Art deco bronze ornament in the lobby of the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago. See the similarities huh?

Since first watching the trailer a while ago I've been thinking about and noticing all things Art Deco. It seems Art Deco pieces are popping up all over the place - fashion, furniture, homeware, interiors... So with that in mind I've been scouring some bits and bobs, starting with some things that I would like to own (hey, Christmas is coming you never know who's reading).

Left to right:

Tiffany Art Deco bracelet (that'll set you back over £110k incase you were wondering)
Gold Christian Louboutin Very Galaxy heels - nuff said
Gucci Garcon Evening Case (part of their Spring 2012 Hard Deco collection all Art Deco inspired)
Anton Heunis "Art Deco Renaissance" earrings
Round side table from The Well Appointed House. (What's weird is we have these tables but with a tempered glass top instead of marble but we got them in Singapore. They just popped up in my Art Deco searching. Scary).
Art Deco Clutch - Obaz
Knot Mirror - Horchow (love this, keep seeing it all over the place)
Glamourous Hollywood Mohair Side Chairs - 1st Dibs (love these bad boys but I'd like them in a different colour please)
Blue Glass Decanters - 1st Dibs

And now (never start a sentence with "and"), a few in your face Deco Exterior building shots BOOM.

 via

The Chrysler Building

via

Niagra Mohawk Building, Syracuse, New York.

via + via

This building holds a special place for me, Parkview Square in Singapore (which we knew as Gotham City). It's totally awesome and I used to drive past this on my way to work every day.

via

Eastern Building LA.

Moving on to a few interiors and starting with the lobby of the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green. Lurve this. (This hotel is the first foray into hotels outside of Asia for Loh Lik Peng)

Lobby. 

Lobby in a 20's wedding shoot. 

via

The same hotel - but the bar with an Art Deco nod..

Finally, the 1396 King & Grove Tides South Beach in Miami.

There we have it. Some Art Deco loving inspired by the release of The Great Gatsby.

Man I hope it's good.

TTFN.