ANNA...

I'm very excited to show you this new...let's just say new post because we all know what happens when I call something a new regular feature or series. I forget how many I've grandly announced and then left lying around. But I thought this one up for very selfish reasons, though I hope you'll enjoy the results.

Many, actually most of my close friends are not here in London where I am, but scattered across the world. And although we're in touch, go on trips together and visit each other, there are times when I wish I had all my people around every day. So I thought of a way that I could have them around, kind of.

There are certain things that always remind me of Anna: Heliotrope, pearls and marcasite, burgundy satin pyjamas, gelato, post punk, hydrangeas and roses, Repetto shoes, every time I make a risotto (vialone nano), speed walking through a labyrinth (Venice), the sound of a camera shutter, early Indian mornings.

I asked Anna if she would send me some photos of her world. See, not only a selfish idea but also a lazy one, since I didn't have to do a thing. Clever eh? Oh, did I mention she's a really good photographer? And it turns out that so is our mutual friend Alireza, who took some of these photos.

{1,2, photos by Alireza - all clothes Maxmara, Carven scarf. 3, photo by Anna - Rajasthani slippers. 4, photo by Alireza - Sportmax shoes. 5, photo by Anna - hydrangea, spirea, oleander, roses. 6, photo by Anna - Jaeger Le Coultre Reverso watch, pearl necklaces, chunky silver and marcasite bracelet from Ganesha, Venice, silver bangles from Udaipur, jade bangle from Callegari in Padova, watercolour in the backgound from Deogarh, India. 7, photo by Alireza - dress from Maxmara. 8, photo by Anna - back row: Ambre Extreme by L'Artisan Parfumeur, Farnesiana by Caron and Un Bois Vanille by Serge Lutens, Hermes Eau d'Orange Vert. 9, photo by Alireza, who jokingly named this photo "The Perfect Woman"! Coat, shoes and bag Maxmara/Sportmax.}

THAT IS ALL...

...I would need to wear for the next six months, if someone were to shower me with cash.

 

 {photos: Dries van Noten ~ sorry about my lazy cropping.}

BEST KEPT SECRET...

I know my posts are a bit film festival heavy this week, having previously been a bit Frieze heavy before, but that's what's going on, so what can you do?

Yesterday, thanks to the continuing magic powers of Twitter I saw that a few more tickets to the sold out surprise film of the festival had been released. By the time I got through to book, there was one solitary seat left - so I nabbed it. They change it up each year so that it's hard to guess - the surprise film could be a documentary one year, then a small independent film, even a cartoon. Despite repeated Googling, I couldn't find any hint to what it might be. At the cinema, upon grilling, the box office and film festival staff swore they didn't know what we were about to watch. I had never been to the surprise film before so I was...surprised when in the introduction to the film the very chic lady from the film festival (help?) said she wasn't even going to tell us before it started. She took some guesses from the audience and told us that had this film been in the usual festival selection it would have had a gala screening. And that this was the European premiere. I started to have some inkling then as everyone sat with fingers poised to tweet above their phones. I started to write Brigh...and then as the film started, yes, Brighton Rock (as 800 tiny screens glowed in the dark). We were at the first screening, so we let it out of the bag for those next door about to watch it 15 minutes later.

Brighton Rock is based on the 1938 Graham Greene novel, consciously avoiding comparison with the earlier film adaptations, as director Rowan Joffe told us at the Q&A after the film.

I HAVE SOMEWHERE FOR YOU...

Elle: Hey Stephen, did you know that woman over there with the camera is doing an actual giveaway on her blog Lola Is Beauty for two tickets to the London Film Festival screening of the new Sofia Coppola film Somewhere that we star in? It's being shown this Thursday, 28th October at 5.45pm at Vue, Leicester Square, as part of the film festival, but it won't be released in the UK until 4 March 2011 revised date: 10 December 2010.

Stephen: Wow, Elle, that was more dialogue than you had in the whole script! But that's amazing, I can't believe it. I guess she was pretty lucky to be here at the premiere and everything. Yay for giving back. Wait, let me scan the crowd, I must personally thank her...
Elle: Oooh, exciting!

Marco Muller, Venice Film Festival Director: I implore you, do something Stephen, do something right now to thank her and make it MERAVIGLIOSO.
Stephen: There she is.

Stephen: I'm gonna, I'm just gonna...I'm going in. Elle, Elle's PR(?): Mmmm, are you sure about this? .....


So to recap: I have a pair of tickets for the London film festival screening of Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, which I saw at the Venice film festival and reviewed here, to give away. Details: Thursday 28th October, 5.45pm Vue Leicester Square, London. All you have to do is be available at that time and place and make up a caption way better than my lame ones above for the last photo of Stephen Dorff running.

Hurry, hurry, as I'll choose the winner first thing on Tuesday. {Don't forget to include a way for me to contact you.}

{my photos}

SCRAPS...

Inspirational whatnot that's been on my desktop and somehow goes together.

{I can't find the credits, just the sources. Tell me if you know! First image via Convoy(?), second via JJJJound, third via either Lolita or Julia I think (can't find it now), fourth via designsponge. }

HOW COULD I...

Forget about D.V.? She's been languishing on that crimson sofa for weeks, elaborately maquillaged and primed to hold forth. She is not going to be amused about this.

Of course I have been tirelessly searching through her memoirs for the answers all this time. Leave any more questions in the comments and nuggets of wisdom will be dispensed shortly - after I've been firmly berated from the afterlife.

OH WO WE...

This morning I got a particularly delightful email from Olivier Abry of WO & WE. I rarely post about things I've been asked to feature here - for a few reasons: I don't want to post the same content as everyone else; it has to genuinely be something I would feature had I discovered it myself and most of the many, many, of the many, many emails I get every day are addressed to Lola. She can't read them! Or to someone called Dear blogger. So, I am protecting you every day, I hope you appreciate this.

Anyway Olivier's email approach telling me about the handmade light fixtures he makes from vintage industrial components was like a breath of fresh air - and then I clicked on the link to his site.

Beautifully photographed, clean website - this is so up my street. I'm afraid I am going to have to buy a pair of these lamps.

WITCHES...

Last week Nina, Jaja, Laetitia and I met up at the lovely big rambling Georgian house on Crooms Hill for a bit of a witches collaboration. It's a wonderful environment in which to rummage around and explore all the rooms filled with collections of glass, ceramics, things and stuff: acres of patchwork quilts, persian rugs, flowers and various animal props. We immediately got to work/play, with Jaja shooting us wearing the Toujours Toi-Family Affairs autumn/winter Moon River collection.







{photos: July Stars}

EVENTS CALENDAR: PAST AND PRESENT...

*A delightful afternoon with the best team of magical witches, playing dress up at Crooms Hill amongst the patchwork quilts, decoupaged surfaces, collections and flowers. You can take a peek here and here.

*The V&A on Friday night. We just made it there in time to hear Justine Picardie talk about her book on Coco Chanel, after screeching round corners and running through roomfuls of exhibits like that scene in Bande a Part. {Thank you Justine!} Visiting the Diaghilev and Ballets Russes exhibition in the peace and quiet before closing afterward was the best way to see such a major retrospective. With no crowds we could absorb everything at our own pace. It was very inspiring.

*Frieze again. The same, but different. Sunday was more families and ordinary civilians, cups of tea and making sure we had seen every single piece. It was interesting to see the difference in the gallerists who had gone from suits, bow ties and buckets of champagne at the preview to jeans and slumped over their tables as it wound to an end.

*If you go down to the Southbank today...between 10 and 6 you will find photographer Patric Shaw's pop up studio outside the National Theatre. He will be taking free fashion portraits of people, which will be projected onto the side of the National Theatre, as part of "You Are the Big Picture". You also get to keep a copy of your shot. I think it's a great chance to be photographed by a brilliant photographer, despite telling the PR that I'd rather boil myself in a vat of oil than have my picture taken and blown up on the side of a building.

FRIEZE...

I went to Frieze with Nina yesterday - it was hard to concentrate on gawping at all the art when we were so busy gawping at all the interesting people. The soundtrack was of shattering glass every few minutes when another seething mob baying for more champagne surged forward onto the waiters and knocked their trays over.

{my photos}

THIRTY TWO HOURS IN PARIS..

My reasons for going to Paris are more often than not: tralala / fed up with London / I want a 3 hour lunch at a terrasse and some decent cheese / I feel like it. But this time there were 101 reasons to book a ridiculously expensive Eurostar seat at the last minute and I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it all happen. 

Paris was, as billed, full of extremely pleasant internet/real life collisions. I've been having a lot of those lately.

I had never met Nina before, even though we've worked together for ages. Her first words: "You exist!"

I also got to meet some of the other Toujours Toi~Family Affairs gang - look at make up artist Nicola's tattoos/braids! At Capsule I also visited Arnsdorf, F-Troupe, Wood Wood, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair and Timo Weiland, among others. 

There was a bonus surprise visit from Cheri, who recommended the most amazing restaurant that is right in my usual hood but that I'd never noticed before. It proceeded to be a hilarious and incredible meal, in that way you can't really explain but you know this is now your favourite restaurant and you'll keep going back forever. Imagine if your grandparents were French bikers and you went round to the house they've lived in for fifty years, where they comforted your city weary soul with never ending carafes of wine, huge dishes of the best gratin you've ever had and creme brulee.

Nina, Eva, Mitsuru and I went with Nancy, who finally got her baguette. 

I had never met Nancy before either. We ended up walking through the city later on, which was in full Nuit Blanche swing. I don't know why it should still surprise me when I meet people in real life for the first time, that without exception they're exactly as amazing and lovely as I always thought they were (see all above).

On Sunday everything sped up to such a degree that I don't think I took any pictures, though my camera, which was hanging off my shoulder, did manage to knock over an entire carafe of water at Chez Prune. After meeting Nancy for brunch and saying goodbye to her and the Toujours Toi crew I went and saw my friends Ron and Karen. I hardly ever see them in Paris because I'm usually staying in their flat while they're away. We had a chat and a drink, then as we walked out of the door, Karen casually gave me the perfect white tuxedo shirt that she was about to throw away. They walked me over to the left bank, deposited me at the correct bus stop and even gave me a bus ticket as I'd used all mine and was running late. I somehow found that really touching. I just made it back in time to pick up my bag and get a taxi to the Martin Grant show, before grabbing line 4 to Gare du Nord and collapsing onto the Eurostar home.

PARIS OUTTAKES...

I'm posting the random outtakes before the actual post - and why not. I had an amazing time in Paris, which predictably ended with me coming home to a nice bout of flu. (Must take vitamins or learn to pace myself or something.) When my energy is restored I'll tell you all about it - the best weekend I've had in Paris for a long time, thanks to some lovely people you might know...