blur of one day, two shoots

waiting to be shot for the accessories still-life: the studded Valentino flats (everybody's current obsession) peeks out at the bottom.

first on went the red fur hat, then the editor piled on the oh-so-amazing Hermes studded cuff at my request (who doesn't love jewelry as weapon?), proffered me the two impossibly gargantum bangles and then there was this incredible realisation that yes, all samples to be shot could be tested too.

the YSL fur shoes: pink + blue + black. delightfully insane.

classic Chanel, and all mine for five minutes

post-heart wrenching taxi journey with lots of very expensive merchandise in battered/broken suitcase: on to the next. As I got told in a whisper, the presidential suite at the Raffles Hotel Beijing costs 100,000RMB per night, because you know it comes with two floors, two lounges, full dining room (where we spread all our fast food, hmmm), gym, sauna, jacuzzi, two bedrooms, each with separate dressing rooms, toilets bigger than my apartment, more opulent baths and showers larger than my closet. Honestly who needs to even sleep when you can have a party in your own bathroom?

But then nowhere was happier than the place where I hid out from the celebrity shoot to sample the wares. Drooled over Erickson Beamon's genius, attempted to walk in Prada, juggled Chanel bags around, guarded to OCD levels one Roger Vivier feather clutch from damage and destruction and finally, decided that these Bottega Veneta wedges really deserved to be documented.

some things old, some things new. chapter three

Betty Draper: red nails + cigarette + shotgun.

Mad Men, Season 1 (2007)

love that sheer & lace live on

Chanel, S/S 2011; Marc Jacobs, S/S 2011 (style.com)

Philippe Petit, walking (1974)

to read: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/books/review/Mahler-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1

to watch:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_Wire

'On the street... Le Marais, Paris' by the Sartorialist (January, 2009)

The fact that I checked the date of this image by googling 'cool parisian girl cigarette lady dior sartorialist' probably speaks for itself.

rations for barter

Barely back to this city and already feeling starved of quality fashion editorials to leaf through. My monthly Vogue addiction is feeling the pinch particularly badly - here it comes about a month later for twice the price. ouch. So Kiki (equal magazine obsessive) and I gathered again today for a good old-fashioned trade in kind: one Love, issue 4 + one outdated British Vogue from August = one 90th anniversary October French Vogue. YES. Of course, most of the amazing editorials were available online by this time, but that was hardly the point. From coffee to lunch to dessert, we carted these unwieldy, heavy things around, spread them out on tabletops with our noodles - flicked, compared, admired and raved most particularly about Mert Alas/ Marcus Piggott for Love and Lara Stone. Simple pleasures.

pink that goes with everything

pink with red, pink with orange at Louis Vuitton, Prada + Jil Sander spring/summer 2011 shows (via style.com). Fashion don'ts no longer.

it's not all bad, all the time

On one of those recent lovely, sunny, warm autumn Beijing days, KIKI woke me up from my sleep coma and ordered me outside. We decided, in a very un-city like manner, to go to the park. The original intent was a straightforward exploitation of his photographic skills, but I ended up being the photog whilst he relished the rare opportunity to pose in front of the camera. A wander, a few snaps, then en route to dinner the taxi turned a corner, and above the street was a fabulous glowing red sunset...

WANTED: simple black, with a deep, deep v

Céline, S/S 2011; Prada, S/S 2011 (style.com)

some shoes not made for walking

Out from mind-melting exams at the end of June and straight onto Selfridges' shoe department (sadly pre- their current extravagant state) and the end result produced these beauties from a dear family friend. Finally got round to admiring them via my new DSLR (!) and currently it's the only way as a) the however-many inch heel, b) the unstable, but lovely, thin gold slingback strap and c) the blue satin means they'll never be seen outside on my feet, EVER. I have visions of myself pitching down multiple steps which give me real goosebumps though it doesn't seem to stop me mentally co-ordinating them with outfits in my head.