Edinburgh wardrobe: Part 7

The Snood is back, and seems perfect for this gothic city, as well as for the recent chilly weather. I like this one, in shearling, from Karl Donoghue.

Net-A-Porter.

Green is sexy

OK, you've probably already heard about this, and yes, there's a celeb connection, but I like Green is Sexy. It's posts are bite-sized, digestible, and just plain good. What to do with your old cell phone, natural cold remedies, reasons to walk instead of ride, etc., etc. The FG recommends.

What the fuss is all about

I know you think the excitement at this time of year is about a little dude born in a manger somewhere in the Middle East 2000+ years ago, but you're wrong - it's actually all about WendyB, whose birthday is today. Happy Birthday Wendy!

I'm going to celebrate by going shopping at Wendy's jewelry site for her, choosing the gifts I'd buy for her if I had all the money in the world. And if you're still shopping for the holidays, some of her items are 15% off, like the Lady Jane necklace.

Lady Jane was always one of my favourite figures in British history, and if you haven't seen the movie with Cary Elwes and Helena Bonham-Carter (before she got all crazy), it's a must. Anyway, Wendy looks great in red, and this is a beautiful piece.


Then again, as an independent woman, Wendy might prefer the Virginia Woolf Whistle necklace. Although Virginia also met a tragic end, at least it was one of her own choosing, right? Plus it features all that is most cool about Wendy's designs - moving parts, ironic double meanings, and beautiful craftswomanship. And it's one of a kind. What a conversation piece! Run, don't walk.

Of course, if you use your hands when you talk as much as I do, you'll also need a ring. Wendy usually wears 5-6 at a time, and that doesn't count the Swear Rings! The Queen Min ring has always been one of my favourites - beautiful and subtle at the same time. And isn't purple the new black?

For something with more obvious bells and whistles, I should probably also choose one of the poison rings. Named after famously crafty women in history - Nefertiti, Agrippina, Borgia, Livia and Edburga. They're also a lesson in "be careful whom you marry."

Regardless, I hope Wendy has a fantastic birthday today. And feel free to do all your Boxing Day shopping at her site!

All photos from Wendy Brandes.com

Oh the Places You'll Go: Toronto (via Amsterdam)

Well there's no place like home for the holidays.



The FG had a truly fabulous journey from the snowy hills of EDI to Toronto, via everyone's favourite capital, Amsterdam. I have been particularly good this year, and Santa must have told the people at KLM, because when I checked in online 30 hours before the flight took off, I was inexplicably able to reserve an exit row on the short flight and a business class seat for the AMS-YYZ leg. Everyone was /very/ pleased with themselves. I read silly magazines on the first leg, and my current book, and quickly found myself in Sin City. Confined to the airport, of course, but still.

There are endless, and endlessly stocked, duty-free shops at Schiphol (where it was also snowing). Honestly, I found it all somewhat overwhelming, and was therefore quite well behaved. Still, it was fun to look around. For security reasons, we all had to go through security again immediately prior to boarding, which no one enjoys, but the machine that shoots rays at you to determine your level of terrorist intentions wasn't working, so at least it was just a normal x-ray machine. And it was in the second waiting area that I ran into a girl I haven't seen since high school graduation. She was in Amsterdam giving a speech about the work she'd done in post-war Bosnia (wow), and we were on the same flight home.

Business class is a good thing, especially on long flights - but you knew that. There was endless leg room, tons of space in the overhead compartments, the seats were wide and of the fully reclining variety - it was wonderful. There was sauvignon blanc and my meal (some airlines are still serving food, it turns out) was quite edible. I watched The September Issue (which I had unconscionably missed in NYC) and The Young Victoria (which was not particularly good). I started watching Che, but decided that sleep wouldn't be a terrible idea.

Am now ensconced at home for the maximum 10 day period, and am looking forward to frolicking with friends and spending quality time en famille. Happy Holidays!

Oh the Places You'll Go: London (again)

Apologies for not blogging the first trip, a few weeks ago, but I'll summarize it here: Caught a far too early flight, left bags at the station, brunched at Spitalfields, shopped, went to the Tate Modern, Trafalgar Square and the National Portrait Gallery, caught a rugby game at a pub, and caught the train to Essex for a fantastic cocktail birthday party.

This time, we and had more time in the city proper. So:

Caught a plane in the early evening, took the train in from Standstead, checked in to our hotel just around the corner from St. Paul's Cathedral, and grabbed a late dinner at Yo! Sushi - one of the places where the sushi goes round and round past the diners. I also ordered the Spicy Seafood Udon, which was fantastic. Hit the hay early in preparation for a busy Friday.



I got up early, for me, (which was a good thing, because Blackfriars Station is closed until 2012). Anyway, I made it to The Dress Shop in Belgravia and tried on The Dress (again). Then it was back across to The City to meet with a recruiter near the Lloyds of London building. Lunched at Mother Mash - how could I skip pie in London? - and then hopped back on the Tube to Mayfair, via Oxford Street. I was then right on time to meet Mme. Connected for tea at the Connaught Hotel. There was a live harpist in the tea room - it was /something/.

Back to the hotel to switch from my suit into something more comfortable, and off to a pub to meet the Finance Posse for a little more beer than was absolutely necessary, and then to a curry in Brick Lane at Nazrul. Not the best curry I've had in the UK - so far those have been at Indian Calvalry Club and The Raj (both in EDI), but I'm optimistic. Our fellow diners were more inebriated and raucous than we - I'm talking singing at the top of their lungs at 11:30 pm in a crowded restaurant - but we enjoyed ourselves all the same.

Saturday morning we hit Selfridges - we behaved ourselves quite well - and then walked down Bond Street - away from the mad, mad shoppers - for a family lunch. Then a quick trip to the V&A to see the fashion exhibit before we dashed back to the train station (missing the train we really needed to catch) and flew through security, fortunately catching our QueasyJet home.

In case you didn't get the memo

I'm flying off to my new life in Edinburgh tonight, never to return.

OK, not /never/ to return - yes, I can be a drama queen. I expect to be there 2-3 years, before returning to my homeland in the Great White North.

The luggage will at least get across the Atlantic - cross your fingers it gets from LHR to EDI, please!

I'll miss NYC, but I will be back, I promise. And there will be fabulous in Edinburgh, I'm just sure of it.

Edinburgh wardrobe: Part 6

I do like a suit, and red prevents anyone from blending in with the rest of the penguins. Plus, it's Dior ...

When in doubt

At a sample sale, it's always better to buy first, and answer questions later.

Madame Royale

This royal fleur-de-lis represents Marie-Thérèse Charlotte, the eldest child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, who was known by the honorific "Madame Royale." She was imprisoned from the time of the French Revolution in 1789 till the end of the Reign of Terror in 1794, and was the only member of her immediate family to survive.

My first WendyB piece! And I love that it's dedicated to a survivor. If my mother's taught me anything (and she's taught me a lot), it's the importance of survival. Which will help with the gray skies of Edinburgh to come.

Also, I have a serious susceptibility to fleur de lis. Just saying.

Smile

Husbands I had and Liked. A blank book, for your notes, if any.


From Daily Candy.

Edinburgh wardrobe: Part 5

This seems the sort of thing to bring the current grape fascination to the Old Country, and the velvet will keep me warm, won't it? Carmen Marc Valvo.

Shuesday: Oh no you did not

In Soho on Friday night, I saw a woman tonight wearing Carrie's shoes from That Movie.

In.

The.

Rain.

I'm just saying.

Edinburgh wardrobe: Part 4

It has occurred to me that dressing to match the skies and the stone walls of Edinburgh may be a bad idea. How about a bit of blue sky, courtesy of Marc Jacobs, via BG?

Edinburgh wardrobe: Part 3

Unfortunately, this sweater is sold out at J. Crew, but wouldn't it be perfect? Because I can't be dressed up all the time. Imagine it sitting in a window seat, reading.

The other shoe drops: the Eglu makes the New Yorker

I know it takes a while for a fad to turn into a New Yorker article, but I think you'll love this article by Susan Orlean on the Eglu anyway:

On a Venn diagram plotting the interest in chicken ownership and circumstance related to age, gender, acreage, appetite, and aesthetic tolerance, I would land in that pitch-dark center where all the sets overlap. Even now, two years into my chicken stewardship, this is a big surprise to me. I am an animal fancier, but fur-bearing has always been my type: I had never wanted a bird.

(...) I ordered a chartreuse Eglu with four red hens. The Eglu came via U.P.S.; a few days later, the hens were delivered to the post office. "You have a package here," the postal clerk said when she called, "and it's clucking."

(previously featured in the Boudoir here, and originally brought you you by Daily Candy).

Edinburgh wardrobe: Part 2

This seems somehow an updated version of something I imagine on a Brontë heroine.

Obviously, running across the moors isn't going to happen in those shoes - maybe in these? Who doesn't love Prada boots when you're escaping a madwoman?

Edinburgh wardrobe: Part 1

I'm told it's going to be chilly, and you know how I hate the damp. I think this would be bananas. Especially for lounging on a windowsill with a good book and a sweet little grey kitten, looking out at the rain.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Now that it's official, I'm letting you in on the latest. Your FG is moving to Scotland at the end of October!

Yes, I'll miss New York - the people, the food, the people, the overwhelming opportunities to do almost anything at any time of the day or night, the shopping, the people, the museums, the people. Did I mention the people?

Yes, it rains there all the time, but not as much as it could.* Yes, it is populated by Scots, a slightly more dour version of the English, but also, one suspects, warmer and heartier once you get through their reserve. Like Maritimers, yes? I adore the ones I've met here, and suspect the renowned Canadian sense of humour was somehow passed along genetically from our Scottish ancestors.

Yes, the television will be completely different - one suspects fewer award shows and more murder mysteries. Yes, I expect to do a lot of reading (which will no doubt be very good for me, based on recent propensity to sit on couch watching TV until the wee small hours of the morning). Yes, the fashion is going to be mad, and yes, I will keep you posted. Yes, I have a lot to do in the next six weeks. Yes, I will miss you, yes, I will be keeping the blog going. And yes, I will take lots and lots and lots of pictures.


No, not all the food there is deep fried, in fact, I had the best oysters on the half shell I've ever had there earlier this summer. They also have lovely cheeses, and have I mentioned my oatcake addiction?

No, I will not start wearing plaid all the time (more about that later), and am hoping not to pick up too much of an accent, whilst shedding the Americanisms that have crept into my normal speaking voice. No, I don't have a job yet; once I find an apartment and my stuff arrives (6-9 weeks), I'll be job hunting. No, I won't be there forever, the plan is 3-5 years and then back to the shores of my home and native land - although I'm aware that those sorts of long term plans sometimes find themselves derailed over time.


It's been almost exactly thirteen years since I moved to the States, and fourteen since I really left the GTA. The good news is that I've been lucky enough to keep my closest friends close, wherever they live, and wherever I live, and I plan to keep it up from the other side of the Atlantic. I miss home, even if I visit 2-3 times a year, but I'm thrilled at the chance to live in another country, an old, old country, for a change. I'm looking forward to living in a place that considers 1776 recent history, and which is so close to Europe, with all the treasures of its history, art, and culture. I hope I have always appreciated the idealism on which the States was built, its youth, and its tremendous potential. Even when I've been occasionally cranky.

So now you know, and can start planning your visit. I promise to keep you posted.

*I'm very pleased to say they average 10 inches less per year than Seattle, which I endured for four years, so I know it's survivable. Notice I didn't say it would be great for my hair.

It's all about the tailoring

A good tailor is key. Ghost Tailor in NYC took this dress down three sizes for me, and you'd never know it wasn't made that way. And she's a doll!

Alexander McQueen slays me with his attention to detail. Wouldn't this look divine in Edinburgh? Please go all the way through and check out the back of the jacket - it is amazing.


*Thanks WendyB!

Post 1201

Why don't I have the ... whatever you want to call it ... to wear my hair all big like this every day?

Oh, right, because I'm not Grace Coddington ...

Gawker

Ummmmmm

Why didn't I dress like this when I was in high school? And don't blame the uniform.


I'm putting it down to the fact that she's a Florentine. Although I think I had the strand of knotted pearls ...

The Sartorialist