Yours Fluently,

Everybody wants to speak in another language.

I want to speak in your language.

I want to read your mind.

I want to finish your sentences.

Cut Loose

I need some time for myself.

I need to be with myself.

I need to be lonely for a while.

Lonely is a freedom that breathes easy and weightless.

And lonely is healing if you make it.

I need enough distance so that when I come back,

I won't remember a thing.

Carolina Herrera, Spring 2011

Carolina Herrera's program notes explained that Spring was inspired by two things: the traditional clothes of Korea and botanical plates collected in the eighteenth century.

For anybody who admired the elegant simplicity of her recent Resort show, that little bit of news sent up a red flag. The tall, wide-brimmed straw hats (customarily worn by men in Korea) and the superfluous obilike bows that decorated the bust- and waistlines of evening dresses hardly dispelled the disquiet, nor did floral prints complete with calligraphy detailing the plant's name and origins.

Happily, there was also a lot here of a more subtle nature. The more restrained gowns suggested that Herrera can still teach a thing or two to the up-and-comers gunning for the Park Avenue set. In particular, a lotus-blossom-embroidered blouse and olive to-the-floor skirt and a forest green metallic fil coupé column dress with a slightly asymmetrical neckline nailed the understated grandeur that's long been a Herrera signature.

If it's grandeur plain and simple a girl is after, she should look no further than the finale gown with its yard-upon-yard of porcelain-embroidered floral jacquard.

Back on the Saddle!

So I know I've been MIA for quite some time.
Life has been pretty hectic.

Let's put it this way:
My job is super time consuming with all the travelling back and forth.
My love life is in jumble, you can't imagine the roller-coaster I've been through.
My friends are buzzing around me with too many parties.
My sisters are as crazy as always.

Oh well, life may not go as I have planned.
But I'm sure it's going to surprise me, big, in a lovely unexpected way.

So for the mean time, I'm back rocking the blog world.

Be ready, peeps!

Chance vs. Fear:

The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them.

Just stride on.

Sometimes, it is simply a matter of putting one foot in front of another.

And not stopping.

a Matter of Taste

How amazing is the latest book of Fulvio Bonavia: “A Matter of Taste” is full of surprising creations made with natural and edible elements. The work in the book lives in a world between gastronomy and haute couture. Love it !

*Funny Face

Spring cannot flounce skirts and breeze more blithely than with Paramount's conspicuously vernal musical picture, "Funny Face," which teams Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn in a delightfully balmy romance. Indeed, it is reasonable to reckon that you won't see a prettier musical film, for this is a movie with class in every considerable department.

Let's begin with the songs of George and Ira Gershwin, such the likes of “I Love Your Funny Face”, “’S Wonderful” -which are from their musical comedy of the same title, produced years ago. Yet they have more lilt and frolic in them than if they had been written last year.

It is a purely coincidental tale of a drab little Greenwich Village salesgirl who is grabbed by a pertinacious troupe of style-magazine super-worldlings, whisked off to Paris and turned into a dazzling supermodel, with whom the blasé photographer falls in love. But she can't stay out of those smoky cellars where the long-haired intellectuals hive—not until one bearded cultist shows he's interested in more than her mind.

For all the simplicity of that fable, Leonard Gershe, who prepared the script, has made it spin by being lightly satiric of all the la-de-da of the dress trade, while taking a few good-natured tumbles out of the breast-beating Existentialists. And Roger Edens, the talented producer, and Stanley Donen, the director, have turned the whole thing into a lovely phantasm made up of romance, tourism and chic.

The eye is intoxicated with exquisite color designs and graphic production numbers that are rich in sensory thrills. There's one done by the principals in a dark-room, with the faint cherry-red glow of a ruby-light keying the shadowy movement that goes with the singing of the title song. And there's another tenebrous number done in a Paris dive, with red and green lights blotching the darkness, that has a terrific mood.

Finally we come to the acting (and singing and dancing), which are elegant, too. Audrey Hepburn has the meek charm of a wallflower turned into a rueful butterfly, and Fred Astaire plays her lens-hound suitor softly. Kay Thompson, the brittle cafe singer, is fantastic and fun as a style-magazine director, and Robert Flemyng and Michel Auclair are good as a couple of Paris characters in the only other roles that amount to anything.

A lot of fine outdoor shots were made in Paris—in the springtime and in the rain. If you try hard, you can smell horse-chestnut blossoms. That is the sort of film this is!

A Home for Wang

Here comes the much awaited event for devoted fans all over the world, the beloved designer Alexander Wang finally introduce his first flagship store to the world. With a bright and clear weather report, a rather heavenly sunlight streamed through the massive windows into the 3,500-square-foot space.

Wang was, of course, inspired by the airy nature of the Yohji Yamamato store that previously occupied the space, and he had a couple other favorites to inspire him as well. “I respond to a store like Barneys where it’s very breathy and you have these sophisticated installations, but there’s still humor,” he said. “And the old Helmut Lang store on Greene Street was pretty iconic to me. I just loved the gallery feel of it.”

In fact, like Lang’s store, the front area here, which has a ceiling-high black metal cage and marble display cubes, is reserved for installations, exclusives, and special collabs. Currently the cage is covered in baby’s breath, the so-wrong-it’s-right idea of florist Jeff Leatham, who worked with Wang for the opening.

Designed by architect Robin Kramer, the chilly white marble interior is warmed up by touches of glowy antique brass, inlaid in those marble cubes and long tables. And there’s an inviting carpeted square of relaxation in the center, dominated by the by-now world-famous black fox fur hammock. “I knew I wanted it to feel like our living room, just a place where people can hang out,” said Wang. “I don’t want it to be such a strict retail environment. I want people to feel like they’re coming to my apartment to shop.” In a way, they are, since decorator Ryan Korban is the aesthetic force behind the store as well as Wang’s home and showroom. And in that vein, Wang also personally chose the playlist for the first week, a mix of the Pharcyde, vintage Dr. Dre, Dru Hill, and Die Antwoord.

With all of his lines and accessories on display, including a capsule of five black leather pieces made expressly for the opening, consider it a full immersion in Wang world. As for those fans, since Wang’s studio and apartment are both minutes away, and his brother lives right upstairs, they can expect to see him there pretty frequently. Alexander Wang is now open at 103 Grand St., NYC.

Meitte Cakes

Modern, cheerful, and always delicious, Miette is San Francisco's most charming pastry shop. Our impeccable cakes are traditionally American & birthday-party perfect. A modern interpretation and the finest, unrefined ingredients available have made Miette one of the top ten pastry shops in the world, according to Conde Nast.

Miette started at the Berkeley Farmers' Market in the fall of 2001 with a passion for cakes & pastry, Meg's influences range from candy shop windows in Vienna to the wild blackberries growing on her island home. Being located in Northern California provides the finest and freshest ingredients in the world, coming from local, family-owned farms and mills, which are, whenever possible, organic & sustainably produced. Miette is the French word for "crumb," and aptly describes the the scale of our petite pastries and minimal decoration.

The shop located in San Francisco's historic Ferry Building offers a seasonal selection of cakes and cupcakes, tarts, cookies, confections, cake stands, and other vintage dessert ware. The Hayes Valley shop is filled with old-fashioned candy, confections from around the world, treats made by local artisans, and made-to-order organic cotton candy.

Behati Prinsloo's Bikini Line

When Behati Prinsloo celebrated the opening of the very first Victoria’s Secret Pink store in New York City, she spilled on a little secret. The bubbly model actually turned designer and created her very own line of swimsuits for the brand!

Inspired by her home in Namibia, Behati explained her design process by saying, “We came up with the idea of Africa being the inspiration, since I am from there. But I wanted to make it very fun. There are four bikinis and some cover-ups in the line and everything has a bit of African inspiration. It’s not just the old animal print look. There’s a tiger on one, and little shells on the strings on another. Lots of cool details – I am really excited.”

And the end product is simply adorable. Keeping with the swimsuit trend of cut-outs, her one piece provides for just a slight bit more coverage, while the prints on her bikinis will make your friends in boring black suits extremely jealous.

The line retails for $24.50-49.50, includes one pieces, bikinis, and cover-ups,

Fly.

Quit your job.

Buy a ticket.

Fall in love.

Never returns.

How does that sound?

Maybe this is wishful thinking, probably mindless dreaming.

Customize your own Fendi!

The Italian fashion house Fendi comes with a new funny concept of bag. Now, you can have your Fendi Baguette, where “your” means unique and really representing your own style. How is it possible? With the new Fendi limited edition called Baguette Mezzo Punto. “Mezzo punto” is the Italian for “half stitch”, so you have to bring this canvas bag, a needle and all your fantasy! There are in Fendi box also diagrams and illustrations help beginning stitchers. ”Fendi is a creativity factory that supports talent without boundaries. In these challenging times in which the world is changing rapidly, we wanted to exalt pure creativity by putting attention on traditional materials and low technology techniques. We wanted to rediscover the power and the beauty of ‘Fatto a Mano’ (Hand-Craft)” Fendi Accesories Creative Director Silvia Venturini Fendi said. “Fendi strongly believes that creativity and the flow f ideas are the Fuel for the Future. Forever.”

Emma Enchanted

Emma Watson has magically transformed from Harry Potter's precocious overachiever to a full-blown glamour girl.

She was just shy of ten years old when she took on the role of Hermione Granger, the bookish, bushy-haired sidekick to the titular hero of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. So feverishly anticipated was that first film—and so beloved were its four sequels that Emma Watson, now nineteen, has been world-famous for more than half her life.

Fashion, in fact, has long been of particular interest to Emma. She's worn enough big-night Chanel to become friendly with Karl Lagerfeld, the line's iconic designer—"It's kind of my lucky brand," she explains, "a fail-safe"—and lately she has been branching out, experimenting with Balenciaga, Burberry (for whom she's a fall face), Miu Miu, Alice Temperley, and a little-known Englishman named William Tempest, whose designs she first spotted at an up-and-comers event called Fashion Fringe. When she's not premiere-hopping, she says, "I live, really, in jeans from Topshop, blazers from Ralph Lauren or Reiss, and ballet flats."

"It's very hard to describe your own style," she admits. "And I'm young, so I'm still experimenting. But I think it's quite British and very much about individuality." Emma says she prefers to pull her own party dresses, but even when she's short on time and must work with a stylist, she's careful to make sure that the resulting outfits don't look overdone. As she explains, "There's nothing interesting about looking perfect—you lose the point. You want what you're wearing to say something about you, about who you are."

Riverside

Song Title Riverside
Singer Agnes Obel
Songwriter Agnes Obel
Album Philharmonics

Down by the river by the boats where everybody goes to be alone.

Where you won't see any rising sun, down to the river we will run.

When by the water we drink to the dregs, look at the stones on the riverbed.

I can tell from your eyes you've never been by the riverside

Down by the water the riverbed somebody calls you somebody says,

"Swim with the current and float away down by the river every day."

Oh my God I see how everything is torn in the river deep

And I don't know why I go the way down by the riverside

When that old river runs past your eyes to wash off the dirt on the riverside.

Go to the water so very near, the river will be your eyes and ears.

I walk to the borders on my own, fall in the water just like a stone.

Chilled to the marrow in them bones, why do I go here all alone.