Uniqlo

Why is Uniqlo fabulous?

1. Free alternations on trousers done the same day or nominal fee if your trousers are less than GBP20.

2. Good service in England!

3. Fantastic, cheap v-neck cashmere sweaters that don't pill. Handwash, ladies.

4. Great jeans in bootcut, skinny and super skinny.

5. Terrific trench coats that look a million dollars and cost less than a hundred.

Uniqlo is my new obsession and part of the plan to buy good basics and splurge on accessories from now on. Hello, Hermes!

My Paris List

Spent the past weekend eating macarons, shopping and walking in Paris. Feeling absolutely happy.

1. Cafe de Flore : An old standby but so worth it. The profiteroles and the onion soup smothered in gruyere are perfect, the crisp waiters are efficent and the people watching unsurpassed.

2. Anne Corvall : Not fashion forward but lovely things such as fox fur trimmed cashmere shawls that look like Julie Christie in Dr. Shivago. And a genuinely kind and fun saleswoman who truly welcomed three slightly ab-fab looking foreigners into her shop.

3.Philippe Ferrandis: Terrific costume jewellery from classic pearl drops to wow, Elizabeth Taylor here I come necklaces. Affordable pieces sold by a Dutchman with perfect French, English, Spanish, German and a smattering of Portuguese.

4. Collette: Too cool for school. Everything is stunning. Look and don't touch - the price will scorch you.

5. Cafe Angelina: For the Mont Blanc pastry or the raspberry or the hot chocolate. Then take a few laps around the Jardins des Tuileries to recover.

And so much more, including Crazy Horse for the, um, more adventurous... someone please explain the two toilets side by side in the ladies' washroom...

Elizabeth Taylor's Jewels

Richard Burton would give Liz a 'It's Tuesday I love you' gift and what gifts these were! Before the doors opened at 9.30, the queue snaked around the building at Christie's on King Street. We ascended the staircase on a lavender carpet, naturally, to see the 80 or so highlights of the auction to be held in NYC in December.

Gay men with crisp cotton shirts, suburban houswifes in trainers, pretty blondes in silk shirts and jeans attended and jaded Londoners had to gape at these jewels.

The 33 carat diamond was on fire. A crowd quickly formed around it. You suddenly saw the point of big diamonds. Fevered speculation said it would go for over 10 million GBP but could one actually wear it? Only with a small army of bodyguards...

Below is the pearl - La Peregina -that went missing only to be found in the mouth of her dog:

With about eighty pieces in all, there was also a somewhat bridal Chanel evening dress and this sugary pink and mint evening ensemble. The clothing was not the point nor the paintings although there are a few notable ones. It was jewels, jewels, jewels! Is it Tuesday yet?

The Key to Beauty

On Ines de la Fressange from the New York Times:

“She’s very clever because she knows the key to being beautiful is self-confidence,” said Sophie-Caroline de Margerie, a writer who captures the essence of Parisian style in “American Lady,” a new biography of Susan Mary Alsop, the American doyenne of French style. “In the end there’s no rule. It doesn’t matter what you wear, as long as it suits you, and as long as you feel pretty.”

The Art of the Bath

Bath bombs. Bath oil. Bath foam. Bubble bath. Bath salts. Does any one else love their baths as much as the British? At the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh I almost drowned in seven foot long bath tub, surely, a relaxing way to go.

Diane Vreeland tells of the Duke of Windsor having a specially constructed bath tray for his papers - pure bliss.

In her memoir Must you go Lady Antonia Fraser describes how she brings 'bath oils, perfume and body lotion' to her Czech women friends and how 'Rita Klimova told Diana she still had the bath oil I bought for her in June - which was not supposed to be the point, she was supposed to wallow'.

P.G. Wodehouse's Wooster has his best thoughts splashing about in the porcelain tub playing with a rubber ducky.

Nora Ephron (not a Brit, I know) describes life as being too short to not use bottles and bottles of Jo Malone's bath oil.

Only in England do you find flats with a bath but no shower. Surely someone has written a history of the bath?

Best features

Getting older means knowing more about yourself, your flaws and your attributes: Not just your character but also your physical appearance.

Every woman has at least one good feature. If it is your hair then spend everything you can on a good hairdresser. If it is your eyes then learn how to make them up properly. If it is your legs then wear a mini skirt and over the knee boots.

If you can remedy your worst feature then invest in fixing it. If not fixable then ignore or conceal it. What is the point of being miserable about it if you can't change it?

Things I've learnt (the hard way):

1. Flat shoes might be better. She's 5'11 but see Ines: Join the flat pack

2. Buy unique, dazzling things on holiday and invest in the basics at home

3. Keep a list of what is missing from your wardrobe and buy accordingly.

4. Having matching wallet, phone case, key ring, passport cover, cosmetic case in your bag looks terribly together. Love Smythson's for this even if they discontinued my lilac.

5. Learn about make-up. See Salli Hughes.

Death by Minibar

What hotel gets the minibar right? Let me know because I want to stay there! It as though by trying to appeal to everyone it ends up being a mish-mash of what no one in their right mind would ever eat. Don't hotels do focus groups on minibars?

Here is my dream minibar list:

Champagne that doesn't cost $75 (for a split!)
Pringles
Excellent chocolates (Better than Godiva)
Milk for tea!
Shortbread biscuits
Cheese
White wine
Vogue (not necessarily chilled but available in the room)


I could go on but not a minibar stuffed with sodas, peanuts and cheap chocolates. The sad thing is, after a day of meetings, the only real option is death by minibar. Who wants to deal with the prying eyes of room service or a dingy hotel restaurant?