Modern Hollywood

I love this new Hollywood glamour look that is coming out on the catwalks right now. Heavy with tons of sequins but still elegant and glamorous. I especially love this dress from Gaultier Paris

and this Philip Lim dress. Really very reminiscent of classic Hollywood.

A classic but lesser known Hollywood icon, Kay Francis - how amazing is this dress?

Norma Shearer was also clearly a big fan of sequins (pictured above and below).

She would have loved this Louboutin sandal,

this Michael Kors Spring 2010 dress

or this Fendi dress - available now at Browns.

Art London Fair

Yesterday I went to the Art London Fair and saw so many lovely things. They had a Duncan Grant painting of the Charleston mantlepiece - it was rather like the one above only nicer.

This Ben Nicholson drawing, which I think is so English.

And this Robert Bevan painting. Father Christmas, are you out there??

Rainbow

Yet another miserable day, so I thought I'd do a cheerful post on rainbows. Horst Glaesker is a German artist who works with colour palettes.

See www.horst-glaesker.de for more of his work.

How stunning is this Beijing bookshop?

You could try it yourself at home, as below.

Zeze

One of the most beautiful bouquets I have ever received was from Zeze florists in New York.

Zeze was born and raised in Brazil but moved to New York to take up a life on the stage, later changing to floristry and opening his shop on 938 1st Ave, New York.

I think his arrangements are sophisticated but also have that natural, just picked from the meadow/garden look too.

Objet and plants are also for sale in his shop.

And Zeze has also recently opened up a cafe as well as making his shop available for private parties. See more at www.zezeflowers.com

Unfortunately it's a bit far for me to go, but next week I'll be posting my favourite London florists!

Chanel in Venice

There are some images which just stick in your mind and the photos of Chanel's 2010 collection presented at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Lido Resort in Venice are undoubtedly some of those.

I mean how stunning is the fading light in these photos with all the blue and soft sandy hues.

This is a picture of Coco herself, photographed by V.H. Drandpierre on the yacht of Roussy Sert in front of the Excelsior hotel on the Lido beach.

The Chanel show was all very reminiscent of Visconti's stunning film Death in Venice (pictured above and below)

So why not be inspired? You could watch Death in Venice, Brideshead Revisited for the wonderful section shot in Venice, read Thomas Mann's novel as below,

or visit the newly opened 'The Merchant of Venice' in London, which promises tapas size dishes of Venetian delicacies like mackerel tartare, flank steak ribbons and roast pork belly with radicchio and hazlenut. Mmmm, see www.polpo.co.uk

Absinthe depot Berlin

I love the look of this Absinthe shop/bar in Berlin (see http://absinth-berlin.de/ ) I'm not sure I'm up to drinking such a hard drink as Absinthe, but I love the style of this place - like stepping back in time. Selling over 100 Absinthes and offering tasting evenings it promises a night not to be forgotten!

Absinthe or la Fee verte (green Fairy) as it was also known has such an interesting history I think. It was the toast of Paris society in the 1890s, a favourite drink in the Moulin Rouge and of intellectuals and artists who believed it convoked the muses. It was drunk by Degas, Picasso, and Toulouse-Lautrec who never left home with a supply of it in his walking stick!

Not only were many great paintings done on the topic, but I also love the posters that were created to sell it.

Elizabethan portraits

One thing that has always inspired me are Elizabethan portraits and especially those of Elizabeth I. I remember studiously copying the painting above for ages when I was little - shame I don't still have my attempted copy.

Not only is Elizabeth I an undeniably fascinating figure, but I also love the decorative, sumptuous fabrics, the incredible way the painters painted lace ruffs and fur stoles and the copious quantities of jewels and pearls. This painting is about the Battle of Armada.

I also love that they are rich in symbolism. Above is the Tudor rose which combines the rose of the House of Lancaster and the rose of the House of York, symbolising the unity of the realm. Pearls (and also moons) show Elizabeth's virginity and purity.

Other symbols include gloves which represent her elegance, pelicans symbolising motherly love of her subjects, the phoenix which is a symbol of her longevity, and ermine (as seen above)which represents both her royalty and purity.

Industrial furniture

Jac de Villiers

I have been looking for ideas on how to decorate the other office and came across this post at http://jordanferney.blogspot.com on industrial furniture.

I've always been a fan of the reclamation look and it's a great look for a studio. These photos were all featured in Country living.

Great shops for this in London are Lassco and Retrouvius.

The Retrouvius shop on Harrow Road looks interesting - I really like these old warehouse lamps. Their website is also good www.retrouvius.com It features design projects and their latest stock.

I also like these old patent office shelves that they have for sale at the moment.

Underwater hotels

I was amazed to see this hotel in Dubai which is due to open later this year. The Hydropolis Underwater Hotel and Resort, www.hyrdopolis.com , is 66 feet below the surface of the sea and stretches over 27 acres. This could be the view from your room!

To get to the hotel you have to take a transparent train down into the ocean. Previously, the only underwater hotel was Jules Undersea Lodge and to reach that you had to scuba dive.

Originally a research lab, this hotel was way ahead of it's time when it opened in the 1970s. It looks rather more basic, but has a certain Jacques Cousteau style charm to it! See www.jul.com

Another more luxurious option is the Poseidon Fuji, www.poseidonresorts.com , which is due to open early next year.

Another amazing view awaits you. The hotel is 40 feet underwater in a Fujian lagoon.

It's all quite amazing to me, and the stuff of childhood dreams. So until these open, why not read some Tintin

or watch Wes Anderson's Life Aquatic (one of my favourite films).