Crazy for Coppola

Sofia Coppola is a screenwriter, producer, director among other things (if you haven’t already, you need to see Marie Antoinette, Lost in Translation, Somewhere.)  She is known by all for her exquisite taste (S wants Coppola to decorate her future home,) and by me for her ability to ‘untrend’.

Don’t you wish you could be the one not to wear white to your wedding?

Dress by Azzedine Alaia. Click on the picture for more images.

Don’t you wish you were the one who dared to throw a pair of Converse into a film about 18th Century France?

Screenshot from Coppola’s Marie Antoinette

Don’t you wish you owned this dress?

At the Fall/Winter 2008 in Versailles

I know I do.

A bientôt!

-N

 

Mellow Melody

After years of searching, I have finally found the ultimate tunes to listen to when I need to get something done (whether an essay or cleaning my room.) Ludovico Einaudi is an Italian music composer and film score composer. His pieces have appeared in a range of films, including the nouveau film franзais, “Intouchables”. Einaudi’s music is calming and uplifting—the perfect combination to help you settle down and do that task which has been loitering on your ‘to do’ list for the past week!

Some of my favourites include: Fly, I Giorni, and Divenire.

Enjoy!

– L

Scene from “Intouchables”

Ms. Coddington

Grace Coddington is the creative director of British Vogue.  Many of you may have first heard of her when she became the unexpected star of The September Issue. Model turned the-most-well-renowned-stylist-of-this-age (quite a title, I know,) Grace Coddington encapsulates an eerie sense of beauty in every “fantasia” she takes on.

Original and tasteful are the two words that come to mind when I think of Ms. Coddington.  Her memoir is being released on November 20th on Amazon and, if you’re interested, here’s a little excerpt I found.

Click on photo to read

A bientôt!

-N

Subterranean Paris

The Catacombs of Paris are one of the top sites visited by the millions of tourists who bombard the city each year.

However, my experience of the Catacombs was a little different (read: illegal):  after climbing through the smallest hole in the world…

Photos courtesy of Hattie Nguyen (…again)

and walking through muddy water 20 meters underground for about an hour, we arrived at our destination.

A small cave, with lanterns and candles filling the room.  Were it not for the bottles of champagne and music, any passer by could have easily mistaken our Halloween celebration as an exorcism.  It was the most memorable four hours I’ve spent in Paris (and for those of you know me, you’ll understand how bold of a statement that is.)  So, if you know of any regular catacomb-goes, I suggest you try it out.

Here’s a great National Geographic article that describes the experience much more eloquently than I.

A bientôt!

-N

It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas

When the ice skating begins at Somerset House and Oxford Street is lit with festive lights, it starts to feel like Christmas.  Maybe you’ll pull out your copies of Home Alone and It’s A Wonderful Life or hunker down by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate or head to the ballet to see The Nutcracker, where the dancing rats still terrify you.  You may even secretly buy a chocolate advent calendar— and then eat the whole thing in one go.

As for me, I may do all those things, but first I’m digging up my Christmas playlist and it will be on repeat until January 1st.  You’re technically not meant to start listening to carols until December but as L so perfectly put it, one month just isn’t long enough to enjoy the charm of Christmas carols.

I’ve listed my favourite 20 carols below & I’ve linked them to iTunes so you can listen to the best versions.

1. Gabriel’s Message (basque carol)
2. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
3. Hodie Christus Natus Est (Rutter version)
4. I Saw Three Ships
5. Il Est Né Le Divin Enfant
6. In Dulci Jubilo
7. In the Bleak Mid-winter (this version)
8. The Infant King
9. Joys Seven
10. O Little Town of Bethlehem
11. Personent Hodie (Rutter version)
12. Quem Pastores Laudavere
13. Rocking Carol: Little Jesu Sweetly Sleep
14. See Amid the Winter’s Snow
15. Shepherds in the Field Abiding
16. Somerset Wassail
17. Still, Still, Still
18. Sussex Carol
19. Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
20. Walking in the Air

Happy listening!  —S

Ice skating at Somerset House

Choristers of the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge

Illustration from  The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

Illustration of Mr Fezziwig’s Ball from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol

Dürer to Holbein

The time has come for a refresher course on Northern Renaissance art, right in the heart of London! The Queens Gallery (in Buckingham Palace) is holding an exhibition of over 100 exquisite works that were painted in 15th and 16th centuries—centuries of dramatic and influential change in Northern Europe.

The exhibition is open until the 14th April.

– L

P.S. If you have time to spare, I suggest wandering through the Picture Gallery (one of the State Rooms in Buckingham Palace) where the works of Titian and Rubens line the salmon-coloured walls.

 

 

Desiderius Erasmus by Quinten Metsys (1517, Oil on oak panel)

 

The Adoration of the Kings by Pieter Coeck Van Aelst (1530, Oil on oak panel)

 

Portrait of the Artist by Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1623, Oil on panel)

 

 

Cool Garçon

Pitchfork is an electro music festival that travels to Chicago and Paris.  Last week, I went to the City of Love with a couple friends and spent a rainy afternoon sipping beer with Parisians at the festival.  Not only was the music mind-trippingly incredible (with performances by M83, James Blake, John Talbot, and Sébastian Tellier) but the upper deck of the tent was also scattered with Parisian artisans, each one cooler than the next.

Cool Garçon is a brand based around…as you can guess-cool guys.  The men’s clothing is vintage, original, and relaxed:  the only things a guy should aim for in his wardrobe.  The Cool Garçon recognises his coolness and goes with it.  Here’s a little excerpt from his tumblr:

 

 

He also has beautifully hand woven throws (the Mexican ones really caught my eye) that are definitely going in my future apartment.

for “Après la fête”

A bientôt!

-N

Old-fashioned Apple Pie

I baked this simple old-fashioned apple pie for a dinner last week and it was so successful I thought I’d share it with you.

Old-fashioned Apple Pie (makes one 8-inch pie)

Pastry:

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup iced water

Filling:

4 tart apples, cored, peeled and cut into thin wedges (I like granny smith)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter

Confectioners sugar

Freshly whipped cream (use double cream and add one tablespoon confectioners sugar. Mix until soft peaks are formed)

Whip it up:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter and dry ingredients. Process just until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

2. Add iced water bit by bit until the dough pulls away from the bowl and forms a solid mass. This process should take less than one minute.

3. Remove dough from bowl and divide in two. Put it in cling-film and place in fridge for at least 45 minutes.

4. Place one ball of dough onto floured surface (save the rest in your freezer for later) and roll it out into a 12-inch circle that is not too thick.

5. Fit the pastry circle into the pie tin.

6. Peel and cut apples into thin wedges and place in a bowl with sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg. Toss once or twice to ensure each apple is covered.

7. Fill the crust with the apple slices and dot with butter.  Then fold the pastry edges over the apples.

8. Bake for 45 minutes at 180 degree C until the apples are bubbling and the crust is golden. Before serving, sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Serve with a freshly whipped cream.

Enjoy!

-S

Purple Sunset

No edits.

Procrastinating?

Yes. Whether you are watching the latest episode of Downtown Abbey to avoid reading that book you referenced in your Personal Statement, or eating those crunchy HobKnobs in the biscuit tin to ignore adding the finishing touches to an American college application. We all procrastinate. However, I would like to introduce you to a new form of procrastination—Buckyballs. I was given these as a gift in the summer, and although they do not completely curb my craving for a quick facebook update, they reduce the time I spend procrastinating substantially. Amuse yourself with these minute, magnetic spheres. They may be the cure for your chronic dawdling!

– L

ACT FAST: Buckyballs are no longer being produced but they still have thousands left in stock—this is your last chance!