“ Mine said all the dead spirits in my vintage clothes were scaring off men.“ Fashionista in W magazine after seeing a Psychic (she sees dead people? fashion victims )
“She didn’t even know who he was but she pulled out 3 black cards and she knew what was going to happen to him. ”Linda Cantello asking a tarot reader about Tom Ford ( she didn’t even know who he was (gasp!) but at least the cards were black)
“ If I have to make a decision and I’m torn fifty fifty I’ll just throw both on the floor and see which one Hudson steps on. I do that for everything, he is a good a psychic as anyone” Robert Duffy, Marc Jacobs financial partner, using a very scientific well thought procedure for running a business: his Dog.
‘I may be perceived as sexy but really I’m like a big, bouncy, fun-loving golden retriever,” Rachel Hunter on her new job as a model psychic
“ In addition to my own sense of style, I think a lot of people admire Tinkerbell’s look as well,” Paris Hilton on her dog (he obviously runs her life)
“One of the things that may have surprised me the most is the realization that a lot of people just don’t care about fashion. They just don’t care. “ Gasp! Tom Ford on 99% of the population (who we never mix with) He’s psychic.
“They’re totally real. When it first happened my friends were like” Oh my god what happened? Are they real?” Even me I was shocked, it was like wow. They kind of like popped and sit up” Lindsay Lohan on her boobs (Magic)
“The problem was Glitter was about a diva moment. It was too close to my life. Another thing that people don’t remember about Glitter is that it came out the week of 9/11. The movie became a pressure release for everyone dealing the intensity of the attacks” Mariah Carey blaming 9/11 for her bad movie Glitter (Was written in the stars)
“I tried it, but I’m not addicted. I don’t have a hard-on now!. I took it a few times recreationally. When I was a bit more sexually recreational - when you’re involved with multiple people - it helps,” Ashton Kutcher on Viagra ( and now he just takes a Demi every morning).

We all secretly love to eat with our hands but it can look a little, shall we say uncouth in public. Which is why we all need to buy chic little wooden serving spoons in the shape of 2 hands. First spied years ago in groovy designer stores they have now filtered their way into Freedom for an outrageous $9.95. Just don’t lick them.

$9.95 Wooden hand servers from Freedom.

There is one person in fashion we all look up to in the style department (apart from Jackie O and Tom Ford) and her name is Kate Moss. What ever Kate throws on is what we all want to wear. And what does she wear all the time apart from a Balenciaga bag? Her big oversized and glamorous Olivers People sunglasses. The style (called Vanitas) looks great on anybody and I insist you have them in both black and tortoiseshell. (The black is sold out but will be in by July)
$289 Olivers People sunglasses from Prevue, Paddington 9331 6699

It’s official: I have a fabulous new foundation and I love it. Soft, luminous and sheer with just the right amount of coverage and an SPF of 15, it even has a name that works wonders: Virtual Youth. How clever. It also has an ‘exclusive lifting complex with White Birch Extract that restores clarity, and evens and refines the skin’ Lifting? No, you can’t apply it to your whole body (you can but it’s very expensive) but it ‘moisturises and conditions, while helping lines become less visible’ and believe it or not it’s true. Virtually.

$65 Prescriptives Virtual Youth Foundation from Mecca Cosmetica.

Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole are returning with a new self financed company. One of the first deals signed under the new Tom Ford brand is with Estee Lauder to launch a Tom Ford for Estee Lauder collection and eventually a stand-alone Tom Ford beauty brand. Future product categories could include home goods and a men’s apparel line. (Cosmic: it was in the cards)
Andre Balacz, the big spunky boyfriend of Uma Thurman, ex husband of Kate Ford of Ford Models and groovematic owner of the Chateau Marmont, The standard, and The Merver has now opened Hotel QT in New York….cool website, not much on the hotel http://www.hotelqt.com/
http://www.hotelessilken.com/ghdb/index_eng.html is a cool hotel in Bilbao, Spain with tubs by Phillipe Starck and fittings by Arne Jacobsen.
or also check out http://www.mirohotelbilbao.com/hotel-in-bilbao.htm
Da Giacomo, the legendary Milanese restaurant frequented by Giorgio Armani, and Dolce Gabbana now has its very own New York outpost on East 64th Street.
In New York see the play about Peggy Guggenheim ‘Woman Before a Glass” with Mercedes Ruehl.
When you go to Provence please stay at the Oustau de Baumiere, a Relais & Chateaux hotel near Les Baux ( messy webswite but a gorgeous place) http://www.oustaudebaumaniere.com/
If you are an architect or into design check out the amazing and very modern restaurant and hotel of Michel Bras. 200 km north of Montpellier
http://www.michel-bras.com/anglais/cheznous/cheznous.htm
Want an eating holiday in France but still want to get stay fit? No, it’s not an oxymoron, it’s gastrobiking! http://www.gastrobiking.com “. France is a great place for Gastrobiking with bakeries in almost every village” Yes please..
In Venice stay at the new boutique hotel http://www.palazzosantangelo.com/
in Milan stay at Townhouse 31 http://www.townhouse.it/th31/en/index.html
Watch out for photographer David Lachapelle’s first movie, a doco called Rize about clown dancing or Krumping, a post hip hop street dance ( it wowed them at Sundance).
In Madrid stay at the new Mario Hotel http://www.room-matehoteles.com/ the site is not entirely up yet but it looks cool.
Or the Hotel Bauza, modern with good prices http://www.hotelbauza.com/index.php.
The Piasa auction house in Paris plans to auction 150 Paul Poiret pieces in May.
The Chanel No. 5 ad campaign won the top prize in the media category at France’s 18th annual Phoenix awards.

http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/
This is a funny and totally outrageous blog that evaluates all the celebrities like fashion police and arrests everyone. But what is fug?
fug (n.)
1. A state of extreme ugliness. Ex: “The level of fug at the Video Music Awards is always hard to stomach”
2. A proper name for someone possessed of eternal heinousness, as Chloe Sevigny: “Oh look, there’s Fug, looking all miserable and dour in her black turtleneck and white frilly farm dress.”
fug•ging (v.)
The act of posting on one’s blog in order to identify something excruciatingly ugly. Ex: “Hey, I am fugging Li’l Kim again for wearing only a tiny piece of cloth.

http://www.jumptheshark.com/
” Jumping the shark is “ a moment. A defining moment when you know that your favourite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on it’s all downhill. It came from the TV show Happy Days. Faced with falling ratings, the writers had the rocker Fonzie put on water skis and ride over a shark (wearing his trademark leather jacket).” Current shark sightings? Check out “Lost” and without a trace”

After Madonna, could Demi Moore be the new face of Versace? It certainly looks that way. Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Donatella Versace, Mario Testino and others were spotted Thursday night having dinner in a private room at the spanking new Jean-Georges restaurant, V, in London ( UK Vogue) Sharon Stone is set to adopt another baby boy.
Hamish Bowles, Vogue’s European editor at large, will be in Sofia Coppola’s new movie about Marie Antoinette and will play a French aristocrat.
With Britney Spears announcing she’s pregnant, UPN has announced a May 17 premiere for the couple’s reality show which will follow their courtship, engagement and wedding through private home videos, mostly shot by the couple with their own camera. ( A satire of themselves?)
Joaquin Phoenix checked himself into rehab.
Billy Joel has checked himself out of rehab .
Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal laughed off reports they’re engaged ( haha).
Jennifer Aniston was godmother to Courteney Cox Arquette’s daughter Coco.
The Royal Wedding “A Flop” for TV Viewers: Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding only drew 7.6 million television viewers in the UK compared to the 30 million who watched his marriage to Diana. More people watched the Grand National horse-racing. (A horse whatever way you look at it )
Arun Nayer, Elizabeth Hurley’s boyfriend is seeking a divorce on the grounds that he was treated cruelly by her during their marriage.
Did Steve Bing ask Nicole Kidman to marry him, In Berlin for the premiere of “The Interpreter,” she was spotted wearing a big square-cut diamond ring around town.
Elizabeth Hurley has revealed she’s finally put the past behind her and is back on speaking terms with the father of her son, Steve Bing
With rumours about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie refusing to go away, the man himself has finally spoken out in the hope of ending the gossip “ That particular story is completely untrue.” (That particular one but what the others?)
Heidi Klum will tie the knot with fiancé Seal before their baby is born, it was confirmed this week.
Brigitte Nielson has stormed off the set of a British TV chat show after host Joan Rivers branded her a “c**t”. She initially launched into a furious tirade in Italian after Joan made a series of comments about Brigitte’s five ex-husbands (she definitely got one with 5 husbands)

The Fashion Pack by Marion Hume
This is the first novel by the respected fashion writer Marion Hume who was famously sacked from Australian Vogue. It’s about “ Red Harrison, an English reporter dispatched to Sydney to launch the latest edition of the top-selling magazine Joy” All about the biting glamour of the fashion industry, it has ‘girls in great shoes fighting their way to the top - only to risk teetering over the precipice” Yes, all sounds light, frothy, and silly but there’s one problem: the book is so big no one is the fashion industry will ever get through it.( there are no pictures!)
$32.95 from major booksellers and go to http://www.thefashionpack.com/

The Christmas list:
Jackie: A Life In Pictures by Pierre-Henri Verlhac.
Who would ever get tired at looking at Jackie O ? As time goes on she just looks better and better. So indulge in this gorgeous, big, fat, glossy book packed with “ 400 glamorous, dramatic, and intimate images taken throughout her life as well as a biography, personal notes, and handwritten correspondence.” What a woman.
Publisher: powerHouse Books (October 1, 2004) $79 from Lesley Mackay Bookshops and major booksellers

Economy:
FCUK: Have a fab black flippy skirt (flattering cut) $120, a very nice and chic dark grey almost black wool pencil skirt with tiny pleats at hem $119, looks expensive, and don’t forget the casual red cotton tote and the hoodies are handy too. Nine West: best buy are the moc croc wedges in a patchwork of colours or in plain black (very Prada) $139, the YSL copy of the square toe suede chunky heel loafers in orange $149, the velvet heels with a single jewel on toe $149. and the boots in moc croc $319. Witchery: have good crop cuffed brown wool pants ( to knee) $109, a black or grey flippy skirt $129, a dark grey racer back singlet $29, marc jacobs style tan chunky round toe heel boots, a trilby in red or brown is cute $69. Di Nuovo second hand store has a few (over priced) Gucci bags ($460) and shoes plus some Prada as well. General Pants: have some cool loose one teaspoon drape singlets $29.95. Dotti: have some velvet shrunken jackets from $49 to $79 (one with a diamante button you need to take off) and singlets on sale for $11. Mollini : have some choc brown suede round toe pumps with a chunky heel $169 and some marc Jacobs style boots and don’t forget the fab black snakeskin round toe flats $149. Fleur Wood: Not so sure on her winter collection but in the homewears there are cute handmade knitted teddy bears by Britt Design $30 and also check out the diamante brooches if you missed out on the Prada ones. MNG: has a fab denim jacket crop just under the boobs $100. A cool buy. Zomp Shoez: Have lots of great boots, flat, high, round toe and pointy. Best buys are the round toe boots with a lowish heel, $355 in brown and black, some pointy toe heels boots $860, the tan round toe Marc Jacobs style $375 and the tan round toe chunky heel $950. In shoes check out the cheap Anna Vanilla choc brown round toe suede with low heel $160 (bargain) and the Kenneth Cole moc croc pointy heels in red, brown or black $300, the Robert Robert round toe heels $170 in good colours and the fabulous Franco Burrone moc croc open toe ankle strap wedge in brown are cool $250.

Business:
Country Road: It’s official: I tried on more here than at Witchery. On sale and there are a lot of things: look for chinos and cute shrunken cotton jackets to wear now, and perfect for next summer (I’m talking transeasonal). For new winter pieces check out the cute green satiny blouse with a tie at collar (for under tweed) very Burberry Prorsum $129, the oatmeal baggy pants (also in grey perfect for work) $239, the ribbed scoop neck L/S white T $69, the side pocket dark grey chinos $129, and the tan thin leather belt looks expensive $69.Also the very nice jewelled diamante trimmed singlet in grey or white is a bit of bling (wear it now with jeans under a jacket then ditch it later) $69, and the copped chunky knit sweater is perfect for those weekends away in orange or grey $149. And I love the long fine knit cardigans and V neck sweaters $150.
Wayne Cooper: wow check out the 90% off sale. Jigsaw: Has a black paneled wool melton skirt with white over stitching $169, a nice cotton sateen camel shrunken jacket $229, a fab double cuff white shirt $139, and a good work brown tweed jacket (peacoat style) $299 with matching pants and skirt, good for work . Morrissey is on sale: check out the choc brown peacoat $199, the white singlet with bling sequin neckline $59, also in black, and some great wrap dresses, and lots of basic black.Diesel: it’s all so casual ,there is nothing that jumps out except a double hem T shirt $99 and a lots of jeans and denim jackets. Easton Pearson: All very retro/Prada/50’s/vacation in here, the coat sleeves are all cut with big armholes making it very old lady. Best pieces are the Louis Vuitton esque sequin cardigan, rather lovely in grey knit with the silver sequins $627, the fab vertical stripe taffeta skirts in rust and cream $1000 ish and the coin print blouses. Mimco: have a Prada esque big over sized bag with the Brass rings and pockets on side in lots of good colours $325, also check out the bronze and black distressed leather shoulder bag (Ursula Beaugeste style) $325, and the fab sausage bags which come with a short or detachable long strap, clever $279 in lots of colours. Bettina Liano is so scary, full of cheap, tacky, boudoir, lacy 80’s looks that even Paris Hilton wouldn’t go near it….eeeek! Bettina bring back all those chic edgy pieces you used to do please.Tim O’Connor: has the perfect black rib boatneck sweater with a tiny ruffle on the cuffs and the hem and a sweet ribbon belt $250 also in red, and you want the crop black wool cashmere jackets $440 and the pleat front baggy pants $264 too.

First.
Evelyn Miles: has a huge collection of divine Jimmy choo bags from about $1800 in all gorgeous colours. The Corner Shop: has lots of new pieces in. There is a lot of Sophia Kokosalaki: a black eyelets dress $$, high waisted baggy pants in black $595, a black stud leather jacket $3995, and aTulip skirt in olive $795.Check out the Balenciaga long sleeve fine V knit sweater in yellow with a green band and red sleeves $845, a T shirt with pockets in a teal blue and epaulettes, yes! please $550. Check out the fab DVF dresses, and the Rebecca Dawson divine paisley YSL esque peasant style $340.Also check out Development, Tsubi jeans, the fab C&C T shirts but looks like the Balenciaga bags have sold out. Belinda Paddington: This store has nearly sold out of everything: What’s left? Check out the Marc Jacobs bags, 2 left: a small red one and a large white one $1800, the marc by marc Jacobs gold T bar heels $675, the sling back mouse shoes in silver or white $575, and the yellow or blue simple ballet flats $475. There are the fab Sigerson Morrison blue patent flats and the gorgeous Costume National platform heels, plus the black patent Sigerson Morrison bags. Also check out the Helmut Lang black satin trench. NB: Belinda is getting Mui Mui for next season and all of next summer’s collections are about to arrive in a week or two. Riada: is having a massive sale with 75% off some pieces. Check out the fab Alberta Feretti black crop leather jacket now $2600. All the Tods are on sale too with 30% off and the boots are gorgeous $1200. Check out the perfect white shirts by Y ( Yohji) $495 and the pink Piazza Sempione sweaters $795. Como: Some Narciso Rodriguez has already left the building but check out his black short pants $1225, the white bustier $1050, the black chiffon dress $2700 and the white singlets with a blue stripe seen in all the magazines $645. Also new in is some gorgeous Anna Molinari: You want the jeweled green heels $2400 ( wow) the pink satin tank with jewels $1020, also in black and peach, the black sheer blouse with pearl buttons $$675 and the grosgrain trench $1800. Also you want the Ballantyne cashmere cardigans in all colours $625 and someone groovy will want the Westwood pirate boots $870. Go in there in for lots more.

Fig Tart

Here’s the quickest dessert recipe known to fashionkind. Actually make that mankind; Who eats dessert in fashion industry? Use the juiciest figs in season right now (or any fruit lying around the house asking to be eaten) and bake ahead of time, reheat it or serve it cold.

You need:
One packet of Filo pastry (about 10 to 15 sheets)
100g of unsalted butter
Some brown sugar
About 8 to 10 figs
Vanilla essence;
A snazzy brush for brushing the filo with melted butter
Half cup of crushed almonds are optional

·Pre heat oven to about 180
·Here’s the tricky bit: Undo the packet of pastry and lay it out flat so you can peel off the layers
·Moisturise a tart tin with lots of butter
·Melt the butter in a saucepan ( you might need more)
·Slice up the figs into average size slices or if you use pears or apples make them slim and trim ( something you won’t be after eating it)
·Grab one layer of filo pastry and line the tin, double and overlap if you have to
·Now brush it with butter and repeat layering.
·When you have about 5 layers on top of each other sprinkle a bit of brown sugar over the sheets
·And the crushed almonds if you have them
Now keep on repeating the layering the filo and butter and do another 5 to 10
·layers depending how bored you get doing this. Or how thick you want it to be
·When you have finished spread the figs out in a nice little pattern on the top of the pastry
·Plop on a few dollops of butter, a sprinkle of vanilla essence and more sugar and some almonds if you like
·Whack in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or till the pastry is deliciously golden and as bronze as a Balenciaga bag.
·Mmmm smell those figs and butter.
What a crowd pleaser! And it takes less time than choosing which Manolos to wear. Who said anything about dieting?

Young Adam…with Ewan McGregor,directed by David McKenzie (from an adaptation of Scottish Beat writer Alexander Trocchi’s cult novel).

Ewan McGregor must have loved being in this movie; all he seems to do is have sex and smoke. In nearly every scene there he is, at it again. With 4 or 5 different women. Well, I never. Smoking and poking. On and on. On and on. On and off. Yawn. Yawn. Billed as a romantic murder mystery I was looking for the romance and blanked out the murder mystery. The film director saw murder, blanked out the romance and forgot about the mystery. Sure, it has had some rave reviews but it’s a very murky, pretentious, bleak, seedy movie that left me cold. Set in Scotland in the 1950’s (no wonder it’s cold) Ewan McGregor plays an existential kind of guy, Joe, who is a brooding, self loathing, selfish, dirty, rotten, amoral scoundrel. Oh and nasty too. He works on a barge with a husband and wife and their son and has an affair with the wife ( played by Tilda Swintdon who is fantastic) “They act out a strained relationship of carnal misgiving that is their mutual respite” (lovely!) and have a “ steamy affair with a heavy dose of on-screen coitus (!) which eventually leads to trouble for all three.” The subplot has a murder with no mystery and the problem is finding sympathy for this selfish, boring guy. (Met too many of those). All looks and no substance (a bit like the character of Joe) I now know why Sex and The City was never called Coitus and The City.

W Magazine April:
With teen star Lindsay Lohan on the cover there is a great interview inside; she seems pretty together considering her father he a dirty rotten scoundrel. (‘He deserves nothing not even my respect’) on drugs: “ I’ve never tried cocaine, I’ve seen what it did to my father” . On Hollywood “with movies it’s really easy for a girl to dumb herself down or look ugly or be naked or be a lesbian or gain weight – those are the ones that win Oscars” (no work for dumb, ugly, fat lesbians?) Read that in the fashion world you can forget about the new round toe pumps, it’s a great psychic that is the ultimate accessory ( see quote de la quote). Read and love the Tuscan house of Domitilla and Mark Getty ( his Getty Images is worth $4 billion plus he has the Getty inheritance) then find out who were the breakthrough directors in this year’s Sundance. Plus there is a funny story on choosing the best fashion Obituary: 1. die under dramatic circumstances. (But make sure they are no movie stars with you : “Brad Pitt and 200 others killed in air crash” is not good ) 2. be mysterious about your exotic illness and 3. always makes sure your relatives have a flattering ( photo shopped) photo to send in. A must buy.
UK Conde Nast Traveller April :
If you are off to UK you will love to read about the 10 great country retreats. If you are off to Madrid then you will love to know the 5 great budget hotel there. (see globetrotter) , then read about the best restaurants in Paris, ( that’s THE best:: Pierre Gagnaire, Guy Savoy and Hiramatsu), and check out the chicest hotel in Cyprus, The Almyra ( see FiFi #49). Read about Miami: go to the newest store ‘Thomas Maier’, stay at The Raleigh, drink at the Spire bar, or be inspired to go to Chile and learn about geology.( no round toes there but check with your psychic)
US Elle April:
With Kiera Knitghtley and those silcon lips on the cover. Read the interview with her (“ if I was a wanker, I apologise” ) and her new movie with Adrien Brody; ‘The Jacket’ (produced by George Clooney and Stephen Soderbergh), then read about him too ( ‘I am the only American actor to win a Cesar but that was before the Iraq war”). There is an inspiring story about brilliant business woman including the 32yr old CEO of Travelocity and gossip Columnist Liz smith and her new book ‘Dishing’ ( it includes recipes). And the fashion? You want seerucker, mixed prints, shorts and snakeskin but maybe not the cigarette that Model Lou Douillon sucks on ( but she is Jane Birkin’s daughter after all).