“because Kate Moss running at you with a bow and arrow isn’t scary,” Jennifer Lawrence on why she deliberately avoided dieting for The Hunger Games.

“I don’t know. ‘Cause it’s the Daily Mail? They just get on everyone’s tits, don’t they?”Kate Moss on why the Daily Mail focuses on her aging. ( and her own Hunger Games?)

“Oh heavens–Jessica Simpson is telling #fashionstar contestants what is “fashion-forward.” #girdyourloins”  tweets ‏ @amyodell about the new TV show Fashion star.

“consider yourself lucky, it makes top model look like an exercise in logic and restraint” @amyodell on Fashion star.

“I always say I cannot work with bitches; they block my creativity.” Alber Elbaz

‘No, my dear: these are not Manolo, these are plastic! With a horrid little plastic buckle!’” Manolo Blahnik on seeing when two Chinese women sporting shoes that were unmistakably of his design, “but in a wonderful colour I had never seen before”.

“If God had wanted us to wear flats he wouldn’t have invented Manolo Blahnik” Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman.

The Baroness: The Search for Nica the Rebellious Rothschild…by Hannah Rothschild.

Can’t wait to read this!…’I first found her in my teens in our family tree: an unknown, invisible great-aunt. “Who and where is Pannonica?” I asked my father, Jacob. (At their height, the Rothschild family were sixty times richer than Bill Gates is today).
A Rothschild by birth and a Baroness by marriage, beautiful, spirited Pannonica - known as Nica - seemed to have it all: five children, a handsome husband and a trust fund. But in the early 1950s she heard a piece by the jazz legend Thelonious Monk. The music overtook her like a magic spell, and she abandoned her marriage to go and find him.

Arriving in New York, Nica was shunned by society but accepted by the musicians. They gave her friendship; she gave them material and emotional support. Her convertible Bentley was a familiar sight outside the clubs and she drank whisky from a hip flask disguised as a Bible. Her notoriety was sealed when drug-addicted saxophonist Charlie Parker died in her apartment. But her real love was reserved for Monk, whom she cared for until his death in 1982.

The Baroness traces Nica’s extraordinary, thrilling journey - from England’s stately homes to the battlefields of Africa, passing under the shadow of the Holocaust, and finally to the creative ferment of the New York jazz scene. Hannah Rothschild’s search to solve the mystery of her rebellious great aunt draws on their long friendship and years of meticulous research and interviews. It is part musical odyssey, part dazzling love story.’ Fascinating !
$32 Publisher: Publisher : Little, Brown Book Group (May 3, 2012) From Booktopia

ALBER ELBAZ, LANVIN

“Fashion is not about buying a second skin ; Fashion is about having a fantasy.’ Says Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz. This is a beautiful limited edition book. A must buy for all serious fashionista it’s 688 pages of luxury. Vogue Uk writes” Lanvin has unveiled a preview of its highly-anticipated book, compiled by creative director Alber Elbaz. With a cover bound in silk, grosgrain cloth, the picture-based tome documents the making of Lanvin’s autumn/winter 2011-12 collection from start to finish. Created to celebrate Elbaz’s 10th anniversary at the fashion house, the limited-edition book is available to buy now at Lanvin boutiques and at LANVIN.COM. ‘ Divine.
€320.00 from www.lanvin.com

A funny thing happened this week when I was shopping. I was drawn to fabulous leather pieces again and again. So this week we have FiFi’s leather fashion special.
As you know each week I seem to be talking about Celine’s Phoebe Philo and how her use of leather has been so influential. The trend is still gaining ground and a major trend again for next season as you can see here in the  US Vogue.com guide to the season. It’s all about lady like leather: “Whether it’s laser-cut like lace for a dress, or twisted into an off-the-shoulder top, leather is turning up in unexpected ways.”
Now you can try a leather skirt, a leather Tee, leather pants -for the brave- as well as a classic biker jacket. The idea is that it’s almost trans-seasonal and just as easily worn with a Tee shirt or with a knit. Oh and leather is ageless and anyone can wear a chic leather skirt, tee or jacket. (The only exception? leather pants. Yes, we have seen Elle Macpherson wear them but she is a mutation of the species).

Here are my picks in leather :
Witchery :
There are a couple of pieces here which you must absolutely have. The”seam detail” black Tee is fabulous with a great neckline.  The back is actually in jersey which makes it easy to wear. $199. Love this leather Tee with classic black pants, chinos or jeans. Dress it down. Layer under a blazer. Ditch the necklace or jewellery with a leather top. There is also the longer version: it’s called a dress. Maybe it’s just for the slimmer among us. (see below left ). Wear with short ankle boots or stomp-a-licious heels. Looks like it’s actually sold out online $269.

Sportsgirl
Head here for a few great buys in leather. The quality is quite good for the price. Let’s face it you pay for what you get. I like the burgundy Red leather biker jacket $299. That’s the colour of the season. Try it with a black pencil skirt and a grey knit. Love it with red too. Also check out the “Abbey lee black leather ” dress $299.(Below right) How amusing that they have called it that when Abbey lee is the FACE of Portmans . oopsies! I have to say the dress is quite short so it’s only for the ones who can rock it. Tip: Keep the look clean and simple. Any jewellery with it, is quite frankly, wrong. Wrong. Put down those earrings now. Ditch that necklace. Hermes watch or cuff is ok.

Gorman
I am always drawn to Gorman because there is always something a little quirky about her pieces. May be not my style but I like what she does. In fact Gorman was on the leather T shirt bandwagon a year ago and was the first to do a leather T shirt. Damn; why didn’t I buy it when it went on sale? Anyway I spy a lovely green/blue “Cropped collarless leather jacket”. It’s such a chic simple cut and the leather is quite good. It will look great undone. Let’s face it that’s how you want to wear it. Unless you live in Wellington. And freezing your tits off. Love this jacket with a flirty skirt. With a tighter silhouette on the top you can afford to go slouchy on the bottom. I think mine is naturally slouchy!  Also check out the dark green leather skirt ( it’s called Roll in the Hay!). Love the flirty cut but it may be too short for those with muffins knees. $269. (middle below)

David Lawrence
I swooped on this black leather skirt because it’s a fabulous length and cut. It sits on the knee. It’s slightly narrow. It’s great leather for $299. Wear this with a grey Tee right now while it’s warm. In winter try it with a white shirt under a grey/red/burgundy knit sweater. Am not a fan of leather and denim or leather and lace. You can only rock that look if it is actually the real thing and Givenchy. Otherwise stick to cotton and knits with leather. Also I am not so sure about long boots and a long leather skirt. It’s a bit too Military inspired. Aye Aye captain. Try ankle boots or just fab lace up heels. Bare legs are cool too. $299. Below right.

Just Jeans
I take my ( leather ) hat off to Just Jeans. They were first to copy ( yes, I am saying that word) the famous Rick Owens drape leather jacket about 4 years ago. You know the one: it has the knits inserts under the arms and the drape collar. You can see and drool over it here below right for $2400.  It’s since been copied everywhere. So this season Just Jeans have gone for this look again. And why not ? it’s now a classic. This jacket is a pretty good buy for the price considering it’s real leather $199. You can buy in beige as well. Below left.

Portmans;
If you are on a budget then you can’t go past the cute burgundy Leather Swing Skirt here for $149. I think it’s a bit short so it’s for the young and skinny. It’s also in black. Please check out the pleat version as well. Below middle.

Karl at Net a Porter.
Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld to do the best cheap but chic (real and faux) leather pieces. If you’ve got the legs you will love wearing these fabulous  “Pacey faux leather skinny pants’ $215. Again you got to love Burgundy. Love the styling here as well. It’s clean simple and works with a simple Tee. Also I love and j’adore the silver metallic leather skirt $445. For the more adventurous. Bless. You can buy the black version here at Karl.com ( not sure they ship to Australia). Chic. Below right.

Country Road
I have already mentioned the Black leather tee here a couple of months ago. In fact I bought it and am already living in it. Love it ! Perfect during this Autumn weather. Now I spy another black leather top with ¾ sleeves.below middle. So easy to wear with jeans, black pants or red jeans. Yes, red jeans. Go on; you can do it. Just add pointy toe heels. Isabelle Marant ear your heart out. $179. I also spy a leather jacket here as well but it’s a little pricey and I must say I love the Michael By Michael Kors leather jacket on Bluefly for $298. It’s so Rick Owens! below left..

Trenery;
While we are on leather Skirts I must include the chic de la chic taupe straight leather skirt here at Trenery. A very Celine inspired shape. The leather is great quality by the way. Love this skirt back with chocolate or black knits. Love it back with white or cream. Just don’t go near children or puppies.  $299.

Alexander Wang
What’s the perfect shoes this season? I am mad for the Alexander Wang “Chloe High Heel Sandals”. How cool. A little techno and sporty. A little tough. A little sexy. I think they are in orange ( not pink god forbid!) from Shopbop. AU$ 525

It’s a Prada bag.
Why not end the week drooling over a Prada bag. You shall go the ball ! The bag of the week is this fabulous Prada stand up tote. It has a shoulder strap and big enough to carry everything. Plus you can wear it on your shoulder. I have gone for green. Put down the paper bag and breathe easily: it’s also available in black. If it’s out of your budget ( hint: it is) then do as I always suggest and look for the same shape in a bag more suited to your wallet. An exploding credit card is not a good look. I should know. I am still finding pieces on the floor.

Roast chicken with risoni and herb salad...adulterated from Gourmet Traveller

A most delicious salad ! Give me preserved lemon and pasta and I’m in love. A fabulous friend of mine who is a great cook first introduced me to a variation on this salad.
You can make it with Dill but I prefer it with parsley. And with a big glass of wine.
A perfect dinner to end summer and daylight savings this weekend…

You need for 6 fashionista , 24 models and 2 hungry blokes.
250 gm   Risoni
60 ml  (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
Juice  of 1 lemon, or to taste
½   Spanish onion, finely chopped
1   garlic clove, finely chopped
½  preserved lemon, rinsed, pith removed, rind thinly sliced
1½ cups each (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley and mint, coarsely torn
1 cup (loosely packed) baby English spinach
1  roast chicken, meat coarsely torn
To serve:       thick natural yoghurt

• Slip out of your YSL heels.
• Throw off your Balenciaga suit.
• Breathe as you grab your petit bateau T shirt dress.
• Slide into your new Nike orange neon sneakers.
• Pour a glass of wine. Relax it’s Friday.
• Pop on your new Prada sunglasses.
• Check the waterproof mascara.
• Start chopping onions and garlic.
• Chop up the parsley and the preserved lemon.
• Ask George to pull apart the roast chicken. It makes him feel like a civilian.
• Now cook the risoni in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente darling.
• Pour another glass of wine.
• Drain and rinse under cold running water. That’s the salad not George. Or the salad.
• Transfer the pasta to a bowl, drizzle and moisterise with chic designer extra virgin olive oil and mix to combine.
• Now find another bowl and toss in the lemon juice, onion and garlic and let it stand until the onion turns pink as a Prada bag ( 2 to 3 mins).
• Throw onion mix in with the risoni with preserved lemon, herbs and spinach.
• Season generously and toss to combine.
• How chic is that?
• Serve immediately with roast chicken and accessorised with yoghurt.
• Yum.