In Memoriam, Nora Ephron, 1941-2012

Nora Ephron who started as a writer before moving into film as a director and being Oscar nominated for writing “Silkwood,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle,”  She directed eight films, the most recent of which was “Julie and Julia.”

“Beware of men who cry. It’s true that men who cry are sensitive to and in touch with feelings, but the only feelings they tend to be sensitive to and in touch with are their own.”

“When you’re attracted to someone, it just means that your subconscious is attracted to their subconscious, subconsciously.”

“I’ll have what she’s having.” ( When Harry Met Sally.)

“What is tiramisu? Some woman is gonna want me to do it to her and I’m not gonna know what it is!”

“Oh, how I regret not having worn a bikini for the entire year I was twenty-six. If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini, and don’t take it off until you’re thirty-four.”

“You can’t retrieve you life (unless you’re on Wikipedia, in which case you can retrieve an inaccurate version of it).”

“Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy.”

“If pregnancy were a book they would cut out the last two chapters.”

“When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.”

“You can settle for reality, or you can go off, like a fool, and dream another dream.”

Read more here at Vanity Fair!

I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections by Nora Ephron

A must read ! ‘Nora Ephron returns with her first book since the astounding success of I Feel Bad About My Neck, taking a cool, hard, hilarious look at the past, the present, and the future, bemoaning the vicissitudes of modern life, and recalling with her signature clarity and wisdom everything she hasn’t (yet) forgotten.

Ephron writes about falling hard for a way of life (”Journalism: A Love Story”) and about breaking up even harder with the men in her life (”The D Word”); lists “Twenty-five Things People Have a Shocking Capacity to Be Surprised by Over and Over Again” (”There is no explaining the stock market but people try”; “You can never know the truth of anyone’s marriage, including your own”; “Cary Grant was Jewish”; “Men cheat”); reveals the alarming evolution, a decade after she wrote and directed You’ve Got Mail, of her relationship with her in-box (”The Six Stages of E-Mail”); and asks the age-old question, which came first, the chicken soup or the cold? All the while, she gives candid, edgy voice to everything women who have reached a certain age have been thinking . . . but rarely acknowledging.

Filled with insights and observations that instantly ring true-and could have come only from Nora Ephron-I Remember Nothing is pure joy.

$18 Publisher: Knopf; 1St Edition edition (November 9, 2010) from Amazon

Ricky Lauren The Hamptons Food, Family and History ..by Ricky Lauren.

‘So, okay, we may not all have houses in the Hamptons and we may not all be married to a famous-beyond-famous designer. But that doesn’t mean we can’t at least dine like Mrs. Ralph Lauren does. The ever-gorgeous Ricky Lauren just published The Hamptons: Food, Family, And History, and in it, she divulges some of her so-good family recipes.’ says refinery29.com
“This book became an album that chronicles our personal history there,” says Ricky Lauren. “For my children, it has become a resource to tap into for their own memories of food, love and laughter that we share as a family. ‘The Hamptons’ is about taking advantage of the natural setting. Keep things simple, entertain outdoors, seek out fresh produce in farm markets if you can,” she says. “Enjoy the unique natural beauty and bounty with friends and family wherever you live.”
Much of Lauren’s cooking - she has been collecting recipes since she was a newlywed - call for local seasonal ingredients.”Tried-and-true” favorites include the Sunshine Salad with mango dressing - crafted by a young Dylan for a family lunch - Ricky’s challah French toast, and Ralph’s favorite dessert, Nana’s rum-laced brownies.’ what a life!

$26 Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 24, 2012) Amazon.com

This week, without even realizing it - probably due to osmosis- The FiFi Report is all about cobalt blue, navy and black. These are called colours in FiFi Speak! You have to love navy and black together. I have been ranting about that colour combo for years. Now cobalt blue is appearing more and more in clothes and accessories. As a highlight. It’s almost a classic. It loves black and navy and looks faaaabulous with white. It’s one of THE colours for next summer.
Speaking of next season I must give a warning. It’s all about brights and pastels. The shops are already full of it. Be afraid, Be very afraid. It’s going to be everywhere. The way to wear it? Stick to black, white and navy! Then add just one item in cobalt blue, neon yellow or red. It could an accessory like shoes or bag, it could be a cuff. Invest in a few coloured jeans or layer a bright neon tank over a white one. Remember one of the huge trends seen on the runways in March, for next winter, was The Girl with the Dragon tattoo. Nuf said.

Don’t forget all the links below are highlighted in red! You can buy it all right now. Sorry.

Karen Walker Anytime:
One way to update your wardrobe in a thrice is to invest in new snazz-a-licious, groovex to the max sunglasses. I love the Kate Walker collection. Cool as you can get. The cat’s eye is still a hot look. I love this style. They are not too cat’s eye with a thick rim and with a contrast colour.: Black/Fluro Yellow/Cream. Kooky white ‘My Favourite Martian’ head piece optional .( oh, but I love the white poloneck)  US$280. Buy here at eyegoodies.com

Trenery Ponte Block Dress:
I saw this dress online at Trenery but I’m not even sure it’s in store yet. I had a whizz round the shops yesterday. As I do every day. But I know it’s a winner. How so ? The Trenery dresses are a great cut and this one gets all the ticks. It has the clever side colour blocking to slim you down, cute sleeves and a good length for those with muffins knees. Plus you could wear it right now under a coat with black opaques and your new short cut off ankle boots. You could. You really could. Ps Love that neckline: It makes your neck look longer when it cuts right in to the bottom of your neck. Promise. Buy here from Trenery.com.au $129.

Ance leather jacket :
I love Acne: very cool but not too tricky and not too fashion. If you know what I mean. Their look is about a strong silhouette and Man is it groovy! So I snooped around their site which ships to Australia to check out the sale. Oh la la. I’m loving the “Sparta Black Acne Sparta collarless leather jacket with decorative patches.” That short style jacket is seriously hot.Love the minimalist collarless cut. oh, will you look at that: a touch of cobalt blue just peeking out. Fabulous! I waaaant it.  (By the way anything I see online I do try to make sure that there are enough sizes so you can all share the love.) was $1300 USD now 780 USD .

Flash Metal Double Cuff Pack: from Diva
When in doubt : go to Diva. Unless you are wanting Elsa Perretti or Prada quality (and prices) Diva is the only place to go. If you look around you can always find chic pieces for outrageous prices. I love these cuffs. Love. In a gun metal they look so chic. And expensive.The big statement simple cuff is a way to joosh up the wardrobe without getting all blingy. Very Celine. See here. You know that if there is anything that is remotely Celine-ish  -anywhere -I can sniff it out. Drawn to it like Victoria Beckham to a Birkin. $19.99 Buy here.

Sportscraft skirt Ashleigh Boot Skirt:
Oh, did anyone mention Celine? It seems there is another fabulous item which is tres inspired by Celine. Who cares if it’s from the winter 2010 collection. So what if the original Celine runway look has a cutaway slash to reveal the leg see here. This verison works just as well.I love this navy skirt. It sits higher on the waist and is very 70’s style.  It’s a flattering, narrow cut and skims over the bits. Plus it’s a great length. You could wear it with the Acne leather jacket and a white or black poloneck  Add the divine short ankle boots- thankyou VCountry Road- and the Karen Walker sunglasses. cool. $149.

Country Road Bekkie Shootie:
This chic de la chic ankle boot is new in at Country Road. It’s not so much for the weekend look- you have the Ance/Seed ankl boots with a chunkier heel for that- but they are very elegant. Please don’t frown: ( you can’t afford the botox) that heel is not as high as you think because of the platform. I like the way these boots slightly slant down at the front. This is to prevent a cankle situation. They are called a shootie. Yes, a mix of a shoe and a boot. Fabulous with grey skinny jeans and chic with a skirt or Trenery dress. $111.

ISABEL MARANT MIDJA PANTS SNAKE PRINT from Parlour X:
The best news is that Parlour X - the fabulous boutique in Paddington-  is on sale. It’s all available online. Woo Hoo ! We’re talking the best labels in the world from Balenciaga to Alaia. I am loving the Isabel Marant snake silk pants. You have got to love pants that have an “elasticated drawstring waistband, slant pockets, Pull on” .  In 100% silk they are very epitome of cool. Get used to it : the print pant is still here for a season or more. Very fashion. Ditto the floral jacket. In ten years we will keel over laughing at how bad the look is. (Did you ever see Grace Kelly or Jackie Kennedy in anything like that?) Nuf said. Bless. But we love fashion! We love these to wear NOW.  On sale for $325 (and the copies are all that price). TIP: This will work with a sharp blazer and heels. Always heels. Oh, I must also mention the divine Balenciaga bag here on sale for $1095. Simple, black, beautiful . I die.

Gucci Leather tote from net a porter:
Net a porter you are so fabulous. Thank you for going on sale. Thank you for your great style, fabulous magazine and sending things in divine black boxes. Thankyou to the Aussie dollar for staying there at a wonderful exchange rate.  It means you can have this gorgeous Gucci navy leather tote for £832.08 (Was £1,188)  You want a bag such as this. It’s a great size, classic shape and the best leather. Navy is just as versatile as black and actually looks great going into summer. The gold hardware is subtle. It’s Gucci ! Shutup!

Sportsgirl green spanish steps necklace:
You’ve now spent all of the budget on your new Gucci bag. Calmez vous. You don’t need to donate a kidney to buy this cute necklace. ( I stole that hilarious line from a good friend who told her Boyfriend to donate a kidney so he could buy her a particular diamond ring). Anyway I spied this cute necklace in Sportsgirl for an outrageous $39. It’s much nicer than in photo. Love a statement necklace with a stripe Tee. Fashion types are wearing necklaces with floral dresses. I say throw  it on with a grey or white tee and you’ve got the look.

Tory Burch Leandra DASH TWEED JACKET:
Here is the best news we’ve had all week; Tory Burch is now shipping to Australia. Thank you Tory. I fell in love with the most gorgeous brown leather jacket see here. But I decided the sale was pretty good so I must share the Chanel style tweed navy and white jacket. You can wear it over a stripe tee with jeans or chinos. Dress it down baby. Throw it with white jeans or with leather pants. Yes, I did just write leather pants. On sale now for $262 (  was $525). yes, please!
Even if you don’t buy anything check out her Tory Daily blog ( and APP): it’s just as good as any glossy fashion or home magazine and oh, so chic . I want to channel the girl in ‘Lost In Austen‘ and just climb into the Tory blog and live there with all those tastemakers and globetrotters. see here.

Spiced carrot & lentil soup …..adulterated from bbcgoodfood.

I am not generally a fan of soup. It’s not enough . I want to eat . But this soup is quite delicious. Spicy and Indian inspired it’s good for you too. It takes no time to cook. Especially if George Clooney does most of it. Yum.

You need for 4 fashionistas, 2 blokes and 15 models:
2 tsp cumin seeds
pinch chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
600g carrots , washed and coarsely grated (no need to peel)
140g split red lentils
1l hot vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)
125ml milk
plain yogurt and naan bread, to serve
Coriander for accessorising.

• Slip out of your goose down Burberry jacket.
• Climb into goose down Prada onesie.
• Ask George Clooney to light the fire and pour a wine. STAT.
• Guzzle. The wine and George.
• Make, just make that naughty but handsome George grate the carrots. It’s too boring for you to be doing. Bad for the nails too.
• Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for 1 min, or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas. Jump around as you do in Prada.
• Scoop out about half of the seeds with a spoon and set aside for a little Zen time alone on the bench for accessorising later.
• Add the oil, carrot, lentils, stock and milk to the pan and bring to the boil.
• Simmer for 15 mins until the lentils have swollen and softened. I would like to insert a rude George Clooney joke here. But go on , you can.
• Whizz the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth as a Celine bag (or leave it chunky like a Chloe heel if you prefer).
• Season to taste and add a dollop of yogurt.
• Accessorise with the sprinkling of the chic reserved toasted spices.
• Toss on a few coriander leaves.
• Serve with warmed naan breads.
• TIP: Substitute the chilli flakes and cumin seeds for a few teaspoons of harissa paste.
  The recipe says you could add cooked shredded chicken at the end of cooking, too.
• Yum. Thank you.