In what was the most anticipated show of the Paris couture season, Raf Simons showed his first collection for Christian Dior. What had everybody talking amd swooning? The clothes, of course, and the walls decorated with real flowers …Divine !
Here’s what the fashion pack had to say :

“We designers today don’t hate each other the way they used to,” Alber Elbaz on attending the new Dior show.

“I’m speechless, it’s so beautiful - very Dior,” Dontatella Versace

“absolutely magnificent” Marc Jacobs

“It has never been done. This is a great premiere and it’s a tribute to beauty. The florists must be happy. They could not have a better customer!” Pierre Cardin

“God, we’d be fainting,” Marisa Berenson expressed relief that there were no white lilies in the mix, as she is allergic to them.

“It smells very nice and it’s very beautiful,” whispered Marion Cotillard.

“I think it’s right to do that, because the poor things aren’t going to last long,” Charlotte Rampling took the liberty of plucking some delphinium flowers from the wall.

“I thought it was amazing, It was a perfection: The music, the flowers, the clothes, the girls, the people, the ambiance. There is a lot of very positive ambiance here, and I think that everybody wanted Raf to succeed, and he did.” Alber Albaz

“The hardest thing to realize in fashion is that the future lies in the past. The second hardest thing is to forget the past. That precise turn of mind is what Raf Simons showed on Monday as he took control of Dior.”  Cathy Horyn, The New York Times

“Bravo, Raf. Congratulations, Dior.” -Bridget Foley, WWD

See the show here at Vogue.com

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) …by Jenny Lawson.

An hilarious book ! ‘For fans of Tina Fey and David Sedaris-Internet star Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, ( Like Mother Teresa only better) makes her kooky literary debut.

Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives-the ones we’d like to pretend never happened-are in fact the ones that define us. In Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor.
Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof!) accompany the text. Like laughing at a funeral, LET′S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED is both irreverent and impossible to hold back once you get started.’

′Even when I was funny, I wasn′t this funny.′ Augusten Burroughs, author of RUNNING WITH SCISSORS
$29.99 Publication Date:01/05/2012 from Harpercollins.com.au

Vogue Weddings: Brides, Dresses, Designers …by Hamish Bowles (Editor), Vera Wang (Foreword)

Not out til October this is the new big, fat glossy book from American Vogue editor HAMISH BOWLES . With Lauren Santo Domingo as the bride on the cover it will be just as sumptuous as the two previous books from Vogue. Order now!
HAMISH BOWLES is the European Editor at Large for Vogue and one of the most respected authorities on the worlds of fashion and interior design. He writes feature and fashion stories for all parts of the magazine as well as overseeing all lifestyle and interior design features and acting as Vogue’s liaison to the European fashion markets.

CHLOE MALLE is the Social Editor at Vogue and is responsible for the very popular Flash section.

$56.66 Publisher: Knopf (October 30, 2012) Amazon.com

I see a lot of bright colours turning up in stores this week. It’s for resort: we’re talking mid winter trips to St Tropez.  I see a lot of floral jackets and pants. I do. This is a scary thing. For some of us anyway. Colour looks great but it can sometimes look cheap ( cheap colour + cheap fabric= cheap . Sorry). Then there are bright prints. Oh my god, prints can be tricky to wear. A print floral jacket is so groovy right now and all the street style blogs are full of girls wearing the look. The key word there? Girls. You have to be about 5 years old to get away with it. So I’m caught in a dilemma. I want to show the hottest pieces of the season - it’s my job- but oh la la!  Am I really going to tell The FiFi Readers to invest in a floral jacket? Maybe yes, Maybe no! Floral /print pants are just workable. A floral or print jacket? goodness moi! My golden rule? Stick to one single piece of floral ( if you go there but really you don’t have to) and work in white, neutrals and navy around it. Ok, black and grey as well. Ditto bright block colours. One is enough. Another tip: get rich quick and you can wear a different bright colour every day and then wave it goodbye. Who cares about building a wardrobe.

Bass loafers
The loafer is back and the two tone loafer is the fashion way to go. Everyone from Marc Jacobs to Celine are doing them. Bass weeguns loafers are THE best loafers and the most amazing quality. They have been around for years and are very Hamptons preppy. The best news? You can buy them for $110 or about $90 depending on what colour you buy and where. whaaat? I kid you not. A great investment they are so comfortable and mould to your foot. They last forever. Ok, keep calm they have also plain black if you so desire. Love with crop white jeans and a stripe top. Add Marni bag and khaki utility jacket and voila. Understated chic. Buy here

Zara:
I nicked into Zara this week. It’s always crowded. Queues at the check out. Always great fashion pieces for great prices. I saw a print leaf blazer. As I mentioned it’s pretty high up on the groove richter scale at the moment ( and very Stella Mccartney) so some of you might want it $149. Wear with skinny white jeans and a grey tee. Or ripped jeans. ( P.S did you know ripped jeans are back?) My answer to all that? heels honey heels.
My other pick is the fabulous black and white Chanel style tweed cardigan jacket. It has a very loose silhouette and amazing black chiffon lining that is slightly longer than the tweed. You wear this over a white tee with skinny grey jeans. oh and with bright neon heels. Love. $159
I do love the khaki utility jacket. Funny I’ve been writing about this style jacket for seasons, darling, seasons.  It’s seems it’s almost having a comeback now. The trick is to joosh it up or you will look like a bird watcher. Bless. So toss it over a print pencil skirt ( below which is how Zara styled it.) You need to throw it over something sophisticated and always with heels. ( excpet if you are a model). The utility jacket in Zara is one of the best I’ve seen; A chic nylon luxe style fabric instead of cheapo cotton. $149. Apologies for lame iphone photography.

sambag Laura Navy Fitted Exposed Seam Crew:
I Love Sambag. So many great basics and fabulous classic pieces but never boring. There is a serious sale happening ( as there is everywhere) so head online/instore toute suite! My pick has to be the chic navy cashmere fitted crew knit. Now $168. Love the neckline and the narrow shape. That makes it great for layering under jackets and coats. Go for a bigger size to wear it on its own for a more sloppy look. Navy is so right with black. And who doesn’t love cashmere? My other pick, on sale, has to be the chic black python fold over envelope clutch. No annoying hardware. Great texture, fabulous size. Perfect for day to evening. Winter into summer. Everyone needs a clutch. Now $220 from $440.

Bright Neon colours heels from wantedshoes.
These heels have to be the cheap but chic of the week! Are they really $59? That’s what it says on the website. I screeched to a halt when I spied -and snapped - them in the window. They do come with a warning. They have 11 cm heels . So silly billy they are not for running around town in. Oh no! More like limo shoes. You stagger to the car. Sit down. Stagger to the restaurant. Sit down. Stagger back to limo. Sit down again. But oh, how fabulous. Love the bright colours. They will wake up all the lazy old black and grey snoozing in the wardrobe. I like these heels with pants. Skinny pants. For some reason they are too snazzy with a dress or skirt. But if you’ve got the legs then wear with shorts and skip away. Because you can.

Gap:
I also checked out GAP which is on sale like everyone else. My pick is the fab denim shirt/ blouse now for $49. It has a low elastic hem ( not really a waist) so that it will look great with low rise skinny jeans and could potentially cover up the muffin situation. But the fabric is not too bulky so it could be tucked in. You know with a black pencil skirt. Or with high waist pants.Denim on denim is tres cool so you could rock this blouse with floppy sloppy boyfriend jeans. That’s the jeans not the boyfriend. George is fit and ripped. $51.

Thorberg magnifying reading glasses from Funkis:
Aren’t these magnifying reading glasses in bright colours fabulous? I found them in Funkis. ABout time someone came up with this idea. Again. So eighties I’m scared. Whatever. I do love all the bright colours. I’m sure you could get your own lenses fitted.  If you are a wacky fun loving fashionista just wear then without any glass. They are a fashion item after all. $45
Also spotted in Funkis : the fab, off beat Maramekko spot raincoat. So Marc Jacobs. Spots are having a comeback. Sporty luxe is making a comeback. Sporty spots: buy here $395.

French Connection NIKKI STRIPE LS KNIT:
As loyal FiFi Report readers know I do love a trench coat. I had to go to trench rehab. Ditto stripe tops. You can never have enough. Florals may come and go ( away please) but stripes are always chic and suit any age. So I must mention a lovely stripe knit I zeroed in on at French Connection. It’s the same look as the classic Petit Bateau tee except that it’s a lovely knit. You might even call it a jumper. Plus it’s a looser shape. Which means it skims over flourless chocolate truffle cake and cream sitting on the hips. It looks laissez fair. It’s an easy shape to throw over skinny jeans. You don’t need a jacket. It has that slightly longer back as is the rage at the mo. For you $99

Online bag drool of the week from Net-a-porter.com:
SO how much is too much to pay for a designer bag? Dumb question. If you think like that then you will never understand fashion. But then you probably have a nicer car than me; bless. There are some bags such as an Hermes Birkin which can be $10,000. Not something everyone can buy. Bummer. So I’m always on the look out for fabulous designer bags that  are not the price of a small car. Which brings me to the Marni Leather tote. How fabulous. It’s quality leather, a very relaxed shape,plus it has the coolest red lining and a cute little mini zip envelope to hold your important things like your lipgloss and phone. A great price £466.

Flourless chocolate truffle cake …..

I was lucky to have the lovely people at Donna Hay send me this fabulous flourless chocolate truffle cake to try.   “This decadent dessert cake is dense and fudgy with a full chocolate flavour and is perfect for a slice of indulgence. “  It was pretty fabulous!  You need to make it about 4 hours before serving so it sets….which makes it perfect for a dinner party.

You can buy here at Donnahay.com.au

This will serve 8 for dessert for dinner or 4 teenage boys or 35 models:
I packet contains:

The choc chips
The choc mix
The almond meal ( but I substituted the almond meal for 105 grams of whizzed up raw almonds)
Add 4 eggs
Add 185 g unsalted butter.

• Slip out of Givenchy puffa jacket and Chloe boots.
• Pull on Prada pyjamas.
• Get the fire going: thank you George Clooney.
• Pour a big glass of French champagne.
• Guzzle.
• Preheat the oven to 170.
• Stand in front of it to warm up.
• Line the 20cm spring form pan with baking paper.
• Throw the butter and choc pieces in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth as Crème de la Mer.
• Pour the cake mix and almond ( meal) in a bowl and mix to combine.
• Add the melted chocolate and the eggs.
• Lick the saucepan.
• Stir to combine.
• Pour the cake mix in the tin and the cover with aluminium foil.
• Bake for 45 min and until cake is set around the edges but still soft in the middle. Like George on a good day.
• Remove from oven and remove foil.
• Drnk another glass of champagne.
• let it cool, the cake not the champagne, and then refrigerate for about 4 hours.
• Get the cake out to sit at room temperature about an hour before you serve it.
• Accessorise with strawberries and icing sugar.
• Drizzle with lashings of cream.
• Superb!