A place for dreaming....

The weather is terrible here in the UK, floods are as bad as they have ever been, and I shouldn't really moan as at least we are not watching water approaching our threshold like the poor souls who are having to abandon their homes in the South West.
At times like this, I like to fantasise about a house in the sun.  I've always been a bit of a coward when it comes to property, I like to be in the best location that I can, for the smallest outlay possible.  I've never been drawn to big impressive houses, I love them to belong to other people (especially my friends who throw great house parties).

But for me, I like to be nimble and unobtrusive.  The idea of a house abroad has always filled me with terror. I watch those 'Holiday Homes from Hell' programs, where the local authorities in Spain or Portugal demolish houses with the poor home-owners standing by helpless.  Or in France where they live in a beautiful multi-million pound villa, only to find out that it never had planning permission and they are going to have to pay hundreds of thousands of Euros to keep it in place.

The unifying thing, seems to be it rarely happens to the locals, it is always the poor foreigner who have invested their life savings that get burnt.  So I have looked endlessly, marvelling at the mansion in Europe that I could buy for the price of a one bed in central London, but without the protection of UK law, it has always remained 'window shopping'.

Until today, a friend who has a bolthole just outside St Tropez is selling up, she can't be bothered to rent it any more and she would like to help her kids to get on the property ladder in the UK.
I have watched the rental cost of our holiday home in Ramatuelle treble in the last 10 years, and I had been wondering for how long our two week August pilgrimage would be viable with the way that prices have been going up.  My memories of the location are the fondest of any, I watched my kids grow up with the background of that turquoise sea, and some of our best friends are those that we met over endless lunches at Club 55.

It all seems to be coming together at the right time, this place is so tiny, it does not even have a proper bedroom, I wouldn't need to borrow much money, so there would be no necessity to rent it out.

The only risk is nutty Hollande and his mad campaign to destroy the French economy, he has successfully turned Paris into a ghost town and housing sales dropped 40% the first year that he was in power.  His next target could be foreign owners in France, and with some kind of insane property tax, in order to complete his destruction of the housing market at both the upper and lower end.

So that is the 'real' concern holding me back from buying, is the instability of the political system more than anything else.

It is safe to say I have a split personality, the practical one above that looks at political and financial risk and the dreamy Sunday afternoon one who seeks out beautiful images of one of my favourite parts of the world, and wonders which elements could be introduced into the shoebox that is for sale.

My favourite hotel room in the world at Villa Marie on Route des Plages...

 The verdant beauty of the South of France...

 Sturdy outdoor dining chairs...

Many years ago, I was going to set up a furniture company with a friend.  We visited a place in Lancashire called 'Coachhouse', it is where pretty much all the decorative furniture that you see online and in boutiques comes from.  It is easy to register as an interior designer, as long as you place an order of about £1k minimum.  The prices are only visible once your have registered, but as a rough guide, they are about half those that you see on Ebay etc.

Here are my picks for making over the tiny house (in the lilac/pink and silver of Villa Marie)...

Where do you dream of on quiet afternoons? And would you ever take the plunge and commit to buying there or do you prefer the flexibility of freedom?

Shopping in Seville

There are a few pics from Seville that I want to save for posterity, just as an aide-memoir for if I return in a few years and can't remember where to go and what to see.

The shopping was fabulous, there is quite a fashion culture in the area, particularly for kid's clothes.

Carolina Herrera goes back to her roots here, and as I understand her daughter was married to a local matador, the CH shop in Seville was beautiful.  I loved the interior design and could easily have moved in.

As it was festival time, all of the streets were covered with red carpet, what a way to shop!

This was a super modern brand with amazing clothes...

I stupidly didn't photograph the sign to this shop, it is a Spanish designer and this is their outlet store, nothing cost more than 100 euros, the trousers below are cashmere as is the top.  I am not showing them to their best, but the quality was lovely.

I bought the dress below, as I got a bit carried away with the whole Seville glamour thing (and it is the first time I have ever had the semblance of a waist)

Ever the internet fiend, I also met a girl in a bar (via Ebay) and bought a 4000 euro dress from her for 400 euros, more on that later...

Blogging..... what's the point?

I would love to  hear your thoughts on this.
For me, I think it served as a way to kill time, when I wasn't working, a photographic diary that marked the passing of time that seemed to fly by so quickly. And somewhere in the back of my mind, a vague notion that it might help to promote any of my Bootcamp weekends.  That notion has disappeared and it has become more about a really nice group of supportive people that I have met in a virtual world.

I much prefer reading other people's blogs than updating my own, and the first thing that I do when I log on is have a look through to see if my favourites have been updated.  Then I check to see if there are any comments on my own blog that it would be rude to not reply to and finally have a read through blogs from people who I follow but don't always read.

There has been a bit of a polarising of the blog world from when I first started reading  few years back.  There used to be a clear distinction between the overtly commercial blogs like Money Saving Expert or Shopstyle or Sheerluxe and the more personal, chatty, 'real people' blogs.  But the lines are a bit fuzzy now.

The genuine opportunity to 'share' fashion tips, recipes, home ideas, whatever it might be, in a lot of cases seems to just be a hook to link readers to things to buy that are going through one of the affiliate partner sites, meaning that the author involved gets about 10% of every sale made.

Call me old-fashioned, but it suddenly seems a bit insincere, like trying to make money from friends but not telling them.

I really like sites that are very clear about their intentions, so for example if someone has a shop as part of their blog, or is selling their old clothes, you know where you stand whilst reading. The commercial activity is open and honest and enriches the whole experience of reading the blog, (the same is true of advertising or 'freebies' that are clearly labelled as such). It is the secretive nature of the invisible links and commission payments that I find a bit sneaky and underhand.

If ever I link to a product, it's because I have found an amazing deal and want to share it with any one who is interested to help to save them a few pounds, not because I am getting a 'kick back' from the company that I have linked to.

In 'real' life, I would never encourage my friends to buy things that they can't really afford, when I meet up with a group of girlfriends, we are more often than not, working a stand at a fair or enjoying a frugal shopping trip, looking not buying, but finishing off with a frothy coffee and gossip.
The last thing that I would ever do is take them to a clothes shop and then go back the next day and pick up 10% of whatever they had spent in there.

How do you read blogs? What is your opinion of 'real life' blogs that are actually just money-spinners? Can you spot them? Do you still read them? I would love to hear your thoughts....

Getting Glossy

Looking at the new season's collections I realise that I am woefully old-fashioned.  I wrote about my 'style rut' here.  And truthfully my affection for that era/look has always outweighed any need to be 'current'.

But with my new role I am examining the fashions on a daily basis and it makes me realise how 'behind' I am in terms of taste and my own buys.
That laid back, slightly old, worn in, raggedy style, natural colours, think Jack Wills, White company, Temperley. Isabel Marant doesn't quite cut it with these new technical fabrics in blinding  brights with edges so sharp you can cut yourself.

It's quite an interesting time in fashion, as almost for the first time in years, I can't just make do with my own wardrobe and update with a few key items.  I have to almost start again.  And I can't recall a time since perhaps the bling and shoulderpads of the 80s changed for the grunge of the 90s when the same could be said.

I have christened this look 'Super-Glossy'.  It is not so much about a particular brand, although Michael Kors is probably the king, it is more about a super reality, a newness that is newer than new, everything needs to looks as if it has just come off the rail, and the smallest flaw assigns an item to the 'scrap heap'.

It's not an age thing, any one can achieve the look, they just need to put in the time and grooming.
We bumped into friends (in their 40s) yesterday.  Even my husband could see the difference between the couples.

The other male; gym buff, teeth whitened but not too much, hair shiny and gelled into place, relaxed clothes Prada tracksuit bottom and fitted technical top from Nike.  Her; full make up, lots of shine and lipgloss, statment watch, tan, perfect hair, patent Phillip Lim 3.1 bag, perfect white jeans, pale pink Acne top.  My husband (had been buying building supplies) but... old jeans, fleece, hair that could do with a wash, stubble.  Me black gym kit, anorak with mud down the front (from holding dogs), hair in a bulldog clip, toothpaste on spots.

We discussed the idea of 'getting glossy' and how it is uniquely English (possibly) class thing to reject it.  As my mum always says 'Only trailer trash and the Upper classes live with all of their family around them in houses that smell of dogs'

My glossy check list is as simple as;

1. Wash hair daily.
2. Do roots every 4 weeks.
3. Shave under arms 3 times a week. (or do IPL that I have been thinking about for years)
4. Depilate legs once a week.
5. Fake tan once a week.
6. Try teeth whitening... (anyone ever done this, my teeth are quite thin, I am worried about losing more enamel?)
7. Get gunk from under nails daily.
8. Manicure once a week.
7. Stop trying to conserve water by washing clothes only when they start to smell 'worn'.
8. Throw away all clothes with moth holes and anything with stains, just because I don't notice that kind of thing on other people, any one who 'does glossy' WILL see the water marks on my silk trousers and similar.
7. Take all my bags with holes, scratches and stains to the charity shop.
8. If I don't love a pair of shoes enough to get them reheeled, take them to the charity shop.
9. Pay more attention to my skin, squeezing spots and applying toothpaste does not a facial make.


Stina Auer certainly does glossy really well, it permeates into everything she does, including raising her toddler and baby, which just shows how lazy I am.  Two kids under three, would be enough to make me give up for good!

My queen of glossy is Tabitha from Bourbon and Pearls, her brand of glossy perfection isn't the mass-produced, shop-bought variety, rather she successfully introduces classic and vintage elements, but never looks old and worn (neither her nor her beautiful home).

The problem with this glossy look, is that it is pretty tough for the high street to copy, as it relies on the most incredible fabrics and cuts.

This season, I am going to do something that I haven't done for years....spend quite a chunky amount on new season fashion.  I'm hoping if I pick well, they will be classics to get through the next decade.
Mainly because I don't think this is a short term trend that will be gone in a few seasons, I think that this is the future of fashion and we'll fall into either the 'still trying and getting the glossy thing' and the 'totally given up' ...the latter is me currently.

 Carven orange outfit, I love the skirt but wold look like I had been tango-d in the who look..

 Otswold Helgerson skirt and dress below...LOVE LOVE LOVE... could be future classics, but not cheap...

 Marc Jacobs leather skirt, it's quite cute, but not 'glossy' enough...

 Phillip Lim skirt, could be good length, but need to try pattern on my body shape...

 Definitely want to seek out this electric blue, but not with the irregular hem

Glossy bags... it can only be Phillip Lim...

What do you think about how trends are going? Do you identify this look? Are you a lover of the old and worn or are you embracing the new and shiny? Any other glossy bags I should look at, it needs to be structured, not slouchy?