Tacky gold modern white sparkly graffiti

Hello! Where has the last week gone? Well I finally got back to Toronto from London, and then a couple of days later my suitcase arrived (it was enjoying an extended vacation in Amsterdam). And now I'm back at work, trying not to get too snowed under by shopping for prezzies and writing Christmas cards.

London was definitely fun, and it's always inspiring to check out all the Holiday windows in all the stores. This year they were all over the taste scale, from good lawd that's awful to how fantastic! Here are my faves - First up like start with purposefully tacky and over-the-top at Harvey Nichols. Their windows were awash with tinsel in every colour possible, and this tree, standing outside of the front entrance look crazy/cool and bedraggled all at the same time. Thoughts? At fashion-forward Dover Street Market the windows had a graphic doodled/graffiti vibe, and yep, that's a giant white plaster elephant in the window. Next let's go cool, modern and white at The Conran Shop, who created a white-painted pathway and forest of trees out of wood, and then threw in zillions of mini white ceramic mushrooms to finish it off. At Selfridges (where I worked in my - ahem - younger days), part of the store was filled with massive mirror balls that delicately rose and fell, shooting sparkles everywhere. And finally, just for the sheer fun and wit of it, Mulberry filled one of their Bond Street windows with gold handbag helium balloons and topped it off with a humungous gold bag in the other. It looked fun and fantastic and was literally stopping shoppers in their tracks. [Image #6: Blink London]

 

       

Frocks and rugs

While I'm knee deep in projects for the Toronto International Film Festival I thought I'd take sec and share these snaps with you. Gorgeous, no? They're shot by Vivianne Sassen and styled by Yasmine Eslami and were snagged from the current Liberty magazine (have a look here). The story, to me at least, shows how seamlessly fashion and interiors seem to creatively bounce off one another, with incredibly lush and inspiring results. Oh, and of course it isn't just about the clothes. Each of the rugs, and even that rather barmy chaise lounge, is for sale.

It's (not) a wrap

Fashion designer Diane von Furstenburg is best known for her iconic wrap dress, but here's something altogether non-fashion related from DvF that was just too jammy not to share. Diane (along with best friend and interior decorator Olivier Gelbsmann) is in the midst of working with Claridge's, a posh London hotel, on re-designing 20 suites and rooms that are all expected to be finished by the end of this year. Here's a few snaps from the four rooms that are ready so far, one of which - the Piano Suite - rents out for an eye-watering $13,850 a night. I'm all over the nutty prints and high-contrast shenanigans, but what do you think? [Images: Claridge's]

                                 

Money is an object

If money was no object I would be flying to London today so I can be well rested in time to wave a bidding paddle at tomorrow's Phillips de Pury & Co Design auction. Alas, money is an object, so instead I'll be staring longingly at pictures of the following lovely items which are up for sale - The fantabulous Georges Jouve circa 1952 table lamp, which I would give my eye teeth for (since I can't afford the cool $22,500 estimated sale price). There's a really fab set of painted stainless steel cutlery designed by Alessandro Mendini for Alessi which, hmmm, I thought was a relative bargain until I realized the eye-popping price tag is for a single place setting (the pattern reminds me of this cool wallpaper by Basso and Brooke for Graham & Brown). Finally, after all that rabid gotta-have-it bidding, I would happily take a snooze in that handsome and rare painted steel and suede 70's armchair by Mario Cecchi. Oh, there's lots more to swoon over for sure, so take a look here at the 220-page catalogue, and thanks to Raymond Girard for pointing the way on Twitter.

Buh-bye memories

My grandparents dining room set plays a large part in my childhood memories of happy times spent tucking into a Sunday roast, with a giant wobbly trifle for pud, and a glass of fizzy shandy to wash everything down. The glam set now resides in my sister's London flat, but not for much longer. It's too big. In fact, the imported from Italy in the '50's dining suite is on the humongous side, crowding into almost half of her living room, with the buffet slotted rather tightly into a spare bedroom. Once it's all been sold off on eBay, she'll be looking into a Tulip table with Bertoia Side Chairs as a considerably less space-eating alternative. And, as much as I'd like to swoop in on her auction and have everything crated and shipped over the Atlantic, we definitely don't have the room for it either. So it's a bit of a sad buh-bye... Take a look below, it's rather smashing, no?

Galliano rocks a tree

Ah yes, time for a bit of glamour. I don't know about you, but a good dose of something spectacular is just the kind of kick in the pants I need. And today's inspirational kick is courtesy of fashion designer extraordinaire John Galliano, who created his version of a Christmas tree without an evergreen twig in sight. Instead Galliano's tree is smothered in orchids, butterflies and a rather chic leopard, all fashioned from papier-mache and inspired by the Orientalist vibe of his Fall/Winter '09 collection for Dior. If you'd like to take a gander at the tree you'll have to stop by Claridge's hotel in London, where it'll be on display until Jan 6th. Looking around for snaps of the project I discovered Galliano's original sketch, which gives a lovely peep inside the creative process, and just had to include too. Oh, and I have to thank Laird for the tip on this! Via Bornrich.

Brick and cake

The lyrics of Soul II Soul's classic Back to Life (back to reality) have been wandering through my noggin today as I speed up and get work back on track. Oy is all I can say, since I'd rather be sitting in the garden reading than catching up on e-mails...

London's Brick Lane was the other market I was going to tell you about, though its changed an awful lot since I first started going in the '80's. Then it was crazy busy and very junky, now it's crazy busy, less junky and very trendy. Don't get me wrong, there are still people selling random tat on blankets on the pavement, but these days everything feels that bit more genteel. Definitely worth checking out are both the Backyard Market (where we scored a cool limited edition print by a French artist) and the Sunday (Up)Market (where we scored some delish Italian snack action). Plus, don't forget to head down Cheshire Street for Mar Mar Co, Labour and Wait and Shelf, as well as a few other hot spots.

Not too far away from the market madness you'll find the Albion, a lovely Terence Conran owned caff/bakery/food shop located on the corner of very buzzy Redchurch Street and Boundary Street, where you'll also find Shoreditch House a chic private members club, vintage shops and new condo projects. It's definitely worth stopping in at the Albion for a reviving slice of cake and a cuppa, or even a Full English breakfast if you fancy! [Images: Market, Catched22 on Flickr. Albion, Mydeco]

  

Market daze

If you ever do find yourself in London then there are a wealth of fab markets worth hitting. Portobello Road is a for sure (my sister says Fridays are best), and Columbia Road and Brick Lane are always must-sees (and are a short walk apart). We trundled off to Columbia Road the other Sunday and had a great wander about. It's ostensibly a flower market, crammed with beautiful blooms and plants, but there's great shopping for vintage gear and some lovely shops too.

Ezra Street, just north of Columbia Road is where you'll find most of the vintage bits and bobs. There are market stalls, shops, bakeries and coffee shops cheek to cheek on cobblestone streets. Take a boo below for a few snaps. I loved the junk - ahem - vintage finds on the stalls and was wowed by the French-ish store with battered furniture set against grey painted walls. Check out that ceiling too, smothered in ceiling medallions, what a brill way to display lighting! Be sure to check out Ben Southgate for a well edited selection of furniture and accessories, and artist Rob Ryan's Ryantown for all his pretty artwork, prints and cards.

There's oodles more to tell (Brick Lane, my London address book, etc.), but since I'm rocketing north on a train to Blackburn you'll have to wait!