All I want for Christmas...

It's already a pre-Christmas season frenzy!

I know this sounds crazy (especially in the end of October) but I cannot wait for Christmas! There's something just so much fun about the festive holiday season where food, friends, family and fabulousness just comes together in a very positive and harmonious way! As a result of this Christmas excited-ness, I'm already making my wish list along with a gift list for my family and friends and if there's anything I'm getting out of it is, Christmas will surely be extremely costly this year!

I think the older you get, the more expensive the gifts become. Gone are the days when you'd get away with receiving a cute Barbie doll which would bring a smile to your dial. As someone who works in fashion, if I were to get a Barbie doll, you can expect it to be a Christian Louboutin Barbie doll at the very least not because that's on the top of my Christmas wish-list but because it's who I have become.

Right now, it's all about less presents but in saying so, more pricey presents. Quality overrides quantity and I believe Christmas is no exception. It's unlikely you'll spend $20 on a gift other than a Kris Kringle occasion. I have a 12 year old sister and she has made sure that this year I must buy her a M.A.C Christmas make up gift box (nothing more and nothing less) to ensure her a Merry Christmas. Starting young indeed. My 8 year old cousin has also reminded me that he would just LOVE a box of lego and at $70 a pop, what's not to love? Other than the price...

Now, I'm not complaining about buying Christmas presents. If anything I love the idea of 'the gift of giving' which I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to do. There's nothing more rewarding than seeing the smile on someone's face after you have given them a beautiful gift. A gift which you know they'll treasure for at least a week before some cooler, better, more amazing thing comes into the scene. Until then, there's nothing to really worry about.

So all in all, the purpose of my vent is to show how much I love Christmas especially the idea of presents. I know that Christmas is about so much more but the power to put a smile on someone's face is just such a powerful and satisfying feeling and if that's the rewards I reap as a result of gift giving, then the opportunity and experience is just priceless.

XO LC

Home inspired Part TWO.

Probably the cheapest way to jazz up your home on a weekly basis.

Okay, it's official. I'm a huge sucker for divine flowers and floral arrangements in regards to the idea of interior decorating, actually make that, especially in the area of interior decorating.

There's just something so beautiful about organic, soft, buttery petals that fabric and furnishings can't really compare with. My favourite flowers are peonies (blood red in Autumn/Winter, pastel pink in Spring/Summer) but I'm extremely willing to enhance my floral knowledge and vocabulary. I'd love to be the type of person, elaborate but knowledgeable, who can just enter a cute little flower shop and say confidently 'One bunch of (insert unique flower name) please!' and there you have a weekly home garnish of a sophisticated name!

I've also figured that fresh flowers are also probably one of the best ways to brighten up your home for a great price. I don't mean to say that one must spend an extravagant amount for a humble bunch of fresh flowers but it's probably cheaper to buy fresh flowers on a weekly basis than it is to say, buy great fake flowers which you will always look at and know that it's fake. Plus you can completely alter floral designs to be something different each week leaving you room to play with different floral emotions and feelings which you want to connote in your own home. It's seriously a no-brainer. I'm disappointed I didn't think of this before.

You can be sure to know what I'll be up to this afternoon, flower shopping! I'll be sure to twitpic my floral arrangement this afternoon so keep your eyes open for a new bouquet every week. Plus, if there's anything else I learnt out of this: it is a lot less painful to pay $20 for a bunch of flowers than $800 for a new Missoni pouf. Point taken! Good day!

PS: I also love how flowers remind me of LOVE.

"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."

Hans Christian Anderson.

XO LC.

Craving right now: Laduree

Now, this is total French Chic...what's not to love?

XO LC.

Home inspired Part ONE.

My house looks something like this right now...a little boring after a year.

If you follow me on twitter, you probably would know that at the moment, I'm feeling extremely inspired to re-decorate my home. I live in a very sweet 100+ year old house and at the moment, the colour palette is extremely luxurious at a minimalistic level. I'm not a fan of clutter although I seriously admire people's vintage shabby chic places with a wall full of unique photographs and frames along with elements of countless ritzy cushions, a turkish rug, a wall full of clocks and ten candles later...not to forget the countless sequinned shawls and throws hanging dishevelled over a velvet couch. Kudos to the effort but if that was my house, I'd feel it was over the top and a tad messy which it probably already is.

When it comes to my place right now, just imagine crisp champagne walls, antique decorative ceiling plaster and beautiful vintage chandeliers along with vanilla candles which add that little pizazz in what was originally an unliveable house. Add a gazillion dusty fashion coffee table books which sit politely on a Japanese black wood coffee table and a beautifully tarnished timber floor, it sounds extremely beautiful but the realisation has hit me (a year later), I'm stuck in an interior decorating rut.

I've lived in my place for a while and nothing has really changed. I'll try my best to innovate a certain drawer or add a unique statue but really, it's so subtle I'm probably better off without these little intricacies. I need a more extreme (but chic) solution where buying ONE item is more practical and of more value and jazzing it up with 50 or so little bits and pieces. I've always wanted to be a bit more fashion-y. As in, I figured I'm in desperate need of some iconic zig zag Missoni print cushions and arty floral poufs as well as a beautiful zebra rug. Other things I need include a beautiful vintage lamp (1920's flapper-esque preferably), a line of antique French milk bottles with lots of peonies, ornamental and oriental fan, an inky glamorous abstract piece of artwork and finally, a tea tray filled with Lady Gaga-esque tea cups.

Ultimately, I'm going for 1920's Great Gatsby meets Holly Golightly meets Upper East Side matriarch with a touch of exuberance and sheer decorative craziness. In this case less is more.When it's complete, I'll be sure to fill up a Lady Gaga tea-cup and sit around staring at the final masterpiece (or interior decorating mess?). I will post pictures along the way, so you can enjoy the view from my side of the house.

I will be sure to call Ms Chapman's interior decorator next time.

Love. Want. Now.

1. Fendi Large Peekaboo brushed-python tote: $6820

2. Yves Saint Laurent leopard print scarf: $995

3. Isabel Marant Fulber leather-trimmed wool blazer: $1,005

4. Alexander McQueen Silk and wool knit leggings: $1020
5. Yves Saint Laurent studded tribute heels: $1250

All items are available on Net-a-Porter.

XO LC.

Better read than dead.

So many books just waiting to be read...

I'm honestly a huge nerd when it comes to reading. I might be the busiest person in the world, flat out with work and no social life but somehow I'll manage to squeeze in some time into indulging in a great book.

There is a truth in the concept of books representing a means of escape from the harsher aspects of reality as we are willingly thrust into a protagonist's life, experiencing their daily misfortunes, wellbeing, context, social values and all. The number of times I wished to be a certain protagonist or hated a certain character never seems to surprise me. Why is that other people's dramatic lives always seem to outweigh our own? Especially in fiction. Do we really read to find our personal sanctuary and connection so that we can move on from reality and procrastinate in a fictional place far, far away?

Obviously, I don't know the real answer to all of these questions but it's always interesting to ponder. What's more, it's mind-boggling to think that by escaping reality through literature we have the opportunity to experience various walks of life in an completely unreal yet realistic feeling sense. One second we may dabble in the heels of a broke socialite (a'la Holly Golightly), the next we are single women searching for our purpose in life and before we know it, we've done a complete 360 degree turn and turn out to sympathise (rather than 'be') the 'other woman'. That's the true power of literature. The ability to find yourself possessed by the thoughts and imagination of a writer. Literature gives us the inane opportunity to be who we want, when we want without even needing to consider the various reasons as to why.

Funny how the question of 'how' is never really addressed. Our imagination does not seem to need to dwell on such abstraction. It's merely the fact we're here and now that ultimately matters. Although we tend to forget the biggest story of all: Reality. Every human being is the product of a story, at least ten. How we get to where we are, the characters that make up who we are, the values and ways of thinking we represent. If there aren't at least twenty stories in that, I guess I could truly understand why people would prefer to buy a book.

So the next time you face a situation in the book store looking for your next read, think about the intricacies of life and whether or not we truly need another fictional story to delve into especially when there are over ten million real stories just waiting to be told.

So many life stories just waiting to be told...

XO LC.

Online Shopping Madness.

People ask why I enjoy luxury shoe shopping, I always wonder...what's not to love?

With the Australian currency at an all time high in comparison to the U.S dollar (AUD0.99 to US$1), it comes at no surprise that people are going insane for any form of online shopping. I recently spent $185AUD at the M.A.C cosmetics counter at department store, David Jones, buying their latest range of make up. This was prior to any extreme currency fluctuations and increases and after checking the US website, I could’ve saved an incredible amount of money if I was patient enough to get the exact products via the website. Lucky for me, most of the products I liked on the site were sold out but just the thought of getting things at US prices (when once upon a time, it was double the Australian dollar) seems too good to resist.

At the moment, I just love the idea of online shopping for designer heels. After spotting gorgeous YSL gold tribute sandals and SJP’s Nicholas Kirkwood sculptural platforms, I’m having serious luxury shoe withdrawals and I’m dying to get my hands onto them. Never has shoe shopping looked so much more desirable and thanks to US department stores (Saks Fifth Avenue and Barney’s New York to name a few) with their online stores along with other more established luxury sites (Net-a-Porter, Browns and Luisa Via Roma anyone?) and huge range of products, it makes local department stores in Sydney look like overpriced outlets.

However, the only REAL reason I love to check out the websites (before this currency exchange madness) is because the online world has always been so ahead of the time. I mean, if Chanel came up with a limited edition range of handbags, I’m more likely to find that out (prices, product range etc) on the Internet as opposed to my local Chanel boutique. Through checking out what I thought was amazing online, can I mentally and physically prepare myself to make the walk to the actual store with the intention of purchasing exactly what I wanted without any lay-by options and embarrassing bank card rejections.

Obviously online shopping is not the same as perusing the shoe racks and feeling (and smelling) the divine Italian leather before trying on the perfect heel effortlessly, admiring your pins in the ultimate pair heels before a classic sales lady ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s appropriately as you strut to the counter to make your oh-so-expensive purchase. Has a fast paced world of convenience reduced shopping to mere clicks in ones pyjamas as we glue ourselves to the financial news in search of the latest currency fluctuations? If that’s all online shopping is about…I’m not sure if I truly want it.

Sometimes the fun in shopping is the ability to try things on with your best girlfriends, discussing love lives, relationships and friendships as you drape yourself on tailored salmon pink couches in a (flattering) dim-gold light as a pianist plays a compilation of classic pieces. But with the currency rate is as it is, I guess its time to forget the calamity of department stores, the real shopping action is happening online and it’s happening now. And the last thing I want to do is miss out.

I'll have what she's having...online style?

XO LC.

First step for inner peace.

I wonder if these Eat, Pray, Love fragrances will help me achieve enlightenment on a daily basis?

Aside from the mass craze which is cinematic release of Elizabeth Gilbert's best selling memoir Eat, Pray, Love, I've been doing some eating, praying and loving of my own and boy, am I absolutely living it.

Apart from the 'Eat' aspect that is something I practically do on an hourly basis and hence my cupboards are bare and the pizza delivery guys and I basically communicate on a first name basis, I’ve been inspired to do some inner soul searching to find a solution for my daily musings and stress relief. Keeping in mind that when it comes to my life, I usually like to play it safe rather than sorry, I did a very spontaneous thing recently. Well, actually it kind of came to me and by being spontaneous, I actually went ahead with it.

You see I’ve always had this fascination for the spiritual aspect of religion and personal well-being. I don’t want to go all meta-physical and philosophically theoretical because that would just confuse me further and I think Elizabeth Gilbert did a great job at explaining what I’m attempting to say briefly in her memoir. This is not to say that I don’t also have faith in the stars. I believe in horoscopes and astrology perspectives and influences on life. If anything, I haven’t met a bigger astrology freak that reads horoscopes on a daily basis and desires to have my future read in a crystal ball (or stars actually) and to make matters worst, I even believe that I’m a little psychic (maybe because I’m the most psychic of all signs- a Pisces). A story about this will come next time around. I also have a lot of faith in following your instincts and trusting your heart. I base a lot of my decision making on feelings and intuition as opposed to logic and reasoning. Put simply, intuition plays a huge part in my life.

As you can tell, in regards to my beliefs, it can get a little confusing especially if my horoscopes say one thing and my gut feelings say another. I mean, in the end of the day don’t I just want to feel a sense of self-actualization and enlightenment so I can be a satisfied human being? Is it really too much to ask for or have I overly complicated the simple things in life that I now have way too many questions and seeking to do and not enough order and restoration which leads to further stress?

To simplify things a little bit I’m now spontaneously taking ‘drop in’ meditation and yoga classes to balance my physical self and spiritual self. After reading all of this, I don’t know how spontaneous it really is in regard to my religious beliefs. Yoga might be that one step closer to my being enlightened and one step closer to my spiritual discovery…and if not, well that's just something else I can add to my been-there-done-that list.

Meditation can really take your body and soul to tranquil places. Anyone up for a trip to Bali?

XO LC.

Dinner Party Planning Part One.

It's cookbook madness for me! Thank Goodness I have Nigella and Jamie on hand to help!

For the last two years, I’ve hosted an array of dinner parties at my place. I live in a cute 100 + year old terrace in Sydney’s Inner West and I have a cozy backyard perfect for intimate dinner parties. Every year I have a lot of fun planning the theme, the menu, the music, the table setting…the works! Right now, I’m at the beginning planning process of my annual pre-Christmas dinner party that I always look forward to.

Last year’s dinner party was more of a house-warming party and it was very effortless chic. Actually, make that, very effortless. From memory, I had chosen to serve Thai food I bought locally (Chao Thai, if you’re wondering) considering my kitchen was not yet finished in renovations and the ability to re-heat or cook food was practically impossible. I was lucky that the weather was glorious and a warm night filled with some jazz in the background was what it was all about.

Forward to a year later and I’m ready to go all out this year. This winter was dreadfully long and ridiculous to me anyway. I‘m so summer deprived that I seriously get butterflies in my tummy when I think of summer holidays and Christmas break. Call this dinner party planning procrastination or venting but I seriously enjoy it. I’m not a truly organised person in some areas but I try my best to ensure that everything goes to plan. At this moment, I’m thinking an intimate Metropolitan meets the Middle East feel would be amazing for that perfect mesh of culture and style, not to forget pizzazz.

I have a lot of planning to do still and right now, I’m just going nuts on inspiration websites to get a feel for what I plan on doing. I'm loving the idea of a Moroccan Marrakech which is probably more Africa than Middle East but the exotic flavour and culture aspect is still in the concept. I need to do a lot more research but I can already imagine the amazing rich flavours, colours, table setting (beaded scarves, cushions and all) as well as colourful Moroccan inspired cocktails for that extra culture twist on a classic favourite. It's a lot of work at the moment, but at least I'll know that it'll be another first for me and ultimately a dinner party unlike any other.

A Sydney alternative to this Marrakech Spice Market would be nice!

XO LC.

Welcome to my personal blog.

The graciousness, beauty, humility and poise of Audrey Hepburn continually inspires me.

I like to think that regardless of how much time we spend with people, we never truly know them. Many people express themselves in different ways-through art, diaries, memoirs and the like. I decided to write a personal blog in the form of a diary: it’s my personal collection of life lessons, inspiring stories, social experiments, divine purchases and above everything else…just me.

Some people think of me as a career-obsessed businesswoman and entrepreneur. Others know me as a determined fashionista who will do anything she can to get the limited edition pair of heels or ultimate handbag. I know people who think I am a selfish person who doesn’t think twice about the things I do and the lengths I go to get what I want. I am all of these people and at the same time I am none of these people. This blog is an opportunity for you to walk a day in the life of me where you'll see the good, the bad, the ugly...the musings, the thoughts, the complaints. I hope you enjoy reading and get something out of this.

With all that said, Welcome to my life.

Along with a pinch of Brigette Bardot’s vivacity to unleash the vixen within.

XO LC.