Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Indre

Delpozo US President, Indre Rockefeller, before Dior, Paris, March 2015.

Indre's outfit made me so, so happy! I am not sure if it was the glorious combination of colours, the shape or just how happy she seemed to be, but I loved it ❤❤❤

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Emma

Danish model Emma Oak, after A Show, Paris, March 2015.

Cropped Wide Leg Jeans. 

Recreate Emma's look (kind of):

Rag & Bone/Jean The Vintage Boyfriend jeans, Rachel Comey Legion wide-leg cropped jeans, Nasty Gal Denim Mad Crops wide leg jeans, MiH Phoebe jeans, Lemaire cropped wide-leg jeans, or See by Chloe wide leg cropped jeans

Leather jacket: BLK DNM Motorcycle jacket, McQ Alexander McQueen leather biker jacket, Gucci leather biker jacket, or Topshop Premium belted leather biker jacket

New York Fashion Week SS 2015

Before A Show, NYC, September 2014.

Off the shoulder dress. Love this romantic dress.....it makes me think about the long, dreamy summer days ahead.

Recreate her look (kind of):

Rebecca Minkoff Cleo dress, Tibi Off shoulder dress, Rachel Comey Solin floral print dress in white (or black), Little White Lies Off shoulder dress, Alice + Olivia Shari dress, L'Agence Charlotte off-the-shoulder dress, The WhitePepper off shoulder layered dress, or re:named Solid off shoulder dress

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Giovanna, Miroslava and Elena

Triple Power Play (three amazing women): Giovanna Battaglia, Miroslava Duma and Elena Perminova, after Stella McCartney, Paris, March 2015.

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Audrey

Audrey Marnay, after Maiyet, Paris, March 2015.

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Sofia

Sofia Richie, after Carven, Paris, March 2015.

Mixed Stripes. 

Recreate Sofia's look (kind of):

Carven oversized bomber coat

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Drake

Model and actress Drake Burnette, outside Balmain (she was just passing by!), Paris, March 2015. 

Suede coat.

Recreate Drake's look (kind of):

Suede jacket/coat - Theory Ankan suede coat, Belstaff suede trench coat, Loewe suede coat, The Row mid-length suede jacket, Derek Lam Tri-tone suede coat, Le Redoute suede coat, or Gucci suede belted coat

High-rise straight leg jeans: MiH Halsy straight leg jeans, Genetic Los Angeles Birkin High Rise Jeans, or Levi's 501 CT Jeans

Ballet flats: Sam Edelman Felicia ballet flats, Repetto The Cendrillon ballet flats, Tabitha Simmons Coco ballet flats or ASOS Lily Pad ballet flats

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Marina

Fashion Director Teen Vogue, Marina Larroude, after Louis Vuitton, Paris, March 2015.

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Helena

Helena Bordon, before Miu Miu (wearing Mirco Gaspari jeans), Paris, March 2015.

Paint splatter. 

Recreate Helena's look (kind of):

Turtleneck sweater: Brunello Cucinelli cropped turtleneck sweater, Victor Alfaro ribbed sweater, J.Crew chunky turtleneck sweater, Derek Lam cropped turtleneck sweater, Topshop chunky ribbed roll neck sweater, Club Monaco Leala turtleneck sweater, J Brand Maddie turtleneck sweater, or Brunello Cucinelli cashmere silk turtleneck sweater 

Paint splatter jeans: NSF paint splatter jeans, Koral relaxed jeans, or Rialto Jean Project boyfriend jeans

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Fernanda

Australian model Fernanda Hin Lin Ly, after Louis Vuitton, Paris, March 2015.

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Ulyana

Ulyana Sergeenko, after Louis Vuitton, Paris, March 2015.

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Anya

Tatler Russia Fashion Director Anya Ziourova, after Balmain, Paris, March 2015.

Pussy-bow blouse. 

Recreate Anya's look (kind of):

Givenchy pussy-bow blouse,  Faith Connexion Ruffled washed-silk blouse, Jason Wu draped crepe top, Topshop chiffon pussybow blouse, Jigsaw silk tie blouse, Stella McCartney scarf blouse, or Chloe scarf blouse

Paris Fashion Week AW 2015....Martha

Martha Graeff, Tuileries, Paris, March 2015.

New York Fashion Week SS 2015....Charlotte

 

 Danish Charlotte Lindvig, after A Show, NYC, September 2014.

New York Fashion Week SS 2015....Shala

Shala Monroque, before Alexander Wang, NYC, September 2014.

Metallic mini.

Recreate Shala's look (kind of):

McQ Alexander McQueen metallic mini skirt, Topshop shiny PU mini skirt, Maison Kitsune metallic mini skirt, or ASOS mini skirt in metallic leather

New York Fashion Week SS 2015....Irene

Model and blogger Irene Kim @ireneisgood, before A Show, NYC, September 2014.

Camo + Sheer for the weekend. 

Recreate Irene's look (kind of):

Camo jacket: Saint Laurent Camouflage jacket, Milk It Vintage Camo Hooded Parka coat, Capulet oversized survival jacket, or Valentino Camouflage printed bomber jacket

Topshop sheer pleated midi skirt, Simone Rocha Crochet tulle skirt, ASOS pencil skirt in sheer mesh, Simone Rocha sheer pencil skirt, Lovers +Friends Day to Night pencil skirt, or Giamba polka dot sheer skirt

Weekend Life....Camp Comfort, Texas Hill Country, Texas

Camp Comfort, Texas Hill Country, Texas, early February 2015.

The evocative scent of wood smoke punctuates the crisp afternoon air.  Trees, stripped bare of their summer leaves, are alive with flashes of vermilion: tiny robins flit from branch to branch intent on catching supper before dusk falls. A sunshine-yellow vintage Ford van sporting “Follow Me to Camp Comfort” on its rear signals our arrival at our destination: Camp Comfort in the small town of Comfort, Texas Hill Country.

Dismounting, literally, from our 4WD (as the saying goes “Everything’s Bigger In Texas”… even the rental cars!), I take in the scene: squat, bright-orange chairs are clustered around two fire pits in a central courtyard – the source of the wonderful wood smoke, a cute rustic shack painted with the Texas state flag sits under the canopy of a huge oak tree and a row of crayola-orange doors mark the entrance to Camp Comfort’s four suites*. Just as I am making my way to our room**, a furry flash of mottled grey, black and brown scuttles past me. The waggly-tail welcoming committee has arrived! Mooch, a beautiful Australian Shepherd dog, is followed closely by Camp Comfort’s affable co-owner, Phil Jenkins, who greets me warmly in his soft Southern drawl “How y’all doing, I see you’ve met Mooch!”.

Once Comfort’s bowling alley, Phil and his talented wife Lisa have transformed the historic site into gorgeous boutique lodgings. Wandering around Camp Comfort, I send a friend in Australia a photo. She immediately messages me back “It looks like a movie set!”. And it does but not in a clichéd way. Perched on a rise above Cypress Creek, Phil, a retired builder (or so he says!***), has cleverly renovated the property, retaining many of the original features and honouring the spirit of the bowling alley without slipping into the twee. On the outside, rustic rules while the interiors are a testament to Lisa’s design aesthetic, a blend of modern + cosy with a sprinkling of retro quirkiness. It feels like a grown-up version of summer camp:  the vibe is laidback, fun and low key… much like Lisa and Phil.

Inside the suites, playful touches (coasters stamped with “We’re glad you’re here”, a soap dish with “I pledge to lead by example, to be true and brave” inscribed on the base, Tivoli radios and whimsical throws) meld with the quietly luxurious: Princess and The Pea-esque beds (the type you have to stand almost on tippy-toes to climb aboard!) are fitted with crisp white linen; bathrooms are stocked with beautiful Malin + Goetz products (the peppermint shampoo is so dreamy and a wonderful jetlag pick-me-up) and white cotton towels are stacked for après soaking in the sublime air-jet bath. A well-stocked snack basket (parmesan and rosemary popcorn, Godiva milk-chocolate biscuits, Mexican coke, Native Texan Fire Roasted salsa as well as fixings to make S’mores around the fire pit) makes it tempting to never leave the property.

A short stroll from the suites is Camp Comfort’s 24-hour Social Hall and Camp Store, the original social hall for the bowling alley when it was built in 1860. Guests gravitate to the spacious whitewashed hall to read, play board games, eat breakfast in the mornings and grab coffee and fresh-baked cookies in the afternoons. Road-tripping with a group of friends? The light, airy space would be perfect for late-night gatherings after the S’mores have all been eaten, the fireflies have moved on and the campfire has finally flickered out.

Prior to arriving at Camp Comfort and learning the origin of Comfort’s name (the town was settled in 1854 by German immigrants who were Freethinkers and Abolitionists), I thought it was a sweet and beautiful name evoking feelings of warmth and kindness. After spending time with Lisa, Phil and Mooch and staying at Camp Comfort, I can’t imagine a more perfect description for their venture. As we are leaving, Phil says to us “It’s been so nice visiting with you”. No, Phil, it has been so nice visiting with you.

Eat:

A light organic breakfast (cereal, granola, fresh fruit, toast, juice, yoghurt and muffins) is served each morning in the Social Hall at Camp Comfort, and in the early afternoon fresh-baked cookies appear just in time to starve off the mid-afternoon energy slump.

“We are small, we are family, and we are a small business. Thank you for supporting our dream and our community. You make a difference in our lives”. In keeping with their beautiful ethos, Lisa and Phil are champions of their local community, recommending places to eat in Comfort as well as restaurants and cafes in the surrounding towns.

Alamo Springs Café: Seriously awesome (giant) burger and fries! Bigger does not always mean better but in this case it definitely does. Do not eat breakfast before you go (unless you have an extraordinarily large appetite or have run 15km that morning). In the Top Ten burgers I have eaten, and all served up with a smile. If you are in Texas Hill Country, make sure you make a detour to Alamo Springs Café.

Comfort Pizza, Comfort: Comfort’s local pizza joint serving well-executed wood fired pizza. Service is a little odd – don’t go expecting warm Texan hospitality - but the pizza is tippy-top. We got ours “to go” and settled in for movie night on the flat-screen television in our suite.

High’s Café and Store, Comfort: A lovely café in Comfort’s main street to grab a light lunch or afternoon tea (salads, sandwiches, soups and cakes). They also sell a selection of gifts and books.

Alamo Market & Lockers, Comfort: We took advantage of the outdoor BBQ grills at Camp Comfort to bbq some excellent steaks and homemade sausages from Alamo Market. Nothing better than grilling steaks, drinking beer (wine for me!) and dining alfresco under starry skies.

Further afield, Franklin BBQ in Austin is so worth the three-hour (or longer!) wait. I don’t generally “do” extremely long lines for food (probably the reason I haven’t tried a cronut yet!) but would fly back to Austin and stand in line in the freezing cold for another morsel of that moist brisket.  If you are not visiting Austin, the second best brisket (out of the five BBQ joints we visited) was at Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas. Obviously BBQ is subjective (like lobster rolls!) but these were the two places where we enjoyed the food and atmosphere the most.

To do:

From rummaging in the myriad of antique stores which line the main streets of Comfort and Fredericksburg, to hiking Enchanted Rock, wine tasting on the Texas Wine Trail or cooling off with a dip in a natural swimming hole (summer only!), there is much to do in Texas Hill Country.

We managed:

A spin through the Willow City Loop: a pretty, 20-mile drive through countryside which would be spectacular in spring when all the wildflowers are blooming.

Luckenbach Texas: Cowboys, live music, “Everybody’s Somebody in Luckenbach”.

Polly’s Chapel, Bandera. Under a canopy of grand old oak trees in what feels like the middle of nowhere, this lovely chapel is worth seeking out if you are visiting Bandera, “The Cowboy Capital of The World”.

We were hosted by Camp Comfort during our stay in Texas Hill Country.

*There is also a cosy (and much sort-after) free-standing cabin overlooking Cypress Creek.

**Door codes are provided prior to arrival alleviating the need for keys (one less thing to misplace!) and making check-in seamless.

***Expansion plans are already afoot given the popularity of Camp Comfort since it opened for business at the beginning of 2014.