90's dream team: Amber Valetta, Juergen Teller, Camilla Nickerson, Dick Page, Didier Malige

I am mostly attracted to candid pictures for inspiration - I like to see style icons dressed in their own clothes, going about in their own lives, as opposed to seeing them all styled up for a magazine shoot or an event. But occasionally I also can take great inspiration from a created image, completely artificially manufactured by a team of supremely talented fashion folk. I find that when magazine spreads are really, really good, they resonate for decades, and rediscovering them is so much fun. It usually happens when I am doing photo research on a totally unrelated topic. I'll see an image that catches my eye, realize it's an editorial picture, try to figure out or guess what magazine it was for or who shot it, and then set about to find the rest of the story online, usually posted on another blog or on tumblr. This is exactly what happened recently with the pictures shown below. I was looking for candid pictures of stylist Camilla Nickerson. In my opinion she has the best style in the world, but it's very hard to find pictures of her online (making her even more appealing of course). In the course of searching I found a picture she styled of Amber Valetta for I-D magazine that really drew me in. It was from the 90's but it looked so current. Slicked back hair, a darkened brow but little else on the face, a slash of a black dress across her body revealing plenty of skin. The look was austere, but undoubtedly sexy. The rest of the pictures that followed with further research where even more revealing, shown both through Amber's poses and the other dresses. When I got to the final picture and saw the credits, it was no surprise that I was so attracted to these images - Dick Page and Dider Malige are my favorite makeup and hair team bar none, and only Juergen Teller could pull off the suggestiveness of Amber's poses. The whole effect was 90's minimalism at its best.

Travel: Spring Break at The Pig Hotel

I'm laughing to myself while putting "Spring" in the title of this post because there is nothing Spring-like about England in the last few weeks. Yes, the weather has finally gotten me down. I made it through the winter just fine with the right outdoor clothes and a constant roaring fire in the living room. But now I am just over it. The kids have a three and a half week end-of-term break, and we thought we'd stay here so that our daughter Coco could catch up with her riding having been away in France for 12 weeks. I've already told my husband that next year at this time, I am going to seek out sun and warmth above all else for Spring Break. 

Somehow I intuited that I would be at my wits end by the third week of our staycation so I booked us a two night stay at The Pig Hotel in the New Forest. The pictures of the hotel and restaurant looked heavenly, and when I heard about the wild New Forest ponies, I knew we had to go there.

Thankfully, it was all as good as it looked - the hotel felt like staying in someone's private home, the kitchen garden inspired my ambitions to plant a vegetable garden at our cottage, the food exceeded our expectations, the movie library was inspired, and the bike riding trails were endless. All four of us watched Beverly Hills cop cuddled up in bed, we bought candy at a local sweet shop after an hour long walk by the sea, and we spent hours just staring at the free-range, wild New Forest ponies with their crazy blue eyes and thick, furry winter coats. 

It was a wonderful 3 days of quality family time (despite the windy rain), but what I really can't wait to do is go back to The Pig by myself for a few days once the kids are back in school and get some solid writing done on my book. It's the perfect place for a vacation from my vacation.

As soon as we entered the New Forest, there were wild ponies everywhere - in the trees, by the streams, and especially next to the road. They were so beautiful, and incredibly tame.

This crazy pony made my kids roar with laughter. We all agreed it looked more like a Fraggle than a horse.

The beautiful Pig Hotel. Wouldn't you love this to be your home?

The very tidy kitchen garden at The Pig. I love the scarecrow.

I was very jealous of all the tidyness in their garden and greenhouse. I don't like things manicured, but I do like them tidy. My husband and kids don't seem to share the same affinity.

What's better than a heart-shaped cluster of pigs? The large one is the mommy, and the rest are her babies.

Chickens at The Pig. We enjoyed their eggs at breakfast.

I looked forward to every meal, as much for the food as for the chance to sit in this lovely room.

The owner's glass collection displayed in the bar.

Zach is my ocean swimming buddy in Long Island, and we were both overjoyed to see the sea after a long, landlocked winter.

We visited a harbour in a small town called Buckler's Hard where Christopher found his dream boat.

A groovy boathouse in Beaulieu.

The village shop in Beaulieu.

Personalized kids' snacks at The Pig.

At every meal the kids ran outside to play on the giant tree swing while waiting for the food to arrive.

Wild ponies on the moor.

Beautiful girl.

Coco's spiritual moment with a wild pony.

Deep in the forest.

I was determined to see more of the New Forest than you could by car or on foot, and so we took a 2 hour bike ride on trails, roads and gravel paths. Despite the cold and rain it was beautiful, and a good way to burn off energy before heading home.

Lilly Pulitzer

Hi there. I've been away in the New Forest for the past week. I can't wait to tell you about it, but first I want to take a minute to remember Lilly Pulitzer who died last Sunday. 

Lilly Pulitzer created my very first fashion memory. My sister Kimberly (age 5), our best friend Celerie (age 4) and I (age 3) were to be the crowd pleasing doe-headed finale of Lilly's fashion show at the Everglades Club in Palm Beach. Women were manically brushing our hair, feeding us cookies, and giving us walking and smiling instructions, all while trying to keep us calm and happy. We were wearing matching yellow floral smocked sundresses and we were meant to hold hands while walking down the elevated runway, smile, pause, turn around and walk back. Sadly I don't remember the actual moment - it was probably too much information for a 3 year old to take in - just the furious prep in the minutes leading up to it. I do however, have many more memories of wear the dress, which I got to keep, naturally, in exchange for my modeling duties. I remember being on the merry go round at Disney World in that dress, I remember my sister and I wearing them for our joint 4th and 6th birthday party later that year, and I remember getting an extra two years wearing my sister's dress when she outgrew hers. Of course these weren't our only Lilly clothes - I also remember a patchwork printed wrap skirt, blue Panda-printed shorts, and endless bikini bottoms (Lilly didn't even make the tops until age 10), but those yellow dresses had extra meaning because they were our "modelling dresses."

In Palm Beach in the 70's, everyone had an equally personal relationship with the Lilly's that they wore. Palm Beach felt like a much smaller place then - there was a group of families that lived there year round (not just for "the season"), and everyone knew everyone. Lilly loomed large - she had big, unique personality and style to match. 

For me the very definition of style is having a personal connection that the things you wear, and Lilly figured out the perfect Palm Beach wardrobe - classic, simple resort clothes in happy, colorful unique prints. Those clothes were made for those people, in that time, in that place. There was authenticity and integrity as well as an insane amount of creativity and originality in those clothes. By taking inspiration from her life and her lifestyle, Lilly paved the way for the Diane Von Furstenbergs, the Tory Burches and the Aerin Lauders of today. She will be greatly missed.

Here I am in my Lilly "modelling dress" at Disney World on my 4th birthday.

Kimberly, Virginia and me in matching Lilly patchwork skirts. Bronxville, 1979.

My sister Kimberly and me (left) with the Wallace girls, all in our Lilly smocks. Palm Beach, 1978.

Life on the farm: Spring cooking

Although I love love love to cook, I don't usually post recipes because I don't feel like they're mine. I am definitely a recipe girl. I need a cook book. That's how I learned and continue to learn how to cook -  I buy a book that appeals to me and cook all the recipes that look good. Then I buy another book and do the same. I've cooked through Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, Nigella Lawson, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Ina Garten, Tamasin Day-Lewis, Jamie Oliver, the Smitten Kitchen blog, and at the moment I am obsessed (along with the rest of the world) with all things Ottolenghi. I've been doing this for years and years now (16 to be precise) so I'm getting pretty good at serving up decent food, but I certainly don't feel like I can make up my own recipes yet. What I do feel like I am gaining some ground in though, is assembling recipes together from different books, newspapers, friends and putting them all together to create a delicious meal. I like to think of myself as a recipe curator.

Maybe it's a bit late to be posting Easter recipes, but I wanted to share with you what I cooked last Sunday. They all go really well together for a big festive meal, but also work on their own for lighter eating. And they are great for any time during the spring. Even the dyed eggs can make a pretty table arrangement for an April or May weekend lunch. Hope you enjoy!

I found this recipe in a magazine at the hairdresser. Here it is:

Ingredients: 2 bunches of baby carrots, 2 red onions (peeled and cut into wedges), 1 tbsp dukkah, one juicing orange, 6 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, 2 tbsp fresh coriander (chopped)

Instructions: 
1. Preheat the oven to 170 C. Trim the carrots and place in a large roasting pan with the onion wedges. Toast the dukkah in a small frying pan for 1 minute until browned and mix with the zest from the orange and 2 tbsp of the oil. Drizzle over the carrots and toss well. Roast in the oven for 1 hour or until tender.
2. Mix the remaining oil with the juice from the orange, vinegar and a little salt and pepper. Stir into the carrots with the coriander.

I always make lamb the same way. Before covering the leg in olive oil, salt and pepper, I carve slits in the skin with a sharp knife and put rosemary and a garlic clove inside each one. This time I read in Tamasin Day-Lewis' Kitchen Bible that she puts an anchovy filet in each slit as well. I tried it, and it was delicious. Don't worry, they don't add an fishy taste. They just bring out the favor , like salt. Then I roast the whole thing in a 200 C oven for about an hour and 15 minutes. I love classic mint jelly, but these days I serve it with red pepper and chilli jam that I made over the winter. 

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is one of my favorite chefs, and Three Good Things is the most useful cookbook I have.  As the title suggests there are always three main ingredients with added spices, seasonings, and basics like olive oil.  The recipes are simple to cook and anything but simple in flavor. I make this curried red lentil, roasted potatoes and spinach recipe whenever I have leftover potatoes from Sunday lunch. Leftover roasted potatoes never appeal to me, so I'm thrilled I've finally found a use for them. Here it goes:

Ingredients:
250g red lentils, 1 L water, 400g cold cooked potatoes, 2 tbsp sunflower oil, 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped), 1 tbsp curry powder, 250g spinach, a squeeze of lime, salt and pepper, lime wedges to serve

Instructions:
1. Put the lentils in a saucepan with 800ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often with a whisk to help break down the lentils. Add a little more water if it looks too thick.
2. Cut the potatoes in 1 cm thick slices. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the potatoes for a few minutes. Add the garlic and curry powder and stir. Lower the heat and cook for another minute or two. Then tip the potatoes into the lentils.
3. In the same frying pan (used for the potatoes), add the spinach in handfuls, stirring until it wilts. Add a little water if necessary. Add the spinach to the lentil and potato mixture. Stir the whole mixture gently, trying not to break up the potatoes.
4. Add a good squeeze of lime juice, then season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve right away with lime wedges.

My mom gave me my first Ina Garten "Barefoot Contessa" book for Christmas, and I've been using it to learn how to bake. I tend to like old-school cake recipes so I wasn't sure about the ginger mascarpone frosting in lieu of the usual straightforward cream cheese frosting for my Easter carrot cake. I also don't love raisins so I omitted them, even though the recipe called for them. This was the best carrot cake I have ever had, and it was a unanimous hit with my guests as well. I hope you like it as much as we did.

Ingredients (for the cake):
2 cups sugar, 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil, 3 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups + 1 tbsp all purpose flour, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 pound carrots (grated), 1 cup chopped walnuts, ginger-mascarpone frosting (recipe below)

Instructions (for the cake):
1. Preheat the over to 400 F.
2. Grease two round cake pans, line with parchment paper and grease again.
3. Mix together the sugar, oil,  and eggs with an electric mixer on med-high for 2 mins. Stir in the vanilla. In another bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
4. In a medium bowl, toss the carrots, walnuts and 1 tbsp of flour. Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 350 F, and bake for 30-35 more minutes until a toothpick (or a fork) comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 mins, turn out onto a baking rack, and cool completely.

Ingredients (for the frosting):
12 oz Italian mascarpone cheese, 4 oz cream cheese, 2 cups confectioners' sugar, t bsp heavy cream, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/3 cup minced crystallized sugar (not in syrup), 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions (for the frosting):
1. With an electric mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, confectioners' suger, cream, and vanilla together for about a minute, until light and fluffy. Add the crystallised ginger and salt and beat for 30 second more.
2. Frost the cakes.

Enjoy!

I ♥ Your Style: Aleks Woroniecka

You know how there are some people you come across in life that always seem like they are having the best time? Aleks Woroniecka is one of those people. She is a friend of a friend, and maybe it's because I really only see her at parties that she is always so cheerful and enthusiastic, but I suspect she's like this all the time. She's smiling, she's affectionate, and she's usually the first to dance and the last to go home. I always look forward to seeing Aleks because her happiness is contagious.

However, the reason I am telling you about her here is because of her classic, yet quintessentially French style. Everything she wears is chic but not fussy; stylish but not trendy; precise without trying too hard. And that short blonde bob makes me so jealous - I tried to wear my hair that length recently, and it just looked awful on me (my hair is too bushy to be that short and all one length). What you can't see in these black and white shots is Aleks's signature red nails. By now you must now how much I love red nails. In her case, they are the perfect bit of femininity in contrast to her otherwise tomboy look.

Can you see her skinny suspenders? Those little details are what makes her style unique. And if you love her silk panama-inspired blouse, it's from Olatz in NYC (also available at Barneys.com).

I love the quirky, surrealist hand-holding belt. It's unusual accessories such as this that make thrift store combing often worth the effort.

Happy Easter

Life in England: Exploring Rousham

The other day I was driving back from Bicester Village (I bought a Celine silk blouse and Marni guipure lace top) with my friend Miranda who is a renowned landscape designer. When she saw the sign to Rousham, she insisted we take a detour. Before the house even came into view we had already seen a stone cow shed in the shape of a mini-castle and a charming gate house with three uniquely decorative chimneys. Then we saw the house in the distance. It was first built around 1635 and has stayed in one family the entire time. Even on a gloomy, frigid early spring day, the house was magnificent. At the end of the long drive we noticed a sign offering garden tours, so the next day we packed up our children and husbands and brought them back to explore the gardens with us. What a treat to go with Miranda who explained to me all about 18th century gardens (they don't include flowers, but they do include lots of water and romantic landscaping), and showed us all the best vantage points along the way. There were statues representing the Greek gods, a stone colonnade, a long winding river, a million ideal picnic spots, and then, of course, the house. You could tell right away that it was completely unspoilt. No dramatic recent renovations, additions or excessive cleaning - just stunning architecture and the charm of age. Peeking in through the windows, I saw long silk curtains with shredded linings, oversized fireplaces, wide plank wood floors and centuries-old antiques. In the butler's pantry were actual bells labelled for each room in the house in order for the residents to ring downstairs for help. In the summer months, you can actually have a tour of the inside. I can't wait to go back.

The chicest cow shed I ever saw. I love how it looks like it's yawning. 

The gate house. I've never seen anything like those carved chimneys before. I also love the richness of the stone color.

Rousham itself.

Wouldn't it be great to have this charming little greenhouse to put all your indoor plants in?

The rustic construction around this stable yard door caught my attention.

The river runs through most of the garden. I can't imagine a lovelier place to be in the summer.

For me, such formal architecture only works because of its obvious age.

The three "garden fairies" daring to peak over the edge.

Each arch of the colonnade had its own bench inside to sit and watch the view looking out over the garden.

The intricate window frames were one of my favourite parts of the house. Photo courtesy of Miranda Brooks.

The amazing stable yard. Photo courtesy of  Miranda Brooks.

My slightly pained look represents the combination of frozen fingers and toes and the thought of how cold that water must be!

The dovecote, the espaliered trees and the snow-covered box hedge made this one of my favourite walled gardens.