For the love of music.

"Music... gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything."                                                                                                                                                  -Plato

I always have a song in my head. I rarely drive without the radio/ CD player/ my MP3 player on & if I'm doing over 80, it's pumping! I love live music. I love the art of songwriting & music composition. I totally agree with the way Andrew Denton marveled over it being the closest non-breathing thing to imitate emotion during some TV interview I watched years ago.

There are same very talented people in this world & I am lucky enough to personally know a few. What a pleasure their music & conversations are.

For example (or three):

Kayla Stanton

My gorgeous red-head friend (& ex/first flat-mate), Kayla is a classically trained opera singer but has overflowing potential to be a massive popstar both in music & film. She's got it all; the whole package. Plus, she has a beautiful soul <3. Look out Hollywood. And a tip-off for Woman's Day...Ms Stanton wants to steal Robert Pattinson's heart. Lol. Scandalous! Kayla & I were belting out 'And all that Jazz' in her living room the other week, with a glass of wine in one hand & a proper (but unplugged) mike in the other. She reckons even I could learn how to sing. Thanks Kay, you're sweet but we all know I cannot hold a note. Rhythm I have, but only in my feet and hips baby! "Well, I can't pole, but I killed the body roll!"  - me after first & last pole dancing lesson with my BF Denise.

Kayla's fb profile pic

 About Kayla: 'Music is the vernacular of the human soul!'

Nicholas Bird

Another gifted human being whom I've been blessed with the joy of knowing and sharing my life with for nearly four years, has an ear that picks up the tiniest beat, even with his no-ear-plugs-while-smashing-drums-&-insisting on-being-in-every-mosh-pit-caused-Tinnitus. This man also has a very articulate knack for hauntingly beautiful lyrics & sick on-the-fly improvised jam sessions. He's cuppa-tead & played at a Clareville backyard party with Ben from Silverchair, supported famous rockstars, mingled (& tingled) with local stars and is finally making his special talent an even larger part of his life by playing, recording & performing with three bands. I'm so proud of that boy! Mr Bird's wing span is enormous. When he spreads them.

Nick narrating, Sam on the geet.

Listen to Walk With Me from Nick's band Wasabi (no drums on this track though).

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Wasabi 

My soundtrack to Lotus Media.

And of course mine & Nick's friend, the phenomenal...

Sam Buckley

The lead guitarist from The award-winning Anni Piper Band. This man rips it up, whether he's practicing his little ass off in his bedroom, on stage in Katoomba, in-studio recording the hopefully US-market-breaking album or traveling Victoria on The Blues Train. He loves it! And works fucking hard for it too. A reviewer once compared Sam to Jimi Hendrix (or was it another guitar prodigy, Sam?). He is amazing & if he doesn't make his mark on the international music scene himself, at least one of his students will, I'm sure. One of the loveliest, most polite & most considerate musician & person I know. Some of these tortured artists can be very difficult! But not Mr Buckley, he's easy. Ladies, roll up, roll up before this gentleman gets taken ;).

Anni Piper - Jailbait

2010 Optus Music Muster

And for the dub-steppers who prefer doof over real instruments:

Just jokes, I love it too. 

For the rest of ya's

Finally, my soundtrack to the unity of myselves.

Missy Higgins - The Special Two.

 

I've asked Kay to cover this for me. What a great celebration that would be.

Until the end of time.

This clock's a little blurry (but of course it is, look whose hand it's in). Lol. I'm not a good time keeper. Now, good time waster, on the other hand...Procrastination is my middle name!

French proverbs about time & how I relate (or can't relate) them to my personal experiences:

"It is not enough to run, one must start in time".

Last year when all I wanted to do was run, hop & skip, I was told (time & time again), 'you have to crawl before you can walk'. Took me a while to get off the ground however, slowly but surely, I army crawled across that floor & I'm now fit for a marathon! Well, not quite, but I reckon I will actually make it past the badge collection for the City2Surf this year.

"Love makes the time pass & times makes love pass".

 Not sure if I understand this one...perhaps you need to be in love to get it? I don't know. Anyone? There's a section to comment below BUT the rules are you have to follow if you want to comment. I make the rules ;)

"Feather by feather the goose can be plucked".

Again, this is about patience and doing things, one at a time. We've all heard the sayings 'All in good time', 'Time heals all wounds' etc. So for me, this applies to everything I'm doing. I now do things at a slower pace so that, firstly, they actually get done, secondly, are done well & finally, so I can enjoy the doing bit. It's like I said: http://stylemefrenchy.blogspot.com/2011/03/savoir-faire.html 

I wonder why clock's have hands?

Maybe it's a metaphor to remind us that, though it's endless, 

we really only have what's (only) momentarily in our hands.

Instead of trying to keep it tight in my grip, my hand is open. If I lose it, I lose it but if I get to make something of it, great! Easy come, easy go.

My fave French phrase on time is this:

"Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch". - Jane Austen

Because I'm tardy! So next time you call me late I'll retaliate with, "I cannot be dictated to by your watch!". Because I'm cheeky.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun legend Cyndi Lauper wrote a sweet ballad called Time After Time that will finish this blog on just the right note.

Of course techno remixes add 10 to the sweet factor.

My Friday night interpretation of Passion & Purpose.

Passion: beauty, purpose: beauty.

A little woman called Elisabeth...farewell Fair Lady.

Paying my respects to a truly beautiful person, not just of blessed proportions and gorgeous profile but of a kind & generous heart. Ms Taylor is on my "who would you invite to dinner, if you could?" list. What a treat she would have been, too.

ABC report, Thursday March 24, 2011 : Hollywood legend and violet-eyed beauty Elizabeth Taylor, famed as much for her glamorous but stormy love life as her five-decade Oscar-winning film career, has died aged 79. 

"There is no questioning the monumental impact that Elizabeth Taylor has had on film and on pop culture, but today I find myself celebrating the life of a woman who used her unparalleled fame to combat HIV/AIDS at a time when those suffering from the disease were being ignored because of the stigma attached, which made Elizabeth Taylor fight even harder. It is that courage and determination that has continued to inspire new generations of fans that span every imaginable background. She was a true survivor who lived to the fullest with both passion and purpose.”

— Andrew Budgell (a fan & author of this endearing online tribute www.dameelizabethtaylor.com) 

I happened to record the movie Little Women on Foxtel IQ, just out of the blue, the other day but little did I know, Elizabeth Taylor herself starred in the 1949 rendition of this classic film! Watch the black & white trailer here.

Cute as a blonde. And what a cute kitten!

So ladies & gents, we must press on with passion & with purpose! Thanks Elizabeth.

Sense & Sensibility: Lesson #1.

Further to my recent blog on Savoir Faire, last night's turn of events gave me the opportunity to to practice my newfound flexibility and ability to achelmise negative experiences and make the most of what you've got.

Situation: Mike & I spontaneously decided to grab a quick dinner which would give me the chance to borrow his PhotoShop magazine, which will (hopefully) help me to design Lotus Media's logo. Because we were texting and both missed each other's calls there was a big misunderstanding & I thought he was finished work so I left Leichhardt in Sydney's inner west to drive to the ever-enchanting east.

Never, will I ever attempt that trip again in peak hour! As my facebook status read last night, my navman said eight minutes but Sydney's stupid gridlock said 60!!! I was extremely annoyed and frustrated and to make matters worse, Bondi (that's what I call Mike), then asked for a rain check because he was exhausted from a 3am finish.I tell him he is a toss as I've been suffering the traffic for an hour & am nearly at his place, to which he replied, "Sorry Kaz, I'm still at work, won't be home until around 8pm, thought you knew that".

Me: "F**k Sydney, f**k traffic, f**k you dude cutting me off, f**k iPhones, f, f, f!!!". What a waste of petrol & time. "Shut-up idiot!", (to the loser honking at me on the phone). Pardon my French but boy was I grizzly!

Then, I thought, "OK, this is where I am, it's shit but how I can I gain something from this?"

How can I apply the principle of savoir faire & 'The Secret' scroll email I had read about turning complaining into appreciating earlier?

This thinking allowed me to change my seeing red...

into drinking red :)

 Nick's Bondi Beach Pavillion.

Caught up on some emails and editing and had some dinner. Left feeling pleasant again.

A great example of anger alcehmised into pleasure. (Yes, that word is new, it's my addition to the dictionary). Or, in Buddhist terms, arrows into flowers.

Love.

One of my oldest friend's grandparents on their wedding day. This gift was made by a family member for an anniversary. It looks like a book but it's a mantelpiece ornament. So beautiful.

Poem reads: 

"Love is

Two people who know,

Just as soon as they meet

That being together

makes life complete.

The warmth of a smile,

A soft gentle touch

Of two special people 

Who care so very much.

Love is

That wonderful time when

two hearts understand,

That laughter; and sorrow

are shared hand in hand.

A beautiful gift to be

given away, enriching

the lives of

Two people each day."

Awwww. 

Maybe this is waiting for me on Shikoku Island. Or Ecuador. Or Paris. Sydney is not looking very promising. Not even Kurrajong Village. Or Bondi.

My Saturday night outfit.

Spunky & comfy.

Before.

During.

(Another during coming soon - amy please email me pics).

After. lol.

Savoir Faire.

Mireille Guiliano's definition of savoir faire:

"Know how. Literally French for: knowing (savoir) how to do (faire). Business sense and sensibility; knowing what to do and say and when and how to do so".

Mireille Guiliano

author of French Women Don't Get Fat &

Women, Work and The Art of Savoir Faire

My new philosophy on life is to take a leaf from these French books (and the French culture in general) and  be part time at everything. This is to ensure I savour every moment, relish in my achievements, feel the grazes on my knees when I trip and avoid the overwhelming, paralysing feelings of depression, fear, guilt, inadequacy and anxiety.

This concept of balance and "taking it easy" that I have heard about all my life is actually true. Shock, horror, yes, 'they' were right! But for some reason (other than my rebellious teenage spirit), I chose to 'burn the candle at both ends', as my mother would warn me not to do every time she would see my bedroom light still on in the witching hour or hear me snooze my alarm for the umpteenth time before school/ work/life. Not listening to 'their' advice and going to extreme lengths to prove herself, this (now) sensible, savvy young lady was quite contrary wasn't she?! Tut tut. A right, ignorant little shit, she was. But, another thing 'they' also say that is true: 'To be old and wise, you must first be young and stupid'. Well, if my Friday night is anything to go by, I still have credit in my stupidity account.

An agreeable quote, I remember from my desperate search for inspiration: 

"In art and dreams, proceed with wild abandon, in life, proceed with balance and stealth". - anon.

That little shit now prefers to be referred to as a little woman. And this little woman now has a little business...

Lotus Media International

Starting from my dining room table and surviving mostly off good faith and enthusiasm, Lotus Media will travel  with me (hopefully) to Japan, South America, France and back again. A wild dream, yes, but a balanced life, I will make sure.

Need a little website designed, anyone?

Friends, frosting, flowers, frivolity, fuck-talk & fermented fruit.

My stellar friend Kayla had her Neutral Bay house-warming party on Saturday night. Being a Greek themed evening we cooked Mediterranean food, ate, drank and were very merry!

We made delicious haloumi and watermelon salad, cheese cob dip, chicken and mango salad, blue cheese and hummus topped crackers, cakes and washed our mouths out with booze. By the end of the night I'm sure our mothers would have been trying to replace the alcohol with soap! Such fun is had when you throw together good company, quality tunes, interesting recipes and strip away typical limitations like the taboo topics of line-crossing conversation. I had a great time.

I heart North Sydney...

Neutral Bay wharf.

and head-wear! <3

"& we shall walk & talk in gardens all misty & wet with rain 

& we shall never, never grow so old again".

'The Secret Garden', Lavender Bay. 

Most beautiful garden I have ever seen.

Hope to be a North Shore yuppy one day. Except without the yuppiness. Just want to saturate myself in the natural health and beauty of the lifestyle and the prime location.

Facebook check-in for this pic read: 

Balmoral Beach with Denise Deguara. 

'Sweet orange juice. Sweet tan flesh. Propose to me now, oh six pack lover'.

Follow me (and everything thing is alllriiight).

I will a throw a party with a bar tab at the venue of the 100th follwer's choice IF & WHEN I get 100 followers to my blog.

BUT.. only every 5th person gets a drink bought for them by me. This will be policed by wristbands! Lol

So...if you want to stay/be my real friend offline then follow me (or tell your friends & you can have the drink if I don't know them) on stylemefrenchy.blogspot.com & be quick (& strategic), & from the bottom of my heart (& the top of my blog), if you are on the ground, dust off & jump back on your horse. You've got the reins & even when the ride is bumpy, jazz up your saddle or get a new pair of boots ;)

Yes, I am a D&M sap, but I smile & laugh a lot so I'm spreading the love jam on thick! Get in line toast soldiers! 

Cheers,
Riss aka stylemefrenchy (just google that - no spaces).

Lady Fluffy.

Young elegance.

Miss Tleya Bird at Harbord Diggers Wedding Expo (when I celebrate my wedding reception at this venue, my invitations will say "Freshwater". Yes, just Freshwater).

I explained to this little birdy that ladies drink with their pinkies out ;).

Collette Dinnigan and Paris.

History from http://www.collettedinnigan.com.au/

Pre 1990.


Originally from NZ, Collette attended Wellington Polytechnic and upon graduating, crossed the Tasman and began her career in fashion, working for the Costume Department of the ABC in Sydney.


1990.


Collette's own label sharing her full name was born.


Her distinctive style saw these new designs snapped up by hip boutiques and department stores in Australia and NZ, Barney's NY and Hong Kong among other countries were soon to follow and so the international presence was established.


1995.


Collette becomes the first Australian based designer to mount a full-scale ready to wear parade in Paris, invited to do so by the Chambre Syndicate du pret-a-porter des couturiers et des createurs de mode.


1996.


Australian Designer of the Year.

With another beautiful Aussie gal, Megan Gale.

Fast forward 15 years...

2011.

Collette Dinnigan's "beaded armour" and another one of her designs.

Collette remains the only Australian designer to show at Paris Fashion Week. Her theme for this year's Autumn-Winter collection is ''Frida Kahlo in sepia'', a Mexican feel with lots of lace, embroidery and 

embellishment. She describes the Romanesque-style silver dress like ''beaded armour''as it is so heavy.

No need to fly to Europe to experience the feel and pretty of this wonderful textile art, we have her home store right here in Sydney's finery hotpot, Surry Hills.

Being in Richmond in Sydney's west, we are more farmery then finery but we still have access to quality garments because, thankfully, Collette recognises that we don't all take home triple digit salaries and so has 

designed an affordable range of gorgeous lingerie for Target. Next shopping stop, Penrith Westfield!

'Wild Hearts'

''I am very considerate of what real women want. We don't just design for the catwalk like a lot of fashion houses where the head designers are men with no hips or butts so it only looks good on boyish-type figures.''

Amen. Merci, Ms Dinnigan!

International Women's Day (thanks for the reminder Google!).

"Thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD...media giant Google some years even changes its logo on its global search pages. So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding."

Hello my three followers. Nice to see that most of my beloved family and friends have NOT yet subscribed to my blog like I asked! You're missing out guys! Well, no, not really. If you know me you will hear and read my opinions on a regular basis anyway, sometimes unwillingly. I am tempted to apologise for this habit of oversharing but, that would be dishonest because, quite frankly, I'm not sorry. I am grateful that I had the privilege of a challenging and rewarding education at school and university and even further into my business and marketing career. I appreciate my voice both literally and metaphorically and I am proud to vocalise my thoughts and feelings as a person on this planet that matters. I am thankful to be incredibly blessed with the support of my personal and professional relationships and also to have been born in the 20th century where our society encourages and respects this freedom of speech for all human beings.

If I were a women of the 19th century in Australia I would be labelled with the (then derogatory) term “bluestocking” because women who wanted an education were thought to be trying to imitate academic men who, at the time, generally wore blue stockings. Today, times have changed due to the Women's Liberation Movement, and so I am acknowledging that the 8th of March, 2011, is officially International Women's Day.

Click on the above image to go to the IWD site and find out about the events going on in your area. I am hoping to get along to the Mandala (Sanskrit for circle) workshop in Lidcombe.

Ladies, next time you're complaining because you don't want to work to earn money to pay off your loan, are finding contraception annoying or procrastinating about that essay...think of this:

During the 1950's and 60's, the mentality towards women was much the same as the pre-federation ideals.

1. Women weren't getting equal pay for equal work of equal value.
2. Women couldn't make decisions about their own bodies i.e. the Pill and Abortion.
3. Women couldn't work in designated 'men only' profession areas.
4. Women were being sexually harassed or abused by 'superior' males.
5. There was a lot of discrimination in education. Women couldn't get into University.
6. Banks didn't loan to women if they were single.

Thank God for feminism. We have a lot to thank Her for, don't we? And by her I mean you, me, our sisters past, present and future and our inner goddesses (okay now's the time for me to sound all hippie and new age like you were expecting!). Embrace your smart, sexy, sassy, sarcastic, silly-sally selves and burn your bras (or flash your undies lol).

I am wrapping this looooong blog up at 2.57am after helping my brother's girlfriend complete her (very impressive) CV for a uni assessment. Felicity, you will make an amazing professional after you finally finish this degree! Whatever industry you choose to work in. Doesn't matter because it's the journey not the destination.

Photo: Gary Holmes, Mosman, 22.12.10

Wouldn't pick this blonde bombshell to be a qualified PE teacher and a backyard squatter, would you? Can you remember that saying about judging a book? Flic uses her best assets to succeed in life, which include her perky boobs, her beautiful mind and her heart of gold. Not just her pretty face. 

"‘More has been done for women in the last forty years than in two millions years of history.’ Fouque is a psychoanalyst and political scientist, former MEP and luminary of the ‘women’s liberation movement’ (‘Mouvement de Libération des Femmes’, MLF)".  Just for good French measure.

Thanks for reading, hope you have a wonderful day and you call your Mum/sister/girlfriend/ whatever to tell her she's awesome.

Fashions on the Field.

I think this is the first time I have successfully applied the revered values of French fashion to an ensemble of my own and been extremely impressed with the result. I would even go as far as saying that this is the best outfit I have ever co-ordinated by myself! Who would have thought the dorky girl who dreaded change room mirrors and always felt less than glamorous (less, even, than the dateless teenager wearing a potato-sack-like dress and a grimace at the dreaded formal) could feel and finally believe she looks chic! As in the one pronounced sheek for those wondering if I'm confused about my gender! Haha. I claim my womanhood loud and proud.

Potential Golden Slipper outfit. Minus headwear (and head), any suggestions?

A Parisian woman's wardrobe and style sense is renowned for their classic silhouettes, unique feature accessories, staple mix-and-match basics, flattering fits, creative substitution of items when the piggy bank is low and their (seemingly) effortless, pulled together look of understated, feminine sophistication.

Now...I don't really like the races. I don't gamble, I don't drink and the maximum amount of hours I can enjoy wearing high heels is about a third of what is required for walking around appearing elegant and entertained all day at the racetrack. However, I love dressing up! It is such fun choosing, borrowing and altering pieces to convey one's own individual style and identity to the on-looking crowds. In fact, I would hold my own Autumn Racing Carnival meet if I could still call it that after I take out the betting, the spirits and mixers, the sleazy drunk boys, the endless queues and the standing section. 

So basically it would look like this: Pretty horses, gorgeous creations worn by smiling ladies teetering on flat ground so that their fabulous shoes do not sink in as they sashay around the table for a gossip and a giggle with their girlfriends, red wine and strawberries, and a season appropriate theme complete with earthy colour scheme, easy listening music and beautiful bouquets decorating the semi-sheltered outdoor space, (the only thing worse than being hungover on sore feet and with pores caked in makeup is being sunburnt as well!). I would also have to add a sneaky R n' B playlist to shake our dressed up derrières to a phat bass line on a makeshift dancefloor (most probably the porch!).

To check out the trends for this year's Slipper and for more info on the event, held on April 2, click on the Girl with the Golden Slipper! Good luck to all you punters, may Lady Luck be on your side and in your clutch.