Caught the last day of The Years of La Dolce Vita at The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, celebrating in mono-magic, the heyday of Italian cinema. The pictures, from the '50s and '60s, captured glamour and fashion in equal measure as well as the emerging phenomenon of the 'paparazzo' here exemplified by the snapshots taken by the prolific photojournalist, Marcello Geppetti, who notched up more than a million images. A winning shot: the blonde and voluptuous Anita Ekberg, Swedish star of Fellini's La Dolce Vita, immaculate in sheath dress and... stockinged feet, bow and arrow in hand, ready to ward off approaching paparazzi!
In homage, I wore a pretty, floral-sprigged vintage corset, with a great label, Roulette. It gives me a head-turning 'profile' which could rival any '50s starlet and I brought it into the next century with a pair of impeccably Italian navy pinstriped trousers by Emporio Armani. The little Indian basket was bought at Gabriel's Wharf, the '80s earrings are by Erickson Beamon, the sunnies are vintage and the wedges are by Topshop. And my lipstick, for the day, Dior's Dolce Vita, naturalmente!
Friday night preview at a most beautiful West End space, the Royal Academy's Burlington Gardens, to see Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album. Exhibited previously only once (Texas in 1970), this display of over 400 original silver gelatin prints has a quiet nostalgia of a particular time (1961-1967) when the young, under-contract Hollywood actor simply decided to pick up a camera, after which he went on to co-write and direct Easy Rider. Thankfully, these diverse and story-telling images remain - to be seen and appreciated - of this artist's life as a young American. Easy dressing in an equally retro silk handkerchief dress, Topshop wedges, a '60s fringed bag, and Chanel sunglasses.
Jewels, jewels everywhere and all covetable with a capital C! That was Lila's first champagne night last week and the Dulwich store pulled out all the stops for its growing number of fans with its finest pieces on show from a double-digit carat aquamarine ring whose colour you simply wanted to dive into, to an elegant diamond-dazzling Georgian pendant. An apple-green enamel and diamond ring by Kutchinsky, a family firm dating back to the 1890s, was mouth-watering. Glitz and glamour comes to the Lane!
It doesn't necessarily have to be the most colourful or loudest piece that draws the most attention. In this case the simple lines, yet complex nature, of this white raffia skirt offers pristine perfection midst the boldness of my Paul Smith silk shirt, and the busy-butterfly vintage Dolce & Gabbana boots. Accessories range from Roberto Cavalli sunglasses and white luminescent bag, to a Florenza embellished bracelet, Georgian ring, and dazzling green earrings.
What better proposition on a Sunday afternoon, in south London, than to embark upon a safari? A Garden Safari, that is, celebrating 'hidden gems and unexpected delights' within the environs of Sydenham Hill. A handful of charming private gardens opened their gates to the paying public, in aid of Dulwich Helpline & Southwark Churches Care*. I found perfect resting spots in each one, between woodland and herbaceous border, 'twixt organic vegetable patch and free-range chicken run, at the end of which I enjoyed a cup of tea and a home-made cake. Sporting a 'wild-life' dress from Timberland, (last seen in 'It's a jungle out there... or rather in here'), I wore more green accessories from the livid African beads and floral enamel ring, to a favourite pair of forest-green wedges from Menorca's c doux, purchased at Stella C. The clutch is '50s Hong Kong, adorned with an embroidered dragon and elephants in bone, and a recent purchase in Lewes, from Cliffe Antiques Centre.
*DHSCC provides friendship, practical help and emotional support to isolated older people in the community
A seasonally warm evening for the private view of Dulwich Picture Gallery’s latest exhibition: Art and Life 1920-1931, celebrating the
work of Ben and Winifred Nicholson, together with contemporaries, Christopher
Wood, Alfred Wallis and potter, William Staite Murray. At the forefront of the Modern British Movement, Ben and
Winifred Nicholson painted some of their most memorable works during this
period. This exhibition, curated by their grandson, Jovan Nicholson, provides a
rare opportunity to see both artists’ views of the same landscapes, seascapes,
still lifes and portraits, together with significant works by their friends and
contemporaries. To suit the balmy evening, I wore a silky favourite by Betty Jackson, worn last summer in 'Betty Jackson (again)', together with my gold Mare sandals. Beads
and cuff are both vintage, from the '30s. The straw hat and basket-woven bucket bag
suit the season.
The Summer Exhibition, at the Royal Academy of Arts, truly marks the beginning of Summer
for me, with an ever-exuberant show featuring powerful
pieces to delicate designs by major artists, to subtler pieces, arranged in the Small Weston Room. This is the world’s largest open-entry exhibition, with a history spanning nearly 250 years (not that I've been around for that
long). This
year, as soon as I entered the first main room, I could see that colour
and proportion were clearly themes of the exhibition and I seemed to have dressed accordingly wearing a newly purchased duo: an orange silk Parisian knit and a fully sequined Amanda Wakeley pencil skirt (both from Paraphernalia). Accessories ranged from my Issey Miyake turquoise shawl to an Aquascutum chunky beaded necklace, with vintage boots and bag.
