Black Winter Boots

Happy Christmas! The first few days after Christmas is a great time to shop, both online and offline. I found this pair of last-season's Gucinari zip-up leather boots at GBP34.99 (more than 50% off the usual price of GBP79.95). I'm hoping this will be perfect for the rainy/snowy January-February months.

Italian Ties

This is a long overdue post. On vacation in Rome two weeks ago, I found Sciunnach (http://www.sciunnach.com/en/), a family-run, handmade tie and scarf shop on Piazza della Minerva, just behind the Pantheon. I love handmade Italian ties and was impressed with the stitching and finishing of the ties I saw at Sciunnach. I bought four ties at 20 Euros each.

Melty Kiss

I love raclette and all manner of melted cheese! And was fortunate enough to have been invited by Manu and SY to their home in North London for a raclette birthday dinner.

M and SY have a Tefal Raclette Grill (a similar one sold by Home&Cook). They ordered their raclette from a French products mail order, but you can find good quality raclette quite easily at Borough Market. I would accompany this dish with a good salad and the best ham in the world - the Joselito Gran Reserva Bellota acorn-fed ibérico ham, available at Brindisa.

It's a clever way to entertain, lots of fun and interaction, and your guests will never be able to blame you if anything gets overcooked.

For your shoes only - Part II

Challenge - a cluttered narrow stairway




Solution - a stylish vertical shoe rack




Investment - Euros 180, plus a bit of lifting action on and off Eurostar.

For your shoes only

I've always been eyeing this stylish vertical shoe rack from Perigot, and their flagship store is just a stone's throw from InterContinental Paris Le Grand (16 Blvd Capucines). It's a really clever, space-saving design for up to 10 pairs of shoes... great for small London flats. I bought the red 10-pairs version for Euros180 and lugged it back to the hotel. It's now standing in my hotel room (pix below). I've been told there will be no problems getting it through security onto Eurostar. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

When Paris feels like Paris

Just arrived in Paris today and will be attending InterContinental Paris Le Grand's Fashion Christmas Trees launch tonight. I think it's a great idea... fashion students from the Duperre institute are invited to create festive trees based on the theme 'A Light Christmas'. And in a few hours, 15 top fashion designers will be here to judge the winning creations. Joining me on this special Paris treat are three fashion editors from the UK. I'm sure I'll be gaining a few good practical luxury tips over the next couple of days from these ladies in the know. Stay tuned for updates and snapshots from tonight's launch party.

Photo gallery from the launch party - click here

Hangover-free Sunday morning

No hangover on a Sunday morning... that's the best feeling in the world. So I thought I'd share two of my recent wine-related purchases.


1) Set of four Stölzle 'revolution power' red wine glasses. On the Stölzle US online shop, a set of six classic burgundy wine glasses retails for US$64.99. I bought my set of four glasses (unspecified in their website) from TKMaxx UK for £9.99.


2) Pair of Oggi stainless steel vacuum bottle stoppers from Daffy's NYC (355 Madison Ave) for US$9.99 (usually US$14.99).

Salut!