French Vogue February 2014 Part 2

This is Part 2 of the February issue of French Vogue.

Click here to browse through Part 1 if you would like.

Vogue France seem to do more editorials than the US version.

As we all saw in the September issue, Anna Wintour needs to edit even the work of Grace Coddington but perhaps the office politics is slightly different under Emmanuelle Alt's direction.

 I loved all these editorials.

I enjoyed the art direction, the clothes, and the models.

This first black and white one was a particular standout and one that I will probably remember for many years to come.

February 2014 Instagram-y Post Part 2

People tend to reach out to warmer climes during the British winter.

Not me - I went further north into a blizzard.

No filter!

The Thames may be full but

 Copenhagen's waters looked like a daiquiri cocktail.

I really enjoyed Denmark.

I don't know my Nordic architecture so don't know which period this home is from
but isn't it fairytale-esque?

But these first few pics were the most color 

I saw during the short time I was there.

Otherwise, due to the season and light 
the city was so white, grey, and black.

After three days, I went a bit stir crazy.

I couldn't imagine a full winter there.

So much so that when I landed back in Heathrow Airport, 

I felt like I had landed in Malaga, Spain.

The main objective of the trip was to dine at Noma.

They were very nice and gave us a special souvenir of ants to sprinkle on our food but we forgot to refrigerate it 

so the ants went off.

Next time I shall do a proper Scandinavian TV series tour.

But I think this building below was the City Mayor's office as shown in the Killing series.

The buildings below was the setting for the TV station 

that features in Borgen.

But my highlight was crossing the Oresund bridge -
 the very same that is featured in The Bridge!
It was so exciting as that very weekend was the season finale of the show on the BBC so I savored the 40 minute train ride to the Swedish city of Malmo.

I can't say much about Malmo as it was a Sunday winter's morning and most places were shut.
We spent an hour there and went straight back to Copenhagen.
But it was such an easy trip and only cost about £12 return so there was no undue pressure.

I have never seen a 13 min lunch guarantee even in Manhattan.

The Danish have their pastries 

but the Swedes also have great desserts.

Plus they had great looking open faced sandwiches one doesn't even seen here in the land of sandwiches.

Have you tried Swedish licorice?
It is salty and very much an acquired taste.

Sweden is so design conscious that I have never seen anywhere else in the world a greater selection of home decor magazines! 
Just look at it - all Swedish or Danish!!

No balloons on the train tracks.

Another highlight of the month was that 
I met someone through my blog in real life.

 It was very exciting to meet the Curator and 
joined her at Kew Gardens!

Orchids galore.

She is as intelligent and engaging as her online persona and there was never a dull moment or awkward silence ( for me anyway)...

She was an excellent guide and knew all the nooks of the grounds.
She even introduced me to the resident peacock.



We explored some of the greenhouses that are about 100 years old.

 

This is a venue for many a photo shoot for obvious reasons. 

She also led me to the summer retreat of Queen Caroline who 
I wrote about back in August.

This is the Japanese section of the garden.
( Please click on link to see better pictures!)

My favorite bit of the collections was the Marianne North Gallery.

The gift shop had been extended since I had last been a decade ago.








These plants don't need proper water and just hang so I might go back and get some for a "gardener" like me!

French Vogue February 2014 Part 1

I decided to share the February issue of French Vogue with you instead of the March US edition.

I gotta tell you guys that I downloaded the issue the other day and Rihanna was on the cover.

Now please don't mistake this as a dislike of her because 

I think she is stunning and a talent of her generation. 

But this isn't Rolling Stone is it? 

Or is it?

I feel like I am being so negative and I was left rather flat that I won't bother reviewing that issue. But for those who are interested, 

I will pin pages from it to my Vogue Pinterest board. 

( Just give me a week or so.)

So meanwhile, you can browse French Vogue with me.

The cover girl was Emily Didonato.

She is not an actress. ( Yet. )

The Name Game - Naomi

As some of you know, my name is Naomi.

Via

My father chose it as it was one of his favorite names.

It comes from the Bible in the Book of Ruth but 
also happens to be a name of Japanese origin.

The meaning of my name is pleasant.

Pleasant? 

Only one notch above nice. 

I am not sure if it is the two consecutive vowels but my name seems to confuse so many people.

There are so many variations of pronunciations of my name that I don't even bother giving suggestions.

nah-o- my.

nay oy mee.

nae - oh - my.

no - a - me.

no - ee - me.

You get the drift.

It is a slight nuisance.
So much so that the few times that I do go to a coffee chain that asks for your name I lie and say, "Anna."  
Anna is a universal name that even people from most countries can pronounce.

But there are some instances where you have to give your real name like the dentist's office etc.

And countless conversations usually go like this.
---
Your name please?

Naomi. 

What? Noomi?

Yes, Naomi.
(After years of this I just respond yes to save time.)

 How do you spell that?

N-A-O-M-I. Naomi.

Hang on? So it's Naiooomi...

Yes. Naomi.

Sorry - you have a lot of vowels in your name Neeomee.

Yes, Naomi does have a lot of vowels.

Via

Oh wait, like Naomi Campbell? Naomi!

Yes, like I said, Naomi...
---
I don't mind my name anymore and thankfully I wasn't allowed to change it as I had insisted in my early teens.  
Otherwise I would have chosen a name that unwittingly sounded 
like a porn star or a dumb hooker.

Could you imagine?

My name would have been Melody Chanel Rainbow Guevara.

Good thing my father didn't let me change my name!

Martha Stewart Living Magazine February 2014

Just to let you know that this is simply a sharing post.

I am not going to comment or write anything bar this so

there will be no comments for this either.

There are a few useful tips and nice recipes so enjoy!

Vogue February 2014 issue review

This issue has had a lot of press - it seems like the publicity departments of HBO and Vogue have been burning the midnight oil.

Vogue had another actress on the cover for a change.

The new season ads were eye-catching.
I am not normally a huge Burberry fan but I adore this coat.
The lilac isn't sickly and the brand seems to be branching more into the pretty than just functional which it is known for.

But the brands seem to be flogging its bags.

Gucci has it front and center.

Lupita, the new darling of Hollywood, is modeling one as well.

Dolce & Gabbana has bills to pay so 
they didn't even pretend it was about the clothes.