Snow Style

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Whilst spending last weekend in Val d'isere I got to thinking about resort style. Ski resorts are generally regarded as very casual, jumper, jeans and sensible footwear. Handbags are not really popular as skiwear has many pockets!!

But this is no ordinary ski resort. Moncler seemed to be the stylish europeans label of choice (of course), and I don't remember seeing Tods loafers and Hogan boots for sale amongst the regulars such as Roxy/Burton/North Face/Salomon ever before. I even spotted marc by marc jacobs handbags alongside a little bit of Prada. But the ever popular Louis Vuitton reighned supreme on the arms of the super groomed elite around the village, thus proving handbags are more popular than pockets in a ski jacket! My kind of place!

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Moncler-Fendi collaboration, the ultimate arm candy for the slopes?


Whilst the euro babes strutted their chic, if not a little predictable, style, we have the polar opposite, the board babes. Decked out in boardwears finest apparel. Bright, bright colours,(almost but not quite) ridiculously baggy, shaggy bed head hair, slouchy, cool looking footwear and a knack of carrying off an oversized beret or beanie. Love the look but not sure its really me??





Hmmmm. I'm thinking cool boarder style slope side, chic fashionista by night!! I wonder......

Pissing everywhere is'nt very Chanel!!

I have just come back from a weekend in my future place of residence, Val d'isere. This was a trip to make sure that husband and I had made the right choice and to check out the practicalities of moving to a foreign country.

Yes thats what we did, checked out all those sensible things, place to live( yep think we may have that one sorted, maybe!!), medical stuff (seems will cost us to be ill, note to self: stock up on vitamin C!!!), job oportunities (I now know where I definately don't want to work!!), important contacts (well, contact!!).

But most importantly it was great to be back there again. Such a great place to be, loved everything about it as much as I did before and feel sure this is the right thing to be doing.

One of the funny things I found this weekend though was the french (I know , I know! not that bold a statement), the language and the people!! I do not profess to be an expert on the language, I have been trying to learn though, i've an in car cd which must make me look like a mad person talking to myself on my way to and from work!!! I can just about get by on the basics, but every time I spoke to a native in their mother tongue, they replied in english!! Either my accent is so bloody awful 'la francais' feel the best way to stop me talking is to reply in english or i'm wasting my time learning if they're going to speak english all the time anyway!! But I am a great believer of when in Rome, (or Val d'isere).......

Weirdly though I found a very useful french phrase in this months Vogue whilst reading it on the outbound plane journey, "Si tu pisses partout, t'es pas Chanel du tout.", pissing everywhere is'nt very Chanel!!!!! Someone should tell the french that!!!

Down to the serious stuff.

I thought i'd share a few things about how things are going on the practical side of life. Instead of me waxing lyrical about what i'll miss and what I want to buy, I expect it's about time I filled you in on what i've been up to.
The most important thing that husband and I need to do, before we bugger off at the end of the year, is sell our house. This house has been our place of residence for the last 3 years. We bought it as a 'project'. The house had been lived in for over 30yrs by the previous owners and believe you me it looked like it. Think lilac artex as far as the eye could see(with pink rose stencils here and there), purple, red and green paintwork(no comment), melamine mahogany effect wood(why oh why), carpets that practically walked out by themselves(yes really!), kitchen worktop that looked as if it was inspired by monet(nothing wrong with monet but up against lemon kitchen cupboards this greeny/browny/bluey concoction was too much),and layers and layers and layers of wallpaper(we could tell the decade by the pattern!!!). We basically had to take the whole house back to the brick work and start all over again, a brilliant idea for two people that can't really be arsed with diy!!!(hmmm)



This was a painstaking job, every little thing turned into 10 more jobs to do and what with a drunken plumber(don't ask), builders that do as they please not as they're meant to(don't get me started) and, the best bit, living in this nightmare!! We lived in our bedromm alone for over a year, had no heating, no flooring, no nothing, it really was living in a derelict house, suprising it was'nt condemmed sometimes!!


But now 'le maison' is a creamy carpeted, lovely pale, clean(well ish, when i can be bothered with house work) place to be. Lots of sweat and tears have gone into this house but we never planned to stay so it's not so sad to sell up, I'm just dreading the packing!!
This is my 3rd home(bar the rented flats when we were travelling) and I'm still waiting for 'that feeling'. Never really had that. Just that niggling itch now and again to move on, never that forever feeling. So I suppose thats why it does'nt feel so bad to be leaving. A few last jobs are being done at the moment then it's going on the market, which should be interesting, watch this space.
Not only is the house being sold but so is all of the furniture that i've spent hours tracking down, but again not really worried about that going either. I Have been informed by all friends what they've got their eyes on, which i'm taking as a complement.
So this time next month we'll be on the market and fingers crossed that's the start of our move. I suppose this is where it all really begins.



I know this was'nt meant to be about shoes but hey, there was once a young woman that lived in a shoe.................

Blog Virgin

I'd like to start by thanking those of you that have very kindly given me great feedback on my 1st post, its quite scary as you really don't know if its any good or whether its just complete shit!!! But it seems to have gone down well, so thanks again.
This blogging buisness is a whole new thing for me, up until a few weeks ago I had'nt really read many blogs, certainly not on a regular basis, and as I'm mostly computer illiterate (well apart from online shopping, but I think thats kinda inbuilt for us girls eh?)this is a big deal. But I've found the whole experience really quite exciting and rather addictive! My lil' sis is a blogger(smashingbird) and she's been giving me tips and sharing her favourite blogs with me, I must say I'm loving liberty london girl and domestic sluttery. So now I have another habit to fill my time!!!
But back to real life and all that jazz. This week I became an aunty for the first time and I must say it's really quite lovely. My nephew was born last sunday on mothers day and he's very cute and very sweet and I now have lots of pictures on my phone to bore people with, but no, before anyone asks, I do not feel any differently, I still would like my body intact and a full nights sleep!! This will be one the hardest things about leaving, missing out on little ones growing up and having a little cuddle now and again, but I'm sure they'll manage without me!!
The one thing that I am going to have trouble managing without though is new season shopping!! I love the spring time, theres nothing like seeing all the lovely new collections in the shops, brighter colours, floaty fabrics, pretty strappy shoes. But I really must not be too swayed by all this new loveliness, I'm meant to be saving money for my new life and I won't be needing summer clothes in the mountains. But I will be needing summer clothes this summer!! I'm not gone yet!!
I've decided the only way I can justify buying new things is if I'm ruthless with what I've already got and get ebaying. I've always been a bit of a hoarder, always keep things but in truth I never really wear it all again. And I've got to be practical about these things, I can only take so much stuff with me when we go and I've got limited storage for leaving things behind, plus the fact that I don't know when we'll be back or if we'll be back.
So I've decided if I sell what I've got I can fund my spring/summer wardrobe whilst I'm meant to be saving money! Makes perfect sense to me! I have seen these gorgeous pair of boots on the urban outfitters website which I'm seriously lusting after, I think they might be the perfect winter to spring footwear. And I've convinced myself they'll serve me well in the snow too, they have got a grippy sole after all!! I've always been a bit of a shoe addict, I own many, many pairs. Its got so bad that a couple of summers ago I actually found a gorgeous pair of red platform sandals in the back of my cupboard that had only been worn once and I forgot that I even had them!! They went perfectly with the new dress I had just bought!! Many of these old friends will have to go though unfortunately, neon pink pantent stilleto sandals are'nt really going to work in 3ft of snow!!!
Talking of shoes, the other very important thing this spring is Sex and The City 2 oh I cannot wait!! Like many others out there I've been on the official website www.sexandthecitymovie.com to watch the trailor, and it is fab! fab! fab! I've also put it on my youtube video on here if you have'nt had a look yet! I love Carrie, her wonderful(although completely unrealsitic)life is just a dream!! The clothes, the shoes, the bags, ahhhhhhhhh........... This is not going to make my shopping addiction any easier to deal with!!! Better get ebaying!!!!h/sex_and_the_city_movie207.jpg">

well hello there....

Well hello there.

   I think i'll start by telling you a little about myself. I am 30 years old, soon to be 31!!! Am married to my beau of nearly 15yrs, have no children by choice, luckily husband is agreement, although I've lost count of the amount of times I've been told I'll change my mind by just about everyone I've ever come into contact with!!

   I love, love, love fashion, adore travelling (have the travel bug in a major way), I collect vogue (have many years worth stashed around the house), my mastermind subject would be sex and the city (the best show in the world), my guilty pleasure is E! entertainment tv (especially Keeping up with the Kardashians!), I'm also slightly addicted to The Hills and The City (have a serious style crush on Whitney Port and her friend Erin).
I enjoy eating good food in great resturants, have a passion for cooking and have a little cookbook habit!!! I also find a nice glass of wine goes well with most things!!

   7 years ago husband and I had itchy feet and decided to go and do the year off backpacking round the world thing that is quite the norm now. We did the usual route, Canada, Fiji, Australia, Bali, Singapore and Thailand, was great, amazing, the best year ever but a little shocking to the system at times (well my system anyway, not for one minute did the girl that packed 8 pairs of heels, straightening irons, a mini steam iron, clarins skin care, bags of make up and as many clothes as I could wedge into bloody backpack, which incedently I could barely carry!! think she'd be "actually backpacking"). But I managed to be the only backpacker that did'nt look like a backpacker, did'nt take hiking boots (arghhh yuck) and did'nt have a sleeping bag as i (stupidly) did'nt think i'd be needing one!!! I'm very proud of the fact that even when we were in the outback for 10 days without a roof over my head let alone a shower, my make still looked pretty good and i think turned out pretty well, theres always a camera around eh??

   But enough about that, thats another story and that scratch got itched right? Hmmmm........... thats what i thought. Been home 6 years, bought another house, assisted opening a very successful salon, which i managed from the off, got married and then, well thats where i am now, happily married, well travelled all over the world staying in beautiful boutique hotels, owner of louboutins, chanel, mulberry, luella, mui mui and way tooo much zara. But where next?? Whats its all about?? What now??

   Some days I think what am i moaning about? I'm very lucky to have what i have, nothing to worry about really, no major ties or responsibilities. And I've worked really hard for everything, no parent hand outs, just me. So I should be proud of myself, and i am, but that itch has been niggling for a little while now and it won't go away.

   I've been a hairstylist for 15 yrs, but my job has lost it's shine for me and I've just had enough in all honesty, ready for a new challenge, but I want a complete change, need something that gets the juices flowing, gets the nerves a' jangling but also something that makes life a little more exciting and makes you feel like you're living!!!

   Sooo, going to give it all up for a life in the snow, going to become a seasonaire in Val d'isere! For those of you unfamiliar, a seasonaire is a season worker, working winter to summer, summer to winter, moving country to country wherever the work is. It may sound like madness to those of you out there accustomed to the good things in life but in truth I'm bored and need to satisfy these itches before I'm too old!!!! And if you're gonna do it its got to be Val d'isere, the coolest, most fashionable place to be in the french alps! And I think I'm going to adapt my backpacking thinking of "well I won't be slumming it" attitude, it served me well then, and I'm sure my leopard print louboutins will be perfect for the alpine weather. Well they're patent leather, so that means waterproof in my book!!!

   Right down to practicalities, told families, most think us mad, though MIL thinks we're just popping over to france for a couple of months! Told friends, all think us mad (you can see it in their eyes, though they'd never say!!) Given notice at work, think me mad (I think they think I'm too old, they of 16-27!! though they would'nt dare say!!). Went well I think.

   My main concerns are obviously finding work, somewhere to live, leaving loved ones behind and learning the language. But who am I trying to kid, wheres the nearset Zara? Can I survive solely buying from ebay? Does ASOS deliver to the french alps? Does anywhere deliver to the french alps? When O when are Zara and H&M going to set up an online shop? Priorities.

  These are clearly a little materialistic, is'nt that what I want to escape? Not really I would just like to be away from the drudge of everyday normality, routine, but with a little connection to the bits of the world that I love.

  I have started on the practical side of things, going to Val at the end of the month for a bit of a recce, been scouring the web for apartments (think have found one),getting the house ready to sell, searching job websites, buying 3 for 2 L'oreal volumising mascara, switching to Skin Doctors anti ageing skin care regime instead of uber expensive Elemis pro-collagen regime, buying a very practical black/brown Mulberry Mitzy hobo bag (will go with everything in a winter wardrobe no?), searching for hours for the perfect brown, tan, black boots that are practical for snow but look fabulous, thinking ahead for autumn/winter trends, what practical wardrobe staples do I need to buy, O dear.........................................................