Champagnista M's wish list- hint, hint!!!

With pay day weekend looming, I have spotted a few fashion pieces that i am totally crying to have, but with my bank manager hot on my foot regarding my overspend in the city that never sleeps, these gorgeus pieces might never see the inside of my already bulging wardrobe- sigh!!!


This is definitely my pick as La Perla's beautiful must have. So as you all know now that i have a guy who just might be Mister right now, this litte number might come in handy, then again at £253.00 will it be worth it- i will let you know (wink).


This amazing DKNY (£265.00) dress is a classic for any fashionista who does the 9-5 meetings all day thing like myself!

How beautiful is this dress? especially if one was to wear it on a first date. By Issa it certainly holds the very wallet emptying price tag of £350.

Stella Macartney is sure cornering the boot market. These amazing boots scream more autumn then summer, but there is nothing wrong with being prepared for the autumn season- everyone knows London only gets two weeks of summer a year. A beautiful addition to my 100 shoes at a cost of £545.

How innocent would one look in this Fendi dress? I feel it is a dress you can be very naughty in and get away with it. Its like fabulous looking halo, which you can buy at £1,800- a very expensive halo!

From the rather "budget trying" Champagnista M

This fashionista's man of the moment is no banker...

On my last night in the city that never sleeps I found myself on a date with, lets call him “Josh”. I had decided to let him take me out to dinner as I was super curious about him. Since arriving in NY he had left me hanging for nearly 3 weeks .

So when he called out of the blue to arrange a dinner date I was suspicious- I mean why now mister. Putting my reservations aside I met “Josh” on a rather balmy and beautiful evening at a restaurant called Le Monde on the upper west side. When I saw him, he literally had me at hello. Not to be corny or anything but I could not believe that this hunk that stood in front of me was the guy I had been talking to on match.com. Yes that’s right this Champagnista tried the online dating thing, and instead of the man with the glass eye and dodgy lisp I met a very cute and ridiculously goodlooking Josh.

The next thing I noticed about my beautiful date was his impeccable manners. He made sure I was seated first before he sat down, he allowed me to choose the wine (although it is usually frowned upon for a woman to choose the wine) and he let me stare at him for at least a full minute without making me feel that I was some weirdo- which I was soooooo being!
As soon as we ordered our food and our wine was poured I took another good look at my date, and thought why do they not make them like him in London. I feel starved for male attention and good dates in London. I mean I had only been in NY for a few weeks, and I already dated here more than I ever do in a year in London. Why is that? I mean come on British men grow some balls already and ask a pretty lady out- and I do not necessarily mean moi.

To continue, as I sat there with “Josh” my nerves had me waffling on an on about nothing in particular. After 15 minutes of chat I felt it appropriate to ask him what he did for a living. In response he just smiled and said “I am a fireman”. My first thoughts where “what?” and then followed quickly by “yummy”. I have always had a fantasy about men in uniform and NY firemen where right up there on the top of my list. I even have the NYFD t-shirt that I sleep in.

It was with those words that he uttered that my fantasy was realised. I heard myself say “garcon more wine” to the amusement of my rather dishy waiter. As the conversation continued I kept pinching myself to make sure I was there, on a date with a dreamboat whose company I glowed under, and as the night progressed I noticed that other female diners had noticed my rather dishy dates manly arms. It was then I began regretting not having pursued with vigour from the beginning. Yes he dragged his feet about meeting but I should have persisted, even if it had meant that I would have to have shown him my Glen Close side.

As the date ended my fireman walked me to the station to ensure I got on the tube safely and before he left I gave him a tight hug just so I can get a quick preview of what could have been. Talk about cheap thrills, well my excuse is that for a girl whose starved of such yummy men it could have been worse- I could have just held onto him for an unnecessarily longer period of time than is appropriate but I do have some dignity even when it comes to beautiful men, well barely!

Warmest regards from Champagnista M a champion of yummy firemen.

Cannes 2009: a new type of Red carpet glamour

May has come back finally (did I wait for this early Summer month!!!) and with it, the red carpet Cannes festival.

This year, women are in strength in the jury, and not just glamorous women but women who have a voice, women who have strength, women with character and style: Asia Argento, Isabelle Hupert, Robin Wright Penn, Shu Qi, Shamila Tagore, these are actresses who give style and acting another dimension.

Cannes is very much about black ties, champagne and silky open back dresses, but it is first and foremost about artistic achievement, and this is why I rejoice at such a wonderful, diverse yet united jury cast. Daughter of Italian director Dario Argento, Asia has made a name for herself in movies that give food for thought like The Stendal syndrom, after the well-known artistic frenzy the French novelist experienced in Florence. Isabelle Hupert scandalized many in La Pianiste, where she played the deranging part of a masochist (oh combien, I actually had to leave the cinema the first time I saw the movie) piano professor. Robin Wright Penn had such an international career she is not to be introduced anymore, but my personal favourite remains 21 grams. Shu Qi , probably better known for her part in Dungeons and Dragons, made a name playing in sensual movies in Hong-Kong and climbed up the film ladder in the most elegant way. Shu Qi I will confess I have actually never seen on screen, I am not a fan of Bollywood, but I will say this: none of them are first roles, they are all characters, to use the film terminology.

By that I mean they are more Philip Seymour Hoffman than Tom Cruise. I know it might be an odd comparison when it comes to such beautiful women, but they are indeed characters: they never play the same part, never offer the same perspective, always open up a new dimension. They are beautiful women, intelligent women, intellectual women, and, for our benefit, women who have style.

Well, I might withdraw a tiny bit when it comes to Asia's dress, which I find slightly scary. Look at them though: five women on the red carpet, and their outfits exude their personalities: this is a lesson. Do not dress to look pretty, dress to reflect who you are.

Champagnista V

Learning a lesson in dating NY style

In NY the competition to find a man who can provide for you a park avenue apartment, a nanny for the rugrats, a maid for the home and a flashy car is very stiff. The women here are either (a) groomed within in an inch of their life (b) or too fat and frumpy to care. This is a city where a pedicure /manicure can cost you $20.00, so why would you go on a date with shabby nails really confuses the NY men- so i recommend you not to be tight just go and have it done.

To continue, NY men are spoilt for choice here and which means that they usually have a Jenny, Natalie and Chloe on speed dial. Having multiple female partners is what they refer to as dating here, and I have had the pleasure of experiencing dating NY style.

I recently went on a date with a beautiful looking man. He took me to a bar that has cocktail hour until 11pm- that should have been warning enough, but me being me I did not heed. So there I was drinking my $4.50 apple martini and making small talk, when out of the blue he decides to tell me about the date he has planned for the next night with another female.

This is strange to me. You are with me, and I really do not care to hear about Susan or Jennifer. So I smiled politely and asked after her- after all my mother did raise me to be ladylike at all times even situations such as these. I saw the shock cross his face when I remained nonchalant. If he really wanted to know what I was thinking I am sure he would have known not to say such things in my presence. As the date progressed I thought to myself, NY men are cuter than London men, happily pay for everything, but damn them they are heartless when it comes to being faithful even if it is only for the 2 hours you are in each other’s company.

So how did the date end? Well we ended up sharing a beautiful goodnight kiss, and all that kept going through my mind was "damn, he will be kissing Susan or was it Jennifer this way tomorrow night. Damn him and his beautiful lips". Then as I pulled myself away from him, I bid him goodnight and waved down a cab to take me home. After all a girl needs her beauty sleep if she is to look fabulous for her evening date the next day, now who did I pencil in, was it Josh or Henry?

Love from NYC, the city that will not allow me to sleep,

Champagnista M

REPORTING FROM NY: Could YOU buy Canal?

I want to put a question to you Champagnista Readers, would you ever contemplate buying a Canal? If you are unsure of what I am referring to let me put it another way. Imagine you have spotted this amazing Gucci bag that just has you foaming at the mouth with pure joy, but you realise that at £1300, you can never afford it, even if you live on basic food for 6 months, what would you do?

Well I am going to let you in on one of fashion’s dirty secret. I have heard whispers of fashionistas who save up enough money for an air ticket to NY, just so they can go and buy the Canal they desperately want.

Have you ever heard of Canal, as in Canal street in NYC? It is a fashion haven for those seeking designer fakes. To understand it you have to be on Canal Street on a bustling Saturday afternoon. It is here that you must look out for these fashionistas because they are easy to spot. They are the shoppers that look uneasy, wear big sunglasses and try to remain un-noticed. They talk in whispers and carry in their handbag a picture of the bag they seek close to their chest.
When there, the fashionistas have mastered the quick look that they give as the right signal to illegal sellers who take them through a normal looking shop, before leading them through a secret door which leads them to a dungeon like corridor where at last they enter a small room that has all the fake designer bags.

In this room a few words are exchanged as the fashionistas examine the bags closely. If they like what they see they nod, and a price is bartered before money is exchanged, and then like a frightened creature of the night the fashionistas usually quickly scurry out of the shop, into day light and straight into a cab which whisks them towards 5th Avenue, leaving their shame behind.

Usually the fakes cost from $20- $300 for a Birkin, and if you are curious to experience this place yourself let me introduce you to the three types of people you will encounter:
(1) The first type are those who sell t-shirts, souvenirs, generic handbags, and cheap perfume from a rented storefront. Merchandise can sometimes be knockoffs. If they are, they usually they don't want to advertise that fact because they can be raided by the city, and shut down.
(2) The second type are the illegal street peddlers hawking knockoff sunglasses, handbags, and DVDs out of shabby suitcases on the sidewalk. These guys always run away at the first sign of police as they are breaking several laws all at once (no vending license, blocking traffic on the sidewalk, and selling counterfeit merchandise.)

(3)Then there are the touts who hang around street corners and subway entrances uttering 3-4 magic words to every passing woman, "Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Coach?" They show you pictures of the handbags they have, and if interested, you follow them to secret locations to buy these so-called better quality fakes. Most of these people carry mobiles and are constantly looking back for police and private investigators.

So I ask you again Champagnista readers will you buy Canal? because I know that being the true fashionista I know I am, is that I do not think that I could live with the shame of it. I would rather survive on fashion party canapés discretely put into my Zara handbag for 6 months and save up enough money rather then strut around town proudly carrying a Canal.

With love from the city that never sleeps,

Champagnista M

The Jeunet-Tautou duo reinstated for Chanel No5

After Sofia Coppola for Miss Dior Cherie, it is the turn of Jean-Pierre Jeunet to penetrate the world of fashion with the new advertisement for legendary perfume Chanel No5.

As Audrey Tautou is starring in the new film on Coco Chanel, it makes sense that the fashion brand would have asked Jeunet to accept this contract: the young actress has been his muse from their encounter on the shooting of Amelie Poulain to the filming of A Very Long Engagement.

However, it is a bold choice for a fashion house so well-established as Chanel to entrust their flagship perfume to the young creator of Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children.

More than an ad, it is a short film that Jeunet gave birth to: set in the Orient Express, it narrates the story of a young woman and her night encounter with a fellow traveller. The colours and staging reflect the uncanny aesthetics of Jeunet's filmography, and with the accompaniment of the melancholy lyrics of Billie Holliday's 'I'm a Fool', the ad renews the image of the flagship perfume in a skillful way, conserving it all its strength and making the scent almost palpable in a mysterious chain of images.

A strangely beautiful testimony to a perfume with decades of history.

Champagnista V

Remembering Lebanon, part 2

Roman city next to the Syrian border... if only I had had my passport on me I would have crossed the mountains and not turned back.

Map of the fertile croissant. As in many other Arabic countries, Israel is not recognized as a lawful state so it does not exist on the map.

Loulou in front of the temples of Venus

View from Baalbek on the Syrian border

Baalbek, the city of Baal. One of the most ancient cities in the world, you can see stratas of centuries of Art on the site. The city was called Baalbek for Phoenicians who worshipped Baal, the god of gods, god of rain, fertitility and regrowth, the lord of heavens. Then it was rebaptized Heliopolis by the Greeks, city of the sun where the sky was a pure blue for 315 days a year. After the Roman and Northern African occupation, it is now back to Baalbek and holds treasures of History.

My computer crashed before I could finish uploading my Lebanese pictures last week-end: this is the man who discovered and salvaged the biggest monolith in Asia. He personnally cleaned out the rubbish dump around it and fought over several years with his fellow inhabitants to educate them into not dropping their trash around anymore. For this purpose, he started a trash collection, which the city adpoted 11 months afterwards. He has a small souvenir shop next to the monolith and offers his visitors short cardamone coffees as thick as fuel when they enter. A lovely man, former soldier, simple and passionate, who made a big difference in this world.

Champagnista V

Lights, camera, fashion

Me (guess which one i am- ohhhh mysterious ) and my girls!

I have now been in NYC for a week and all i can say is "wow". Anyone who knows me, knows that NYC stole my heart many years ago. No other city, except Paris, excites me as much as the city that never sleeps.

The buzz of this city continues to live on even with the threat of swine flu all around us. People are still shopping, partying and working just like nothing is going on. I feel that New Yorkers are so thick skinned that they take the "we survived 9/11 we can live through the swine flu" approach to everything.

I must my friends and I initially panicked and it was less about catching this dreaded virus but more because we were afraid that New York would come to a complete standstill and blight our party all night shop all day plans. Luckily NY is still NY and people continue to plough through life.

Happy that our plans where not thwarted we decided to go shopping on broadway. The clothes shops here are quite questionable. I am not a big fan of American fashion. I always feel that they are decades behind us in style- more circa 1985 rather than 2009. Anywho i was far from impressed. London definitely gives one a better shopping experience, unless you have the funds to shop on 5th Avenue or the energy to seek the elusive stylish boutiques in the village.

With a couple of weeks left in this amazing city, i continue to seek my lights, camera, action moment, and a yummy man to be the icing on the cake!

With love from NY,

Champagnista M

Remembering Lebanon

The biggest Monolithe in Lebanon. It is in Baalbek and used to lay in a garbage dump

The Plateaux in Lebanon

A lot of Lebanese go away to find fortune in another counry. When they do, they come back and build a huge house in their hometown, however small the town might be, to prove they have made it.

Green and yellow colours of the Hezbollah in the back country

Youth of the party of the future demonstrating on the 4th anniversary of Hariri's death on the Place des Martyrs

Soldier vigilantees. Tricky to get a pic of the army or check points as it is rather a sensitive subject. Soldiers get quite upset about it.

Men going to the commemoration of Hariri's death, 14th February 2009

Beirut coastline

Tanks in Beirut

Hariri as God

Beirut

Post-war Bar architecture in Gemmayzeh

'The Pigeon Hole'

Derelict 19th century building in Beirut

Checkpoint

Beirut traffic... still wondering how they got out of this one

The Intercontinental Hotel, first building rehabilited after the war

Chauffeurs waiting outside the Intercontinental

Bombed cinema outside center city

Roman Baths

Place de l'Etoile in Beirut, the new center

The new Mosque in the center of Beirut, Saudi Arabian Architecture

Center city, Beirut

The souks of Byblos, a bit touristy

Church in Byblos

Byblos, the Harbour

Tempest in Byblos

The Virgin who appeared to save Lebanon, Harissa

View from the scariest cable car in the world on the way to Harissa

Man waiting in the street

The only train in Lebanon

Lebanese beauty

Beirut by night

Do your remember our childhood soda cans? They are still opening the same way there, and the dates of perish are always about three weeks away... It looks like they are exhausting Occidental that were produced centuries ago

Beirut style, black tailored jacket, Russian scarf, red umbrella, all in strong colours

La Corniche