Embracing a bit of inner 'rock chick'

It may or may not surprise you that I am a little bit partial to a little bit of rock chick....

Must have been something to do with being heavily influenced by Fleetwood Mac whilst in my late teens / early twenties and wanting desperately to waft around looking like Stevie Nicks. Still love their music and Stevie. This scarf above below really ticks all the boxes and am happy to say was given to me for my birthday... (dear Mr SE)

A modern classic. Gorgeous. Have worn it with white floppy linen trousers and white tee and grey cotton vee neck sweater.

And, talking of rock chick the apple does not fall far from the tree.... This skulls silver 'friendship bracelet' from Links of London is currently on darling daughter's wish list. Rather lovely. For her of course. Me being ever mindful of the mutton and lamb scenario.

However, I do think that my new Chanel nail polish (Black Pearl) is also a teensy bit rock chick. The colour is most unusual. Sort of grey, sort of blue and a little bit green too. Slatey would be a good description.

Yup. I love it. And in the words of Stevie and friends - "You can go your own way" (and I will, if I so choose!).

Wednesday I am going to use it for a pedicure I have booked. Did my own nails last night just to show you the colour but I am rather loving being a little daring (for me) - usually I just wear very neutral colours on my fingernails.

Hope you all had/are having, a lovely weekend.

Back from France

No, no I said - I really don't need anything this time from Paris. Especially after you brought me the Chanel ballerinas last time. Honestly..... but if you see something, well, that's another matter......
Unfortunately though as soon as Mr SE had sent that last photograph of the view from his hotel bedroom window (previous post) he really started to go downhill fast health wise and so could not do much at all during his day in Paris. Let alone lots of shopping for moi. He really did have something more than just a cold and struggled back on his flight to Australia that evening. On landing he went straight to the doctors and was diagnosed with a chronic chest infection and fever. (Now I feel guilty about the man flu comment!) . However, I was lucky and I did receive two very petite cadeaux. From Fauchon in the lovely bright pink box in the photograph above - some gorgeous dark chocolate (very good for you of course, dark chocolate)...... And, this below :

The newest nail polish from Chanel. Black Pearl. This makes me a very happy Semi Expat as it is not yet out here in Australia (yes, yes, I know we are very behind but that is the way it goes sometimes, last in line to receive goodies from Europe!) I think it hits our shores in the next couple of weeks but at the moment I feel quite exclusive ..... Its sort of a gorgeous dark grey petrol colour - will show you on my nails later on.

Now, I really, really need to go next time he has to go to France - I would have a field day hitting the shops I know!

The Adornment of Toes (and Feet).....

Well, as requested, I am doing as I am told (!) and here is the Chanel Nail colour 'Particuliere'..... in the flesh so to speak gracing my toes..... sort of a grey taupe with a touch of lavender in some lights. Sorry about the close up but Mr SE (the photographer) said that it was better in order to show the colour.... the things I do for the bloggy blog blog family!

And, talking of adornment or rather, adored adornment - here are my lovely new Chanel Ballerinas that Mr SE brought back all the way from France. I have been meaning to post a photograph of them too for a while! (Three feet pho-'toes' in one post!)

Yesterday evening - the Chanel Bash

So sorry that I have kept you waiting to hear about this marvellous soiree but I had to return to the scene of the crime today in order to take a few photographs... I didn't think that my enormous Canon camera (Mr SE has the small slimline camera at the moment) would somehow have looked 'right' at the event last night but in retrospect I should have done - plenty of others did! So to begin with - above and below - photographs of the invitation (and they were very strict about making sure one was on the list I may add......)

The invitation reads : "To celebrate the spirit of Chanel as it pays homage to Australia's No.1 pastime - Sport"....

Well, what can I say? And pay homage they did - I was in heaven. As far as I was concerned it was the most fun a girl could have had in one evening. Legally.

You can see from this photograph that shopping mall is not just any old shopping mall - it is a new extension especially for luxury brands so Chanel sits happily with its equally prestigious neighbours Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Prada et al. ... The finish is very high end and everything seems to gleam - the floor, the walls the shining art structures - just gorgeous.

The party began outside the shop in a special sectioned off area - there were glasses of French champagne, dainty morsels of deliciousness handed round on trays by smart waiting staff, music (professionally "mixed" by an upmarket DJ with turntables) and a plethora of "beautiful young things" . The boys handsome, some sporting quirky little touches like Chanel brooches on their lapels and the girls showing off tanned long legs on vertiginous heels, red lipped and swinging their handbags from shoulders.... It was a veritable smorgasbord for people watching and I indulged unashamedly in this pursuit lapping up every single minute. There was such a buzz and it was so wonderful to be a part of it all - I have never seen so much Chanel on show in one place in my life (and I don't mean in the shop!)

When we left (and this was the surprise I talked about earlier today in my first post) we were handed little 'goody' bags.... I was so excited to be given a little Chanel carrier bag so you can imagine how this Semi Expat felt when she looked inside to see a gorgeous square be-ribboned Chanel box......
And in the box was this !!!!!!!!!

An iconic Chanel camellia brooch in royal blue...... Yes, dear readers - the real deal - how utterly generous of Chanel Australia.

And in the words of my dear late grandmother - "I think we were all extremely LUCKY chickens" .

I am not a 'Whinging Pom' but....

this is where I am currently - approximately furthest South tip - just above Tasmania.


And the photograph below will give you just a little clue as to where Mr SE is at the moment and since last weekend to be precise...






Yes, yes I know he is "On Business" and sending me some lovely photographs to share avec you all but I do hope that he will return to the Rue depicted below before he comes back to these shores and maybe bring me back a little something. Well, I think it's only fair.

Before the working week began though he did take some gorgeous photographs, even though the weather at the weekend was a little on the chilly side.

And he managed un peu de sightseeing too.

Stunning....


No matter. And as I said earlier am not one to complain.

So, the best dress is ready....

the finger nails are sporting a very daring (for me) dark shade - OPI's 'Lincoln Park After Dark ' - thanks Faux Fuchsia for giving me the encouragement to try this colour and not banish it solely to toe nails - and I am off to little soiree tonight at Chanel here in Melbourne. Ha! - who needs Paris?....

It is being held at the newest Chanel Boutique in Australia at the Chadstone Centre in Melbourne which is a huge Shopping Mall - oui, oui - Chanel in a mall, whatever next you might say....! I will admit I have not been invited, per se, myself you understand but I am going as a very lucky guest of friend Miss J who has had a personal invitation. Am hugely looking forward to it as I suspect there is a good chance of some French bubbles - cheers!

Will report back demain.

Donna's new handbag

I have a dear friend who has for most of her life (well, since I have known her since we were both 14 years old) yearned for, wished for and dreamt about owning a Chanel classic 2.55 handbag....

Yes, you may think, her and most of the women in the world too but Donna has really, really wanted one with all of her being and has held on to her 'vision' throughout all the years she was bringing up her son as a single mother and getting by one way or another but I have to add, also being more than happy with her life.... She totally appreciated anything I could give her during the 80's and early 90's when we were both living in London when she had very little and I was fortunate enough to have more than enough, married at that time to DDD's father.......

This was her dream and she always said that one day she would own one... The year before last, on her 50th birthday many of us gave her Chanel gift vouchers (yes, I was surprised but they actually do offer them!) and she was also lucky enough to receive quite a bit of birthday money and so we thought - at last the dream is about to come true! Unfortunately she had to spend the birthday money on something else, for someone else (her mother) and so the bag was not to be then...

So when I got her text this morning when I woke up to say that she was the proud owner of a 2.55 black Chanel classic bag and that she had not stopped crying the whole day with happiness I also shed more than one tear too.... No one deserves to have a dream like that come true more than Donna....... I immediately telephoned her in UK and we both squealed down the telephone with delight and she told me the story about her day in Chanel (Brompton Road branch in London) - the saleslady could not have been nicer and when Donna actually realised that the bag was going home with her and that it was going to be hers she started crying in the shop and so did the saleslady too!!

HAPPY NEW BAG DONNA - I am absolutely over the moon for you!