Insta post September 2015: Autumn, Burghley Horse Trials, and other bits of London Life

It's Autumn in the northern hemisphere which means these striped deck chairs get packed away in London parks.

September is a busy month for everyone as everyone is back from holidays and going back to the grind.  Remember when Harry Potter used to go to school from Euston station?

Isn't it funny how large cities are culturally autonomous?
I left London and arrived in true blue England when I arrived in Stamford, Lincolnshire.

This is the Burghley Hospital that was started in the 1100's!
Now it is one of the quaintest and most charming housing associations in the country.

Stamford is a market town with all the trimmings of stone buildings and rivers.

My friends and I stayed in a private house that sometimes caters to guests if you know them.
It had bits of architecture dating back from the Domesday Book with the latest additions being from the Georgian period.

What made the home so special was that it was the size of a manor but situated in the town center with views from every window.

The Decor Anchor or North Star

While I was topping up supplies at my favourite candle shop, 

I thought I would get some unscented coloured candle sticks for a brass candelabra I picked up in Norway.

 

The choices at Cire Trudon range from black to pastel.
But I chose these pink and orange ones.

When I was picking from the wall of color, 

I already had in mind that I wanted to match 
- a dying decor practice  - 
my beloved cushions in the study.

No prizes for guessing which cushion!

It is the orange and pink version of one of my favorite toiles by Manuel Canovas called Bengale.
The brown version was sewn by me therefore just a support act for the main star.

I though I had done the matchy matchy touch for the room and wasn't going to start buying everything to match the cushions.

But last week I went to the flower market and just grabbed a bunch of dahlias by a stall that had doubled up different colors and made them into a single bouquet.

And I must have internally referenced my cushions because 

I couldn't have tried to match the flowers to my cushions any more if I tried!

I have shared with you one of mine but now I am curious to see what your design anchor or reference point is when you decorate?

September Issue 2015 - French Vogue review

It's been a while since I've done one of these - I unsubscribed to US Vogue but I still read the French version so here some highlights of the September issue.

One annoying feature of iPad subscriptions is that the technology allows more control of what ads are shown when viewed and these Chloe ads were shown every few pages.
I don't know what they are trying to convey.
Boho lesbians or BFF fashion editors during fashion week?

Even though the September issue is seen to set the fashion pace, there are very few trends that haven't done the rounds. No fashion editor can reinvent the wheel.
The editors put animal prints in their Mood page.

Fishnets, leopard print, ankle boots are a tricky combination to carry off but if in doubt

hang out in a red convertible.

I always feel Dior gets a bit lost and always comes in just after the top three medals of Chanel, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton.  But if I had to choose one brand I had to wear for the rest of my life it would be Dior.  I love this coat.

Regular readers of this segment knows that French Vogue takes its jewellery section seriously and takes care to style the editorials.

This has to be one of my favorites ever.
It's a tactile sensation.
 

Knitting, cats, and carats in plush wool and cashmere.

You just want to stroke and touch everything.