Greece...

Wearing a cotton dress from Topshop (which was my last week's smart-bargain), I went to have dinner to Little Venice, on Mykonos' seaport.
It seems as if the economic crisis has been forgotten here, a bit because it's summer, and a bit because tourists from certain European countries (Germans, French, Italians, Spanish) have never stopped coming...
But locals here complain and a lot. There are less Greeks, all of them trying to fulfill the new austerity measures. Most shops and boutiques are on sale (still with a lot of stock to sell) and many reservations have been cancelled.
Poor Greece... so beautiful and generous, with so much History... and now living such a tremendous moment.
I love this country dearly and I do wish they can recover as soon as possible!

More on earrings...

There are earrings that are jewels (made with gold, diamonds, pearls, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, etc.) and others that are bijouterie. That is, they are made with semi-precious stones, Swarovsky crystals, enamels and all sorts of fantasies. They are shinny and full of color. They can be from any big designer, such as Lanvin, Dior, Chanel, Ermano Scervino, Prada or Pucci. Or from others exclusively dedicated to design bijouterie, such as Vrba, Gas or Reminescence.

The first should be used only on certain occasions and with certain dress codes. The others can be used in many more opportunities.

It's rather obvious that, when on holidays, in summer and at the beach, you should privilege the second type... First of all because they are easier to adapt to any situation, and secondly, because, if possible, you should avoid traveling with expensive jewels...

Why must one pack 10 pairs of earrings when on holidays...

The sun, the wind (meltemi, the wind of the Greek Cyclades), the sea and the damned humidity can leave your hair in quite a mess... And who wants to go the a hairdresser when in Mykonos?

I've seen no woman with a salon hairdo. This is the kingdom of hair-pins, ponytails and chignons, specially untidy ones. We are on holidays, and there are no photographers around... at last!

So, to look a bit more elegant and glamorous... long live the earrings!!!

They pull up any cotton dress, light up your face and conceal the worst of hairdos. 

They must be long, colorful, shinny and, more then anything, FAKE!! As Coco Chanel used to say: "It's time the real thing imitates the fake..."

Attention: use them only at night, never during the day. I learned that from my friend Myriam, who has lots of experience in Mediterranean vacations, which are not the same as those in Punta del Este, where there's always a Roberto Giordano's salon around the corner, opened till very very late...

Contrasts...

Today I travelled to Greece.
It's the holiday season in Europe, today is Saturday and everyone is happy and relaxed. One can never be sad when going to Mykonos, the island of parties, of sun and beaches. And a place far from Paris, with its awful weather and unusual cold. Our concerns over Greece's debt are left for some other time...
All girls here look like Kate Moss at her best, with the right looks and the artfully untidy hair. The men, tanned and handsome.
I was sad to read about the death of Lucien Freud on the plane. I had the privilege of meeting him last year, during his Paris exhibition, and I felt so happy... He is one of my favorite artists, if not THE favorite. But well, he was 88: it's kind of normal to die at that age.
And then, in my hotel room, overlooking the sea, with its islands and reddish dusk, I learned about Amy Winehouse's death...
I loved her as an artist, admired her incredible talent. Of course I did not shared her lifestyle, or self-destruction I shall say, so opposite to who I am, to my love for life, well-being, health and good habits.
But I felt devastated... To die on a sunny July day, at age 27... No matter if it was her "choice." Awful all the same...
I listened to her song "Love is a losing game" on my iPhone... and I wished Amy would finally find some peace...

Packing...

There's nothing more boring, and yet impossible to delegate (with the risk of finding just what you don't need), than packing your luggage.
Believe me, I have experience on the matter. I've been packing and unpacking for years! And even more this time around, when I'm in Paris during the European summer, and constantly hopping from one place to another.
This is why I've developed my own personal method, which starts with a sheet of paper and a pen: how many days will I be traveling? 10? 5? I check on the web the weather forecast of my destination.
I then write down how many times I'll be dining out. If I'll be going out 10 times, then I'll be needing 10 different outfits. That will require 10 pairs of earrings (stored in individual plastic bags). Shoes, I chose pairs that work with as many looks as possible. They weight too much and are bulky. The ones I carry travel in their own fabric bags. Purses, also a few... Normally I do just fine with two Judith Leiber clutched, a golden and a black one.
If I'm going to the beach, I calculate 10 bikinis, with shorts and cover-ups to match. The same with my gym outfits: shorts and tank tops in Summer, sweat pants and hoodies for Winter.
Once I've wrote down all I'll be needing, I take out the items from my wardrobe and start organizing my looks. Nothing is left unplanned.
For some years now me beloved Louis Vuitton suitcases serve only for decoration... To heavy to use nowadays. Airlines have firm weight restrictions: never more than 20-23 kilos per piece. So I've gave them up and replaced them for simple black bags (customized with yellow and red ribbons for easy recognition) for my trips around Europe and to Uruguay. For intercontinental flights, I prefer T. Anthony's suitcases. If I want everything to arrive perfectly, I put sheets of white silk paper in between dresses.

The heavy stuff goes under and the lighter things on top.

Shoes, my creams and make-up products go on a separate bag. But, of course, if I must travel light, I take the precaution of storing all liquids in well-closed plastic bags.

When returning back, however, I'm not that organized!!!

I always carry fabric bags to store my laundry and I never forget a book or two.

For longer trips, I carry in cabin a cashmere blanket (a gift given to me a long time ago), a black gym pant and a black cardigan, which I wear as soon as I find my seat. I remove my make-up and use a strong hydrating cream. Then I try to drink a glass of water per hour of flight. And I carry my own snacks, because plane food is usually too salty or fatty.

What else?

Have a nice trip!!!

Leaving Tuscany to return to Paris...

In Montepulciano, at the Dionora...

Jean Paul Gaultier's Haute Couture Runway show...

As it happens every year, the first week of July is that of the Fall-Winter Haute Couture runway shows...

And I couldn't miss the chance to see a fun and fantastic show as the ones Jean-Paul Gaultier proposes every season.

At the 325 of Rue St. Martin, were he has his atelier and runway hall (a real privilege because not all designers have both on the same place), by 2:30 pm, there were already lots of black Mercedes with drivers bringing the "precious" clients from Russia, the Emirates, India and America. But also, of course, the many fashion editors covering the show, although I did not see Anna Wintour.

There's always a Hollywood star invited, and this time it was the turn of Milla Jovovich, who came with her husband, director Paul W. S. Anderson, and her little daughter Ever Gabo.

Of course, the show began with an-hour delay, as usual. But this time we were given fancy feather fans to stand the summer heat.

Anyway, it was worth the wait, because the show was sensational and better than previous ones, I shall say. For the first time, there were also men on the runway, wearing totally crazy looks, such as feathery skirts or lace trousers with Swarovsky cristals. Very exotic, but yet beautiful.

As for women (all of them with feather arrangements on their heads), we saw coats and suits for the day in tweed or with details in fur, but also black pants, lots of leather, some skirts and the classic Gaultier trench. For the night, sumptuous dresses and shinny fourreaux.

The last look was modeled by Mylène Farmer, the famous French singer, who looked divine.

And of course, him... the eternal "enfant terrible" of the Fashion world, as always, running along his runway, with an ear-to-ear smile.

A real pleasure to witness such unique show...

Royal wedding in Monaco...

Quit a warming sun, in a July afternoon, in a splendid ship on the waters of St. Tropez, to tune on TV the royal wedding of Prince Albert... One must really be willing to do so!!

But my friends and I did exactly that to follow the live broadcast from Monaco.

First of all, because a wedding is always interesting, specially for us, women. And secondly, because we wanted to be witnesses of the day Charlene would be becoming Princess of Monaco and, of course, judge her wedding dress...

The truth is that Armani's work did not disappoint. The designer knew exactly how to enhance the body of the new Princess (a former Olympic swimmer) and her coiffeur created for her a hairdo that really looked great on her.

She was perfect.

The ceremony itself was impeccable and the choice of music, with the sublime "Ave Maria," performed by Andrea Bocelli, made us cry. We, women, usually cry at weddings... It's no surprise...

So now it's time to wait for magazines as Hello! and Point de Vue to see the looks of all the guests...

Source: www.hola.com.ar