Millinery Savoir Faire!

Savoir Faire has been extremely fortunate and has been the lucky winner of Couture Millinery Atelier’s latest giveaway. And the fabulous prize you might ask is the very special andgorgeous Fornasetti candle in the 'Red Lips" jar which is pictured below. Anya the creative genius behind Couture Millinery Atelier has been a fan of Fornasetti Art for many years and I am sure has been inspired by Fornasetti in the creation of her amazing chapeau.

If you have not already visited her blog, http://www.couturemillinery.com/ I urge you to do so immediately!

Originally hailing from Soviet Russia, Anya Caliendo is the creative force behind the most amazing creations you will ever see in the world of millinery! The world needs fabulous hats and Anya is the one to give us these with all the savoir faire in the world. Her inspiration ranges from Tsarist Russia right through to Lady Gaga. Her work draws heavily from her own fertile imagination and dreams, creating vibrantly coloured, sometimes surreal creations, that sometimes defy gravity.

Her hats have been featured in various runway shows including Donna Karan and also in various magazines.

Incredibly feminine and chic, every woman needs at least on hat designed by Anya in their wardrobe!

Biba Savoir Faire on the High Street!

If you were a young hip and with it young girl in swinging London in the late 1960’s and 70’s there was only one place to shop and that was Biba. Biba was iconic to the London scene during this era. Towards the end Biba epitomised the glam art deco style that was fast becoming popular and in more ways than one helped popularise it with young hip crowd that patronised the boutique and subsequent department store. I remember my elder sister having this wonderful evening dress of emerald green jersey which came from Biba.

The brainchild of Barbara Hulanicki and husband Stephen Fitz-Simon the philosophy was simple. Provide the average girl in London with a means for where they could, for less than 10% of her weekly earnings, share the look of popular icons of the time.

‘The Biba Look’ or 'Dudu Look' was ‘fresh little foals with long legs, bright faces and round dolly eyes.’ Barbara Hulanicki described her customers as ‘postwar babies who had been deprived of nourishing protein in childhood and grew up into beautiful skinny people: a designer's dream. It didn’t take much for them to look outstanding.’

Biba's early years were rather humble, with many of the outfits being cheap and available to the public by mail order. The first store, in Abingdon Road in Kensington, was opened in September 1964.

Hulanicki’s first encounter with her new customers was at 10 o’clock on the Saturday morning it opened. "...the curtains were drawn across the window… the shop was packed with girls trying on the same brown pinstripe dress in concentrated silence. Not one asked if there were any other styles or sizes," Hulanicki remarked.

After several other stores opened in the more hip and fashionable areas of London, the final move was in 1974 to the former Derry & Toms department store on the Kensington High Street. This became affectionately known as ‘Big Biba”. The store immediately attracted up to a million customers weekly, making it one of the most visited tourist attractions in London. There were different departments, and each floor had its own theme, such as a children's floor, a floor for men, a book store, a food market, and a "home" floor which sold items such as wallpaper, paint, cutlery, soft furnishings and even statues.

The store had an Art Deco-interior reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood with its crowning glory being "The Rainbow Restaurant", which was located on the fifth floor of the department store and which was destined to become a major hang-out for rock stars, but which wasn’t solely the reserve of the elite. Also at the site was the Kensington Roof Gardens, which are still there today.

Big Biba was a huge responsibility in terms of expense and organization, but Hulanicki and Fitz felt they needed to "keep moving forward." Because of this massive undertaking, Hulanicki said, "Every time I went into the shop, I was afraid it would be for the last time." No one was aware of how serious the financial difficulties were going to be - and they indeed proved too much for the new entrepreneurs. After disagreements with the Board over creative control, Hulanicki left the company and, shortly afterwards in 1975, Biba was closed.

There have been several relaunches over the years including one in 2006 under designer Bella Freud which have not been a success. The latest in 2009 by the British Chain House of Fraser has been highly successful so who knows what the future may hold for this icon, that was on the lips of every young fashionista in the 60’s and 70’s?

Colonial Savoir Faire

Whenever I am back in Australia for a visit one place I always make sure to visit is Elizabeth Bay House in Sydney.



Built between 1835 and 1839 when New South Wales was but a fledging colony for Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay, the house is a superb example of Regency Style Architecture. I like Regency Style for the amazing paired down simplicity of line that is one of its main characteristics. What detailing that is there is finely incorporated into the overall scheme of the style. I also love the sense of symmetry that is also visibly apparent when viewed as a whole.

The architect of the house is uncertain; however it is assumed that the house was designed by the main colonial architect of the colony John Verge. The whole façade of the house is quite severe, which is apparently because it is incomplete. It was originally intended to have an encircling single-storey Doric colonnade, and the small portico that now exists was only added in the early 20th century.

The house is best known for its central elliptical saloon with domed lantern and geometric staircase, which is the main focal point when you enter the house.



The main axis of the house is aligned with the winter solstice. Though no documents are known to discuss this feature, it is not likely to be an accident. A rear service wing (since demolished) contained a kitchen, laundry and servants' accommodation, and a large stables (also demolished) was sited elsewhere on the estate.

The house has been refurnished in the style of 1839–1845, the interiors reflecting the lifestyle of the Macleays and presenting an evocative picture of early 19th century Sydney life. Largely in the Greek Revival style with elements of the Louis revival, the house's interiors have been recreated based on several inventories, notably an 1845 record of the house's contents and a list of furniture sold to the newly completed Government House, plus pieces known to have originated at the house that is now located at Camden Park or Brownlow Hill (originally the Macleays' country property near Camden, NSW). The large library contains several insect cases and a desk originally owned by Macleay, on loan from the Macleay Museum at Sydney University. Wall colours have been determined from paint scrapes that revealed the original colour schemes. The house also contains a collection of significant early Australian furniture from Sydney and Tasmania.



However it is not this which I like so much about the house. Inside one is confronted with large light airy rooms which take full advantage of the natural light.

Originally surrounded by a 54 acre estate as you can see it is now surrounded by the modern city with hardly a garden left.

So if you ever are down under, pay a visit, it is worth it.

Tying the Knot with Savoir Faire

Recently one of my nieces was married back home in Australia. Unfortunately I could not attend the wedding, on account of distance and time etc etc. From what I have heard from various family members it was a wonderful wedddng.

However as you can see it was slightly different! My niece hails from a very small town in the middle of nowhere back home. She can also be a bit of a tomboy and very headstrong. There was no question as to where she wanted to be married and as to how.

The wedding took place in a paddock about 10 miles from the town next to railway line, with the reception being held in a shearing shed! Egads everyone is saying! What are they like down under?

However from the photographs, it looks fabulous. It is nice to see a couple who can throw some of the prevailing conventionality of a big budget wedding out the window and do it their own way with savoir faire!

Sightseeing Savoir Faire in 2011

Is it too early to start thinking what one will be wearing in Spring/Summer 2011? Savoir Faire thinks not as we will be heading south for the New Year and spending a week in Puerta Vallarta in Mexico! Now being the first time in Mexico I am looking forward to it immensely.

These spring summer offerings from Kitsune are just the thing for a week of Savoir Faire in a warm climate!

Of course leaving Toronto in the dead of winter needs some planning, however sweater and jacket combination below could be perfect!


The combinations below are perfectly relaxed and casual, just the right thing for some sightseeing anywhere.



And for a night out on the town in a warm client such as Mexico!

Savoir Faire in the Snow!

At last it is snowing here in Toronto! Last night saw a nice little covering of a couple of centimetres and it is still lightly snowing.

Savoir Faire is a big 007 fan! Not the modern day James Bond, but the older Sean Connery offerings which were incredibly stylish. However the best 007 film by far in Savoir Faire’s eyes is On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. And you guessed it set in a incredibly beautiful snowy landscape, and Connery does not star at JB is played by fellow Australian George Lazenby, and low and behold in the end JB even marries.

So for a bit of snowy savoir faire this cannot be beat!