Elena, did you say it’s a freehold, with a garage and a mews on Chester Square?

Colin Orchard would be perfect- not only is he super talented, but he’s nice and fun. You’ll love working with him.

Jewellery brings me a lot of joy and happiness, says Jessica.

As much as I’ve been in t-shirts, sweaters, and jeans every day for the most part of this year, I don’t think I’m tired of dressing like that yet. For me it works, and I have always loved the idea that diamonds can dress up a casual outfit. At the moment I feel even more focussed on creating jewellery that’s easy to wear and works with real lifestyles. Next year we’ll dress up though, and I can’t lie – I’m looking forward to that too! 

Let’s go back to the beginning- As a child growing up in New Zealand were you a tomboy climbing trees who also loved trying on your mother’s clasped earrings? 

I was definitely an active, outdoorsy child – I think a lot of New Zealand kids are like that, because there’s so much incredible nature to enjoy. But my obsession with jewellery did start in my teens, so I think you’d call that balanced! From quite an early age I was buying up boxes of old jewellery at auctions with my dad and playing around with it – seeing what I could create. 

Your father owned an auction house. Can you tell us about his influence on your chosen career? 

My father was a huge influence, I think. Growing up I was surrounded by so many special pieces and incredible antiques that he brought home. He loved things that brought joy, and the stories that objects could tell.

Was Rihanna your first customer?

She was one of them! She was definitely my first really high-profile client. I look back on that as a bit of a turning point for the brand! 

Any tips you can give other designers thinking of setting up their own business?

 Learn from others! I can’t think of anything more important than surrounding yourself with experts, in whatever capacity, from as early on in your career as you can. 

What is your most popular piece?

 Our Gypset earrings, they seem to work for everyone. They’re so versatile, you can layer them, stack them, buy them separately, mix and match them, sleep in them…!! I never take mine off.

(Seems Charlene likes them too)

And your personal favourite? 

It’s too difficult to choose. Usually my favourite is whichever piece is newest, I’m fickle like that! At the moment it’s a pair of earrings from my collection with the Haas Brothers, ask me next week though and it will be something different!

 How would you describe your personal style in a sentence or two?

Relaxed, comfortable… heavy on the diamonds!

 Your jewellery boxes are nearly as desireable as your jewellery. How did the idea of using vintage boxes with the prettiest images come to you? 

It felt like a natural next step after the jewellery. We have these pieces that are so special to us, so emotional, so valued.. It made sense to create something equally special that could hold them. The Heirloom jewellery boxes look after your jewellery, and at the same time stand alone as beautiful objects.

What’s next?

 There’s so much to come next year, new collections, new launches, and some brand developments that I can’t wait to share with every-body. I’m excited for what’s to come, and – like everyone else I think – ready for a fresh start! 

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Ahhh, that will keep me warm, I thought to myself as I looked through the shop window.

Amazon doesn’t need me, she says.

I’m a sucker for a pretty bowl (what Stretch mistakenly calls clutter). These beauties below are made in Beirut, and can be shipped anywhere.

Next comes funky fashion label  I Love Libertine … If you can’t go to Versailles, why not have Versailles come to you?

And finally, for that sun-filled cashmere throw you’ve been dreaming of – Saved NY has got just the one …

Next we go cerebral to my childhood friend Natalie and her puppy Bean…

While Natalie and I have moved around a lot since growing up in San Francisco, we’ve remained firm friends throughout. She is an avid reader, and we have the same taste in books. In short, she’s my go to for all things bookish. Here’s her book list for this special lockdown season.

I loved The Dutch House (Ann Patchett) but that may be too last year… (I only read it this year). Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys was just plain excellent (if gut wrenching). Also from last year but recently in paperback is Sarah Blake’s The Guest Book – her handling of race and anti-semitism within the context of a WASPY Maine summer house was really well done. IMHO

Aside from American Dirt for great listens,  Anne Glenconner’s Lady in Waiting – was just divine – and if anyone feels like “rereading” Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair, Colin Firth’s reading of it is pretty damned fabulous.

For pure blissful trash, Kevin Kwan of Crazy Rich Asian fame delivers again in Sex and Vanity.

Winking at me next is Louise Erdrich’s The Night Watchman.  I am also kind of excited about Elena Ferrante’s new book The Lying Life of Adults.

From the head we move south to the heart – My friend Lara is angelic without being annoyingly virtuous. She’s intuitive, generous, funny and always finds the best of what’s out there.  Here she is with her healing crystals and a lovely painting by her daughter Natalia

Lara’s top tips:

For those in London, check out the House of Wisdom Studio for its rich array of classes in all things peaceful and nurturing –  Give a gift that restores the soul – Lara recommends the Studio’s classes with crystal singing bowls or a gong bath. Sounds good to me. Or for those at home (ie most of us), Lara suggests giving  that special person a reiki session on zoom from LA-based clairvoyant and spiritual healer Karie Gonia.  Lara’s last idea is my personal fave:  a  post-vaccine stay at Maison Ila, a yogic healing and wellness retreat in the Pyrenees  – it looks heavenly – what a way to usher in 2021.

December, 2020

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Why walk to the corner to get an avocado when one click shopping means I can lounge in bed for the foreseeable future – or until the avocado appears on my doorstep.

And a ripe avocado please, I specify from my laptop.

I don’t want to wait for my avocado toast. Click by click, I am becoming a real New Yorker where everything but everything is made easy – 24 hour pharmacies, doormen, diners. This can do philosophy, where everything is available and easy, is quite alluring.

So you can imagine my distress when I came home from Nashville Saturday only to see a jumble of boxes blocking my entry.

This can do philosophy doesn’t stretch to, you guessed it, Stretch.

Hi, I grumbled, as I maneuvered myself into our apartment. Couldn’t you have  opened at least one box?

I didn’t know where to start, he said. I feel like I’m being buried alive. I think you need to calm down.

I ignore him and go get a knife. Clutter to him are life’s essentials to me. The two of us have finally moved into our new apartment, and I’m in that every day is Christmas mode when you’ve just moved in and lack everything from paper towels to Nature’s Miracle (used in tandem when you own two pugs).

I may start out searching for a simple soap dish, only to realise that a bathroom isn’t quite complete without a few pretty bottles and jars and maybe a smelly candle and a bath tray, and oooh, my makeup is so old (jumping sites now) I wouldn’t want to get an infection from using old  mascara which somehow reminds me that we need toilet brushes and a Dyson hair dryer. (On-line shopping is a killer if you’re a lateral thinker.) The beauty of the internet is that not only has it broadened my definition of life’s essentials, but it’s all available, right here, right now.

I was fifteen minutes late for my therapist the other day.

Quite a day! I texted her from the taxi.

When I got there, she gave me a serious look.

Elena, why was your day so crazy? You know you are only short-changing yourself.

I thought about it and told her that actually, I had been sitting at my laptop all day and wasn’t sure why my day had been so crazy, but she’d just have to take my word for it. I didn’t mention the fun black fire bucket that says FIRE in red letters  on  Luminaire

or the ingenious collapsible water bottle on Food 52

or the adorable elephant bookends from Oka.

She wouldn’t understand. I can tell from her spare office. I mean, wouldn’t this elicit a small smile from even the most depressed patient?

Stretch did call me the unmentionable, the S word, the word that I have always associated with my mother, my aunt and maybe even a sister and a daughter (you know who you are), but never myself. I have always thought that I take after my father’s prudent, measured side. No Shopaholic here! But Stretch laughs a little too hard when I tell him that.

Shoot. I quickly google the definition of an online addict (my laptop is my bible). This article was helpful. I only ticked one box on the 10 point questionnaire. That’s nine boxes unticked. Got to go, my doorbell is ringing.

February, 2020

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Lara is now an old friend. Not only does she have a huge heart, but she’s smart, curious, highly organised, resourceful, creative, uber-stylish and loves to have fun. These qualities, I discovered two months ago, earn her a new moniker – Madame Tour Guide Extraordinaire.

In May Lara took several adventuring friends and me to visit Lebanon, a 6 day trip that took her four months to plan.

To my generation, Lebanon conjures up images of bombs, beaches, tanks, night clubs, stray bullets and beautiful people. My financial manager urged me to update my life insurance plan days before I flew. “Just in case” he said. I remembered that when my ex-husband went to Beirut in the early  nineties, he slept in his running shoes.

The closest we came to stray bullets was seeing a now defunct Holiday Inn riddled with bullet holes from the Civil War (1975-1991).

Rather than being afraid, I was dazzled.  Modern buildings by star architects Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel and Herzog de Meuron dot the Beirut horizon. Meanwhile we stayed at the traditional  and charming Hotel Albergo, originally a 1920’s Lebanese house.

Fragrant fig and orange trees wafted over me as I relaxed by the hotel’s rooftop pool with views of the city, sea and distant mountains.

We swam in the sea one day, visited an ancient cedar forest bordered by snowcapped mountains the next.

Where else can you dance …

see ancient Roman ruins …

shop …

hike (contact: George Zgheib Guide  zgheibgeorge@hotmail.com)

hug a cedar

eat to your heart’s content

and contemplate?

What I  was most impressed by was how welcome we felt. The Arabic word for welcome when translated literally means “You’ve come to stay with my family.”

Lara’s colourful friend Aline invited the fourteen of us  over for lunch.

She’d been cooking for three days.

And for those who read my last blog about being obsessed by stylish interiors, imagine how crazed I was at Aline’s seaside villa:

As fellow groupie Charles told Lara,

As to the people, what can I say, except that, from now on, I will try to be more Lebanese? The warmth of the welcome from everyone was astonishing – all your enchanting family and friends of course. But also from the guides, the drivers, the ice cream makers, the dancers, the shopkeepers, the jewellers, the furniture builders, the restaurateurs, the hoteliers…

What not to miss:

The National Museum of Beirut is a must, ideally on day one. Opened in 1942, the museum is packed with ancient treasures, including mummies, sarcophaguses and gorgeous gold  jewellery that reminds me of Pippa Small’s designs. Lebanon has been occupied by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Arabs, Ottomans and French, among others- so lots to see here.

This casual farmer’s kitchen El Tawlet is an ideal  Beirut lunch spot. El Tawlet was started by the entrepreneurial Kamal Mouzawak, who also created downtown Beirut’s first farmer’s market- Souk al Tayeb– held every Saturday. Women from different mountain villages cook their local dishes at El Tawlet every day, thus helping support their respective villages.  In Lebanon: Let Food Be Your Guide in Condé Nast Traveler recommends El Tawlet among others. Do not read when hungry.

For a big night out,  Em Sherif – with its mirrored tables and delicious cuisine is the place to go…

We shopped til we dropped in Beirut for everything from coffee tables at Nada Debs

to converted dentist chairs at Bokja

to kaftans at Artisans du Liban et d’Orient..

to bags at Sarah’s Bag. The bags are handmade by underprivileged Lebanese women.

Orient 499  is also worth a visit. The bullet-ridden Holiday Inn is across the street with very friendly armed guards.

There were too many shops and too little time. Lara’s suggestions for our next trip: jewellers Noor Fares, Nayla Arida,  Nada Lecavelier, Nada Zeineh, Saifi Village, and fashion designer Maison Rabih Kayrouz.

There is lots to see beyond the buzz of Beirut and nothing is more than a two-hour drive. We drove to the southern coast to admire the ruins in the antique Phoenician city of Tyre.

And sleep at the serene Dar Alma guesthouse – heaven…

We visited pretty Byblos, the oldest continuously occupied city in the world and where the word Bible comes. There, we heard simultaneously  the call to prayer and church bells….

A week was hardly long enough to get a taste for this fascinating, complicated country. I recommend Lebanon to anyone who appreciates creative, chic shops, excellent food, welcoming, sophisticated locals, nightlife, history-a-plenty,  and glorious nature.

For our return visit, Lara suggests: Sursock Museum, Mim Mineral Museum, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut Art Center. And the magnificent Roman temples in Baalbek.

ps-  for those who crave more of Lebanon, follow @livelovebeirut on Instagram.

July 2019

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So I spent a lot of my time in Austin – my first trip to Austin or Texas for that matter –  in the bath. I even had lunch in the bath (a ’why not?’ moment). In spite of all my time underwater, I still managed to see a lot, perhaps because my hotel was well located on South Congress Street, a quirky street that takes some time to warm to.

We’re here, said the cab driver.

Really?

I looked out of the car window at a bunch of unassuming, low built, bungalow style 1930’s buildings bordering a wind-blown deserted street.

This is it?” I asked, not sure I wanted to get out of the car.

Whacky doodle

is how architect and native Austinite David Lake of the talented Lake Flato practice describes South Congress Street. There’s an ad hoc, funky town element to South Congress that gives you a good flavour of the city and its unofficial slogan ‘Keep Austin weird’.

Austin is more tattoo than tiara, explained my sister Alexandra when advising me on what to pack. If only she’d mentioned tossing in some thermals. Weather-wise Austin – the fun, cool, hipster capital of Texas,  is nicest in the spring and fall. Don’t miss the April wildflowers at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center),

If heat’s your thing, summer is ok too.

I grew up in Texas, so I like the heat,” says Lake. “The best thing Austin has going for it is this huge green canopy of trees and open space. There’s a commitment to linear trails and park systems. Creeks, rivers flow down into the Colorado river. There are all these swimming holes that are natural- Barton Springs– which is spectacular, 69 degrees (fahrenheit), very cold. Deep Eddy is another one.

Winter-time, my vote goes to the steamy bath option on South Congress.

The street itself is lined with independent shops, restaurants and clubs. Top picks include By George for clothes, Perla’s for oysters, the Continental Club for music and  Jo’s Coffee for …

Funky as it may be, Austin is also booming thanks to tech, low taxes and the University of Texas. Much of the city feels like the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle of the south. The city has a thriving music and restaurant scene. Plus this month’s unveiling of  the late artist Ellsworth Kelly’s sublime secular chapel on the UT campus has put  a luminescent feather in Austin’s cultural Stetson.

I had come to Austin to join my mother

and friends to see the Kelly sanctum, an ode to creativity.

“Austin” as the chapel is called is the only standalone Kelly building and  a must-see, must-meditate spot.

Read this excellent article in the New York Times to learn more about Kelly’s final masterpiece.

Here I am, learning how to signal the Texan Longhorn, UT’s mascot, at the Kelly gala

If you visit Austin this spring, don’t miss two Kelly shows –  “Form Into Spirit” at the Blanton Museum of Art adjacent to Kelly’s Austin on the southern border of UT’s campus and “Ellsworth Kelly: Prints” at the Lora Reynolds Gallery.

Other sites to visit now or in the future: Lake’s firm has just finished Austin’s Central Library and is working on a 3 block project on South Congress … including a new Soho House, a new hotel called the Magdalena, and an addition to the existing St Cecilia hotel, plus plenty more restaurants and shops.

The upcoming Magdalena, St Cecilia and San Jose hotels – all located within a few blocks of one another –  are owned by Liz Lambert and her Bunkhouse group of cool hotels. She also owns the aforementioned Jo’s Coffee.

We did the San Jose 22 years ago, says Lake. We didn’t have much money.  It was a motel, a dive, the entire site was asphalt. So we kicked out all the cars and did an enormous amount of landscape.

The more expensive St Cecilia is located on a quiet side street off of South Congress with lovely rolling terrain, live oaks and a pool.

The 100-room Magdalena will sit  somewhere between the two price-wise  when it opens in 2020. It will feature an 85′ pool, reminiscent of Austin’s beloved natural pools.

Music is everywhere in Austin – live bands play on street corners, clubs, even a chili cook-off on South Congress …

Last of what I did see when I wasn’t submerged  was the terrific Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum on UT’s campus.

Following JFK’s assassination, LBJ presided over a tumultuous six year presidency (1963-69) spanning Civil Rights protests to the Viet Nam War. Three hours raced by in this multimedia extravaganza as I dove deep into the sixties, Johnson and the slew of landmark legislation Johnson got passed during his short tenure.

Don’t miss the illuminating and entertaining taped conversations between LBJ and the First Lady, Ladybird Johnson, Washington Post Editor Katherine Graham and various congressmen Johnson  charmed, cajoled and bullied to get bills passed.

I wish I had had more time in this city. Next trip I want to visit when it’s warmer and trade my hotel bath for a natural one. I plan to explore the city trails around Ladybird Lake on foot or bike, check out Ai Weiwei’s bike installation, and follow Lake’s advice at the capital building:

I just love going in the dome and lying on the floor and looking up. It drives the guards crazy, but there are all these kids doing it. Why let them have all the fun?

Food-wise Austin is full of tempting food trucks. But which are the tastiest? Lake’s team at Lake Flato singled out their top picks:

Veracruz All Natural, Migas & Migas Poblanos Tacos
Micklethwait Craft Meats, BBQ
Dee Dee, Northern Thai
G’Raj Mahal, Indian (technically ex-food truck, they just opened a bricks and mortar)
Kebabalicious, Turkish (same)

And restaurant wise -I loved Lambert’s (owned by Lizzie’s brother) for its barbecued meats, and cocktails. Eat downstairs, but use the loo upstairs.  I was tempted to strut my stuff when I passed the live band on the way to the bathroom. ATX Cocina  is a trendy Mexican  with delicious duck tacos, buzzy bar scene and a youthful crowd. Others I did not try but will on my encore  are  Italian Red Ash, Japanese Kemuri Tatsuya and Launderette. This last one serves American fare in a converted gas station/laundromat.

And last, but so not least, is a souvenir like no other. Local artist Eliza Thomas raves about the hand-made cowboy boot shop  ML Leddy’s  in San Angelo, a pretty three-hour drive west from Austin. Eliza says the boots take ten months to make but are worth every second.

February, 2018

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