Oh So Coco

I'm always looking for wedding ideas and there's no other way to find little things to share and inspire than to get a sneak peak at a real life wedding. This is when all the details come together into a carefully orchestrated masterpiece to bring to life a vision for THE perfect day.

This is an amazingly beautiful trailer and short film I found capturing the wedding of Canadian supermodel, Coco Rocha and her groom, James Conran on their wedding day in France this year. They rented out Chateau Challain for two days of celebrations with friends and family and it was absolutely picturesque just like a fairytale. Coco's dress by Zac Posen was beautiful and romantic and I loved the film making skills of Gilbert Le and his team at Americana Cinemas and how they captured the "look, feel and ambiance of our special day in a way we can always cherish" - Coco.

Coco + James // Teaser from Americana Cinema on Vimeo

Coco + James // Short film from Americana Cinema on Vimeo

Style Watch: Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood has gone from American Idol hopeful to country music superstar in only a few years. I absolutely love her choices on the red carpet and how her hair and accessories are always so classic and glamourous. Here are some of my favourite looks:

Images from People.

San Francisco

I love San Fransisco. It's one of the most unique, characteristic and diverse cities I've ever been to which I've been lucky enough to visit a few times. When I was there earlier this year, my cousins took some time off to take me around the city to enjoy the different neighbourhoods and some of their favourite eateries.

A stand out was a brunch at Tartine, which even Gwyneth Paltrow has raved about on her blog as "one of the most well-known and well-loved bakeries in America". Freshly baked bread and pastries, eclectic corner location in the heart of the Mission neighbourhood and right near Mission Delores Park where we enjoyed a picnic under the sun and amongst the relaxed locals (who didn't seem to have a care in the world for 11am on a Tuesday!)

Altogether, everywhere I went and everything I ate in San Fransisco was unforgettable and amazing. It took me awhile to search through my memory, dig through business cards and flick through menus on Google to find the names of some of these places so I hope you enjoy the photos and can one day try it for yourselves!

Tartine Bakery & Cafe (Mission)

Spicy Turkey Hot Pressed Sandwich - turkey breast, provolone, broccoli rabe pesto

Fresh, delicious and plentiful!

Also try the gelato shop adjacent from the park - salted caramel? Amazing!

http://www.tartinebakery.com/index.html

Cafe Delucchi (North Beach - Little Italy)

Green Eggs and Ham - omelet with ham, tomatoes, parmesan and housemade pesto

A great combination! Also try the homemade tiramisu gelato from the deli across the road!

http://www.caffedelucchi.com/

Asia SF (Soma)

3 Course Menu with live entertainment in true San Fransisco style

Great atmosphere, food, service and definitely an experience to remember!

http://www.asiasf.com/index.php

The Girl and the Fig (Sonoma)

Top Sirloin Burger - grilled onions, brie and matchstick fries

Perfect little restaurant with a wide range of quality food in the wine country

Make sure you try the cheese platter and wine!

http://www.thegirlandthefig.com/

Other places to see and eat: 

• Yum Cha and Dumplings in China Town
• Wine and Cheese tasting at Sonoma/Napa Valley
• Ferry Building Marketplace for gourmet food (makes a perfect picnic on the pier)
• Ghiradelli Square for chocolate lovers 
• Fresh seafood at Fisherman's Wharf

Designers for...

I've recently noticed a trend in the vast number of designers and celebrities who have teamed up with "ordinary" retailers to launch special edition clothing lines. Some of these pieces have the designer look and feel without the price tag which makes them a great buy. My personal favourites are the Lanvin and Kate Moss dresses but unfortunately they're not available in Australia. Here are some collections - past and present - to give you an idea of the designer items you can get:

Current collections:

Lanvin for H&M

Prices range from £29 - £149 for suits, shirts and signature cocktail dresses

http://www.hm.com/gb/#/start/

Stella McCartney for Target

Prices under $300 for suits, corporate wear and evening wear

http://www.designersfortarget.com.au/sm/default.htm

adidas by Stella McCartney

Prices range up to $150USD for stylish active wear

http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/stellafw10/content/default.asp

Kate Moss for Topshop

Prices range from £12 - £400 for intimates, accessories, casual wear and one of a kind dresses and gowns

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=12556&catalogId=33057

Heidi Klum for New Balance

Prices range from $38 ~ $168 for casual active wear

http://www.amazon.com/HKNB-Heidi-Klum-for-New-Balance/e/2412595011

Past collections:

Peter Morrissey for Big W

Collette Dinnigan for Target

Chefs Hat

After watching Matt Moran (Aria) and Justin North (Becasse) acting as mentors to the lucky kids on Junior MasterChef, I was interested in their famous restaurants and decided to look up the full list of venues that had won critical acclaim in being awarded a Chefs Hat. Unfortunately I haven't tried any of these places yet but have heard a lot of great things about most of them. My new goal is to try out as many of these top restaurants as I can, but seeing as how they are mostly quite fancy - and pricey - I think it will take me a lifetime of special occasions to accomplish!

This year the unthinkable happened with Tetsuya's dropping from 3 hats to 2. Previously the restaurant, famous for its 11 course degustation menu and long waiting list, peaked at 5th on the world's best restaurant list before dropping to just 38th this year. I guess I better jump on the list before it slips any further in the rankings! Here's the full list of 2011 Chef's Hat restaurants in Sydney:

Marque, est., Quay

Aria, Assiette, Becasse, Bentley Restaurant & Bar, Berowra Waters Inn, Bilson's, Bistro Ortolan, Buon Ricordo, Claude's, Four in Hand Dining Room, Guillaume at Bennelong, Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Lucio's, Pilu at Freshwater, Rockpool, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sepia, Tetsuya's, Universal

Ad Lib Bistro, Altitude, Arras, Astral, Billy Kwong, Bird Cow Fish, Bistro Moncur, Bistrode, The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, Bodega, buzo trattoria, Cafe Sopra, Catalina, Etch, Fish Face, Flying Fish, Golden Century, Jonah's Whale Beach, Koi, Longrain, Mad Cow, Manly Pavilion, Omerta, Ormeggio at the Spit, Oscillate Wildly, Otto Ristorante, Pendolino, Pier, Restaurant Balzac, Sailors Thai Restaurant, Sake Restaurant & Bar, Sean's Panaroma, Spice Temple, Yoshii

Colour Your World

I love looking at the colour wall in hardware shops and always manage to come home with a stack of paint samples. One of my many dream jobs is to be an interior designer and so I always browse for colour scheme ideas for every room in the house. Dulux is one of my favourite sites for visualising paint colours in a room. They also have lots of ideas on complementary colour schemes and types of paints to use which will come in very handy when I can finally decorate my own house one day!

Dulux Hues Gallery

http://www.dulux.com.au/colour/colour-gallery/hues-gallery

Noveau Lights

http://www.dulux.com.au/colour/colour-gallery/hues-gallery/greens

Sheer Elegance

http://www.dulux.com.au/colour/colour-gallery/hues-gallery/blues

Casual Fling

http://www.dulux.com.au/colour/colour-gallery/hues-gallery/purples

Out of Africa

http://www.dulux.com.au/colour/colour-gallery/hues-gallery/browns

Fashions on the Field

The Melbourne Cup has always been known as "The Race that Stops a Nation" and this year being the 150th anniversary of this iconic Australian event makes it all the more spectacular.

The 3pm Emirates Melbourne Cup definitely lived up to it's reputation of being the most anticipated race of the year with the hyped up favourite, So You Think coming in third following an impressive performance by Maluckyday and this year's champion, Americain. There's nothing like the feeling of watching the last 200m of the race, the jockeys really kick their horses into top gear, you can hear the roar of the crowd, the commentary builds up to a crescendo, and just as the winning horse passes the finishing post, you know that you are sharing a historic moment with the rest of the nation.

Besides those 3 and a half minutes, most of the focus of the Cup is on the Fashion. Spring Racing Fashion is a season in itself with major retailers and department stores putting great emphasis on their campaigns and ambassadors. Here are some of my favourite fashion tips from Myer:

Myer Website

Look Books, How To Guide, Spring Racing Trend Guide, Fashions on the Field

http://www.myer.com.au/fashion_spring-racing.aspx

Dressing for Derby Day '10 - Myer Spring Racing Carnival

Held on Saturday, marking the beginning of Melbourne Cup Week and known as Men's Day

Derby Day is traditionally black and white

Choose a classic and sophisticated ensemble with a statement headpiece
Flower = Blue Corn Flower

Dressing for Melbourne Cup Day '10 - Myer Spring Racing Carnival

Held on Tuesday, featuring 'The Race that Stops a Nation"

Melbourne Cup Day is all about making a statement

Look fabulous, add some colour, have fun and place those bets!
Flower = Yellow Rose

Dressing for Oaks Day '10 - Myer Spring Racing Carnival

Held on Thursday and known as Ladies Day

Oaks Day is perfect for dressing in your most feminine outfit

Choose soft feminine colours, shapes and accessories
Flower = Pink Rose