Gucci‘s Spring 2012 decadent interpretation of the flapper dress is to-die-for.  The Roaring Twenties come to mind as fringe and feathers took front stage during an era when women started (gasp) drinking, smoking, flirting, driving and even dancing at jazz clubs, all dressed up in heavy makeup and embellished dresses.  How liberating!

The flapper style has never looked better especially after seeing Berenice Bejo in The Artist as shown here.  Baz Luhrmann‘s The Great Gatsby should also be a fashion feast for the eyes when the film releases later this year.

From the runway…

…to the red carpet.

Zoe Saldana, Camilla Belle, Evan Rachel Wood - all in Gucci Spring 2012

I am madly in love with the Jazz Age fashions depicted in The Artist, a brilliant film where the acting and cinematography blew me away. It transports one back to the 20s in true silent-film style and conveys so much emotion without the use of dialogue. Enjoy these stills of the film’s beautiful and endlessly talented leading lady, Berenice Bejo.  Her wardrobe in the movie has me drooling over these flapper dresses from Gucci’s Spring 2012 collection.

This is a perfect pairing in so many delicious ways.  Newcomer Argentenian model, Andres Risso and the flawless Carmen Kass are pictured above in ETRO’s Spring 2012 campaign shot by Mario Testino.  ETRO, being one of my favourite brands, has always leaned towards exotic, faraway places for design and these bold prints are fit for soaking up the scene at any fabulous Moroccan riad.  Enjoy the pics below and my own article ‘Traveling the Spice Route’ published after returning from Marrakech a few years ago.  Maryam of the My Marrakesh blog provides enviable tales of her life there, giving the rest of us more reasons to fall in love with Morocco.

The Tigerlily is housed in a gorgeous Georgian townhouse on a street where shops and restaurants are only steps away.

There is no traditional lobby and and the entry leads to a beautiful bar area where you are bound to find the see-and-be-seen crowd.  

Who can resist the abundant crystal curtains and glitter balls throughout the restaurant?

My spacious ‘Georgian Suite’ came with a glamorous writing desk and a fully loaded iPod.  What’s there not to love?

Images via Tigerlily

Cobbled and steep-sloping Victoria Street is one of my favourite parts of Edinburgh. It curves down to the Grassmarket area which has a colourful history as being a setting for public executions and the dark shadow of Edinburgh Castle.  There’s still a medieval feel in the air with the array of independent shops and taverns lining Victoria Street.  It’s the perfect place to slowly wander and make interesting discoveries.

Although I’m a champagne girl at heart, to not sample some whisky while in Scotland would be sin.  Sitting at the Scots Bar at my hotel, I let the young bartender educate me on the country’s most famous export.  For a beginner like myself, I was instructed to drink “left to right” in terms of making selections from the bar.  To start, he served a 12 year old Cragganmore from the Speyside region, which houses more than 50 of Scotland’s distilleries.  The sweet and smoky flavors assaulted my tongue and then a sudden sensation of warmth hit my body making me think this would be the perfect wintery drink.  I finished my scotch experiment by sampling my husband’s Glenfiddich 15 year old Solera Reserve, which had a beautiful finish with its fruity undertones.  Admittedly, I ended the night with my normal cocktail of choice, a kir royale, so I’m not sure if I can ever be converted from my champagne ways. I am less likely however, to refuse an occasional glass of scotch whisky when sitting by the fireplace on a cold winter’s day.

Happy holidays lovely readers!  I’m sending you kisses from Scotland where the cold and rainy weather is the perfect excuse to sit beside the fire and warm up with a single malt scotch here at Cameron House.  It’s a gorgeous baronial manor in a picture postcard setting on the banks of Loch Lomond – a place where tartan dreams do come true.  I hope you are all feeling lots of love whereever you may be, and indulging in everything that makes you happy.

Grand Central Hotel at Glasgow Central Station

I’m fascinated with railway stations especially the ones in Europe where a single train ride can take you to a different country promising another set of adventures.  They are a hub of activity, and far more interesting than airports in my opinion.  I love to watch people as they board and disembark – imagining where they are going and why. Perhaps the lure of train travel is because of my love for a glamorous and romantic Old World Europe.

I am writing from Scotland where I spent the first two nights in Glasgow and its celebrated Grand Central Hotel which has hosted famous guests such as Frank Sinatra and Winston Churchill since opening in 1883.  You can literally step out of the lobby and onto a platform of Glasgow Central, the busiest train station in all of Scotland, embarking upon any journey your heart desires.

Here are some pictures of the station, hotel and first few hours in Glasgow, a city which is a shopping mecca for the Scottish.