Must Have. Globe Trotter Centenary 33” extra deep suitcase with wheels

Now how special are you going to feel toting this amazing suitcase into the airport on your world travels? Answer: pretty darn special! This British company is well renown for it’s quality, providing luggage to the royal family. This design is an ode to the Titanic era with a better coat of paint and some much-needed wheels. Plus how amazing is the colour name – sour lemon! Available at J.Crew $2500.

Photo by Globe Trotter.

Style It. Oscars 2013 Best Dressed

Well here it is once again, the celebrity world’s night of nights. The Oscars; recognising those best at their acting craft by awarding them with little golden men and minimal speech time. But what everyone really remembers the next day, aside from the stars’ own hangovers, is the fashion and that’s what I love most too! Here are my four favourites from this year’s red carpet.

Jennifer Lawrence wowed in Dior couture. Hair, makeup and jewels look incredible and the structured train is wow. The diamonds dripping down her back all added to the elegant look, love it.

English TV presenter Louise Roe certainly used her fashion journalist skills here. I love her in this floaty Monique Lhuillier gown. Mega froths of tulle combined with eye-catching red lace and a Queen Ann neckline equals gorgeous success in my books! Shame her hair wasn’t completely up.

It’s a gutsy choice to go so simple at the Oscars but Samantha Barks gets full marks. The relative unknown, who played Eponine in Les Mis, wears a sleek Valentino Spring 2013 gown with a plunging neckline. Tousled hair and understated make-up and jewels, combined with this striking black dress makes for a stunning red-carpet look.

Photos by TMZ.

P.S. Special mention goes to Kristen Stewart. Whilst I don’t rate her Twilight acting, she looked beautiful and stylish despite hobbling down the red carpet on crutches. Well done!

Plate Up. Summer Smoothie

If you’re anything like me, you’ll understand how tricky it is to find the perfect smoothie. I’ve never been a fan of milk or chunky bits of fruit so after much trial and error I have perfected what is my perfect combination. It’s delicious and decadent if you opt for the ice-cream or otherwise pretty healthy with the frozen yoghurt. The perfect treat for these warm summer days.

What you’ll need

handful raspberries

2 tablespoons strawberry yoghurt

100ml apple juice

1 scoop vanilla ice-cream or frozen yoghurt

crushed ice

What to do

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Photos by Krissie.

One Day. Aussie ELLE

We originally heard whispers about an Australian ELLE magazine a year ago now and since then there has been much back and forth over whether it would actually happen. Exciting news is, according to Bauer Media Group (which recently acquired ACP magazines) ELLE Australia will launch its first issue in September.

I’ve read a few issues of ELLE USA over the years and really love their content as it sits perfectly between Cosmopolitan’s sex, men and beauty and Vogue’s high fashion.

ELLE’s editor remains unnamed at this time, however the whisper is that Shop ‘til you Drop’s Justine Cullen will fill the coveted roll. If this is the case then I wonder who will slip into the STYD editor role? I can’t wait to buy the first issue, I wonder who the cover girl will be? So many questions…

Photo by ELLE.

Must Have. Swash ‘let them eat jelly’ iPad Case

This little case is pretty nifty; anything featuring pink and dessert gets my seal of approval. With pink jelly and floating forest fruits this a playful way to protect your technology, just be wary of the hunger cravings it may trigger! Use sparingly. $89.

Photo by Swash.

Plate Up. Mini Quiches

I really love quiche. It’s a great meal for lunch or dinner or a delicious snack in between. These little bite-size-beauties are perfect for your next dinner party. Be sure to add them to your menu!

What you’ll need

3 sheets shortcrust pastry

6 eggs

150ml milk

100ml cream

2 rashers middle bacon

100g cheddar cheese, grated

1 brown onion, finely diced

Parsley, chopped

What to do

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Oil a 12-hole muffin tin. Cut 12 x 10cm rounds of shortcrust pastry (4 per sheet). Gently press rounds to fit the muffin holes.

Cook bacon until crispy, remove and roughly chop. Meanwhile cook onion in the bacon fat until soft and glossy. Set both aside to cool.

In a bowl gently whisk eggs, milk and cream.

Evenly distribute bacon, onion, parsley and cheese across the 12 pastry cases. Pour over egg mixture and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until set. Leave to cool slightly in the muffin tin for 5 minutes after cooking.

Photos by Krissie.

One Day. Louis Vuitton Paper Dolls

Who didn’t love these when they were young? I had several sets for dressing Barbie and multiple Disney princesses.

Whilst we love being responsible, salary-earning, stylish-partying adults, sometimes it would be nice to revert to the good old days; where dressing up meant raiding mum’s closet, combing our hair and ensuring our party-companion Barbie was wearing her finest paper doll outfit.

Well thanks to Louis Vuitton, those retro paper dolls are making a comeback, and in some lust-worthy outfits. Four dolls are available each with various outfits to mix and match, including clothes and accessories, and although these designs are distinctly more high-end than our childhood counterparts I’m certainly not complaining.

The watercolour dolls and fashions have been penned by Australian fashion illustrator Kerrie Hess who, over the years, has illustrated for Chanel, Vogue and Neiman Marcus.

Download your set of paper dolls here and get styling. If anyone asks, I’m busy this afternoon.

Photos by Louis Vuitton.

Must Have. Lanvin crystal-embellished silke-faille gown

Whilst not a wedding gown (although it could certainly pass for one!) this Lanvin dress is breathtaking. Featuring light-catching crystals and trimmed in chiffon I could just see myself sashay-ing around a ballroom in this; if only I had such a fancy function to attend! Internal boning provides a shapely silhouette, whilst the draped design creates just enough drama. Devine. $7,200.

Photos by Lanvin.

Plate Up. Raspberry Semifreddo

I’ve always wanted to make ice-cream myself but thought it was impossible since I didn’t have an ice-cream maker and I certainly wasn’t going to churn it myself for hours on end… Enter the humble semifreddo, which means semi-frozen in Italian. This little dessert delight is an alternative to ice-cream that doesn’t require the exxy kitchen hardware. It’s super simple to whip up (literally!) and it tastes delicious. After this successful recipe test I’ll certainly be experimenting with other flavours soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

What you’ll need

2 eggs

1 egg yolk, extra

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

½ cup caster sugar

1 cup cream

1 cup frozen raspberries

What to do

Place the eggs, extra yolk, vanilla and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat for 6-8 minutes or until thick and pale. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Whisk the cream until stiff peaks form and gently fold this through the egg mixture until well combined. Line a rectangular loaf tin with baking paper and place the raspberries in the bottom of the tin and pour the semifreddo over. Freeze for 6 hours or overnight. Serve on a platter.

Note: Semifreddo is best served as a complete dessert to be sliced and eaten at once. Pulling it in and out of the freezer for multiple serves causes it to become icy. So, best gobble it all at once!

Photos by Krissie.

One Day. Working on yourself

 

If you read ‘Why is relaxing so stressful?’ then you will know that I’m not really one to enjoy leisurely days; I like to be busy. Which is why it’s so difficult, as February rolls around, to still find myself in a state of limbo, a flux. After graduating in December I’m currently waiting to hear back about some positions in New York after some interviews I had whilst over there late last year. Things are looking promising but I still don’t have the green light so until then I’m here, waiting.

I’ve gone through many phases so far. I’ve tried to keep myself frantically busy with social outings, trips to the beach (these have been few since the terrible weather) and shopping but as everyone else returns to uni or work my accompaniers have been dwindling... Then I turned to willing the days to go faster, which I quickly regretted as I’m not in a hurry to get any older. And now I find myself in stage where if I can’t work on a job then I figured I may as well work on myself!

Over the last few weeks I’ve been making a conscious effort to turn myself into a job. I’ve kicked my exercise regime up a notch (or several, since it was virtually non-existent before) by running everyday. I’m pleased to see that I’m getting better very quickly; fitness I knew you were never too far away. I’ve been reading an insane amount of books – hey, even romantic comedies can be educational on some level I’m sure. And now the latest thing I’ve started, and believe me no one is more surprised than myself, is painting! Me, Krissie, whose drawings previously extended to stick figures with triangular dresses. But you wouldn’t believe it, I actually think I’m kind of alright. I’ve been playing around with watercolours as you can see; my scenery pictures still need some work but it seems my forte is designer shoes, so perhaps I’ll just stick to that.

Photos by Krissie.

Must Have. Antonio Berardi Neon Stretch Crepe Blazer

There are so many things I love about this jacket. The colour. The cut. The material (it’s so rare to find a stylish stretch blazer). And the fun that this jacket represents! Padded shoulders sculpt a striking silhouette and the cropped length makes it perfect for layering over dresses or pants. Dream a little dream of me at $1,500.

Photo by Antonio Berardi.

Plate Up. Super quick and easy tuna pasta

This dish is perfect for when you’ve had a long day or are running low on time yet still want a delicious meal. It’s also a great dish for any number of people; from 1 to many. The recipe below is for 1 person, but can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. depending on how many you are cooking for. I promise you’ll be eating a delicious meal in 10minutes. Ready, set, go!

What you’ll need

Tagliatelle

95g tinned tuna

1 dessert spoon tomato paste

½ cup water

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1 spring onion stalk, sliced

2 sprigs parsley, roughly chopped

Lemon

What to do

Boil water in a saucepan for your pasta and cook to al dente.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, place the tomato paste, water and sugar and cook over medium heat until it boils. Season well and simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens, then turn off and leave to cool. Once the temperature has reduced slightly stir in the tuna, spring onion and parsley.

By now your pasta will be cooked. Drain and then pour the sauce over the pasta and toss in the saucepan. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

Photo by Krissie.