SPT DAYS 12-15: BRISBANE

Miles flown so far: 11,989

We returned from the Royal Mail to Melbourne (our defacto home base during our time in Australia) for two days before leaving Victoria for Brisbane.  If Melbourne is the San Francisco and Victoria is the Northern California of Australia, then Brisbane is this county's Miami and Queensland is it's Florida.  I usually hate comparisons such as these, but in this case it is spot on.  The weather is balmy and humid, the plant life lush, and the entire city feels like it was built after 1988 (mainly because most of it was).  One Queensland perk that reminded me of the freewheeling laws in Florida: here, unlike in Victoria, you are allowed to pet and hold Koalas and Kangaroos.  I debated the ethical implications of this somewhat questionable policy, and decided I needed to hug a Koala.

Magical.

I love Kangaroos.

This Wombat was hysterical.

We took a river cruise back to downtown Brisbane, and saw some interesting architecture along the way.  While I can't say I loved the city of Brisbane, I would really like to come back to Queensland to explore the beaches, small towns, barrier reef and the remote Cape York Peninsula.

Some local fashion statements.

The flora, even in the city, was beautiful.

While most of the food we had was not great, one thing Brisbane can do well for sure is fish.  This fried snapper with Asian salad and soy dipping sauce was delicious.

PIERRE BERGE AND YSL

A book I purchased at the V&A Museum that has nothing to do with British decorative arts, but is my new favorite possession: The Private World of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge by Robert Murphy. Yves Saint Laurent and Berge spent a lifetime curating the 20th century's most impressive collection of paintings, one of a kind furnishings, curios, sculpture and rare books: their own.

After Saint Laurent died, Berge auctioned off the whole lot, wiping the slate of his life clean and at the same time rescuing the faltering high end auction world. The auction in Paris was said to be, literally, the sale of the century.

Everything they collected was special, exceptional and unexpected. The book, with vivid photography by Ivan Terestchenko showcases (some of) their residences: three in Paris, and one each in Normandy, Tangier, and Marrakesh.

Saint Laurent's cabinet of curiosities.

Levels of taste I can only hope to achieve someday.

One small aside... the preface of the book calls Saint Laurent and Berge "friends and business partners," which I am sure they were. They were also husbands who spent their lives building something truly amazing together. Let's call it what it was, please. In a related note, thanks a lot, Maine.

Images by Ivan Terestchenko via art and auction.com, artnet magazine, Harpers, Interview and artinfo.com

SOCIAL SEASON

Summer in New York is officially over, and that means the fall season of concerts, fashion shows, art openings and other "back to the city" activities is in full swing. I am tremendously domestic, and my favorite activities usually consist of gardening alone, watching Mad Men over takeout or maybe entertaining a small group of friends at our apartment. For the month of September, however, I allow [force] myself to go out, do things, see people, and take full advantage of the energy that returns to the city this time of year.

One of the highlights of the last week included the revolutionary Vena Cava show and presentation at Milk Studios. I know little about fashion, but have seen the designs by these ladies evolve to a new level over the last few years. Read a more sophisticated analysis by professionals who know what they are talking about. All they need now is a men's line!

The line's old world carnival-like after party at Bird in Williamsburg was super fun as well. Bird is the first and only (soon to be) LEED certified retail store in New York.

Vena Cava also happens to have a fantastic blog that has been a great inspiration to me.

Images via Kaldoon's flickr, Refinery29