we hear your voices

Yesterday was one of those perfect travel days when everything went so beautifully unstressfully wonderfully. Didn't forget anything, had time to choose a new Jo Malone fragrance at Heathrow (it is my one indulgence in life: buying a small bottle duty free), sat next to a really nice English musician who lives in South Beach and was a good sport about me getting up every hour on the hour to pee (I'm a big fan of hydration, and I'd bagged the window seat) - so that was ten loo trips in ten hours. Even the driver from the airport was an incredibly nice man, and despite crazy weather everywhere in the world, we managed to glide across the Atlantic with not a ripple of turbulence.



Partly to amuse myself on the long flight, I started playing around with my new gifted Samsung phone, as part of the NOW PROJECT. I never liked Tilda Swinton - she always reminded me of a particularly vile ex girlfriend of Mr. Dot's brother (he's since married someone we set him up with, a girl I worked with in NY). And she's always played these kind of despicable characters, it seemed, like in the Beach or that great George Clooney film with the horses (totally blanking on the title). I don't know about you but I can dislike an actress who has never done a thing to me, simply because their features remind me of a potential sister in law from hell, who did. It's like second degree resentment. Resentment by proxy.



So it blew me away to see her playing a Russian woman who married into a wealthy Italian family in I am Love. I love being wrong about people. And her style was amazing: so clean. The credits said Jil Sanders but it's not really Jil, it's the current Jil Sander designer, Raf Simons. They can't say for legal reasons, but I can: the only place we can get the actual designer Jil Sander's designs is through her +J collection at UNIQLO. Her new season has just launched - today I think - and it looks good.



It's worth seeing the film for the cinematography alone, but it also a brilliant film and it's transformed how I see Tilda Swinton. Without the use of any special effects, it is amazing how fashion has the power to transform someone. You'll have to see the film to see what I mean: it's gorgeous, and her style is just exactly what I'd want. There's even a scene when she goes to the dry cleaners in a grey coat and tan Birkin bag, and I couldn't concentrate, I loved the look so much.



Curious, I've just read a great interview with her in Refinery29, where she explains how the costumes illustrated the transformation her character went through. I don't want to spoil the story for you, but if anyone's seen the film I"m wondering if you were as blown away by the simple elegance of her style, and the visual power of the settings, cinematography and especially, costume. I wonder if this is nominated for best costume at the Oscars.

Thank you to Drew from Spreading Jam for answering my millions of questions: I was probably the highest maintenance of any of the other photographers he contacted for this, I had to get my phone redelivered, but I got there in the end. Goodbye Bad Blackberry, hello wonderful SAMSUNG WAVE II. If you'd like to see my gallery, and vote, go to the NOW project on facebook.



Can't believe I'm missing pool time to post this. Florida is heaven. It was a shock to find that during my journey I was so blissfully unaware that the international journalists were being attacked in Cairo, and we were unable to see what was going on.

We hear your voices, Egypt.

Everything I do feels like a prayer, and a profound sense of gratitude at how fortunate I am, to have this lovely life. Everyone deserves to be this content, and this free.

Now off I go, back to the pool.