can't YOU feel it?

How does it feel for you? Isn't it the same for everyone? To me it's flying. A huge welling up of an enormous emotional tidal wave that takes me all the way up to where I belong. It definitely makes me cry (most things do now) and it gives me chills. It makes me feel like a child again. Without it I'd be dead inside. My inspiration, my imagination and my life are fuelled by it. It cons me into thinking that I can move like Michael Jackson, nevermind sound like him. It has no gender, makes me feel like I could be a man just as well as a girl, I love that! My healthy obsession. Music. Not all music obviously. I have my standards or my level (as Mr R would point out dryly). I'm a teeny bit mainstream but my passion is true and I feel it. Deeply. I can do Elvis and Frank just as much as I can do Jay Z (surprising, isnt' it?). I love music more than any other art - nothing fills me with more hope, happiness and strength. I have a longstanding tug-of-war going on with my husband along the lines of "passion does not equal obsession". He thinks I've gone over the edge when I listen to one particular piece of music constantly for, dunno, 3 months. I can't help it if it makes me feel so good and so happy. Through no fault of their own, both our sons are now also showing (encouraging) signs of this finely tuned sensitivity to music. One more so than the other but both are definitely "on their way". I was considerably (I want to use the verb "brainwashed" but that would be so wrong) influenced by my own parents (father - Frank Sinatra, mother - Julio I. and Demis R. oh yes!) and I'm very grateful for it.
Back to the here and now: we are having a very long, very emotional MJ moment and it won't be long till  my youngest (with his iPod firmly plugged into his ears) will be able to recite the entire repertoire of songs including the dates they were recorded. It's a start. Actually it's a very good start. A fantastic musical foundation on which to build future passions, I think. So from our long, emotional MJ moment (have we done our 10,000 hours yet, Rich?), here are some firm family favourites. Feel it, it's just like flying.
PS: In my music fantasy, when I act out the video sequence of "The Way You Make Me Feel" I never know who I want to be more, MJ or the cool chick. How weird is that?

wehey!

One year guys, one whole year of The Style Inside. It started on a whim and look at it now. My own little blog, chugging along and churning out (fairly) regular short stories and thoughts on style. Happy Birthday, blog. Am not having a cake or a party but what I'd simply love is a little retrospective exercise to remind me what the readers really like. You'll see 2 new items on the left: firstly I've added a blog archive divided into months, this contains all the 2009 posts starting with the very first one a year ago today. Secondly above that, you'll see the so-called retrospective exercise, in other words a simple poll. Answer the question (anonymously and even if you're a newcomer) by just clicking the month that features your favourite story. Of course it would thrill me to bits if you were to actually give me an indication or a key word from the exact story by placing a comment here, but I feel that would be pushing it. I know how precious everyone's time is, so a simple click will do. Really.

Needless to say I am nothing without you, dear readers, so let me embrace you with gratitude.

looking ahead, not down

Clinging on for dear life here in little old Verscio, mid-January with no sign of spring WHATSOEVER the only glimmer on my horizon at the moment is the thought of a forthcoming birthday... but hang on, even that's not exciting anymore. I don't mean to sound ungrateful but a good old moan, especially now, in the chill of this first 2010 month is something that a few of  you may feel like doing too - whether you live here in Verscio or in Manhattan. Same difference. Mind you it won't last. The grimness. It never does. And especially not here. It's only a phase and if I can only inch my way through it, keeping my head down and remembering to boil the kettle and feed the kids between tweets and statuses, I'll be just fine.

Eventually I'll pinch myself, wake up and focus on the positive as always and work hard at making our dreams come true:       
                                     

                                    Travelling far far and beyond with Mr R and the lads, and...

   

                                           

                                                       Happy New Year everyone.

Number Six London

 

I love menswear and especially if it knows exactly what it's doing, ie. if it has the courage of its convictions. So, if you're a guy (aged teen to well and truly matured) and you like cool and if you happen to be in London then head straight down to Brick Lane to get yourself kitted out with some sharp typically London-cool wardrobe staples. Just thought I'd mention it. I'm talking about Number Six (aka When We Were Casuals).  The lads  there say that they have some new tricks up their sleeves for 2010, just visit their blog for a preview. If you're in a rush and don't have time to visit their website, here are some of the brands you'll find there: Lyle & Scott Vintage, Fila Vintage, Barbour, Farah Vintage, Adidas Originals, Fred Perry, Napapijri, and so many more. In fact everything that a man's heart desires when it comes to looking pretty darn good.

Oh, and I almost forgot: sooner or later everyone in our family seems to develop a thing about shoes (fetish, passion, obsession, call it what you like) so we got understandably but unreasonably excited when we saw this!

rado

I know what you'll say... "living in Switzerland is just one great big excuse for writing about watches" and although you're not entirely wrong, there are other things that can set ones pulse racing round these parts, apart from a good watch. I'll write about those another time however.

In the meantime, I will rant on about a few watches that have become increasingly hard to ignore, they are hypnotising in their beauty.  So reminiscent of the 80's but so much better now, in 2010. RADO's r5.5 award winning collection designed by British design God Jasper Morrison marks the company's third phase of a very successful cooperation with the designer. Morrison's approach of giving minimalist design a unique character goes hand in hand with Rado's aesthetic concept.  Rado watches are not for everyone, all that monochrome can get a bit hard to live with, but they are deserving of their iconic status, for their design consistency if nothing else. They've never been my cup of tea, I must admit, but this is different. I want one of these. The watches are unmistakeably Rado but Jasper Morrison's touch has given them a powerful contemporary edge and also a bit of sex appeal which always helps, doesn't it?

Read up on Rado's commendable efforts in promoting young designers here and check out radostar.com, an exciting social networking platform launched at the Salone del Mobile 2009 by the brand; it is conceptualised and produced purely with international design students in mind. How cool.
For all you Rado die-hards there's also an iPhone App... Get it, go on, you know you want to.

cleanse

In an attempt to renew energy levels and cleanse the system of all the toxins contained within copious amounts of Prosecco, Bailey's, Nocino and the odd glass of red wine that were consumed over the festive season (I won't even mention the snickety snacks and all that chocolate), I went browsing through the chemists and health food stores over the last few days and got hideously sidetracked by the vast amount of exquisite little packets and delicate boxes of vintage-looking concoctions that seem to be very popular round here. The Swiss, the Italians and the French do remedies and toiletries like no others and these coloured gems caught my eye immediately. They'd do well in one of those gorgeous shops on Columbia Road and would probably sell for 5 times the amount that they cost here. At first glance you'd be forgiven for thinking they contain soap.

Not sure how useful digestive pastilles will be to me in my quest for purification, but they mean well. And they look gorgeous, especially in my bathroom.

twentyten

Happy New Year everyone, lovely to be back and looking forward to spending many happy blogmoments with all of you!  Is it me, or does the number 2010 emanate positivity in great big tidal waves?