I have a little slip dress. It’s black with a pearly trim detail at the top, and the straps are barely there. Nor is the dress really, and I have to either be wearing too much underwear, that won’t show any lines, or virtually none at all, that won’t show any lines. But I have to think about who I might see when I wear it, what gusts of winds might come my way, and whether it’s appropriate to be wearing such a tiny piece of cloth in public. It’s Fleur Wood. So really I can wear it whenever the hell I like because frankly it’s darling. And in fact I’m going to get it out now, it goes well with my new book. I wish my life went with my new book.
Oh well, I might just spend the weekend eating coconut ice and sitting under a bare naked tree adorned with bouquets of bright balloons. If I want. No, Food Fashion Friends is not real life. It is not real life at all. It is not even the fashion industry’s real world, reality just isn’t this pretty. But oh so pretty this fabricated world is, and I might spend much of my reality delving in to it, pouring over pages where models eat sugar and cream-turned-into-cakes. It would take several days to prepare such an extravagant diabetes-ridden feast as presented here. But this is not reality. And Fleur Wood knows this. She’s telling us to just pose, and see that this beautiful, original and make believe world – or elements of it – can be recreated in our real lives. I like it. I like the offering of fantasy and the imaginary. It’s the rabbit hole and the fashion world, but with pictures of cakes and with recipes. This is the grown-up-girl’s latest release Barbie House, but better.
Fleur Wood, and she’s an Australian fashion designer don’t you know, has included style guides for perfect dinner parties. She shows us how to go all out, with cottonwool-made clouds hanging above a table and silver stars painted on to the walls, for example, or how to tone it down while keeping it fabulous. There is the extreme fantasy in the book, and there is extreme elegance.
My father made a very amusing comment about the book, while acknowledging it was incredible: “You shouldn’t have to agent orange a tree and cover it with balloons in order to have a picnic.” Having said that, Fleur Wood also offers simple ways make remarkable things – I love her idea of Ricotta Panna Cotta with Espresso Caramel, or a heart-shaped Salmon Mousse with Croutons.
Recipes include Crab Burgers; Aioli; Peach and Ginger Punch; Lemon Thyme Mushrooms, Ham Croquettes; Baked Eggs; tiny individual Marble Cakes and Iced Chocolate Cookies. Fleur Wood sets Menus for certain occasions, such as the aforementioned High Tea. Citrus Tea; Coconut Ice (yes really!), Prosecco with Watermelon Sorbet; Lobster Sandwiches. I love it all. I love the romance and the attitude and the idea of cutting pate sandwiches into the shape of butterflies. This world is dreamy, and I’m going to borrow it as my own.
Food Fashion Friends, by Fleur Wood, is published by Penguin ($59.95).
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Hello! I saw this the other day at Kinokuniya. Interesting, isn’t it? I really need to sit down and have a proper flick through. All the pretty dresses, scarves and crockery is making me swoon