Emily Bronte
Steeped in moodiness, romance and general windswept brilliance, Wuthering Heights is not only one of literatures great Classics, but one of its most evocative love stories, too.

Joan Didion
She may have just been made the face of Celine, but Joan Didion has long been where it’s at when it comes to beautiful, moving words. Just read The Year of Magical Thinking, her memoir of the year after her husband’s death, to see why.

Nora Ephron
Whether she’s recounting her thoughts on heartbreak, aging or depilation, there isn’t much Nora Ephron has written that isn’t hilarious, heartwarming and completely brilliant in our eyes.

Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird was, is, and always will be one of our very favorite books – and we eagerly await its prequel.

Jane Austen
Take your pick from Emma, Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility, sit back, and enjoy a lively and totally enjoyable romp through 19^th Century England from one of our very sharpest social satirists.

Maya Angelou
I know why the Caged Bird Sings is something people simply should read – and pass on to their daughters.

Sylvia Plath
All the more haunting for it’s autobiographical overtones and Plath’s death just a month before its publication, The Bell Jar’s tale of a woman’s search for her own identity and independence set against a painful backdrop of debilitating mental illness is enlightening and harrowing in equal parts.

Donna Tartt
A Secret History gripped us, The Goldfinch delighted us – Donna Tartt’s books are truly treasures to loose yourself in.

Jung Chang
Chang’s Wild Swans is a sweeping, brilliant and moving story of the generations of women in her family who lived through 20^th Century China. Its stories of courage, loss and love, of hardship, endurance and of strength are uplifting and important to read.

Virginia Woolf
Whether you look to Mrs Dalloway or To the Lighthouse, Woolf’s detailed depictions of her female characters draw back the curtain on the complexities of life in truly thought provoking ways.

Photo Courtesy of alibris.com 

What’s interesting about Blue’s book is that whilst his questionnaire, with it’s prompters such as “Happiness…” and “Women should always…” leaves a blank canvas for his interviewees, there are certain themes that shine through their answers. Botox proves one of the most divisive issues, with answers ranging from the direct, “it’s pretty fabulous,” to the rather more oblique, “it’s optional,” but in other realms there are clear themes that emerge. For several, confidence and the bravery to be exactly who you want to be are the key things a woman should always try to have. “My mother was a holocaust survivor who taught me that fear is not an option. I have never forgotten it. I have lived by it,” says Diane von Fursteberg, whilst Donna Karan encourages women to, “take care of themselves first. It makes you more equipped to take care of others.” Other advice is more prescriptive. We shall be taking away Karolina Kurkova’s tip of a hot water and lemon every morning (if it works for her…) and make a mental note of Ines de la Fressange’s beauty regimen of, “Dior nail cream and Revitalift from L’Oreal. This is a religion.”

What really strikes us most, however, is the hard work and dedication these talented people display – alongside an understanding that you have to make it happen. “Happiness… needs to be lived, as well as remembered and anticipated. Now is what counts,” says David Downton, the fashion illustrator. As inspiration for seizing the moment and indeed making it count, Conversations gives some very good starting points.

Conversations: Up Close and Personal with Icons of Fashion, Interiors, Design and Art is out now: http://www.amazon.com/Conversations-Personal-Fashion-Interior-Design/dp/1629145475

Read Blue’s blog at http://www.styleintel.com

Michelle Oka Doner Candelabra- I had admired this Amercian artist’s work in various magazines over the years, but first really fell in love with it when I saw it in person at Miami airport. There, in one of the largest artworks in the world, Oka Doner has inlaid the terrazzo floors throughout the terminal with over 9000 mother-of-pearl fossil like shapes. Walking through it feels like you’re treading on the ocean bed. Whilst that might not be something to take home, however, her naturalist sculptures are, and I dream of setting my table one day with her candelabra as my centrepiece. Called Burning Bush, is has an incredible energy and life to it. She is just so, so talented.

http://www.micheleokadoner.com/IO1.html

Mastercraft Table Bases - I’m a huge fan of Mastercraft, the American made mid century furniture. They did a lot of chinoiserie in brass that’s incredibly elegant and works really well at home, and I’m really hankering after their triangular brass table pedestals. I love that they’re really rather glamorous in a Hollywood Regency kind of way, but they also have an earthiness about them. It kind of grounds them, but also elevates them at the same time.

http://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/tables/dining-room-sets/mastercraft-double-pedestal-brass-glass-dining-table/id-f_868461/

Les Lalanne Hippopotamus Bar – I came across this at the Ben Brown gallery, and was totally blown away by it. The late Francois-Xavier Lalanne only made 8 of his hippo shaped bars apparently, and whilst they are totally sculptural and beautiful works of art, there’s a whimsy and fantasy to them, too. They don’t take themselves too seriously. Plus, with one of these in your home, you really wouldn’t need anything else to make a statement. They cost a fortune, so we might be sitting on cardboard boxes if I bought one, but my decorating work would most definitely be done!

http://www.benbrownfinearts.com/exhibitions/72/

Madeline Weinrib limited edition Cushions - One of my very favourite gift shops in the world is the one in the Neue Gallerie, New York. There, amongst all sorts of beautiful things, you can find these great limited edition pillows from Madeline Weinrib in velvet ikat that are simply stunning. I love them because there is something very warm, welcoming and personal about them. Handwoven in Uzbekistan, their colours are amazing, plus they have this lovely sense of craft that’s found in everything she does.

http://shop.neuegalerie.org/collections/designer-madeline-weinrib/products/madeline-weinrib-velvet-ikat-cushions

Vintage Design Books – I’m always on the hunt for lovely vintage design and interiors books, often helped along by the brilliant website Abebooks.com. They will help you track down out of print books, assist you in building a library and generally help you work up a collection of beautiful tomes that speaks to the subjects you love. I’m obsessed with art, photography and design books, and was particularly pleased with a first edition of Slim Aarons’ A Wonderful Time that I found. Currently, I’m collecting all the David Hicks books from the 1970s.

www.abebooks.com

Jonathan Becker, 30 years at Vanity Fair

This collection of the photographer’s portraits for the magazine have seen him travel everywhere from Buckingham Palace and an appointment with Prince Charles to the Amazonian Jungle and one with the Yamomami tribe in pursuit of the perfect picture. http://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Becker-Years-Vanity-Fair/dp/1614280797

Albertus Seba’s Cabinet of Curiosities 

Almost a coffee table in itself it’s so large, this book is one of natural history’s most compelling archives. Beautifully presented and full of completely fascinating finds, it is a must for any household. http://www.amazon.com/Albertus-Sebas-Cabinet-Natural-Curiosities/dp/3822816000

Helmut Newton, Sumo

So huge when first published a decade ago it came with it’s very own stand, Sumo charts the iconic photographer’s career, spanning 350 images that are all equal parts erotic, arresting and beautfiul. It’s as powerful today as it was when it was first published.  http://www.amazon.com/Helmut-Newton-Sumo-June/dp/3836517302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377486611&sr=1-1&keywords=helmut+newton

Alaia: by Azzedine Alaia

As far as fashion books go, this limited edition tome, published in 1999 by Steidl and chock full of the Tunisian designer Azzedine Alaia‘s arresting images is about as fabulous as it gets.

Nomads of Niger by Marion von Offelen and Carol Beckwith

For those fond of National Geographic style reportage, this book is the ultimate escape. Documenting the Woodabe tribe of Niger, it is steeped in images so compelling it’s hard to pull yourself away. http://www.amazon.com/Nomads-Niger-Carol-Beckwith/dp/0810981254

Slim Aarons – A Wonderful Time, An intimate portrait of the Good Life

"An intimate portrait of the good life"

For some good old escapism you can’t really beat Slim Aarons and his world of beautiful people and beautiful places. Stunning stuff from a stunning photographer. http://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-Time-Intimate-Portrait-Good/dp/0060100168/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377487758&sr=1-6&keywords=slim+aarons

Rare Bird of Fashion, The Irreverent Iris Apfel

This celebration of one of fashion’s brightest and best icons looks at her one off approach to fashion and provides inspiration on a daily basis to us in the Kotur office. A brilliant tome by Eric Boman celebrating a brilliant lady . Rare Bird of Fashion

The Film: Jobs

Complete with the tagline, ‘Some see what’s possible, others change what’s possible,’ Jobs is billed as the inspirational movie of the summer. Charting Steve Jobs progression from College dropout to billionaire via a few bumps along the way and starring Ashton Kutcher, the fascinating man behind one of the world’s most famous brands is brought to life.

Jobs is in theaters August 16th

The Exhibition: American Modern: Hopper to O’Keeffe, MOMA

Drawing on what the New Yorker refers to as it’s ‘peerless’ collection of modern American Art, Moma’s latest exhibition focuses on some of America’s most influential artists found working between 1915 and 1950. Covering Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Charles Sheeler, Alfred Stieglitz and Andrew Wyeth among others, the exhibition brings together both renowned and little known paintings, photography, prints, drawings and sculptures in an exhibition that shows the best of American art from a pivotal period in history.

American Modern: Hopper to O’Keeffe, The Museum of Modern Art, August 17–January 26, 2014; moma.org

The Book: The White Queen, Philippa Gregory

Get swept away from your sunlounger and into the drama and intrigue of 15th century and England’s War of the Roses in Gregory’s latest historical novel. Telling the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the secret, beautiful and ambitious new wife of Edward IV, it explores the famous mystery of the two young princes kept in the Tower of London. Corset heaving drama, indeed.

The White Queen is available here: http://amzn.to/16cPo3v

The Inspiration: CZ Guest, American Style Icon by Susanna Salk

Published earlier this year, this compendium of images featuring the style icon CZ Guest proves a masterclass in understated chic. Known for her love of country living as much as her life as one of America’s most swan like socialites, Guest was and is a true style icon. Famed for her pared back look, her approach to dressing was unstingtingly precise and chic. As she once put it, “I like the classic look. Keep it simple. There’s only so much you can wear.”

CZ Guest, American Style Icon is available here http://amzn.to/18w8gLb

The Destination: Formentera

As the party crowd look for their must visit summer spot, there’s usually only one island on everyone’s minds come August: Ibiza. But the chic set, well they head nearby to the tiny island of Formentera just a 30 minute ferry ride away, an oasis of calm within reach of the party island, it’s a favourite with the likes of Kate Moss and Consuelo Castiglioni, the Marni designer who has a house there.  Tiny (just 19 km long,) blessed with whiter than white beaches, a clear turquoise sea and an extremely dramatic cliff dotted coastline, it’s famous for it’s tiny fincas, laid back approach and barefoot approach to luxury. The fashion set like to stay at luxury eco resort Es Ram (esramresort.com) a B&B and group of villas known for their whitewashed walls and impeccable service. The sceney lunch spot is Juan y Andrea, a beachfront restaurant known for it’s delicious fish (and people watching opportunities,) whilst El Tiburon is a more laid back option with stunning views. Come evening? It’s all about dinner under the twinkly canopy of restaurant Can Carlos (cancarlos.com) and a stroll around Es Pujols and it’s waterfront bars. That, or hopping on a ferry to the bright lights and big clubs of next door neighbour Ibiza.

And the guilty treat…: The Duffin

You’ve heard of the Cronut – but now comes the Duffin. Well, across Kotur’s desk it does. A donut/ muffin cross (that comes with or without jam, however takes your fancy,) this baked take on the donut is as delicious as it is DIY friendly.

Find the Recipe here: http://bit.ly/wJIdAg

Recent inspiration came from a newly released book, The Spy who Loved: The Secret Lives of Christine Granville by Clare Mulley. Telling the story of the remarkable life of Granville, a British Secret agent and World War 2 hero, it got us looking for similar figures in history. Here are our picks for the books to read this summer that might tell you their stories. Theirs are stories of fearlessness and femininity, of boundary breaking in style, stories of inspirational women who crossed frontiers both literally and metaphorically and whose remarkable lives cannot do anything but inspire.

Christine Granville: As told in her biography, Christine Granville was more than just a spy. Polish by descent, this renegade and remarkable woman (thought to be the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s Vesper Lynd,) joined the British intelligence at the outbreak of World War 2. She skied over Hungary and the High Tatras mountain range to regain access to her country before ferrying intelligence out for the British, she parachuted behind enemy lines in France to join the French Resistance movement, saved the lives of countless fellow officers, collected countless lovers along the way and charmed everyone from high command to Gestapo officers as she went, securing the release on one occasion of some fellow agents just hours before they were executed by walking into the local Gestapo office and demanding that they were let go. Awarded an OBE for her efforts, nevertheless after the war she struggled to make a living as a hat check girl and a stewardess on a cruise ship before being murdered by an obsessed former lover in London in 1952. A legend in her lifetime but, until now, largely uncelebrated, hers is a story of guts and guile, of a love of life and sense of adventure put to a higher purpose and deployed under extreme danger.

The Spy who Loved:  By Claire Mulley is available on Amazon here http://www.amazon.com/Spy-Who-Loved-Christine-Granville/dp/1250030323/ref=la_B00356CF5O_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367226183&sr=1-1

Amelia Earhart – The famous aviator was a pioneer, a feminist and even something of a fashion icon. Born in Kansas, the lifelong tomboy took her first flying lesson in 1921 and quite simply, never looked back. The first female to fly solo across the Atlantic, she was an icon of the feminist movement, a supporter of Equal rights, a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt’s and a celebrity in her own lifetime. On July 2nd 1937 Earhart’s plane disappeared on the final leg of her second attempt to circumnavigate the globe as she approached Howland Island never to be found, cutting her life tragically short. Her legend and her inspiration as a feminist icon, however, lives on.

East to the Dawn, The Life of Amelia Earhart is available on Amazon here http://www.amazon.com/East-Dawn-Life-Amelia-Earhart/dp/B002U0KOJ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374570422&sr=1-1&keywords=amelia+earhart+east+to+the+dawn

Martha Gelhorn – A writer, a journalist and generally accepted to be one of the finest War Correspondants of the 20th Century, Martha Gellhorn was known for her sense of adventure, her bravery, her style and her wit. Married for a short while to Ernest Hemmingway (she said she never wanted to be the ‘footnote’ to his life,) hers was a life of European wars, Parisian bars and louche London living, all held against the backdrop of a job covering every major conflict of her lifetime – as she once put it, “I followed the war wherever I could reach it.” From the Spanish Civil War to Vietnam, Gellhorn followed the story mercilessly, blazing a trail for female correspondents the world over, being one of the first to report from the concentration camp Dachau after it was liberated and posing once as a stretcher bearer in order to be able to cover the D Day Landings of World War 2. Sharp, superbly stylish and never, ever shy of an adventure, she lived out her days in London, remaining indomitable until the end, once saying, “Why do people talk of the horrors of old age? It’s great. I feel like a fine old car with the parts gradually wearing out, but I’m not complaining,… Those who find growing old terrible are people who haven’t done what they wanted with their lives.” What she did with hers is quite rightly legendary.

Martha Gellhorn: A Life by Caroline Moorehead is available here http://www.amazon.com/Gellhorn-Twentieth-Century-Life-Caroline-Moorehead/dp/B00AK3FAZC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1374569669&sr=8-4&keywords=martha+gellhorn

Karen Blixen – ‘I had a farm in Africa,’ may now be thought of as the immortal lines from a film starring Meryl Streep, but their basis is found in the very real and remarkable life story of the author Karen Blixen. Born in Denmark, she migrated to Kenya with her new husband   Baron Bror von Blixen Finecke in 1914, where they bought some land and established a coffee plantation. After divorcing her husband in 1925, she continued to run their farm, whilst her affair with the dashing Denys Finch Hatten (later immortalised in the film made of her memoir of the time, Out of Africa,) has become the stuff of romantic legend. In 1931, thanks largely to the Great Depression, Blixen was forced to sell her farm and return home. To this day, the area around it’s location in Kenya is known as Karen. Once home, she became a writer, publishing several books and becoming nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is, however, for her adventures in Africa that she remains best known. Of her journey to that then very far away place she once wrote, “Here at long last one was in a position not to give a damn for all conventions, here was a new kind of freedom which until then one had only found in dreams!” It is for precisely that sense of freedom and not giving a damn for conventions that she is still so celebrated today.

Karen Blixen’s Out of Africa is available here http://www.amazon.com/Out-Africa-Penguin-Modern-Classics/dp/0141183330/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374570005&sr=1-6&keywords=karen+blixen

Beryl Markham: This British born adventuress was the first licensed female racehorse trainer in Kenya, the first woman to fly east to west solo over the Atlantic, an eccentric and an author of an unputdownable memoir. Brought up in Kenya by her father (her mother moved back to England a short while after the family’s relocation,) she was a famous beauty, married three times and had famous affairs with the Duke of Gloucester and Denys Finch Hatten (Karen Blixen’s lover.) She learnt to fly in Kenya, working for a while as a spotter for big game hunters on safari before becoming the first woman to gain a commercial pilot’s licence. In 1936 she set out in her plane to cross the Atlantic, crash landing in Canada and falling short of her original New York destination, but nevertheless completing her quest. She lived until the age of 83, training horses for the rest of her career. Her memoirs went on to become a bestselling book. Her story is as gripping today as it every was.

West with the Night by Beryl Markham is available here http://www.amazon.com/West-Night-Beryl-Markham/dp/1578989531

The Film: Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine opens on July 26th. Starring the impeccably chic Cate Blanchett, it promises a return to more serious form for the director. Telling the story of a fashionable Manhattan housewife (Blanchett, of course,) who’s husband (Alec Baldwin,) turns out to be a crook, it examines her move from the upper eschalons of society to a life lived with her sister in San Francisco after the collapse of her marriage. Poignant, timely and with signature Allen razor sharp social observations and what’s being billed as a knockout performance by Blanchett, it’s one not to miss this summer.  Out July 26th.

The Book: A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams. A love affair, a betrayal and a story set in the picture perfect Rhode Island seaside community that is 1930′s Seaview give this all the perfect ingredients for beach read of the summer.  www.amazon.com/A-Hundred-Summers-Beatriz-Williams/dp/039916216X

The Exhibitions: London is having a moment. Photographer Miles Aldridge’s exhibition at Somerset House shows his extraordinary colourful prints from now until September, whilst ‘David Bowie Is’ at London’s Victoria and Albert museum is a biopic of his extraordinary life as told through his extraordinary fashion. On show also until September, it’s a must see for anyone passing through the city this summer. Or, for travellers keen on further flung inspiration, Mate, Mario Testino’s non profit Arts Foundation based in his native Lima, Peru has a show featuring the supersnapper’s extraordinary shots of his country’s indigenous tribes from Cusco. (And, for those who cant’ quite make the trip, there’s always the T Shirt to buy via Net-a-porter.com here!)

The Album: When it comes to the feelgood factor, it’s all about the Great Gatsby Soundtrack this summer. From Lana del Rey to Florence and the Machine, Beyonce to Bryan Ferry, it features too many of our favorites not to be our pick for sound of the season.

The Destination: Dedon Island, found on the Siargo island in the Philippines is the latest barefoot luxury hot spot on the map. Conceived by it’s German founder Bobby Dekeyser, who runs an outdoor furniture company with the same name and designed with a ‘barefoot state of mind’ at the forefront of it’s concerns, it has just nine eco friendly villas perched on the edge of it’s perfect white beach. Add in crystal clear waters, mangrove filled forests, it’s hanging wicker day beds, cotton voile adorned rooms, open fronted villa porches and infinity pools, and this place is a million miles away – in all senses. www.dedonisland.com

And the one to keep the kids occupied on the plane: The National Parks Pop Up Book. Just out this month, this brilliantly conceived compendium features fabulous pop up imagery and ‘who would have thought it’ facts on 18 of America’s most famous national parks. From Yosemite to the Everglades to the Grand Canyon, it’s a kid’s book designed to provoke a bit of old fashioned wonder – and one that donates it’s profits to benefit the parks, too.  www.nationalparkspopup.com

The brainchild of Rose Carrarini and her husband Jean Claude, The Rose Bakery was opened near the Gare du Nord in 2002. Daring to tell the French how to eat, the couple (she is British, he French, they had previously worked in fashion and launched a cafe in London,) quickly became famous for their delicious salads and incredible treats (the lemon polenta cake and carrot cake being particularly well known highlights.) Quickly, it became a must do stop on the Paris visitors list -and a particular favourite of the fashion week crowd. The cafe’s understated look, impeccable fresh ingredients and simple but delicious food proved too much of a killer combo for most to resist. For those not currently heading to Japan or Paris, however, help is at hand. The cafe have published two books, the latest, How To Boil an Egg, just a couple of months ago, and they’re great. Simple, delicious recipes that are the chicest take on naughty eating we’ve ever seen. So good, they might convince even us to break out the baking trays.

To get you started, here’s their recipe for Carrot Cake:

Rose’s carrot cake

Serves 8

unsalted butter, for greasing
4 eggs
225g caster sugar
300ml sunflower oil
9 medium carrots, finely grated
300g plain flour, sifted
1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 rounded tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1/2 tsp salt
150g finely chopped walnuts

for the icing

125g unsalted butter, softened
250g cream cheese
1/2 tsp natural vanilla extract
50-75g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Butter a 23cm cake tin and line the base with parchment. Beat the eggs and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Pour in the oil and beat for a few more minutes. Fold in the carrots then the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Fold in the walnuts. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool the cake in the tin before taking it out. To make the icing, beat the butter with the cream cheese and add the vanilla extract and icing sugar. Ice when the cake is cool.

All Pictures from: Breakfast, Lunch and Tea and How to Boil an Egg by the Rose Bakery

Books available at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Boil-Egg-Rose-Carrarini/dp/071486241X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Lunch-Tea-Little-Bakery/dp/0714844659