Happy Birthday Coco Chanel and King Karl's tribute

Tomorrow Monday August 19 is Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's birthday - it is 130 years ago since she was born in Saumur, France.

Her legacy as a fashion designer and founder of brand Chanel continues strongly, well after her death in Paris in 1971, aged 87.

Fashion as we now it today, not just clothes, but handbags, perfume, accessories such as costume and fine jewellery, was groundbreaking when done by Chanel in the 20th Century.

Yes, she was a driven woman, a businesswoman, her worked hard to protect her company (even associating with the Nazis) but intentionally or not, she also was an early feminist, as her relaxed style of clothes after World War I started to liberate women from the dated and literally strait-laced customs they had endured.

Newer fashion labels and designers have arisen since Chanel appeared on the cover of Time magazine as one of the 20th century's most influential people (the only fashion designer) but there is something classic, special and luxurious about owning a piece of Chanel, even it's just a mascara or lipstick.

Back in May, Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel's creative director and the keeper of the Chanel flame, released his black and white short film, Once Upon a Time..., to mark 100 years of the company – in 1913 Chanel opened a shop in the seaside French resort town of Deauville in 1913.

The 18-minute film (video link below) stars the gorgeous Keira Knightley (a face of the Chanel brand) as a young Chanel and a host of models and names, many of Karl’s muses, in the supporting cast. It's really delightful.

Keira Knightly as Chanel circa 1913

Financed by Chanel’s ill-fated lover Arthur “Boy” Capel, the seaside shop saw immediate success, and the rest has been history.

Opening scene in Once Upon A Time by Karl Lagerfield

The film was apparently improvised, the stars making up their lines as they went along. Chanel is shown being helped by her aunt Adrienne — played by actress Clotilde Hemse — as she caters to wealthy clients. Karl has imagined where she might have picked up her famous trends and influences: “Tweed jackets are very chic on a woman,” she observes in the film.

When English novelist and famous gardener Vita Sackville-West — played by Saskia de Brauw — looks through the windows of the store toward the end of the film, she asks herself, "I wonder what it will be in 100 years from now?"

Step back in time 100 years. Enjoy.

Reflecting on gender divide in Adelaide's street art

There are 108 pieces of public art in Adelaide’s inner-city, from behind the Zoo in the north to the south parklands near Greenhill Rd.

I didn’t personally count them, that’s just how many are tagged on the excellent (but slightly dated) walking guide to public art published by Adelaide City Council.

It’s dated because it doesn’t include the 11 additions on the Bike Art Trail, which Talking Adelaide has posted about previously here. Among the other 108, the oldest dates from 1923; it's in the Art Gallery’s northern courtyard, the bronze sculpture La Vierge a l’Offrande (Virgin of the Offering) by Emile Antoine Bourdelle (a prolific French sculptor).

Impressive is just how many women feature on this list of 108. My attention to the gender split was inspired by this year’s London Art Audit – which found that in east London, only 14 per cent of public works of art were created by women, while in the boroughs of Westminster and the City of London it's just 8 per cent (of 386 public art works). The Guardian’s story about the audit by East London Fawcett (ELF) is here.

Reading this prompted me to carry out my own unscientific audit by counting how many women appeared on the City of Adelaide public art walking guide.

Of the 51 pieces listed as being in the Riverbank, Adelaide Zoo, Festival Centre and North Tce precinct, there are 15 by or co-credited to women. That’s 29 per cent.

Of the 57 found across the rest of the inner-city and parklands, 20 are by women – that’s 35 per cent. A lot better than in London, but still under-represented when it comes to men.

The earliest piece of public art by a woman is the rather lovely modern looking sculpture in the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Gardens, by Ola Cohn for landscape designer Elsie Cornish. 

Ola Cohn's sculpture in the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Gardens

It appears the next work by a woman didn’t appear until 1963 – Norma Redpath OBE only died in January this year. Her Immortal Warrior bronze is outside the former Reserve Bank building (now part of Flinders Uni) in Flinders St, near Victoria Square.

Then it was a gap of another decade, until 1973 when the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust acquired Ultimate Form, by legendary UK sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth. I’ve seen this piece dated 1970 and 1971 – either way it didn’t appear hear until the Festival Centre was opened (this year is its 40th anniversary). Bronwyn Watson writing in The Australian last year quite rightly says this piece “graces” the AFC’s lawns. It does.

Barbara Hepworth's Ultimate Form outside the Festival Theatre. Picture: The Australian

Watson wrote: “The sculpture, Ultimate Form, is from Hepworth's Family of Man series, which was completed not long before the artist's death in a fire in her studio in 1975.”

Arguably the most popular piece of public art in Adelaide is by a woman – the four pigs in Rundle Mall. This work unveiled in 1999, is actually called A Day Out, by artist Marguerite Derricourt.  Angela Valamanesh, partner to fellow artist and husband Hossein, has several credits as does Margie Patrick (in the Westpac House foyer); while just three indigenous women (Eileen Karpany, Pantjiti Tiyangu McKenzie and Chetana Andary) also make the list.

Two of my personal favourites are by the same artist: Catherine Truman. Slate Pool Walking – known as “the fish gates” in my family (and pictured at the top) are at the back of the Art Gallery and her Way of Seeing – those beautiful perpetually autumnal leaves that hang off the north face of the David Jones building.

Catherine Truman's autumn leaves or Way of Seeing on North Tce.

Have you got a favourite piece of public art in Adelaide? Share.

City of Adelaide public art map - link here

Apples and customised doppelgängers

Apple. A fruit. A record label. A computer used by graphic designers.

Remember the first time you saw, let alone touched an Apple product?

Do you remember why Apple computers are called Macs? As in Macintosh?

Cousin Sarah is a graphic designer and we shared a house for more than a decade from 1992. She used an Apple at work.

So did the graphic designers at Messenger, where I worked. We had PCs, they had Macs. Graphic artists or designers were the only people I knew who worked on an Apple/Macintosh product.

In the late ‘90s, Sarah brought her own Apple into our home – a turquoise iMac. I remember looking at it as if it was alien. But soooo pretty.

Now I’m sitting here writing this on my MacBook Pro; I’m on my third iPad and iPhone. I look at iTunes and the App store more often than my washing basket.

For a while I was mostly buying books iBooks (and Kindle) until I discovered Diesel and Booktopia.

In 2013, Adelaide finally joined every other reasonably sized city and got it’s own Apple store. An early 21st century mark of maturity.

Apple founder the late Steve Jobs is the subject of a new Hollywood biopic, and is portrayed by Aston Kutcher. I’m no orphan when it came to being surprised by the casting.

Aston Kutcher as Steve Jobs. 

One of my favourite websites, Into the Gloss, sums it up really well. The trailer is enticing. And Kutcher looks the goods.

I must admit I’m also looking forward to seeing Naomi Watts portray Princess Diana and Nicole Kidman do Princess Grace.  

Check out Into the Gloss’ top 37 biopic players in this slideshow and Aston's trailer here. And the Diana trailer here.

How many of these films have you seen?

Naomi Watts as Diana.

Meat-free Monday: Sesame pastry cases with onion and pumpkin

This recipe is from nutritionist Janella Purcell, when she was on the LifestyleFood show, Good Chef, Bad Chef, with (MasterChef Australia's) Gary Mehigan in 2009. Monsieur D made them and they became a favourite – they could be an appetiser, entrée or main if served with a salad.

Sesame pastry cases with onion and pumpkin (pictured borrowed from muppyat.blogspot.com)

Ingredients


2 1/2 cups spelt flour
 (wholemeal will do)



1 cup toasted sesame seeds


1 cup sesame oil
 (we used only half a cup because it made the pastry less oily)



1 1/2 cups boiling water




2 tbls tamari
 (for pastry cases)

1 onion, finley sliced




500ml vegetable stock


1 tbls ginger juice


1 tsp tamari
 (for onions)



1 cup japanese (nap) pumpkin, cubed and steamed
 (any pumpkin will do)

1 packet of silken tofu




2 tbls shiro miso paste
 (optional)

1 tsp umeboshi or white wine vinegar

Method

For the cases, combine the dry ingredients and blend the wet ingredients separately. Mix together slowly then knead for a couple of minutes. It should be quite oily and elastic. Let pastry sit for 30 minutes under a dry cloth. Roll out pastry to 1cm thick, (you may need a little flour on the bench) then using a biscuit cutter fit into individual non stick muffin cases. Our recipe says to take at 180C for 10 minutes, our oven is fan-forced (I noticed she also suggests 200C for 15 minutes). The cases will harden once they cool.

Meanwhile, prepare your filling – put the onions in a pot with the stock, ginger juice and tamari. Bring to the boil then drop to a simmer until the liquid is evaporated. Meanwhile, blend your pumpkin together with the tofu and vinegar.

To assemble, put a little miso paste on the bottom of each case *** this is optional, I suggest trying out the miso, we left it out after the first time these were made because it was just too salty for our tastes. Fill the cases half way up with the onion mixture. Finally dollop each case with some of the pumpkin puree.

For presentation, you could sprinkle a few toasted sesame seeds on the top, or a few chopped herbs, such as coriander for colour.

Voila. Enjoy.

Artful courage of SALA artists

Putting yourself out there in public, exposing your previously private hobby, passion or activity to scrutiny can be intimidating.

It takes guts. Requires support. Not to mention a dose of talent.

It also takes an investment of time.

It’s SALA Festival month, and all over Adelaide there are people who are risking their reputation, prepared to give it a go by hanging their artwork up in all sorts of spaces to be judged by the rest of us.

Suzi Ting at her exhibition opening

Talking Adelaide is full of admiration.

One such person is Suzi Ting, a trained artist (Adelaide Central School of Art) and former high school visual arts teacher who now works as a stylist and producer alongside her husband, photographer Randy Larcombe.

Suzi’s been aspiring to hold a SALA exhibition for some time and this year waited until the last day to shut her eyes, hit “send” and lodge her online entry.

With Randy’s support, she got seven pictures finished and called them Collected.

They’re gorgeous, pastel-coloured, layered drawings, charcoal is the main media.

“In between, I use layers of acryclic both thick and thin, like water colour, sometimes shellac or collaged found papers or printed papers, “ Suzi explains.

The subjects are seemingly inspired by Suzi’s domestic life. “I am a bit of a collector; of recipes, crockery, kitchen objects, and interesting ingredients, also natural objects like seedpods, shark eggs and nests," she says.

“Food memories often appear in my work for example the crockery I inherited from both grandmothers speak also of the moments we were brought together over shared meals. My father is Malaysian Chinese and I've always been interested in the difference in the approach to food between my Chinese side of the family and the anglo side. 

“I also work as a prop stylist which means I can now justify, indulge my collecting more legitimately and these collected objects often turn up in my work.”

The titles of the drawings include: memories of laksa; a bowl of comfort; the art of tea; feeling wonton; nanna’s cup, grandma’s bowl; rock, scissors paper; and spilling beans.

“My creative background has been as a secondary art teacher and now photographic producer and stylist. I've always loved making things or helping others tap into their creative side,” Suzi says.

“Juggling this with a young family has led to me getting back to basics with drawing, though I have worked with printmaking, ceramics and painting in the past.

“Drawing is very immediate and suits my busy juggle of kids and work. Drawing for me is about simple mark making and fulfills the most elemental need to document my world in my own way.”

If you want to see Suzi at work and talking first hand about the process and her motivation - watch this great video below by Randy (click on the caption).

Suzi Ting - making her mark.

Suzi’s work is hanging in the popular café The Stranded Store, on The Strand, in Colonel Light Gardens, until the end of August.

And there’s already a few red dots alongside them.

Get out there and look at some SALA work this month – and admire not just the skill on show but the courage too.

SALA Festival

The Stranded Store

A bowl of comfort

Memories of laksa

Feeling wonton

Spilling the beans

Rock, scissors, paper

Nanna's cup, grandma's bowl

Going PUBLIC

It’s not really the done thing to write about Restaurant B when you’re supposed to be spruiking Restaurant A but hey, it’s my blog and I’ll wine if I want to. 

PUBLIC café/bar/restaurant opened in Waymouth St, Adelaide, in November 2012. I first ate at Public in July 2011. How is that so, you wonder? 

Public happens to be one of New York City’s best restaurants, awarded a Michelin Star last year. It was a memorable first of five nights of dining in New York on that trip and chosen by my sister Christine, who was living in Toronto at the time.

Memorable, not just for my first New York martini and the brilliant food of chef Brad Farmerie, but because after 28 hours of flying all the way from Adelaide, I opened the drink list to find they had Coopers Pale Ale and about four wines from South Australia, whites and reds, being poured. Even more were available by the bottle including Penfold's Grange. A recent check of the list online showed the SA presence hasn’t changed; you’ll find Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2008; Turkey Flat Grenache Shiraz, Barossa 2012; Tir Na N’Og, Grenache, 2008 McLaren Vale. If you want to check the other local wines on the list view it here.

So I recently returned to Public, this time Adelaide’s PUBLIC (their capitals not mine). A daytime café and a restaurant in Franklin St, it’s opened for dinner on Friday’s only.

The talented and now award-winning PUBLIC head chef Stewart Wesson. All photos: Russell Millard

A group of PUBLIC’s friends and media were invited along to taste some of the dishes that head chef Stewart Wesson has devised for the restaurant and bar’s new “Freestyle Friday”.

It's worth noting at this point that a few nights later Wesson was named Restaurant Chef of the Year at the SA Restaurant & Catering Awards. Congratulations. 

House Cured Salmon on tapioca crackers

Coffin Bay Oysters

Nobody could get enough on this night of his Potato Langos – fingers of Hungarian fried potato bread used to scoop up a refreshing dill and cheese dip. The House Cured Salmon, served with cubed cucumber and avocado on puffed tapioca crackers was a dainty mixture of soft and crunchy; the lemony dressed Coffin Bay oysters were so fresh and good that my companion Roxy dropped her default reaction to decline oysters and declared the one she had delicious. The fourth taster was rectangles of thin wagyu beef wrapped in pickled daikon. A new match for me and a great combination.

Wesson told us the “food blew me away” on his recent trip to Europe, to compete in the San Pellegrino Cooking Cup.“It’s all about sharing (over there) and that’s what I wanted to bring to (PUBLIC’S) Friday night food”. One meal in Copenhagen lasted six hours.

He said the overseas experience had taught him South Australians have access to amazing produce and that diners appreciated the interaction with the kitchen staff in establishments with open cooking areas.

PUBLIC owner Danielle Elia said Wesson had returned “bursting with ideas” for Friday nights and the philosophy that “good food deserves to be shared” which had set the tone for the new menu which consists of tasting plates, small and large.

Wesson has been joined in the kitchen by Melody Herbert, who recently worked alongside Peter Gilmore at Quay, in Sydney. Expect to see some decadent desserts at PUBLIC in future.

To find out more about PUBLIC, Freestyle Fridays and its menu, visit here.

 ***All the wonderful photographs accompanying this post are by the talented Russell Millard, a friend and former colleague. You can reach Rusty at his website here.

Stewart Wesson preparing his tasting plates in the open kitchen with Danielle Elia

PUBLIC's James and Danielle Elia

The interior of PUBLIC

Meet the Paso Wine Man

Apparently the McLaren Vale region was just a little bit snitty about all publicity the Barossa has recently received since the launch of the recent moody TV ad "Be Consumed" with the Nick Cave soundtrack.

Perhaps McV could adopt the philosophy "talent is borrowed, genius is stolen" (see here) and follow in the footsteps of the Paso Robles wine region in California and create the Vale Male.  

This is the Paso Wine Man, actor and local resident Casey Riggs, who features in a series of clever (and informative) videos about the Paso region and its wine varieties.  Remember the award-wining Old Spice ad? It's got that kind of flavour. Click on Casey's picture to view one of the videos:

Paso Wine Man

I thank my uncle David Lloyd, owner and wine-maker of Eldridge Estate of Red Hill (Mornington Peninsula) for introducing me to the Paso Wine Man. As a Pinot Noir obssessive, David, I suspect, found the Paso Wine Man because of this Pinot vid. He agrees Paso Man rocks and admires the region's marketing too. I like the catch line "grow wild".

Never heard of the Paso wine region? Sandwiched between the desert and the Pacific coast, it's located halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. It has 26,000 acres of vines and produces 40 different wine varieties. 

You can read more about Paso here and see all the videos here

 (Okay - here's a bit of synchronicity, while I'm writing this the Barossa ad actually just came on during SkyNews this morning! That is just too weird). Watch it here.

Online shopping temptations at Nordstrom's

Talking Adelaide has shopped quite a bit locally in the past week - at Denim Iniquity, Country Road (Rundle Mall) DJs and Sunglass Hut - so, with that in mind, this is a guilt-free online shopping recommendation.

There's two (depending on your time zone) days to go in US department store Nordstrom's amazing online anniversary sale.  What better way to spend a dreary weekend than couch shopping in front of the footy?

There are considerable reductions on items to be had - especially in the designer section here but you don't have to spend anywhere near these prices to still get a great bargain on classic not just fashion pieces.

This is a decent sale too - where current items are marked down, not just the stuff Nordstrom's can't sell or shift. 

Talking Adelaide has succumbed to a pair of black, suede booties (pictured below) that were 25 per cent off the usual price but could easily do damage in the handbag section. You could pick up some early buys for spring/summer or extend you winter wardrobe. Of course the sale is for guys and kids too. Even homewares.

And the shipping charges are virtually nothing. 

As Talking Adelaide likes to say, "you have to spend money to save money". Just click on the sale image above to go to the sale site.

If you have a particular designer or brand you like, search via the brand link on the homepage; the sale items are generally listed first, and there seems to be something from every brand on sale. 

Love to know if you pick up a bargain.

Back-street newbie: Five Little Figs

Between Gepps Cross and Darlington, it can still take only 20 minutes to get most places (outside of peak hours) but many of us Adelaideans still tend to hover locally.

It’s rare, say, to drive across town for a just a coffee and the ever-present friand. Even if it’s really good.

Nevertheless, I found myself in the far east recently, in Payneham South, and a delightful back-street café/shop, Five Little Figs.

Five Little Figs, Payneham South

My friend Alison works at Magill and Five Little Figs was chosen because it was accessible in her lunch break and away from busy Norwood. Her son Ned goes to nearby Trinity Gardens Primary and she was keen to try something recently opened in the neighbourhood.

Five Little Figs is owned by longtime Adelaide chef Michelle Campbell.

Her most recent past has been as co-owner of the award-winning Kinderchef, running cooking courses for children started well-before Junior Masterchef. She may have catered an event you attended or you may know one of her previous restaurants, The Table, in Stirling, and originally Brown Dog Café, Goodwood. She also has been guest chef for many SA food producing companies such as Menz (Fruchocs) and Beerenberg.

To describe the food at Five Little Figs as simple, seasonal and hearty is underplaying Campbell’s skill: it’s also clever, thoughtful and bursting with flavours.

Broccoli and zucchini soup.

Carrot and lentil soup. 

There are generous bowls of soup with crusty bread, creative salads, gourmet baguettes, pot pies – daily specials are marked on a blackboard.

The eye candy is the sweeties in the lovely curved glass display cabinet.

If you still have room, a daily selection of sweeties at Five Little Figs. 

Save room for a big slice of a cake, flan or pie, a prettily decorated cake.

Vegans, vegetarians and coeliacs are all catered for.

Alison remarked that Five Little Figs reminded her of the café/shop E for Ethel, in Melbourne St. Don’t know it – out of my patch too.

Given Michelle’s recent background, Five Little Figs is very kid friendly. There's also a small retail space with children's clothing and boutique-y gardening items.

Oh, and they do breakfast 8.30am-11.30am, lunch 12-2.30pm, coffee and cake all day to 4pm.

I’ve visited twice now and left both times having enjoyed my back-street sojourn.

Have you made a back-street suburban discovery? Share it with Talking Adelaide.

Five Little Figs, corner Ashbrook Ave and Devitt Ave, Payneham South.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize