VENICE FILM FESTIVAL the clothes I wore:

Alexander Mcqueen with gold Alexander Wang glasses.

Mui Mui white Summer Dress with Alexander Wang Summer Glasses.

Saint Laurent top with a Balmain skirt, necklace from the Amanjena,

As you all know I am The Fashion Editor for Genlux Magazine. Like every woman, I have to think about what to wear? Actually I hate thinking about clothes, and tend to buy all the same dresses, I usually get teased for this. However, my body does not change so the same clothing suit me. I think mostly about what creases, what looks good all day and can look good into the night.
It was suggested that I should take photographs of my looks for Venice so despite being well documented I shall put them into this blog.
I have been so far to 9 films, roughly three a day. I am quite overwhelmed with tiredness. The concentration to watch a film properly is taxing. Like reading a book without skimming sentences.
Anyway I needed clothes for 6 hour stints in the theatre that did not crease and it was boiling hot. The audience look tired and hot, except the few that turn up just to be photographed, the clothes look worn out.
The following ensembles stood up to the test of heat mixed with seat, and looked great at the end.
The best was a Balmain skirt with no creased in it at all. It lasted from 2.00pm until midnight and looked immaculate.

Victoria Beckham Dress  

LAMANIA dress and a Chloe Bag with a gold chain.

Roland Mouret top with a Roland Mouret skirt, Alexander Wang Glasses and my Lanvin Belt with boys who thought I was a Hollywood star.

Words with Gods Trailer

HOT AIR COOL NIGHTS:VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

The reason why I love the Venice Film Festival above all other festivals, is that it is seriously glamorous, it still has a 1950's - 1970's appeal, when Fellini and Visconti were still in their prime. High art and cinematic splendour make this place special. With over twenty films in competition the stakes are high, there are also many films not in competition too. I was lucky enough to be invited by the elegant and clever Marina Cicogna, loving the red carpet as I do, I thought I would enjoy the whirlwind, and armed with my favourite evening dress from Lamania, it was a must.
This year the panel of judges are interesting too. There is a French feel to the Festival. with sponsorship from Renault and French composer, Alexandre Desplat, heading the jury with his charm. Of course last year Masarati made a splash here, so with Renault there is a different more real and business like feel to the Film Festival.
Venice is a place you meet wonderful people in lifts and gondolas. It is magical. Today I was fortunate to talk to a new talent in film making called Alice Rohrwacher who you may know made Heavenly Bodies. She is President of the Jury finding the best next new comer. I have a lot to be thankful for my friendship with The Italian People and for the support they gave my film, The gun the cake and the butterfly, last year. The Ischia Film International Festival and the NYCIFF, headed by Pascal Vicedomini and Roberto Rizzo.
I am staying at the Excelsior which is much more convenient for the films than the Cipriani, but less convenient if you wish to party and see Venice. I have not heard bells of a church or a sound of a motorboat once.
Here with Natalia Sousa, hairdresser to the stars who works at Snowden Hill's new salon Duck and Dry, I am made to look good evan in bed.

MARINA CICOGNA

There is a darker side to to Venice, it  is also a place where you have to watch your pockets, my computer was  annoyingly stolen out of trolley in the airport. One minute it was there and the next it was on an escalator to heaven knows where. The thief will have fun, hope he does not steal my next script.

Birdman opened the festival and was directed by Alejandro Gonsalez, who previously directed the award winning film Babel opened the First Night. The film was incredible, the drumming score, kept me alive along with the very realistic fights between Michael Keaton and Edward Norton. Michael's aggressive portrayal playing the part with his alter ego and the roughness between living his life as a superhero and failure, left the audience gasping. He was Birdman after all. With the wide eye stares of Emma Stone, he flys, literally.

AMANDA ELIASCH

I also watched a wonderful comedy about Charlie Chaplin's body stolen from Vevey in Switzerland. The price of fame directed by Xavier Beauvois, was fully supported by the Chaplins. The film was a light comedy accompanied by the thrills of a Michel Le Grand score, a lovely story about a pair of petty gangsters who need money desperately to support a family, and a wife who is sick with chronic arthritis and needs a hugely expensive operation to combat it. The petty thieves from Eastern Europe hold the body hostage, in a field while they make massive mistakes trying to get money. It is too long, but it is funny and at moments compelling.

NATALIA SOUZA wearing Emilia Wickstead and AMANDA ELIASCH wearing Victoria Beckham

Then I also had the luck to see a Chinese film  directed by Peter Ho San Chan called Dearest, about the kidnapping and abduction of children in China, which I truly thought would make a terrific television series and which ended just when I wanted to know what happened. Annoying as it was, it had so many stories going into it, and I just wanted to know if the children were safe.

Marina Cicogna's film Medea - Pier Paolo Pasolini - (1969) Film completo

AMANDA ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE CHEAT NO ICECUBES Broadband

RAINBOWS FROM DIAMONDS

It is good to do new things, evan for a day or two. I always have incredible moments of realisation. To go by train and see England's wonderful coastline is a first for me. I actually wish to take a boat round England if anyone could face it.

A SIGN A REAL RAINBOW

NEWCASTLE

I came to Edinburgh for the night to watch my friend Nancy Dell'ollio perform in her show, Rainbows from Diamonds. It is always tricky to perform in public. Television and film for me are much easier, and despite the fact I had extensive training, I would not wish to sit on the stage talking on my own for more than 4 minutes. Nancy was certainly brave.  Nancy had us all cheering. You could not but admire her. When some silly women laughed in the wrong place, she said to me afterwards, "At least they laughed" she evan said to them stridently "If you want to laugh in the wrong places, perhaps leave?".   She was right. Her fast performance may need more work, indeed it is her first show of this nature, but there is nothing more special than seeing people work on a play or indeed perform, it is easier to be critical, but in this case I just came to see my friend.  If you are a fan of Nancy's then watch her,  she has stage presence, her exotic looks, half Jewish half Italian swing into action in a white suit with black lapels, she is like nobody else on the planet as she takes you through her romances, her disappointments, her trials and tribulations, with her charismatic Italian accent.  Of course it needs adding to, I did a play three years ago and then a film, and I have made constant changes to it. It is never ending. But, you just can't help smiling in the right places, laughing and evan crying. Nancy has the ability to make you want to help her succeed, that is her pure clean energy.  I want to say one more thing "Happy Birthday, you did it."

As a friend she is supportive too, today after a gruelling week, as she came to my son, Charles Eliasch's, performance at St Mary's  Cathedral with Sofia Dimitrova, both from Mannes College of Music and Charles and Will Shaw, accompany them on the piano, are from The Royal Welsh College. They were all truly talented, I appreciated the hard work that these young opera singers put themselves through, totally mesmerising. Then Will's piano playing was excellent. Usually accompanists are just that. This time Will did a beautiful job.

GOGO NANCY

After a good nights sleep at the Prestonfield House, a stunning hotel with grounds that are perfect,, a delicious dinner last night, I am ready to get on the train again. I sadly did not a chance to see Lili La Scala perform. I am sure she will be there next year. Edinburgh has high standards and an educated audience, I was pleased to see so many people attending, and in church too.
Congratulations to you all

RACHMANINOFF: PENNARIO / Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30 / 2/4

LET'sTHINK AND ALL DESERVE TO LIVE

I would like to jump on a plane to rescue the Yazidis. I switch between CNN and Aljazeera News in a  frantic way to understand what is happening in real time, on the borders of Iraq and Syria. The rest of the Middle East too. The Islamic State (ISIS) threatening to kill them and chop off their heads and anybody else's,  if they don't immediately succumb to their medieval, ungodly ways, which by the way are not in the Koran. My feeling is this. If boys from Great Britain have joined the militants, they in turn should be not allowed back into England, the country that paid for their education and helped their families when they needed it, then indeed they must remain with their own.
It is confusing to say the least who is good in all these stories, The people in these poor countries are all surely aware that what is happening is a disaster. Actually whoever is in the wrong is probably having a great holiday in Ibiza or St Tropez right now. What a summer it has been between warring factions and,  the turmoil created by the weapons industry must stop. In the name of religion,  shocking war crimes are being committed.

HERO OF THE HOUR IVAN WATSON

Ivan Watson is reporting on the war torn country of Iraq on behalf of CNN, he has a major fan. ME. He has become the hero of the hour. He did a mini documentary on the plight of the Yasidees It was moving and extremely informative, and as I say I want to help the children.
If only they could bring the families here? As we take in about 500,000 immigrants a year surely there is room for a few Christians?

Oh back to beauty…

PLEASURE AT THE AMANJENA

I have just been  in Marrakech where the peaceful people of this country, are a mixture of  religions.   Delightful, amongst the palms of this Oasis. Life is as near heaven as you can get, superficially anyway. I stayed at the Amanjena, which after 15 years, has a magical appeal as it has grown into itself. I love the hammam, the large swimming pool, the beautiful rooms where you listen to the birds in the morning. Nature at its best. Then there is the madness of the medina, I have so many memories, the best was when I  visited a magic man who has since died with Belinda Carlisle. We had so much fun as we were hypnotised in believing he was so very attractive.

Back in London I had to dash off to Duck and Dry the new concept in hair dressing that everybody can look good, for reasonable prices. You can have your hair and make up done by anyone of the brilliant stylists on offer. Guaranteed to turn you into a Hollywood star. With Snowden Hill as the boss, I know Chelsea will look a whole lot prettier.

As for the blackberry,  I reckon the coolest people still love it.  I do, as do artists, Inesa-Barrington De La Roche. I love their work, humour and style. They have the IT factor. Anyway I like to write a letter and don't get pleasure from smilies.

My son says that the war in The Middle East is being helped and fed by Twitter users? Is this true?
Oh for goodness sake can we all have peace?
PEACE. I do not like wars with anybody.

SECRETS OF A BUTTERFLY SIZZLER FINAL H264

THE HILLS ARE AGAIN ALIVE

Sometimes a little jealousy, despite being a deadly sin, in the guise of flattery, is good. Hans Schavernoch deserves complete and utter admiration for his set in The Salzburg Opera House for Strauss's opera Rosenkavalier, part of the Salzburg Festival. Talented, stunning, the set honestly touched me. The photography, video design  combined the poetry, music, the story and made us enter the stunning world of these people. The story remains the same, man in love with a woman, who is too old, but has great love for him,  gives him to a younger woman. There is real expertise, to keep us all awake in our chairs, in what could be a very long opera despite its brilliant musicality, is of course topped off by the excellent singing by  Sophie Koch.  Franz Welser-Most's conducting takes us through the trials and tribulations of the story, and keeps the whole evening alive.  Of course I am a lover of Strauss, The four last songs, Elektra and my favourite Salome which I once saw with the wonderful Behsat Ahmet who helped me with my film, The gun the cake and the butterfly. The Amadeus Week end in Salzburg is definitely the place to be, and where music is at its best. It is the brainchild of Eva O'Neill and she does it so well. I was so happy to be included. With Il Trovatore with Anna Netrebko, everything was extraordinary but in any case these wonderful young singers will be the stars of the future, I saw that last night. The talent and energy is there.

PAPAGENO IN MAGIC FLUTE WITH CHARLES ELIASCH

The Salzburg Festival has so many operas on at one time, and quite frankly I am as happy seeing students as professionals. Sometimes more so. The students have a passion that is lost often in mainstream opera, which is why it is not as popular as it should be. The Magic Flute two days ago is one such example, put on  by the brilliant Franco American Vocal Academy, FAVA, the group is truly worth catching if you can.  Their mission is to give expert tutoring to young talent under the guidance and directorship of the energetic and imaginative William Lewis. I know about it because my son Charles Eliasch is often included in their programme. This time he plays Papageno in The Magic Flute and in Bastien ind Bastienne he plays the part of Herr Colas, weaving his magical wand over the audience making us all squeal with laughter. Others were brilliant too, Brandon Dale has a promising voice, but I don't want to mention individuals as they were all good, just some were excellent. My son  Charles loves theatre and opera. Youth has life, and although the performances maybe young, there is spirit of adventure in the students demeanour that  I love.
Of course they don't have the resources to be able to benefit from Hans Schavernoch's set, but hopefully one day, as the students make the hills come alive around the ancient city of Salzburg.

AMANDA ELIASCH AND EVA O'NEILL

Buckle Up: schoolgirls put message to end FGM into song

Buckle Up: schoolgirls put message to end FGM into song

CRAWLING ON THE FLOOR

I left London last week and the wonderful Lady Victoria Hervey was staying in my house in Cheyne Walk.  A charming and fun person to have around, I can see why there is a demand to have her at every party.

At the Viva again, this time is a bit heavy weather. I am not into injections or illness and last night I ended up in hospital. I gathered through the officious Austrian nurse I have a potassium problem. With great efficiency I found out what I was lacking. If only I had recognised it two hours earlier. The nurse said it was a matter of urgency that I took the medicine. I was literally crawling on the floor with my chest about to come out of my body. I had to wake everybody up at the Mayr Clinic.  This I did with great panache. I knocked on every door until I was greeted by one far too dishy man and a very elegant blonde. She was adorable and washed me and got me ready for hospital. The kindness of strangers seems surprising. I expect a lot from friends but really when needed, it seems to me that strangers are more thoughtful. My nightie was replaced by sports gear. She gave me sunglasses and an eye mask.

With only 5 pounds to go at the Mayr Clinic I am excited to be slim again.  Do not trust any man who says they like a fatso.  I am the living proof that a man who said that to me, two years ago, watched me put on one and a half stone.
With this war still going on in Gaza, it seems to me the cease fire is possible. The people selling the weapons, should perhaps get together to resolve it in the comfort of Club 55 in St Tropez.
As for dealing with my loneliness. I am not alone. There is a lot of action here at the Mayr, considering we are not eating and are at various stages of starvation.  I have made wonderful friends. It is strange that  when put in this situation  we all get on. It is incredible that when we can all be friends .
I feel like going on holiday in a caravan one of these days. Next week I go to the very chic Mozart week end in Salzburg. I shall see my son Charles perform. There are some things I do not want to miss, I  am enjoying  a Summer of culture.