XANAX OR WATCHING THE KARDASHIAN's and it's hat time of year.

Mr Treacy's beautiful hat, I do love using Mr again.

I left home to visit The Cannes Film Festival and Valentino's Traviata, and on the way realised that my stomach spasms are completely caused by nerves, which I thought were a Victorian phenomenon and all I would have to do is loosen my corset, I had to have my gallbladder removed two years ago, from tightening the previous one.  Help, I have the vapours? I went to the doctor and he said that indeed they did exist, known as hysteria or mental fatigue.  I said to him "They hurt physically not mentally" He said rather sarcastically "Indeed" His recipe was sending my housekeeper out for one hundred Xanax, most people would be thrilled but I knew I was doomed. All I could think was that I would be unconscious for the next few weeks. Not great for a control freak like me. I like to be razor sharp.The Xanax would destroy my memory. Instead, I threw them all down the loo. I would rather have pain than be unconscious.

Why are extremes considered so very attractive? The highest note so admired, or the skinniest woman considered a beauty, it is neither desirable or pretty. Women like robust men to protect them, well I certainly do. Mentally strong and daring.  Why is a spoonful of food at a thousand pounds a teaspoonful, interesting? Why do we like poor foreigners, but not rich ones? Why are the rich considered to be bad and the poor good? There are so many questions. If you go back in history and see what people achieved. It was much more industrious with very little. We need culture otherwise, we fail massively and become soulless creatures without it. Why I say this is because I watched The Kardashian's for eight hours the other day to understand why they are so popular. I understand now, it is because they are comfortingly ordinary with an ounce of glamour,  just to make the whole debacle attractive. It is a ribbon on a rather plain box.  People, therefore,  relate to them easily, their normal boring  conversations, about whether a boyfriend was needing help or not, or whether poor Kim was in a bad mood with her family, or her Mother Chris was being a nag. Everything is sad because it is about money, ego and fashion. The programme was so boring that it was alluring and I began to truly love the family especially Kendall and Chris, the Xanax would have been useful, yet I didn't want to close my eyes and miss a second of it.

Violetta

Neiman Marcus, purveyor of cloth, in my opinion, was so right when he said "Women who wear black live colorful lives" My life is infinitely more fun than the big K's of Hollywood. I guarantee I laugh more and have more drama. I really do. If it was filmed it would be car crash television.
So back to Rome and architecture, history and music.
Definitely, the subtle changes of black with dashes of red and green for the costumes, in La Traviata, in Sofia Coppola's production were quite extraordinary and a huge coup for Rome.  Ah, for the love of Rome.  Mr. Valentino/ Garavani believed in black too. The real opening, not the opening for Mr.Valentino's friends with loads of celebrities and air kissing, was a huge success and worth all the nerves and drama getting there, but then that is another story. The traditional set by Nathan Crowley,  Batman's designer, was beautiful, sung by the young voice of Francesca Dotto for the part of Violetta. I was awake and alive, the interpretation, brilliant, so glad I threw away the big X. My feelings were more optimistic than the bitchy, jealous and jaded reviews it received. In my opinion, the combination of Valentino and Coppola have awakened the Opera world. If you had been there and disagreed, go again, concentrate and you will be taken in.
Thank god it's hat time of year.

Mr Jones's beautiful hat.