IN CONVERSATION | Briony Wright

Briony Wright used to run the Australian edition of Vice and now heads ups the brand new, so fresh i-D Australia. She is funny and clever and whip smart and we knew she would be a fantastic interview subject for our In Conversation Proust questionnaire series. Here are her answers:

Briony Wright | Source

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being on holiday somewhere warm with our little girl and boy and experiencing new things together. That and a well-made margarita.

What is your greatest fear? 
Dedicated ravers.  


What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Indecision and lack of punctuality.  

What is the trait you most deplore in others? 
 Decisiveness and punctuality.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Nene King.

What is your greatest extravagance?
My perfume hobby. It’s expensive extracting the smells from things apparently.

What is your current state of mind?
Excited, focused and a little bit petrified.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Manners.

Which living person do you most admire?
 Beyond my entire family, all of my amazing friends and anyone helping other people in need and the environment, I’d have to say Terry and Tricia Jones who started i-D magazine 33 years ago. They were fashion trailblazers.

What is your favorite color and flower?
Aqua. Daisies and carnations.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
 I’m never eating/drinking again.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Decency.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Decency.

When and where were you happiest?
I actually think I’m as happy as I’ve ever been. It’s either age bringing contentment or complacency.

Which talent would you most like to have?
 I really want to be able to play the guitar.

What is your most treasured possession?
My grandma’s engagement ring.

Who are your heroes in real life?
Vivienne Westwood and my brother, Nick, who just gets it done.

Where would you like to live?
In Spain or anywhere they endorse siestas.

What is your favorite song?
”Human Nature” by Michael Jackson

What do you value most in your friends?
Their intelligence, sense of humour, kindness and example.

Who are your favorite writers?
There are too many to mention but perhaps Jesse Pearson from Apology when it comes to short-form journalism. He has a beautiful way of weaving a story.

Who are your favorite painters?
Yayoi Kusama, Howard Arkley and my daughter, who just painted me as an adorable ghost.

Who is your heroine of world history?
Aung San Suu Kyi.

Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Jean Seberg as Patricia in Breathless.

What is your motto?
You get what you give.

You can read more in our In Conversation series here. 

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IN CONVERSATION | Megan Morton

 Megan Morton is an interiors stylist and author whose playful and discerning eye is one of the best and most respected in the business. She is also the founder of The School, a local institution that invites people to take classes and learn lessons from a wide variety of artisans and creatives. We've attended a course at The School led by our friend Elise Pioch from Maison Balzac, where we made our own scented candles. That's the kind of inspiring, innovative place The School is, and that's the kind of inspiring, innovative woman Megan is. Read on for our conversation with Megan!

Megan Morton | Photo by Anson Smart

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
The Morton's when we are a fivesome.

What is your greatest fear?
That our youngest baby will eat us all alive.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Sometimes I cry during the trailers of movies because the screen is so big. (I don't watch TV so it's overwhelming for me)

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Hatred, closely followed by stupidity.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
 Millicent Rogers.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Yoga and a palm tree ring by Susie Stenmark, but I have to have my nails especially done to get away with wearing it.

What is your current state of mind?
Hyper.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Patience.

Which living person do you most admire?
Robyn Davidson.

What is your favourite colour and flower?
Klein blue. it's impossible to name a favourite flower, I let the seasons be my flower reason.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
GAAAAAH.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Awareness of trouser length.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Empathy.

When and where were you happiest?
Yesterday.

Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to cut my own fringe.

What is your most treasured possession?
A pottery house our eldest daughter made. How they value a house is very different to how we do.

Who are your heroes in real life?
Louise Bourgeois.

Where would you like to live?
Where I live now.

What is your favourite song?
Harder, stronger, faster better.

What do you value most in your friends?
Ability to think the things I like are unlikeable and vice versa.

Who are your favourite writers?
Joan Didion. There is no one better to speak of love, despair and reality.

Who are your favourite painters?
Elizabeth Peyton, Julian Schnabel, Caravaggio, Jean-Baptist-Simeon Chardin.

Who are your heroines of world history?
Mother Mary (as in Jesus' mumma).

Who is your favourite hero of fiction?
Olive Oyl, Moschino's original muse.

What is your motto?
Don't hide your enthusiasm.

Read more in our In Conversation series here.

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IN CONVERSATION | Amanda Bechara

Bread & Circus in Alexandria is the best place. It's a wholefoods canteen without any of the pretentiousness or ridiculousness of other organic eateries, it's a place to linger over lunch, it's a place to bring the whole family, it's a place to treat yourself. It has a freshness, a newness and a uniqueness that is all its own. We love the pink decor, the Mariah Carey soundtrack and the famous lemongrass and ginger chai. Bread & Circus' inimitable founder - Amanda Bechara - has just moved to New York with her fiance and her dog, and has settled in Brooklyn. She's about to start the scouting search for cafe locations in the big city, and we asked her to do a Proust Questionnaire for us. You can read her answers below.

Bread & Circus | 21 Fountain St, Alexandria | All photos by Rachel Kara

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A well made cup of tea. Kyoto.

What is your greatest fear?
That something’s wrong.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
That I am always thinking about what I don’t like in myself.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Hypocrisy, small mindedness.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Augustus Caesar (how embarrassing)

What is your greatest extravagance?
Most things.

What is your current state of mind?
Lets see…

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Friendliness, it never tells you anything about anyone.

Which living person do you most admire?Danny Goldstein.

What is your favorite color and flower?
Dark Dark Blue/Indigo. I like succulents.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Woah. Again, embarrassing.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Depth.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Depth.

When and where were you happiest?
I had this really epic sleep once.

Which talent would you most like to have?
Being able to ride a bike.

What is your most treasured possession?
My dog!

Who are your heroes in real life?
Me.

Where would you like to live?
Not Alexandria.

What is your favorite song?
At the moment – dreamlover.

What do you value most in your friends?
That they are genuine.

Who are your favorite writers?
Finally! Henry James times ten. Vikram Seth. And Orhan Pamuk – but just for the museum of innocence. Also, Tacitus.

Who are your favorite painters?
I think I like Klimt, but I couldn’t have answered this question last week.

Who are your heroines of world history?
Maybe Queen Elizabeth - but when Cate’s playing her is what I mean.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Fiction is where all of the best people live: Count Laszlo de Almasy, Katherine Cliffton, Catherine Sloper, Muriel Heslop.

What is your motto?
Earl Grey.

Read more in our in conversation series here.

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BENAH LOVES | Valentine's Day

Legendary French writer, Marcel Proust, once confessed in a survey (what would later become known as the Proust Questionnaire) that his most marked characteristic was a "craving to be loved, or, to be more precise, to be caressed and spoiled rather than to be admired." So we say, embrace the spirit of Valentine's Day, and spoil the one who makes you happy! Isn't it quite fitting then, that Proust's real first name wasn't Marcel at all... it was Valentin. Happy Valentine's Day!

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