David Smiedt

Sydney

Lists Editor, Writer and Producer at Escape Australia

Sydney-based comedian, writer and bon vivant

Articles

The 8 best autumn fragrances to buy right now

1 month ago | gq.com.au | David Smiedt
The safest places for solo female travellers

1 month ago | couriermail.com.au | David Smiedt

LifestyleDon't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. You know who is hitting the road for solo vacays these days? It’s women. And it’s across a range of demographics. British data which examined 54,300 singles trips across 10 tour operators found that bookings have been growing by 10 per cent every year, with 68 per cent of solo travellers being women - a rising proportion of whom were over 50 - and 32 per cent men. Admittedly the data was from 2020.
Up your shower game with the best-smelling men’s body washes

2 months ago | gq.com.au | Nina Miyashita |David Smiedt
The Grandest Dame of All: Maggie Smith

Jan 11, 2025 | therake.com | David Smiedt

There are certain things we will never see again: Leicester City winning the Prem. Silhouettes like a De Tomaso Pantera rolling off the production line. And Maggie Smith. Yes, Dench, Caine, Mirren and McKellen are still with us for now, but when the West End’s lights were dimmed on October 1, it signalled not just the curtain closing on a life (not to mention a hell of a mixed metaphor) but an epoch.
The 10 best rowing machine workouts for men

Jan 10, 2025 | gq.com.au | David Smiedt
Josh Niland's The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter opens for bookings

Jan 8, 2025 | escape.com.au | David Smiedt

Can the Nilands make the leap from hoki to hotel? Not content with having revolutionised the way Australians prepare and consume fish via their iconic Saint Peter restaurant in Sydney, dynamos Josh and Julie Niland have turned a relocation into innovation. Shifting to new digs at The Grand National Hotel, originally built in 1891, the three-hatted fine diner will now be topped by a 14-room hotel.
7 best walking shoes for men in 2024 | escape.com.au

Dec 4, 2024 | escape.com.au | David Smiedt

Moving in the right direction on footwear.
The Designer: Coco Chanel

Nov 2, 2024 | therake.com | David Smiedt

At the beginning of the 20th century you knew you had made your mark when powerhouse publications like Harper’s Bazaar tipped the capuchon in your direction. For Coco Chanel it was not so much a case of muted approval but a dizzying gush of infatuation. As early as 1915, the publication declared that, “The woman who hasn’t at least one Chanel is hopelessly out of fashion”. By the end of the 20th century, being name-checked in The Simpsons was a more accurate barometer of cultural cachet.
Qantas flight sale to America and Canada includes direct flights to Honolulu | escape.com.au

Sep 5, 2024 | escape.com.au | David Smiedt

Best start booking that next USA trip.
The Real Deal: Nina van Pallandt

Sep 1, 2024 | therake.com | David Smiedt

If you’re going to be a footnote in history, you might as well be a spectacular one. In 1972 Nina van Pallandt was linked to Clifford Irving, who happened to be working on one of the most audacious literary grifts of the 20th century. Irving, you see, somehow convinced the storied publisher McGraw-Hill that he could deliver the autobiography of the billionaire recluse Howard Hughes.