Hollywood Forever

Typically if a guy asked to take me on a date in a cemetery my response would go something like this: ummm... ya know actually, I just realized I have to wash my hair that night. And every night for the rest of my life (Insert dial tone here).

However yesterday when said question was proposed, I thought, hmmm, this is weird, but its so weird, that I think I just might be into it. So being the brave dater I am, I agreed and decided to just be open. Well as it turns out, when I told a couple people that I was going to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to watch a movie, I wasn't met with the furrowed eyebrows I had forseen coming my way. But rather, oh ya! Ive heard of that, its supposed to be really cool. Ok, so clearly their on whatever homedude is on, and I'm just gonna have to judge this one for myself.

Well low and behold, when we arrived, blankets and bottles in hand, I felt like I had been time warped to 1967 woodstock, and somewhere along the way the time machine went haywire and brought along some familiar faces from Coachella to make a general vibe of awesomeness! A sea of people with blankets and boose, a DJ pumping out the best of the early 70's and against the backwall of the mosaleum, beautiful vintage movie posters are projected in a steady stream, with the unmistakeable smell of a certain 3 leaf plant floating throughout the crowd of silverlake hipsters on a warm summer night. Amaaaazing.

Last night they screened the movie "Blow Up" featuring a young Vanessa Redgrave, about a fashion photographer who mistakenly photographs a murder. Trust me it sounds better than it is- we left the movie still unsure of what exactly had just happened. But visually a really beautiful film, as most of them were back then. Next weeks feature- Phillip Kaufman's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", followed the next week by "Midnight Cowboy" featuring a couple of young actors you may have heard of once or twice.

Even though I now realize that Cinespia is in its 10th season, I figure if I'm from this town and have never heard of it, maybe some of you haven't either. And if youre living in LA or just passing through, this is definitely worth checking out on a Sunday night. See you there! :)

Go-Go Gaga

Ok- its official. I have crossed over to the dark side. The dark side being the Lady Gaga side. And yes, its pretty shady over here. But after watching this video I just couldn't fight it anymore... and trust me, I tried. But truth be told this is the best music video I've seen since probably the early 90's when the inspirations for this video were in full spin and MTV was still playing music videos. That is, the video's I grew up watching and emulating with my cousins and sisters were in rotation, not the least of which was Janet Jackson, who in my opinion ruled the music video world in conjunction with big brother Michael. Not to knock Madonna of course, because we all know she reigned supreme in pushing the limits of sexuality and "societal regulations" of "appropriateness".  Well between the two of those ladies the envelope was pushed pretty much off the edge. And now Lady Gaga has come along to pick up where those ladies left off, and she didn't skimp on paying homage to her predecessors. Whether intentional or not almost all of the images in this video bring back a memory of Janet Jackson's "Rythym Nation", and where those leave off, the wide spectrum of Madonna references pick up.



I'm not saying its a totally original concept but its about time someone has come along to take the reigns that Madonna and Janet held, and force people to question their ideas of right and wrong, and challenge the religiosity that has formed societies rules. Yes we've had our share of Brittany's and Xtina's, but its not just about "getting dirty" and grinding on poles. Its about the message being conveyed in the lyrics, and in this particular song Gaga is bringing the militaries 'Dont ask Dont tell' policy to the light and exposing it for how truly ridiculous, out-dated, and prejudice it is. And it does that with thanks in no small part to the genius of both legendary photographer-come-music-video-director Steven Klein, and Gaga's costume designer/stylist Nicola Formichetti. The video reminds me of what motion picture is meant to be, this video looks like a beautiful editorial story literally put into motion. Every frame is rich and interesting and the styling is done to perfection in every detail. The rubber nun habit's, the opening scene of chiseled men dressed in fishnets and military hats with pumps, the leather shirt, tie, and trench on the antagonist at the end, and the set design to boot...no detail is unattended to.



There will always be some people with negative things to say about anything untraditional. But lets face it, its pretty sad, that 25 years after Madonna kicked off the crusade, people are still as up-in-arms as they were then about a video where ADULTS freely express their sexuality... I thought this was 2010 people. I may not plan to show this to my 6 year old neice any time soon, but lets stop with the shock and awe act everytime a woman does a pelvic thrust. Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now. Check it for yourself.

Crowning Glory: CFDA's big winner's and losers

So as I'm sure you have all heard by now the big night has finally arrived. That's right tonight the CFDA crowned its royal court. And although many of my personal picks went home empty handed, there were, no doubt, some great moments, and some really great designers who did take home awards, and deservingly so.

SJP in Alexander McQueen

The shows most memorable moment went to Sarah Jessica Parker giving a tribute to Alexander McQueen in front of a choked up celeb encrusted audience, dressed in a gown personally picked for her by the houses new designer and former McQueen assistant Sarah Burton. She did look lovely, I will give it to SJP, but then again how could you not in such a beautiful creation like the one she wore?

Michael Kors accepted his lifetime achievement award, which although the thought a Michael Kors frock might normally give me the heeves, even I will admit that Michael really has accomplished a great deal in his career. He reminds me of a young Ralph Lauren, with all of those glossy ads featuring a suped up Carmen Kass, Kors has mastered selling people not just a label but a lifestyle, one that now includes everything from fragrance to shoes and accessories... next stop paint? Well I hope not, thats pushing it, even for Ralph. But you get my point. He does what he does well. Again, not for me, but if you're looking for glam yet classic, sophisticated womenswear you'd be hard pressed to find a designer in Kors' league. So congrats Michael. Now, moving right along to something I can stomache...

Gwyneth Paltrow in Michael Kors

GUESS WHO WON WOMENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR??!!!!! Ok ok Ill tell you! The one the only, the man who presented a collection for fall that brought a single tear to my eye... you guessed it, MARC JACOBS! Yay! Now, let me just say, the people that I called to win were not so much predictions as they were favorites... I dont wanna split hairs here people but it is different. And out of all of those that I picked, the only one I thought might throw me into a violent tantrum if snubbed was Marc. That collection deserves another award. I don't even know what other fashion awards there are but I wish there were more so he could go around collecting like Meryl Streep during movie awards season. But alas the one will have to do. I have a sneaking suspicion Marc might be ok with that.

Alexa Chung in Marc Jacobs Collection

As far as Swarovski goes, its all about emerging talent, and generally I think whoever wins, its great. Because when youre a young designer you can use all the help you can get so I'm the first to say congratulations to anyone who recieves the honor and the financial backing this award provides. HOWEVER, I feel a liiiiiiiittle bit irritated that Joseph Altuzarra didn't take this award for womenswear. I thought he was a shoe-in (haha no pun intended). But seriously, I did, and not because I love him personally, I do but thats not the point. But because I really thought he deserved it. Am I shocked that Jason Wu took it? Considering he's won the favor of the first lady and American Vogue? No. But I had hopes that this award would go to a designer who was truly an emerging talent, meaning one who is bringing something edgy, new and different to the fashion world and those aren't words that are synonymous with Jason Wu's collections as far as I'm concerned. That said however, I am happy for Wu, he wasn't my pick, but he's done very well for himself being such a new designer and I am happy for any young designer who gets the support that comes with this award.

Ok enough about me already... here's the total wrap up of the nights big winners...


Menswear Designer of the Year-


Tom Ford

Michael Bastian

Marcus Wainwright and David Neville for Rag and Bone


Womenswear Designer of the Year-

Alexander Wang

Marc Jacobs

Donna Karan


Accessory Designer of the Year-

Marc Jacobs

Alexis Bittar

Jack McCoulough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler


Swarovski Award for Womenswear-

Jason Wu

Prabal Gurung

Josheph Altuzarra



Swarovski Award for Menswear-

Simon Spurr

Richard Chai

Patrick Ervell


Swarovski Award for Accessory Design-

Eddie Borgo

Alexander Wang

Dana Lorenz


Eugenia Sheppard Award – Kim Hastreiter, Paper
International Award – Christopher Bailey for Burberry
Fashion Icon Award – Iman
Eleanor Lambert Award – Tonne Goodman, Vogue
Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievment Award- Michael Kors
CFDA Special Tribute Award- Alexander McQueen

Listen Up

So over the past two days I have been in sunny Palm Springs California ringing in my bff's birthday with lots of sun and relaxation. Generally on trips to Palm Springs there's not much to do except lay by the pool, swim, and eat. And in this case, listen to music. Which brings to my point. And that is, Drake's much anticipated "first" album entitled "Thank Me Later". I started listening to it on Friday night because a friend had the leaked version on his ipod and have spent practically the whole weekend listening to it on repeat ever since. I just could not get enough of this album. My favorite tracks which include "You can Thank me now" ( a bit of a Jay-Z vibe on the hook I think), and "Fireworks" feat Alicia Keys are just 2 of the 14 tracks on this album and I don't think there is one that I don't love. Truth be told I don't have anything particulary witty to say about this album, all I know is I could not wait to get back to civilization and internet so that I could share how good it is.

Although some may comment that Drake sings too much or his music is generally for girls because of the lyrical content, (often focused on past love and relationship woes), I personally couldn't disagree more. Yes he sings on some of the tracks, but considering he sings well I dont see why thats a problem. There are always those people who want to keep hip-hop in a box and criticize anyone who steps outside of it, but I think you have to allow music to grow, no matter what genre, and allow artists to experiment and try new things for the sake of the music itself. There are some of those heart felt tracks centered around love and relationships but he doesn't skimp on the grit and street talk so don't worry, hard core hip-hop fans won't be dissapointed, there's plenty of the mixtape Drake we all know. His smoothe delivery and witty lyrics are everpresent and combined with strong production that will have you bopping your head in unison with every beat. On top of that you really feel his passion, his pain, and connect with the music, which for me is what music is all about anyways. My final answer- This is one of the best hip hop albums from beginning to end I've heard in a while and im sure all of those critics will be playing it on repeat come tuesday. Run don't walk.

The Row

Once I heard someone say in reference to the Olsen's clothing line, The Row,  "Those girls bug the shit out of me but their clothes are perfect."

That always stuck in my head because A. It was funny, but B. I thought, what a compliment that actually is.

And actually, how true it is. Not the 'bug the shit out of me' part, because I actually really like them. More so after working with them and finding them to be almost abnormally normal. I worked with Ludivine Poiblanc and she styled them for a portrait for Katie Grand's LOVE magazine. Up until the shoot I had all these expectations of how they would be. How far removed from society, quiet, secretive, and cocooned into a little world of their own in which no one else existed. But as it turned out, they were cool as cucumber. They chatted openly about where they live, designers they like, life at the office (where they spend most of their time apparently), Whole Foods, the decision to move back in together because they spent all of their time together anyways... They were so open and normal, I was almost shocked.

That gave way for me to take a truly objective look at the work they were doing at The Row without any of that 'another celebrity trying to be a designer' bias I had previously. I always thought they had great style, even though I probably would never have said it outloud, but as we all know, great style does not a designer make. So over the past few months when working on jobs, I slowly started to include The Row in my requests, what I knew they were great at was basic simple tees and tanks, just the extra bits and bobs you always end up needing on a shoot. But then when working on ad jobs that required me to do pulls at Barney's, I kept coming across their full line. And the verdict? Well, as it turns out, aformentioned dude was right, the clothes are Perfect. Yes capital P.

Its sort of like... and this might sound really bad, but its a really big compliment actually... The Row is the American Apparel of high end fashion. Ok so before you go jumping to all sorts of conclusions about what that means, and recalling not so good images of polyester jumpsuits into your head, let me just explain what I mean. The Row is a one stop shop for any and every basic wardrobe element you could possibly want. The perfect blazer, the perfect little black dress...leather skirt, trench coat, leather jacket, soft beautiful tshirts and tanks, wool wrap coats for winter, silk slip dresses and to top it all off, almost everything comes in my personal favorite color palette of black, navy, grey, and white.

Now lets be honest, I was slightly underwhelmed when I saw the show on style.com for FW10, there wasn't really a WOW moment for me in it all. BUT! We must keep in mind that this is not the place you go for bells, whistles, and woohoo, this is the place you go for key wardrobe pieces in quality fabrics that you are going to keep forever, and thatg you will likey be wearing over or under your woohoo pieces for seasons to come, even as your favorite woohoo pieces are going out of style. These are clothes that don't go out of style, timeless, classic, and chic... for two girls who worship the ground Francisco Costa walks on I think its very safe to say Costa would be proud.

Some looks from fw10

Obsessed

I've realized that ive just got to STOP overthinking this blog. I started out just writing about whatever little thing sparked my interest or struck my fancy (I like that better), and then at some point I started over-anylizing what I was writing about and if it was smart enough, sophisticated enough or interesting enough. Well, im over it. So now Im just going back to what I like and want to write about, and some will care, others won't be able to care less. But hell! Its a blog! Not the New York Times! So ya wanna hear it? Here it go...

Current obsession:

So the other day, I'm walking down my street to the 99 cent store, as I often do, and as I am crossing my street I suddenly see someone hop out of an SUV, which as I get closer, I realize is...GASP!...Alexander Wang! Now, I know, I know, I can't make up my mind about this kid. I'm into him, I'm over him, all in one article (if you can call these articles), BUT! that was all before my friends and I spotted him at Coachella, and then proceeded to bum rush him for a picture. It was in that moment that I realized how much I truly love him (single tear). So all this brings me to my actual point which is my current obsession....

Well obsessionzzzz.

1. The Alexander Wang leopard spotted Diego bucket bag
2. The Alexander Wang Anoucke Beatle Boots from pre-fall

Now I don't happen to currently have an extra two grand lying around, (living bicoastal aint cheap). But, when I do, and that's a when not an if, they are on my list of must-haves. I told ya'll Ive got a thing for the leapoard and it can not be controlled. And as if that weren't enough, it has feet! Little metal feet on the bottom of the bag...ugh so good. And those boots, I mean...comeon...need I say more? What can't you wear these with, better yet, what won't I wear these with? Especially come Fall?? The answer is nothing...on both accounts. Btw- Just to keep it extra Wangy, they've got metal in the cutout of the heel, just a little detail love makes aaall the difference.

I love you Alex. I hope we can put our troubled past behind us. Swooooon.

The Artist is Present

Artist Marina Abromovic is engaged in a performance art peice and she wants You to be part of it. The exhibit, entitled "The Artist is Present" involves Abromovic sitting in a chair in an open space with football stadium lighting and an empty chair across from her. That is, until the long winding line advances and one of the many patrons who have been waiting patiently before the museum opened its doors, sits in aformentioned chair. Then begins the interactive portion of the exhibit... People who have taken part in the performance art exhibit have described it as an emotional experience. You sit across from her, and eventually, like a Barbara Walters interview, participants get choked up. Tears streaming, one at a time, the defeated calmly gets up and walks away offering the seat to the next challenger.

But don't be fooled. This is no staring contest. So what is going on in Marina's head, body, energy, to evoke such a response? And what prompts her to, at times, look away and put her head down in a suggestion that certain patrons leave the seat? All of these questions are exact reason people continue to line up and wait patiently for hours. Because by all accounts, its just something you have to experience to understand.

So what is the point? I'd like to know, and Ill assume you would to... Well, by the artists own admission, this isnt really about the audience, per se. Its a study on the longevity of performance art as a medium. What happens if one performance artist, performs the same exhibit day in and day out for three months, as Abramovic is currently doing for the first time ever. Is it the same show by day 60 as it was at day 2? And what happens if said artist passes away, does their art survive them, can it be replicated, recreated? And most importantly, I suppose, what is the audience member taking away with them when they leave a performance art show?

Well, by accounts of this show, audience members are taking away a provocative experience, causing some to re-examine the way they interact with others on a daily basis. "I sit across from people on the subway everyday" said one visitor, "and I never really look at people...their feelings, their expressions, the emotions, its all there." Well, Marina's intentions may not have anything to do with social change, but for the audiences part, people seem to be walking away with a profound experience, that has altered the way they interact with others... Atleast for the ride home anyway.

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Picture c/o aol.com