I Wanna Rock With You

I had a pretty stellar weekend.  Went to San Luis Obispo to visit my in-laws which is always guaranteed to be a relaxing getaway.  Rarely do my husband and I leave their house to venture out, unless it’s to go hiking or to the farmer’s market. Their house is absolute paradise – a gorgeous garden that is in full bloom and is filled with fruits and veggies; a hot tub complete with the most perfect view of the hillside; a back gate that leads all the way up to Cerro San Luis (awesome hike); and so many comfy reading spots that it’s hard to choose.  We came back to LA to participate in Sunday’s first “Hunt and Gather” event which was a success.  A group of peeps got together to sell vintage clothes, artwork, vegan treats, margaritas, and all kinds of goodness.  Sunday night we went to see Amazing Baby and Phoenix play at The Wiltern.  Phoenix is out of control amazing on stage.  Not only are they amazing musicians, but they also put on a ridiculously good show.  They played old hits and new hits and the entire sold out crowd was dancing and going nuts, and when the show ended and the lights came on, Michael Jackson’s Rock with You came on and it turned into an even bigger dance party.  It was totally “a moment.”

Hanging out at my in-laws

The lush garden

They turned their greenhouse into a guest room!  It’s so awesome – you can see the stars at night while lying in bed.  I wish I could say that I sleep out there a lot, but the truth is it’s been a while.  I got bit by a spider the last time I slept in there.  

This is the lemon tree that leads to a little pond.  The lemons are the size of oranges, and I swear I’ve seen a couple the size of grapefruits.

Look at these artichokes!  They are just about ready to be devoured.

View from the hot tub.

Some vintage clothes and accessories sold at Hunt and Gather.

These are terrariums that my friend Matthew makes.  They are filled with moss, wooden sea creatures, vintage clocks, beetles, and all kinds of wonders.  

Some classic novels

Treats

Robert and baby Oliver

The $1 margarita crowd

The lovely Nina

Zach and Nicole are getting married!

The Queen of Hunt and Gather, Sara

And lastly, Phoenix

Hunt and Gather

My friends and I are having an event this Sunday, June 28th and will be selling all kinds of cool stuff including vintage clothing and accessories, rare records, artwork, terrariums, furniture and more.  Plus, we’ll have tons of baked goods and margaritas for $1.  If you live in the L.A. area, stop by!  

The Reigning Queens

One of the interesting things that happens when a designer decides to break free of a fashion house is that an immediate sense of nostalgia starts to set in, particularly amongst the fashion folk.  This rings true for Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo’s departure from Chloè, where they each had wildly successful stints, not only designing for beautiful bohemian spirits but also in creating an essence that accompanied the Chloè girl.  As time goes on, it will be interesting to see how Hannah MacGibbon makes her mark on one of the most influential brands of the past decade.  So far, so good.  Below, some Chloè ads I scanned from way back when Stella and Phoebe still held the reigns.

Soundsuits

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco is currently displaying forty “soundsuits” created by  Nick Cave (the artist, not the performer).  Labeled as mixed-media “wearable sculptures”, they were named for the sounds they make when each is worn. Made from beads, twigs, leaves, hair, fabrics, and various embellishments, the soundsuits are  ”as reminiscent of African and religious ceremonial costumes as they are haute couture, exploring issues of ceremony, ritual, myth, and identity.”  I really wish I were in SF to see this.  

All photos from Jack Shainman Gallery

Hand-Beaded Baubles

Fabienne Morel makes these insanely cool hand-beaded necklaces, earrings, and bracelets for her line, brokenfab.  Known as a “high-standard fashion label specializing in textile design and hand-beaded jewelry”, these pieces are from Fabienne’s Disco Beading Vol. 1 collection.  They were inspired by long nights of dancing to disco, boogie, synth, funk, and other good stuff. Today I was thinking about the first time I really came into my own with music and how hard it would be to capture that feeling again and translate it somehow.  If I ever do, I  hope to create something as amazing as Fabienne’s jewelry.

All images: http://www.brokenfab.com/

Insecta Fantasia

Check out these photos from Insecta Fantasia, one of the featured exhibitions at the Newark Museum.  Amazing.  The artist, Jennifer Angus, used preserved insects to create patterns that reference textiles and wallpaper.  The insects are pinned to the walls of the Ballantine House, the museum’s restored nineteenth-century Victorian mansion.  You can read more about the history of the Ballantine House here.  There is nothing more beautiful in this world than the creatures and critters that inhabit it.