l.a. steel magnolia

Cat person. Lady Cat. Mercat. Mimi Mittens.

2011-06-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

Calm curiosity. Hollywood Cat.

Diane Pernet: Visionary

2011-06-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

Such a brilliant and soft spoken visionary woman. Diane Pernet of A Shaded View On Fashion talks about her inspirations, revolutionary filmmakers, fashion designers, and the new ways to consider fashion. Her A Shaded View On Fashion Film festival is taking submissions through June 30.

Godard & Frank Stella

2011-06-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Frank Stella.

Jean Seberg & Jean-Paul Belmondo in "Breathless."

Inspiring stripes. Into you today.

for we're like creatures in the wind

2011-06-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Pretty In Pink Palette

2011-06-07T00:05:00.001-07:00

Warm, fuzzy, and cozy. Work and then hang time with one of my bros @ home while I worked on a self-satisfying little art project this cool sliver of a moon eve...

THVM coral denim, vintage (never before me worn) leopard booties from Scout, & 60s ballet pink mohair sweater from downtown LA Goodwill. Into the softness of it all... & watched Pretty In Pink the other day so I think it affected my decision subconsciously.

On that note, Molly Ringwald. So good....

pretenders

2011-06-07T00:04:00.001-07:00

William Lemon Turns Faces Into Forests | Flaunt Magazine

2011-05-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

William Lemon Turns Faces Into Forests | Flaunt Magazine

Written by Justin Pansacola

William Lemon III is a multi-talented LA-based artist, working in everything from music to fashion to performance art, but he gets most notoriety from his “skin printing” make up work. It's made him a popular get for music videos: Lemon has lent his creative make up talents to Lady Gaga, N.E.R.D., Basement Jaxx, Beck, not to mention Flaunt's cover artwork for Issue 112 in collaboration with the artists Justin Lowe and Jonah Freeman. His latest comes from Alexander, as in the debut solo project of Alex Ebert, the Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros front man. If previously Lemon used skin as a canvas, here he's using it more as a landscape, swapping beards for tiny trees with the help of TEMPTU Pro. It's really best if you just saw the facescapes for yourself:

Alexander "A Million Years" from benjamin kutsko on Vimeo.

You'll be able to see the drawing, art and paintings of Lemon starting May 26 at the Here is Elsewhere gallery in the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles.

Sounds of the city

2011-04-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

there are 3 man-made sounds of civilization i love. the church bell ringing at noon, a train's horn in the distance, and the wheels of a skateboard clicking across the sidewalk.

Newest post for Diane Pernet's A Shaded View On Fashion

2011-04-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I've been lagging on posts here, but you can find me sometimes over on the legendary Diane Pernet's site "A Shaded View On Fashion." I've admired her work for years, so its an honor to be an LA correspondent for her site.

As they say, "write what you know." So here is the latest.
xo
J

Dear Diane, Dear Shaded Viewers,
I feel that there are certain artists who tap into "it." They have a talent to organize and communicate a nostalgic mixture of pop, counter-culture and psychedelia with their own point of view. Its capturing the spirit of freedom, "outlaws" and forward thinkers. They trip us up with their psychology. Is the work from then, now, or the future? In more simple terms, I like what I see here. I am happy to encounter the artists and works below that I'd like to share with you.
THE REST OF THE STORY IS HERE

You find out who your real friends are when you're involved in a scandal. --Elizabeth Taylor

2011-03-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Taylor on the Loves of Her Life To Barbara Walters

2011-03-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

Misery Bear's Comic Relief Starring Kate Moss

2011-03-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Weird + Dark + Hilarious.

Quote of the day/year.

2011-03-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

"Guts are good for more than violin strings, but either way you should listen to them."--Eddie Best Peel III

YES!!!! So spot on dear friend :)
xoxo

I lived in NY for 1/2 of Feb

2011-02-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

Odilon FW 2011. Red twill suit with 1930s antiqued metal fringe. Harold Kuhn & Stacey Clark's taste & design came together on the collection. Photo by Ryan Koopmans

And was preparing for this for much of January.

My dear baby Odilon by Stacey Clark had its first official presentation during NY Fashion Week. Somehow I took on the job of producer as well as PR (I do need a clone), with thanks to my friends Corinna & Michael @ Nouveau-PR for helping with front of house. I am very proud of how far Odilon has come in a very short time :)

More to follow, but I've just started to come up for air. NY is exhilarating and exhausting. Its so much like Japan to me in that the people work hard and play harder! With places open til 4AM, its no wonder people burn out in that city. I'm a night owl, but I think if NY is going to keep the party going til 4, they ought to starting working a couple of hours later as well ;)

I slept 1.5 hours the night before... Me, Alia, & Tavi at the Odilon presentation. I was most impressed by Tavi's combination of old-soul spirit and kindness mixed with youthful keen interest. Her father Steve was very kind as well and obviously has done an amazing job raising his girl (much like another poppa Steve and his wife Betsyn who are Odilon designer Stacey Clark's parents). Tavi's wig was so amazing on her, it seemed so natural. Somehow we are all a tone of it in this photo by Ryan Koopmans.

I could not have made it through the time there without my amazing creative collaborators. Its incredible to have built a team/family you know you can count on like dear Mr. William Lemon III (who has certainly seen me at my worst and my best); the ever talented, chic and serene Alia Raza; behind the scenes detail-oriented & amazing friend Julie DeAnda; spot-on wise & calming Corinna Springer (mentioned above), artful photog phenom Mr. Ryan Koopmans & model wrangler (casting agent) Larissa Gunn. Daily trips to Health & Harmony in the West Village helped with that amazing turmeric ginger juice to ward off the fashion flu. Of course mascot Callie came along for the trip as well, though she certainly prefers the weather in LA to those 15 degree nights in NY.

Oh, & we squeezed in time to make a short film with the AMAZING Hallie Gates as star. What an inspiring young woman! More on that later too.

Rachel Chandler channels Patty Hearst in an Odilon jumpsuit at their presentation. Photo by Ryan Koopmans

Rachel Chandler was also a love during this crazy time and while she's running around working til all hours of the night/morning, she also managed to DJ the Odilon presentation. Thank you Rachel and thank you Ezra Woods for introducing us!

While all work and no play makes one dull, I did take a handful of moments to do what I wanted to do in order to stay balanced--which I do thank Mr. Eddie Peel for advising. Sadly, the fun I had was always last minute, so I didn't get to see some of my dear friends who I always have dinner and time together with in NY over the past 10 years. That was surely something that made me sad :(

MAJOR thanks to TEMPTU (Ava !!!!!) and ION Studio (Natia, Marco, Naomi, & Leonardo!!!!!) for sponsoring ODILON's first time up on the big pedestal of competition that is NY Fashion Week. (Stacey & I also could not have made it through without our own TEMPTU airbrushes! And I had the best haircut ever & a hit of glossy color from ION--done while multi-tasking filling out event insurance forms & a million emails).

Beautiful Stacey & her models. Yes, we chose a lot of red heads for the Persephone meets 1970 collection. Photo by Ryan Koopmans

More later as I said, but Odilon has had great hits all over the web the past 2 weeks on the likes of Refinery 29, Getty Images, Nylon, Sugar, Just Jared, some Canadian newspapers, and more.... I'm keeping those things more updated on my Facebook & Twitter for now. So much to keep up with!

Virginia is for Brothers.

2010-12-30T21:04:00.001-08:00

Caleb & Callie. Richmond, VA Dec. 26, 2010

December 25, 2010. White Christmas.

View into the backyard from Caleb's tree house just as the snow began to fall on Christmas Day.

Tommy Ton Feature on A Current Affair & Liz Goldywyn on NOWNESS

2010-12-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

Tommy Ton's NOWNESS photo of Liz Goldwyn & her curated installation at A Current Affair

For a feature on one of my favorite sites, NOWNESS, photographer/blogger Tommy Ton of the Jak & Jil blog (also a favorite) came out to LA and interviewed/photographed the always lovely Liz Goldwyn and A Current Affair, the vintage pop-up marketplace she hosted in conjunction with her paperback book launch "Pretty Things: The Last Generation of Burlesque Queens."

A Current Affair was founded by Joey Grana of Scout and Richard Wainwright, a private vintage dealer. While this event is an ongoing client of Trent PR, its also a pleasure as I've been a vintage fashion lover since my teen years.

Guests of the event included Marisa Tomei, Jessica Stroup, Lisa Eisner, as well as many of the best Hollywood stylists, designers, and style influencers.

As someone who has always felt the thrill of the hunt when searching for vintage treasures, I love the below quote from Tommy's interview with Liz.

TT: Where does enthusiasm or passion—like collecting or historical research—cross over into fetish?

LG: I think anyone who is a collector is totally eccentric. It is an obsession that drives them for sure. And, yes, it’s fetishistic.

Liz & her beautiful book. (Only $20 so get it now!). Photo by Melissa Manning/thelookpartnership.com

Cat Dorah, Peter Hawkings, and Lisa Eisner. Photo by Melissa Manning/thelookpartnership.com

<3>Photo by Melissa Manning/thelookpartnership.com

Beau & Aero has some amazing things that fit my often done "theme" dressing of native princess meets Colonial soldier ;) Photo by Melissa Manning/thelookpartnership.com

For more info & pics go to: A Current Affair

David Bowie & Bing Crosby

2010-12-14T16:28:00.001-08:00

My dear mommy sent me this video all the way from Virginia :) It is one of my all-time holiday favorites :)

Enjoy,
Jessica

Mick Rock Week in LA

2010-12-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

Bowie & Ronson. (c) Mick Rock.

Truman Capote & Andy Warhol (with Andy's Polaroid camera in the foreground) (c) Mick Rock.

One of my first emails today was from the man who showed us all what rock & roll really looks like, Mick Rock. Its rather dreamy to be working on a project with Mick and he couldn't be any more wonderful as a person to work with. His images not only captured those stolen & intimate moments amongst friends, but also high influenced the fashion world in showing off the looks of some of our most favorite pop culture icons.

Saturday, December 18th from 4-6PM Mick will be on hand signing his new book at the opening of his new exhibition at Confederacy in LA. Its a great opportunity to have a chat and get a personalized gift for yourself or a loved one.

MICK ROCK EXPOSED: THE FACES OF ROCK N' ROLL
Exhibition & Book Launch at Confederacy
curated by Annie Wharton

Confederacy

4661 Hollywood Blvd

(between Vermont & Hillhurst)

Los Angeles, CA 90027

The show opens to the public December 18, 2010.

Public book signing at Confederacy on Saturday, December 18, 4-6pm

Kate Moss (c) Mick Rock.

Daft Punk. (c) Mick Rock.

John Lennon

2010-12-09T02:23:00.000-08:00

I knew his music before I came out of the womb. Such an influence on so many of us and the world. And what an all-time couple. I can just hit repeat on this song for an hour or more....

♥ & peace.

Just because

2010-12-06T23:57:00.000-08:00

you have one, doesn't mean you have to BE one ;)

Patti Smith

2010-12-05T23:08:00.001-08:00

I Am Love

2010-11-29T01:56:00.001-08:00

Directed by Luca Guadagnino. Just see it...its stunning. Opulent, elegant, operatic.

Tilda Swinton, what can I say? She's purely amazing. However, every time Marisa Berenson is on camera, I'm entirely distracted. She moves like a sleek cat and lights up the screen with her smile. Berenson was a major model in the 60s & 70s and her maternal grandmother was fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli.

Double exposure

2010-11-28T00:05:00.000-08:00

i was watching the "Secretariat" trailer and wanted to see the sunset shot again... as I paused it and re-wound, I caught this image in the transition. A great double exposure of 2 things that go so well together. Kinda 70s style.

Uncompromising

2010-11-23T02:15:00.000-08:00

The coolest cat woman ever. Ms. Eartha Kitt telling it like it is.

Mr. Willie Nelson

2010-11-22T13:18:00.000-08:00

Willie Nelson is a man who to me always captures the spirit of what it is to be an American. I think if he and Thomas Jefferson would have been around at the same time, they would have been fast friends. Of course I find him wonderfully talented, but I also think Willie has always had cool style. ;)

A Casual Day

2010-11-20T17:48:00.001-08:00

The talented Lance Drake popped by on a cozy & casual Hollywood afternoon. He always mesmerizes my regal rescue beasts Mimi & Callie :) (The vintage leopard booties are from SCOUT on Cherokee Ave in Hollywood.)

My Friend Jane is an amazing belly dancer

2010-11-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

Jane has some of the most amazing photos from her work of anyone I know. Case in point. A job in St. Louis from last summer. Who knew St. Louis was so radical? This is from a Carts & Cocktails fundraiser for Laumeier Sculpture Park.

Barbara Lynn. She plays guitar like a lady...

2010-11-19T13:10:00.001-08:00

Completely amazing. Beautiful voice, cool lyrics, great style, and lady-like guitar playing skills.

Patti Smith wins National Book Award!

2010-11-18T16:01:00.000-08:00

Patti Smith is the perfect woman as far as I am concerned. Reading "Just Kids" further confirmed this. I started the book on a trip to NY while staying at the Chelsea Hotel. I can't say enough of how inspiring and touching the book is. It gives you a look at the tender and nurturing side of this incredible woman. Its a very lovely and intimate glimpse into the lives of these two broke young lovers turned life-long friends and collaborators.

Congrats to Ms. Smith!

Her book made me wish that in all of my gypsy travels, many lives, and moves around the country, I would have kept writings and journals more instead of the often ceremonial burning once I moved on to a new life chapter. (For me, sometimes looking back on certain experiences can be a bit too painful.)

Here is a great interview with her on NPR's Fresh Air. (Thanks to Stephanie Ballauer Pair for sending that my way!)

Great quote from the LA Times: "I've loved books all my life," a teary-eyed Smith said as she took the stage at the gala ceremony in New York. As a clerk at Scribner's Bookstore, she said, she shelved the National Book Award winners. "I used to wonder what it would feel like" —

Design Loves Art

2010-11-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

LA folks, get out to the PDC tonight 5-8PM to see all the fantastic art openings at Annie Wharton Los Angeles, Yann Perreau's Here is Elsewhere Gallery, Jenny Le & Janet Levy's curated group show at See Line Gallery, and Piero Golia's Project Space amongst others.

We've got my friend Reggie Casagrande in the See Line show, Annie always has amazing foresight into what artists are happening, and Yann has a brillliant take on embracing Venice, California's artists.

Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA, 90069
OPENING 18th of November from 5 -8.30 pm
Hours: Tues - Fri: 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Class & Fun. The way it should be.

2010-11-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

some ballet dancing around the bungalow. a joyous Tchaikovsky mood to welcome the coming beauty of winter :)

2010-11-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

the start gets me everytime... and then it escalates. <3

Some Ancient Roman Words On My Mind

2010-10-21T01:08:00.000-07:00

Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. --Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was the Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 and is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers.

desert and mineral springs escape

2010-10-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not, but its a beautiful song.

2010-10-11T00:31:00.000-07:00

Out of the blue, I just had a memory from age 9 or so of my aunt Judy's ELVIS PRESLEY rug.

LACMA socializing & fundraising

2010-10-09T16:57:00.001-07:00

The always dapper Giovanni Ribisi and a 1400 BC sculpture from Mexico in the newly opened LACMA Resnick pavilion.

William Lemon (L) and Jessica Trent attend the FENDI boutique opening hosted by Chloe Sevigny and in conjunction with LACMA. October 7, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.

(Will wears a vintage suit picked up in Louisiana I'm in vintage Holly's Harp silk jersey, our yet to be named hosiery, Alaia belt...)

More below on the LACMA gala from a couple of weeks ago.

The Unmasking of LACMA’s Resnick Pavilion

An exquisite evening that was perfectly produced, last weekend LACMA unmasked their amazing $53 million dollar Renzo Piano designed Resnick Pavilion. This block of Los Angeles is truly like a time machine, from 40,000 year old bubbling tar pits and fossils at the Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits to colossal basalt heads now on view at LACMA from the Olmec civilization of Mexico, circa 1400 BC. Click HERE for the rest of the story.

Gelila Asefa Puck always wears the best accessory, a beautiful smile, here pictured with the amazing John Baldessari.

Wren designer Melissa Coker in her own label, accompanied by her sweet pal Thomas Whiteside.

Guinevere van Seenus and photographer David Mushegain.

Me in a 1960s vintage gown, Chanel corset belt, & my new ELYSIAN hosiery line hand-painted by my collaborator William Lemon III with Charlotte Eyerman in Lutz & a vintage Whiting & Davis bag.

OohlaLA...Paris in LA. Sebastien Tellier & Friends Bon Anniversaire

2010-09-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

sebastien tellier - look from EL NINO on Vimeo.

We know there is a strong Paris to Los Angeles connection, so naturally Parisian label Record Makers, who are renowned for nurturing electronic music favorites from the likes of Air to Sebastien Tellier, bring their 10 year celebration to Los Angeles this week. The celebratory events kick off with an art exhibition featuring work by the artists whose contributions have proved vital to the visual world of Record Makers. The exhibition opens tonight, Wednesday September 29 from 7-10 p.m. at Space 15 Twenty

The Parisian party continues with a concert tomorrow night at the El Rey featuring Monsieur Tellier along with Acid Washed who will be performing their modern disco for the first time in California.

There is also a free iPhone app and a compilation album to keep you celebrating even if you can’t make it to these fantastic events in person.

More info HERE

Maya Angelou

2010-09-24T12:25:00.001-07:00

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." – Maya Angelou

LACMA Resnick Opening Gala Avant-Garde After Party This Saturday

2010-09-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

My first post for

Photo: A turban by Paul Poiret from 1911, on display as part of LACMA’s Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail exhibit that opens t0 the public on October 2.

This Saturday, September 25th is the LACMA Resnick Opening Gala Avant-Garde After Party — a great combination of art and fashion with previews of the following inaugural exhibitions:

Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700–1915 (which we mentioned earlier this summer)
Eye for the Sensual: Selections from the Resnick Collection
Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico

Andre Leon Talley shot some of the costumes from the European collection for the September issue of Vogue. Adding to the fun for the evening will be a performance by The Chapin Sisters.

Co-chairs include Jenni Kayne Ehrlich and Maggie Kayne. Host committee members include one of my favorite LA fashion/art couples, stylist Jessica de Ruiter and artist Jed Lind. Other host committee members include Sabina and David Nathanson, Hilary Tisch, Chloe Sevigny, Mary Kate Olsen, Band of Outsider’ Scott Sternberg, Cameron Silver of Decades, gallerist P.C Valmorbida, and models Guinevere van Seenus and Erin Wasson.

Click HERE to read the rest on my post for Style Section LA

Covering fashion, nightlife, shopping and culture, Style Section L.A. is the leading regional digital media outlet dedicated to showcasing the talents and trends that shape style in Los Angeles.

Wish I were still in NY tonight. Pavement in Central Park

2010-09-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

My friend Karyn is a lucky gal to be seeing these guys tonight in Central Park. Wish I were there. Steve West, the drummer, hails from Richmond. I was a superfan of his band Contoocook Line, prior to Pavement. I carved the band's name alongside mine in the wet cement in Richmond and may have jumped on stage with them once and sang... Do you remember that Jodi? Ha!

One of the coolest songs you uncontrollably tap your foot to.

Happy Autumnal Equinox & Welcome to Libra Time!

2010-09-22T02:07:00.000-07:00

Our little lives are kept in equipoise
By opposite attractions and desires;
The struggle of the instinct that enjoys,
And the more noble instinct that aspires
-- Longfellow.

An "Old" Favorite

2010-09-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

Breaking out an old favorite, Before Sunset.
Celine: I guess when you're young, you just believe there'll be many people with whom you'll connect with. Later in life, you realize it only happens a few times.
Jesse: And you can screw it up, you know, misconnect.

Love the dialogue & dynamic between Ethan Hawke and Julia Delpy in both this and Before Sunrise. Richard Linkletter, great directing.

NY Fashion Week Street Style

2010-09-21T18:43:00.001-07:00

Cameraphone photo by Ryan Koopmans

NY fashion week eviction chic. Shot on the street in the LES in a mid-century lucite chair while LOLing, the evictee wears Dries Van Noten blouse. Margiela cork boots. Missoni bag. Hijacked Super/retrosuperfuture shades. Faithful Burton luggage (which also acted as a day bed for a moment....)

My mom says nothing has changed much since age 5 when I dragged around 2 bags full of stuffed animals, plastic horses, books, and art supplies... well, really, that lasted for several years ;)

I'm in ♥ & I'm in heaven. Max Raabe & the Palast Orchestra.

2010-09-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

Faultlessly fitting tuxedo, hair slicked back, a cheeky look, Max Raabe is a German singer and band leader of the Palast Orchester. He and his orchestra specialize in recreating the sound of German dance and film music of the 1920s and 1930s with amusing nostalgia.

R. Kelly - When A Woman Loves

2010-08-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

In love with this beautifully chic video directed by my friend Jeremy Rall. He has an impeccable eye and style. I can see each still being an amazing photograph on its own. The video harkens back to the simplicity of classic cinema. What an amazing voice and range & dramatic flair R. Kelly has! Some true lyrics. Great combo of talent. Enjoy!

(click to see it on youtube as for some reason you can't see the entire screen on my blog & you don't want to miss out )

Fade away never

2010-08-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

The title is a pun - the song is not in fact about the European nomenclature of pencil leads or cigarettes, but actually dedicated to Hollywood film star Humphrey Bogart. ("2HB" = "to Humphrey Bogart".) In particular, it references the Bogart classic Casablanca.

The song is gentle and mellow in tone, evoking a smoky cabaret atmosphere and classic black and white films.

The instrumentation on the Roxy Music recording is dominated by Ferry's Hohner Pianet N electric piano, and features a saxophone solo in the middle where MacKay's playing is treated with tape echo effects by Brian Eno.

our eyes are bigger than the universe

2010-08-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

coincidence

2010-08-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ace was the place for the Perseids meteor shower

2010-08-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

Desert road trip with an old pal. The Perseids meteor shower was truly amazing! The biggest, brightest fireballs shooting across the sky that I have ever seen in my life. We drove up into the mountains in the wee hours of the morning for better views away from lights and were joined by the likes of at least one coyote and several other creatures who preferred just to freak us out in the brush without showing themselves ;) The Ace hotel was ace! 110 in the desert sun forces you to relax. Like being in a sauna for hours, and then floating in a saline pool. Pure delight!

Glam Bowie shoot for LEMON Magazine

2010-08-07T17:10:00.001-07:00

Another lemon project. This time the magazine, not the human ;) LEMON magazine. "LEMON is pop culture with a twist. An elaborate, one-of-a-kind annual publication staking its claim at the intersection of 60's-70's Pop and 21st century hyper-culture. Illustrated with specially-commissioned art, design and photography from celebrated artists and acclaimed talents alike, LEMON is an immersive experience in print."

A rare time I did some official styling. Of course the got me with a BOWIE shoot. The female model is my friend Kate Earl, a very talented singer. http://www.lemonland.net/#article2 Makeup by Roxy. Photography by Gabriel Jeffrey. Click HERE for more from the shoot.

Will Lemon III @ Eighth Veil. NY Times T Magazine

2010-08-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

Excited to have been working for some time with fellow Libra creative inspirer/collaborator Will Lemon III on his show @ Eighth Veil gallery here in LA, as well as some other projects such as the Odilon A/W 2010 film with Alia Raza and a very cool project coming up in the future.

Come check out his closing night performance on the full moon of August 24th @ 8PM! Eighth Veil. 7174 Sunset Blvd. LA

FULL ARTICLE: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/los-angeles-dispatch-will-lemon-at-eighth-veil-gallery/

I can't thank journalist Steffie Nelson and the staff at the NY Times enough. Thrilled with the piece! Thank you! Snippet from the article below:

The comparison was clear at Lemon’s multimedia exhibition, “Parcival vs. the Sun,” which opened recently at the Eighth Veil gallery in Hollywood and attracted artists, architects, fashion designers and stylists, along with friends and collaborators like Devendra Banhart (a guest musician on “VII Acts”), Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk and Paul Hahn, who runs the band’s production company Daft Arts. They all gathered under a series of large canvas tapestries and looked through a limited-edition book printed by the gallery’s publishing house. Lemon’s intricate, colorful designs depicting the quest of the knight Parcival to find his true self included motifs that are echoed in his skin-printing work.

________________________

The custom linen cloak that Will wore in the performance was a collaboration with Cavern Collection

________________________

Erin Garcia is the amazing sound designer Will collaborated with to compose the piece for the performance. Erin is also a drummer in the band Widows. They met last year when Will recorded & co-produced with Erin a cover of David Bowie's "African Night Flight" with Aska Matsumiya for an upcoming Manimal Vinyl Bowie tribute record.

________________________

The exhibition is inspired in part by the senses. Thanks to IZZE soda (we REALLY love the new ginger flavor) and Lorenza Rose for their beautiful contribution to the sense of taste for the opening night beverages.

The Blood of a Poet: John Maus meets Jean Cocteau

2010-08-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

I found this on my friend Betty's site. I always wanted a friend named Betty, and thanks to an introduction at the Italian Cultural Institute by the ever-talented and witty Karl Haendel, I do. (Hi to both if you are reading ;) Betty is based in San Fran and is a passionate magazine publisher, idea generator, collaborator, and curator. Here is one of her sites: first person media: Where artists come to watch "TV". A weekly selection of historical, contemporary films, documentaries, and videos that we find stunning, entertaining and newsworthy.

Betty gets it. She got me with this, as of course did Mr. Maus and Mr. Cocteau. (filmed in 1930...) Obsessed with this beautiful combination....

The Steel Magnolia was part of the Bruce High Quality Foundation's BRUCENNIAL2010

2010-08-02T21:00:00.001-07:00

Your steel magnolia was part of the Bruce High Quality Foundation's BRUCENNIAL2010: Miseducation Literary Supplement. Click HERE They are cheeky & I dig their digs on the faction of the art world which is uptight and insular.

Since its founding, the BRUCENNIAL has evolved into The Bruce High Quality Foundation's signature public program, as well as the most important survey of contemporary art in the world ever. Following the triumphant successes of BRUCENNIAL08: Doing it Again (Bushwick) and BRUCENNIAL09: Smithumenta (Carol Gardens), BRUCENNIAL2010: Miseducation brings together 420 artists from 911 countries working in 666 discrete disciplines to reclaim education as part of an artist's ongoing practice beyond the principals of any one institution or experience.

thoughts are more clear and great ideas often come when i am alone underwater or lying quietly in the sun. - jessica trent

2010-07-31T16:36:00.000-07:00

California Design Biennial Opens this Weekend!

2010-07-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

I am excited to see the work of all of the amazing designers who have been selected to be in the California Design Biennial at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, which opens this weekend. Its an honor to be on the host committee for the opening alongside so many amazing people I respect, especially as your Virginia/LA Steel Magnolia has only been living in this big city for 3 years.

The LA Times Booth Moore did a great preview on the fashion portion of the exhibition, and I truly look forward to seeing the other categories. The fashion category is curated by the ever so lovely and brilliant Rose Apodaca.

From the press release:

The curators, all design experts, will place the work in a context for the viewer that facilitates a deeper and richer understanding of the design that surrounds them every day. Curators include Louise Sandhaus, graphic designer and California Institute of the Arts professor; Rose Apodaca, pop culture and fashion journalist, and former Women’s Wear Daily West Coast Bureau Chief; Stewart Reed, head of Transportation Design at Art Center College of Design; Frances Anderton, Los Angeles Dwell editor and host of KCRW's DnA: Design and Architecture; and Alissa Walker, freelance design journalist for publications such as Good, Fast Company, and Core77.

I encourage you to come!

Saturday, July 17, 2010, 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Opening Reception for California Design Biennial: Action/Reaction
$5 admission, Free for PMCA Members

Summertime sartorial style ca. 1895

2010-07-15T02:46:00.000-07:00

Paul Gauguin playing the harmonium in Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha's studio in Paris, 1895. Mucha befriended Gauguin when he was broke, after returning from his first trip to Tahiti, and offered him space in his studio where the two worked on their art, each in their own corner. That is what friends are for!

What fun times this must have been for them both! I love this idea of the two of them with such different styles, working in the same space. I can imagine the conversations. I bet they had endless quantities of champagne on hand from one of Mucha's most known commercial works, seen below.

And then it seems they indeed had some things in common. A very young girlfriend. And who did design that Medée poster? Hmm... Scandals and lover's quarrels in the art world are certainly nothing new.

I have so much to do right now, and I should be sleeping like "normal" people, but here I am writing about a time that would have been a dream for me to live in. I should actually be dreaming.....

Glamour, Fun, & Torment: The Last Time I Saw Paris

2010-07-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

"I'll never be a size 10 again," laments Elizabeth Taylor's "Helen" to her husband Van Johnson "Charles" after the recent birth of their child.

Ah, what would they say now if the film were remade starring one of our young actresses, "I'll never be a size 0...."
The film is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Babylon Revisited" and stars Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson. A very tan Roger Moore plays her young boy toy. Donna Reed and Ava Gabor co-star. Ava's accent is entirely dreamy.

Helen Rose designed some absolutely stunning gowns for the film. One was rather Vivienne Westwood ala Carrie's S&TC wedding dress....

Oh, and there is some fast sports car racing too.

Gaetano Pesce @ Italian Cultural Institute LA. NY Times T Mag

2010-07-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Click HERE for the article by Brooke Hodege, curator of one of my most favorite exhibitions at MOCA in the past several years, "Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture."

Solar eclipse.

2010-07-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

Plant your seeds of intention.

Never apologize for it

2010-07-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

Time alone.

It seems to me so many people don't know how to take time away, to sit in solitude without noise and distraction. To be comfortable being alone with their own thoughts. Or contemplating the simplest thing, like the way a leaf might blow in the breeze.

My aunt Leslie (Bucky) gave this book "A Gift from the Sea" 8 years ago and I do go back to it quite often. I love the truths it holds. I figured out long ago I have to have solitude to recharge and to appreciate all the amazing activity and people I have in my life.

I'm preparing for the shift that occurs with the solar eclipse. Quiet. :)

Way into these: Woolypocket

2010-07-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

This will make a perfect, perfect installation on my kitchen wall!

Such a cool invention. Modular plant pockets made completely of post-consumer recyclable materials. They make them for both indoor and outdoor use. I have to know these people! Love their random acts of planting around NY and wish it would happen here in LA just to bring a smile to my face (though of course we are not as in need of it as my big apple friends).

Available @ A + R in Venice here in LA.

The Man Who Fell To Earth

2010-07-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

This is the man who fell to earth and turned into a snail. I found him on my porch after you left. He had been drawn to the light and conversation. He was shy at first, but I put on some music, invited him in, and soon he came out of his shell. He had a very long journey, so he's resting right now.

Let's Get Lost

2010-06-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

You know something, I'll tell you the truth. You're kinda OK

2010-06-28T23:23:00.001-07:00

Its sooooo good you have to watch it....
And costumes by the legendary Edith Head. (Won Oscars for All About Eve, Sabrina, Roman Holiday, A Place in the Sun, The Sting....)

5 Oscar Nominations.
* Best Actress in a Leading Role (Natalie Wood)
* Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Black-and-White (Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson, Sam Comer, Grace Gregory)
* Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Milton R. Krasner)
* Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (Edith Head)
* Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen. (Arnold Schulman)

Diana Vreeland 3 Sk8 & Surf

2010-06-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

In 1982, former editor of Vogue magazine, and then curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, Diana Vreeland reveals that she was always in love with the sport of surfing and equally enjoys skateboarding. She recalls coming out of the museum late at night as skaters were doing ollies and jumping all over the marble front steps and plaza.

Summer Solstice

2010-06-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

do you think we'll be listening to lady gaga in 40 years?

2010-06-17T00:46:00.001-07:00

another cher moment. circa 1976-ish. such a voice and style innovator.

vintage cher

2010-06-17T00:36:00.000-07:00

my mom had the entire album on vinyl, but this was one of my favorite songs to play. i liked the rhythm, the way the twinkle of the song made me see stars in a night sky, and the story.

Mikhail Baryshnikov and Merce Cunningham Dance Company at REDCAT Benefit

2010-06-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

Merce Cunningham and Mikhail Baryshnikov in 'Occasion Piece' (1999) | Photo: Robert Whitman

Two of the most recognizable names in dance–Mikhail Baryshnikov and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company–headline a show on June 7 to benefit REDCAT and the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, which works to preserve the legacy of the iconoclastic choreographer, who died at 90 last year.

The REDCAT performance will feature Occasion Piece², a version of a work that Baryshnikov and Cunningham originally performed together in 1999. The music is from “Song Books” by–another longtime Cunningham collaborator and his life partner–composer John Cage.

An extremely limited number of tickets for this intimate benefit event are still available. For more information or to reserve a seat, please email info.REDCAT@calarts.edu.

Special Benefit with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and guest artist Mikhail Baryshnikov at REDCAT
June 7
6 pm cocktail reception and 7:30 pm performance

9pm dinner with the artists

Morning mate

2010-05-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

pic by neighbor Lance Drake.

Everyone dreams

2010-05-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well, this is a good start to the weekend friends! My dear high school & former college roomie Jodi Friedman (Jodie Fashion & Jessica Trendy as we were called @ age 16 by some mean girl) sent me a hilarious email today of her dream last night.

Do you think it might come true? Do note that we grew up in a land rich with the history of the revolutionary and civil wars. Historic plaques, cannons, and the like are everywhere. We also were a amongst some of the more forward thinking and dressing people in our tiny little town.

Whoa. Some people are even creative while they sleep ;)
"soooo i have a dream...that you give birth to fraternal twins... boy and girl... tell me you hate my shoes i have been wearing... then present the twins to the world around age 2 in a mini documentary form... then at the end you pop up out of the bottom of the stage dressed in the rebel flag.... then i am caught in a flood at fort clifton and all these civil war guns are floating by me... really wtf??????.. very very wierd... please don't dress your twins in the rebel flag.. promise me this... and my shoes are fab.. stop yelling at me in my sleep!!! happy memeorial day xoxoxxoox"

Its that easy for some folks.

2010-05-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

my favorite photo blog: You + Eye

2010-05-17T18:08:00.001-07:00

Fountains Of Youth

I met Ryan Koopmans in NY during that whole fashion week thing. He is a dear friend of my dear designer friend Stacey Clark's. Another talented creative type from her beautiful Canadian country. In Ryan's photos you often cath that stolen moment. Maybe its some 14 year old model looking bored, or it might be an amazing architectural shot. I like the mix.

Check it out. You + Eye

Tavi TV

Tavi wearing my most favorite print from my friend Melissa's line, Wren.

Sleepy Head

i want a hammock, not a fancy dress. shades of red americana today.

2010-05-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

quiet. trickling fountain. sketching plants. drinking yerba mate out of a mug from my grandmother. i ate the first ripe strawberry off of my plant :) talking to a plump grey bird. looking into the cat's eyes & convincing her she doesn't want to hurt it. the dog is basking in the sun.

ladybug eating the bad bugs off the hollyhock.

some work of course. always work....thank goodness for the mobility of the macbook. sick as all get out the past few days. doing my darnedest to shake it. just trying out the old timey advice of sitting in the sun with my mouth open... who cares if i look foolish. keeping it real as possible in LA.... i want a hammock, not a fancy dress.

sunday shoes. way old school vans.

Over-consumption & greed are gross and tacky. Now for the positive....how to use nylons, hair, and pet's fur clippings to clean up the oil.

2010-05-05T12:21:00.001-07:00

This oil spill & the way it has all been handled leaves me ill & sad. Please boycott BP & be fuel-conscious friends. If you don't care about the environment (you are LAME), then consider yet another massive financial blow on hard-working Americans who rely on the ocean and its creatures--from shrimpers to the tourist industry. Totally could have been avoided. NO MORE OFFSHORE DRILLING! And $5k for ruining your livelihood? INSULTING BP!

Under BP there is also: am/pm, Aral, Arco, and Castrol Email them and let them know what you think.

BP Trying To Get Alabamians To Give Up Right To Sue Over Spill

BP has been offering $5000 payments to residents of coastal Alabama areas, in exchange for essentially giving up their right to sue the oil giant over its deadly Gulf Coast spill, according to the state's attorney general.

Now on to the POSITIVE. You can donate nylons, hair clippings and fur to help with the cleanup! A fantastic way to put to purpose things that are discarded every day! Tell your salon and groomer and clean out your lingerie drawers to help!

www.matteroftrust.org/ GULF OIL SPILL ALERT TO DONATE HAIR / FUR/ NYLONS FOR OIL SPILL HAIRBOOMS AND HAIRMATS. Here we look at fibers (hair, wool, fur, feathers...). Thousands of salons mail us hair clippings, swept up off their floors, and the fibers are stuffed into booms or woven into hair mats. Phill McCrory, a stylist from Alabama....

"Do you know what illuminates the night?"

2010-04-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Poetry....

The Girl Effect, n.

2010-04-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

The powerful social and economic change brought about when girls have the opportunity to participate in their society. Category: N

Frans Lanting's lyrical nature photos | Music by Phillip Glass....amazing

2010-04-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Inspiring, beautiful and brilliant.

Jeremy Laing trunk show tonight at Zainab in LA

2010-04-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Check out Style Section LA's piece on the trunk show....

Yes, we've been in a Canadian mood as of late. At L.A. Fashion Week we caught up with Odilon's Stacey Clark, a British Columbia native now living here whose love of horror flicks inspired a Jil Sander-meets-the apocalypse collection. On Thursday night, one of her compatriots is stopping by Zainab Sumu's chic Melrose boutique for the time-honored trunk show experience. We saw Jeremy Laing a few years ago in a W young designer profile, where he was pushed around by Abercrombie-esque models in white shorts in the accompanying photos. But who's laughing now? Laing, who trained at Alexander McQueen, has made his mark in his exquisitie draping prowess, one that somehow comes off as understated and dynamic at the same time. His fabric choices are always innovative: think perforated suede, gauzy crinkle fabric and jacquard that resembles stucco.

Click HERE for the rest of the article. Thanks Style Section LA!

Thank you....

2010-04-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

Eddie, Ezra, Roxy, Rebecca, Julie, Keala, Jane, Clayton & Flavie.........

Thank you from the deepest part of my heart. I can't express it enough.

So much love to you all :)

I don't care if this seems corny to anyone. Its just true!

Harper's Bazaar: Milla Jovovich in AND_i & Costume Dept

2010-04-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

Costume Dept. leggings.

Shot here in LA at the end of January, Harper's Bazaar pulled leggings from Los Angeles-based Costume Dept. and avant-garde accessories from Vienna, Austria-based AND_i from our office for fashion Director Kenneth Goh's "Burberry space-age diner waitress" April 2010 cover & 8-page editorial with the lovely actress Milla Jovovich.

The shoot was photographed by Simon Upton for Harper's Bazaar Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and Korea editions.

AND_i headpiece and bracelets.

I have't found the issues here yet, but here are some images as well as paparazzi shots. The main apparel is all by Burberry. Thank you to Hachy Mendez, Rebecca Alexis, and Kenneth Goh.

PAPARAZZI SHOTS:

Kenneth Goh with Milla wearing Costume Dept. leggings.

AND_i headpiece and bracelets.

La Divina featured in today's LA Times

2010-04-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to you. Pick up today's copy of the LA Times for the beautiful feature on Maria Callas written by the talented Julie Neigher. Huge thanks to the LA Times, Booth Moore, and Julie Neigher for this wonderful piece! Perfect timing on Easter to feature this beautiful and talented Greek-American icon who won over the hearts of Italy and the world.

Callie Kitaen

2010-04-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Callie sexing it up on Dario's muscle car behind the Eighth Veil preparing for an 80's music video resurgence. Original paint job & plates. Such California colors....

And the moon is the only light we see

2010-03-30T01:21:00.000-07:00

Really cute from the Sartorialist

2010-03-30T00:31:00.000-07:00

Photo and accompanying story from The Sartorialist

To me, my grandmother, Françoise Gerondeau, is the most elegant and the funniest woman in the world.

In fact, that photo was taken during the Algerian War, in the late fifties. My Grandfather, who is French, had been mobilized. And just before his departure, he told my grandmother (they were dating for a year) that he didn’t love her and that he would never marry her.
But she’s very stubborn, and she asked her brother to take photos of her during their vacations, so that she could send them to my grandfather, and he would fall in love again.
The photo you see can testify.
Isn’t it childish? To me that story defines exactly my grandmother.
That photo must have a great power, since when my grandfather came back, they got married.
I wish I had a picture of my grandfather, he was very alluring and elegant too. I think that my aesthetic taste comes from the observation of my grandparents. Both of them really represent a model to me.

Preparing for a late night...

2010-03-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

I am from the north bank of the Appomattox River

2010-03-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Because of this, and because of my appreciation of the old-fashioned letter in the mail, I was rewarded with a surprise today. I was smiling and jumping up and down when I reached inside the old mailbox and pulled out a package from "Snail Mail Eddie."

THANK YOU KIND SIR!

NY Times T Magazine writes about Maria Callas @ the Italian Cultural Institute

2010-03-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Big thank you to William Van Meter & NY Times T Magazine for this piece on the exhibition I am working on for the Italian Cultural Institute.

Maria Callas. Photo by Cecil Beaton.

By WILLIAM VAN METER

In a world where Miley Cyrus is considered a diva, a stroll through “Maria Callas: A Woman, a Voice, a Myth” is a refreshing detour. Now here is a woman who was both talent and tempest.

The exhibition, at Los Angeles’s Italian Cultural Institute, is composed of artifacts from Callas’s life both onstage and off. Standouts include the costume jewelry she wore in her role as Medea — golden chains adorned with archaic totems of bull’s heads and horned gods — and the black velvet Yves Saint Laurent gown from her master class. Also on display is Callas’s correspondence and her personal wardrobe, which was often as dramatic and regal as her opera regalia; she had a penchant for capes and caftans. Read more…

"DUAL" DIRECTED BY ALIA RAZA FOR ODILON

2010-03-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

We screened the short film "Dual" by Alia Raza during Odilon's autum/winter 2010 presentation @ the Eighth Veil gallery in Hollywood last Wednesday to a fantastic crowd of editors, stylists, artists, and the like. We were very pleased with this review of the fall collection by Booth Moore and Adam Tschorn of the LA Times. (check some of the collection and what they had to say here). More to come this week from other esteemed press...

Direction Alia Raza / Featuring Alli Cripe & Annakim Violette / Production Stacey Clark & Jessica Trent / Editing Maximilla Lukacs / Original Score Street Tribes / Creative Direction Jessica Trent / Direction of Photography Shaheen Seth / Makeup William Lemon III / Wardrobe Harold Kuhn / Clothing and bags ODILON

The piece was a collaborative effort of artists, and despite the short turn-around time and the pelting rays of the desert sun, it was one of those experiences where things just flowed well with the group both on site and back here in LA for all of the editing and coordination of the presentation. Of course we wish we could have had more time, done more, shot more, and the ideas keep coming. We ran out to the desert just hours after the 4.8 earthquake where we shot our post-apocalyptic short right on the San Andreas fault by the Salton Sea (about 45 minutes past the ideallic town of Palm Springs). Those shots of dead fish are what line the immense shoreline of what was once a booming resort. I stumbled upon this place 3 or 4 years ago while on a solo soul-searching mission. Not the place to find the meaning of life, but a cool place to shoot.

We made the very dog and vegetarian friendly Ace hotel our headquarters for this trp. (I LOVE the ACE!!) Vita Coco water kept us all hydrated, thankfully!

Click here for more on Odilon and Stacey Clark.

"Dual," a film by Alia Raza, comments on destructive competition with primal, animal-like intimidation as well as cooperative competition for mutual survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Filmed on the San Andreas Fault surrounded by the biological decay of the Salton Sea, artist Annakim Violette plays a character that is the creation of synthetic biology seeking to transinfect and overtake a human played by Alli Cripe. The two battle against and with one another in Odilon's taupe-hued nylon-coated jersey skin suits and stiff hooded shells of translucent nylon-coated spider web organza. The nuclear orange undercoat of a rabbit fur and washed leather jacket grounds the primal human aspect while Odilon's signature ball-bag becomes a weapon. Artist William Lemon III painted the faces of the film's characters to punctuate the cooperation of a new nomadic tribe.

Alia Raza
Alia Raza is a filmmaker and artist based in New York and Los Angeles. Raza's work blends cinema and time-based video, dealing with themes that include self-presentation and its related anxieties, and the influence of contemporary culture and consumerism on self-identity. Her work (which has featured performances by Sebastien Andrieu, Devendra Banhart, Christopher Bollen, Jorge Elbrecht, Karen Elson, Patrik Ervell, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Tavi Gevinson, Liz Goldwyn, Kim Gordon, Elizabeth Hart, Damian Kulash, Lykke Li, JenaMalone, Margherita Missoni, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, Chloe Sevigny, Becky Stark, Arden Wohl) has been shown in screenings and events at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Greene Naftali, Moeller Snow, Renwick Gallery, Scope Art Fair, Kreilling & Dodd, LA> www.aliaraza.com

The ultimate

2010-03-22T01:17:00.001-07:00

Fernand Khnopff. 1896.

Deutsch: Kunst (Die Zärtlichkeit der Sphinx)

English: The Sphinx, or, The Caresses

Looks a bit Bowie, no?

Desert Boots. Salton Sea. Palm Springs.

2010-03-18T23:28:00.000-07:00

Beach Birds: Merce Cunningham

2010-03-15T01:13:00.000-07:00

www.merce.org

Happy fade

2010-03-15T01:08:00.000-07:00

Fade into you

Adieu a la nuit

2010-03-15T01:04:00.000-07:00

I've carried around this album for 15 or more years....

Moonburn

2010-03-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

With Ezrabear & Ninacat tomorrow night. Will you be there?

And When I'm Sad, You're a Clown.

2010-02-28T18:21:00.001-08:00

What a magical rendition! Marianne Faithful & David Bowie.... What a dream.

I don't know if all that's true, but you've got me and baby I've got you.

I had a dream about Ozzy

2010-02-26T18:54:00.001-08:00

I was living in a sort of massive building in New York with Ozzy Osborne and some other folks. It was a commune of sorts. Ozzy was the leader. Ozzy was very calm and spoke with intellect and clear annunciation.

Our leader called us all together in the main room which was set up for a conference. I took my chair in the back amongst probably 25 other people. Ozzy stood in front of us and instructed that he wanted us each to stand up as we were called upon to say one word that described our future. The word could not be used twice in the group.

For whatever reason, the first and only word that came to my mind was"dynamic." Just as my turn was about to come, the young woman ahead of me, someone I only recognize from friend's photos on Facebook, stood up with confidence and said, "DYNAMIC!" I was stunned. My turn came, and all I could think of was this one word. DYNAMIC. I was silent. Everyone looked at me. My mind was blank. I felt badly. Zero thoughts. Nothing. I sheepishly smiled and said "Dynamic was the word I was going to use as well. I just cannot think of anything else." The woman took pity and said she would take it back, but I of course could not allow that. I just looked at Ozzy and the group and shrugged.....

How could I not think of anything else? Why was I stuck on dynamic? Why did I secretly despise this woman for "stealing" my word?

Cindy & Bert do Black Sabbath with a touch of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

2010-02-26T18:37:00.000-08:00

Can every day be like this?

A clip from Paris Aktuell from 1970. Music is "Der Hund von Baskerville" (The Hound of the Baskervilles), a cover version of Black Sabbath's Paranoid by the German duo Cindy & Bert, apparently with lyrics relating to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mystery "The Hounds of Baskerville."

And then this version. The dog, Cindy's hair and makeup....

Antonio Damasio: Art and the Conscious Brain @ REDCAT

2010-02-25T23:46:00.000-08:00

Antonio Damasio: Art and the Conscious Brain

Wed 3.3.10 8:30 pm

Introduced by CalArts President Steven D. Lavine'

For millennia, the relationship betweenreason and emotion and the nature of creativity has remained a mystery. Internationally renowned neuroscientist Antonio Damasio visits REDCAT to speak about what we now know about the emotions and the conscious mind, particularly as both relate to creativity and the arts. As founding director of USC's Brain and Creativity Institute, Damasio has been employing state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques as well as developing new research methods in collaboration with artists and social scientists to elucidate the neural basis of the emotions and the central role of emotions in social cognition and decision-making. Damasio is author of the widely acclaimed book Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain, among other titles.

Curse you NYC. What have you done to me?

2010-02-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

I never thought this Yankee town could steal my southern heart ;)

Sometimes you do get what you wish for. Simply, I wanted it to snow while I was here and it could not have been more perfect. Here we are out for a walk with Callie and one of her main boyfriends, Valcor. The puffy jacket is courtesy of angel Jeremy Scott, who created another smart collection for his return to NY fashion week and had the best party with dancing til dawn.

Right now I am listening to Maria Callas (the next project with the Italian Cultural Institute) as my commune of friends awakens groggily from a late night. I have had an amazing morning already, out for a long walk about town taking in the brilliant Alexis Bittar posters featuring 80s diva Joan Collins in full Alexis Carrington mode, the superb bagel shop, the exhilirating cool air, and many friendly strangers.

Yesterday brought this magnolia a true treat. My heart belonged to the ballet as a young girl and who would have thought I would be sitting in Merce Cunningham's studio watching the last dancers trained under him rehearse a very special piece. Sitting on the bench taking off my shoes before entering the studio made me think of those times going to dance rehearsals myself. I should also note the wonderful shock of seeing shirts hand-painted for Merce c. 1958 by Robert Rauschenberg as they came out of the archives....Is this a dream?!

I followed that magic up with a visit with my lovely friends and collaborators at Nouveau PR. They created the best presentations and shows of fashion week (Risto, Siki Im, Flanders House) and conduct themselves with good manners, style and grace. I <3 Michael and Corinna!

Last night I had a perfect dinner at Cafe Gitane with my dear Athens friends who have lived here for many years now. Of all the places in this big city, how is it that my friend Karyn from LA happened to be sitting right behind me? Serendipity is the theme this week.

I don't want to leave. We are off shortly to the Guggenheim. There is so much life, so much to take in.

I am eating a bit of meat again and drinking coffee.... honestly what happened? ;)

So there you are. My love affair with New York is no longer clandestine...