Busted

Those sexy True Religion Jeans- we all love them. Apparently some of us love it so much that we buy them, even though they are.. FAKE! Shame, shame.
On October 21st, police raided a factory that was counterfeiting not only True Religion Jeans, but also Nike, Ed Hardy, Affliction and Lacoste. 1,000 finished products were confiscated along with 15 sewing machines, 3 eighteen headed embroidery machines, 2 silk screen machines and 1 heat transfer machine. Wow! That's a well funded operation!
After the police got a tip a few weeks back they send someone in "undercover". Long and behold.. it was true. It seems that counterfeiting is heading home, I guess China no longer makes enough to supply the high demand of cheaply made jeans that have a fancy logo on it, If Americans want it, they will get it. Even if they have to make it themselves. Ohoh.

Lanvin for H&M

The fabulous house of fashion, Lanvin has announced that they will be the next lucky souls to collaborate with the Swedish retailer, H&M. I cannot express how excited I am about these news! First- I am completely in love with H&M. Second- Lanvin? Only one of the hottest lines currently out there. And to think I will be able to purchase something with "Lanvin for H&M" label on it..never thought this day with come.That is of course, if it doesn't sell out in 2 hours, before I even get there, like it has in the past with other big designers that have partnered up with H&M...

Kevan Hall launches bridal

After years of dressing celebs for their special day, Kevan Hall, one of my favorite LA designers launched his first full bridal collection. On October 15th, Hall presented his beautiful bridal collection at Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier in New York and everyone was at awe. I am excited not only because it is so great that now even the single non celebs can start saving for the couture gown but also because a while back I actually got to meet Hall and chat about his plans for the future. Check out my interview with this talented designer here.

out and about

Every time my friend Samantha and I are having an off day we have a place where we go to pick ourselves up. We try to think up new and cool things to do, like go painting outside, check out new places to eat, start a crafts project..But somehow we always end up in the same place- Royal T in Culver City. I already mentioned it here, when I first got introduced to it. This weekend I put on my new brogues and we set out to check out their new exhibit of Japanese artists and Barbie Dream house display. Not to mention the amazing tea that we order two pots of as soon as we get seated...Needless to say, our day got a whole lot better.

Love my sox

Currently I am going through a sock stage, where I run straight to the sock section no matter what the actual reason was that I walked into the store.. " Got to check if they have cute socks.." Mostly, I am attracted to knee highs since they look super cute with shorts, over tights and even with dresses. I picked a few to show you and these you can find here.
I also love getting my sock fix at Forever21, they have cheap options that will allow you to have plenty to choose from when it comes to matching (or mismatching in my case) any outfit.

The wine country

My first time in Napa went just the way I imagined it. beautiful vineyards, great food and of course most amazing wine! My favorite place was in Helena, the very friendly people at Charles Krug made me feel like home and made it hard for us to leave..

Hair it is

My apologies for taking so long to post a couple of pics from this great event that I wrote about here. There was great food, creative hair and most of all I walked away with an issue of Flaunt Magazine, which happens to be one of my faves. Thanks, Jae for hosting such a fab event!

Land of constumes

A little while back I got the chance to visit the Warner Bros Costume House. All I can say is "wow"..Millions of pieces from centuries back, stocked up to the ceiling. Thousands of bags and shoes from the most interesting decades of fashion. It was definitely a treat!

Locks of Love

Some may not know this, but I used to do any hair shows a few years back. That is how I went from my natural blond (that's right, I said blond) to red, green, blue and then totally black. I had very long hair, then a bob then a few more symmetrical experiments...let's just say I love hair and what a woman (or a man) can do with it. Lucky me- a friend of mine is organizing an amazing event where a team of Paul Mitchell of Alhambra will be displaying an exhibition of hair in its many forms. Come hang out with me, next Saturday and check out Catherine Asanov, an amazing style photographer and her installation called "Action in Stillness". Fantastic artists and great company (that's me, of course!)-- what more can you ask for..Join me and lets have a fabulous evening.

The Kantor Gallery
Saturday, September 18th
7:30pm
7025 Melrose ave, LA

Oh, Ellen

I don't think that I can like Ellen DeGeneres more then I do- she completely amazes me every time I watch her show. No one makes me laugh more than that woman. Yes, you guessed it- she is my number one celebrity I would love to mingle with. Well, she is not only funny but also likes to dab into the fashion world. First she surprised us all by becoming a Cover Girl for the fab make up line and now this- strutting down the runway for the Richie Rich's show! Fashion might not be her biggest interest but Ellen totally rocked the finale with a shrunken hat and blue gloves.

Playful ruffles, short shorts and cute little dresses were the hit in Richie's spring collection. It was sure a change from the previous fashion show collections of other designers, where they went safe with muted colors and simple make up- this designer set all the models off with bright blue eye shadow to start of NY fashion week the bright way.

a day in the trees

As the sun comes out of it's hiding I find myself wearing more dresses. While I try to pull together a new ensemble everyday, it also helps me clean out my closet and get rid of things that are no longer representative of who I am. I had doubts about this dress, but after spending a very fun day wearing it, the jury is in- its staying.

Feathers and Claws

My new favorite line is a Swedish based Feathers and Claws. Its brand new, so don't expect to be able to make orders yet, but I thought I would give you a little exclusive preview of their first collection- Flamingo. The two designers Nathalia Blomquist and Rebecca Svangren have come up with amazing must haves for your lingerie assortments. Try not to drool when you look at these images shot by Rikard Lilja, on location in the beautiful land of Sweden.

Pulling out the skirt

I am unfortunately not a skirt person but when it comes to 100 degree weather I pull out the few and the cute. This Merona skirt was one of my rare buys at Target and has already made an appearance a couple of times this hot season.

SEPTEMBER

LET THE READING BEGIN!
SEPTEMBER- the most amazing month for the fashion publications. Heck, not only fashion magazines- it seems like even the gardening magazine has a "Fashion Issue" for this great month of transitioning into Fall. This, of course means a great deal of browsing, reading, tearing out pages and making wish lists. I choose NOT to believe that magazines will one day be replaced by electronic issues. I couldn't imagine living without the joy of getting my Vogue and gracefully reading every page, folding the page I left off on, eager to continue like a good romance novel.
This year Vogue does not disappoint with over 700 pages of fab fall fashion and a Halle Berry as the cover girl they don't skip a beat. Elle with its biggest Fashion issue of the year go for the big hit featuring Julia Roberts who stars in Eat Pray Love (based on my favorite book!!!)Ahh, Can't wait to dig in to over 2000 pages of runway looks and great deals...it doesn't get any better than that.

Designer Zita also known as mom

Many don't know that many of my style inspirations actually come from my incredible mom. She is so wonderfully talented that she continues to blow my mind with her creativity. I have told you about one of my favorite sweaters that she has made me here. Now I wanted to share with you another one of my amazing favorites. This linen sweater dress is actually knitted from untreated, raw linen. My grandma, bought some of this linen about 30 years ago in a country side of Lithuania from an old women who grew her own flax. When we came across the leftovers of this yarn we grabbed our sketch book and designed this piece together! It took her a few weeks of hard work but I now have something that is not only fabulously chic but also has a lot of sentimental value. More to come from this fabulous new designer..

Dress: Creations by Zita (one of a kind)
Shoes: Tahari (Ellietahari.com)

Back in time

Some of my favorite outfit moments during my taking-pictures-era. I think what excited me the most was that I got to style myself and create a story. These images were taken about 4 years ago. I remember running to a vintage shop right before the shoot and picking out that purple dress. It cost a pretty penny but I didn't hesitate for a moment- it was perfect for that day's vision. It still sits in my closet silently, knowing that it will never be used again. Sometimes, its great to look back and get some inspiration from the "old me"..

A week of great finds

I will admit- I love Forever21. Its fast fashion, yes. But its affordable and lately their stuff has been getting trendier and more chic. Perhaps that's because of their collaborations with great designers like Brian Lichtenberg.
So one can't blame me for checking out the site on regular basis to see if anything catches my eye. Today, here are a couple of my favorite things that are now on my summer wish list..

1. Tribal Print Lattice Dress $18.90
2. Soaring Bird Necklace $6.80
3. Leatherette Ruffle Purse $22.80
4. Perforated Oxfords $24.80

Anthropologie

Anthropologie is an amazing place to visit. Not just to shop but to admire their wonderful interior design. From antique inspired furniture to coffee table books from the 50's this place sure knows how to set the mood. The other day I walked into the store (The Grove) and saw this fabulous typewriter! For a writer, this was like seeing a pot of gold...My eyes lit up and I pulled out my camera. Of course, it was not for sale. I am told however that you can find them for a reasonable price online..Let the search begin.

Old Hollywood..

When someone asks me to go to Hollywood with them I hesitate and feel the feeling of dread slowly take over.. I smile and get ready to sit in traffic, go into 50 tourist shops and be asked if I wanted to take a "bus tour" on every corner. So, when I was taking some family to the historic Hollywood, I decided to be the best "local tourist" and bring along my camera. Sometimes, all I need to do is look at things with a different perspective..All of a sudden the dread is gone and I start to see the amazing buildings, beautiful architecture and so much history. Turns out all I needed was to look through my camera lens..

Naturally lovely

Visited SeaWorld this week and while snapping some pictures of dolphins and sharks I noticed the fantastic colors- how fabulously pink were those flamingos! How vibrantly yellow orange were those corals...