Happy Birthday Daniela!

Malibu Old Times

This Chanel inspired cake it's just too yummy to not be posted here.

This is for Daniela's Birthday

and this is for her Wedding. Someday.

And this is for everybody, enjoy some cake today! 

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa hang this poem on a wall on the orphanage she founded in Calcutta.

Anyway

People are often unreasonable,
illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be Kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and
some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,

someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway

If you find serenity and happiness,

they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,

people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis

it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

The Little Black Dress:Vintage Treasures

"An essential piece of clothing in a woman's closet, the little black dress has maintained its popularity thought all trends because it is always the "right" thing to wear. It is a timeless classic and all great designers have created their own variation. Didier Ludot owns the most famous vintage clothing store in Paris, the fashion capital of the world. The store, La Petit Robe Noire, is housed in the prestigious Palais Royal, just steps away from the Louvre. Ludot has meticulously built and maintained a collection of black dresses, which features designs by Chanel, Balmain, Balenciaga, and Gaultier, among others. Photographs of these dresses are juxtaposed with archive photos of Romy Schneider, Catherine Deneuve, Jeanne Moreau, Sofia Loren, Edith Piaf, Paloma Picasso, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor - all in their black dress finest. Ludot's collection is a delightful tour of the black dress from yesterday to today."

I want to go there and try all the LBDs  in that magic store.

Until then, here is a great interpretation of the little black dress by Roberto Cavalli. 

Didier Ludot, you are welcome to include it in your next book. In exchange, I need to have full access to  La Petit Robe Noire and get a robe noire of my choosing. Merci beaucoup. You can leave a comment here and we will work out the details. Bisous.

Carine Roitfeld, first and last cover.

I am curious how Vogue Paris is going to be after this month. 

Until then, I am waiting for my special delivery of her last issue, the March One. Malibu News Stand, anyone?

Rodarte

Yes, I totally forgot Rodarte at NYFW. Rodarte is such a pretty name. I think it sounds much better than, let's say, The Mulleavy Sisters, the designers behind it.
The inspiration was the American Plains...  Beautiful collection. Makes me want to go there. Where is that anyway?

Rodarte images from style.com

I like the wheat, I like the general idea. But... they could have done it better. I know I know everything. The wheat print looks great... but how about bring some real wheat in? Wreaths  is the answer. It could have made everything better.

This is a wreath with dried flowers... I couldn't find a proper wreath in the Whole Google. Don't people do those anymore?

Happy Birthday Brancusi!

Today was Constantin Brancusi’s Birthday. He would have had a birthday cake, if people would live 135 years. Maybe not a very fancy cake, he liked things simple. Google decided to do a doodle with his name today. Google is very artsy lately.


Constantin Brancusi is a Romanian-born sculptor that made his career in France.


His early work was influenced by Rodin, but he left after just two months saying " Nothing can grow under big trees."


His sculptures are considered abstract, even the man himself will disagree with the term. "They are imbeciles who call my work abstract. That which they call abstract is the most realistic, because what is real is not the exterior but the idea, the essence of things." His sculpture “Bird in Space” was sold a few years ago for 27.5 mil $, that would tell us enough about his rating in the art world. This piece was considered by US Customs too abstract to even be a sculpture, and it was the subject of a two years court battle between Brancusi and Customs.


“To see far is one thing, going there is another.”


People use all kind of fancy words to describe him. He was always wearing the simple clothing of the Romanian peasants. What he was, more than anything, is simple and true to his values. He saw the true nature of things, right to the core, their essence.


"I do not aspire to be in fashion. For what is in fashion, goes out of fashion… If, on the contrary, your work is contested today, it doesn’t matter. For when it is finally understood, it will be for eternity."

If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life.

Beautiful colors, yes?

Good job, T-Bags, for deciding to do simple cotton t-shirts with sequins after I decided to do that last year. Beautiful top, by the way. Well, that's ok, Valentino got my t-shirts tulle idea that I wanted to do two years ago. I am not saying anyone stole anything from me... is just that inspiration comes and goes and visits other people too. And, if you don't do something when you are supposed to, those other people might just do it. And you... well, your time will come too.

Chess

I need a picture like this. Kate's chess picture is amazing, and she is such a great model that she makes you believe that she actually knows how to play chess. She doesn't. This is not how you hold a Pawn.

I think I will carry my chess set at my next photo shoot.

Quote of the Day:

When you are lonely, when you feel yourself an alien in the world, play Chess. This will raise your spirits and be your counselor in war. -  Aristotle

                            Well, I don't go to war much, but I feel pretty lonely sometimes.

An Icon

Audrey Hepburn

Let's see what she has to say:

"For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others." 

Paris Hilton

Does she have anything to say?

"I don't really think, I just walk."

~Disclosure, I didn't actually hear her saying this, it's from here, they normally have their quotes right~

If you need more of these pearls of wisdom, just go to her twitter account and follow. 

Who do you want to be when you grow up? 

Paris, of course.

 Watch me here  on the bike, the production company didn't have money for the 3rd day with Paris, and they hired the cheaper version, Moi. 

"Ma che donna inutile."

NYFW... not

I wanted to present some pictures from the New York Fashion Week. But I don't like anything. As in anything. I don't want to buy any of those clothes. I don't even want them gifted to me. I didn't see every single thing, but what I've seen is so boring that I totally gave up.


Instead, here are some images ( from style.com) from Spring Chanel Couture. 


I know it's not so new anymore, people are not twit-ing or facebook-ing this collection today, but still... it's better than anything at NYFW.

I would wear this.

And this.

And this. What I said about the clothing from NYFW doesn't apply to these beauties. I accept donations of any of the above items.

"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months."~ Oscar Wilde

I want a Birkin

"I want a Birkin!" I say to the Universe.


 I've been reading "The Secret" lately, and I am sure the Universe is going to provide it. I mean, that's what the book says. You need to think about it, visualize it, feel it in your mind, create the correct vibes and you will get it.


"35cm Croc Birkin, please, Universe!"
Universe:
"What is that?"
Me
"It's a bag. Hermes Birkin, how you can possibly not know? Named after the French actress Jane Birkin. I am sure you knew that."

Jane Birkin, here with Serge.

Universe
"Not really. I don't have many people asking me for bags. They normally want money."
Me
"Oh well, yes, that too... but you know, there is a waiting list, or there was a waiting list... still, it's hard to get. I want a Birkin. Please, Universe?"
Universe:
"Why? Give me a good reason for your Birkin and you shall have one."
Me:
"Well, it's the most desirable bag in the world. I will look good carrying one. Everybody will envy me... Well, I guess that's all. I just want one. There are women that have hundreds... why can't I just have one. It will make me feel so much better. I will be happy."
Universe:
"Ok, here is your bag."


OMG, the Secret really works. No wonder it got sold in so many copies... I wonder if it works every day. 

The bag appeared, in its orange box. The dust bag wasn't orange... I wonder why. It was a beauty. It was just like in my dreams.

 Me
"Hello?"
Birkin 
"Bonjour... Comment ca va?"
Me
"I don't speak French..."
Birkin
"Of course you don't. Do you have other Croc Birkins to keep me company? I don't want to hang out with a Kelly."
Me
"No, I am sorry."
Birkin
"Am I your first Croc? Mais, quelle joie!!"
Me
"I don't..."
Birkin
"Yes, you don't understand. Tres bien, I will hang out with a leather Birkin then. Even I don't like to do this. But I need company."
Me
"I am sorry, I don't have other Birkins. Or Kellys... Or any other Hermes anything..."
Birkin
"Je ne comprend pas... Je suis... seule?? Alone??"~ she starts crying.
Me
"I have a Hermes perfume. Would that work for you? And a Louis Vuitton wallet..."
Birkin
"No, no no. Don't pronounce the LV name, I hate them! Logos everywhere, look at me, look at me!!~mocking the Louis Vuitton~ look at me, I am a LV. Me, Birkin, I have a waiting list, you know. 6 years at a certain moment in time. Don't mention LV again, or I will have a heart attack!"
Me
"I am sorry".
Birkin
"I don't know why the Universe sent me to you."
Me
" I didn't know you are so... temperamental. I just wanted a Birkin bag."
Birkin
"Where do you live? Where am I?"
Me
"Los Angeles."
Birkin
"Victoria Beckham lives here also. She has so many Crocs. I demand you send me to her, immediately. I won't stay here, in a house with a LV wallet and a Hermes perfume. I need to be surrounded by luxury... I am not comfortable otherwise, I will die before my time. Please. Please!" she starts crying again.
Me
"Ok, ok, stop crying. I don't want to keep you hostage. I will send you to Victoria Beckham. But there will be so many of you there, you won't be special. Don't you care about that?"
Birkin
" No! Not at all. "


I found out a way to give her to Victoria. I mean, we live in the same town.

Victoria

  And yes, how about the Crocodile? I didn't know Hermes is breeding their own crocodiles to produce these bags, when I asked the Universe for one. How does it feel, to live in captivity for the sole purpose of becoming a Hermes bag at the end of your life? I know that carrying a Croc Hermes makes you a superior human being, and when you are so rich tp pay $30,000 for a bag I am sure you are giving enough to charity and make enough good deeds to have a good  Karma for your next life when... who knows, you or Victoria Beckham might come back as a crocodile that was born on an Hermes farm.

The Crocodile

Quote of the day

"There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."~ Oscar Wilde

Balmain and Toyata Truck

Here is me wearing a beautiful Balmain dress ($10,000 and up) and driving my red pickup Toyota.

Fill in the blanks.

Maxfield

Welcome to Maxfield!

Come in, don't be scared! I'm not the Devil, I am just a puppet.

Should we or shouldn't we?

                                                         

Ok, so we are here at Cross Creek Malibu right now and we step into the forbidden land: Maxfield.

Maxfield is so high-end, I think they invented the term high-end. You can totally spend one month’s rent on a tshirt. Or 3 months. Or a year’s, depending on your location. Or you can save for a lifetime and still afford nothing. A plain tshirt can be as much as the GPA of… let’s think, there are so many to choose from… let’s say Cote D’Ivoire. I bet you thought they are rich, they kind of have a cool name.

I love this Balmain’s tshirt instructions:

“Blue silk chain detail top by Balmain. This v-neck sleeveless top has gold chain detail at the neck..

Item ID : 10057982

Composition :

silk : 100 %

Other Information :

washing instructions : don't wash/don't dry clean/don't tumble dry”

Ok, that means you are supposed to do what with it, after wearing it out for one night ? Any ideas?

We love that Maxfields has a bodyguard at the door. I don’t totally get it, but it looks kind of intimidating so I guess that’s his purpose.

Daniela: Let’s go in.

Me: We can’t buy anything anyway.

Daniela: Let’s just look.

Me: Ok.

Bodyguard: I know you don’t have buying intentions. I can sense it.Go in anyway, I don’t have the authority to stop you.

We: Thank you Bodyguard.

We totally recommend Maxfield if you are a famous actress, a desperate housewife and … that’s about all. Who else? Let us know if you are out there and shopped at Maxfield, we would love to hear what dry cleaning you use.

The Candle Problem

"We can't solve problems by using the same type of thinking we used when we create them." Albert Einstein


The Candle Problem is a experiment created by the Austrian psychiatrist Karl Duncker in 1945.


The test presents the participant with the following task: how to fix a lighted candle on a wall in a way so that the candle wax won't drip onto the table below.
You may use: the candle, a book of matches and a box of thumbtacks.

Try answering this, maybe during Superbowl half-time.

Wait, that's the time when we are watching commercials and see Kim Kardashian's new Shapeups add. Nevermind.

I feel Pretty

Wearing Jen's Pirate Booty from Planet Blue and Dior sandals.

Disney. Again?

I know, Disney is so present on this blog. Disney this, Disney that. I guess it helps to be talented enough to draw Mickey Mouse... than everything else is named after you. Even Disneyland.

I wish I would have drawn you. Hollywoodstylemoiland.

 I ended up at Disney Studios in Burbank.

Walt and Mickey. Hello.

See the Dwarfs pillars?

A better look at them. 

Hello again. Minnie Mouse and Walt. 

Quote of the Day nr.1

"All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them."

Quote of the Day nr.2

"If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing has started with a dream and a mouse."

From a dream and a mouse all the way to The Walt Disney Company being the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue, not bad at all. Everybody, just keep dreaming.

Fashion of Trains

Long Distance Transit:

American Rail System

The much-maligned American passenger transportation provider, AMTRAK , lags behind many countries' high-speed transit systems not only in terms of speed, but other, more easily overlooked issues such as cost per ticket; passenger comfort; overall ride experience; flexibility (geography-wise), and reliability. Nevertheless, it plods onward. Federally subsidized and wholly dependent on private track, Amtrak trains drip across America with a relentless, but oft-forgotten glide. Exceptions abound: the Acela and Metroliner trains that run the D.C. to N.Y and the MetroNorth corridors keep a comfortable pace and actually represent Value in comparison to flying the same routes.

Of course, it's patently obvious that many other countries have rail infrastructure and technological developments that put America to shame. France's T.G.V. makes quick work of a journey from Nice to Le Havre. Japan's Shinkansen rockets earnest Japanese workers between Tokyo and Osaka to the tune of over 200 m.p.h. This is the passenger missile system of Asia.

The lumbering ease and untimely comfort that cross-country Amtrak trains provide is underutilized (to the extent that it's criminal) by the American populace. Much of the blame lies at the feet of federal lawmakers who refuse to let adequate and judicious funding get in the way of their greedy earmarking schemes. 

Another unfortunate by-product of this is the fact that the majority of Americans have never simply taken a journey across America by rail. With certainty we can say that it's not their fault. I, for one, can't think of the last time I heard someone talk about upcoming plans that included a trip on AMTRAK. It seems that mainly flying is the norm; you occasionally run across a person that drove--and might still be willing to drive--across the the country. 

Everybody should treat cross-continental journeys as undertakings, and afford them the accolades they desire. Our country should be taken at leisure in transit. 

Perhaps one day, we will travel on Mag-Lev trains. There could be rails between New York and L.A; Miami and Seattle; Boston and Phoenix. It will be exhilarating and cost-effective (post-build)--but, it will be fast.

In the meantime, we have Amtrak. I recommend enjoying it. Try the Empire Builder line, which takes you from Chicago and across the upper High Line of Montana, to Seattle or Portland.

All Aboard, America. All Alboard, AMTRAK. 

I'd rather be complaining.

I know it is February and the rest of the world is freezing... but, really, what's up with this red around the sun? The Iphone photo quality is so poor. I can't wait for Iphone 5.

Ok, why couldn't that rainbow in the cloud be bigger? I could have used a rainbow picture for the day.

And all this pollution.  See all that yellow? It's pollution. It ruins the picture.

Versatility

Cartier:

Complexity and Simplicity

--both with leather

As watches that can be worn daily regardless of dress or atmosphere, Cartier can provide a timepiece par excellence, or one simpliste. As illustrated, the above watch demonstrates the former. Make no doubt about it, the Tortue is a piece of horology that is truly deserving of the "Grand Complication" moniker. Its sweeping date hand and perpetual calendar only add the the intricacy of its inception. For many, it might be simply too complex a watch. For instance, can you imagine looking down at that for the time every day? After all, the thing just constricts one's wrist.

In stark contrast is the Santos 100 L. This watch is ameliorative in its simplicity. You wear it; you look at it from time to time; you are told the time--nothing more. To be certain, it's an exercise in stark efficiency and elegance. It is, simply, a timepiece. The two watches could not be more different.

What makes them unique, though, is the comfortable nonchalance that the black leather band affords both. Whatever the flamboyance; whatever the "statement", the restrained, deferential carrier gives both watches approachability and confidence that lends itself well to an informal, formal, or decadent situation. 

In summary: both watches are vastly different playing fields in terms of affordability, but one thing makes them play on a level ball-field. Versatile watches call for versatile occasions. This is a demonstration of how two vastly different ones can both get the girl on the dancefloor.

In conclusion, One should always opt for the Timex IRONMAN™.