La Vie En Rose

Blood Sparks+Carts

Fashion's Night Out might be about shopping...but for the team at A+R and our imaginative designers, it's an excuse to raise a glass, celebrate the Fall 2012 collections—and get the welding equipment out.

This image popped in our mailboxes today, courtesy of Chris Glancy at Cast of Vices, whose Fall 2012 collection will be front and center that night, along with the newest of six other global brands. Chris, by the way, is a madman. Charming, yes. But he thinks like a dadaist, which may ultimately be his triumph or...not. At least he can never be accused of being lukewarm water...

That's Kentucky Joe John deconstructing the object of Chris' mad vision—an installation that will be debuting this weekend at A+R's main window.

Stay tuned...

Photo and Title Courtesy: CoV (thanks boys!)

A+R is on FB, Finally!

Yes, Ladies and Gentleman, A+R is finally on Facebook.

I managed to finally squeeze some time in yesterday, and only because I couldn't bear to explain to the umpteenth person asking why we didn't have one—especially given it was such a lame excuse: as in "it's on the to-do list!" It was completely true. But what isn't on the to-do list?

We need YOU, however, to "Like" the page so we can become a bonafide presence on FB. So please click here and give us a thumbs up.

Now in place, you better believe I'll be giving it plenty of love. Keep checking the A+R FB page for updates on new product, promos and other fun stuff.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Next up? Redesigning this site!

Walking the Line: Esquivel Debuts on Net-A-Porter

Now the world can discover what Andy and I already know: once you walk in George Esquivel's shoes, you can actually keep walking.

I have several pairs of his lace-up brogues, a couple plain, others more traditional—well, except for the color combos! They are my default shoes whenever I know I'm going to be standing or walking all day. Which is why I always travel with a pair (or more).

Ditto Andy. Most recently, he tromped around in a pair of Equivel olive ankle boots during the entire two-week trip around the UK and Barcelona, never so much as asking for his new sneakers.

We'll continue to visit George at his Third Street salon in Los Angeles because, well, it's also an excuse to see the his lovelieness.

But this last week, Esquivel brogues and boots debuted on Net-a-Porter.

It's a tight capsule collection of his must-haves. But hopefully this is the start of a long and fruitful relationship, and not just for the shopping site. If I got a euro for every time I was asked about my shoes stateside or abroad, I woule be nose deep in pairs of every color combination unimaginable.

How Do You Spell Cool? L-I-N-L-E-E A-L-L-E-N

Our Fearless Mistress of Good Times: Linlee Allen

As the last rays of hit the hilltop windows across Silver Lake reservoir, my thoughts drift to tonight's action around the pool at The Standard Hollywood and cultural impresario Linlee Allen's weekly exploits there. Tonight's* is a live drawing salon with actual models posing around the deck (no word whether they will be baring it all as I did once a very long time ago for the art department at CSULB, where I also majored in journalism...but that's for another story time!).

The Thursday hubbub is a circulating theme of novel reasons to get together and clink plastic cocktail glasses (it is the pool area, after all). And as those of you who have been keeping up on my erratically filed posts know, last Thursday's excuse was a Fashion Spelling Bee with yours truly moderating.

Linlee did it all. She gathered a diverse panel of contestants: designers Gregory Parkinson, Jasmin Shokrian and, from Costume Dept., Shawn Kaleka; stylists Natalie Joos and Ashley Avignone; writers Steffie Nelson and Max Padilla; and DecadesTwo.1's Christos Garkinos.

She also came up with questions that started soft (Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe's iconic quote expressing a sense of joy involves which fruit?**) and, for some, got tougher (What is the alter-ego name of photographer Helmut Newton's wife?***).

Never mind those of us on stage. The audience was on the edge of their seats trying not to shout out the answers (or risk being promptly reprimanded by me). Christos' cheering section included Garcelle Beauvais. And Corey Lynn Calter and Shana Honeyman were among the fellow fashion industry pals who came out to support the craziness and dine under the stars.

Garcelle Beauvais and Christos Garkinos

Journalist Max Padilla

On stage, each contestant, in order of seating arrangement, took a turn at the mike, stating their answer and spelling it out. It was all staged to be very civilized. Except that with so much chilled rosé flowing, the competition got fierce. Answers were known, but spelling slightly off, and so the neighboring contestant got the opportunity to jump up and say and spell it correctly.

I think most of us believed Max was slightly out in front through most of the heated match. Young and cute Ashley Avignone, a former Rachel Zoe protege, was certainly being a good sport with questions that were certainly designed for the (fashion) history junkie.

In the end, however, it turned out that Steffie piled up the most points, taking the top prize (a deluxe VIP weekend getaway at The Standard and bragging rights). It also turned out that Natalie came in at a very close second. Ah! If only English wasn't her FOURTH language howled her fans in the audience—including the very glam Michelle Harper.

 Much as I loved hamming it up on the vintage mike, I especially loved getting together with pals over the post-Bee steak frites. Since I'm somewhat "retired" from the circus, I then got to go home. But for Gregory, Jasmine and Shawn, the night was just beginning as they burn the oil to complete their Spring 2012 collections.

Trends might change from season to season. But the business of fashion never does... And, in the case of a chick such as Linlee Alllen or any of the pals I've made these many years and remain in touch with under even the quirkiest of situations (like a fashion spelling bee), cool always remains cool.

The quad-lingual beauty, stylist Natalie Joos

Rose Apodaca (me) and Steffie Nelson before the high-stakes match

Michelle Harper

 

Stylist Ashley Avignone

Designer Gregory Parkinson and Fashion Bee winner Steffie Nelson

 

The dapper Shawn Kaleka of Costume Dept.

Corey Lynn Calter, Emil Gampe and Shana Honeyman

 

NOTES:

*Actually last night. But life being what it is, this wasn't posted until the morning after!

**Bananas

***Alice Springs

Rocking the Racks with Richard Joseph

It's always a pleasure when one of the designers we feature in A+R gives us a surprise shout-out. That was the case in today's New York Times "Shopping" feature on dish racks as selected by Richard Joseph, half of the Brit brother team Joseph Joseph, one of our top lines in store.

Richard singled out seven "dish drainers," as he points out they are called back home, including the Geo Dish Drainer by Jorre van Ast for Royal VKB. We hand-picked this one for A+R because we love the graphic effect on the surface and the subtle cheekiness of a topographical map—suggesting, no less, the tectonic pile of dishes and glasses!

Popping My Cork for Cork Design

I'm absolutely mad for cork. Whenever I see a piece of industrial or fashion design made from the stuff, I swoon.

Turns out a woman in the cork oak-growing region of Gallura in Italy is similary smitten for the stuff. Anna Grindi has spent the better part of the last two decades developing techniques to transform cork into a nonwoven fabric for use in clothes—including her daughter's beautiful wedding gown—and upholstery.

"Cork is an amazing natural material, impermeable to liquids and gas, and with great thermal qualities,” Ms. Grindi told reporter Kate Singleton, in a feature that ran this week in The New York Times.

With patents in hand and ongoing research with universities in Sardinia and Milan, Ms. Grindi has brought to market exquisite results with the likes of the house of Ferragamo lining up for yardage, which can run into the hundreds of euros for a single yard.

Salvatore Ferragamo, of course, was a pioneer in using cork for platform heels when war-time resources for other materials became spare. His iconic gold kidskin sandal with rainbow-colored suede-covered cork heel and wedge looks every bit as modern now though it was created in 1938 for Judy Garland.

In recent years, the fashion world has flirted with cork in everything from tote bags to these cork limbs (pictured below) by Jan Taminiau. They are absolutely crazy beautiful and underscore that old chestnut that pain is beauty.

 

But I prefer the knee-high cork boots by Martin Margiela that my pal Lisa Edelstein turned up in at a party a couple of years back. I've been searching for a pair in my size ever since.

My daily cork fix comes from the small wallet made from cork and lined with recycled billboard that is with me everywhere I go. It's one of a trio of sizes designed as part of the award-winning Design with Conscience program by Artecnica, the Los Angeles-based studio. The medium-sized envelope makes a great clutch. While the largest fits iPads (something Andy discovered last year and quickly tipped our pals at Artecnica).

Aurélien Barbry's Cork Stoppers for Normann-Copenhagen are also a fun spin on the cork seals for wine bottles. Of course, these can be used for any bottle containing juice, water or spirit. As I indicated on our site, they make a terrific gift for the casual or dedicated oenophile.

The Comeback of the [Black] Peacock

The latest revival of the Black dandy got major front page love in a New York Times article this last week, specifically the flurry of projects and impact by Travis Gumbs and Joshua Kissi, founders of the style blog devoted —and very likely, as the article pointed out, driving—this phenom, Style Etiquette.

I agree with writer Jon Caramanica, what makes the site so cool is that it's not about simply documenting their finds in a static context the way so many other style blogs do.There is a an attempt at context, even if it's limited to additional vintage snapshots or images of other related influences.

Probably more than playing armchair observer to the great women of fashion, it's the men who take up of the obsession that I'm always fascinated by. From the OD Beau Brummel to Jimi Hendrix, those who dare to step out of the masculine conventions of dress to reimagine themselves and their world seem to be the bravest of them all.

You+Me and a Fashion Spelling Bee this Thursday!

What is your fashion insight quotient? More trivia pursuit than spelling bee, this Thursday's pop culture tournament at the Hollywood Standard Hotel featuring a stellar style council of contestants shines the spotlight on designers, clothes, HotPants and hot potatoes in the cuckoo world of fashion.

I'm serving as cruise director on this madcap trip, organized by the coolest of cultural curators for L.A.'s Standard Hotels and Chateau Marmont, Linlee Allen. Word is she's assembled a panel made up of a couple of CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists, a vintage guru and a couple of fashion journos.

Sounds all like a great excuse to get dressed up and enjoy a cocktail-fueled night of frolic under the Hollywood stars...see you there. I start throwing questions down at 7:30 p.m. sharp.

Keith Richards' Aural Treats

Behind the wheel this summer, it hasn't been so much about a song but the man behind some of our favorite anthems of all time, Keith Richards. The audiobook to his 2.2-pound autobio  Life  has been ontap in the car since our impromptu road trip earlier last month to San Francisco. And since then we've been stretching out the aural delights of Keeeiifff!!!

While Johnny Depp and Joe Hurley split much of the 20-some hours reading from the memoir, the maddog Englishman himself takes the mike for some of the ripest recollections, including the crazy summer days in the back of a Rolls with Anita Pallenberg as they barrelled down to the south of Spain to jump a ferry to Marrakesh.

It took Audiobook of the Year this past April, in large part because it's exposed a whole new audience to the genre. Yours truly included. But somehow, I think all the rest will pale by comparison. 

I usually side on reading the book. I did get my very own copy for Christmas, and it lives at the head of my bed in the active stack. I've even cracked open the heavy thing on evenings when I'm not totally wiped (on those night's I've been giving into that other rock star, Anthony Bourdain and his latest, Medium Raw—in paperback!). Given the heft of Life, I'm guessing that I'm not alone.

So download it. Reading's fine. But listening to Keith Richards tell it like it is is worth the price of gas and much more.

This summer and always: Don't drink and drive, darlings.

StyleLikeU+Me

This week I received a visit from Style Like U's Elisa Goodkind and her shutterbug associate, executive editor Ramona Canino for an upcoming showcase on yours truly. It will appear on the site that Elisa co-founded with her daughter Lily Mandelbaum, seen above during a recent celebration in New York for their inaugural book by the same name.

While subjecting myself before the camera is not exactly my idea of fun—I'd much rather control things behind the lens and in the interviewer seat!—Elisa and Ramona were an absolute pleasure. Like me, Elisa (who is a former editorial stylist and appeared at my house draped in a black charmeuse Rick Owens pansuit and shrunken jacket, fingers ringed in silver and gold and a kerchief around her neck) had been increasingly fed up with the way traditional media is heading. Her adult kids, including Lily, countered with a reality check: out with the old and in with the endless DIY opportunities of the internet. And Style Like U was hatched.

I've long checked into the site, fascinated by the colorful individuals they spotlight and the relaxed approach taken with subjects (videos run about seven minutes). More recently, SLU has begun other types of features, such as the beautifully sublime editorial short on vintage bohemians Beatrix Ost and Ludwig Kuttner.

Our conversation this week ended up very biographical and of-the-moment. Even my fashion choices were far from pre-meditated, though I let instinct (and the unsolicited occurrence of a stocking run) determine my selection. I'm not even sure I shared everything I would have had I the luxury to self-edit. That's, of course, me the editor speaking...ha ha!

Keep you posted when my vid airs.

This is Not Egypt

 

Because what else is there to say. Plenty, of course.

To-Do Today: From Street Art Grit to the Luxe of Louis XV

If you can't stand the heat, get into the Getty Center or Geffen Contemporary today. Seriously, it's today or never if you're going to catch two exhibitions here in L.A. worth your Sunday.

At the Getty Center, "Paris: Life & Luxury" is an enchanting amuse bouche of the extravagant heights pleasant society during Louix XV's reign underwent in even the most mundane moments of daily life. Even if you've seen these kinds of items before (and I certainly have), it was still worth the afternoon last week to see this presentation. From corseted gowns to a porcelain playing card box, a mustard container to a telescope, no item escaped the gilded touch of hundreds of unknown artisans.

Given the recent trash talk in D.C. over the debt crisis, the Getty exhibition is expecially pungent as a study of how far the rich will go at the cost of those outside their carved exotic wood doors—which even the wealthy during the 18th century enjoyed. It's also a great excuse to take in L.A. from one of the greatest viewing points. Le show closes today.

At the other end of town and of the visual spectrum is "Art in the Streets" at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. It's a dizzying survey of graffiti and other forms of street art since the late 1960s, and associate curators Roger Gastman and Aaron Rose did a remarkable job pulling together all of the elements, from artist notebooks to the skateboard ramps installed for the show. There are dark rooms showing videos and shorts providing a place to recharge. And do not miss the timeline section hovering above the Geffen's cavernous gallery.

In fact, there might be too much. To be honest, Andy and I were a wee perplexed at some of the inclusions. But these are minor distractions given all the varied ingredients mixed in, as well as the astounding installations that will come down Tuesday morning. We loved seeing the likes of Jamie Reid's work for the Sex Pistols (the image above, not that you'd confuse it with the equally sexy image below!).

MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch shared with me at Glenn Kaino's birthday party last month that the exhibition might still have a second life in New York. The folks at the Brooklyn Museum of Art wimped out following media frenzy that the show here was behind an increase in tagging— a tale not corroborated based on previous year's tagging—and that the same could happen in New York. I'm no fan of tagging, which is mostly fatuous, uninspired dribble. But there is a great and long tradition of street art (which goes back centuries, of course) that has served up more, a lot more.

Thankfully, not everyone shares the Brooklyn Museum's opinion, and another site might step up to present it.

After all, New York is the birthplace of pop art in all its incarnations. Then again, so was the art of Andy Warhol. Yet it took a gallery in Los Angeles to be the first to take a chance on that guy.

Go today or go tomorrow, its final day here or, possibly anywhere.

François Boucher's "Lady Fastening Her Garter, also known as La Toilette" (1742)