Out of Town

I'm in L.A. until January 5th scouting, eating, and seeing friends and family, so posts will be sparse. I just ate at Tom Colicchio's new L.A. outpost Craft which opened in October. I thought the design was wonderful and aptly matched with the simply prepared cuisine. I gushed most over the old-school Thomas Edison-style lighting (perhaps by School House Electric?) and cool orange matchbooks. Oh, and the food, that wasn't bad either! Bentel & Bentel is the architecture firm behind most of the other Craft restaurants, and by pictures I am assuming they're responsible for the L.A. location too.

Happy Boxing Day!

Just came back from a fab Boxing Day party, a genius holiday which from now on I'm paying a lot more attention to. Traditionally Boxing Day is a holiday that typically falls on December 26th and is celebrated in the U.K. and its commonwealths. Boxing Day, which dates back to the Middle Ages, of which the primary practice is the giving of gifts to employees, the poor, or to people in a lower social class (they were busy making the Christmas goose the day before). Some resources source the name from "To give a Christmas-box"; hence the term boxing-day. Whatever, I'm celebrating the end of family dysfunction. Period. The party was wonderful not only because it was low-key and stress-free, but because one of the host's extended family member from Australia (see? real Boxing Day peeps) is Clare Reynolds an up-and-coming Australian folk singer a la Vanessa Carlton who performed several songs for us off her debut album "Inside My Head", which you can purchase on itunes (key tracks: "Come Back", "Inside My Head"). Seriously, I think this is my favorite holiday.

Little Oranges of California

Last night Matt and I received our favorite Christmas card of the year (see above). What can I say, I'm a sucker for cynical humor and good design. Not only that, but my friend Josh addressed the card to "DownWithChina". Hilarious. The Pasadena-based letterpress is called Little Oranges of California and the above and below cards are part of their more modern Cal*LINE. It might be a little late to be buying Holiday Cards, but they cover most other occasions too.

Honesty Stamp

This stamp by London-based designer Dominic Wilcox, formerly of Mosley Meets Wilcox, pretty much says it all for me. I can't even walk into a Bath & Body Works without having a seizure from all the fruity smells, especially during the holidays, ick. Get the above honesty stamp here ($24) and check out some others in the series, like "You're right, the key to a strong relationship is communication." here ($29).

*Above stamp reads: "No socks, underpants or smelly soap will be accepted this Christmas"

Last Minute Gift Idea

It's coming down to the wire, and I know there's still people out there that haven't really gotten into the groove yet (like, for example, my brother). The above herb and spice rack from Dean + Deluca ($100-$150) makes a wonderful gift for most everybody. Next day delivery is available.

xo, kc

I was thrilled to get an email yesterday from Kelly Chilton and a link to her Etsy shop. We worked together for a bit in L.A., she's a graphic designer and part-time creator of these awesome decoupage trays and paper weights. The images she uses are all her own photographs which then go through a vigorous old-fashioned printing process that makes them end up looking vintage. Kelly had just moved out to L.A. from New York when I first met her and her work is making me miss California more than ever. Thanks a lot, Kelly! Above is "A Day at the Beach" lead crystal paperweight ($40) and below is Palm Glass Tray ($65). Order by December 21st (4pm PST) for Christmas express delivery!

Tom Dixon gets Punchy

Bad Boy British designer Tom Dixon has a new lighting series out called Punch, this includes the above polished stainless steel pendant lights, as well as table lights and wall lights. I love the line even more than his widely popular 2005 Copper Shade Pendant lamps I think. At first Punch suprised me a little as it didn't seem all that Dixonian to me. If fact, I thought it looked like a metallic Kartell collection. (Below is the 2005 polycarbonate Ge suspension lamp by Ferruccio Laviani for Kartell that I immediately thought of). The more I looked at it though, the more I liked it and was taken aback by the delicate yet bold metal work. I can't wait to see it in person and really take a good look. The Punch table lamp is available for purchase here for $435, I will keep you updated on other purchasing locales once the collection is more readily available.

Teach Your Children Well

Do you feel like your children have been robbed by the digital age? They don't know the basics, and you haven't done enough Sodoku to remember how to teach them yourself? These books are for you! They will teach Junior and Sissy how to palm a coin, write in invisible ink, how to tie a sheet bend knot and make friendship bracelets. Essentials that they'll eventually blame you for if they miss out—plus, the handsome covers will look fantastic on their bedside tables. The Dangerous Book for Boys ($15) and The Daring Book for Girls ($15) also make a great gift idea for those uncles and aunts out there that refuse to fight the masses at Toys R Us to get a sold-out Wii game.

Paging Aristotle Onassis

If eyes are the windows to one's soul, then choice in eye wear is pretty damn important. Lately I've been drooling over tycoon glasses—something I find particularly irresistible on a gentleman caller. Is it the man who makes the frames or the frames that make the man? Ask Johnny Depp. I bet he'd say the former. Eye wear, like most of the fashion world, is taking its cues from the past and no one is more entitled than Moscot (above image, middle image below). Besides being Depp's spectacle brand, they've been around since 1915 and do what they do perfectly. Persol (first image below), two years Moscot's junior, is the Italian brand that has become synonymous with Hollywood. With a wide range of frames, both sunglasses and eyeglasses, Persol is a modern classic with a style for everyone. For a more youthful look (what? You don't want to impersonate a 75 year old Greek shipping magnate?) Oliver Peoples (bottom image) is the brand that fuses modernity and clean lines with traditional materials for a youthful yet distinguished look. If not for my 20/20 vision, I'd have a serious eyeglass collection...and my pilot aspirations would be blown. So, alas, Matt, my near-sighted boyfriend, has to bear with my needs to play dress-up. I don't think he minds.

Place Setting Oddity

What is it about this glam rocker that has inspired more than one designer to create tabletop items in his image? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for David Bowie in the dining room. How incredible would it be if a company like Lladro did a Ziggy Stardust porcelain figurine collection?

On the left is actually a Slide Plate by David Bowie himself, part of his Peace Through Art program ($21, proceeds go to "Save The Children" and "21st Century Leaders"). There is also a mug available for the same price Both items will be available in January, but can be pre-ordered now. On the right is a David Bowie Pint glass ($10 each).

Designers Steve Mosley and Dominic Wilcox collaborated from 2002-2005 on the Mosley Meets Wilcox Meets Rock line which included the above Bowie plates (as well as tables and vases) at Paul Smith and other design shops. The plates were in a limited set of 250 and came out a few years ago, so check with your local Paul Smith store or click here to email Mosley Meets Wilcox to see if you can still get your hands on a set.

Mayor Daley is a fashionista.

Ok that title might be an exaggeration, but "da Mayor" does have a serious fashion agenda he's set forth for the city. I met with Melissa Gamble this morning, Director of Fashion Arts and Events for The City of Chicago, also known by some as the Windy City's "Fashion Czar", who is in charge of the effort to ramp up Chicago's thread-worthiness. Most notably, Gamble's department has set up the Chicago Fashion Resource a website that outlines Chicago's hottest designers, like Belgian transplant Anke Loh, neighborhoods, boutiques, and events. It's a great site for visitors, new residents and Chicago natives alike. I had no idea that the fashion industry and government could be fused together like this, quite an unlikely intersection. It's working though, in fact other cities are catching on and thinking of implementing similar programs. Go Mayor Go!

Bon Appétit c-c-c-changes

I heard about the Bon Appétit redesign maybe a week ago, but saw the new logo in the flesh just last night when I picked up the January 08 issue at Whole Foods. The magazine has gotten some mixed press (This NY Mag article being particularly ruthless), but having worked there I have to say: Finally! It looks great, but most importantly it accurately matches what's been behind the cover for a long time. I'm biased but I really do think that Bon Appétit provides an easy way to stay up on food trends and restaurant trends as well as accessible seasonal recipes that work. Who wouldn't want that in their mail box every month? $12 for one year subscription by clicking here.

In other magazine news: Blueprint (Martha Stewart's shelter mag) is closing after its Jan/Feb 08 issue.

E-cards: Friend or Foe?

I usually don't care much for e-cards, because I feel like they typically lack the TLC and human touch that defines the essence of what a Christmas card should be. But, recently I've seen the other side of sending holiday cheer electronically. I think it happened when I received the above e-card from rug maker Dan Golden. It's dry and sarcastic, not to mention eco-friendly. It didn't warm my heart, but it did make me smile. I'll be sending out my paper cards from Egg Press this year, but maybe I'll go electronic in '08.

Alessi Nativity

This Alessi nativity scene has been in the works since the 1990s, and I think it's adorable. The designer, comic illustrator Massimo Giacon, has successfully created a nativity that is bubbling with personality and will work with modern decor—quite a feat. $105 at A+R.

Monogram Madness

I've been tracking the return of the monogram for a little while now and I can confidently say: The monogram is back, and I mean main-stream back (J.Crew, etc.). When I monogram, I like to keep it old school. The West Elm modern font stuff seems counter-intuitive to me—if you want to go sleek and modern then why would want to add intricacy? Right? Maybe it's just me. Above and below are some great monograms that I really love. I put this together pretty quickly so please let me know if I left out something major. Above: Iomoi lucite tray ($100 for small, $200 for large, $650 for ottoman size); party coasters ($50 for 100) and matchbooks ($40 for 50) both from Long Island's The Monogram Shop in Locust Valley and East Hampton—I even know someone who used to work there. Below is a Reed & Barton mint julep cup ($53); John Derian 5.75" plate ($44) and coasters ($25, letters available: L,O,V,E); I love Tervis tumblers ($56 for 4), just ordered some the other day. When you get really serious about monogramming, be sure to check out Leotine Linens of New Orleans, their products are all made by hand.


My favorite thing in the world that I have monogrammed is this antique Tiffany & Co. cigarette case with wood interior circa the 1920s. My mom gave it to me ten years ago when I graduated 9th grade. Modern cigarettes don't fit inside because the filter makes them too long to run up and down, but I do keep a single Parliament Light (circa the 90's) in there for historical purposes!

Stella McCartney for Adidas for Sub-Zero

Sorry for the late and light posting this week, I've been really busy with other work. I've also been wasting unreasonable amounts of time just trying to figure out the right amount of layers to wear when I go outside. (Is it a wool long underwear or a cotton long underwear morning?) And it's not just about how many layers, but choosing the right amount of layers and not looking like Ralphie's brother from that "You'll shoot your eye out" Christmas movie. This issue is then even more complicated when you're trying to go outside to exercise, as treacherous as that may sound. I've been really liking some of the new Stella McCartney for Adidas gear which is so functional and so so fashionable. Above: Women's Saga Boots ($240); Women's Run Winter Jacket ($210); Microbounce Daha shoes ($180).

Paris Hotel Boutique

I am always delighted to get email updates from Lynn Goldfinger the antique hunter over at Paris Hotel Boutique. Above are a pair of stunning iron/gilt mid-century lamps ($325); and below is an amateur oil portrait of a lady circa 1940s ($245) which I think would be great for a salon wall; and maybe I saved the best for last, a Gucci flask from the 1970s ($175), I'd like to know where that little item's been.

Alberta Clippers

Chicago was just hit by an Alberta Clipper. I know the proper name of this particular kind of snow storm because I obsessively check weather websites during the day (I mean, the Doppler Radar is on my browser toolbar). It was the first major snow for the season and it was really fun to romp around Wrightwood Park with the Hare and a half-dozen other pooches and their North Face-clad owners. There isn't much in the world that can kill the buzz of throwing a snowball at your dog and watching her search for it until she gets so frustrated that she bites the snow on the ground and explodes into a five-minute sprint in figure-8's. Nothing much, but there sadly there is something. Of the 1669 songs on my itunes, the song that came on randomly when I got back inside had to be "California" by Joni Mitchell. Watching snow fall to that song should be illegal. A proverbial Alberta Clipper herself, Mitchell was born in Alberta but quickly sailed on to become a folk icon. She moved all around, from the city to the country, but is constantly connected to Laurel Canyon where she lived from 1967 until the mid-70s. Some people are defined by place, but I think Joni Mitchell helped define this small area of the Hollywood Hills that connects L.A. to the Valley, its essence anyway.

Earlier this year her multimedia exhibition, Green Flag Song, which centered on war, revolution, and politics showed at Lev Moross Gallery in West Hollywood. I didn't get a chance to see it but her catalogs and posters are still available through the gallery. For signed ($400) and unsigned ($225) poster prints and standard edition catalogs ($175): click here. These items make fantastic gifts for any Joni-addict.

TableArt for TableArt

I have to say I hold a special place for TableArt, a luxe Melrose Avenue tabletop/shelter shop. They opened their store, a stones throw from my old apartment, right around the time when I started covering tabletop for Bon Appétit. They were new to getting press coverage and I was new to tabletop, so it worked out ok. I vaguely remembered the owner Walter Lowry telling me he was in the process of manufacturing his own line a few years ago, and when I got an email about their holiday offerings yesterday I saw the result. I must say the TableArt line is very TableArt: luxurious and simple. Above: mother-of-pearl spoons ($10-$14); Opal and sky blue pitchers and tumblers ($35-$72); horn and silver plate salad servers ($65).

Plank Designs

I recently started going to a Chicago yoga/wellness center in Wicker Park called Ruby Room and now I think I'm slipping into a hard-core addiction to yoga. I've even started making Matt do tree poses and warrior poses with me randomly in our loft. Who knew? The one thing about yoga is that a lot of the merch surrounding it can be sort of cheesy (cheaply made bracelets that say "love" is one example). That's why I love this company Plank, their yoga gear is functional, well-designed, and has a sense of humor. Above is Pills yoga mat ($76) and below is Bling Bling towel set ($145), both by Plank Designs.