Shu Uemura drawing pencils

I'm the first to admit I'm not a make up girl, in fact, I barely know how to put it on. But recently I've really started getting into the Japanese brand Shu Uemura which has everything from natural looks to awesomely-rad fake eyelashes made from feathers. Recently I've been getting a lot of complements (or inquiries?) about the eye liner I've been wearing. It's Metallic Plum Purple drawing pencil ($19) and I think it would especially complement lighter brown, green, and hazely eyes. I'm off to have lunch at one of my favorite houses in L.A., more on that later.

Mexican Coke

After reading The Foodinista's post about L.A.'s newly opened Unami Burger on La Brea, I went with two friends to check it out last night for dinner. Everyone was charmed by the food, the burgers were memorable and the fries were dynamite. Since one of my friends is pregnant (and because Unami doesn't have a liquor license), we toasted with Mexican Coke in glass bottles--and I wouldn't have had it any other way--plus I had already had my fill of sparkling wine at lunch with The Foodinista herself on the roof of Barneys in Beverly Hills. Mexican Coke is made with natural cane sugar unlike U.S. Coke which is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. Coca-Cola claims there is no way to taste the difference, but many beg to differ. Drinking Coke isn't something I do regularly enough to know but some say Mexican Coke has "a clean sweetness and light mouthfeel to them, while those made with corn syrup have heavy mouthfeel and a cloying sweetness." I just like drinking coke out of glass bottles with friends over a gourmet burger. After some light Googling I noticed that Mexican Coke is being sold at some Costcos for $0.75 a bottle. Great idea Costco.

Getting Muddy

This morning I'm headed to TableArt, one of L.A.'s chicest tableware stores to see the Mud Australia porcelain every-day dinnerware line in close detail. Matt and I have been going back and forth over what kind of china and every-day stuff to register for, and I think this might be a winner. I love the simplcity, the earthiness, and the all the color options. But mostly I love their noodle bowls, they're the perfect sized bowl.

new arrivals at Paris Hotel Boutique

I really love getting "new arrivals" emails from Lynn of the San Francisco-based vintage shop Paris Hotel Boutique. In fact, right when I see them appear in my inbox my heart rate goes up a little. Above is an ultra-rare first edition copy of David Hicks on Living with Taste ($245). Doesn't the cover look just as tasteful today as it did in 1969? Below are two examples of vintage bus signs. The first is an American 1970s Greyhound bus sign ($285), measuring over 50" tall; below that is a 1950's vintage tour bus sign from the UK ($425). Thanks, Lynn!

Emerald greens, diakon sprouts, etc.

I was going to give my brief two cents on the Oscars with that amazing crystal curtain, the idea of studs vs. no studs on a tuxedo shirt, and Angelina Jolie's stunning emerald earrings that stole the show, but I'd rather direct you to The Foodinista for Oscar commentary, she's written a great post about the role the color emerald green has played at the Oscars over the years. Check it out!

I'm in L.A./O.C. this week. The bad news is it's raining, the good news is anything is better than Chicago weather. I've been craving a seared Tuna Burger with sliced avocado, pickled red onions, daikon sprouts and spicy yuzu mayo from M Cafe on Melrose for about a month now. So that's my game plan today. Yum yum. I'll be doing my best to blog from SoCal this week and will be out and about checking stuff out, so stay tuned.

Calypso Obee Belts

I am loving these Calypso Obee Belts (on sale for $19) so much that I bought six of them last night with my cousin (ok, not six for myself, but almost). We were on the hunt for bridesmaid dresses and these belts look great on almost all their resort wear. The rest of Calypso's online sale merch is really quite good right now too.

Ford Lininger rugs

Listen up anyone in the NYC area who is interested in an authentic Persian or Moroccan rug at a deeply discounted price: Ford Lininger has a small collection of authentic antique rugs from around the world and he's pricing them to sell—from $200-$2220, with most of them under $700. Click here for more images and for information on knot count information, age, and country of origin. These are rare, one of a kind rugs and prices are approximately 75% off. Email Ford if you're interested.

Yellow Owl Workshop

I've been playing around with different ideas for our save-the-dates and it's hard to find anything that's not letterpress these days. I was turned on to San Francisco-based screen printers Yellow Owl Workshop by our wedding planner and am loving their cards, stamps and custom designs—they're a breath of fresh air.

Je t'aime limited edition serigraph printed by hand on recycled paper ($5 each, $20 for set of 5)

Custom design

Love Cyan limited edition serigraph printed by hand on recycled paper ($5 each, $20 for set of 5)

Love Geometric limited edition serigraph printed by hand on recycled paper ($5 each, $20 for set of 5)

Landscape stamp set of 5 molded natural rubber stamps, each mounted on maple block, ($37)

Alyssa Norton bracelets

Alyssa Norton's woven chain bracelets (approx. $230) are the ultimate grown-up friendship bracelets. I've seen one of these on a wrist with a vintage Cartier tank and it looked killer. Several small store locations are listed on her website along with the usual suspects like Steven Alan and Ron Herman.

A.P.C. + Nike

This just in: America and France have united. I'm loving these new A.P.C. for Nike canvas sneakers ($140) with rubber soles. Yum yum.

Former Presidential Style-Off

Happy President's Day! I thought I'd look back at the men who have worked in the Oval Office since the 50s and take a look at their style, starting with W and working back to Ike. I left out Obama because I feel it's a little too soon to judge his Presidential style and because he and his wife's outfits have been talked to death in the past few months. Above photo: W's 2001 inaugural boots.

George W. Bush may have been the worst President since Nixon or ever, but at least he could dress. He always looked good in suits, in fact some are dubbing him the "blue tie President", and he always looked in-shape. And, to be candid, he could really pull off the cowboy look rather convincingly. Style grade: B+.

Bill Clinton was surely a fashion victim of the '90s, yikes. Clinton has been credited with bringing corporate-casual to the White House. There's really just one word to describe it and that's: khaki. Now I need to give WJC a little credit for improving his look while in office—late in his second term he started dressing, well, Presidential—even if it was with Regis ties. His ex-Presidency has really over-compensated for his casual dressing habits of his past. Today he's all about a wide spread collar and as big and bright a tie possible. Sometimes it works, a lot of the time it doesn't (see above right). We get it Bill, you used to be the President, no need to draw more attention to yourself. Style grade: C+.

There isn't much to to say about George H.W. Bush. He dressed like a conservative stately WASP. I've heard his cufflink collection is remarkable, but other than that, he played the part well and didn't really deviate from the expected get-up. Style grade: B.


I feel like Ronald Reagan is often overlooked as one of the most stylish presidents of all time. He, especially in his Gubenitorial years and prior, looked like an American James Bond. RR of course had the huge benefit of starting his career as an actor in Hollywood, and being married to an ultra-stylish lady. But the Gipper should get big points for being able to rock a white dinner jacket as well a cowboy hat. Style grade: A.

Jimmy Carter: what were you thinking? In his defense he was President during some of the most ridiculous eras of fashion (1977-1981), but still, you wore cardigans...every day. Above photo: Joe Biden and President Carter. Style grade: D.

Gerald Ford gets points for two reasons. He rocked a three-piece suit, which at the time was very in vogue, and he smoked a pipe. Style grade: B.

Nixon is a hard nut to crack. He's almost a-stylish, meaning he has no style at all--not bad or good. He wore plain suits and rarely wore anything but a suit. Whenever he was photographed playing golf or wearing something without a tie he looked awkward especially since his pants were always pulled up way too high. He had a lot of other things on his mind I guess. Above photo: in black tie, adding people to his enemy list. Style grade: N/A.


Landslide Lyndon was a big dude. He had big ears, wore big hats and had some big Texas style. It wasn't always good, but it was very true to who he was. GQ gave him credit for his clear plastic eye glasses which are now back, but I'd like to give him more credit for his ten gallon cowboy hats. Style grade: B-.

JFK is the godfather of Presidential style. There are whole tomes on the subject, so I'll just say: Style grade: A+.

Eisenhower was a pretty stylish dude too, in fact he's been on this blog before. He has a military jacket named after him (The Ike Jacket), wore Rolexes, and looked great when he golfed. Style grade: A-.

An OK blog

Owner Larry Schaffer of one of L.A.'s most revered design stores, OK, has been blogging for almost a year now, but I just started reading it. Normally I don't get too into inspired by store-sponsored blogs, but this one is entertaining, personal (he is chronicling the renovation of the 1935 Rudolph Schindler house he just bought), fun—and it's an excellent resource for staying up to date on the L.A. design scene as well as, THE design scene. Check it out right here.

Max Wanger Photography

I am so psyched this morning because Matt and I booked Max Wanger to take engagement photos of us this March in L.A. I love his work and his use of rich bold color—plus, he seems like such a cool guy, it's the most excited I've been about anything wedding-related. I saw the engagement photos he took of Joanna Goddard about a month ago and freaked out. After I emailed him about seeing if he would do it he emailed me back and said he saw my blog and noted we had three things in common: trips to Tokyo, a love of Chuck Taylors and Salmonella. Thanks Max!

Hello lovers.

I'm currently drooling over the "Nicole" ($325-$500) line from Benjamin Eyewear instead of working.

Fisher Space Pen

Is it me or is the Space Pen back? Matt asked for one for Christmas this year and I think he talks about it every day—still. He claims his love for the space pen is on three levels. First, it's sleek and has a really good weight to it. Second, it's the perfect pen to travel with because it's small and reliable. And lastly and most importantly, it writes upside down, under water, on wet paper and without gravity! I can't say he's crazy on this one, it's a pretty perfect pen. You can get it at The OK store in L.A. ($23) as well as Canoe ($20) in Portland, OR.

Trina Turk residential

One of the many reasons why I'm stoked to be planning a wedding in Palm Springs is all the fun design shops out there. Last time I was there I did a vintage shop trip and next time I'm looking forward to stopping into Trina Turk Residential, the only of it's kind, at 895 N. Palm Canyon Drive.

Issey Miyake watches

I really like Japanese fashion genius Issey Miyake's new watch collection. He's brought together archtiects, interior designers and industrial designers to collaborate on his new collections and it really shows. My favorite collection from his new lines is the Twelve series designed by Naoto Fukasaw ($400). I love the simplicity—it reminds me a lot the style of an Alessi watch, a clean and fun design.