fashion

Art, Fashion, Los Angeles CA

FIDM Museum Visit

Mood boards for some of the shows featured like Wallander, Man in the HIgh Castle and Mercy Street.

Mood boards for some of the shows featured like Wallander, Man in the HIgh Castle and Mercy Street.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the LA campus of Fashion Institute Design and Merchandising (FIDM for short) to talk to their Honor society, Phi Theta Kappa. We chatted about the pleasures and pitfalls of owning your own business, the importance of social media, trend forecasting and networking with other like minded entrepreneurs. I love meeting young people, interacting with them helps me to stay current with today's trends and tomorrow's customers. After my talk,  I checked out the TV costume design exhibit next door at the FIDM Museum, which to my delight had costumes from many of the shows that I love to watch. Costumes range from period to contemporary and include Wallander, Downtown Abbey, Roots, Sherlock Holmes, Mercy Street, The Man in the High Castle, Game of Thrones, Empire, Veep, American Horror Story, Transparent, Jane the Virgin, My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Scream Queens. This exhibit is free to the public and open Tuesday-Saturday 10 am -5 pm until October 15.

Love Downtown Abbey, so of course I made a beeline for these dresses, immediately upon entering the exhibit. Love the signature twenties era stying of the drop waists for Lady Rose on the front rightand flapper sequin beading and long necklace for Lady Mary in the back. I remember her wearing this dress!

Winter is coming! I look forward to watching G.O.T. every season for the amazing sets and locations. It was fun to get a chance to witness the elaborate beading, incredible attention to detail and substantial costumes up close in person. 

I was late to the game on Veep but once I checked it out, it quickly became one of my favorites. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a comic genius and the rest of the cast is equally talented. I like that it's similar to House of Cards in that you feel like you are getting an accurate portrayal of what life in politics entails but it does it with humor instead of shock value. There are so many heavy dramas out there right now that it's refreshing to watch a light one without all the angst and turmoil.

I'm a bit of a scaredy cat so I will admit that I don't personally watch American Horror Story but my husband does so I will see snippets here and there. I love that the most recent season was filmed at Cicada in downtown Los Angeles, in the historic 1928 Oviatt building which I walk by every time I'm running errands in dtla. My best friend got married there so every time I would see episodes of AMHS, it would bring back happy memories. In my opinion, the costumes, and locations are the best part of AMHS. I love the dark moody vibe of the show, and in particular Lady Gaga's wardrobe. Divine!

Love the color of this pink faux fur jacket, it would go great with my rose gold hair! Haven't seen either Scream Queens or Empire but liked what I saw costume-wise!

Love me some Benedict Cumberbatch, and love even more that his fans are called Cumberbitches. (I will neither confirm nor deny that I might be one). I wish Benedict would give the movies a rest (I did like Imitation Game though) and return to filming this great show.

Talking at FIDM

Talking at FIDM

That's me!

That's me!

Los Angeles CA, Jewelry, Fashion

A Current Affair

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Last weekend I visited A Current Affair, Pop Up Vintage Marketplace in the Cooper building in downtown Los Angeles.  What a great idea, tons of vintage clothing and jewelry shops under one roof! This event takes place triennially in Los Angeles and biannually New York. This particular one was hosted by Jane Aldridge of Sea of Shoes and jewelry blogger extraordinaire Danielle Miele of Gem Gossip. Some of the stores featured were Desert Vintage in Tuscon, Arizona, Charm School Vintage in Austin, Texas, and Arrow and Anchor in Nashville, Tennessee. For future events, visit A Current Affair.

Ba&ash top, Thierry Lasry sunglasses, Mansur Gavriel bag.

Ba&ash top, Thierry Lasry sunglasses, Mansur Gavriel bag.

Browsing through some great pieces. Some dating back to 1860! Vintage is a major source of inspiration for most designers. Decades that inspire me are the 70s and 80s for the heavy use of yellow gold and over the top opulence. I grew up with an affinity for French brands like Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Charles Jourdan from spending afternoons shopping with my mom. I remember after school outings at Chanel in Beverly Hills sipping mini glass bottles of Coca-Cola while my mom tried on suits paired with jewelry. I definitely gained my love of fashion from my mother; she even wore Chanel haute couture to my wedding in Paris!

Shot of the Cooper Building in downtown LA. What a great space! The open floor plan and high ceilings allow for a unique viewing experience. With over sixty vendors, it was a nice way to incorporate so many boutiques under one roof.

Danielle Miele and I have been Instagram friends for so long, it was so great to finally meet her in person! She runs the jewelry blog Gem Gossip which is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Check out the interview we did at gemgossip.com

My office!

I can see my office from the window of the Cooper Building! I love all the historic buildings of downtown la. My office building is definitely a quirky style of architecturewith turrets on top, dating back to 1924.

Since Danielle is famous for her tagline #showmeyourrings, I was excited at the opportunity to pose with her! She specializes in blogging about jewelry trends, vintage and period jewelry and also has a fine jewelry line of her own. I love the large opal ring she is wearing with its ombré hues. I am wearing the Pearl Corrie Ring, the Diamond Bar Ring, and the Petite Cubist Ring in white topaz.