Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sales this week: Online, Los Angeles and San Francisco

Posted on December 3, 2008 | Leave a comment

Sales this week 12/01-12/07:

ONLINE:

• Net-a-Porter.com’s holiday sale features fall fashions from Chloé, Fendi, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo, and more up to 50 percent off. Ongoing.

* Blue Mercury: free standard shipping on all orders of $100 or more
Enter source code “HOLIDAY08″ in the source code field at checkout. Offer expires 12/14/08.

LOS ANGELES:

12/4/2008

When: Thursday, December 4th 6 -8pm

Where: bliss los angeles (930 Hilgard Avenue, 2nd Floor)

What: 20% off bliss products, customized skin consultations, hand & arm massages all while enjoying some bubbly and brownies.

december-bliss-event

12/4/2008
Royal Underground Sample Sale
Noon to 7 p.m.
15 Corporate Plaza, Suite 200 (Second Floor)
Newport Beach, CA

125334-letter-sale

12/04/2008-12/-6/2008

Event: Subtle Tones Warehouse Sale – Up To 75% Off
Indulge without the guilt at this sale. Treat yourself to luxury cashmere sweaters, glam shoes, eco fashion, comfy loungewear, and PJs from $10-$80. Find labels like Glam Vintage Souls, Eco Lux, Loungerie, Subtle Luxury, and more.
Receive a 5% discount if you pay with cash. All sales final! The first 100 customers from Top Button will receive a free gift with purchase.
Event Times:
Fri-Sat 10am-5pm
Location:
660 Maple Ave.
Torrance, CA 90503
(310) 328-0408 118

12/4/2008-12/7/2008

Brentwood Country Mart Sale: 20%-40% off select items

http://www.brokenenglishjewelry.com/flyers/Holiday08Web.jpg

12/4/2008

thread

12/06/08

maria-white-jewelryimage

12/06/2008-12/07/2008

Mon Petit Oiseau Sample Sale
Mon Petit Oiseau is opening their doors to host an extraordinary sample sale. There will be thousands of first quality samples perfect for holiday shopping or for a special treat for youself! Discover sweet and delicate frocks, holiday dresses, winter coats, sweaters, shorts, short-sleeved tops, and three-quartered sleeved t-shirts.
Please visit monpetitoiseau.com to view the collections.
Event Times: Sat-Sun 10am-4pm
Location:
6687 Flotilla Street
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 727-2005

12/06/2008-12/07/2008

The Shopaholic Girls Sample Sale In Pasadena

The holidays are here! The Shopaholic Girls are once again bringing you loads of high-end clothes, shoes, and accessories for those who love designer labels at below wholesale prices. At 50-90% off retail, it’s the perfect time to purchase luxury designer labels for yourself and gifts for those you love. There will be gorgeous samples and overstock from high-end labels including Black Halo, BCBG Max Azria, T Luxury, Mynx, T-Bags, Jenny Han, Young Fabulous & Broke, Bread & Butter, and For Joseph! Also, find beautiful cashmere sweaters and fabulous leather belts & purses.

Buy five items and you will receive a free t-shirt while supplies last. For more information visit shopaholicsamplesales.com.
Event Times: Sat-Sun 10am-7pm
Location: 300 E. Green Street
Pasadena Convention Center
Suite 211
Pasadena, CA 91101
Payment Types:Cash ONLY

12/07/2008

Miss Me Warehouse Sample Sale
Join Miss Me, MM Couture, Mek Denim, Sang Real Jeans, and Rock Revival Jeans for their huge holiday warehouse sample sale. Select from hundreds of styles including men’s and women’s premium denim, women’s contemporary, and girls (ages 7-14). You will also find casual wear for all. Get 40-80% off retail and save! Dressing Rooms Available.
Located in Downtown Los Angeles. Enter the driveway that says 4811 and go all the way to the back. For more information, go to missme.com.
Event Times: Sun 9am-6pm
Location:
4715 South Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA 90058
(323) 235-7351

12/07/2008-12/09/2008

A season to Save. To Give. To Get Pampered.
rich
Back by popular demand, Rich Lil Pishers is holding its doors open for 2 days to celebrate the Holiday Season!   December 8th and 9th at The Mark 9320 Pico Blvd (just east of Beverly Drive).  $25 Tickets available at www.richlilpishers.com ($35 at the door).  Proceeds of ticket sales go to benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity.  Come shop your favorite designer baby and kids and tween lines and save as much as 70% off retail prices while getting your holiday look from the best in beauty FREE with paid admission.

ORANGE COUNTY

None this week!

SAN FRANCISCO

ONGOING

San Francisco Burke Williams (Through 1/01/09)
The Weekday Vacation Club is a luxurious, beneficial, daily escape any Monday – Thursday.

For only $79 you receive your choice of one Pure Relaxation Massage or Spa Style Facial ($105 value/$120 value in San Francisco & Danville) followed by a full year enjoying 20% discounts off all full-price treatments and products.

Contact: Terry Shofron
TerryS@burkewilliamsspa.com
1.8666.239.6635 ext. 2740

Also, receive a 10% discount using the promo code: GenArtTS Simply go to www.burkewilliamsspa.com and go to purchase gift card and enter your promotional code. This will offer will be good until the end of the year.

11/17/2008-12/15/2008

Doe – Prairie Underground, Woo, & She-Bible

Doe SF has just recieved a massive shipment of eco-friendly merchandise! New arrivals include hoodies, blouses, tunics, and dresses from names like Prairie Underground, Woo, & She-Bible. Also, find recent additions to housewares like frames from Umbra.

Shop local and support cute girls!

Mon-Sat 12pm-7pm
Sun 12pm-6pm
629a Haight St
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 558-8588
Cash / Charge

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Sales This Week: Online, Los Angeles, San Francisco

Posted on November 29, 2008 | Leave a comment

Sales this week 11/24-11/30:

ONLINE:

botanistjpeg*Botanist eco-friendly benches and nesting tables raise funds and awareness for charitable organizations worldwide.
Save 20% – Order online by Dec 1st
Enter code: BOTDEC1
www.orange22.com

• Net-a-Porter.com’s holiday sale features fall fashions from Chloé, Fendi, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo, and more up to 50 percent off. Ongoing.

LOS ANGELES:

11/24/08-11/31/08

11/17-11/30

Traffic

The famous high end boutique, TRAFFIC, is having their winter sale at their Beverly Center and Sunset Plaza locations. Find labels like, Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Kooba Bags, See by Chloe, Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent, Philosophy, 3.1, Alexander Wang, Rozae Nichols, Mike & Chris, Ella Moss, Issa London, Paige Jeans, Citizens of Humanity, Anlo, and many more all at up to 60% off. (Beverly Center)
Mon-Fri 10am-9pm
Sat 10am-8pm
Sun 11am-6pm
Location: 8620 Sunset Blvd
(Sunset Plaza)
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 657-5469

8500 Beverly Blvd.
(Beverly Center)
6th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 659-3438

ORANGE COUNTY

None this week!

SAN FRANCISCO

ONGOING

San FranciscoBurke Williams (Through 1/01/09)
The Weekday Vacation Club is a luxurious, beneficial, daily escape any Monday – Thursday.

For only $79 you receive your choice of one Pure Relaxation Massage or Spa Style Facial ($105 value/$120 value in San Francisco & Danville) followed by a full year enjoying 20% discounts off all full-price treatments and products.

Contact: Terry Shofron
TerryS@burkewilliamsspa.com
1.8666.239.6635 ext. 2740

Also, receive a 10% discount using the promo code: GenArtTS Simply go to www.burkewilliamsspa.com and go to purchase gift card and enter your promotional code. This will offer will be good until the end of the year.

11/17/2008-12/15/2008

Doe – Prairie Underground, Woo, & She-Bible

Doe SF has just recieved a massive shipment of eco-friendly merchandise! New arrivals include hoodies, blouses, tunics, and dresses from names like Prairie Underground, Woo, & She-Bible. Also, find recent additions to housewares like frames from Umbra.

Shop local and support cute girls!

Mon-Sat 12pm-7pm
Sun 12pm-6pm
629a Haight St
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 558-8588
Cash / Charge

→ Leave a comment

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Lyric Rain by Strange Invisible Perfumes

Posted on November 14, 2008 | Leave a comment
Lyricrain

Lyric Rain by Strange Invisible Perfumes

Before I give my review, an important disclaimer: I’ve got a small problem with patchouli. Frankly, the scent gives me a headache and reminds me of my high school years when I made vintage shopping trips to the Haight-Ashbury district with my mother. She hates the scent so much that if we went to a store that smelled of the herb, she would wait outside. I also got into trouble when I bought a few patchouli incense sticks and burned them in my bedroom…ah, the teenage years.

I do think that patchouli in small quantities can be a lovely complement to any scent. Jubilation 25 by Amouage mixes rose and patchouli to produce one of the most exotic scents on the market. If I had $265 to burn I would buy a bottle of J25 any day.

Lyric Rain, $185, by Strange Invisible Perfumes, smells overwhelmingly of patchouli. If that’s your bag, come on down. Other notes are jasmine, pink pepper, blue lotus, and lavender. As the drydown progresses, the scent evolves into something much more suble and floral. Lavender, one of my favorite notes, is extremely subtle in this perfume.

Buy it here if you dare!

The Strange Invisible Perfumes line started 2000 by L.A. native Alexandra Balahoutis. Her impeccably designed boutique in Venice came later. After living in Prague, Paris and Manhattan, Balahoutis decided to create botanical perfumes that reflect her worldy experiences. If I had to guess her strongest geographic influence, I would go with Prague. Her scents seem to evoke the old world of Franz Kafka, Antonin Devorak and Jaroslav Seifert. Also, there used to be a fantastic botanical store in Prague that was choc full of plant-based beauty products. They had everything: shampoo, skincare, perfume, etc. I can’t remember the name of it or if it still exists. Does anyone know it?

All of Balahoutis’ perfumes are made from the cultivation and distillation of flowers, plants, and resins to create natural oils. She also shuns any synthetic chemicals and argues that only natural essences unlock the olfactory nerve receptors to affect the lymbic system and release chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins. She says that the synthetic aroma molecules (stereo-isomers) cannot be recognized by the brain and adds that some scents are suspected of accumulating in human tissue causing liver damage and cancer. Scary.

Balahoutis also creates custom perfumes. I’ve heard that her signature scents can cost $1,000 dollars.

“Perfume is about association. A beautiful aromatic composition empowers us to access our most delightful notions, ideas, and fantasies, lending thought the physical reinforcement and visceral sensation needed to become experience.” –Alexandra Balahoutis

Stylechica’s free associations from Lyric Rain:

Dvorak’s Humoresque!

kafka

Franz Kafka

metamorphosis

Kafka's writing is beautifully stark.

Metamorphosis by Kafka

jaroslav

Jaroslav, one of my favorite poets.

Jaroslav Seifert

Prague, that’s a sip of wine with flavour,
a hundred times I say her name,
light as a breath and bright as flame,
and sweeter than a lover’s favour.

Yet, may the alarm sirens, please,
take off their helmets, silent, muted.
They haven’t stopped yet, they have hooted,
the sirens of our consciences.

And if I saw her, broken vessel,
glass splinters scattered far around,
and with her doom I had to wrestle,

her dust inside my mouth would sweeten,
she’s like a seal on what’s been written,
and were she levelled to the ground…

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Go Play at The High Desert Test Sites

Posted on November 8, 2008 | Leave a comment

Get in your car and hit the road. Can you smell the pavement heating up under the hot Los Angeles sun? Do you feel the dry Santa Ana winds beating against your face and hands? What are you listening to? Maybe something with a pulse like Snow Patrol or an old Serge Gainsbourg track…

Why not just keep driving? If you keep going further and further east you’ll hit an explosion of art in the high desert of Joshua Tree.

Work by Marnie Weber

Work by Marnie Webber

From Nov 7 to 9, as part of the 2008 California Biennial, you can attend the opening of the Wonder Valley Institute of Contemporary Art and view performances by the otherworldly Marnie Webber and the mystical Spirit Girls.

Organized by the Orange County Museum of Art and produced in tandem with LAXART, other artists featured include: Hannah Greely, Jonathan Hernandez, Patrick Jackson, Alice Konitz, Joel Kyack, Ann Magnuson, Thom Merrick, Yoshua Okon, Jack Pierson, Ry Rocklin, Julia Scher and Amy and Wendy Yao.

Silencer by Hannah Greely

Silencer by Hannah Greely

DIRECTIONS:

To get to HDTS from Los Angeles:
(approx. 2+ hours)
*Take the 10 east
*Drive approx 1.5 hours (to the windmill fields)
*Exit on Hwy 62 (29 Palms Hwy)
*Take 62 (29 Palms Hwy) east towards 29 Palms.
*The sites are located between Yucca Valley and Wonder Valley – An updated map will be posted before the
next event, and directions to the HDTS HQ will be listed on the home page.

This was at the bottom of the invite. Doesn’t it sound a little bit exciting?

WARNING TO ATTENDEES
The High Desert Test Sites is a multi-site event in the high desert. Attendance
is at your own risk. By attending the HDTS, you agree to assume sole responsibility

for any risk and to release anyone associated with the HDTS, the CB08, and LAXART cause while in the desert.

For more information on LAXART: www.laxart.org
For more information on High Desert Test Sites: www.highdeserttestsites.com
For more information on the Orange County Museum of Art and the 2008 California Biennial: www.ocma.net

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Jeweler Lulu Frost Headed To The West Coast This Weekend

Posted on November 4, 2008 | Leave a comment

img_2068I’m definitely a member of the “found objects” school. It’s fun to go antiquing, rummage through vintage (a nicer euphemism for “second-hand”) clothing and even better, go through your distant relative’s closets (I acquired an awesome vintage hat collection that way).

Jeweler Lisa Salzer, the force behind the line Lulu Frost, culls many of her influences from the past. Her one-of-a-kind pieces are made from objects that you might not immediately connect with jewelry. For example, she uses long-lost room numbers form the Plaza Hotel, cut-steel shoe buckles from the 1870′s, old-fashioned keys and locks, chandelier crystals and watch fobs.  Another designer who uses objects like these is the fantastic Sonia Boyajian.

Lisa comes to Fred Segal Melrose this Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. She will be making custom pieces from her collection of unusual objects. Come by for some shopping and a chance to meet the East Coast-based designer! -Stylechica.

P.S. Sorry, I could not resist the title. Actually, I think it’s rather restrained. I almost put “Frost Forecast For The West Coast This Weekend!”

Here is the invite!

Here is the invite!

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Emergency Rodarte Sale!

Posted on November 3, 2008 | Leave a comment


Presse is selling runway Rodarte pieces on its website….I love the Rodarte girls. I wrote about them in the Los Angeles Times Magazine here…

To shop:

www.presseboutique.com

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Infusion D’homme by Prada

Posted on October 29, 2008 | Leave a comment

Miuccia Prada is one woman the art and fashion worlds love without reservation. I’m in agreement. For one, she tends to intellectualize fashion, looking at clothing as a reflection of our current definition of femininity or some other esoteric idea. Sometimes her clothes are even frumpy–the perfect anti-fashion statement. But then you slip something on and realize that Prada’s clothes are meticulous arranged, a maze of intricate seams and good design.

I don’t normally shop Prada (out of my price range), but one time I wandered into the boutique on Rodeo and tried on a black coat. While the shop girl ignored me, I nearly burst into tears in the dressing room. It was perfect, made from soft wool with puffy sleeves and a large, deep hoodie. The silhouette managed to be relaxed and sophisticated at the same time. The only problem was that it cost several months rent.

Warm citrus notes with iris and cedar!

Warm citrus notes with iris and cedar!

Anyway, last night I went to an event to commemorate the online launch of Prada’s Infusion D’Homme fragrance. As part of the launch, Prada and Max Bruch commissioned nine filmmakers in nine different countries to make short films based on Prada’s description of the ingredients that make up the perfume: Tunisian neroli, Iris, cedar, vetiver, benzoin from Laos and incense from Somalia. The scent is absolutely  brilliant. When you first smell it, it’s almost warm, the iris and the cedar are what pop. If the scent had a color, I would imagine it to be a soothing, orange-tinted yellow.

To celebrate the launch of this perfume, Prada not only commissioned these nine films, they also asked Pietro Scalia, well-known, academy-award winning film editor of JFK and Black Hawk Down (not to mention the cinematic Gladiator), to synthesize these nine films into a version of his own–pure alchemy.

Afterward Scalia talked about his creative process. The final film is blisteringly sensory, kind of like good perfume.

What I noticed most about these films was their paean to youth and the fact that they seemed to be led by emotion, not plot logic. The actors were blindingly good-looking, young, and yearning. My favorite of the nine shorts, was the film by the Cuban director Navarro. It is classic. You watch the main character bond with his grandfather and you can feel what he does when you jump into a pool or the ocean. Just watching the film made me want to run to the sea.

Check them out for yourself!

http://www.prada.com/fragrances

Click on Infusion D’Homme

Then select Videos

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Band of Outsiders

Posted on September 3, 2008 | 1 Comment

Scott Sternberg will be a mentor this year at the Otis College of Fashion and Design, which is pretty fabulous. Mentors act as creative directors for a project, then return to the class several times over the school year to critique the students’ designs. It goes without saying that the kids learn a ton from the process. I’ve observed one class taught by Diane Von Furstenberg and I have to say that it was mind-altering (and I’m not a trained fashion designer).

Sternberg is also happens to be one of my favorite men’s designers. Originally a CAA agent before he turned to fashion design, Sternberg’s line Band of Outsiders has a great west coast aesthetic (especially in his choices of fabric) that he pairs with a slimmer, more European, silhouette. The result is very chic and playful. I know the prepsters on the East Coast love his choices, but to me there is a subtle cheeky west coast thing hidden in there–very subversive and very cool.


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Audrey Tautou, ready to pout for Chanel

Posted on May 5, 2008 | 1 Comment

Priceless_070403024251119_wideweb__
I used to think that Audrey Tautou’s name was pronounced Audrey Tatoo. Alas, non, it’s "Tutu." Perhaps that’s more appropriate since she does have a rather balletic, otherworldly air about her. I really dig her bangs and the super sweet way she says "Oui" in the film Amelie. She sort of puckers up her lips and whistles as she says the word "Oui," ever so softly.

That kind of reminds me of an Italian girlfriend of mine who had the most incredible way of saying "Ciao." She would kind of sigh as she said it, and the word would start out at a high pitch before falling to a low whisper, sort of a lovely decrescendo, and then at the end of the greeting she would slump her shoulders. The boys would look at her and melt.

These sort of affectations were always so magical to me because when I’m speaking French or Italian (both languages I learned from surrogate mother figures), I’m just trying to get the word out there with some semblance of correct pronunciation and usage. The idea of using a word like a caress, a word that says five thousand things to five thousand different people, still strikes me as utter sophistication. Sometimes my Italian friend seemed vulnerable, other times excited, often bored; it was like this one beautiful note that you had to listen to very hard to figure out the real meaning.

I guess I could try saying "Thank you" or  "Excuse me" in a special mysterious way, but the thing is, it feels almost un-American to me. We just get things out there, say what we mean and be done with it.

Anyway, the reason why I decided to blog about Mademoiselle Audrey Tautou is because she’s been named the face of Chanel for the next "Advertising film," which will be directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet . From the press release, I’m left thinking that "Advertising film" must mean "TV ad," but I’m not entirely certain. The film will be released in
2009. -Stylechica

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Hello world!

Posted on February 1, 2008 | 1 Comment

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

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