POCKET LINT.

LA/NYC/PARIS (AND BEYOND): THE BEST BAGS TO COVET PATHETICALLY FROM AFAR

 

It's that time of year again ... soon to be a seasonal shift, when I start coveting new accessories and clothing. Eh, who am I kidding?  That's all year round.

But here are some beautiful bags that j'adore.  That's French for: I love it, but it will never be mine. LAME.

The above bag is by Maya Yogev of Grai (you might know her signature leather jackets--see below).

Anyway, back to bags ... 

I am ALWAYS a Jerome Dreyfuss fan (and wife Isabel Marant is pretty gifted too!) and I love this bag, especially in bright blue.

These above Bare Collection bags were instant classics.  I mean, look at the colors and the beautiful, original silhouettes!  Who wouldn't dream of toting one of these?

 
This Kooba "Sophie" bag coming out in spring is a thing of beauty and it's actually on the (relatively) affordable side, supposedly at around $325.

Sigh.  Something to ponder all weekend long.  Happy Friday!

xo - N.

LA (THIRD ST & BEYOND): MORE SHAMELESS SELF (AND FELLOW BLOGGER) PROMOTION

Well, folks, another weekend, another loooong Oscar show (but worth it though for the Alec Baldwin/Steve Martin Paranormal Activity parody), another really bizarre dress and hair choice by Sarah Jessica Parker.

Yeah.  That's right.  I said that about vintage Chanel.  I'm not afraid.

Oh yeah ... and another LA Times story by me (not that there have been SO many), this time about the re-launch of Blackburn + Sweetzer as the bigger and better Mondette.

So, happy Monday, happy reading, happy you didn't wear that crazy pink and purple boob dress like Charlize.

xo - N.

LA (AND BEYOND): THE BEST OSCAR DE LA RENTA VET

When my fellow book club member L.T. wrote a blog post recently about whether all women could wear red lipstick, she included me as one of the subjects.  In addition to the fact that a debate ensued in the "comments" section about whether or not I could actually pull off the cherry lips (very edifying for me--I think the upshot was no), one reader also asked for deets about my shirt (see above).

So, it occurred to me that that maybe I should highlight the designer, Adam Lippes, here.  Basically, he's a Polo and Oscar de la Renta alumna whose cashmere has won the attention of Oprah and such.  His eponymous line ADAM has been hitting the runways since 2007.

Recently, I came across a bunch of his tops and dresses and just loved that they didn't look like everything else out there.  I even bought the above shirt, although I'm pretty sure it's a size too big.

But who can resist the combination of taffeta and tie-dye in any size?  Not this PL.

xo - N.

P.S.  Don't you love the "polaroid" effect that R.L. brought to the above pic?  There's an app for that.  Yup.

NYC (AND BEYOND): THE BEST SQUISHY BATH MAT

 

I want this bath mat BAD.

Blame it on a love of all things spongy and an even deeper love of all things memory foam (bring on the Tempurpedic!).  Or blame my recent sleep deprivation for making me extra susceptible to suggestions like "BUY NOW."

Either way, I think this seems like the coolest Micro Dry bath mat ever.  And bath mats can be pretty cool, don't you agree?  I can just imagine my instantly dry feet sinking into its cozy depths.  Think of all that happiness for like $20.

On second thought, maybe this is a really lame blog topic.  If so, blame it on the fact that I recently threw out my old bath mat after my cat Mina unceremoniously puked on it and have bath mats on the brain.  Or just blame it on little old me.

xo - N.

LA (AND BEYOND): THE BEST RESCUE (AND I'M NOT TALKING FACE CREAM)

Okay, not to tug at your heart strings ...

BUT I got an email about this adorable three-month-old lab/pit puppy yesterday and I just had to share. Partially, I'm posting this because I hope someone will see it, contact me and take him home and partially because nothing is better than waking up to a face that cute.  I mean, how cheery are you now that you read PL today?

Not that I'm not always a ray of sunshine, but you know.

ANYWAY, if you're looking for the cutest puppy this side of the Mississippi, just shoot me a message and I'll get you in touch with the right peeps.  Apparently, his temperament is as sweet as his face.

I know this is a bit unorthodox for the blog, but sometimes cute stuff is just cute stuff.  Speaking of cute stuff, have you seen this new Charlotte Ronson/Shoshana collaboration bag?  I think it's kinda good for the beach this summer (at least in the picture).  It's practically sold out on Shop Bop right now, but don't be sad (or if you do feel sad, look at the puppy again).

I have a feeling that it will be reappearing soon.  And I will let you know when that happens.  Just as soon as I secure one for myself.

Yeah, I said it.

xo - N

SHUT UP!  SHUT UP!  How cute is this dog???

 

LA (HOLLYWOOD/BH): THE BEST SNEAK PEEK AT OSCAR SETS & THE BEST NEW CRUDO BAR

At first glance, the above two subjects might seem unrelated.  But look a little closer and, well, they're still pretty unrelated.  But, I promise, there is a common thread somewhere.

For one thing, many Oscar attendees get all dolled up for the event and/or stay at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills (which is where new neighborhood Italian restaurant Culina will be opening this week with a crudo bar).  So, both these stories would be of interest to those people staying at the Four Seasons and attending the Oscars, right?  RIGHT.  And that's obviously a large sector of the population, so.

But more importantly (that's right peeps): It's shameless self promotion time, yet again.  Yes, I am the common thread.  I am the walrus.  I am the president of the united states.  I am starting to make very little sense.  I am getting sleepy ... sleeeepy.

Before I lapse into complete gibberish, I'll get right to sharing yesterday's "Image" section story on this year's Oscar sets.  There were some smaller newsy pieces last week, but this one by moi goes in depth with architect and designer David Rockwell.

As for Culina, you can read my little write-up on Daily Candy LA today.

You could even read it while at the Oscars.  Wouldn't THAT be trippy?

xo - N.

LA/NY (BI-COASTAL): THE BEST LESSER KNOWN PLACE TO SHOP VINTAGE

Not to sound oh so bourgeois, but sometimes I get skeeved by vintage clothing.  I know I'm supposed to talk about how my wardrobe is this very artful, eclectic mix of vintage and contemporary la la la, but let's be honest: "vintage garments" is just a fancy way of saying "used clothing."

My mother and grandmother's clothing is, of course, another story.  I'll wear that amazing stuff all day long.  Know what I'm saying?

Anyway, I make an exception for shopping at Shareen's, which started out as a lesser known vintage destination at the Fairfax flea market.  Eventually, she got a warehouse space in a remote part of Mt. Washington (ISH).

I make an exception for her shop because going there is just a girl's shopping dream.  Even amazing finds are affordable.  A lot of her stock is leftover from costume closets from movies and TV shows, so it seems less creepy and worn.  She offers up water and snacks (because, let's face it, a girl gets hungry wrestling with clothing for a few hours).  She even stocks potential wedding gowns.

Best of all, there's a sign posted by the entrance that reads, "No Boys Allowed!"

Me likey.

The first time I went to Shareen's, I found the above gold sequin dress for like $40, which I love and have actually worn plenty.  Then, a year or so later, I wandered into Satine and saw the EXACT same dress for over $1,000.  Um.  Score much?  Olympic gold anyone?

Shareen admits that she under values the clothing sometimes, but she says she's not in the business of getting precious about her offerings.  And that strategy has really worked for her.

Though she closed her newish Venice annex, she just opened her first ever location in NYC proper.  Remember to check the website for hours because she doesn't tend to be open everyday.

Hey, you gals in NYC!  How about you show Shareen a warm welcome?  Lucky, lucky you.

xo - N.

P.S. Rumor has it the Mad Men costume folks come here for their wardrobe, so you can get all gussied up 1960's style too.

NYC (AND BEYOND): THE BEST PERMA-WALL ART

You know what I'm a fan of?  I mean besides pickles, olives and The Bachelor.  Yup.  I'm not ashamed.

Anyway, I'm also a fan of simplifying.

That's my new jam, since I made a bunch of Chinese New Year resolutions this weekend.  (I kind of missed the American one and the Jewish one is, well, who knows when).  So, while you all ate chocolate on V-Day, I ate some Shanghai Rice Cake from Din Tai Fung and now I'm good to go for this Year of the Tiger (not to be confused with eye of the tiger).

Anyway, I don't own my apartment, but, if I did, part of my new simplification strategy might involve covering my walls with one of Cavern Wallpaper's new Artist Edition papers by David Stark, Tom Slaughter, Miguel Fabrega or Julia Ziegler-Haynes.

See, you hang paper (like the above for instance) and then you really don't need to hang any additional art work, right?

Siiiimplify.

Not just a hat rack, my friends.

xo - N.

LA (AND BEYOND): THE BEST WAY TO PLAY "LADY OF LEISURE"

Sometimes you feel like a robe.  Sometimes you don't.  Unless you're me.  Then you feel like wearing a robe all the time and it has to be ripped from your slovenly clutches.

Still, all robes are not created equal.  Ever since Andre made me throw out my trusty blue "plush" polyester favorite (years ago and yes, I'm still pining), I've been making my way through a bevy of hotel robes of the cozy terry cloth and cotton variety (usually with my initials embroidered across the upper left side).

They are pretty awesome, I admit.  But every once in a while I get a hankering for something pretty and less PRACTICAL.

Recently, I've come across quite a few options in that arena: I could happily hang out all day in the above Plum Pretty Sugar Jardin Bleu robe or Dream Sacks' bamboo Geisha number (out of Ashland, Oregon).

And Andrew would NEVER make me throw those out.  Right?  That's loungerie alright.

xo - N.

 

LA (AND BEYOND): THE BEST NEWLY LAUNCHED LOCAL STYLE BLOG

To announce that I'm a BIG fan of local Third Street style blog, Blackburn + Sweetzer would be a major understatement (not to mention an insult to the intelligence of any regular PL readers).

Over the oh so long year of writing this . . . thing . . . this behemoth beast (swoon from exhaustion), I've constantly referenced my pal Tasha Nita Adams' blog as a daily "Crumpled Twenty" or even just as a resource.

Well, now her "little sib" blog is all grown up and part of a newly launched larger style website called Mondette.  With fashion world partners in crime Lilliam Rivera and Christina von Messling, the new website also covers the entire Melrose area (Rosewood + Martel).  Well, the parts worth knowing.

As the name Mondette suggests, these ladies translate this sprawling urban (and sometimes weirdly suburban) jungle into a small world, highlighting truly local happenings and finds in these central enclaves.  LA can be a hard city to get to know, but this is like a short cut to finding your favorite neighborhood spots and characters.

It's a cheat sheet, if you will, to making LA your style-centric home.

xo - N.