Sunday, December 30, 2012

A Date in Highland Park

Severo and I both had Saturday off so we went on a trek to Eagle Rock and Highland Park. A photography show (not that great, so no documentation) in Eagle Rock got us out of the house. Afterwards, Good Girl Dinette in Highland Park was our destination for late lunch and it was fantastic!

Severo ordered:
charred pork rice noodle salad with spring greens,
pickled daikon & carrots,
bean sprouts, basil, and toasted peanuts & shallots
 I ordered:
vegetarian porridge:
brown rice, minced mushroom, napa cabbage, and shallots
roasted oyster mushroom banh mi
served with pickled daikon & carrots, cilantro-maggi mayo,
and spicy fries,
seasoned with chilies, garlic, and cilantro
For dessert:
gateau basque with raspberry jam filling and whipped cream
 When we were done, there was a rainbow to the east.
An omen for a happy 2013? Let's hope so!

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday

Monday, December 17, 2012

A Dash of Brights

I wore this last week on a rainy day.
My dress looks like one of those holiday air-filled illuminated lawn ornaments!

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Lurex Lights Me Up

Severo and I made a quick overnight trip up to San Francisco so he could retain his Platinum status on American.
This is what I wore:
I wear this skirt often, it's very comfortable.
I had no idea that the sparkly lurex in some of the stripes would become an issue at airport security!
Did you know that lurex is metallic? I didn't even consider it.

This is what my screening looked like:
I modified this image by Joe Raedle, Getty Images.
The yellow boxes indicate metal objects.
I was all lit up like a Christmas tree!
That's the last time I'll wear THAT skirt flying!

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday


Monday, November 19, 2012

In the Pink

It's getting cold enough to bring out the pink shawl. Woohoo!
Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday.
Have a good one.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Friday, August 17, 2012

Sig Alert Tank

The Los Angeles Fashion Council is hosting a contest to design a Tee inspired by LA. I thought it'd be a great usage of my piece "Commuter Quilt" that I created a few years ago.
Commuter Quilt, digital print on vinyl, 51 x 35" ©2005-7
This is a digital composite of photos I shot while commuting on the lovely I-10/CA60. Morning eastbound images point to the right, evening westbound point to the left.

Did you ever wonder where the term "Sig Alert" originated? Loyd C. Sigman, a broadcasting engineer, invented a radio and tape recorder to help the police broadcast traffic warnings. Dubbed "Sigman Radio Alerts" and shortened to Sig Alerts, they began in Los Angeles in 1955.

Voting starts on Facebook today. You will need to "Like" the LAFC page to view my entry.
8/31 update: CONTEST WAS CANCELLED, boo

Friday, August 10, 2012

Fast Fashion. At Friendly Service, Brewster NY

My Dream Suitcase

When you read this, I will be far far away from home and on vacation. Woohoo!

As I prepared for my trip, I envisioned my dream suitcase:

• It had those modern roll-in-all-directions wheels.

• It had a telescoping handle that operated as smooth as silk.

• It was hard, and exactly the shape and size of my mom's fifties train case from her honeymoon suitcase set that I took on sleepovers with my cousin. (It was ideal for storing the Barbies).
Source
How about taking said case and frankensteining on the other two parts? THAT is my dream suitcase: small enough to fit under the plane seat and sturdy enough to rest my feet on.

These daydreams transpired because last January, during a harried "Amazing Race" type sprint between gates, I gave myself bursitis in my left shoulder from carrying an overloaded tote and clutching my laptop with a death grip. My right side isn't allowed to carry anything (thanks lymphedema). In March, I experimented with using a small rollaboard for the electronics. It worked OK, but I had my boyfriend along to do the heavy lifting, and the handle does not retract well.

So I daydreamed... and in passing, mentioned my pipe dream to my co-worker. She said "There's a rolling suitcase the skater girls use that they can sit on to put on their skates." (Her son plays hockey). OMG! How genius! A roll-aboard that can be sat on during all that standing around and waiting. THIS I had to track down!

Meet the Züca!
Source

Here is a video of the Züca in action:

I tried to get 18 days of outfits into mine, but was thwarted by the beach towel and, well, a few other things.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

A Date With the Bangles

Our good friend Derrick Anderson [WARNING this link has sound] plays bass with The Bangles. They headlined a free show in Pershing Square, in downtown LA on Saturday night. Time for another date night out on the town!
Derrick put us on "the list" so we were able to sit in VIP chairs.
We sat in the second row!
Derrick, the man Bangle, or, Mangle

Debbi, Vicki, Susanna, and part of Derrick
They are awed by my brilliance!
photo by Patria, who is a wonderful singer/songwriter
We then all went over to see Derrick's room that he was given at the Biltmore.
Patria styled an impromptu photo session with Derrick and his bass
The next album cover?
Thanks, Derrick, for a fun, fun night!

My outfit, one more time:
Neon yellow, red, and paisley -- can't get more Visible than this!
See my Visible pals here...

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Inside the Box: Too Too Much Muumuu

Larry and I made jokes about this one when we pulled it out of the bag: what IS it? A muumuu/tablecloth?
It's a home sewn marvel.
In its own way, it DOES look better on.
The lace on the sides is set into the seams so it sticks out.
It measures 53 x 34" Roomy!
I like the peasant blouse styling of the lace inset + gathers in the front and back:
The lace sleeve hem detail is clever yet strange (the running down the side seams aspect).
But there IS the problem overall --  it's made with horrible 70s two-way stretch nylon. It doesn't breathe. So it gets VERY WARM. Not so good for summer wear. (Winter muumuu for the ski lodge, anyone? Layer it over your long johns!) In addition, if you wore this while BBQing, it might melt. That would be unfortunate. And painful.

I know you're needing this in your wardrobe now. Hahahahaha. Not.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Ikat is It!

Three ikats from my own collection:
Upper left - Japanese (I think) cotton scarf -  ikat warp
Upper right - cotton rebozo (shawl) from Oxaca - ikat warp
Bottom - wool scarf that I made - ikat warp + weft
(warp = the long yarns strung on the loom, weft gets woven across)
Traditional ikat is an old technique of tie dying yarns prior to weaving, often in intricate patterns.
My digital textile students have been working out ways to render ikat and I wanted to explore the history of it more.
(I'll post the students' modern digital ikats later if they send me their files).

I found a very informative article by Kerry Ann Dame on the Posh Living site. Here is an excerpt:
"The word Ikat comes from a word in Malay that means  “to bind or wind around”.  Thousands of individual threads are tie-dyed in intricate patterns, then untied and woven into fabric; in 19th century Bukhara, there were hundreds of workshops dedicated solely to making Ikat threads.  The threads were wrapped, dyed, sorted, rewrapped and dyed again; the tie-dye technique produced slightly innacurate color distribution which resulted in the enchanting blurred edges of the finished designs.. The more elaborate the pattern, the longer the process before weaving could begin.  Ikat designers then hung the threads on simple looms, marking them with patterns passed down through generations of artisans. Weavers charged according to the intricacy of the design. Hundreds of thousands of Ikats were woven in central Asia in the nineteenth century, and exported to countries all along the Silk Road."
Uzbek Bukhara silk ikat Chapan, late 19th century
Source
Antique Aymara ikat Poncho, Charasani Valley, Bolivia,  ca. 1900
Source
Antique Ikat Bidang, Malaysia
Source
Here is a modern ikat-inspired rug by Luke Irwin that looks ancient
I love this tattered-looking concept!
source, Luke Irwin
Ikat is a very labor-intensive process. Often, the yarn is tied and dyed before being wound onto a loom. Here is a dyed section of threads with ties removed and slightly separated. I think it's from either Guatemala or Peru (got it from Jone Pasha back in the 80s). I swear I have a tied-up sample as well, but have no idea WHERE that might be...

sorry this is out of focus... will replace with better image soon
 Here is an Indonesian weaver working on her ikat:
Source (scroll almost to bottom of post)
Joanna of Law Moda found an amazing YouTube of Whitney Matalone creating a modern ikat, from start to finish.
It gives a good sense of all the work that creating an ikat from scratch requires.
You'll also get a speedy lesson in the craft of weaving!


Ikat-inspired items on my Lyst* in case you now have to urge to wear it:

Monday, July 30, 2012

A Day with the Dahlias at the Getty

Last Thursday, Deborah and I made a trek up to the Getty. It's in one of the best locations in LA and I always get rejuvenated after a visit. This time, we actually made it inside a building and looked at art! (I don't want to admit how rarely that happens -- we usually get distracted by the garden).
Our first stop is usually for food. We opted for upscale and went to the restaurant (vs the cafe).
Stone fruit salad with prosciutto, blue cheese, cucumber, baby lettuces.
Bouillabaisse
Next we saw the exhibition "Gustav Klimt: The Magic of Line"
If you get a chance, go see it! It's a rare look at Klimt's drawings, ranging from realistic early work to later expressive abstracted pieces. His mastery of line is breathtaking.
Image from the Getty site
And then we strolled in the garden.
Much to our surprise, dahlias were blooming. We've never seen dahlias there before! They came in every color.
Delicious food, inspiring art, beautiful flowers; all with a best friend. A five star day.

Linking up with the Lovelies over on Patti's Visible Monday