Saturday, January 25, 2014

Isabel, Steven, Demy and Julia: I get by with a little help from my friends :)


Alexis has asked me to document what I wore while in New York for 3 days this week.
I usually love this in publications, for me it's like a "What's in your bag" feature and I cannot help myself from reading the whole thing - must be the slightly voyeuristic aspect. However, I feel a bit bad about doing it this week, as it was so cold and snowy, my clothes were really not that interesting. But without further ado, here was my wardrobe for NY Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. 


First of all, I was very happy that I had the forethought to order a new winter coat from the sale at La Garconne to be shipped to our store in NY (this Isabel Marant parka was waiting for me Sunday night when I arrived) because boy, did I need it.


Arriving at the hotel at night, I slipped right into these soft and beautiful pajamas from Chance. A wonderful line started by my friend Julia, and if I could I'd own one of everything Chance makes in every color. I never knew I could be such a PJs junkie, but after getting used to these (I have two pairs) and a pair of Sleepy Jones, I'm hooked on nice jammies. Great.


Monday was cold, but no snow. Under my parka I wore a big luscious Isabel Marant cashmere scarf, Demy Lee boatneck navy cashmere sweater, Seven jeans (a gift from my friend Peggi at the denim maker - they've become my favorites), and No. 6 lace up clog boots.


Of course I also carried my new favorite work bag - CV black herringbone grand duff.


The second day, I wore the WRONG shoes - my Acne ankle boots should have never seen the light outside my suitcase this trip. It said it was going to snow - but I didn't think it would snow ALL day long. I thought I'd try to look nice that day but as soon as I left my hotel in my Vanessa Bruno pinstriped blazer, perfectly threadbare vintage chambray henley, cropped navy wool J. Crew trousers, I knew I'd made the wrong shoe choice. Heavy snow falling, slip sliding my way down the streets failing miserably to get a taxi, I was too late for my first appt to go back and change. I thought, too bad, I would tough it out with Acnes, I am from MN after all, I knew how to get around in snow!


That decision lasted until the end of my first meeting when I went immediately to Steven Alan in Tribeca and bought these. It snowed about 10 inches that day and these IM snow shoes saved my feet (and life) for the rest of the trip.


On Wednesday, I was back to my casual attire - same Seven jeans, a big chunky Isabel sweater with a pale pink, Steven Alan cashmere gauze scarf.


Back in LA now, it was 75 and sunny today. I wore a Steven Alan shirtdress and some Acne loafers - sockless. I hate to complain, but I'm just gonna say it: I do, I miss the layers. (Also seen here my never-travel-without CV Weekender.)

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Manuel P. Guerrero

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This is my father. He passed away last week of a heart attack the day before he was due to have open heart surgery on January 8 (my birthday). He lived in MN and I was on my way to see him, I was going to spend the day with him before the operation. I missed him by a few hours as he passed away in the wee hours of the 7th. But I spoke to him on the phone the previous day and we discussed the novel The Goldfinch which we'd both just finished reading. We loved it and had fun talking about it. I'm happy I got to share that with him. I read the last paragraph of the novel at his funeral, it seemed extremely fitting in so many ways and I think he would have found it perfect. Here are some of my favorite pictures of him and with him.

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This is him at my uncle's ranch in Arizona. It was one of his favorite spots in the world. I love everything about this picture: him, the glints of sunlight, the green bench, his hat, the cotton and color of the shirt and the worn out Levi's. He was a great dad, a stellar human being - gentle, loving, kind, smart, sane. I loved him very much and will miss him dearly. 

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This is us just a few months ago on the Highline in Manhattan - the morning after our store opened there. I'm so happy he was able to come to the opening.

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Here we are a few years ago at my niece's graduation. I always liked how much we looked like one another in this photo  He was always such a smart dresser and with his suits he always wore bow-ties. He played a huge part in my aesthetic life, in my design choices, in my career path. He was probably one of the few people in my life with impeccable taste. One of the most influential things he'd ever said to me was, "You can be whatever you want to be, baby." Somehow it just seemed with that phrase he was giving me the strength to do and achieve anything I wanted. I was his baby, the youngest of his 6 kids, so he always affectionately referred to me as baby.

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On a walk in St. Paul in his beautiful Cathedral Hill neighborhood last winter.

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This is an old picture as Oscar is now ten, but I will always love this image of him - so handsome and O looking so proud to be with his Papi. If you would like to read more about him, there was a piece in the St. Paul paper here and there's a wonderful audio interview of him on the Minnesota Historical Society's website (as well as the transcript.) 

Friday, January 10, 2014

A Q&A With Clare!


Hi, it's Alexis! I work with Clare and I've hijacked her blog this week so that I could interview her to find out some of her favorite things from 2013...and what she's looking forward to most in 2014. Read on to see what's on her mind.

Q: What's your favorite memory of 2013?
A: Opening the store in New York...it was a great day!
Q: What was your favorite holiday present?
A: A beautiful pair of Grace Lee earrings that she was kind enough to give to me.
Q: What was your New Year's resolution this year?
A: I don't make resolutions but I am trying to do a Pressed juice cleanse right now.
Q: How did you ring in the New Year?
A: With old friends in Joshua Tree.
Q: What are you looking forward to  most in 2014?
A: There are some exciting new collaborations in the pipeline (like our Steven Alan collaboration sunglasses coming out this Spring!), a trip to Korea and some great events we'll have in store like our Spring '14 Poster Event.
Q: What CV bag are you wearing right now?
A: Right now it's the Louise in Chocolate Croco with Navy Fur flap.
Q: What bag are you coveting?
A: I can't wait to start carrying the black Sandrine when it comes out for Spring.
Q: What item can't you stop wearing?
A: It's been a steady rotation of my black Acne ankle boots, No. 6 Shearling clog boots, a high-waisted pair of grey jeans from 7 For All Mankind and my new Acne Pop Kapital cropped jeans.
Q: Whose closet do you want to raid?
A: Emmanuelle Alt of Paris Vogue.
Q: What restaurant can you not wait to get back to?
A: Bestia in Downtown, LA, for their branzino. 
Q: What is the next trip you have planned?
A: Aside from my back and forth trips to New York, I have an upcoming trip to Korea. And I have dreams of getting down to Mexico with my family.
Q: What's on your iPod right now?
A: Happy by Pharrell and Devil or Angel by Lou Doillon.
Q: What's on your DVR right now?
A: The Good Wife, Downton Abbey and Jimmy Kimmel.
Q: What's your favorite movie of awards season?
A: American Hustle, and I'm going to watch Robert Redford in All Is Lost and August Osage County.