Holiday Craft Trunk Sale Show Bazaar Fair

We've got 4 sales coming up over the next week and a half and I think there's a sale for everyone. Take your pick:

For hip families, there will be nothing cooler than this sale at the chic school, the Oaks. Beatrice Valenzuela, Commune, Yummy Fun Clare, need I say more?

For ladies who like to shop...might I suggest a trip over to Beverly Hills for some fun at Jill Roberts? I recently met Leslie Offer and got a few of her bracelets and I LOVE them. They will be their own post one day soon. But look no further if there's a fille on your giftlist. Plus proceeds to Unicef - shopping with good conscience, we all need that.

For the artsy crafty, you're gonna die over the talented craftspeople at the Echo Park fair. This is where we live - east side - get it at it's source. Here, craft turns the corner and becomes that-thing-you-must-have-now-to-complete-you. I mean, get out! Annie Costello Brown! Granola Project! (Granola you may not have heard of yet, but soon will be calling crack) Kathryn Bentley! These are three of the many reasons to interrupt your Saturday and make a trip to el parque.

I have yet to meet Heather Levine, the generous host of this last sale, but I took a look at her website and now I now where any proceeds I make from sales that day are going!

Come out and see us! You've got 4 chances...xoxo

Days Go By

Visiting friends departed, holiday over, weekend passed, I've finally had a chance to catch up on laundry and other household chores. But I had been taking some good pictures last week before we shut down shop to give the proverbial Thanks. Here're a few.

Just about everyday, Matilde rushes into work a bit later than she'd have liked and hurries to give us bisous before starting on her morning task. And just about everyday, J and I will look at her then look at one another in disbelief of the fact that she's pulled another impossibly chic outfit out of that magically unending suitcase of hers. I mean, the number of shoes alone would take up a few Vuitton trunks. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, she pulled this hat out for us to swoon over. Black, wool felt, wide brimmed perfection. She's adorable.

As I mentioned on the tumblr blog, KK and Michael were here with us for a week. When KK came down one morning in one of her own impossibly chic outfits from her NY suitcase, which included in this case a Helmut Lang bolero tux jacket, I politely threw one of my new silver "bando" bags on her shoulder and snapped a few pics. They will be on the site shortly!

It's the simple classic bucket style bag with NO hardware...

The Weekender and the Overnighter bags are finally on the site! Go see them and think about your upcoming winter vacays...what are you putting your stuff in?? I snapped these photos on the window ledge outside my office. I like the lights - they feel autumnal and cozy.

And the green overnighter and the new red messenger below are both sharing the stage with pompoms which are also finally on the site.

Step by step in a small company...tomorrow is a new week with more things to accomplish. Good night! xoxo

Red Messenger Day

We have a new red for our messenger. It is only slightly different, but we had to photograph it to let everyone know.

I shot Matilde in our moody garden today. Michael and family are visiting from New York and he turned the pics into this gif. Nice, right?

PEOPLE (!)

Gilty Saturday

This is where I'll be hanging out this Saturday: R+G Collective in Brentwood.

R+G Collective

VIP Private Shopping Event

by Gilt City

We've been informed by Andrea that you actually dont have to pay the $35 it has been waived.

If you're in Los Angeles come by and, as they said, get some holiday shopping done! xox

Lucky's daily deal

To get it click here

Vuitton Visitor

A couple days ago, I had the great honor of being invited for the second time in my life to a Louis Vuitton factory. The first time, was at their original factory in Asnieres, France, which I wrote about here. The second time was on Friday at their top secret location outside of Los Angeles. For me, it was as close to Charlie in The Chocolate Factory as I'll ever get.

It is truly the Holy Grail for bag makers. I was strictly forbidden from taking pictures - much to my chagrin. But I get it, they seem to have this little problem with counterfeiting and such so it's kind of a big deal not to let any ol' person with a blog take pictures inside the facility. :) We sat through a brief lecture by our host - the French director of the factory - on the history of the House of Vuitton and the many meticulous details which make a Vuitton bag special; we toured the leather storage hangar; watched as the hides were obsessively checked for imperfections before they're sent inside the factory; were gobsmacked in front of futuristic cutting machines; stared at sewers making perfect stitch after perfect stitch; observed as women in Vuitton-brown lab coats scrutinized and tugged-at each bag giving new meaning to the words "quality control" before they were put into the cozy dustbag to be shipped to it's new rightful owner.

I came home from the tour and immediately pulled out my classic, cute "Speedy" - which this model is called - it is the only Vuitton item I own and it is going to be more present in my life. My authentic Speedy is from an estate sale in the boonies of northern California. My good friend was elated to find it a few months back. She has no interest in fashion, but she knew she'd have to buy this bag for me. Not only did she buy it, she put it in the post that very day with my address. Those are good friends.

We saw so many things in the couple hours or so it took us to tour the factory, and I'll retain it all preciously in my own private photo vault in my head, but one thing I'll say for Vuitton is they without question know how to run an impeccable state-of-the-art factory, treat employees (artisans as they are called there) with respect and dignity, and they make an incredible product. I dare say their products are worth every single dime they cost. I can't afford one in good conscious, but if I could, I would feel proud of it knowing where it came from. :)

Here is a cool video for their new book "Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks."

Delivering Sunshine to Theory (By Whatever Means Necessary)

Yesterday, we shipped eleven boxes filled with sunshine and Trops to Theory LLC.

The afternoon light was streaming in through the windows.

Well, they weren't all Trops, there were also iPad sleeves, small clutches, black foldover clutches, messenger totes - the CV gamut. The sun was making the most beautiful lightshow on the plain cardboard boxes.

This is about how industrial we get, exhibit A: weighing boxes. This yellow bathroom-model is one of the only things we have from France and Le Mari's life before he met me. It is kilos. First we weighed Mat, then she held each box and we subtracted her weight from the total, then converted that to pounds. So glad we have a hot intern to do this job rather than moi.

This is good autumn light. Fed Ex wouldn't pick up the shipment so the boxes are waiting on the porch for us to carry them down and load them in a 1980s stoner van belonging to my neighbor, the legendary guitar maker, James Trussart. Jocelyn, Mat and I, all made the trip to Fed Ex in the plush-seated, behemoth blaring the Rolling Stones on two-for Tuesday rock-radio. It seemed the only station appropriate for that ride. Maybe our 80s van wasn't the classiest vehicle in town but as Mick always said best, "you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need..."

oh yeah. :)

Tying Knots

We had our annual PS ARTS Express Yourself event today. At our booth, DKap (above), Heather and I instructed people how to make fabric-knotted necklaces with big wooden beads.

Truth be told, we were very popular with the moms (maybe more so than the kids. Ha.) I LOve the big red bow. Lanvin? Nah.

HBT chics-out with blue tie-dye fabric.

Carrie was our stellar volunteer and beautiful with her pink-on-mariner-T.

This woman was lovely with her all-cream silk version.

This beauty stayed at the booth for about an hour making her creation. I think it is as happy as her smile.

I loved how this woman was wearing her gorgeous diamond pendant with her knotted-camo work.

By the way, there was a real nice piece on Closet Visit in LA Times Image section today. It mentions moi, Kathryn Bentley, DKap and HBT, too. Exciting. Incredible company to keep. Jeana just keeps on shining.