Elite is not a bad word*

I had the amazing privilege of a private tour of the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA today by none other than the new MOCA director himself, Jeffrey Deitch.

True story. Okay, stay with me while I geek out for a minute:

This morning I was reading my book, Steve Martin's An Object of Beauty, which is all about art and specifically about the art world and the key participants (like Deitch) when my phone rings and it's a friend I hadn't heard from in a while calling me with a last minute invitation: Would I like to join her and a couple other people on a small, Deitch-led tour. Yes, I did want to join her. The tour group turned out to include celebrities, art world darlings, daughters-of-very-famous people, and me (!?).

One of my favorite parts of the visit today was the "Latin American Artists in the Suprasensorial: Experiments in Light, Color, and Space." Here's me in the blue strings part of the installation. Suffice it to say, I felt honored to be invited on this tour today, it was an extremely illuminating experience to have with the enthusiatistic and intelligent Mr. D. I'll leave writing about art to those people who actually can, like Mr. Martin and the people who write for MOCA's website:

Suprasensorial: Experiments in Light, Color, and Space, is the first museum exhibition to situate pioneering Latin American artists among the international canon of those working with light and space. The exhibition presents Latin America as the source of new ideas about the nature and function of art through the re-creation of important large scale installations by five highly regarded and influential artists: Carlos Cruz Diez, Lucio Fontana, Julio Le Parc, Hélio Oiticica and Neville D'Almeida, and Jesús Rafael Soto. From: here.

And, maybe because of my metier, I also adored Amanda Ross-Ho's giant "My Bag (Cigarette Burn)" piece.

(Here is some perspective on how is how big the bag is above.)

I love the Six Degrees theory and I'm always looking for it, usually I find that it's less than 6 with everyone. So no, this picture of Elton, Diana and Cher wasn't at the museum today. But Ross's beautiful and funny daughter (with whom she was reportedly pregnant in this picture) was on the tour with us. (And Matilde saw Elton the other night at the Plan B concert at the Troubador.) And Cher, well Cher just looks so hot in this picture! But I love to make connections with everything life, or at least I love to have that sensation of bringing it around - to make stories come full circle.

To that end, I found this picture of Diana Ross and Steve Martin next to one another at the Kennedy Center Honors. They were honored the same year, 2007. There you have it. I woke up reading Martin's book on the art world elite having no idea that I would spend the day with Ross's daughter on a very cool art tour with art world elite. Full circle, in a way. :) Gosh, I'm sorry, was that crazy? I'm tired. Bonne nuit. xo

*Paraphrasing Aaron Sorkin's acceptance speech at the Golden Globes tonight.

"Elite is not a bad word", he said to his daughter,

referring to all the

smart talented women in the room.

Flowers for my birthday

There's something really magical about being sent flowers.

It feels kind of old fashioned but after this birthday I thought, I really have to do it more often for people.

It's thrilling to have someone come to the door with an anonymously given bouquet - that little card peaking out revealing the source.

J'adore.

Me and Mr. Parks in the Trench

Here's a cute picture of my Burberry trench coat. I'm pretty loyal and I'd always thought that since I had a Burberry trench coat I was pretty much covered in the trench department - I didn't need another. I never would have thought I'd have had eyes to stray.

Then, while home in MN this recent trip, I fell in love with another trench. This one was a fabulous Bonnie Cashin for Sills, Frank Murphy version (below) at my favorite vintage store. It had a cream leather belt and trim and an incredible fur collar! Alas, I walked away from the store without it because I live in LA. AND I have a Burberry trench. I will never need another! Let alone one lined and with a fur collar!! So I told myself. But the next day, I told my mom I was still thinking about it so she went back to the store and bought it for me as an early birthday gift. Then she told me a story about the Frank Murphy store I hadn't known, which just made me love the coat more.

She told me the story of how the famous African American photographer Gordon Parks got his first big break:

It was 1938 when he walked into Frank Murphy's, an exclusive women's clothing store in downtown St. Paul, and asked if they needed anyone to take photos of the store's runway models. He didn't mention that he didn't own a camera and that his only experience with models was a recent perusal of Vogue magazine. Frank Murphy turned him down, but on his way out of the store, Mrs. Murphy suggested that Parks return after the store closed. "Later I asked her why she took a chance on me, and she said she had just had an argument with Frank and was trying to get under his skin," Parks recalled. "Actually, I think she was just a woman who had a great heart." (online Source.)

Parks grew up in poverty and from Frank Murphy's he went on to photograph for Vogue and Life, co-create Essence, shoot for Hermes and many other maisons de couture. After his start as a fashion photographer, he became a photojournalist, a film director, an accomplished writer, poet and musician, even the boyfriend of Gloria Vanderbilt ;) I love the pic above for the perspective of the street behind her. Early Sartorialist?

The other thing I discovered, besides now really wanting to read his autobiography Voices in the Mirror, while looking up Mr. Parks's pictures:

He looked darn good in a trench himself!

Happy 2011!

We are back and ready to grab those two ones like they're horns, ahem, er, as they say.

This is my niece, Sophia. She'd just received this black messenger bag for Christmas when this picture was taken. She is gorgeous and with that smile I couldn't ask for a better model for the joy and prosperity I hope this new year brings you. XOXOC

Winter Wonderland

We are in Minnesota visiting family and taking a small break.







Back soon!

buried in holiday orders

I have a lot to say, but no time to say it. More soon, I promise.
p.s. these are minisacs readied to leave the studio and not bricks of illicit substances. :)

In the garden with Sac Bretelle

If this were the game of Clue, I'd say: Matilde, in the garden, with the Sac Bretelle.

Mat was painstakingly packing up these new bags (of which Galerie Vie in Japan will be the first retailer) for shipment, when I grabbed her for a quick photo session in the backyard. The strap of the bag is doubled so you can wear it on your shoulder or you can un-double it and wear it cross body, or take strap off altogether and wear as clutch. Did somebody say, Triple Threat? Uh Huh. Look out. :) More pics of the Bretelle to come soon.