VLVT: February 2011

2.28.2011

2.24.2011

i wish i could miraculously watch mad men season 5 on my TV right now. I'm so anxious to find out what happens, and quite frankly, I miss Joanie. In the meantime, these illustrations will do the trick, by English artist Stanley Chow.

2.23.2011

saudades do rio

missing the simplicity and sunshine of Rio de Janeiro. my friends and i have been talking about renting a place by the beach in Leblon next year, and i think i need to make it happen. I recently came across my itinerary for my last trip to Rio in 2009 and it made me so happy...beach, breakfast, botanical garden, thrift shopping (brecho), dancing...and repeat the next day. and when i go again, i think i need this above steven alan dress to accompany me. but for now, paris in the spring will definitely suffice!

hair appt.

i am generally someone whose hair is a bit of an afterthought when getting ready for the day, since my hair is so long i've convinced myself that it looks good messy and unbrushed - which may or may not be true, but works well with my wait-till-the-last-minute-to-get-ready daily routine. but whenever i see a cute girl with an even cuter hairdo (like the above pics via La Petit Choue), i wish i had taken an extra five minutes to do something interesting with my hair. i do have a hair appt. this friday to put a bit more blonde into my already blonde hair, so maybe that will be the inspiration. i also just got these adorable hair bands from Lake Boutique in Silver Lake, which are said to not leave your hair crinkly if you dry it in a bun. look cute in your hair, and even better on your wrist.

2.22.2011

nearly spring...

(1) (2) (4 & 5)

2.20.2011

joshua tree national park

as the weather continues to warm up here, I've really been wanting to take another camping trip to joshua tree national park. patrick and i visited it last summer together (where we took the first two photos) and scouted out some pretty peaceful camping spots, like Indian Cove, tucked in amidst some incredible rock formations. the place just feels other-wordly, and these ancient trees stand so tall and sturdy and look like something out of a dr. seuss book.

this strange land has been under protection as a national park since 1936, and the above black and white photo (one of my favorites) is of my grandparents, who visited joshua tree sometime in the 1940s.

2.19.2011

how could i have a bad day...

if this is what i wake up to every morning?

crush: steve martin

growing up watching old episodes of saturday night live, steve martin has always held a special place in my heart. but after reading his memoir born standing up, i realized he is just as intelligent and lovable as he is is hilarious. he writes about growing up in los angeles, getting his start at the magic shop in disneyland's magic castle and then moving to laurel canyon to become a budding writer and artist. i love people who are jacks of all trades, and aren't afraid to change themselves for the adventure of being a novice, and i would definitely describe him as a modern-day renaissance man. And how charming is the card above, found via community bulletin? and the letter, comedic genius. I also read an article recently in Los Angeles magazine, where locals were describing their L.A. stories. Steve Martin wrote of L.A., and I tend to agree-

"If cities could be given an EKG, New York’s readout would be Andean and Los Angeles’s would be a sandy beach. New York is exterior and L.A. is interior, even though L.A. has the weather and New York doesn’t. It’s completely backward. When I’m in L.A., I always find myself pausing to feel the weather or look at the sky or feel how vivid everything is. How fertile and verdant."

2.18.2011

desert-dreamy: kate moss for longchamp 2011

not really a big fan of longchamp as i find their bags a bit boring, but i am a fan of these pictures of kate, with that green dress and that eyeliner, whoa! they almost make me want a bag, especially the first tote up top, and the satchel...nah, the pictures are cuter.