Oscars 2017

OSCARS 2017

I must say that was one of the most riveting Oscars in quite some time!  Beginning to end it offered great laughs, tender moments and a cliffhanger ending.  I thoroughly enjoyed many of this years films and when the nominations came out, I was even more excited about the red carpet. The theme of this years blog is "Haiku Times Two".  I will be taking two looks and expressing my opinion in a haiku poem.  For those who aren't familiar with this classic form of poetry, please read the following. 

 "Haiku" is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. Haiku poems consist of 3 lines. The first and last lines of a Haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. The lines rarely rhyme.

         

Black Diamonds

 

Lightning can strike twice ☇☇

The rest of y'all can go home

Cause these girls just slayed 🎯

Let it Flow

Upstaged by the hair

can be a good or bad thing

ScarJo has slight edge 🙅

These Ladies need no "Help"

They took home the gold 🏆

In ev'ry sense of the word

Perfect head to toe 💋

Porcelain

Best to add some fun

when you wear something this light

Hailee steps ahead📈

Dapper

Subtle differences

touch of ruffles, crisp hairstyle 

Gosling has got this👌

Gone with the Wind

No Hidden Figures

only avant garde dresses💃

Red Carpet opulence

Seeing Double

One is yes, one no

One showstop, one should just stop

Tailor made Emma💖

The New Legends

Rare times that they miss

But when they get it so right

It is magical💫

Architecture 

Sleek hair and fabric

Both of these make me think of

Disney Concert Hall 💟

No means No

"Star Wars" Collection 👽

Leia and R2-D2

Futuristic Flops

The Dames

Glitzy shoulder pads

Joan Crawford must be so glad

But this time France wins

Blue Man Group

Masculine standouts

Cobalt and midnight make me

say "How you doin'?"😍

Who Wore it Best

Death by Lace O.D.😣

D.O.A. to red carpet

Fashion massacre🔪

Last years Golden Girls

          

Brie still comes correct💖

Vikander's look is phoned in😕

Go big or go home

I hope you enjoyed my blog this year and for anyone that isn't sure which of these looks I liked or disliked, there is a descriptive emoji under each photo to settle any debate.  ;)  

Until next time!

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Travel to Cambria, CA 2014

Weekend Getaway to Cambria, CA

Cambria is a tucked away, cute, little seaside town along the Pacific Coast Highway.  From Los Angeles it is about 3 hours north, 4 if you take the coast.  I have visited before more as a stopover to other coastal destinations, but never really gave it a fair visit all to its own.  My partner and I had the opportunity to join my Mom out in Cambria to celebrate a Mother's Day weekend retreat and being the busybodies we are, we really got to cover a lot of territory.  So here's my 'Must List' for Cambria!

Sow's Ear

Our weekend started with this quaint restaurant on Main Street.  It has the most adorable tiny pig decorations, hence the name, and it felt like walking into your grandma's cabin home that she has been cooking in all day.  It is cozy and inviting, and your dinner starts off with the most amazing moist bread served to you in a terra-cotta pot.  I am all about comfort foods so I ordered Chicken dumplings after we shared the appetizer plate of Mac 'n Cheese.  They had to wheel me out of there by the end of our dinner.  Note to city folk: we had the latest reservation of the night at 8pm.  This town quiets down pretty early but that makes it all the more relaxing.  

http://thesowsear.com

Moonstone Beach

  

Named after the stones that used to wash up on shore, I'm not sure if they still do to this day but nonetheless, this beach is gorgeous.  It has a boardwalk thats more New England style than the ones we are used to down in southern california, and that only adds to the charm. It is literally wooden boards that you walk on and it is flanked in that beachy ground cover with those pretty little miniature pink flowers.   I love how the wind hardly ever stops coming in from off the shore, creating beautiful choppy waves and windswept looking trees all along the way.  

San Simeon Hearst Castle

 

Hearst Castle is a big draw in the Cambria area, and rightfully so.  It is our smaller scale west coast version of Versailles and offers a not so distant peek into history and Hollywood's Golden era.  William Randolph Hearst's opulence and love of art are clearly on display. There are a number of different selections of tours depending on what you are interested in seeing.  We booked the evening tour which recreates a 1933 party that Hearst commonly threw and invited many of that days biggest stars.  There are even people there in full character recreating a walls eye view for us as spectators.  The tour was unique and introspective to a side of Hearst I hadn't heard as much about.  That particular tour is only offered in Spring and Fall as it was already getting pretty warm in some of those villas due to the fact that air conditioning hadn't been invented at that time yet.  There is also a new tour called the "Hollywood VIP tour" that for the price of $100 per person gets you your own personal guide, and the opportunity to visit practically every room in the house.  Definitely something I would be interested in next time I go. 

http://hearstcastle.org

Shops on Main Street

Tourism is the business in Cambria and for that reason Main Street has everything from coffee shops, to  old school diners and art galleries.  You can spend a major portion of your day (and wallet) just cruising along.  There's something for the entire family, kids stores, culinary centric, and gardening nurseries.  The brick work, wooden cottages and two lane street make it easy to imagine what the town was like during its original inception.  

The Olallieberry 

The olallieberry is the grandchild of the raspberry, the dewberry and the blackberry and tastes similar to a boysenberry.  It grows predominantly in California and especially near Cambria.  They are served in many of the dishes from pies, to vinegars and chocolates.  We came home with a medium sized container of jam and actually just finished the last of it today.  It was perfect served on multigrain toast!  

Garden Inspiration

Fairy gardens have become more and more popular and Cambria is one of those towns that you would expect to find them throughout all the cottage homes and of course those garden shops I mentioned before.  The pictures seen here are from one of those boutiques called Spellbound's backyard.  A good quarter of their yard was decked out in a fairy village featuring walkways, bridges and even Hogwart's Castle.  Super cute!  Some of the other nurseries sell rare succulent varieties and unique Artist renditions of pottery that you can bring back with you to remember your trip.  

San Simeon Pines

I didn't get to stay here but definitely checked it out and will be doing so next time I am here.  The cabins have their own fireplaces, and are right across the water.   They have croquet in the front lawn area as well as a mini golf and larger golf course access.  It's the perfect spot for simple access to the beach and boardwalk, and looks like a smaller version of the place featured in 'Dirty Dancing'.  Nobody puts baby in the corner here!

http://www.sspines.com

White Water Inn 

Located right next door to San Simeon Pines on Moonstone Beach Dr. is the White Water Inn.  It has a view of the water as well in most of the rooms and the upgraded rooms feature their own jacuzzis right on the patio.  Perfect for going out to watch the stars at night, that you don't get to see as much if you live in well lit areas.  The sounds of the ocean and the cool breeze make it easy to stay in and really relax for while longer than you normally might.  

http://www.whitewaterinn.com/index.html

Robin's restaurant 

Located right off Main St. on Burton Dr. this indoor outdoor restaurant has a great varied diverse selection.  Dishes are prepared and displayed beautifully and the flavors match the presentation.  It's hard to pick just one or two things so I recommend sharing and doing tapas style so that you can try a few different plates.  A definite must try if you're only there for lunch or dinner.  

http://www.robinsrestaurant.com/home

Day trip to Paso Robles 

My partner and my mom are wine connoisseurs and I am the DD and photographer.  Paso has some offerings for the non drinker.  There are some wineries that do honey tastings, oil tastings and that serve food and live music.  The drive over from Cambria is worth it all on its own, the rolling hills, groves of trees and the farm homes are pure bliss to take in.  And for any budding photographers, it is a great place to go be distracted.  

Thanks for reading and until next week, happy travels!

A Day in L.A.- The Geffen Playhouse

Ruth Draper's Monologues

A local little gem of a theater right here in our very own Westwood neighborhood is the Geffen Playhouse.  It is super intimate, has two theaters one larger and one smaller though honestly there isn't  a bad seat in the house.  Each production is very thoughtfully chosen and much attention is placed on the details of the magnificent set designs.  It's not uncommon to find paparazzi waiting outside the theater to catch a shot of one of the stars, as many of the shows feature pretty big names.  Many of Hollywood's big names hone their craft in this non-pretentious playhouse.  I have had the opportunity to see Martin Sheen, Chris Pine, Chris Noth, David Arquette, James Van Der Beek and many more.

My most recent trip was to see 'Ruth Draper's Monologues' starring Annette Bening in a one woman 9p minute show.  Annette is one of the greatest living actors of our time and this is the second time I have had the opportunity to see her on the stage.  She portrays 4 different characters all from the writings of Ruth Draper.  Annette moves from character to character fluidly, changing her accent, her body movements and wardrobe all before your eyes.  With no intermission, I was literally exhausted for her and my brain hurt from just thinking about how much memorization went into to making this production.  "Ruth Draper's Monologues' plays until May 18th so you have a few more opportunities to catch it.  

The next production in the main stage of the Geffen Playhouse will be "The Country House" starring Blythe Danner and Scott Foley.  Check out the website to see more information on the upcoming shows.  http://geffenplayhouse.com

My recommendations if you decide to make an evening of it...

Napa Valley Grille- the ambience is contemporary and it's usually flanked with a celebrity of some sort, so it's great for people watching.  Service is incredible and every plate we have ordered has been super delicious, you really can't go wrong. 

http://www.napavalleygrille.com

 If you decide to not get one of the great desserts and want to walk the town but get a sweet tooth...

Diddy Riese- since 1983 the prices have been virtually the same, $1.75 for an ice cream cookie sandwich.  You get to choose your flavors of cookie and ice cream, be prepared as thy only accept cash.  

http://diddyriese.com

If you check out any of the shows, or the other attractions, please let me know by using the comment section below.  I would love to hear from you!  

Take Care!

A Day in L.A.- DVF Exhibit

Wrap it up if you're in LA

LACMA has extended their "Journey of A Dress" exhibit dedicated to Diane Von Furstenberg and the wrap dress.  I was surprised to learn that Diane didn't actually invent the dress, or the form since she is always linked it with it.  There are a few predecessors that had already been designing similar styles in the 1930's and 1940's though perhaps because the silhouette at that time was more suit based and structured, the wrap dress didn't have its moment until the 1970's.  It is synonymous with the sexual revolution of that time and found its heyday.  Today it is still a very feminine and sexy piece.  It hugs in all the right spots and is probably the most comfort you'll find for style.  I loved seeing all the varying unique designs from tops, to gowns, vintage mixed with contemporary.  The prints and patterns themselves are dazzling eye candy.  If the wrap dress were a hairstyle, it would be the "Farrah".  Flirty, with movement, very reminiscent of an era pushing boundaries and constantly being revamped and referenced.  

The exhibit has been extended to May 1, 2014.  
For more information on the exhibit - http://www.dvf.com/wrap40/