Spring Fever

Some people just don't get it.

Overheard on the first day of spring break...

"We could do yoga together and have drinks at NOBU".

We take our yoga and our sushi seriously here in the Bu. We never mix the two.

That would defeat the purpose.

Welcome to tourist season in Malibu!

Malibu makes a statement - Front Row at Balmain Fall/13 Runway Show

Thanks L.A. Times for letting the world know that Malibu was well represtend in the front row at Paris Fashion Week. 
Could it get any better than our local gals getting their groove on to Led Zeppelin at Balmain? 
I think not!
HOLLA!
By Booth Moore

February 28, 2013, 3:19 p.m.

PARIS -- Malibu gal pals Cher, jewelry designer Loree Rodkin and Chrome Hearts co-founder Laurie Stark sat front row on Thursday afternoon at Paris Fashion Week, taking in Oliver Rousteing’s rocker-chic Balmain collection.

The inspiration: The Oriental theme seen through the historical prism of Paris couturiers, from Paul Poiret in the 1920s to Christian Lacroix in the 1970s and 1980s.

The look: Rock 'n’ roll genie.  Fashion to the max. An hourglass silhouette consisting of high-waist, lame harem pants, paired with oversized, hyper-embellished jackets in geometric crystal embroideries that sparkled like disco balls.  Jewel-tone, bias-draped miniskirts as skimpy as a silk turban, worn with thigh-high boots. Fuzzy angora sweaters over sweeping silk skirts slit high on the leg. Wide belts in gold metal resembling pleated fabric. Earrings as big as chandeliers.

The verdict: With the thumping Led Zeppelin music, it was hard not to get caught up in this magic carpet ride. Where would you wear these clothes if not on stage? Who knows. But if you have the bravado (and the big bucks), you’re gonna stop traffic.

*images via google and vogue.com

Supersize your style - Studded Gucci D.I.Y.

Chill is ill in Malibu.

We're talkin' the cold kind of chill, not chic kind of 'chill'.

It's the also the kind that sends you straight indoors ( think spa ).

So, when I am stuck with this sucky weather, I head to hot yoga, take in a lean protein shake and take a break from my work.

In other words, I become a lean, mean, customizing machine.

Years ago ( that magic year 2008 - read about it here, and here ), before I went on to fashion p.r. full time, I owned a retail store here in Malibu where I specialized in one of a kind pieces, designed and created in my shop.

I sewed, I silkscreened and I studded...

However, I had a deep desire to take it beyond just the average, easy stud fest.

( I googled 'stud fest' and this is what showed up )

Somehow, I knew there was something more.

So, long before Valentino decided it was chic to stud couture,

I was studding vintage Gucci. 

It might seem a little daunting at first to take a seam ripper and poke holes into a bag that could set you back a few bills...

But once you've been there, there's no going back. 

Kind of like once you do hot yoga, regular yoga just doesn't do it for you anymore.

Make sense?

Truuussssssttttt.

You'll feel like you haven't done a damn thing in your life until you've mastered one of these and remember - vulnerability is not the right state of mind to approach the Vintage Studded Gucci D.I.Y.

Start with a vintage Gucci ( I like the Boston the best but any one will do )

A bag of 1/2" pyramid studs ( at least 100 pcs. )

Seam ripper

Needle nose pliers or pinking shears ( which I use to push down the stud spikes on the inside of the purse. The pinking shears works best for me for the flat edge it has and the ease of pushing down the spikes ).

I have to admit, I eyed the stud placement. But if you want preciseness, use a ruler and mark the areas where the stud spikes will go with a Sharpie.

Use the seam ripper to "slice" the hole. I like this tool better than an Exacto knife because the seam ripper guarantees me a smaller hole to hold the stud better.

Stud til your sore baby! This project goes fast but takes it's toll on your thumb when you are securing the stud spikes.

The results rock as you can see!

Six Degrees

There's no denying that by the end of NYFW, most of us were left feeling like we had been molested by a multitude of patterns, color and texture.
Fashion bloggers feverishly regurgitating Fall/13 runway pics and inundating our Bloglovin feed, heading off to London, Milan and Paris respectively to repeat the same pattern.

I wondered when this flagrant abuse of my cyber/space was ever going to end!

However, the questionable (re)appearance of the slouchy beanie reminiscent of Alexander Wang's Fall 2008 collection, making quite the impact, starting with the BCBG runway, actually led me to ask the question...

"Are gay men/designers psychic?"or the does the six degrees of separation I am convinced I have with Kurt Cobain exist in a more existential fashion ( pun intended ) - as in fashion designers manifesting the six degrees into the form of this ( now classic ) accessory?

Or were the fashion gods just giving me spiritual feedback on the post I just made only a few weeks ago?

More importantly, is Fall 2008 the new Fall 2013?

Alexander Wang Fall 2008

More Max fall 2013

More Alexander Fall 2008...

It was all way too much to take in. 

Simultaneously, not one, but two Malibu Designers ( not gay and I am pretty sure not psychic either ) made this year's Sport's Illustrated Swimsuit Issue ( think Vogue's September issue for bikinis... and boys who like bikinis ).

This is original boho jewelry designer Heather Gardner's third time being featured and make no mistake, she is the original and third time is definitely the charm for this line's 2013 appearance in the iconic swimsuit issue.

 Here is Kate Bock wearing the triple layer Boho Necklace in brass.

Crissy Tiegan wears the single Ethiopian necklace and the five layer boho necklace in brass.

 Anna V. wear the five layer crystal boho necklace in CO topaz and the brass boho bracelet.

Kate Bock wears the triple layer boho necklace in brass.

Kate Bock wearing the five layer boho necklace in brass.

Bubululu's debut run had Nina Adgal sporting their sexy mesh top.

Just in time to cool us off from the Bu bikini bonanza, and consequently canceling my client's lookbook shoot ( which I was due in Scottsdale for ), a massive cold front came in dumping lots of fresh snow - including in Scottsdale!!!

So, it was off to Mammoth we went, Kurt Cobain's birthday and all. Not exactly the way I wanted to celebrate our six degrees of separation - however quite fitting since the temp was actually 6 degrees.

Top that week off with an exhausting day after Valentine's spent managing my social media responses to my FB relationship status change ( I got engaged - hold the congrats - this is not my first BBQ ).

Now you know why this Malibu P.R. Gal was conspicuously absent from the blogoshpere.

My sincere apologies.

It's Swimsuit Season!

Malibu local Heather Gardner's eponymous jewelry line graces the pages of this year's Sports Illustrated  Swimsuit Issue for the third year in a row.

Each issue has managed to be better than the previous, and this teaser video  just released by Sports Illustrated, shows us they are sure not to disappoint this year either!

WORD.

FB Grammy posts are going wild right now, then there are those of us who really knoooowwww...

Love you Michael! Rock on!

Game On for GRAMMYS

 Since Thursday morning at 6 a.m., green tea latte in hand, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week has been front and center on my MacBook Pro.

It wasn't long before texture/pattern/color overload kicked in while I listened, in between shows, lanky fashion types live streaming and lying about "how busy they've been".

Yeah, sure.

Boring.

Friday morning, day two of runway reality was barely underway and then...

 DEFCON FIVE ( meaning least severe - at least to me )

my FB inbox was blowing up.

"Grammys" this, "Grammys" that, was the theme of most messages - and then I realized:

 "Oh shit! The Grammys are this weekend?!"

My deep distaste for red carpet styling has me in deep denial the entire duration of awards season.

Fed up with the fake smiles of former A-now-B-/listers ranting about why she "isn't 25 anymore", ( which only leads to violent thoughts for me - a serious house plant killer ).

So, when I see the desperation of a newly hired assistant who won't be eating until she finds a stylist to resuscitate her boss' red carpet style ( aka comeback couture ) via private message...

Well let's just say, you don't need to know someone to know someone.

You know?

Needless to say, the couture gods intervened, apparently my work was not yet finished ( as a stylist ) and I was suckered into last minute, red carpet styling.

AGAIN.

So now, my Malibu mantra is to play my cosmic cards right and hopefully I will never have to style another awards event in this lifetime.

I  will actually burn sage over it.

 The Universe did reward me for my styling sacrifice with a surprise pre Grammy lunch on the ocean the next day with my good buddy Bill.

He caught me up on star studded stories from Sundance... and further enlightening me that there is indeed six degrees of separation between me and Kurt Cobain ( read about it here and here )...

...and now Courtney Love

 Bill continued to tell me about his late night noshin' ( at Mel's Diner on Sunset only hours before ) with Grammy greatness, music legend Quincy Jones.

and now this Malibu P.R. Gal is set up for a cool collab with hip hop legends Naughty By Nature.

So I guess I'll be gettin' my naughty on...

Can you Feel Me Flow?

photo credits by Andrea Hanks photography, bella sugar.