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Fleamarketingtimez With Emily: Pasadena City College
Dear Reader, Part of my job as Emily’s assistant on Secrets From A Stylist is to help her shop. And here’s a (non) secret: she loves vintage! Where do we find all this glamourous, story-filled vintage furniture and accessories? That’s right, the flea market. Every Sunday, we go to whatever flea market is happening. If you’re not sure which is coming up, I find this guide to be quite helpful. Anyway, because Emily hates the idea of anyone snagging a great piece before she can, she shows up at 6 AM. I usually show up after her but I can…
NYSee: My Trip in 1 Drawing, 25 Photos, and 1 Genius Music Video
Dear New York, I came to visit you recently and look what happened: I took the redeye and awoke bleary-eyed, hopped on the AirTrain (my favorite thing about flying into New York because I love public transit). The first thing I saw when I emerged from the subway was the glorious sun, glinting through the budding trees of Central Park. Very romantic. After a delightful breakfast with my friend Misako and her husband Doug, I was already itching to get out of the city to one of my favorite places on earth, the Dia:Beacon. So we jumped in the car…
Drawingtimez: Let’s Go Tanning!
Drawingtimez: My New Car
Whut? Ty Pennington Designs Fabriques?
Dear Ty Pennington, A month or two ago Emily and I saw you at the Rose Bowl Flea Market and we both, like, totally freaked out. We chased you around for a while before we realized we had no actual plan to talk to you. Then, the other day, we were at Michael Levine Fabrics downtown and we saw that [GASP!] you have a fabric line. Now, I have no idea what it means for Ty Pennington to have a fabric line. Do you actually design it? Or do you walk around the design studio with a megaphone screaming in…
Hungrytimez: What To Eat When You’re Downtown and You Don’t Know Anything!
Dear Diary, I have to go to downtown LA a lot for work a lot, usually to go to Michael Levine to buy bargain (yet high quality!) fabric for our makeovers on SFAS. One thing I’ve learned is that you should never go to a crazy ass giant fabric store when you are starving, because it’s IMPOSSIBLE to choose nice colors when your stomach is eating itself. Michael Levine is downtown, and I don’t really know downtown very well. The weird thing about that part of Los Angeles is that one block feels like fancy uptown Manhattan and the next…
Hommegirl: Anjelica Houston!
Dear Diary, Today, whilst shopping in Santa Monica, Emily and I discussed our first celebrity sightings. Emily couldn’t remember her first celeb sighting, but I totally remember mine. The first celebrity I ever saw in person was Anjelica Houston, and seeing her was the beginning of a one-sided love affair that is still going strong. My Aunt Julie and her partner, Jules, lived in Three Rivers, California across the street from Anjelica Houston’s country home. We used to visit there from time to time to enjoy the countryside, horses (which I rode a few times and was totally terrified), the…
All Hail Hail.
Dear California, It’s been rainy, windy, stormy, and haily for more than a week. Thus, I took some pictures of the hail balls that fell from the sky while I was up in Windsor, California visiting my brother and sister-in-law. I love succulents (and hail balls). Love, Orlando
I Want It: Dave Eggers Folio
Dear Dave Eggers, I was in a delightful little bookstore in Healdsburg yesterday and I came across a wonderful folio of your drawings entitled Is It Right To Draw Their Fur. I kind of want to buy the collection of drawings, have them all framed, and hang them in my now-empty living room. It’s basically an instant art collection. The drawings are humorous but also rendered sensitively with beautiful tiny strokes. I love them. Cover art: Folio collection: I love these so much I want them RIGHT NOW! Love, Orlando
SOS: Sights of Sonoma!
Dear My Mother Catherine Soria, Thank goodness you finally got to Sonoma County, where I fled to after I wandered around San Francisco for a few days. We’ve been coming to wine country since my older brother attended college here. Sadly, I never got to partake in the wine tasting fun because I was too young. I always love coming to this part of California. It’s so calm and green and full of overpriced, yet somehow totally comforting grocery stores stocked with fancypants organic products. Anyhoo, today we wandered around in a charming town called Healdsburg and here’s what we…
Worktimez: The Site Measure.
Dear Homme & Garden TV Viewers, Ever wonder how Emily magically comes up with the two styles on Secrets From A Stylist? Well, here’s a secret, she thinks about it for months before coming up with the styles she announces on air (i.e. “Mad Men Bohemian” or “Industrial Kitsch Loft”). While she does think of the style names on-air, she often has a good sense of the homeowners’ tastes in her head beforehand. Months before each episode tapes, we do site visits with couples to meet them and figure out exactly what kind of makeover they want. We also measure…
“Just Give Up.” And Other Treasures.
Dear Diary, I recently bought these “just give up” sweats from Toddland. Love them. I’m also into this wallet, but I think it’s slightly too teen for me. Oh my god. And this. SOMEONE PLEASE BUY THIS FOR ME! I didn’t know much about this Toddland company before, but I like what I see. I want everything. Love, Orlando
Hedi’s Heads
Dear Hedi Slimane, I’ve noticed you like taking pictures of the backs of peoples’ heads. I like it. Love, Orlando
A Yosemite Vacation, Sans Yosemite
Dear Travel Journal, I woke up Sunday morning with a purpose. I packed my car and headed to Yosemite. There was a huge monsoon in Los Angeles and I basically hydroplaned all the way from Southern California to the Northlands. A drive that normally takes 5.5 hours took 7, and by the time I got to the park boundary I was in no mood to find that multiple rockslides and massive amounts of snow had closed all three roads into the park. A sidenote (which I’ll explain in a future post) is that my parents live within Yosemite National Park…
Take a Look: Rodarte
Dear Kate and Laura Mulleavy, I heard you on The Madeleine Brand Show this morning and learned that you currently have work on exhibit at MOCA’s Pacific Design Center annex. I had no idea that you were California designers and that you lived in Pasadena (one of my favorite places in the world for its uberglamourous suburbanity). Like all shows at the Pacific Design Center annex, yours is small. But the pieces on display (including many of the costumes you designed for Black Swan) are artfully crafted from feathers, leather, lace, and other gorgeous materials. It’s definitely worth a look, and…
Five Haute Things for the Homme: Dressers!
Dear Diary, So now that I’ve moved into my gross West Hollywood Hills apartment and I have no furniture, it’s time to get cracking on buying stuff. Luckily, I find myself shopping for the show almost every single day, so I have ample time to look around and research things I might like to add to my place. Right now, finding a dresser is my biggest priority. Firstly, because I have a ridiculous amount of clothing, and second because all my socks and underwear are in shopping bags in my bedroom. It’s totally impossible to get dressed every day. Thus,…
Slimane Photographed Vidal. My Life Is Complete.
Dear Friends, Anyone who knows me well knows that two men captivate and thrill me to no end. These men are novelist Gore Vidal, who has written some of the most heartwrenching and sensible words of our time, and Hedi Slimane, fine art photographer and former Dior Homme head designer. Thus, you can imagine my shock and delight when I was browsing Hedi Slimane’s Diary and found that he had photographed Gore, my favorite writer ever. I love that he captured the author in his space, surrounding by all these wonderful and evocative objects. If you don’t know Vidal, start…
Ravetimez: Arcade Fire Remix!
Dear Thunderlust, Thanks for this fun Arcade Fire remix. As you know, I’m a total fan of fun remixes and this one makes me want to buy a time machine, get into it, go to 1992, attend a rave, and dance and wiggle until dawn. Awesome! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgktVbyYHl4] The track can be downloaded (for free!) here. You’re welcome. Love, Orlando
O Captain!
Dear Professor Zevi Blum, I found out you died yesterday and it came as a total shock. You impacted my life in a wonderful way. I’m pretty sure you gave me one of the only Bs I ever got in college, but you were a mentor and a leader and an inspiration to all us kids. We were 18, just transplanted from all over the country and the world to one of the coldest collegiate environments in the world. And you were there to be hard on us, to care about us, and to change the way we thought about…
Fake Joan Didion Quote of the Week!
“What? You think it’s inappropriate to eat a hot dog at the opera? I just want to be free.” – Joan Didion * Joan only said this in my dreams, sadly.
Hollywoodtimez: ‘Secrets’ Premiere
Dear Diary, I went to a totally glamourous party last weekend. It was to celebrate the premiere of Secrets From A Stylist, my beloved employershow. It was held at an incredibly beautiful bar and lounge called Hemingway’s which I’d never been to before. To be honest, the thing that impressed me the most about the space was the huge number of books they used to decorate the place. We have been using books to prop shelves a lot on the show and [here’s a secret] they’re expensive. Anyway, it was a truly delightful night and I’d say it probably beat…
Whut Glamour: Bonnie Raitt!
Dear Counterpoint Records and Books, Emily and I came by the other day to buy bargain books to fill a bookshelf and I also scored and found a Bonnie Raitt “Nick of Time” cassette tape that I played all the way to Big Bear last weekend. My parents had this CD when I was little and I remember listening to it in our first generation Ford Explorer as I was driven to the orthodontist and and into “town” to buy stuff. I feel like Bonnie Raitt is totally underrated and awesome. I haven’t listened to any of her new stuff…
I Hurt for a Yurt
Dear Diary, I just got back from Big Bear and next week’s Secrets makeover is lodge-inspired, so I have the great outdoors on my mind. Naturally, this reminded me of my lifelong obsession with yurts and how I secretly want to flee the city and live in the middle of the woods all by myself, screaming obscenities and anyone who accidentally wanders onto my property and cooking canned beans over a fire pit. I love how much natural light these adorable structures let in during the daytime and how warm and cozy they seem at night (editor’s note: I have…