On a recent flight back to California, I watched a documentary about André Leon Talley: The Gospel According to André, Vogue magazine’s former editor at large and famed fashion journalist discusses his life and his rise in the fashion industry.  To me, he is a wonderful expression of the multi-faceted reality of who Americans can be.  Learning about his humble beginnings in North Carolina while in the Jim Crow era South where segregation was clear, he experienced firsthand the ugliness of racism.  At the age of 10, he found an issue of Vogue magazine at the local library where began his passion for fashion.  Talley studied French literature at the North Carolina Central University where he graduated in 1970.  He went on to earn a Master’s in French literature from Brown University in 1972.

During the beginning of his career, he worked for Andy Warhol and volunteered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  After this, he worked for Women’s Wear Daily and W magazines.  He continued on to work with the New York Times and then (finally!) Vogue. In the documentary, he repeats the word Vogue with a flair that emphasizes how incredibly special the publication is: “Vogue!  Vogue… Vogue!!”  Through this repetition, he also highlights the importance of the cultural impact that Vogue has had on a global culture that we exist in now.

Talley’s ability to be honest about the difficult upbringing he had is poignant; he was not always embraced by his family for being who he was and what was remarkable was his strength to continue on being true to himself.  To me, André Leon Talley is an American icon extraordinaire, a vessel of historical information of fashion, a native of the American South, and most importantly, a fierce believer in pursuing the work that you are most passionate for.

I was intrigued by his discussion in the documentary of how he has yet to fall in love during his life so far, but that he has loved his work and let that be the center of his life.  On some level, I found it inspiring that Talley is an example of where a passion for work can take someone, be it whatever path they choose.

Hats off to André, what an incredible story and man.

The whimsical sketches of artist Chesley McLaren have inspired me since I first saw her works in Meg Cabot’s Princess Lessons when I was a young girl.  For years, her fashion illustrations have been some of my favorite art and have appeared in publications such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and the like.  This holiday season, I am especially happy to see her works as they remind me of all of the good that the holiday season represents.  Below, the illustration she did of a boot is that of the tradition of Saint Nicholas Day (or Nikolaus) on December 6 where he leaves treats such as fruit, candy, cookies, or small toys in a boot for children.

 

Arguably the best luxury hotel in the world, the five star Hotel Sacher in Vienna has been open since 1876, and is best known for its “Sachertorte” a chocolate cake filled with apricot or raspberry jam (It’s been long contested which filling is the original.  To me, they are both delicious!) invented by Franz Sacher in 1832.  A fun fact: December 5th is “National Sachertorte Day” in the United States.  For those who did not know, we have a national chocolate cake day for an Austrian cake!  Since Vienna is the coffee house capital of the world, Sachertorte is the ideal compliment to Kaffe mit Schlag (coffee with whipped cream).  Romy Schneider stayed at the hotel while filming the famous Austrian film Sissi about Empress Elisabeth of Austria and her life.

Austrians are known for their hospitality.  Whether you are staying at a five star luxury hotel such as Hotel Sacher or with a lovely family in the Austrian Alps, you are sure to be treated with the utmost hospitality.  This is a special source of pride for Austrians, and you must always be gracious to your host’s hospitality; Austria is a magical country. 

 

The image above is of a classic scene in The Princess Diaries, where Anne Hathaway’s character, Princess Mia Thermapolis, is transformed from “dorky” Mia to “princess style” Mia.  I was 9 years old when this movie came out, in all of its splendor: it truly was a great movie for the time.  However, I was in an incredibly impressionable age as well; I distinctly remember this scene as being one where I saw Anne Hathaway’s transformation as a part of how she could become royal, in all of her groomed perfection.  I associated her outer beauty as being part of her competence to lead a small country, which should not necessarily be a message touted to young girls by a Disney film.

There is nothing wrong with being groomed.  Grooming is becoming a lost art and I think it’s very important.  I am perplexed though about another aspect of Princess Mia’s transformation.  It was not just physical, it was as if her personality changed as she was transformed by the royal hairdresser and his makeup artists to a quieter, more subdued “cool” version of herself.  Growing up, I didn’t always feel beautiful, even though I had no reason to critique myself.  Despite my mom’s constant affirmations of how I was beautiful, witty, smart and clever, I always was!  This was great, to have such a confidently beautiful mother to tell me that I was beautiful.  That’s all a young girl could ask for.

Recently, I was reading Branded by Alissa Quart, and she mentions the potential detriments of this scene to young girls: “…Why couldn’t the princess of Genovia have curly hair or flattering glasses?  Mia didn’t just get spruced up, she had to be physically made-over at the Queen’s request!  This scene was the highlight of the film…  I wonder how many girls, after seeing this movie, wanted to throw out their glasses, straighten their hair, pluck their eyebrows, or cover their freckles.” (94).  Truth be told?  I wanted to straighten my wavy hair, pluck my eyebrows, and wear contacts as soon as possible when I was a teen.

For me, The Princess Diaries was magical in a number of ways: Mia Thermapolis grows up in San Francisco and has a fabulous single mother and an openly liberal best friend who ends up attending “Bezerkeley,” all very relatable themes of my adolescence, as I am a Bay Area native myself.  It was the transformation scene that made me question why Mia had to change her looks so visibly and how after she did this, she was suddenly “cool” and wasn’t as goofy and humorous with her best friend before, which made me sad to notice that.

Often, Hollywood doesn’t do well with accepting female characters who have humor and beauty, as if women can only be one or the other.  Kylie Jenner has spoken openly about how she feels she lost her “funny side” after she became intensely famous.  This is also depicted in the film, I Feel Pretty, where Amy Schumer is the goofy protagonist who is shown as incredibly dorky in comparison to the much cooler character played by Emily Ratatjowski (above).  Sex and the City creator Candace Bushnell’s 2015 novel, Killing Monica, mentions a number of times how a Hollywood exec believes that actresses cannot be funny and pretty, because being funny risks one to look “ugly.”  Female characters in Hollywood should always be able to play both if they would like, and it’s clear that in reality, women can be both as well.  It’s absurd to think otherwise.  Nobody defines you: you define you.

The chicest spot to be this holiday season (if you’re in London, that is) is Élan Café, a lovely destination to experience the “rosy life” firsthand.  The café brings back the lost experience of cafés being a cultural destination, which should be cultivated again all over the world.  Coffee is not just a commodity, but an experience.  Alexandra Miller, the owner and founder, has a background in fashion, where she has been able to transfer her cultivated tastes to the café experience, stating that she is “…passionate about wellness.”  The café is partnered with Union Roasters, Britain’s first roasters to source beans directly from farmers, which include suppliers from Costa Rica, Rwanda, Guatemala, and Ethiopia.  At Élan, you will find no shortage of drinks to choose from and bites for breakfast, as well as an array of pastries and cakes.  Their commitment to ethical farming practices adds a rosy undertone to a lovely spot to enjoy coffee with your friends and loved ones!  A definite go-to when in London.

Hi, loves!  Here is my Holiday Gift Guide for 2018: a list of ideas for gifts for family and friends.

American Red Cross Donations for California Fire Victims: It’s an extreme situation here in California at the moment, and donations to the victims are essential.  With the holidays quickly approaching, this is an important contribution to the thousands of families affected.

Voluspa Candles: These candles are my all-time favorite.  Each of the scents are so wonderfully pungent, I am a long time fan of these.  Peninsula Beauty carries these in San Francisco, and Amazon also carries a large collection of Volsupa candles.  My favorite scent is the Goji Tarocco Orange, but all of the scents are quite lovely.

Book of the Month Club Subscription: For reading lovers, Book of the Month Club is the most classic way of inspiring reading in your family and friends.  The book selections are so creative and the novels that you can choose from are all current, so it’s a great way to stay plugged into what’s happening in the publishing industry and stay on top of the hottest bestsellers.  I highly recommend, it’s a great gift, and you can buy a range of subscriptions, so they don’t just offer annual, but 3-month subscriptions, which is also a nice gift!

VENUS ET FLEUR Roses: It goes without saying, I’m all about roses, but more recently, I’ve become super impressed with the plethora of flower arrangement companies that can last up to a year in how they are preserved.  The single rose, “Lé Mini,” from VENUS ET FLEUR is a great accessory to any room in your home from a side table in your living room to your vanity or nightstand!  They come in every color imaginable as well.

Pearl Bath Bombs: I can guarantee one of your girlfriends is all about having bath bombs and taking baths, and what’s especially awesome of these?  Each bath bomb has a ring!  These rings are no joke either – they range in value, and some can be valued at up to $5,000.  That’s not bad for a $15 bath bomb.  I still don’t understand how they do this, but it’s great, so I’m not asking questions…

Kendra Scott Jewelry: For the bestie, it’s always nice to splurge a bit more.  Kendra Scott has a fantastically extensive range of mid-priced jewelry.  From statement pieces like large earrings to dainty necklaces and matching bracelets, you can find a piece that can add an elegant statement to any outfit.  Sofia Vergara is a big fan of the brand’s earrings!

Kylie Cosmetics Holiday 2018 Collection: Kylie Cosmetics keeps getting more refined with their color combinations; seriously, it’s like each palette is a new kind of genius in how the colors are combined, ranging from super bold pigment to bronze and mauve tones.  What is especially great is Kylie Cosmetics is now available in-store at Ulta Beauty (beauty lovers rejoice), so you can check out the full range in store – if it doesn’t sell out in 15 seconds.  This time around, I’m loving on the adorable snowflake packaging, it’s like they’re wrapped already 😉

If you’re a millennial with an Instagram account, you’ve probably heard of or follow a number of the following fashion companies: Fashion Nova, House of CB, Pretty Little Thing, REVOLVE, Nasty Gal, Meshki, Tiger Mist, Showpo, Lucy in the Sky, SABO SKIRT by Thessy & Yiota…  The list goes on and on.  These brands have also helped facilitate a lifestyle movement – it makes sense: when you take tons of pictures and you post many different looks, you certainly don’t want to have repeat looks, which quite honestly, is the most rational reason for the rise of fast fashion.  Some of these brands have a legitimate celebrity following.  For House of CB (standing for “celeb boutique”), the London-based company has avid celebrity followers from the Kardashians to Jennifer Lopez to Gigi Hadid.

Unreasonably, however, is how they have come to be voices in the fashion industry’s notoriously stodgy way of operating in prestige – along the lines of The Devil Wears Prada, the fashion industry has always had a pecking order of how legitimate the history of fashionable garments have come to be (there really is a reason why Armani is the king of clean lines, OK!).  In comes the unforseen disruption of social media and an opportunity arises: fast fashion – fashion that is produced quickly, cheaply, with a sexy look in mind; the less material the better.  And it works.  Fashion Nova, based out of Los Angeles, has over 530k posts with the hashtag #NovaBabe on Instagram.  Users wearing their clothes can use their hashtag and promote themselves.  Some women who use this hashtag can become featured on their  Instagram page, which in turn, makes them become more followed through the company’s exposure, which has 13.7 million followers as I write this.

Katerina Rozmajzl, a 21 year old Sherri Hill model from Georgia has 534.3k followers as I write this (also in part to her look as a real-life Disney Princess Elsa).  Her consistent use of the #NovaBabe hashtag and the company’s gracious partnership with her on social media has helped facilitate this widespread following and allowed for her to use her page as an opportunity to model new clothing.  In turn, companies sending her new pieces to model, which is essentially a collaboration: she wears their clothes and gains exposure and advertises their clothes in turn – it’s the new guerrilla marketing.  The influence the company has given her has helped her to launch her own cosmetics company “Katerina Cosmetics” – which is exactly modeled on “Kylie Cosmetics,” which is no coincidence – Kylie Jenner, also 21, is noted to be the most high profile wearer of Fashion Nova clothing, being a fan of their stretch jeans.  Rozmajzl advertises her line of fake eyelashes and spends a lot of time on social media responding to her followers.  When I asked her on Instagram which brand of bikini she wore one time, she DM’d me and told me that it was Beach Bunny Swimwear.  The personal touch of social media has given power to a new arena of the fashion industry with fast fashion, and it’s not a silly part of fashion that will go away anytime soon.

Olivia Culpo, social media influencer and former Miss Universe has partnered with a number of brands including DSW – Designer Shoe Warehoues and GHD, a hair company.  Most notably, however, is her partnership with REVOLVE, another fast fashion brand based out of Los Angeles.  She was invited to the first ever, “REVOLVE Awards” this past week at the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.  This was an opportunity for the brand to highlight women who are standing out on social media, including honoring Kendall Jenner as “Icon of the Year” and model/actress Emily Ratatajowski as “Woman of the Year.”  Interestingly enough, all of these women attended this awards ceremony, which means they are well aware of the opportunity that their public partnership with fast fashion brands provides – a larger platform to promote their own.  Suffice it to say, fast fashion is not going anywhere, it’s only growing, and perhaps worth paying attention to some of these brands before they become one of the more powerful facets of our global culture.

Around San Francisco, you will see a few walls painted with a distinct style, this is the signature graffiti style of street artist Fnnch, who is best known for his murals of honey bears.  At this year’s Burning Man, Fnnch brought a sculpture honey bear weighing almost 1,500lbs and was 3 stories tall.  His unique style of art, from my perspective, is less graffiti as it is an opportunity for dreary city landscapes to come alive in colorful ways; his art is truly one of a kind.  My personal favorite work, below, is a poppy painted on the side wall of a classic Victorian style home at Alamo Square.  It’s a nice break from the gloom the city can have.

Catholic imagery is omnipresent and it’s alive.  We see it from popular culture events like this year’s Met Gala, which was a part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” exhibit, a controversial exhibit of Vatican garb on loan from the Holy See, an exhibit with perhaps an obvious Chaucerian-style critique of the Church.

We see Catholic images on HBO’s The Young Pope, which doesn’t exactly paint the Church in a benevolent light.  And then, more notably, we see it in the humility of Pope Francis, as he speaks above in a TED talk which I highly recommend watching.  Most importantly, it’s worth noting how all of the “pomp and circumstance” dulls the pure message of hope and love that Jesus spoke of, and popular culture highlights this lack as the Church’s main fault.  Truthfully, and perhaps this is worth highlighting, I think in a time of global unrest, it’s worth highlighting the importance of culture, family, and togetherness, which Catholicism has done well in upholding.

The cultural validity that the faith still holds is very real, and it’s with this platform, that the Church can begin evolving, as it clearly has – with its allowance of the garb on loan to The Met, and its projection display of nature and endangered species onto Saint Peter’s Basilica by a San Francisco-based firm, Obscura Digital, with the intent to illustrate how the Holy See is #OurCommonHome to inspire change around the world’s climate crisis.

While many would believe that the Church holds true to values that are outside of our current time, the Church could not be more relevant in giving people a sense of hope and belonging, so we experience a complex confluence of issues.  The Blessed Virgin’s presence as a mother figure is important in illustrating the importance of strong female figures in one’s life, and often the erasure of this relationship between the BVM and Jesus creates discord and undermines the family.  The Blessed Virgin Mary is a female figure to examine thoughtfully.

We see conflicting images in popular culture, such as the sexualized Victoria’s Secret Angels; historically, angels have never been depicted in a sexualized way, and with this use, it allows for the viewer to immediately make the connection that angels are naturally entities that are not holy, because they are human and sexual.  My perspective is that we all find a balance, where we continue to think critically about images that become powerful in popular culture and also take time to appreciate the importance of values that have stood the test of time.

“Virtue has a veil, vice a mask.” – Victor Hugo

I was 12 years old when I visited Venice, Italy and began what is today my undying love for Venetian masks.  They are a symbol of the Carnevale di Venezia (the Carnival of Venice), a time when all Venetians are able to let loose and enjoy all of their most hedonistic desires before Lent.  The festival brings up to 3 million people to Venice each year!  The mask symbolizes an opportunity; it’s speculated that they originally were used as a way for social hierarchy to be blurred amongst Venice’s inhabitants, but they also serve as an opportunity to not identify who is who when one is doing naughty things.

I’ve been collecting masks from Venice since that trip to Venice and I am still passionate about the cultural importance of these masks.  They are a symbol of Venice’s history and they are a reminder of the timelessness of tradition.

Carta Alta creates the masks for many Hollywood films and parties.  The masks featured above in Gossip Girl were created by Carta Alta.  They also created Playboy’s 60th anniversary commemorative mask (below).  A couple of the masks in my family’s collection are on display in my bedroom, I prefer to look for masks with a lot of detail and have unique pops of color (the hot pink cat mask was a great find!).  I hope that my passion for Venetian masks is shared by others for years to come to ensure that this never becomes a lost art.