Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

{ never say goodbye } the legacy of liberace

as i mentioned yesterday, i had a game-changing, borderline-religious experience while visiting las vegas. no, i didn't get married. nor did i hit the jackpot. i didn't even go all fear & loathing. instead, i dragged my dear friend and vacation-mate cleo (who just started a blog!!), and our beleaguered boyfriends to the liberace museum. it was incredible.
for those of you who are not familiar with his legacy, liberace (pronounced liber-ah-chee) was a famous pianist, known for his over-the-top showmanship, a longstanding career on the vegas strip, and for being the highest paid entertainer in the world from the 1950s-70s.

from the looks of things, most of that money was reinvested into his wardrobe (a solid choice, in this case). apparently, he once single-handedly saved swarovski (the crystal company) from bankruptcy. an american hero, obviously:

but back to the museum. instead of being housed in a gaudy, glittering castle on the strip (as the lib's legacy so clearly deserves), it's nestled in some seedy suburban strip mall, next to the creepily-windowless good times bar (which offers 'recession specials' and opens at 8am! yikes.).

{ i wore: my most vegas-worthy, self-titled 'elvis sunnies' by devi kroell for vogue eyewear (last seen HERE), the glamourai necklace, s2vs shirt, betsey johnson dress, coach bag, lamb shoes }

luckily, this lousy locale belies the awe-inspiring splendor of what hides inside:

{ indeed, we have just seen a disco-ball rolls royce ("boy, it really stops traffic when i shop at safeway!"), a pink feather cape (with train!) and a swarovski crystal-encrusted piano with lucite lid & matching bench. OMG. }

perhaps my favorite thing about the self-described "one-man disneyland"? his intense dedication to finger-bling...


...though the details in all his attire were truly breathtaking. i mean:





like the man himself says in this video, "look me over! i didn't get dressed like this to go unnoticed." amen, mister.

if ever you find yourself visiting vegas, please make time for a trip to this hidden gem!

{ photo diary } bright lights / sin city







{ 1/ all packing woes were resolved by a quick trip to forever21, where i stocked up on a surplus of cheap, sparkly earrings and rings //2/ saturday night in sin city //3 & 6/ friday fashion: coach necklace & bracelet; chloe blouse; F21 skirt; earrings & rings; vintage clutch; badgley mischka shoes //4/ the glamour guy commands the club in a burberry suit //5/ lady luck }

the blurriness of many of these images encapsulates the aura of las vegas pretty effectively. i suppose that is a big part of its appeal! besides being unable to make photos in the casinos, we had a great time ~ and at least one delightfully life-altering experience, which i promise to report on tomorrow...xoK
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{ crystal method }

i keep going crazy for the look of mega-watt rocks littered about the house!


{ pics: ryan korban via theselby.com }

in other news, i'm headed to vegas tomorrow for a little weekend fun with some friends. only problem is, nothing in my closet seems sparkly enough for this trip!! so far i've found only ONE appropriately casino-esque getup in there. everything suddenly seems far too practical. how did i let that happen?! where did i go wrong? more importantly, do i have enough time to go shopping before takeoff?

{ brimmy market }

to follow-up last week's flea market survival guide, here's a peak back at my recent brimfield adventures with the beckerman girls (who i became fast friends with after first falling hard for their blog!). it's no accident that we're all grinning from ear-to-ear in nearly every picture ~ we had a gloriously good time! together, we always do.







{ minding our B's & Q's }

as you may know from twitter, i spent this past weekend at brimfield antiques market in massachusetts with the bodacious beckerman bunch, in what has become an annual tradition. i'm working on getting all of my fab finds photographed for you soon (i seriously FILLED the back of a large SUV), but for now, here are a few fast snaps of our flea marketing fun:








{ pics by me and the beckermans // many more photos on my facebook page }

{ flea market mavens } a complete survival guide

i spent three days of the last week in brimfield, massachusetts, flea marketing with my friends the beckerman girls (below, from left to right: sam, cailli & chloe). they'd flown cross-country from LA, while i drove four hours from NYC for the occasion. obviously, this is an activity we all take pretty seriously ~ albeit one that we consider serious fun!

we've each been hitting the fleas since we were kids, and thus understood certain basic rules of the ritual, like never wear anything 'fancy' (it hurts your hopes of haggling down prices), bring as much cash as you can afford, and make sure your cell phone is fully charged beforehand, in case you get separated from your pack. if you're shopping for clothes (we always are!), wear layers that can come off easily without risking indecency; there will be no changing rooms.

when discussing prices with a vendor, never ask 'will you take X for this?' instead, ask 'what's your best price?' often, they'll quote something lower than what you would've requested. and if you see something you love, buy it right away! it could be gone in an instant (especially if someone else saw you swooning over it).

beyond that, we agreed that there are a few things we wouldn't want to brave the fields without:

1. though we had rain the last day of our trip (when the top picture was taken), the days before demanded wide-brimmed hats to stay cool. remember you'll be outside for hours! 2. most markets are held in muddy cow pastures ~ wellies are the best way to keep your feet clean. just make sure to add in super-cushy insoles; they're always worth the extra 30 bucks! 3. all markets have dining tents, but if you want an option besides fried food or meat-on-a-stick, better bring your own. i always stash a granola bar in my bag; lollipops are also a good pick-me-up when the blood sugar starts to drop. 4. wet wipes! after digging through bins of rusted metals to find that perfect vintage piece, these babies will be your best friends. 5. measuring tape, to make sure that frame/table/rug will be the right size when you get it home. 6. a collapsible wheeled cart is essential if you're shopping for anything large, fragile, and/or heavy ~ particularly home goods. just be sure to observe market etiquette and leave it outside each tent as you go in for a peek. 7. a reusable water bottle and 8. sunscreen are absolutely de rigueur! 9. it only takes one trip to the port-o-potty to scare you into never forgetting hand sanitizer again. 10. a big bag to stash your survival kit & small-sized finds. i like this one because it can be carried as a tote, or converted into a backpack as the weight of your load grows. plus, it's made from repurposed materials ~ and after all, what is flea-marketing if not just glorified recycling?!

finally ~ and most importantly ~ arrive with an awesome attitude! not only will you have a better time, but vendors will be much more apt to give you a good deal if you give them a smile and some sincere respect. as with anything in life, if you choose to make it fun, it will be!!

PS: if you live in the US, click here or here to find flea markets in your state. neither is a completely comprehensive list, but they'll give you a great start!

{ the problem } with packing light

for this week's whirlwind pilgrimage ~ which had me hopping from east hampton to savannah to atlanta to new york in as many days ~ i was determined to pack light. nothing could slow my jet roll!

thus, these are the only two bags i brought:


{ top: coach carryall // bottom: tote from printemps paris, rachel rachel roy clutch, miu miu brooch, apepazza ballet flats }

i thought i had done so well. trouble is, these are also the only two pictures i made it home with. somewhere along the road, amidst jostling to keep my increasingly overstuffed carry-ons collected, my beloved camera slipped astray. gone forever! a blogger's worst nightmare, i swear.
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{ a little while } in SCADstyle

i am so proud of my southern heritage, and every time i return from my adopted northern home i swell and swoon in reverencial deference to the good-gosh graciousness of southern hospitality.

even still, when i was invited to be a guest of the savannah college of art and design, for this year's annual fashion symposium, i was quite honestly floored. i vividly remember my first trip to SCAD. at the time, i was 12 years old, earnestly tagging along on a painting trip with my best friend and her artist father. they were touring the southeast coast on a plein air pilgrimage. we'd pull over every time we spotted an especially lovely wisteria or victorian manse along the way, take out our easels, spend an hour or two painting it, and then move on. can you imagine?!

somewhere along said trip, just after an hiatus in hilton head, we chanced upon savannah. my friend's artist father was so excited to show us the SCAD campus ~ never mind the fact that it happened to be saint patrick's day ~ and every type of hydrant (in a town made of fancy fountains and bootleg brew taps alike) was lit up in green-dyed waters and beer-foam fizz. at that age, i didn't know the difference between the two. i just thought i had arrived in willy wonka's workshop! obviously, i was ready to live there for the rest of my life.

and yet, i never actually made it back to savannah until yesterday. shame, because it's just as magical as i remembered it ~ and then some. truth be told, a bit of the allure lies in that i finished reading 'midnight in the garden of good and evil' on the flight over, and in the fact that i met writer julia reed (role model alert!) upon landing. add these whimsies atop my childhood memories, and there were stars in my eyes, to be sure.

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however (grown-up-goggles fully fastened), i also remember graduating college, starting out in the real world of fashion, and realizing that my professors hadn't even begun to prepare me for what was in store! i don't think SCAD kids have quite so dire a problem. awhile matriculating, they work in state-of-the-art facilities (with better equipment than most nyc production houses), and every year their esteemed professors truck in everyone from andre leon talley to yigal azrouel to isabel toledo to chris benz to fashionistas, marketplace mavens* and silly little glamourais alike, to tell them all about the REAL DEAL fashion spiel. soup to nuts! i think it's just too cool for school.

*PS's: those fashionistas (lauren!) and runway renters (jen) were my perfect partners en voce in savannah! though our former confederate, lauren, is forced to fly back home post haste, please come see jen & me tonight at 7:30 in atlanta! i'm having so much fun meeting real-life glamourai readers (other than my mom... we've met.)!

{ market days }

i ended up spending three of the last six days at various flea markets around texas. as i mentioned in warrenton, i was mostly shopping for work, but inevitably, there were a few treasures i just had to pick up for keeps:

{ this sweet 1930's cotton sundress was a score at only $9! right now it ends at my shins; i plan to trim the hem and throw it over vintage slips and flat sandals all summer. }

{ how fun is this porcelein, aladdin-esque cookie jar?! as if i needed another reason to reach for just one more snack! }

{ this wicker basket was irresistible due to its unique cowhide sides. plus, it's the perfect size to tote a water bottle, sunscreen, and magazines down to the beach in the hamptons. }

{ yet another vintage kimono. i can never have too many; whenever i find as pretty a print as this, i have to make it mine. these are all i wear around the house. }

{ i desperately needed an ivory crinoline. this one's great because it has all the volume i want, without requiring loads of bulky layers. }

i can't wait to get back to new york and start integrating these pieces into my home and my wardrobe!

{ sisters match }


this weekend was spent in wimberley, texas, in honor of easter and my grandfather's 75th birthday. our family is incredibly close; it's always a joy to be together. as i mentioned last christmas, my sister and i love to celebrate such occasions by coordinating our outfits. a show of solidarity, if you will. so when she arrived in a silk chiffon breton riff from banana republic, i had no choice but to pull this version out of my suitcase as well. sisters match!
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