January Jones, Beyond Betty

I have to admit, I really didn't know January Jones, the actress, until she began her role as Betty Draper in "Mad Men".  Now, almost four years later, the woman can do no wrong in my eyes.  I admire her as an actress, I covet her fashion choices and now I'm uhb-sessed with her new Versace campaign.  I will be seeing "X-Men First Class" just to see her as Emma Frost.  She is the perfect modern icon.
  

J'adore Dior - 5 Color Eyeshadow Palettes

I never hide my love for Dior beauty products.  My favorite Dior product is eyeshadow, and the 5 Color Eyeshadow Palettes are an excellent way to get 5 colors in one simple palette.  Dior colors are so beautiful and the texture is creamy and highly pigmented.  From matte to shimmer, Dior shadows never look garish, cheap or chalky.  The palettes are also extremely long lasting.  Right now, I'm in love with Mystic Smokys 004.  One of my best friends, and fellow blogger, Alicia Monica, is a makeup artist and queen of the smoky eye.  She swears that any violet, purple or plum shade looks amazing on my eye, and this palette is perfect for achieving that look since the darkest color is a deep violet.

Giuseppe Zanotti - An Italian Master

I'd like to point out that virtually everything enjoyable and luxurious in our modern world was brought to us by the Italians.  Espresso, Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Loro Piana cashmere, Italian leather, amazing textiles, pasta, prosciutto, mozarella, pizza, gelato the list goes on and on - and my favorite shoe designer - Giuseppe Zanotti.  Video courtesy of Net-a-Porter.

The shoes of Giuseppe Zanotti are a mix of elegance, edge and art.  If I had to choose only one brand of shoe to wear for the rest of my life, it would be Giuseppe Zanotti.  Yes, everyone loves the red bottoms of Louboutins, and women swear by Manolo Blahnik, but my heart belongs to Zanotti.  The craftsmanship and design are gasp inducing.

My style mantra has always been quality not quantity, and this virtually applies to every category of goods that I purchase.  I would rather purchase one pair of shoes that I can wear and cherish for years than four pairs of a lesser quality that will wear out in one season.  Not to mention, lesser quality usually means knock offs, and I can't describe how much I despise knock offs - this is a whole other post on its own.  I always look for high quality leather and materials and a design that is either timeless and classic or very interesting.  Don't confuse "interesting" with tragically trendy.  Some of the lesser quality "designers", and I use the term loosely, will combine 85 fads in one shoe, and the results are well, tragic.

Thankfully, the holidays are perfect opportunities to score beautiful designs for less!  Giuseppe Zanotti now has many styles of the Fall/Winter 10-11 season on sale at 50% off!  We are barely into the winter season, so it is a perfect time to purchase these styles on sale and get an opportunity to wear them before we see the first blush of spring.

On Sale for $325
The perfect print and the most elegant heel.  Picture these with a full skirt and a chic cardigan set paired with an orangey, red lip. Or a sleek jean/blazer combo.

On Sale for $528
Perfect military inspired boot without being too literal.  Pair with a lace dress, a mini or a waxy coated jean and a textured coat or sweater.  I'm thinking all about contrasting textures with this shoe.   

On Sale for $465 
For some reason I think of winter white and chunky turquoise jewelry with this suede stunner.  It's so versatile, you can wear it with anything!

On sale for $598 - Have you seen Jane wear these on Sea of Shoes?  Perfection!  One of my all time fav blogs by the way.

If you are in need of some resort wear, or live in a tropical locale, you can also pre-order designs from Spring/Summer 11 

Pre order for $695 - The description on the website is switched with the other shoe of this material, so you may want to call to order!

Pre order for $650

Stunners

Litter SF

Summer

Perhaps it is my obsession with my Nez Perce Indian heritage that has me once again dreaming of a modern day headdress and body armor.  What I do know is it was love at first click when I discovered Litter SF on a blog about 2 years ago. Unfortunately, I just started my blog, so I am just getting around to a post dedicated to the amazingness that is Litter SF.  But you know the saying, better late than...

Every month or so, I will visit the site and browse around and think of how much I want a piece, or three or more.  I love that pieces are one of a kind and are typically made of re-purposed, vintage chains and jewelry.

I'm obsessed with every piece they make, from head jewelry to body jewelry to shoe jewelry.  I would probably go overboard and wear everything at once because that's just how I handle my obsessions, overkill.

Walk the Plank

Litter SF has been doing their thing before we witnessed body jewelry, for lack of a better term, take center stage (ahem Erin Wasson and now House of Harlow), points for originality in my book.  AND they are based out of San Francisco, one of my all-time favorite cities, AND the brains and creative genius behind Litter SF are sisters, Mackenzie Burdick and Rachael Mann. Are you in love yet?  Yeah, thought so.

Chainmail Perfection - pretty much the perfect name for this beauty

I dare you to come up with something cooler than a thumb holster

Litter SF blog  Litter SF store  Litter Twitter - it has a ring to it, doesn't it?  Litter FB

The Nez Perce Indian Grandpa Llewllyen - Part I

Photo courtesy of National Park Services

My maternal grandfather, Grandpa Llew, passed away when I was very young.  I still have very faint distant memories of watching the "Incredible Hulk" with him and cuddling on a recliner.  His plaid shirts and gorgeous bolo ties were so distinctive and different, and I lovingly remember them along with his white tee shirts and glasses.  He used to take me for walks around the neighborhood, and I still remember the sun glinting off the trees and the faint breeze as we strolled, slowly and surely, enjoying the day.  My Grandpa Llew was an interesting and very loving man, and it's one of my missions to find out more information and explore my heritage on my mom's side of the family.  This is Part I of my journey.

My grandpa Llewllyen Francis Hatfield was born in Silverdale, Washington in 1902 to Hugh Augustus Hatfield and Mary Phoebe Benbennick.  Hugh Augustus was part Nez Perce Indian and a lumberjack.  Sometime later, though I'm not sure exactly when, the Hatfield family moved from Washington to Montana and at the time they were mandated to live on an Indian reservation since they were of Indian descent.  They lived on a Blackfoot Indian reservation until they signed away their Indian rights because they were starving on the reservation.

Chief Joseph - one of the most famous Nez Perce Indians

My Grandpa Llew lived off the land as a trapper in the mountains of Montana when he was 16, and wore long braids.  He loved the West and the mountains and was responsible for teaching my Dad all about hunting and the outdoors.  To this day, my Dad wistfully recounts the stories of hunting with my Grandpa and the memories he has of him. 

Some interesting facts about Llew:
At the age of 13, Llew joined the Navy during WWI and was shipped to Hawaii, until the navy found out he was only 13 and shipped him right back!  Grandpa Llew did go on a vision quest when he was young, but we do not know what his "Wyakin" or guardian was.  The Nez Perce believe the Wyakin is an individual's personal link with nature, a spiritual guardian in animal form.  At some point in Washington, Grandpa Llew was arrested and put in the Washington Federal Penitentiary for counterfeiting.  He was also a bootlegger, but we will discuss that more in Part II of Grandpa Llewllyen.

My spiritual guardian is no doubt, a horse.  Since I was a baby, I have been obsessed with horses.  My mom told me when I was two I spotted a tiny, tiny horse on a Christmas ornament from across the room when we were shopping in Bullocks. I didn't notice anything else but the horse - not the tree, not the gifts, not the other ornaments, just the "horsey" as I called it.

Leopard Spotted Appaloosa

I have always attributed my love for horses to my Native heritage.  In my research of the Nez Perce Indian, I found that the Nez Perce tribe was responsible for breeding the best horses throughout the years.  The Appaloosa Museum claims that by the early 1700s, the Nez Perce had acquired horses and excelled at breeding them.  The breed the Nez Perce is known for is the beautiful Appaloosa.  According to the Appaloosa Musuem, The war of 1877 and the subsequent range raids resulted in the loss of the best and the sturdiest horses.  In 1937, the breeding program of the Appaloosa was resurrected.  My dream is to own an AraAppaloosa - half Arabian, half Appaloosa.

AraAppaloosa - Website

Today, the Nez Perce horse breeding program is alive and well.  They are crossing the Appaloosa with the Asian Akhal-Teke breed to produce a horse similar to the ones the Nez Perce were first known for breeding.

For more information on the Nez Perce Indian history, please click here or you may visit the Nez Perce tribal website. 

Part II of Grandpa Llew's life will be coming soon!

Feet in the City

During my many explorations of New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, I realized that "urban" foot care is a topic that absolutely must be discussed.  While I love the idea of 5 inch heels all the time, in reality, it just isn't possible.  For those who never take the subway, barely walk, and get driven from destination to destination, there is no need to read any further.  For those of you who like to explore a city on foot, and *gasp* take public transportation like the subway in New York or the Muni and the BART in San Francisco, read on my dears, because this post is for you!

This brings me to my first topic, foot wear choices.  Let it be noted that I adore heels, this is not a post from someone that is dedicated to sacrificing style in the name of comfort.  Crocs have never and will never touch these feet!  However, it was a sad day when I realized I needed to expand my footwear selection beyond heels because my 5 inch Pradas were just not feasible for exploring the streets of NYC.  I have found low heeled boots, wedges and closed toe flats to be my friend. The closed toe descriptive must be noted.  Although I do love my embellished sandals during the summer, I find for a long day of exploring, the filth that accumulates on my feet while wearing sandals is just, well, sickening.  Granted, some days you have to wear sandals, just keep in mind, your feet will be black after a long day of walking.  One more thing, let's try to keep rubber flip-flops for the beach, m'kay!  I know my San Diegans will be up in arms when they read this last line, but if you want to look pulled together, flip flops just aren't the way to go.

Now that we've covered footwear, let's explore the next topic...foot care. Just because winter is around the corner, doesn't mean we should be frightened by our feet.  In order to keep those pedicures fresh and your feet revived from miles of walking, or hours of dancing for that matter, you must have an arsenal at your disposal.  You must also diligently care for your feet or else they will get out of control and fast!  These are my tried and true faves:

1.  The Body Shop Peppermint Cooling Foot Spray - This spray is heaven for tired feet.  After a long night of dancing, my friends line up their feet so I can do a reviving spray mist assembly line.  It is also an excellent deodorizer.  In the summer, you can put this in the fridge for an added blast of iciness.

 















2.  The Body Shop Peppermint Cooling Foot Rescue Treatment - This cream is thick and luxurious - perfect for smoothing on at night before you put on your spa socks.  It contains cocoa butter, grape extract and sweet almond oil.

3.  Young Nails Rose Cuticle Oil - This delicately scented cuticle oil helps keeps your cuticles from breaking and peeling and should be applied every day on your hands and feet.  Keep in mind, if you apply cuticle oil or lotion on your feet and wear open toed shoes/sandals, the oil will attract grime like a magnet!  Therefore, I like to apply this at night with my moisturizer so in the morning my nails and toes will be in tip top shape.

4.  Yogapro YogaToes - Years of wearing heels, running and playing sports have caused a slew of foot ailments.  These odd looking wonders really work to stretch out your feet and relieve foot pain.  You shouldn't walk around in these, but they are wonderful for nighttime when you are relaxing with your feet up.  Yogapro also claims that wearing YogaToes will help correct and realign foot structure, strengthen and stretch foot muscles, and improve circulation and appearance.  All I know is my feet feel better when I wear them.

5.  A quality foot scrubber - Scrubbing your feet is a must and I really feel it should be done every day in the shower to remove dead skin, grime and calluses from your toes and the bottom of your feet.  I find that a fine grade coarseness really works the best to get rid of skin softened in the shower.  Using a scrubber like this right after the shower when your feet are still soft also works wonderfully and you get the added benefit of seeing all that dead skin flake off your feet, if you are into that sort of thing.

6.  Comfy spa socks - Any sock will do, but nothing beats those extra fluffy socks that look like blankets.  You may not want to wear them around with your lingerie, but you can always wear them when you are just lounging.  They now have socks that have treatments within the sock and are good for around 50 uses.  I have never tried Sephora's Spa Socks, but they have a very high rating.  If you don't feel like shelling out $36 for a pair of socks, you can always do the tried and true trick of slathering your feet with lotion and cuticle oil and putting on the inexpensive fluffy socks, or basic cotton sock.

7.  Band-Aid Friction Block Stick - I have this in my purse at all times along with a couple band-aids just in case of emergency.  The friction block stick works to prevent chafing and blisters from your shoe.  It looks like a mini deodorant stick and is easy to apply since you don't need to use your fingers.

The Trapiche Emerald - My Current Obsession

Paul Farmer's Trapiche Emerald Ring - 18 k

A few weeks back, I went to the Harvest Festival at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.  I was picturing crafty, kitschy items, but what I found was amazingly talented artists of all kinds.  By the end of the day I was feeling...well, pretty idiotic for my assumptions.

During our visit, I stopped at a booth that was utterly captivating.  The workmanship of Paul Farmer, Goldsmith, absolutely took my breath away.  He uses a granulation technique that is characteristic of Egyptian and Etruscan design...totally goddess worthy.

Not only did I swoon over the amazing gold, glowing jewelry, but I also saw my first trapiche emerald.  Paul was kind enough to tell us about the trapiche emerald and was incredibly gracious even though I was gasping for air while viewing this wonder of nature.  The trapiche emerald is incredibly special because of the radial pattern of rays that originate from the center of the stone.  The rays are formed naturally and are a result of the six sections forming around a central core.  These emeralds are extremely rare and only found in Colombia.

Emeralds are my birth stone, and the green, glowing gem has always been a favorite of mine.  The deep green of an Emerald oozes luxury and sophistication.  I now dream about this ring on a daily basis.  My jewelry collection will never be complete without this amazing piece.

For an article on trapiche Emeralds, go to EmbassyEmeralds.