Sugar and Spice...

This is one of the loveliest, most creative ways I have ever seen soon-to-be parents reveal their new baby's name...I cannot stop watching it. Oh, and I love Everly Veda...so charming and original and I adore the nicknames Evie or Ever.

I've never been a big fan of revealing baby names before the little one's grand entrance for two reasons. The first is, well, it's a bit anti-climactic when you know the gender and the name beforehand. The other, and clearly more relevant reason, is that people tend to have strong opinions regarding baby names and often feel the need to share them freely and openly with the parents.

Who am I kidding? I'm probably the worst with the internal monologues concerning other people's baby name choices, I just don't verbalize my musings. I have had a thing for names since I was a kid and even recently found my diary from when I was eight that had my future childrens names proudly penned in glittery red ink (Girls: Alyssa, Brittany and Hannah/ Boys: Isaiah and Logan, which I no doubt snagged from Mary Anne's boyfriend in "The Babysitters Club") Um, no. And what planet was I on that I thought I would have FIVE children???? Oh, the naivety of the young...

Video from Cup of Jo via here...

Shutting it Down

I am head over heels obsessed with "The Rachel Zoe Project," and Season Deux has FINALLY started on Bravo. The formerly contentious duo of Taylor and Brad are back, along with a few more assistants and "interns," which is a Hollywood code word for overworked, often verbally abused human punching bags that do way more than anyone else and do it for free. Can you tell I did this illustrious line of work? Not bitter or anything...

The first episode picks up as the team is preparing for the Golden Globes Awards last January. Like last season, the drama that ensues stems from Taylor's attitude and the whole team's lack of any semblance of organization. What I love most about the show is how spot on it is as to how the styling system works in Hollywood.

I worked as an assistant to an actress for three and a half years, and my absolute favorite and most memorable moments revolved around trips to her stylist (who shall remain nameless, mainly out of fear for my life). This stylist was the batshit craziest broad I have ever encountered, hands down. The studio was always complete anarchy, and if someone wasn't currently being screamed at for something, just give it 30 seconds. It was a total clusterfuck (totally my favorite word ever) of designer clothes, shoes, oddly shaped undergarments, assistants, untrained dogs, dog shit, seamstresses cussing in spanish, phones ringing, cell phones buzzing, delivery guys banging on the gate to get in, insecure actresses in various states of undress.....I could go on. Total sensory overload. I would cower in the corner and pray no one noticed me. Despite that, it's a world unlike any other, and if you grew up watching red carpets on television religiously like I did, it's pretty cool to see how it all comes together.

Come to think of it, I kind of miss that world sometimes. So frivolous and fluffy and completely irrelevant to most people's realities. Glamorous and utterly decadent, which is exactly what I love about fashion and design. Definitely not for the masses. Oh, and the pink reconstructed Chanel that Cameron Diaz ended up wearing to the Globes? Completely bananas. I die.

You can catch all the craziness every Monday on Bravo at 10 ET/7PT.

*Photo Credit: Bravo*

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Here are a few pictures of my current space, a rental in Los Angeles that we've lived in for 4 years. I am itching to redecorate. Like, dying. But I know I can't. Hopefully we'll be able to buy a home at some point in the near future and then, watch out. The thought of being able to knock down a wall if I so desire sends chills of excitement down my spine.



I love Old Hollywood and collect photos and many, many coffee table books pertaining to the subject....



The earth tone theme kind of evolved from my love of fall and Halloween. Five years later though, I'm completely over it. In my next house, I'll lose the brown and orange and mix my signature black and white with more jewel tones. Oh, and the bathroom above is mine and mine alone. Number 1 key to a happy marriage? Separate bathrooms. And closets. My husband likes to create a homemade slip and slide on his floor every time he showers. People think I'm joking when I say that if and when I can design a bathroom for him, it will be floor to ceiling tile with a drain on the floor so I can just hose it down daily. Kidding? I think not.



My beloved matchbook collection serves as a physical record of where we've been and is among my most prized possessions.

Coming Soon: NINE

So fall is nearly here, and with it comes the relevant film season for those with tastes not matching that of a 12-year-old boy. Seriously, if I see one more G.I. Joe trailer with Kid Rock's "American Badass" in the background, I might scream. So I thought I would post a little teaser to my most eagerly anticipated fall release, Rob Marshall's Nine.

The cast includes a few of my favorites, including my current girl-crush Marion Cotillard and the lovely Penelope Cruz. It also happens to star half of my ultimate celeb fantasy exacta, Daniel Day Lewis (in case you were wondering, the other half is Johnny Depp, who, in my opinion, should be required to wear a 3 piece suit at all times à la Public Enemies.)

Daniel does it for me in a big way. Even as Bill the Butcher. No joke.

Based on Federico Fellini's 1963 stunner 8 1/2, the story revolves around an Italian film director searching for inspiration for his latest project amid the chaos that is his love life. The orginal is simply spectacular in every way....

Nine opens on November 25th.

*I apologize for the rather disturbing Fergie screen cap above....I tried everything I could but I couldn't change it. Since we're on the topic....Fergie? Really? I don't mean to be a snob here but we have Marion, Penelope, Daniel, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, SOPHIA LOREN and.....Fergie? Something just doesn't seem to fit.*

{Fantasies of Fall...}

Dear Fashion Fairy Godmother....

Yes, it's almost "that" season again. Autumn, or as I like to call it, the Season of Spending. It's the time of year where I routinely consider freezing my credit cards in blocks of ice. Seriously. I rationalize that fall is a "new beginning" due to years of back to school shopping and even though I am many (many) years out from having to go back to school, is still somehow feels like a new beginning. So I shop. Every year. Like a madwoman.

This year, however, is different. Taking the bad economy into consideration, I have set my sights on the one perfect piece that I must have, and it has come in the form of a black and white (of course!), high necked, slightly victorian gothic frock from none other than the previously swooned over darling of darkness herself, Anna Sui. Never mind that it's $600. I call it a physical manifestation of my own personal style, which equals priceless in my book.



Oh, and adding the little black blazer and boots (um, normal under the knee boots please. I have no delusions of grandeur about my abilities to pull off thigh highs...)? Perfection. It's like she jumped into my head and pulled out my fantasy ensemble. While we're on it, the medium black Balenciaga motorcycle bag would be a beyond fabulous addition to this outfit...just saying. Ok ok, one wish at a time.

So yes, my Fashion Fairy Godmother, should you grant me this wish, I will promise to break my bad fall shopping habits, which include (but are certainly not limited to) the following...

1. I promise to not make shameful impulse buys at Anthropologie and then follow it with even more shameful "guilt returns" once the credit card bill comes. I now recognize that drooling over a catalog which happens to promote a lifestyle that only seems to exist for glamorous European socialites is wrong, and buying the clothing featured in these catalogs will NOT make me feel like Charlotte Casiraghi or Camilla Al Fayed sauntering into the Hotel Costes in Paris for afternoon tea. I've seen the harsh reality of that fantasy, and I am 86 Euro poorer because of it.

2. Similarly, I will not become entranced by the pretty, vintage-looking barware and entertaining accoutrement that Anthropologie peddles in their rather enchanting tablescapes. A few days ago, while in the store, I came across a set-up that looked like it was meant for a romantic brunch in the woods, complete with an antique chandelier hanging from a faux "branch," silver-leafed egg cups, glorious green velvet napkins, delicately engraved champagne flutes and utensils that looked like little trees. I stared for 5 minutes, circling the table like a shark as I debated what to buy for my own future fantasy party in the woods. I even came up with a fantasy outfit for the occasion: grey cashmere sweater, perfect-fitting dark skinny jeans (I also happen to have Giselle's legs in said fantasy) and my black Hunter Wellies that I got for Christmas last year and have yet to wear because, really, who knew it never actually rained in Southern California?
Unfortunately, I am then shaken from my reverie by my husband, who is alarmed by my constant circling and far-off gaze. I blabber on about my rustic dining fantasy and show him the fabulous egg cups. He looks at me, somewhat annoyed, and goes, "Um, where is the television going to go? You know a meal isn't complete without a sitcom or Sportcenter playing in the background." (No joke). Back to reality. I put the egg cup down, turned to walk out of the store and thought, maybe in my next life...

3. I also vow to stop buying clothes at Forever 21 just because they are cheap. I have to say, trying to squeeze your adult breasts into something meant for flat-chested teenagers while the 12-year-old in the room next to you is squealing at her mom to get her a double zero just isn't worth it.

4. I will avoid home stores at all costs because it never ends well. Ever. Ditto for Barneys and Book Soup. Avoid....

5. I will not justify buying something on credit with the thought that I can pay it off in ____ number of months. In my lust-filtered reasoning, I always forget about a little thing called interest. I am pretty sure the APR on my American Express is about 21 percent right now...

5. Last but not least, I promise not to buy every Halloween tchotchke and pumpkin scented candle I come across in August just because I am tired of summer and need a change. Decorating for any holiday three months early is not normal and certainly not cute.

Oh yes, and we'll talk more about that Balenciaga bag next time...


xo-Stephanie

The "Divine Design" Dilemma

First things first, I love Candice Olsen. LOVE her. I also love her show, "Divine Design," and will stop everything I'm doing and watch captivated every single time I stumble across it. She's really a more accessible version of Kelly Wearstler, still glamorous and dramatic, but you feel like you can actually sit down in her rooms and put your feet up, something I find sorely lacking in Ms. Wearstler's design proclivities.

I would say 90 percent of the episodes have turned out amazing. Still, I often wonder what goes on behind the scenes in the conceptualizing period for each room? How much input does the homeowner get as to what the final product will eventually look like? On the show, you always see the homeowner describe how they want to use the space and almost ALWAYS, they say they want something "clean and modern." Now, "clean and modern" can mean many things to many people. To one person, it's a white box with few embellishments. To another, it might be a traditional style with clean lined furniture lots of symmetry. To me, I think of "clean and modern" as dark wood, lacquered surfaces and a Hollywood Regency style.

So that got me thinking, if I had to tell Candice 5 things I really didn't like in design, what would I say? Trust me, there is NO WAY I would give anyone, not even Candice, carte blanche to overhaul a room in my house. I am WAY too much of a control freak for that!

My Top 5 Design No-Nos...

1. THE COLOR BLUE- Now I know I'm going to get a lot of cut-eyes for this one, so I'm putting it first to get it out of way. I really, really detest the color blue. It's completely irrational, and I have no other reason for my intense dislike of this color other than it totally depresses me. Oh, and there is a particular shade of cornflower/powder blue that I still see around occasionally that takes me straight back to 1987, and I'd really prefer to forget the way my hair looked in 1987. Trust. I don't even wear blue clothing for the most part, especially navy, which I refer to as "the poor man's black." My only exception to this rule would be a certain kind of turquoise, on a certain kind of day, perhaps in the dead of winter back in Ohio or Massachusetts when it would seem light and springlike...other than that, keep it away.

2. NO FARMHOUSE "CHIC"- Maybe it's because I am a city girl at heart and never, not even once, fancied the idea of a more provincial lifestyle, but I simply don't understand this whole farmhouse aesthetic. It's the ceramic rooster thing that bothers me the most. I lived next door to a god-forsaken rooster that woke me at precisely 4 am every day for 6 years (the neighbors were crazy suburbanites who did in fact harbor a country-living fantasy). Needless to say, I don't need a ceramic reminder of that bastard in my kitchen every day. That goes for ceramic chickens as well. We've already established my issues with chickens.
To that end, I would even go as far as banning farmhouse sinks (too clunky and who really needs a bathtub-sized kitchen sink?) and red and white checked anything, but especially tablecloths. Oh, and don't even get me started with the cows....

3. NO LIGHT WOOD- Again, I have no logical explanation for my dislike of light-colored wood. It's just unsettling to me for some reason. I have been to lots of houses with light wood that I like, but I can't handle it in my own house. I once had a wooden stool in college that was handed down to me from someone I can't recall (and who hopefully doesn't read this blog) that was a honey-colored oak. One weekend, three bottles of "Wet n Wild" black nail polish and a sharpie later and that baby was transformed. Of course, nobody could sit on it because the black would rub off on their pants but whatever, it least it looked cute!

4. NO BEACH VIBE-Please do not assume that just because I live a few miles from an ocean that I would like to be reminded of that fact every time I walk in my house. I go to a lot of open houses in Los Angeles, mainly to see how other people decorate their spaces. I have seen more weathered, wooden "Beach" arrows, green seaglass and modern takes on seashell lamps than I care to recall around these parts. I love being at the beach, but I have no fantasy of living on one. Also, that pesky color blue tends to creep into most beach-inspired spaces...

5. NO MINIMALIST CHIC What can I say, I like to be surrounded by my "stuff." I collect lot of things...matchbooks, coffee table books, black and white photography, little buddhas, Fornasetti plates....I like to see them. A white box just doesn't do it for me.


*DISCLAIMER* The ideas expressed above are my own, often misguided, opinions. I am articulating them with the hope that anyone reading this can recognize that I really have no idea what I am talking about, am not a professional, and therefore you should not take offense if you employ any of the previously stated design styles/colors. I might very well love these styles in your house. I just don't love them in mine. The End.


*Stay tuned for things I would actually like to see in my fantasy "Divine Design" room...

Anna in Wonderland

I was anxiously awaiting the September issue of Elle Decor for two reasons. The first is because, well, it's really the only one left standing among the rubble of the great design magazines. (R.I.P Domino, House and Garden, InStyle Home, Vogue Living....) Second, it's the Fashion+Stylemaker Issue. Fashion and stylemaker are two words that, when used on the cover of a home design mag, are music to my glamour-starved ears. It never disappoints...

This year, the standout was one of my favorite stylemakers, the awesome and always eccentric Anna Sui. My favorite dress of all time is a black lace "Anna Sui for Anthropologie" number with a cute little ruffle at the bottom. I have worn it for years and it makes me feel better about myself than anything else in my closet.

In any case, it's no surprise that her interior design aesthetic is nothing short of spectacular. She takes risks, she likes black+white and she's not afraid to be a little different. A woman after my own heart...


Can we just ruminate for a second on the perfection that is this tiny kitchen? I almost didn't post this picture because if I ever actually own a home and can design my own kitchen, I might steal an element or two from this one. Love the black+white (obviously!), love the quirky, Regency-style cabinets mixed with the clean lines of the subway tiles. Oh, and the swirly backsplash....love! (I might need to pull out my trusty Thesaurus to find an appropriate synonym for "love." I am getting as tired of typing it as you probably are of hearing it!)


Lately, I have become pretty obsessed with wallpaper in bathrooms. The one above is similar to one of my favorites, Walnut Wallpaper's Malabar. Also, the tile floor is heavenly and reminds me of the ladies restroom in one of my favorite L.A. haunts, The Alcove. Yes, I have been known to head in there from time to time just to look at it and wish I had something like it in my own house....I'm rather odd, I know.


Last but certainly not least, the "Alice in Wonderland meets Modern-Day Marie Antoinette" closet. What little girl wouldn't want to play dress up in here? My ultimate design fantasy is to have an entire room as a closet. A glamorous personal space with real furniture, wallpaper, etc. Maybe even a chair and ottoman and a little writing desk for a vanity or my computer....ahhh fantasies.

P.S. After some thought, I now realize I was wrong about Elle Decor being the last of the worthy design magazines. There is the aforementioned California Home+Design and the always delightful Angeleno Interiors to consider. I stand corrected.

*All images from Elle Decor*

California Home + Design Magazine

California Home + Design Magazine has slowly but surely become my new Domino (the silencing of which I still mourn daily). They almost always get it right. Based in San Fran, this mag is chock full of great ideas on how to stir a little bit of modernity into the Victorian dwellings that rule up there. I adore the warmth, color and texture of this space that is so expertly infused with clean lines and modern touches. So chic! Truly a masterpiece and one of my favorite houses I have ever seen in a magazine...

Look Inside >> CHD Mag - March/April 2009

Click on the link to see the rest of the house...