Margarita | Photo credit to smohundro on Flickr

Tomorrow on Thursday, June 10, 2010, Malo Restaurant in Silver Lake will be hosting the third of Tiny Bandit’s series of sample sales featuring local threads for men & women. Shop lines from Akiko, Saint Grace, I [heart] Juliet, Jessica Elliot and more. Don’t forget to bring cash for your clothing purchases. Let’s face it: Folks are smart when they employ “retail therapy” with alcohol.

This is not one of those shopping events where you get a gift bag at the end that’s comprised of more flyers and trash than actual schwag. Instead, you get to reap the benefits of $1 tacos and happy hour drink prices ($4-7) until 10 PM. Besides, you don’t really even need happy hour to go til close because you’ll probably be broke by then, anyway. So grab a couple Spicy Cucumber Margaritas and spur on the local economy. Don’t forget the $1 tacos, either – besides, any seat inside Malo is a lot more comfortable than any couch in the mall.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

5 – 10 PM
$1 Tacos, Happy Hour drink prices

Flyer (Cash only sale)

Malo
4326 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323.664.1011
@malorestaurant

Shop Independent

Tired of the mall? Looking for a one-of-a-kind shopping experience? This weekend, you can have access to over 300 independent designers and artists from all over Los Angeles and their goods – and shop for recycled music all in the same place, thanks to Unique LA‘s partnership this year with Amoeba Records. Independent designers meld with independent music – a match made in heaven. It’s a great way to get your ultra sheik, unique wares while knowing that your support is going back into the community; over 95% of the merchandise featured is made right here in the USA.

Don’t forget that there’s $10 admission at the door, but with your admission you get the fabulous following:

• Free drinks & a hosted bar (IZZE, Honest Tea, water, beer, UNIQUE cocktails)
• Unlimited re-entry for both days
• Your very own collectible tote bag designed by LA graphic designer Keith Scharwath – exclusive to each show
• Free eco workshops and cool handmade activities all weekend, brought to you by Your Daily Thread and Quayside Publishing
• Family/Kids creativity zone and seating area
• Access to giveaways and door prizes all weekend long
• Souvenir copy of the Vendor Directory + Mini Magazine
• $1 from each admission goes towards Ed Begley, Jr’s GreenWish

Of course, there will be food stands and food trucks galore to keep your stomach happy. And if you love workshops, there are plenty for you to choose from, too – make steampunk jewelry and recycle funny old sweaters. The creative possibilities are endless. You can even take a few pics with your shopping friends in the photo booth. DJ Bryan Davidson will keep the tunes pumping all day.

Saturday – Sunday
April 24 – 25, 2010

11 AM – 6 PM

Tickets: $10

Unique LA
California Market Center Penthouse
110 East 9th Street
13th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90079

@uniquela

Christina, Stephanie, Dena and me | Photo Credit to Mike Tabolsky

As mentioned earlier, I co-hosted an event that took place at Tory Burch on Robertson for a special Taste of the Nation shopping event last Thursday. While holding the honor of being the token food blogger, I joined Dena of Dluxelist and Christina and Stephanie of Paisley Petunia (recap) as hosts. I’m elated to report that the turn-out and the event as a whole were a huge success. Probably every girl there tried on a pair of shoes. I went home with a pair of sunglasses and a clutch while having resisted a black leather tie belt. But the bubbly flowed freely as trays of Susie Cakes cupcakes were being passed by extra tall male models dressed in black.

Inside Tory Burch during TOTNLA event | Photo Credit to Mike Tabolsky

The place was packed and I got to meet a ton of cool gals from the L.A. beauty blogger community. For each 10%-discounted Tory Burch purchase, 10% more was donated to Taste of the Nation. Or, if the attendee bought a ticket to the Taste of the Nation culinary event, she got to save a total 20% off her Tory Burch purchases. Each ticket purchase came with a fabulous gift bag put together by Dena. Taste of the Nation ended up selling more tickets than projected, and became that much closer to ending childhood hunger in Los Angeles.

But there is still a ton of work to be done – leading up to and through the big event on Sunday, June 6. And there are plenty of more opportunities to support Taste of the Nation at an upcoming function while getting your tickets at the $15-discounted rate:

• Saturday, April 17, 2010: 10 AM – 1 PM

All proceeds from the bake sale go to TOTNLA

Blogger Bake Sale at Morels, The Grove
189 The Grove Drive
Los Angeles, CA‎ 90036
323.965.9595‎

• Monday, April 26, 2010: 6 PM – 10 PM

All proceeds from Greenspan’s Gorditas go to TOTNLA, live Latin Music provided
Buy a ticket to TOTNLA, get a free gordita and a mojito!

Happy Hour at The Foundry on Melrose
7463 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA‎ 90046
323.651.0915‎

• Thursday, May 20, 2010: 6 PM – 9 PM

Happy Hour deals all night, raffles with great Ciudad and Border Grill prizes

Happy Hour at Ciudad, Downtown LA
445 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
213.486.5171

Hope to see you at one of the Taste of the Nation events! Keep updated on such events with the Taste of the Nation LA blog; you can also follow them on Twitter. You can also peep all of Mike Tabolsky’s wonderful photos from the event in this photo album.

Joy, TOTNLA Chair and super cute daughter Zoe

I’m proud to announce that I’ll be co-hosting a special shopping event at the Los Angeles Tory Burch boutique on Thursday, April 8th along with power fashion and beauty bloggers Dena of Dluxelist and Christina & Stephanie of Paisley Petunia to benefit Share Our Strength!

At the private 6 – 8 PM shopping event, attendees will be able to buy their discounted ticket to the Taste of the Nation culinary event taking place on Sunday, June 6th from 1 – 4 PM in Culver City. Normally, tickets run $100 for regular admission and $150 for VIP, but at our special shopping event, you’ll be able to buy tickets in person for $15 off ($85 and $135, respectively; child tickets remain $25). All proceeds – yes, 100% - from ticket sales benefit Share Our Strength’s efforts to end child hunger. It’s a great way to experience the premier Los Angeles chefs and mixologists and taste great wine in one spot for an afternoon in the beautiful California sun while supporting a great cause. If you are one of the first 50 at the event to buy a ticket at the shopping event, you’ll also receive a luxe gift bag full of a ton of beauty products and other goodies, including Pinky Vodka!

And when fashion and food forces combine, the incentives don’t stop. Make this a night out with the girls – champagne and h’ors doeurves will be served, and you’ll be encouraged to shop the Tory Burch Robertson boutique for 10% off all full-priced merchandise while Tory Burch donates another 10% to Share Our Strength. And if you have bought a Taste of the Nation ticket, you’ll be able to take advantage of the full 20% discount and keep it all yourself!

This is a private event (business hours are only until 6 PM) and the store is only so big – so be sure to RSVP (rsvp.totnla [at] gmail [dot] com) to secure your spot! I hope to see you there – ready to browse & shop Tory’s beautiful designs and prints – and to support a great organization like Share Our Strength!

Further reading:

Taste of the Nation 2009 – MyLastBite

Taste of the Nation 6/14/2009 – Ravenous Couple

Top 8 Tastes from 2009 Taste of the Nation – Food GPS

Share Our Strength Website
Taste of the Nation Website
D~LuxeList
Paisley Petunia
Tory Burch Profile on CNN Money

Thursday, April 8, 2010

6 – 8 PM

$15 discount ($40 on at-the-door price) on TOTNLA tickets

10% off Tory Burch full-priced merchandise or 20% off if you buy TOTNLA ticket

Free gift bag for 1st 50 tickets bought

Tory Burch Boutique
142 N. Robertson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310.248.2612

@TOTNLA

All photo credit (with thanks) to Andrew Herrold Photography

So many things about the night were beautiful. There was an empowering purpose in turning the red carpet pink. It was my first pink carpet, certainly – red carpets I generally avoid. Just as well. There was something very meaningful about combining cancer cure advocacy and a Diane von Furstenberg ’09-’10 Cruise/Pre-Spring show. And let’s face it: I love fashion shows and I love Diane von Furstenberg.

The night at Smashbox Studios was not without its celeb factor. The beauties filed in one-by-one, and as far as event images I was content for the first time to have a certain 6’2″ frame behind the lens, battling it out on behalf of my own, at 5’4″. For one, I would’ve lost on equipment alone, much less skill, much less height (and what a wonderful job he did!). I could get used to this sweet arrangement.

Some notables on that pink carpet were Denise Richards, Mya and Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) – who also was the event host and arrived with Rick Fox (now I know). And there was someone for everyone. For the Entourage fans, there was Caroline D’Amore. For beer fans, there was the Dos Equis guy, whose name is actually Jonathan Goldsmith. (So the next time you want to ask, “Who is that guy?” when you see The Most Interesting Man in the World do his monologue on TV, you know he’s a Goldsmith. Like some sort of apple hybrid. Ohh…mystique does him so much good.) For Twilight fans, there was Christian Serratos and the Full House ones, think DJ Tanner – Candace Cameron – despite your inclination to think Michelle. But my personal favorite was certainly Tia Carrera, looking as great as ever for a woman who started it all…

Guests – who comprised a mostly ladies night out – enjoyed Jamba Juice, Famous Cupcakes, Partida Tequila (yay), and of course Ford models throughout the night thanks to generous sponsorship. Silent auctions were bidding on long tables outdoors leading up to the fashion show.

Eliza Dushku kicked off the ceremony. Dr. V. Krishnan Ramanujan, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai, was on hand to speak as a researcher whose work in flourescence imaging and early detection has directly benefited from grants by the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Remarkably, Dr. Ramanujan was studying Physics before he lost his aunt to cancer – an event which caused him to change course in his studies. Important points I took away were that early detection – the first and most important thing which prevents recurrences – doesn’t necessarily lead to terminating the cancer cells. Rather, it’s possible to reprogram these cells so they stop behaving destructively.

Then came the fashion show. I admit, depending on the designer, I will emit a squee here and there – but especially for Diane von Furstenberg. It was a treat to get a peek of her ’09-’10 Cruise/Pre-Spring line, which included some cheery-yet-sophisticated dresses and fabulous, high-waisted swimwear. Interspersed in the show were celebrity models and adorable, front-side and oversized head bows.

But the real crowning point of the show and night wasn’t the professional models nor was it the celebrity models. After a pause, the lights came back on and real-life cancer survivors modeled more designs.

With the audience visibly emotional, there were standing ovations all around. It was at the very minimum a moving sight to see the kind of beauty that comes from strength of character walk down the runway. Although I haven’t lost anyone close to cancer, I still found myself incredibly touched, complete with lump in the throat! The overall feeling of the night, though, seemed to be one of hope and even gratitude of progress that has been achieved – but also of determination. Much work is still left to be done.

Auction winners were instructed to claim their impressive prizes and all were bade a good night. Most of the proceeds from the event (ticket prices began at $100 and capped out at $350 for VIP plus money raised from silent auction) went towards cancer patient services in the Los Angeles area (75%) while the remainder (25%) was directed towards cancer research like Dr. Ramanujan’s. Now, I wonder who won that Roosevelt Hotel Escape Package and Dinner for 10 at Mastro’s…!!

View Andrew Herrold’s Fashion for the Cure Flickr set

Smashbox Studios – WeHo
1011 N. Fuller Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90046
@smashboxstudios

Soffer Ari reached a milestone by opening his own flagship store in the beginning of the month. It’s well-deserved; he’s been in the business for 13 years. I could really tell that everything in Soffer Ari‘s store is not only handmade but made with the utmost care and the finest detail, the last finish. Rock is either your fashion or lifestyle and he is here to meet your demand.

Something you won’t find in his collection is grunge. It is all edge, baby – sometimes elegant and sometimes enigmatic – and I can tell you I’m seriously considering saving up a few weeks’ lunch money to have that special, knock-em-dead piece of my own. Pieces. I could use a few pieces. But I won’t.

Themes included razor blades, skulls, leafy crosses, Star of Davids, and more. But they were all exquisite. Above everything else about his pieces was the craftsmanship and detail. Everything was also of the utmost quality.

And what kind of rock-influenced jeweler would he be without rockstar clients? Amongst them are Stephen Tyler, Tommy Lee and Robbie Williams. Celebrity clients or not, it’s all about the details and – if you can afford it – the customization. Just ask him for a couch. You’d be mistaken to not examine the leatherwork in the store. His leatherwork is just as detailed as his jewelry is ornate. I can see only the most flamin’ rockers rockin leather pants with clover shields and that’s okay. I’ll take my ring or even bracelet.

I was absolutely intrigued by his work. Because detail also includes being able to do ornate well. No piece seemed “filler” – they all seemed intent on making a statement. I love edgy so there were so many rings, bracelets and belt buckles that were up my alley. I’m just not quite ready for the razor blade around my neck quite yet. (I would enjoy admiring yours, though.)

See e*starLA’s Soffer Ari Flickr Set

Soffer Ari
850 S. Robertson Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90035
310.849.9272

M-F 10AM – 5PM

For every pair of TOMS Shoes and Element Skateboard you buy, TOMS and Element will gift a pair of shoes and skateboard to a child in need. As they say, “One for one.” There are three women’s designs and two men’s.  Noticeable was the splash of green in the shoe or was otherwise a strictly red and black design. I especially liked a faint purple paisley design they had.

Blake, the CEO, gave a rather touching speech about how excited he was about the new collaboration. Not only was he excited about being able to help in a major health issue by providing shoes – skateboarding was going to give a new kind of life to these kids who might otherwise turn to crime out of boredom. I had to agree – it’s all in the extracurriculars, my friend.

Be sure to get down there to get your pair because the TOMS pop-up store on Abbott Kinney closes on Saturday! Afterwards, though, you can purchase your shoes at their online location.

Founder Blake Mycoskie and Sole Surfer/Social Media Manager Caitlin were on hand to greet bloggers and I thought the story behind what the mission of TOMS is, was a great narrative used to fill the space. It was good to hang out a bit with Siel of GreenLAgirl too (and Dani from Mosaic, who works for TOMS!). Along the length of the store is the timeline of the company’s history on display, from recruiting interns on Craigslist to the launch of the pop-up store not a mile from where TOMS was founded.

If you don’t know already, for every pair of TOMS you buy, a child in need gets a pair of his or her own.

Podoconiosis is a form of elephantitis and a soil-transmitted yet easily preventable disease had people worn shoes to protect their feet. It’s rampant particularly in Ethiopia and the target of TOMS Shoes. Half-to-one million suffer from Podo while 11 million are at risk. So you can feel good each time you buy a pair of these stretchy and comfy kickers. The more you wear them, the more they form to your foot.

In addition to their basic model and all the variety of cloths, textures and colors available, they recently came out with a wrap boot. I’m not so much a fan but then again, how could a shoe company not embrace their own style boot? I stuck with a brown plaid pair of shoes that will go with my loungey and natural-toned moods. Range of pricing starts at $42 up to $65 for shoes and as much as $118 for their new wrapped boot. Vegan varieties are also available.

The store will be there only until the end of January so be sure to make a visit before they’re gone to learn more about the company and to donate a pair of shoes to a child while getting a pair of kicks for yourself. After all, it’s always fashionable to be humanitarian. (They have guys’ shoes too!)

TOMS Shoes Pop-up Store
1617 Abbott Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
10AM – 7PM

It’s not like I need a reminder. My 5’10″ blonde best girlfriend named Christina and I can swap shoes. I’m 5’4″ and she doesn’t necessarily have small feet for her height. It’s convenient for situations where either of us didn’t bring exactly the right pair of shoes and might be on the other’s side of town. If we didn’t like to buy pairs of shoes for ourselves as much as we do we’d be doing a lot more shoe collection consolidating.

Anyway, I had gotten a call in my car but my headset and cell had lost its sync. I turned into an alley to conduct the conversation legally (that means hands-free only) and was able to firm up plans for the night. As I finished and hung up, I realized that lo and behold, I had turned into the parking lot behind Miss Sixty on Melrose.

Miss Sixty, Miss Sixty … such fond memories. Right up there with Fornarina. Just really fun and edgy Italian fashion. There’s also a sub-brand called Killah, which is primarily only in Italy and say, Miami over here in the U.S. – but my favorite pair of shoes are Killah’s that I bought in Sorrento last year.

When I walked in and saw their shoe selection and was informed that all the shoes were 30% off, I got elated when I saw these…

Not only that – in addition – you save $10 for every $100 so essence that’s almost 10% more taken off.

The bad news came after I asked to try on my size. Or, the European equivalent of such. The girl helping me out said there was only an 8 and 10 and only ran in whole sizes. The other customer who had gotten there just before me – with whom I was having fun conversing with – got the last pair of 9s. I’m an 8.5 pushing 9. But I couldn’t not try them, so I said I’d try the 8 (EUR 38). She brought them out.

To my surprise I put my foot in and the toes didn’t even touch the toes in the boot. Awesome. And they were comfy. Roomy.

When I went up to pay for them, she looks at the box and says, “Oops – so you never even tried the 8′s; these are the 10′s.” That’s a EUR 40, by the way.

Amazing. I wear a size 10 boot, and I’m 5’4″. Seriously – I have friends my height who are a 7 shoe. It even duped me during puberty. I said to myself for about 2 years past growth spurt expiration, “Oh, I’ll keep growing taller – after all, look how big my feet are” as some sort of completely misguided consolation. As if there was definitively an ideal height to aspire to, or that we all necessarily want to be tall. After doing some online research, I found a conversion chart that says that the EUR 40 is more of a size 9.5-10 equivalent. And I stopped just short of feeling better about myself. Who cares? Size – like age - is just a number. If you wear it well, move on.

My snowboarding boots are a men’s 9. My graduation cap was a unisex large. Then again, my long fingers came in handy as they do for most musicians – so I guess it all depends on your perspective. I have ultimately concluded that I have an advantage in weight balancing while snowboarding because of the added foot surface area to distribute my weight across the ground.

After all, a “strength” is still a strength. You just have to regard it and use it in that way. (The big head? Obviously increased, added brain power. I know you’re jealous.)

The thing about Los Angeles is, it can be 80 degrees in the day but at night, you’ll still be wishing you had a sweater, jacket or wrap. The reason for this I’ve always thought was, since we’re essentially in the dessert, there exists so little moisture that the heat from the day doesn’t stay around like it would in a more humid climate – for example, the Midwest. However, I also noticed that in Austin last week, the nights were also very hot even though the air seemed dry – so there goes that argument. The type of dry in Texas, though, seems to be of a “Savannah” kind, if that explains anything whatsoever.

Either way, the large difference between the high and low of the day in L.A. always takes visitors by surprise. Almost always expect a “chilly” night in the 60s, even on more than half our summer days.

As for me. I have a hooded, camel-colored shawl that I sometimes keep in the Mini. It’s acrylic. It’s got a loose diamond weave. And my girlfriends have made fun of me for wearing this – my “grandma’s shawl” – before.

I got it on sale a few months back. But that’s not the only reason I bought it. I actually really like it. I don’t think I’m usually too far off when it comes to clothes or accessories; but there have been instances where I’ve had cause to question my own judgment.

Like the time when, two nights in a row, I was told by two different guys, “You’re brave to wear that.”

What?

I’m “brave” to wear this shawl? What gives? I mean, you can insult me – I can handle it. All I ask, though, is that you just give it to me straight. No need to make it veiled or underhanded. What would make me so “brave” so as to wear this thing that I’ve paid with my own good money? That’s like saying, “Wow, you’re so brave to be seen out in public with that third eye on your forehead.”

I was thinking that maybe what they meant was that the shawl isn’t exactly “L.A.” enough. As in, you only really wear that heavy sweater material stuff in cold climates. Not L.A. (Like how you have a really nice coat if you live in New York. Our version of that would be perhaps 3 different colors of Members Only jackets – I kid.) They could really be saying, “You’re really brave to think bringing your grandma’s Midwest fashion sense is gonna work.”

What’s strange is that both conversations that ensued actually evolved the same way. They both repeated, “You’re wearing a shawl!” But then it turned complimentary - both times. “It’s so high fashion,” they’d explain. High fashion? Okay, are you really mocking me now?

I’m just gonna stop thinking about it.