Hip'tique Event, (A Night out with my GF)!

Thursday night I had an opportunity to attend a little art opening at one of my "all time favorite" boutiques, Hip'tique, on Main Street in Venice. This particular event was created for mixed media painter Kelcey Fisher, and when I walked in I fell in love with his paintings. (I'm now scheming about which organ to sell off so I can buy one)!

Supporting art and fashion is always a blast, but getting to do it with a friend you haven't seen in a while is even better! This is Tanya Dempsey-Margaritov, of novembergrey. She's a decade long bestie, a fantastic actress, host and blogger, and a mother of two! (Look at her in this dress, can you believe that)??

And, as a mother of two children under 3, Tanya and I cherish the times we can meet because between her family and work and my shooting schedule, coming together means the planets have aligned. And that's what made this night so incredibly special. Seeing Tanya felt like no time had passed at all!

Pictured above my head is the piece that if we each had the cash, we'd be clawing one another over who would get to take it home. My house in Santa Barbara is full-on, 60's MOD, so I crave the color scheme and circles. But my home in LA is chock full of references to Fritz Lang's Metropolis, so I want this image which reminds me so distinctly of the iconic, "Maria"still.

There certainly was a piece for every taste. This particular series incorporated pieces of typed paper taken from various books. You can't see it from afar, but it's underneath all the paint and adds layers upon layers of texture and subtextual reference. Uber cool.

In addition to the art, Hip'tique carries such an amazing variety of clothing from a lot of local, LA designers. I died for the printed, silk and poly pants which I MUST have for this summer's trip to Hawaii.

 

Neons and retro prints! Yes, yes, yes!

 Beaded Shell: Hazel, Heels: Vince Camuto, Pants: LF, Earrings: Gift, Bracelets: Ross

After meeting the artist and enjoying the event, Tanya and I decided to cap off our evening at Chinois on Main, where we made the acquaintance of actor Seymour Cassell, (he decided to sit down and join us for dinner after chatting at the bar). Clearly a favorite of the restaurant staff everyone knew him as a neighborhood fixture. By the end of the night, so did we.

And that's the beauty of LA. Fashion, art, actors, all mish-moshed in a three hour bracket. You can't beat it!

With Love,

Noa B

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday All,

I hope you've had a wonderful week. Mine has been packed with work, creativity, and travel, starting with this past Tuesday. I worked with a favorite client on her TV show, (which I'll be traveling to Texas next month to shoot again). Last night I attended a really lovely art/fashion event at my favorite Venice boutique, H'iptique. (Pictures to follow this weekend)...

Overall work is becoming so constant that I wonder sometimes how we all manage to work in such an upsidown industry. I feel as though I'm constantly packing, unpacking, and re-packing. But my friend Tanya came up with a great idea for heading off this problem. She mentioned that she always over-packs, so on her next trip she'll lay out every day's clothing by full outfit, and pack it complete with accessories so that there's no excess. I'm in!

As I'll be traveling out of state three times in June, this idea seems like genius. To save time if I really like a clothing combo I've blogged about, I'll pull it aside, fold it up with accessories, and pack it in advance!

Like this skirt I haven't worn in months and months. It's so pretty! What is it doing in the back of the closet? 

I know it appears from my posts that I'm getting a little slap happy on the emerald items, but honestly they just fell into my lap more by chance than contrived shopping. But moving from emerald and jade into the pastel greens for the approaching summer is always fresh. There's a very "island-y" feel to teal that screams "summer'!

 Some brass colored bling adds a little warmth to cool toned clothing.

Top: Grand and Green, Skirt: Zara, Wedges: MIA, Necklaces: JewelMint and Boutique, Bracelets: Boutique

Yup, let's just pack this one off! Happy weekend and enjoy whatever your Saturday brings you!

With Love!

Noa B

Pleating: Top to Bottom

I had one of those incredibly lazy Saturday mornings this past weekend. I don't mean lazy time-wise. (I had to be up at 6AM for work) but as far as wardrobe all I wanted was loose fitting, flowing, non-body hugging garments.

I've had an ongoing love affair with these ASOS harem pants I bought last year. I adored them so much I ended up buying them in two sizes, (one a little smaller for a leaner finish) and this larger one with the relaxed waist and dropped crotch for a relaxed fit.

 

I found this top brand new, (with the tags still attached) at my favorite, local thrift joint!

Top: Nordstrom via thrift, Booties: Vince Camuto, Pants: ASOS, Necklace: F21, Earrings: Gift

In the morning when it was still nippy I had also thrown on a silk blazer, but by the time I got home and snapped a pic it was simply too hot to bother wearing it. Truly a sign that summer is near!

What fabulous new clothing item are you lusting for this summer? My list just keeps growing!

With Love,

Noa B

Playing with Stilettos

I know everyone has officially opted out of horizontal stripes and into vertical ones for the summer. (That's fashion for you, always turning your trends up-si-down). But I'm still enamored with the traditional, boat necked, striped tee.

I paired this colored one with leather shorts and simple stilettos over the weekend. (I'm no stranger to shoes of remarkable heights, but heels without straps or ankle support are always a little doubtful for me). So I'm breaking these in, in short spurts.

 

They "may" squeeze my pinky toe ever so slightly, but oh how I love what they do for my "gams"...

What I particularly like about this shoe is that the platform portion of the heel is wrapped, so there's no seam along the bottom of the leather. It creates a smooth finish that looks so polished.

 

To counteract the preppy vibe, some studs on the belt.

Shirt: Kenar, Leather shorts: Tart, Heels: Chinese Laundry, Belt: Zara

And we're off!

With Love,

Noa B

Stripes, Lace and Leather

Yesterday I finally got my act together and finished some long awaited alterations on this lace, baby-doll. I had bought it a size too large, and the ribcage, waist, and shoulders all had to be taken in. But I'm glad I made the time. It's a beautiful day and I'm finally able to pair it with a springy jacket, just in time for summer!

This blazer is a fun little buy I picked up in February, but haven't pulled out until today. It's a great layering piece and can be paired with virtually anything. I like the juxtaposition between the geometric, hard lines alongside soft lace. It's often easiest to pair "un"-like textiles.

I'm still working on growing out these brows. Have I mentioned yet that it's TORTURE? I haven't had brows this thick in over 20 years. It's an adjustment, but I'm hoping they'll continue filling in until I can stop adding pencil...

Until then I guess I'm stuck with some brow filler. Tune in next week for some cosmetic reviews and lessons on grooming, shaping, and the ever challenging prospect of "how to grow out thin eyebrows".

Dress:Solitaire , Boots: Kelsi Dagger, Blazer: F21, Necklace: JewelMint

With Love,

Noa B

Vintage Emerald

It's a cloudy day and a bit drizzly, so I'm throwing some color into the grey, morning mix.

I found this vintage top a couple of months ago. Little did I know emerald green would be the hottest color for summer but I'm certainly glad I snagged it early on.

It's cut with a v-neck in the back and a semi-raglan, drop shoulder in the front. I paired it with a mint green choker and a fun, cheapie clutch purse.

Crisp, white jeans brighten any ensemble, as does coral lipstick when softened with a clear gloss.

Top: Vintage, Heels: Vince Camuto, Jeans: Boutique, Necklace: F21, Bag and Sunnies: Boutique

I didn't think I'd like polyester green this much, but on a grey, gloomy day it's a no-brainer!

With Love,

Noa B

Traveling Togs

This was my simple but effective wardrobe for airport travel this week. Blouse, trench, jeans, comfy wedges.

 

A crucial detail for me, if you plan to check luggage make sure you choose a case that can't be mistaken for someone else's! Hence the leopard print!

 

Trenches are travel classics. They're warm but not heavy, and they work with most separates.

Wedges are a great way to stay chic during travel. You retain more support in the arches when waiting in those long lines and you grab a little height and length.

Trench: Bloomingdales, Blouse: Zara, Wedges: B Makovski, Jeans: Golddesign, Choker: JewelMint

I hope to maintain this kind of travel more frequently. In the meantime, I'll have my staples ready to fly!

With Love,

Noa B

Whirlwind Week in Review!

I feel as though I've been on hiatus from blogging for days, though it's barely been a week. I've become accustomed to the pace of production life. (You can go from having nothing but time on your hands, to not having a moment of "down time" very quickly). But it's been a wonderful week and I wanted to share a little bit of it with you.

Dress: Romeo and Juliet Couture, Heels: Dior, Pearls: Hawaii, Bag: Unknown Boutique

I kicked it off Saturday at the premiere of my very dear friend's feature, directorial debut, "Welcome to the Jungle" with Adam Brody and Jean Claude Van Damme. I had no prep time, (I was literally racing from one gig to the next) but I had chosen this outfit the night before, so I was out of work togs and into premiere togs in 7 minutes flat!

I booked it down to Newport where I met my friend, made up his wife, and we all went out to the screening and after-party. The next morning I boarded a flight to SFO where I met up with my client to shoot an episode of her hit show for the Discovery Channel.

I spent four days up north, had a blast, and discovered that my client and I shared the same passion for vintage and thrift hunting, (notably, some vintage items I wore throughout the days, snapped by phone). She had the inside skinny on the good places to go after camera wrap nightly, and look at what we uncovered!

Fabulous, great quality leather clutches in that Oxblood color that was so hot all last season. I will definitely be recycling these babies next fall...

 A Louis Vuitton Silk Scarf! ($5.99). OMG, OMG, OMG!

Several fun items I also picked up, (but not pictured) included a DVF dress and a Donna Karen Jumper in silk. Another super current find? This rad Marciano Jacket I ended up wearing to dinner. It looks a bit like a cropped, smoking jacket.

Finally, an emerald, green, one shoulder dress with the tags still attached. I was so excited to find this in new condition, as it's the hottest color for summer!

In the midst of all this, I received a Facebook notification that I had made page 46 of US Weekly, (an unusual text to wake up to but kind of fun as well).

With the whirlwind winding down, I made it up to my home in Santa Barbara for a brief, 24 hour stint where I and my kitty Lola got 30 minutes of pure, sunny, downtime. Here she is tanning like a true diva on the pool lounger.

But after that glorious half hour, it was back to the grind, back to the reality of prep, work, shooting, and then some. And I couldn't be happier!

Hope your week was brilliant!

With Love,

Noa b