Mari Giudicelli Shoes

Mari Giudicelli is a model you may have seen in nonchalant but super chic shots for Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Mansur Gavriel and Jacquemus, and now she’s got her own shoe line to rival MNZ’s platonic ideal of slides. “I wanted to create styles that could carry you through the day, that would be elegant, but also comfortable, and also something that’s not extremely trendy. You can wear it with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, or you can wear it with a pretty dress,” she told Vogue. Sounds good to me. Keep an eye on her shoe Instagram for info about when they launch, and her own for everyday inspo here. 

Just Like Christmas

I love Christmas albums. Maybe that seems cheesy, and surely lots of holiday music is, but there are so many classic and under-the-radar xmas albums with really delightful and solid interpretations of traditional songs (and some new ones). Case in point, Low’s Christmas. Aside from the joyfully unhinged Disco Noel, which we have owned on vinyl (x2) and cassette and which includes instructions for dancing the hustle, it’s probably my favorite. It just slays. I started there for this playlist and added in some more upbeat and festive tracks too. It’s meant to be perfect for decorating a tree, drinking a hot toddy, wrapping presents, or sitting in LA traffic to get to multiple family Christmases (what we usually do). Hope you enjoy. Merry merry xx.

Low | Just Like Christmas

The Ventures | Sleigh Ride

James Brown | Go Power At Christmastime

Nick Lowe | Christmas At The Airport

Willie Nelson | Blue Christmas

Low | Little Drummer Boy

Lord Kitchener | Christmas Greetings

My Morning Jacket | Xmas Time Is Here Again

Booker T. & The M.G.'s | We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass | Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Owen Gray | Christmas Greetings

Burt Bacharach | The Bell That Couldn't Jingle

The Beach Boys | Melekalikimaka

Low | Silent Night

The Vacant Lots | No More Christmas Blues

Psychic Ills | Run Rudolph Run

Paul Simon | Getting Ready For Christmas Day

Listen via Spotify

Sconce Therapy

Flush against the wall.

Edison or LED.

A modern refresh.

One Forty Three / CB2 / Industrial Light Electric / Serena & Lily / Schoolhouse Electric

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On my holiday wish list this year: ridiculously fancy candles by Astier de Villate, specifically Rue St. Honoré, Oulan Bator and Namche Bazaar (their site is worth a visit for the design alone).

Serial is back. And because I love Tim so much, I'm waiting until we can drive around listening to it together as we did with season one, even though I spend hours in the car each week on my commute.

Maybe it's the holiday season, but I'm loving the idea of tuxedo details right now.

Inspired by this restaurant designer whose interiors are so sophisticated and whose methods are so DIY.

Super cozy winter recipe.

Majorly excited for this movie release. Pretty much planning xmas around it. Want a western hat with pom poms on it.

Different genre of pom poms, but love the exaggerated one on this cute winter hat.

How To Make A Holiday Wreath

We have a big mantle in our new bedroom and I was inspired to make a wreath to hang there this year. I wanted it to feel holiday but not too holiday, and to have a wild, organic California feel. I went to the Oakland Flower Mart where

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Majorly excited about the Steve Gunn / Kurt Vile installment of this epic 5 LP collection of split albums Parallelogram, soon to be released by Three Lobed Recordings. #dreamteam The whole thing sounds amazing.

Glenn O'Brienn's career is pretty fascinating. I recently discovered him via this documentary as the host of TV Party, the punk rock TV show on which he hosted guests like Blondie, David Byrne and Jean-Michel Basquiat and yet improbably has nothing to do with the Black Flag song TV Party, and now I'm running into him doing interviews with Manrepeller on Apple TV's new fashion initiative.

Speaking of Manrepeller, she's got a new podcast, Monocycle. The first episode is about anxiety and burnout. If you are also an erstwhile philosopher interested in fashion, it might be up your alley.

Speaking of podcasts, Lena Dunham has a new podcast, Women of The Hour, which is also good.

This Bed-Stuy boutique has a really interesting selection of brands and home decor.

Going to an event here sounds dreamy.

Looking forward to this Thanksgiving-ready recipe.

Cool plant stands and even cooler chairs.

Return To Joshua Tree

Recently, we made our annual trip to Joshua Tree and Palm Springs. We stayed at Green Acres as usual, but this time we got to check out the second amazing cabin on the property. The best part was

Building Block

I rarely meet a tassel I don't like, and Building Block's are my new favorite (you can buy them separately if you like, pretty cool). They take the basic bucket shape up a notch with their deliberate, oversized quality, and they've been a hit on the coatrack next to my desk at the office. The rest of the Building Block line is great too. Some of the shapes are so simple yet almost surreal, and I love their playful, architectural minimalism and smooth black and nude leather colorways.

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Life has been on overdrive lately with a visit to LA, regular work and a last-minute work trip to New York during fashion week (see some of the street style snaps we got here and here). I'm majorly looking forward to our yearly trip to Joshua Tree and Palm Springs next weekend. I'm hoping to hit up our old favorites and try some new spots and sights too. Here are some of the things that have been on my radar.

Enjoyed reading about these unexpected inventions in the latest issue of T Magazine.

I've been a bit obsessed with this Vetements dress since I saw UK Glamour editor Natalie Hartley wearing it at NYFW. The back!

Apropos of where you can find Vetements, an interesting article on the backstory of cult boutique Totokaelo upon the opening of its new NY boutique.

My next visit to LA will warrant a visit here.

Definitely want to read this.

We're about to head out on our yearly roadtrip to Joshua Tree and I'm thinking maybe this is this year's addictive podcast? 

Photo via T Magazine

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How cute is this video for Jesse Kamm's cult sailor pants? Her line turns 10 this year and she's reissuing them in new colors to celebrate. Must. get. a. pair.

I've been working a lot lately and not sleeping as much = dark circles. While I try to stick to natural beauty products for the most part (and duh, the most natural beauty product is sleep) I'm thinking it may be time for this.

Excited to find some time to dive into the latest issue of the Desert Oracle. Particularly the piece on Marty Robbins.

I've been listening to the new Kurt Vile single on repeat.

Remembering Oliver Sacks who passed away last weekend. A great mind. He's the kind of intellectual who always inspired me in the context of philosophy — a zeal for life, a bit of a rebel, someone who tells a great story and who bridges hard science with the Humanities. He knew he was going to die and wrote some beautiful, inspiring, heartbreaking articles for the NY Times in his last months.

Earring Mood

PersephoneVintage has the most amazing collection of earrings. They're vintage but perfectly curated for right now, with single earrings, mismatched pairs and statement shapes à la Céline (love their clever video here) everywhere. They feel architectural in a mid-century meets art brut kind of way that I'm really into.

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Life has been cray lately and a spa day sounds like heaven. I'll take one at this newly opened Tuscan spa I saw in T Magazine which features products by cult apothecary Santa Maria Novella.

Liking these minimalist door hooks.

I could read The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows all day long. It's a compendium of brilliant, emotionally resonant made-up words written by one man to describe feelings we as-yet have no way of describing (or that maybe you didn't even know you were feeling). Here are some favorite words.

Lily Stockman is basically a personal hero of mine at this point. Accomplished artist, confirmed desert rat, sustainable textile designer, well-writtenVogue contributor.

Is it too late in the summer to be thinking about sandals (these ones are made in LA)? I feel like I'm always thinking about sandals. Then again I'm also always thinking about boots.

Sandals via Marais USA

Take Me To The River

This summer has felt like all work and no play what with moving, and well, working. But last weekend we escaped for the day to a swimming hole a few hours outside of town. We scrabbled over rocks, dipped in the refreshingly chilly snowmelt water, swam from pool to pool between crevices beneath giant boulders and ducked under waterfalls. It was the perfect way to feel far away for a day. In honor of escapes, here’s a summer-day-at-the-river playlist. It’s a little bit rocking for the drive out with friends, a little quiet and contemplative like floating in a river and a little bit of mellow magic.

Talking Heads | Take Me To The River

Fleetwood Mac | Think About Me

Tame Impala | Yes I'm Changing

Steely Dan | FM

Spiritualized | Do It All Over Again

Jane Birkin | Harvest Moon

Jimmy Cliff | You Can Get It If You Really Want

CAN | Vitamin C

The Stone Roses | Waterfall

Steve Gunn | Way Out Weather

T. Rex | Mambo Sun

Nick Drake | Place To Be

Listen via Spotify

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We've been busy moving and painting our whole apartment. It makes me feel really accomplished to look at pristine, minimalist white walls (we lived with a bunch of colors we weren't stoked on for a long time), but omg is it time consuming. So here are some things from the past couple of weeks.

I ♥ podcasts. Here are seven fashion podcasts to subscribe to.

I really want to watch this documentary on Richard Neutra's Oyler house.

Stripes and turquoise: two things I can always get behind.

New perfumier Ex Nihilo is doing futuristic and amazing things with fragrance. They have a bespoke perfume-generating machine called the Osmologue and one scent, Bois D'Hiver, is described as an iron fist in a velvet glove. As a sometime philosopher, I love their name.

These cool candle holders.

Are you worried about what you're not doing? I often am.

Lisa Says Gah Pop-up at Øgaard

It’s always cool to see things in person that you’ve only seen online. Since I’m pretty busy, I do most of my shopping (and window shopping) online. Combine that with reading, looking at images and even keeping up with friends you only see through a screen, and things can start to take on this almost mythic online-only feel. So it was great to check out the IRL Oakland pop-up shop that Lisa Says Gah did at Øgaard gallery this weekend. I love what they’re doing, from their thoughtfully curated selection of ethically made slow fashion to the really great content and interviews on the site.

At the pop-up, you could see the Karen Walker sunglasses, touch the Sonia Rykiel knits, feel the Martiniano glove shoes (my favorite, I wrote a bit about the designer here). You could also talk to the friendly, cool ladies behind the brand — the namesake Lisa and Content Editor Olivia. As I sipped a small plastic cup of white wine, they chatted and Instagrammed and I took in the physical presence of their lovely online offerings. If you’re in the Bay Area, don’t miss the next one — they’ll be doing it again in August at Loving Cup in SF.

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Spotify debuted its new Discover Weekly feature last week — have you been using it? So far, it's not half bad. It's about a quarter bad, which in my experience with tune preference predictors is more successful than usual.

I love Reformation's commitment to sustainable fashion and their feminine, minimalist designs, but most of them are made for ladies who have little need for bras, i.e. not me. Which is why I'm excited about their new I'm Up Here collection. #forboobs

A dreamy summertime hammock.

Everlane announced the appointment of Rebekka Bay as their new Head of Product and Design. Known as the mastermind behind Cos and for her recent (short) stint at Gap, perhaps this is where her vision will find its fit. I've loved Everlane from the beginning — their basics are well-made, affordable and transparently produced with sustainability in mind — so I'm excited to see what she brings to the brand.

Interesting article about how Michael Heizer's epic land art project "City" could play into the 2016 Presidential campaign. We recently watched the documentary about the making of Levitated Mass and I highly recommend it. I've been thinking for the past couple of years that I would love to go on a land art road trip ... maybe when "City" opens.

Image via Terrain

Cardamom Rose Cocktail

Last weekend was the latest installment of Ladies' Supper Club (this month marked our 9th anniversary!!) and the theme was Middle Eastern food. I chose a cocktail because it's what I always do (it's either that or dessert — I'm a better bartender and baker than I am a cook). I immediately thought of making something with Rose Water and the cardamom was an added spice bonus. 

In Oakland, we're lucky to have Oaktown Spice Shop, but they also ship their vast array of spices, herbs, salts and kits for making things like homemade tonic water. Before it opened, I was always looking for ingredients like organic rose petals to no avail; now I can breeze in and pick them up along with cardamom pods. It's the best.

The thing that really makes this cocktail is the Rose syrup. It adds sweetness and folds the rose flavor into the cocktail in a way that's subtle instead of overpowering. 

Cardamom Rose Cocktail

recipe from Design Sponge

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Hendrick's Gin
• .75 oz Rose syrup
• .25 oz fresh lemon juice
• .75 oz fresh grapefruit juice
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• 1 cardamom pod
• organic rose petals for garnish

Directions

Lightly muddle cardamom pod in the bottom of a glass, then combine with the rest of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake until chilled and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with rose petals. 

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Bay Area-ites: Lisa Says Gah is having a pop-up shop at Ogaard next weekend. I'm excited to see their wares in person! Check out the deets: #oaklandsaysgah

The stories behind non-French French-y brands. 

Tame Impala's new album just came out. I've only listened to it once so far, but it's different and I'm liking it. Looking forward to giving it more listens this summer.

Feeling this lace-up style.

Lena Dunham is launching a newsletter with Jenni Konner, her bff and the showrunner for Girls. It's called Lenny and Dunham says it will be a place “to remember that the internet has the power to take you into quiet places — something we don’t usually use it for.” I'm all for it.

Image of Alice Wiese embroidery via Ogaard

Shoe Haiku: Slide Rule

Wear to the office.
Slides are an anywhere shoe.
Wear them to the pool.

Maryam Nassir Zadeh Sophie Slides / Babouche Slides / The Palatines Slides / Maryam Nassir Zadeh Lune Sandal / Conder Valenzuela Sandals

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I discovered this jewelry designer's cool, rough-hewn pieces when I asked a chic coworker about the necklace she was wearing. Chokers are making a comeback and I'd wear this one.

This amazing post on the Jardín Etnobotánico of Oaxaca makes we want to go there more than ever. It's home to a cactus that's over 1,000 years old!

"Asking women to modify their speech is just another way we are asked to internalize and compensate for sexist bias in the world." I was glad to see these articles on the problems with pathologizing women's speech.

Is it just me or do the shoes from the casino-themed Chanel Fall 2015 couture collection look like '90s shoes you'd be stoked to find at a thrift store?

Have you seen the new Nina Simone documentary? There was so much to it; beautiful, powerful performances, inspiring activism, serious style and the sad realities of depression and abuse. Definitely worth watching.

Hello fall knits wardrobe?

This article on two sets of identical twins switched at birth in Bogotá, Colombia was fascinating.

Photo by Georgie Hawk for The Planthunter

Test Fest: Blackbird Ballard

It’s been a bit since the last test fest, but finally the perfect opportunity came up. My friend Alice recently bought a set of eight testers from Blackbird Ballard. Based out of Seattle, Blackbird’s line of perfumes, incense and other apothecary-type items are an offshoot of their (now defunct) menswear shop. Their scents are nontraditional, unique and often unisex, which is right up my alley. I decided to take a break from Byredo's Mojave Ghost for the day and test them out with Alice to see what they conjured up. Aside from Moto Oud, which was the first to pique her interest and how she found Blackbird, we didn’t read any of the descriptions until after we’d tested them out. From a rich hippie's house to juniper and money, read on for our impressions and hop over to their site where they are having a factory seconds sale (word has it these sell out fast).

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Summer decor inspo: these cool Modernhaus chairs.

Cute cacti from the Creatures of Comfort cactus contest.

More interesting LA neighborhood history from my sister-in-law, this time on her own neighborhood, Angelino Heights. My brother has lived there for years, and it's been interesting to watch it change. It feels like there are a lot of parallels with Oakland, and now there are a couple Oakland-south outposts with Blue Bottle and Esqueleto opening locations in Echo Park. It's a great place to live or visit!

Another DIY project I wish I had time to do.

Did you see the NYT profile on Parker Posey? Love her. I knew I loved her Cannes look, and now I know it was by Electric Feathers. Would so totally dance to Gerry Rafferty with her.

Adding this memoir to my reading list. If there is ever water in California again, this is definitely going to be my houseboating read.

" ... if I can make space for the idea that the goal is not to be perfect, but the goal is to be me, then I get to revel in the mixed bag of what it is to be a human." Just one of many ideas that rang true from a favorite from The Cut's advice week series. 

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Considering I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to sunglasses, it's not surprising I'm intrigued by Ditto, a new site that lets you rent sunglasses and prescription glasses. They carry brands like Illesteva, Karen Walker, The Row, Ray-Ban and Retro Super Future, and the prospect of having a new pair to sport as often as you want is pretty compelling.

The perfect striped shirt for summer (and any season really).

#lovewins

Have you checked out La Double J? They source amazing vintage pieces and have their finger on the pulse of the most stylish women in Milan. I love their Vintage Wars series. It's such a good illustration of fashion in friendships — like one friend is all about bandage dresses and one is all about sack dresses, and you're each approaching things from that perspective, but occasionally there's that piece you both agree is amazing and bond over.

A DIY project I wish I had time to do.

It's been a big week for President Obama. Did you listen to his interview with Marc Maron? I really enjoyed it. It was a full hour of the President having the type of very down-to-earth conversation Maron is good at cultivating with his guests. But I still think Maron was more excited about his ten minutes with Mick Jagger.

New Oakland Restaurant: Kronnerburger

Kronnerburger recently opened on Piedmont Ave. in the former J Hamburger & Such location, and it’s a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Beautifully revamped and designed, light streams into the triangular space through banks of windows, an incredible terraced marble counter separates the dining room from the kitchen and there’s patio seating outside.

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This dreamy sounding (hello saxophone) Kurt Vile video filmed at Rancho de la Luna in Joshua Tree could not speak to my interests more. Cannot wait for the new album this fall. 

I've loved LA designer Beatrice Valenzuela's shoes for a while (I have a pair of tejidos I'm still excited to break out this summer), so I was excited when she revealed her latest project this week. It's a dreamy Airbnb rental in Echo Park she renovated with her husband who designed many of the furnishings and light fixtures. The Moroccan tiles and Heather Taylor Home textiles make it even more beautiful. What a fun place to stay in LA. 

Have you been wanting to learn how to weave? I love Janelle Pietrzak's weavings and she's just introduced the first in a series of kits that collect her favorite materials and show you how to create artful weavings like hers. 

Enjoying the #apieceapartwoman series on Instagram and their blog. Inspiring women and dreamy minimalism.

Infinite cute.

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How cool are the Bird-of-paradise prints of Fendi's Cruise 2016 collection? Tim Blanks' review is worth reading as always.

Flipping out over the delicious rosewater notes of Amaro Montenegro. It's named after a princess, known as 'the liqueur of the virtues' and perfect for summer.

Also perfect for summer? These Prada and Céline-inspired ice creams by Coolhaus. Seriously, the Céline Coconut Negroni Ice Cream sounds amazing and I might have to make it.

If you love tassels, as I do, you should check out Takara Design jewelry.

If Madewell is the new J. Crew, what's the new Madewell?

It's from a while ago, but we watched this PBS documentary on Peter, Paul and Mary this weekend and it was pretty amazing. They were so committed to their music and the causes they sang about, and have such an amazing focus and intensity in their harmonies. Plus, Mary Travers was a true original and a major babe.