Marie, Marie Quite Contrary

I don't care what Ebert & Roeper say. I really really liked Sofia Coppola's Marie Antionette.

Saw it last night with rather low expectations -- due to the infamous booing at Cannes Film Festival and a slew of other scathing movie reviews -- and came out a bit of a fan. The AMC Theatre was rather empty, I must say. It was me, my friend, two men (huh?) and two couples. Those expecting a lot of regal speak and long monologues can steer clear. This is definitely a Sofia Coppola film: a great soundtrack, long long looks and eye gazes that convey a flood of emotion (almost to the point of making one slightly uncomfortable...it was all very Lost In Translation) and, by god, were the costumes spectaculargorgeousbreathtaking!!

Usually, I'm not a Kiki Dunst fan but the kid did good this time. I actually really liked her take on Marie Antoinette -- charming, coquettish, spunky, utterly loyal (most of the time, save for the romps with Keira Knightley-ex Jamie Dornan's character) and rather real. You definitely feel for the girl, thrown into the French court at the tender age of 14 and married to a husband that took nearly five or six years to consummate the marriage. Blue balls much?! Her husband Louis -- played by a enchantingly tubby Jason Schwartzman -- had worried, puppy-dog eyes the entire time but it was somehow endearing. Rose Byrne made a fantastically beautiful and funny drunkard lady-in-waiting and Rip Torn had his character acting down as the king of France. Molly Shannon was also in the mix, playing catty French royalty and Asia Argento bristled as the slovenly mistress of the king. The two adorable blonde-haired, blue-eyed munchkins who played Marie Antoinette's children were so adorable, it was practically a crime.

The bustles, the castle, the fountain, the country manor, the entire set, the wigs, the hats, the boleros, the gowns, the shoes...so much eye candy! Kirsten Dunst forever looked like either a doll or a French pastry, both of which are equally delectable. Though the scenes did begin to drag on a bit in the end, I turned out to be a fan. If you liked Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, you'll no doubt like this candy confection of a film.

I'd buy the DVD. And the soundtrack. And that gorgeous sheer white bolero in scene 16.

Long live the Queen.









I'm Lovin' it: The fact that my work thought it was my birthday today (though it's six months away), sending a cute Hallmark e-card and posting a "Happy Birthday!" MySpace comment. It's always nice to get well wishes, I suppose! Oh, and the fact I met Nelly Furtado while hanging out on a tour bus last Friday night. She's sweet and teeny tiny with a little bit of a booty for such a slight thing. That was my first and last time being a groupie.

I'm Over it: The brouhaha over Her Madge-esty Madonna adopting an african baby boy. So the kid's cute -- but never as cute as Rocco Ricci!

Track of the Day: "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow. See Marie Antoinette and you'll know what I mean. Oh, and the fact that candy is one of my biggest vices. Besides shoe shopping and Sephora browsing, of course.


* Photos property of msn.com

Hiatus Hippie

Well, my dear readers...

Just wanted to warn you that little ole me is going to be on hiatus for a few days -- got a BFF of mine arriving in town tonight from Vancouver, so I'll be doing a lot of hosting, touring and shopping (I'm on the hunt for a gorgeous new top I can overwear, like everything else in my closet).

On tonight's agenda: Picking up my friend, freshening up and hauling arse to the 944 Magazine and Ashley Paige after-party at Tokio.

I'm sure I'll have a majorly good story for y'all when I return.

Keep it real...

xo
Haute Hippie


I'm Lovin' it: The Goorin Brothers army hat I got in my swag bag from Monday night's 944 event. I rocked it yesterday with my dark red vintage boots over dark denim, navy blue mini-cap sleeve top, dark blue sailor-inspired short vest and my huge black and gold heart pendant. That outfit is definitely a re-wear sometime soon!

I'm Over it: Stepping in dog doo-doo by accident the other day and not noticing until I was already driving in my car. Nearly ruined my vintage boots and had to clean the sick gunk out of my car. It was a very Carrie Bradshaw -- circa the final SATC episode -- where she steps in a poop pile in Paris while wearing fabulous Manolos. Or was it Louboutin? In any case, it's foul for her AND me.

Track of the Day: "Bloodstain" by U.N.K.L.E., which is sounds a lot like Sade does Portishead. Haunting, chilling, eery. I'm such a trip-hop head.

www.myspace.com/unklemusic






* Photo property of myspace.com/unklemusic

Need 911 After 944

Three hours sleep. Queasy stomach. Major "headache".

All of the above are repercussions of an absolutely awesome Monday night out at 944 Magazine's "Don't Tell My Booker" party for L.A. Fashion Week, where Paul Oakenfold brought down the house with his music set. Girls in bodypaint, Cirque de Soleil-ish acrobat performers, Marie-Antoinette inspired costumes, vodka red bulls, cage dancers in barely-there thongs and guys in angel wings. Hedonism is good, but oh so sinful!

Outfit last night? My cutesy plaid pinafore worn as a mini-dress with my new favorite black opaque tights, purple suede cork-heeled pumps, wide black belt and bright yellow Noelle clutch.

After three or so hours of straight boogying on the Vanguard dance floor with beautiful Angelenos (many, many beautiful male Angelenos), my feet were ready to call it quits. But the pain was made all the better by the super swag bag -- Dermalogica products, a wicked army cap, CDs (loving the Goldfrapp album!), gift certificates and a rockin' denim tote to haul it away in.

944 Magazine, thank you for a great La-La Land night out!

PS. Check out the pics on the magazine website: www.944.com

I'm Lovin' it: Meeting the one and only Ron Jeremy while driving out of last night's venue. Not only did he call me and my friend adorable (ewwww though!), his contact info is gracing my new Thievery Corporation CD in permanent marker and his digits are in my phone. Nice. Oh yeah -- RJ's as hairy, tubby and short as he looks on The Surreal Life.

I'm Over it: The entire day. Please get me into bed. With a big glass of water.

Track of the Day: Can't listen to music today, my head is pounding.

* Photo property of imdb.com

Beggin' to Wear Balenciaga

Oh Nicolas Ghesquiere, what are we going to do with you?

You simply cannot keep churning out your daring and modern silhouettes, bubble hems and sky-high platforms without driving me absolutely crazy wanting to wear them -- it's a no-can-do on my beer budget (and champagne tastes: Veuve Clicquot or Perignon, n'est pas?).

Case in point: Balenciaga's Spring 2007 runway show in The City of Lights. The collection is The Matrix In Hedi Slimane Meets Studio 54 with the suits cuts, high shoes, skinny pants, metallics and don't-mess-with-me sunglasses.

Nothing like mixing a little Keanu Reeves in stunner shades with Steve Rubell, Andy Warhol and tax evasion.

I'm Lovin' it: Fashion Week! Let the events begin. Tonight: 944 Magazine's "Don't Tell My Booker" party at the Vanguard in Hollywood. The special DJ is Paul Oakenfold, who is -- besides Tiesto -- the biggest trance king of all time. Hope Britney Murphy'll be there to do her pretty vocals on Oakenfold's "Faster Kill Pussycat" track! Tomorrow: The Erica Davies trunk show at Iconology. Next Thursday: The Motorola party with Miz Christina Aguilera doing a special concert. Woo hoo!

I'm Over it: Images getting sloooooowly uploaded onto Blogger. Just put up my Balenciaga pics, goddamit!

Track of the Day: "The Garden" by Cut Chemist. Ethereal, slightly world music sounding. Got some bluegrass guitar in the background, too. Or maybe it's a ukele. In that case, aloha people.


* Photos property of style.com

The Morning After...Bag

Nobody likes the morning after -- especially if it includes either a pill or a walk of shame.

Rebecca Minkoff has a little somethin' somethin' to make those embarassing mornings a little less traumatic. Haggard a.m.'s, meet The Morning After Bag:

White is for classy, blue is for funky and green is for casual!

Though those awkward morning moments between you and your fling are anything but casual...

www.rebeccaminkoff.com

I'm Lovin' it: Getting spoiled by my parents during visits home. These visits are usually deemed by the parental unit as "Eat one thing, Shop one thing" -- meaning I get to pick the place to chow down AND I get to pick a little present for myself. Princess Haute Hippie, whut whut!

I'm Over it: Ummm...I'm in a pretty good mood.

Album of the Day: "It's Never Been Like That" from Phoenix. Super catchy. You can play the album right through without stopping. "Long Distance Call" and "Consolation Prize" are sweet tracks. The lead singer is Sofia Coppola's baby daddy.

www.myspace.com/wearephoenix

* Photos property of rebeccaminkoff.com

Babbling Brooks

For forever and a day, I've pondered the origins of Hed Kandi CD artwork. Glossy, high fashion art full of oomph, sex, beautiful people and ultimate hedonism.

And I've finally found the artist in question : Jason Brooks.

A graduate of St. Martins in London, he began as a freelancing illustrator, won a few major illustration awards, and quickly got snapped up by hip companies and publications for his glamorous work -- among them Visionaire, Max, Vogue, Elle, Nike, Coca-Cola, Mikimoto, this list goes on. Interiors, lifestyle, fashion, music...you name it, the dude draws it.

Christmas is coming and the goose may be getting fat, but anyone of these I'm hoping will be sitting in my Christmas hat (okay, stocking but hat just rhymed, sorry for trying!).

PS. One of his illustrations happens to be my MySpace background and basically, it's dope. Twenty bucks says you can't find me.

Did I mention I love Jason Brooks?! Oh yeah. I did.

www.jason-brooks.com

* Photos propert of jason-brooks.com and hedkandi.memoryprints.com

Where Have All Our Icons Gone?

When you live in La-La land -- or any other town in this entire world for that fact -- you know that fashion is celebrity-driven.

Renee Zellweger strictly wears Carolina Herrera on the red carpet. Emmy Rossum does Ralph Lauren, as does Penelope Cruz. Sarah Jessica Parker is an Oscar de la Renta-slash-Narciso Rodriguez girl, while Sofia Coppola dons Marc Jacobs. Elizabeth Hurley has been the unofficial spokeswoman for Versace since wearing that infamous safety pin dress. Diane Kruger, Vanessa Paradis (Johnny Depp's other half) and Selma Blair are part of Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel crew.

It used to be that fashion was dictated by lesser "public figures": Diana Vreeland, Elsa Schiaparelli, Cristobal Balenciaga, Coco Chanel. But these days, only those who truly love fashion know these names. Ask kids about their style icons now and they'll rattle off names like Sienna Miller, Nicole Richie, Mischa Barton, the Olsen Twins and other Hollywood starlets (or those part of the Rachel Zoe brigade).

Now, not to say that these gals don't look absolutely fabulous...and who wouldn't with a personal stylist who charges obscene amounts of money?? Word on the street is that a certain Ms. Zoe charges her gals $6000 a day, which is more than the average person sees in a paycheck per month.

Fashion and image are often one and the same, which is why fashion and Hollywood are so intricately connected. All of this is not a complaint really, but more of an observation of the way we relate ourselves to the concept of couture. I won't deny that I can be found flipping through the lastest US Weekly, oogling Nicole Richie's latest Coffee Bean stop outfit or wishing I was wearing Richel Bilson's fabulous pair of vintage shoes.

But every now and then, I wonder if Diana, Elsa, Cristobal and Coco are turning in their graves...

I'm Lovin' it: Having someone on the inside on the now-bankrupt Tower Records, who is liquidating all their inventory as we speak. Currently, everything's 10% off but the little mole who checked out my purchases at the register said everything will be REALLY cheap in a couple weeks. Thanks Gus -- if that's your real name.

AND...

Black opaque tights and long shirts/short mini dresses with boots. That's my look for today and I'm truly lovin' it!

I'm Over it: My hunger pangs. I ate about five mini cupcakes with a small salad (to compensate for those empty calories) for dinner last night, and though I had a bowl of raisin bran with banana this morning, my tummy is growling like mad. Guess I'll be digging into lunch earlier today.

Album Of The Day: "Destroy Rock and Roll" by Mylo. You've got Myles, Hector, Lewis and Willie making up this electro group out of Scotland. This happy album can be played from start to finish without skipping a track...and guaranteed you'll be shaking your groove thang the entire time. A special shout-out to Tower Records for the discount.

www.myspace.com/mylo

* Photo property of fashionfinders.co.uk

These (Vintage) Boots Are Made For Walking

Boy, am I glad it's fall.

And boy was I mistaken that the fall season in Southern California is does not nearly rival that of Vancouver.

Yes, folks. I was able to break out my burgundy red vintage boots-over-tight dark denim look yesterday. It may be a tired look to some, but I just can't wriggle out of the trend yet.

My poor little boots were just waitin' to bust out of the closet. It was quite a successful first day of the season!

I'm Lovin' it: Finding a long-lost cousin of mine on...where else? MySpace. Gotta love family reunions via internet.

I'm Over it: The long line at Nicky's in Venice. Looked cool from the outside though, but never quite made it in. Props to the packed World Cafe patio for making up for it. Oh yeah, and the $5 mojitos -- where the cheap price was the only good thing about it.

Album of the Day: This wicked awesome CD mix I got as a thank-you-for-coming gift at the Kii Arens art exhibition at Munky King. You got some soul jams, Lady Soverign and a bunch of indie bands. I should copy the CDs and sell it for profit. I'd make a killing on Melrose, yo.

Music To My Ears!!!!!

A little music MySpacing in the electronica section yielded this incredibly soulful and stunning artist from Atlanta, GA (shout out to the Spottieottiedopaliscious Hey ya Aquemini-in' Outkast crew of the same hood)...

Meet Gaelle, y'all.

Move ova Miz Keys, Miz Badu and Miz Scott.

There's a new soul queen in town.

www.myspace.com/gaelleonline

PS. "Give It Back" is the dope track.








* Photo property of myspace.com/gaelleonline

Hatin' On Kate

No, not Kate Hudson for being all scandalous and messing around with Owen Wilson.

In fact, I think they're SUCH an adorable couple. Chris Robinson...ew.

I'm hating on Kate Moss because she can wear skinny jeans -- and every goddamn other thing in the fashion world -- better than I can. Not too long ago my friend (who's a petite yet curvy Colombian) and I decided to try on skinny bad boys. Verdict? If you're not pencil thin with a flat ass and no hips, you will look significantly horrible, a definite Glamour Don't. For those that know me, I'm not big at all, but I will confess to a slight ass -- but it's not tabletop or bootylicious, that's for sure! Alas, not every fashionista can jump on every trend out there.

Well, as long as I can wear anything from the recent Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2007 collection (which was so beautiful in it's modern simplicity and muted pastel tones) or any of the following outfits, I'll be just fine.

PS. Can Karl Lagerfeld ever do anything wrong with his designs?? Uh, no. And for those who can't tell, the images go from Chanel to Bottega.

I'm Lovin' it: Hometown visitors! You rock, Mackenzie. Next up: Steph (aka. Ovitch) on October 19th. Love giving the tour! Oh, and my new Sebastian shaper hairspray from Longs Drugs. It cost me nearly $20 but my hair is so bouncy and beautiful these days. It's allllll worth it, my good people.

I'm Over it: My cotton just-below the knee leggings. I need to get longer lyra ones from Spanx for the chillier weather (yes, Los Angeles is gettin' freakin' cold out). And also because longer leggings are so much more chic and mature looking (mature -- aka. five years away from turning 30)

Track of the Day: "Never Mind Boys" by 19 New Project. This electronica, new wave-ish group from Paris, France will have you busting the robot Mitsubishi commercial-styles.

www.myspace.com/19newproject

* Photos property of style.com