i endore and adore : GALERIE HALF

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i'm not going to gush too much about this one,

i think it's simpler to say that there are few places left that stop me 

when i walk in the door.

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galerie half on melrose in los angeles . . .

stunner.

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i could simply and easily move into the space,

and then die,

happy.

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perhaps it's that is sings aesthetically to everything tim and i have grown to love

over the years.

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a blend of industrial spaces with old world/vermeer based colors and lighting.

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intensely clean lined furnishings in masculine fabrics and leathers,

time-worn and tactile woods,

shapes that tell stories to the eye in the way.

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the finishing touches,

from french lighting masters and found factory pieces,

to moss-filled planters and what must have been children's toys:

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how about some vintage louis vuitton?

anyone?

richard christiansen, peut etre?

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i was too afraid to ask about the initials.

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and my new dining room table/work space:

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nice touch with the pew, non?

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best part of the store?

everything matches tim:

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i endorse and adore : OKI-NI

in full disclosure,

i was made an ambassador for this site recently

because of my relentless stalking/browsing/recommending/fawning over them.

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the internets for the menses is not an easy place.

you are stuck with american online retailers

(assorted watered down preppy/basics)

that continually trumpet the same four items

(god save us from the "classic with a twist".  they don't know what the hell that is. ever.)

or it's the aging gay man's bad lycra tee shirt hell.

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so when i found OKI-NI a few years ago,
(you can click on it to visit.  now or later.  probably later after you read more of this post.)

i was a bit dumbfounded.

it was like some cool kids got together from tokyo, london, and l.a.

and threw together their best tees, denim, trainers, watches,

and then asked linda farrow to donate some shades,

rick owens some leathers,

and raf simons some neoprene.

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i have sent my gay friends,

my straight friends,

and even the ones in between to the site,

and every one has loved it.

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plus,

once they made me an "ambassador",

i realized they're kind of grass roots, laid back, and genuinely cool.

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anyhoo,

here's my latest picks from the site.

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should you want to know what an ambassador would wear:

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and I KNOW.

how cute is their house model?

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i endorse and adore : tatyana danilchenko, marike leroux, and matt james clifton

of course,

none of our skills behind the lens would be much use

without talent in front of it.

it takes more than most people realize to be a good model.

and NO, tyra, you can just sit down, i'm not talking to you.

it takes ease in front of a camera,

personality that shines through to the image,

ability to take direction,

and the skill to invent a persona

from sometimes just the skeleton of a tale.

which is why i have always loved tatyana:

she is the almost impossibly elusive "classic blonde".

neither california sunny, nor nordic icy,

she is able to balance the fantasy and the warmth

pitch perfectly.

and clothing adores ms. danilchenko.

it sings on her.

this round introduced me to a startlingly photogenic young find,

marike leroux.

i envy the name, don't you?

i wish i could describe the energy in her movement.

the light in her eyes is captivating.

and our last minute addition,

mr. matt james clifton:

certainly, the looks of a young greek statue.

but the ease and humor of the aussie he is.

suffice to say,

we were blessed with easy, warm, natural people to play with that day.

and that, my friends,

makes a world of difference in the end.

i endorse and adore : the sunday storytelling crew

things like this day

didn't happen just by luck.

they happened through friendships,

and past work relationships,

and leaps of faith,

and trust in each other.

which is why i have to thank:

miss ashley furnival,

the instigator for this whole thing,

and as you will see,

a rather devastatingly talented stylist.

ashley creates with clothing,

and watches the details,

and keeps the machine polished.

which allows me to focus not just the camera,

but my energy

into the frame, not the surroundings.

marco souza:

the face is his canvas,

and the body too, sometimes.

with marco, my requests never seem daunting,

and there is no need for a re-touch-up.

and ms. kristin heitkotter:

our mistress of the tresses,

the lady of locks,

she kept the girls shimmeringly straight in that sunlight,

and the boy coiffed in the shade.

plus, grr loved her.

and you all know what a vote that is in my book.

these people at times LITERALLY kept me from falling down:

i'd like to think i can return the favor.

ATLAS SHRUGGED, a gift from my grandfather, a reminder of what shaped me -

when i was 10,
(true story here)
my grandfather handed me this book.

he would do this every now and then, hand me a book.  i learned that there was an expectation attached to the gift, that you would read it, and not discuss it, but absorb it.  learn from it.  that he was handing you a piece of himself that he thought important to your life.

if you haven't read ayn rand, it's a big tome for a ten year old.

i loved it.  

i think her philosophy altered me and gave me such a sense of confidence,
of belief in the creative will,
of the "virtue of selfishness" (her words, though easily mine),
that i re-read it every three years for a long time.

to revisit dagny taggart.  and john galt.  and myself.

if you haven't read it, i don't know if i can recommend it.  it's an intensely personal book, it would be like recommending a memory that gets gilded with age.  or a religion that you practise in privacy.

but on this trip, i took it and read it in the mornings.  late in the night.  on the plane before i slept.

and i reconnected with my grandfather.

and myself.

the book is about change that one chooses.  and how it alters the world, and the self.

it felt like good timing.

i endorse and adore : evelyn lee

more adore than anything.

i've worked with her.  i've traveled with her (remind me to tell you about the time i nearly stayed on the plane after they cleared it out because is was hopped up on anti-anxiety meds and she strolled by and yanked the barney's catalog out of my hand, hauled me into the terminal, and fed me).  eaten out with her, laughed with her, held her hand in hard times and kicked her under the table more times than i can count.

when susan wayne told me she wanted me to meet evelyn lee for a position in the department,
i could never predict that the beautiful woman in the tapestry coat and HIGH heels who came through my office door would turn into one of the strongest allies and biggest supporters of my career.

eating out at water bar this past week, i kept looking out of the water,
at the view we used to share at 2 folsom,

and thought that we are gifted certain people in our lives,

people like evelyn who are graceful under pressure,
amazing leaders,
keen eyes of talent,
yet built with a keen distaste for politics.

people who are laughter and beauty and maturity
during times when those three things are undervalued in our world.

and we need to be aware of the times that someone crosses over from "friend",

to "family".

i endorse and adore: the old navy print crew -

i love shooting print. so much free-er (it's a word. as of now.) than film, and in some ways much harder, because you only get one frame to tell the whole story, and none of the technical tricks of editing, music, etc to help carry the day. so thanks are well deserved for the whole team. there's jenny gage and tom betterton, the photographers, who shot their pants off for two days to get every variation on the theme . . .


even when we ran into bumps, we worked through them.
(girls, relax. . .)


you know these guys. richard christiansen and todd barket. and landis smithers. on the right. that's me.


ah, ashley. the ever chic ashley furnival. if i were a girl, i would dress like ash.
or simply steal all her looks. and her hair. and the smile.


sarah. that smile, too. mine.


ah! trevor! we all have a baby crush on trevor. cause he's cute. and funny. AND. . .


he fixes things! like broken heels.


and how could ANY of it happen without emily roth? our shoot producer, our rock.
(check the rag & bone dress. and the boots. and the hair. damn.)

and LENA KUFNER! the set stylist who will one day have carte blanche with my home, mainly because i keep threatening to MOVE INTO our sets since she showed up.

eddie!

the bang. connie bang.

AND, they all have nice asses.


and that makes everything more fun.