i think the actors liked each other by the end -

hard to tell.

wrap party, b.a. style -

what better way to blow off seven days worth of steam
than dinner for fourteen at sucre.


ok, look. i literally leaned on darius. and here i am, literally . . . you get it:


eddie is soooo attentive:


i think richard and sara had finally cracked:


ah, sweet benjamin. who took photos of us for all the behind the scenes stuff. AND kept us laughing the whole way:


jeff and silla from the editorial crew. they had the first cut done the DAY AFTER the shoot!


don't ask how she scaled the wall. just don't.


my girls. without them? nada.

captain kira -

she doesn't even know she's doing it. dear kira has a "captain morgan" thing goin on:


which, of course, we tease her about relentlessly:


cause EVERYBODY'S got a little captain in 'em:

scenes from an argentine shoot pt. 4 -

so, here we were, waiting between shots. there was very little wait between shots time.
it was constant constant amazing "go" time. these breaths were rare:


ashley and eddie waiting to dash in between takes:


me, sara, kira, betania, before the basilica, day four:


oooh. andreas, the hot art department guy. eye candy is important.


darius teaching me how to drive. er, light. er. whatever.


oh yes. taking walks with kira. for advice. for solutions. these were critical, too.


as critical as connie's ability to step in and :


at JUST the perfect moment, every time.

i endorse and adore: ms. connie bang

woman has hollow bones. and some NICE chanel flats.

one of the two makes her lighter than air . . .

but this post is really a "thank you". an homage. a petite poeme pour la femme qui est une magicienne. connie bang is simply a producer of my dreams, one for whom "no" is not an option. i ask, she realizes. granted, she is always trying to steal sam saffman:


or any other tender morsel that is wandering aimlessly from the herd:


but she has the power to summon pit bull puppies from thin air, even in other countries:


she makes a great angry extra:


and she adores us. and watches out for us:


she is my connie:


and ultimately,
she flies because
elle est une ange.

my law. my order.

now, see, you have to imagine this in slow motion . . .

scenes from an argentine shoot pt. 3-

the trials of an argentine shoot . . .

NOT adopting another pit bull puppy off the shoot. again.


debating the value of hats over sunglasses with sara ruba:


freaking out when your producer ends up being not only hollow boned,
but part simian:


learning the finer points of argentine juice making:


learning to take it all in and be thankful:

an eddie, an ashley, an estella, a vita, a maria -

it takes a village. one comprised of four girls and a boy.
they make all the clothes fit, fine, and ready for prime time.

eddie shacknow, whose eye and taste are flawless. and who knows how to step in and strip off the one piece that's bothering me/add the one piece that's needed. i can't wait for you to see what he's done with our spring clothing. i mean, come on. look at this boy:


ashley furnival, our assistant stylist, ever chic. she is the girl who can throw on three pieces of lingerie, a headband, some shorts and motorcycle boots and somehow (god only knows how) it works. good for us:



maria echols, whose lead seamstress wizardry is otherworldly. trained in couture techniques, she applies them to our value clothing . . . and a hem is no longer a hem.

little estella castillo, our mistress of ceremony, orchestration, and style, seems to somehow keep us all on track, up to date, and in just the perfect pair of lanvins to set off a high waisted short. don't ask me how. it must be her latina flower magic.

and vita gavrylyuk, our other mistress of the seam and thimble. i have seen her turn dresses into confections. and her borscht is amazing.

they keep kids like these, looking their best:


but i can't figure out why every time i turn around,


they are lying down on the job:

i endorse and adore: kira carstensen

things to know about kira:

she has one of the sexiest voices i have ever heard.
that's why she's been the voice of old navy for the past year. gives me goosebumps sometimes.

she makes you believe in grace kelly, all over again.


she is the best of texas.


even when bedraggled and over-worked, her "darlin" is the sun through the clouds.

she is seamless.
her company, supply and demand, is almost invisible to the process,
allowing the creatives,
to create.

she surrounds herself with the loveliest of people. no assholes here.


she is a woman for whom you would forsake all other women.
(if you're into that sort of thing.)


hell, say her name out loud.
kira carstensen.
that's reason enough.