copyright infringement makes me mad, particularly when it's MY idea -

tim and i joke

that we should never share anything with anyone.

we'll find something,

and then bam,

two months later,

it's on some list as "best of the new".

and someone makes a fortune.

it's happened often enough that while we all in some ways have this feeling,

it's creeped us out over time.

while at old navy,

i got to use it quite a bit,

finding musicians i loved and helping launch them

by giving them a bit of a boost in our commercials.

but this is one step too far:

i bet you'll take it.

right out from under our poor sweet harmless avec,

who had the name first,

and never expected to be slurred by CB2

and compared to a "tufted back" and "slubby lines".

i mean, look at her when she heard the news:

SHE'S TRAUMATIZED.

i think this calls for a settlement check,

perhaps six figures,

and some form of puppy rehab spa package.

if any of you know the bigwigs at crate and barrel,

could you kindly pass this along and tell them she's waiting to hear back.

DOUX CHEZ NOUS : the living room

look at us.

finally reupholstering the living room furniture.

like real grown-up people.

a reminder of WHY we might want to do such a thing:

mmm hmmm.

notice, well, EVERY corner of the chair?

let's let avec lead us to the new room, shall we?

that's right, downstairs.

love this shot.

good girl.  now go play.

daddy has a tour to give.

and fix me a french 75.  up.

let's see.

paul mccobb wingbacks we collected ten  years ago,

then never did anything with and gradually degraded to threadbare

"are you guys doing ok"

status whenever people came over?

redone in new grasscloth meets raw silk fabric:

daybed from chicago,

with killer bronze base

and severely unfortunate plaid seventies fabric

that, though artfully covered with a kuba cloth,

fooled NO ONE?

gray/green leather, kidlets:

mccobb stools,

sadly, no longer in brown (baby poo) naugahyde?

silver ponyskin.  i say no more.

finally.

that only took a decade, give or take.

now we can have people over and not try to artfully drape anything

a' la christo.

i like this growing up thing.

a quick visit to LE MONDE D' HERMES -

i blame the bang.

the connie bang, to be exact.

she of the "oh let's just run over to the hermes on rodeo, i have to pick up something."

i know, i know. i should have known better.

who "just picks up something" at hermes?

but, things are slow here,

so i went.

there is just something EVIL about hermes.

everything at first is quite lovely and, well, let's be honest,

a bit dull.

then you catch the gleam of something, and it's the hardware on a bag.

not just any bag.

a large bag. a gray/green/taupe/silvery pebbled leather bag. a bag that you see being carried not by movie stars, but by those impossibly chic italians in the place des vosges. a bag for the ages, as they say.

and then the doors to your mind open,

and you are in "le monde d'hermes",

as they say.

we browsed for nearly an hour,

touching things that would constitute a house payment,

or a second child from asia.

then, we had to get out.

but i had picked out a few key items.

for connie, something with yellow gold,

and brown diamonds:

for tim,

a discreet

matte crocodile

hoodie:

 

for moi-meme,

a bridle.

for the pony i've always wanted.

you heard me:

then,

should we get bored with our new toys,

a dream trip to a runway show.

perhaps the spring one.

and maybe some of the boys to bring back with us:

as for the aforementioned bag?

it's sitting at the store still.

calling me.

feel free to pick up.

the ringing in my head is driving me bats.

DOUX CHEZ NOUS : the office space

seriously?  
is anyone surprised this book inspired our home?

once the walls were painted, 
we set about creating the nest.

i'm a cancer/leo, 
born under a full moon.
moody?  yes.

 but it also means "home" is a very 
very important thing to me. 

especially as i now do the majority of my work

from my home office:

the desk was my favorite part.

inspired by nakashima,

we bought a slab of claro walnut off ebay,

drove to "africa" for the tung oil treatment and finishing pads,

sanded and oiled the damn thing,

ordered the steel base custom from room & board,

and voila:

bliss.

add some books and inspiration pieces,

and some able assistants,

and i am now good to go forth and create:

grr has a new favorite perch.

and i have a real space to create from.

the 6 chicest things about january -

in no particular order,

what sparked my plugs this month:

1.

the absolutely insane margiela gray suede boots at oki-ni

2.

tom porter's fish eye lomography pictures

(makes me homesick for chicago, even though i never took the train.  because someone spit on my friend audrey's foot once when she was getting on, and that pretty much sealed it for me.  that's why.)

3.

the "hyundai" outside barney's in beverley hills.

(the owner took his bentley and "adapted" it.  THIS is a sense of humor.  THIS is the right way to approach recession chic.  and yes, i'm talking to you, vogue.)

4.

celebrities earning the right to be style icons.

finally.

(and looks like some of them got my memo about gray.)

5.

obamiconme.com

6.

the illustrations of sebastic

who is starting his own line of men's high luxe undergarments.

it's a little jean cocteau, a little tom of finland.

we need a break -

how can i tell?

i asked around . . .