Renegade Craft Fair

Two weekends ago, the Summer Renegade Craft Festival made it's way to Los Angeles. This year it was held at Grand Park in DTLA. It was a great location except for the weather. It was probably one of the hottest days we had in LA, regardless of the weather, I am so glad I was able to stop by. It is always inspiring to be surrounded by so many up and coming artists, makers, and designers. Here is a round up of some of my favorite companies and links to their sites.

I absolutely loved the Close To The Cosmos booth (photo above). They make the most beautiful dreamcatchers I've ever seen. Check out their website here.

Can't go wrong with colorful wooden bangles from Voz Collective. This company is owned by two lovely sisters Lauren and Jackie.  I admire their simple approach to design and color. Their accessories are very well executed and they are the type that you can wear all year long.  Make sure to check out their Etsy shop, their bangles make a great gifts.

For the inner flower child in you. Gardenhead hand makes these whimsical head bands with synthetic flowers. So perfect for this weather, or if you are a Los Angeles native you can wear these all year long. They are light and stylish. My favorite one was the Arizona style.

Another great jewelry line was Maru. Colorful stones bonded or wrapped with brass and gold metal. Her collection is very abstract and yet elegant, like something you could buy at a museum. 

I fell in love with these planters from Concrete Geometric. They were stylish, simple and small. I really like having succulents around at home because they bring life to any corner of the house and they are easy to take care of. 

Here is a full list of all of the vendors who participated.

DVF: Journey of a Dress

Incase you missed Diane Von Furstenberg's "Journey of a Dress" last month, here are some highlights. The exhibition was small and intimate, but with a grand entrance. I loved the pink walls, which were covered with 40 years of design history in the form of editorials, magazine covers and runway images. It was a perfect exhibition for Los Angeles, we need more fashion in this city. I can't recall the last time we had a an exciting fashion exhibition like this one.

As I walked in to the main room, I was greeted with a sea of white maniquins who were wearing her famous jersey wrap dress in every bright printed pattern you could possibly imagine. 

Here are some of my favorite prints. The Andy Warhol flower print definitely takes the cake. 

Along with the tribute to her famous wrap dress the exhibition also dedicated a room with iconic photographs and paintings of her. Including those famous Andy Warhol paintings, of course. 

I'm so glad I was able to make it to the exhibition. I almost missed by going on the last day. It was very inspiring to see how Diane Von Furstenberg created an empire with one simple, but classic dress that will live on in fashion history. Check out some amazing behind the scenes moments here.

Photos: Reels and Bobbins

Designing The Young Victoria

Do you guys remember the beautiful costumes on the film The Young Victoria? They were designed by Sandy Powell, a three time Academy Award winning Costume Designer. This Sunday she will be speaking about her design process at The Getty Museum. This event is part of the current running exhibition A Royal Passion: Queen Victoria and Photography. I can't wait to hear her discuss her use of research and visual sources for the film. If you are excited about historical costumes as much as I am and are free this Sunday, you can RSVP for this event here.

Image source via Costume Sketches and Renderings. Illustrated by Sandy Powell

Have a Fancy Weekend

What are you guys up to this weekend? I plan to relax and explore my city. Sometimes I spend half of my day daydreaming and wishing that I lived in New York, but then I realize that Los Angeles is such a great city. There is always so much going on and it's hard to keep up sometimes.

I hope you enjoy your weekend, here is a list of fun things to do.

Paradise Theatre, a STYX themed speakeasy is closing tonight. If you're a cocktail connoisseur like I am, you would really enjoy this place. Details and password info on the link above.

In the mood for a free outdoor flick tonight? Head over to Pershing Square. Tonight they are screening Yellow Submarine.

The Helmut Newton exhibition is still running at Annenberg Space for Photography.

Have you been to Lady M Confections? My husband brought me a slice of their famous crepe cake yesterday and it is to die for. This is definitely on my list to do this weekend.


Image via Ann Street Studio.

Renegade Craft Fair

The 4th Annual Renegade Craft Fair Los Angeles was held this past weekend at the Los Angeles State Historic Park. Artists, crafters, gourmet food trucks, and music brought local Angelinos together for this two day event. I was so excited to photograph the work of so many talented artists. Natalia Camarena was one of my favorite jewelry designers at the fair. She had a beautiful display that highlighted her one of a kind jewelry.

Originally from Mexico, Natalia Camarena incorporates a mixture of metal and picturesque natural stones into her line. She draws inspiration from her native country by combining light and bold colors together. 

Shelter also had an amazing display. I love each and every single one of these bags. The shapes and the fabrics gave this line a very raw and feminine quality. Check out their selection of hand crafted purses, clutches, backpacks, bags and belts here.

Another one of my favorite booths was Yes and Yes designs. Their work was so original, I had never seen anything like this before. Their designs are carefully structured and sculpted with recycled books. These fashion figure pins, earrings and necklaces are all laser cut and etched by the designer. 

I also love the work of Paz Sintes. Her textile jewelry has such a whimsical and delicate quality. These pieces are the perfect summer accessories, I especially loved the colorful flower necklace. All of her designs are carefully hand crafted and dyed. Her work can be found at fashion boutiques and most museum stores across the state, including the Whitney Museum in New York City and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. To read more about this designer click here.

One of my biggest weaknesses is nice packaging, I am such a sucker for beautiful gift bags, ribbons and tags. You can find all of these things and more at We Love Citrus. They have a great selection of fabric ribbon and glitter twine, yes glitter twine. 

One of my last stops at the fair was at the Topiary booth. Another great accessory line. Their motto is  "Delicate, Simple and Exquisite." Their designs use a combination of brass and lace. These accessories are a great way to dress up a simple top.

I think I covered most of my favorite artists and designers. Now lets talk popsicles. My day could not be complete without these gourmet pops from Front Porch Pops. The mango chili and coconut were best! 

To get more information on the Renegade Craft Fair and all of their locations visit their website here.

This week on Instragram

As you can tell, I had lots of fun this weekend. On Saturday I attended the FIDM Television Costume Design exhibition and on Sunday I spent most of my day at the Renegade Craft Fair. I was so excited to see so many people come out to support local crafters and artists. Stay tuned, my next post will cover Renegade Craft Fair. I will be showcasing the work of some local crafters.

1. Trying to stay cool in 95 degree weather.

2. Costumes from Great Expectations on PBS.

3. Costumes from Once Upon a Time.

4. A beautiful display by Natalia Camarena.

5. Purchases from We Love Citrus, Terrarium Shop, and Ryan Berkley Illustrations.

6. We Love Citrus spools.

MOCA: Transmission LA

I loved the colorful pinwheel installation by Ara Peterson and Jim Drain.

A Coffee Bar/ light installation in the middle of the museum. Really awesome.

Paintings by Sage Vaughn. Inspired by wildlife.

Self portrait.

Transmission LA: AV Club was curated by Mike D from Beastie Boys. For those of you who haven't seen this inspiring exhibition at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, then I'd say you are truly missing out. I was really moved with all of the paintings, installations, audio and visual forms of art that were so neatly displayed here. This exhibitions runs until May 6.

Vintage Love

Color coordinated dresses at Jet Rag. Dresses, skirts and blouses are separated by decades. 

A great selection of men's clothing, period shoes and hats. Everything is neatly organized. 

A beautiful crown I spotted at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. You never know when you might have to costume a king.

 I am always doing research. Flea Markets are a great place to find books that are out of print.

I spent my weekend shopping at the Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market and Jet Rag, a vintage shop on La Brea. Part of my job as costume designer is to shop for very specific items. If I am designing a period film, I always start my shopping at flea markets. Although flea markets are sometimes a bit of scavenger hunt, I always seem to walk out with most interesting pieces. Jet Rag is one of my favorite vintage shops in Los Angeles, it's a one stop shop, or at least for me. The owner did a great job merchandising the store. Everything is coordinated by color, item and period. Another great thing about this shop is their grand selection of headwear and children's clothing, which can be a challenge to find sometimes.