hair affair

i was given a lot of pretty great qualities in life, my hazel eyes, fabulous fingernails, charming sense of humor... when it comes to feeling good about myself, i really do think i do ok in the self-esteem department.

but there is one major quality that i detest, however, and that's my fine stringy hair. i've had an on-going battle with my hair my entire life.

the funniest thing is that i graduated in 1988, the age of big hair. i managed by keeping my hair shoulder length and permed to somewhat fit in with the other big-haired girls.

the problem started in college when i went to the salon to get my ever lovin' perm and the stylist refused to give me one. she felt i had done too much damage to my hair and that it was time to give it a rest and let it grow out for a while. well, needless to say, i was devastated but deep down inside, i knew she was right...i needed to give my poor hair a break.

so all through college i kept my hair straight which worked out ok with the whole hippy, college thing anyway.

later in life, though, i wanted my full hair back but after all of that time being perm free, i just couldn't go there again. i decided i would embrace my straight hair. so i grew it long and didn't think too much about it. not that i loved it, i just tried not to worry about it too much.

but now that i'm in my 40s, i want it to look neater and more styled. i cut my long hair off about 6 months ago and every time i go to the stylist, it gets a little bit shorter. unfortunately, now it's a boring in between length and i feel like i need something a little bit edgier.

which brings me to today's post. should i or should i not cut my hair shorter than i have ever had it in my life? it's just so crazy how some females hold on to their hair as being a huge part of their identity. i envy those girls who can take a risk and play with different hair colors and styles. i have never been one of those girls. i think since i have fine hair, i'm afraid that if i keep cutting it, one day it just won't grow back...which is completely ridiculous, i know.


i have always admired leigh lezark's straight black hair. and while i'm sure her's is considerably thicker than mine, i think i could actually carry this one off. what do you think?


i like this cut a lot, too, i think it's just a little shorter than the one up above.

which one do you like best?

the only problem is that my stylist has corrected my hair color from it being too dark to a more natural auburn color. do you think this cut would look ok if it wasn't so extremely dark? of course i love black hair, i just don't think my stylist (whom i love and has save me from bad hair)will let me go there again.

i have a few weeks until my next cut so i will ponder this and let you all know.

happy valentines my loves!

happy valentines day to all of my lovely readers all over the world! it is very wet and rainy here in portland so i thought this is a fitting photo for today. i hope you all are having a beautiful day with your friends, families and critters.

and to lorenzo, raven and our doggie and kitty babies, i love you and are so happy you are in my life.

xoxoxo

(photo by jenna holme)

i remember you well at the chelsea hotel

i have long since been fascinated by the chelsea hotel. i don't remember why, exactly, except that all of the artists i love seem to have a chelsea connection.

it must have started with leonard cohen and from there joni mitchell, janis joplin, and jimi hendrix. although, i really don't know who came first. but the chelsea has always been on my mind.

several years ago, i was in new york for work and as i was going to finish my job with a few days left over. i thought i would extend my stay and get a room in the historical hotel. my good friend was going to join me in the city so this would be the perfect opportunity to check it out...i don't think i would have ever had the nerve to stay there on my own.

well, needless to say, it was eerie, very eerie. other than the tenant on the other side of the wall who seemed to be on a coke binge, the hotel was uncomfortably quiet. in a city of honking horns, sirens and screams, the chelsea seemed to reside in it's own little universe.

i had my friend snap a few photos of me outside of the hotel but as it was one of the coldest nights of my life, they did not turn out well. there was a blur of me in front of a blur of a lit up neon sign that frankly could have been anyplace. i'm ok with that, though. i've always wanted to stay there and now i have and it was an experience that i will never forget. unfortunately, i haven't been able to go back to get some better shots.


so, my whole point of this rambling post is that i was given for my birthday the new patti smith book, just kids, that documents her life with the photographer robert mapplethorpe, much of which took place at this famous residence of the weary artist.

reading this book took me to so many places that, although i have never seen them on my own, they are very real to me...as if i have read about them so many times, that i may have actually been there.


patti's recollection of their years together was such an honest, heartfelt memoir that i found myself in tears, even though i was reading it in an airplane, a restaurant or a hotel lobby much of the time. it took me to a different time and place entirely. one that i wish i could have been a part of, had i not been born a few years too late on the opposite side of the country.

and not that this time was entirely romantic, we can't forget the incredible people we lost in the 80's due to a tragic misunderstood disease. however, would we have given these artists the respect they so deserved if they were still walking among the living? i really don't know. but for now, there is still the memory of the chelsea hotel...

still shopping after all this time

hi everyone. i'm soooo sorry it's taken me so long to get back to my favorite little blog.

the holidays were crazy and january was filled with a month full of work travel. i am now happily back at home with my family and critters!

i was most recently in new york for work where i had to make a pilgrimmage to the no. 6 store and bring these beauties home with me (only mine are cuter because the heels are stained dark). and what a cute little shop it was. it's always so much fun to see the flagship stores of the brands that i love.

as i've promised many times before, i hope to keep the posts coming more frequently now that life is back to normal. and for more on my new york trip, go to my portland blog to see me in the ny times!

color me rouge and blanc and noir

i came across this book cover on rdujour yesterday. i just loved how it captured my rouge blanc noir obsession.

i'm looking forward to this new year and spending more time on all of my blogs (here and here). this one is definitely my favorite because it encompasses all of my favorite things.

i wish you all a very happy new year and look forward to sharing more of my happy thoughts with you next year!

xoxo hawthorne girl

scary swan

lorenzo's daughter and i did most of our holiday shopping yesterday and then decided we would go to see the movie black swan.

i had been wanting to see it but then after reading reviews thought that it may not be my thing. i absolutely cannot watch anything weird or creepy without freaking out at a later time when at home by myself trying to go to sleep. and anything gorey...forget about it.

well, i thought i would give it a shot since all of the images just looked so beautiful not to mention the fabulous costumes designed by rodarte. and it was a visually stunning film.

however, the story line was just too intense for me. i still can't figure out what it was trying to do. yes, i get the whole evil twin/split personality thing but what was up with the fingernail obsession? i mean yuck and double yuck!

as i left the theater, i said i was very happy that i went to see it but even happier that i will never have to see it again!

a feel good holiday movie it is not. i'm going to have to watch love, actually twice now!

happy holidays everyone. what movies are you going to see this holiday season?

it's a rough job...

one of my favorite musicians, diane birch stopped in the store again today. i just love her music and listen to it non-stop while commuting to work.

she is an absolute sweetheart and gorgeous to boot. she has a cute new bob too!

i can't wait to check out her new album.

oh joy!

i blogged about this over on my portland blog the other day and then i thought that you my loyal rouge readers would probably love to hear about it as well.

my bff sent me the pink martini holiday cd for my birthday and i am loving it. i've listened to it everyday since i got it and i'm playing it in the store right now too!

those pink martinians have really put together a wonderful holiday album and gave it their own twist. it's very diverse and worldly, you know, just like pink martini. check it out, i really think you will like it.


ps. i don't really track my blog analytics very often and i hopped on today to see where my viewers are from. i could not believe how many people have been reading lately. i have readers from all over the world! thank you all so much, this definitely helps motivate me to keep the posts coming. i love this little blog, it's really just my journal of all the beautiful things that make me happy.

here kitty kitty

i'm loving the holiday ad campaign for cartier that i found over on rdujour. isn't that the sweetest baby ever?




the last thing we need is another critter over at our house but that baby leopard is pretty darn cute. she would definitely give little lulu a run for the money. lu's favorite past time is hunting for kitties!

i hope you all are doing great and having a fabulous holiday season. it's getting pretty cold here in portland but just a very light dusting of snow so far.

somewhere when?

and speaking of sofia coppola, when is her new movie somewhere coming out? i see that they just had the premier in new york, so hopefully soon.

i just love sofia's movies for their dreamy, ethereal quality. i mean the virgin suicides, lost in translation and marie antoinette are some of the most visually stunning movies i have ever seen. weren't the interiors in marie antoinette just amazing? i really, really want to see lost in translation again, too. it's been a while. i think that may be one i need to add to my collection.

what movies are you looking forward to seeing this holiday season?

sofia's style

there is a great style file on rdujour right now of another one af my favorites, sofia coppola.

don't you love this great navy and red frenchie boatneck? i recently tried to buy one like this at free people but they didn't have it in my size.

if i didn't have a job to go to, i seriously could wear striped shirts everyday. i love them that much!

p.s. i'm getting very excited for sofia's new movie "somewhere" that is currently in the works and is promoting in the picture.

style sisters

yesterday on rdujour, there was a style file on my girl charlotte. there were tons of great photos of charlotte in her trademark jeans and boots and also a lot of great red carpet looks.

go to rdujour to see the complete article on charlotte.


and a few weeks ago, there were more beautiful photos of her sister, lou on rdujour. this time at the chanel runway show.

what do i love about these sisters the most? i think it's just their understated way of being fabulous. they always looks great, but not like they're trying too hard. they must have definitely inherited this quality from their mother. maybe some things are just ingrained, i don't know.

i do believe that sometimes when it comes to fashion, less is more!

oh wellie!

i'm pretty bummed out that my favorite toile rainboots are on their last leg. i pulled them out last week and my once cute boots are now discolored and sad looking.

so obviously this means one thing--i've got to get those hunter wellies that i've been wanting forever.

one cool thing about living in portland is that you can actually wear wellies on a regular basis and not look bizarre in the least bit. well, once i was wearing them at work and the president of my company didn't quite get why i was actually wearing them inside, at work. oh well, we all know they are in fashion.


i think the hardest part of getting some new boots is deciding on the color. i love the classic black.


but the red is sooo cute too.

which color would you go for? oh how i hate these decisions!

so bomo

happy sunday! it's a perfect portland sunday morning...i've got my cartalk in the background, little lulu on my lap and lorenzo working on the computer next to me. oh yeah, and it's absolutely pouring outside.


i was thinking this morning that for an interior designer, my blog seems to have been in fashion mode lately, and not home fashion mode. i think that's because i am avoiding all of the work i need to be doing on the house and it is so much more fun to look at pretty clothes.

but getting back to interiors, i wanted to recommend one of my favorit design books to you, bohemian modern. if you haven't come across this book yet, check it out. it's all about the funky designs of homes and businesses in silver lake, california.


since discovering this book, i've become fascinated with silver lake and absolutely must go there. unfortunately, one place my work never takes me is la, so i will have to make this work on my own. i'm starting to feel a girls weekend coming on.

any suggestions for my visit to silver lake? any great places to stay? i'd love to hear from any of you who have been.

and have a great fall sunday.

and still more...

lou has been out on the town in paris. here she is at the h&m champs elysees opening as reported by rdujour.

here in portland, we are anxiously awaiting the opening of our own h&m!

cat in the hat

the cutest girls from bollman hat company out of pennsylvania came into the store today after a meeting and let the girls and i pick out hats from their samples because they don't like to carry them back home on the plane.

i'm not generally a hat girl but i couldn't resist what i call the "sienna" hat because i've always loved this style. i don't know if i can carry it off with my stick straight stringy hair but maybe after some product, i'll give it a shot.

thank you so much to the bollman girls, that was really just so sweet of you to let us shop your samples.

look for the hats at opening ceremony coming soon.

more lou...

here's my girl lou making an appearance at paris fashion week as reported by rdujour.







isn't she fabulous? i just love her!

wine!

i might not have ever mentioned to you that i have had a HUGE crush on jason schwartzman ever since rushmore. there is just something so funny about him,
just watching him is funny, even if he's not doing anything. the faces he makes and his comedic timing is just too much.

have you been watching the new season of "bored to death"? oh i just love little ray!

also, any man that can consume as much white wine as i do and justify it the way his character can is truly a kindred spirit of mine.

what is your favorite jason schwartzman film? have you seen the short film he did with natalie portman as a trailer to the darjeeling limited. i think it's called "hotel cavalier". you should check it out if you've never seen it.

got spots?

so tomorrow is the first day of fall and while i'm not quite ready for the rain to begin full-force, i am looking forward to some new fall clothes. this year it is going to be all about black, camel and turquoise for my fall wardrobe (but yes, i will forever love you red, white and black).

and this little leopard baby is setting the tone! isn't it gorgeous? the fabric is the softest cotton velveteen. it's made by my amazing friend tasha polizzi, who spent many years honing her craft for a guy named ralph and is now making these beautiful creations on her own.

oh i can't wait to wrap up in this beauty. happy autumn everyone!

september issue

last week my coworker and i were talking and she said she was so excited because all of her september issues had begun coming in the mail and it was like christmas at her house.

i must admit, i do have a carrie bradshaw day when my issues start coming in where i sit at home and take them all in without ever leaving. i just love to see all of the new fall lines and ad campaigns.

then i started thinking that i need to rent the september issue again because i really enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes making of vogue's september issue. i highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet.


so i just about died yesterday when i was on rdujour and saw the anna wintour and grace coddington dolls! these are so funny. it really does mean that you've made it when a doll is made in your honor.


of course my favorite is the grace doll. i love her simple style and crazy red hair. she really does make vogue what it is.