Our blog will be undergoing temporary hibernation starting today, because frankly, fashion never stops! Even for Christmas. So much to do in such little time... I am certainly looking forward to our imminent return to PV Daily.
See you again soon.
-- parkvogel.com/ photo by Bethany
Deep in the recesses of your closet abide your long-lost sweaters. They have been waiting all year long. And among your various collection of lambswool and fleeces are your cashmeres. Pieces lovingly collected and cared for over the years. Pieces gratefully received from friends and family of Christmases past.
The luxury of cashmere is undeniable. The soft lightweight fibers are gathered from the goats indigenous to the high mountain plateaus of Asia. Combed from their undercoats just once a year in the spring, the material is then sorted by hand. It is "the scarcity of the fiber and the handwork required to convert that fiber into a luxurious garment [that contributes] to cashmere’s price." It is a garment for which you are making a lifetime investment.
And it's no wonder why we here at PV receive so many inquiries throughout the year on the proper care of your favorite cashmere pieces. Their unequaled warmth and weight comes at the price of your special attention!
Cashmere is best handwashed. Though drycleaning is a popular method, the chemical process is actually too harsh for the natural fibers and will dry them out. Start with a tub filled with lukewarm water. Add a few drops of baby shampoo and place your garment inside. Agitate the water gently, moving your sweater back and forth for a minute to release any impurities. Leave your garment to soak for at least half an hour. Rinse your sweater with clean water in the same manner as above and allow to dry flat on a towel. Cashmere should be worn 6-7 times between washings to prolong its wear.
-- parkvogel.com / quote via bensilver.com
I haven't had any refined sugar for a week, and I am certifiably feening like a crack addict now. This being part of one of my unending experiments to detoxify my decaying body. I've never treated it well, and it's certainly starting to show. So in light of the new year that is swiftly and steadily approaching, I've vowed to clean up my game. Why are resolutions so hard to keep?
Refined sugar, if you haven't already heard, is the devil. It is completely devoid of any nutrients, so in order to metabolize it, your body must deplete it's stores of vitamins and minerals. And as a result of this depletion, your immune system becomes compromised. Look it up, it's true.
Sadly, I don't know much longer I can go on. Even knowing that my body will feel and look better without it isn't enough to keep me going. Substituting with other natural sweeteners doesn't have my
stomach fooled either. My body doesn't respond well to deprivation. The one time I attempted vegetarianism for a few months, for example, I cracked under the pressure of Superbowl buffalo wings. A Superbowl without buffalo wings is inhumane. My body responds very well to rationalization.
I know I'm doomed. I'm salivating at the mouth just thinking about dessert. And I'm already making plans for my coming-out party. When I crack it'll be at Sushi Katsu-ya, for sure. The Japanese have one of the best creme brulees in town. Don't believe me? I'm up for the taste-challenge. Let's go!
Sushi Katsu-ya / 11680 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604 / (818) 985-6976
-- parkvogel.com / photo by Tina Raval
The Santa at my mall this year is skinny. This is just all kinds of wrong. I found myself rather disconcerted and twice contemplated having a word with management. There was no way my kids were going to sit on his bony lap and whisper their Christmas wishes into his fatless ears- what kind of mother would I be to allow such a gross misrepresentation of our jolly Saint Nick to go unnoticed?
I pursed my lips and diverted our stroller in the opposite direction, holding my nose to the air. My kids were screaming, "Santa! Santa!" But I didn't care.
It was then that I was reminded of a scene in David Sedaris's memoir Holidays on Ice. In "Santaland Diaries" he describes working one year as a department store Christmas Elf. At one point his job is to usher in the families one at a time for their photo op with the Big Guy. Everyone has a complaint.
"We would like a traditional Santa. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about..." Or "Last year we were stuck with a chocolate Santa. Make sure it doesn't happen again." One woman actually complains that her Santa isn't "black enough," go figure!
I remembered this story and felt a little ashamed of myself for discriminating against an innocent old man who was just trying his best to spread some holiday cheer and pick up a few extra bucks while he was at it. So what if he's excrutiatingly thin? What's wrong with me?
So tomorrow I'm taking my kids back there for another go. In years to come when we're sitting around a fire flipping through old photo albums and sipping hot cocoa, they'll ask me what was up with the skinny Santa. I'll just tell them that that was the year Santa was stressed out because Mommy asked him to fix the subprime mortgage crisis. Oh well.
-- parkvogel.com / photo by Ville Miettinen
This time last year I threw my judgment to the wind and brought a
puppy home for Christmas. They will tell you two things about puppies:
(1) Never bring one home for Christmas and (2) Never buy them from a
pet store. There are various reasons for this, I'm sure, but I think it
is mainly due to the fact that Christmas shoppers tend to make
purchases on impulse and a live animal is certainly not a
responsibility to be taken lightly. In addition, many pet stores are
widely speculated to be virtual puppy factories in which these poor
creatures are churned out en masse with no regard to their health and
wellness. The now-defunct Posh Puppy
in Beverly Hills, for example, was forced to close its doors last year
when it was discovered that their dogs "were supplied by cruel and
inhumane puppy mills" and that they intentionally allowed the sale of
sick animals.
Activists have devoted themselves to exposing the unethical treatment
of animals, but also strive to educate the public on what becomes of
the poor dogs that end up in a shelter. A reported 5 million animals
are killed in the shelter system every year due to the simple fact that
they go unwanted. Wouldn't you like to see your taxpayer dollars go
towards something better?
This Christmas, play it smarter. If you insist on having a puppy under the tree this year, please be sure to visit your local shelter first. There are also many resources available online. Here's to being more conscience of the world around us.
-- parkvogel.com / images via cuteoverload.com
The catalogs have officially taken over my mailbox. There is a giant stack of them waiting for me on a daily basis. Honestly, there are only so many wine & cheese baskets a girl can take. And since when do people actually enjoy receiving alarmingly-large-sized hunks of imported sausages? Don't answer that.
Today's mail revealed a catalog full of Pajama-grams. An entire tree's worth of information on Pajama-grams alone. What exactly is a Pajama-gram you ask? I'm still trying to figure that out myself, sorry.
Tiffany & Co.'s immaculately conceived catalog also arrived. Theirs is packaged in their trademark robin's egg blue, just beckoning to be opened before anything else. The electric bill and the March of Dimes can wait, it says. Spend $35,000 on large statement diamonds to single-handedly revive
the faltering economy, it says.
Or send your loved ones a tower of nuts and chocolate. It will be like the Russian nesting dolls of bar snacks, your grandmother will love it.
It's hard not to become overwhelmed by all the distractions around us this time of year. Let's try to focus on what matters. Let's put our priorities before us, never allowing everything else to filter through. Gift-giving and shopping should neither stress nor put us out. Let's not feel pressured to give in to it. Let's sit back and enjoy the holidays, shall we?
-- parkvogel.com / images via hickoryfarms.com
A family member of ours revealed over Thanksgiving break that she
and her husband are expecting their first child next summer. Imagine
our elation and joy upon hearing the good news! Everyone excites over
the arrival of a new baby. Though, of course, various sparks also
inevitably ensue.
One particularly heated discussion revolved around the naming of this unborn child. "Nomen est omen" is an old Roman saying meaning "Names are destiny." If you think about it, this singular decision has the potential to determine a child's path in life. Better not screw it up!
My dad was named after Abraham Lincoln, for example. I just wanna say that Lincoln would've been so much cooler than what he actually ended up with, but only someone like my dad could pull off such a loaded name, anyway. So be it. Abraham actually made it onto 2008's Most Popular Baby Boy Names list coming in at #202, no kidding! It beat Frank, Leonardo, and Trent by a landslide.
Many will tell you never to reveal your treasured name choices until the actual birth lest you face ridicule. No one in their right mind would make fun of a newly born cherub, would they? So it's probably best to wait until there is a face to put to the name. There's room for all the Michaelangelos and Penelopes of the world.Nonetheless, it's always fun to throw names around, since everyone seems to have an opinion on the matter anyway. I'm casting my vote for Hudson, if it's a boy, and Parker, if it's a girl. Just do it, Sarah, I won't tell anyone...
-- parkvogel.com / photo by Jared Flood
TODAY / The Full Moon Tea House @ Descanso Gardens. Nestle into the lush gardens inspired by Japan while sipping tea and snacking on almond cakes. Seeking shelter from the rain a couple weeks back, I felt very far and away from the city. Find tranquility just steps away from the chaos. 1418 Descanso Drive / La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011 / (818) 949-4200
TOMORROW / BUST magazine's Holiday Craftacular. Not your ordinary craft-fair. The DJs spinnin' and the drinks are flowin' as you browse over 50 vendors for the perfect holiday gifts. I'm looking to score some unexpected stocking stuffers for everyone in my family. The Echoplex / 1154 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026 / 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
BEYOND / Scribble Press / Because nothing says Merry Christmas like a thoughtfully homemade gift. Watch as your children write, illustrate, and publish their own books. I think I may be inspired to try my hand at it too! Remember to make an extra copy for Grandma. Located inside Westside Pavilion / 10800 W. Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064 / (310) 446-6154
-- parkvogel.com / image via descansogardens.org
This happens every year. It's as if there is a bank of energy somewhere in my body and by winter I've grossly overdrawn. Or perhaps the changing climate makes me sluggish. Or perhaps the sudden influx of holiday activity has wiped me out. One thing is for certain- my stores are depleted.
I read somewhere that Vitamin D deficiency has a lot to do with the winter blues. A friend of mine is actually shopping around for an artificial sun lamp. She claims to suffer from depression every year around the same time. There's an actual term for this, did you know that? Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD for short. And light therapy is a known remedy for chasing those SADs away. I've even seen these lamps for sale at Costco.
It's no wonder Christmas is such a welcome time of the year. People are begging for a reason to spread some cheer. Especially due to the emotional rollercoaster of a year that it was for our country, I think we're all just about dying for a reason to celebrate.
We're all just children at heart, after all. Thoughts of candy canes, snowmen, and presents under a tree can put a smile on any ol' Scrooge. It's all about taking a deep breath and realizing that a brand new year is just around the corner. Fresh starts and renewed promises, life continues to carry on.
There's a light at the end of this weary tunnel and it begins with peppermint mochas and just-out-of-the-oven gingerbread. Dear 2009, here I come.
-- parkvogel.com / photo by Kevin Dooley
PV web designer Grace Choi made it out to Felt Club- one of our weekend recommendations a couple weeks back. Here she recounts her experience... Thanks, Grace!
Due to traffic, procrastination and sheer laziness, I made it to the very tail end of last year’s Felt Club, and despite the chill in the air I managed to amass the bulk of my holiday gifts! With only thirty minutes of precious shopping time at my disposal I went a little nuts and bought pretty much everything I could get my hands on, suffering from a bad case of buyer’s remorse the next day. This year, I vowed, was going to be different; this year I had a game
plan! Having overdosed on the out-of-control cuteness of vendors such as Planet Tokki and boygirlparty the previous year, I decided to limit my spending only to things that I absolutely had to have, and to take a lap around the venue before committing to any purchases. And quite a lap it was! The event (this year held at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium) was enormous; the entire floor space was jam-packed with booth after booth of covet-able handmade goods and craft workshop stations, complete with a swap-o-rama on the balcony. I’d only made it past two booths when the master plan to curb my spending went promptly out the window (“things I absolutely had to have” turned out to be available for purchase at just about every booth). Recycled sterling silver jewelry from Figs & Ginger, etchings and illustrations by Catia Chien, felt bird ornaments by Tanya Aguiniga, beautiful letterpressed
calendars from paperedtogether... How does one say no to such cute things? And so it went, for the remainder of the afternoon, snapping up pretty much everything in sight, my only justification being that these weren’t for me, they were “gifts for friends and family.” Well if nothing else, at least it supports all the women and men who put forth their creative efforts into providing people like me with an alternative to buying mass-produced, homogenized consumer goods for the holidays. Cheers to buying handmade!
If you missed Felt Club, many of the vendors sell their goods directly through their websites (click here for a full listing of Felt Club vendors) as well as the mecca of handmade indie crafts, Etsy! So don’t delay…the holidays are right around the corner.
