michael jackson in memoriam

when i saw this grammy performance of MJ in 1988 i did not move from my seat. he is completely mesmorizing throughout the entire thing. i really miss his genius. adieu.

style rookie: tavi gevinson

once again, i am the last to get on the bus, but i have just discovered little tavi the it girl of fashion, and she is a little genius. you gotta love a kid like this one who is completely obsessed with fashion, and can write about it, and have the whole world go crazy over her..put her in the new york times teen vogue, send her to NY fashion week. oy. my head is spinning!
yohji and tavi. so good!

Je t'aime Ice Cream

to me, summer means ice cream..even though my kids would say, "anytime is ice cream for you mom!" so let's just say, summer is ice cream cones licked into oblivion in front of the charming home made ice cream shoppe!
while in Toronto, we visited with foodie Voula Halliday who lives in a groovy neighborhood around Queens St East. we took a fun stroll to check out the vibe, even passed by Law's old apartment situated over a hipster restaurant.
our last stop was Ed's Real Scoop, a petite ice creamery with super dreamery ice cream. ed's makes 100 flavors including mine which was a superb blend of chocolate and peanut butter. yummy!
they also make gelato and flavors for those with extensive allergies..tres sensitive. i will look forward to our next visit. hasta luego ed.

Xenia Taler

Last week, the family had the pleasure of meeting my dear friend Xenia Taler with whom i worked in el salvador in december. Xenia and her hilarious husband Steve live with their little girl pearl in a funky italian neighborhood in Toronto. we first visited the studio, and got to see how another husband and wife team of ceramists get it all done. several of their systems made me swoon. but as always, xenia was completely self effacing and modest.
one of my favorite things about their home was seeing all their beautiful work mixed with that of other artists.
the white head here is by xenia's friend julie moon whose work is haunting and amazing.
pearl's room with more mobiles and some great xenia tiles. pearl is according to mom, a great designer too. uh-oh.
some of xenia's B&W tile.
another julie moon..this is a wrestling mask self portrait.
xenia's fantastic little notebooks that arre sold by Barnes and Nobles.
pretty xenia tiles. the glazes were formulated by steven and are as gorgeous in person.

middle aged gals

i don't know about you, but i keep noticing that the middle aged ladies seem to have it all going on these days. i realize that the term "middle aged woman" does not bring to mind thoughts of fabulosity, in fact, it seems to be an insult in our culture. but walking down the street this morning i couldn't help but notice all the gals d'une certaine age who were looking great. hair skin nails..the works. props to you girls. can i get an amen to that?

sew on labels

we are really in the thick of getting ready for camp mode, and writing my daughter's name all over absolutely everything using a nasty sharpie. it just makes me pine for the days of my very own personal labels that were sewn in lovingly into each individual sock!!?! i just loved those soft red jill rosenwald labels. oh well.

giada's yummy sticky chicken

last night we ate a wonderful meal that included giada di laurentis' delicious chicken legs. this is a very simple recipe that your kid's can help you make, and will L-O-V-E to eat! you can't beat that with a stick. and so, i thought i would share the recipe with you here. have fun!

Sweet & Sticky Chicken Drumsticks

from Giada's Kitchen by Giada de Laurentiis

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup soy sauce

5 fresh rosemary sprigs

5 garlic cloves, halved

10 to 12 chicken drumsticks

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Combine the vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves in a large, resealable plastic bag. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar. Add the chicken to the bag and seal, squeezing out as much air from them as possible. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Remove the chicken drumsticks from the bag, reserving the marinade, and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the skin is caramelized and very dark in spots, 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes.

Use a pastry brush to brush some of the cooked marinade on the cooked chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with the sesame seeds and chopped parsley before serving.

How to clean up the oil spill in the gulf

elegance in simplicity..i love this!

design classic: nautical stripes

what is better than a nautical stripe? in the old days i never took my banana republic french bateau tee off. i mean if coco chanel says its a must have, then who's arguing. these days i am seeing these stripes absolutely everywhere. are they back, or did they never go away?

Toronto's Centre Island

we are on holiday in Law's hometown of Toronto, and yesterday we had the unique pleasure of visiting centre island which is @ a 20 minute ferry ride from downtown. according to some locals i spoke with, the island homes (only 60??) were given to some hippy artist squatter types over 40 years ago, and now they are hanging on, while each pretty day of spring and summer the locals get piles of ferry boat riding touristas who come over for a day of romping through their scenic beachfront island. it's a little rundown, and over the hill there..but the charm overflows!
after our little ferry ride (scenic and spectacular) we headed through a park and over to a marina for a light lunch overlooking the city. we then went straight to a bike rental where we scored one of these hilarious 4 person sleek swagger wagons. even with all 4 of us pedaling..we only craaawwled along.
naturally, mr. man took us "off-road" for some wilder times, and we found ourselves in a residential neighborhood at the far end of the island..by the way, the island has barely a car, and the above path is IT for a roadway. so if you need groceries, or anything else hon, you are using a cart.
the kids said NO to a canoe ride..but i mean come on with the C-H-A-R-M!
after scarfing up some ice cream treats at a precious island cafe, we were ready to head home, but not before we had to pick up 3 lost jamaicans, and give them a lift (so now we were 7 aboard) back to the center of centre island..hilarious. hasta luego centre island!

jordan's #1 fan!

this is my cousin daphne's son jordan singing i'm yours by jason mraz. i think i might start a fan club for the kid. the new justin beiber! i guess it's all about the pop stars these days. and for sure this will bring a smile.

nutty for idina menzel

i am a ginormous Glee fan, and now that Ms. Menzel is on the show, i am doubly into it. do you remember her amazing moments in Wicked? o my.

chevron crazy

thinking about my design inspiration for fall sent me off to the taj mahal where i found this incredible chevron wall. of course, this reminded me of the zig-zag craze that has been sweeping the design world for the past few seasons. i believe the obsession was most likely created by a combination of maddy weinrib's great rugs, and michelle adams' (of lonny mag) fabric being seen everywhere. could someone tell me why this pattern (which always reminds me of charlie brown) has such a grip on the minds of the design cognoscenti?

it's bold, it's simple, it gets it's message accross!

6th grader greyson rocks my world!

have you seen this? craaazy!

kuba cloth inspiration

i have been sketching for our fall collection, and thinking a lot about my "jackie in india" theme, but as always my research takes me to new design lands that are too wonderful to ignore. this weekend's treasure would have to be my rediscovery of african kuba cloths. Matisse used these fabrics in many of his wonderfully pattern rich paintings, and i believe they help contribute to their forever looking modern and fresh. for some reason strong geometry does it every time.

logos

i spent time this week looking at the David Hicks: Designer book, , and learned (once again i am the last to get this!) that his iconic print is 4 "H"'s coming together to form an ingenious geometric. as a big fan of geometrics, and a giant naysayer of the ubiquitous logomania that envelopes the world of fashion and design..i am a latecomer to the idea of putting a big fat "J" all over my work..but i am seriously considering making the move. hmm. i do hate myself for loving those darn goyard bags.
color me quizzical, but i am starting to think this is the next big thing for us over at JR designworld headquarters. stay tuned for updates.
i mean..what's not to like about this antique steamer trunk?
over the top..but hey, i'll take two!

jonathan adler clothes??

oh i just can't take it! the guy is too too good for words. what can i say JA i am humbled in your presence and in awe of your megalomania. ps. the guy dresses just like this!

me in lilly?

last weekend my sister wore a few new frocks that had me giddy because they looked so cute on her..and she said that surprise surprise..they were from lilly pulitzer. this is for certain not a store whose door i darken very often, but i did get that great brown silk jersey number there that i cannot get enough of! so off to lilly we went, and lo and behold! such cuteness! i am so loving these wonderful dresses, and i think if things go my way this season..they will be mine!
this one with the orange beads is just killer on the bod.
j'adorable.
somebody deserves to be congratulated over at corporate, because as far as i am concerned, most of fashion this season looks so 80's to my jaded eyes, and this looks fun and fresh.