Scent of the Month

This month's scent is Tom Ford's Violet Blonde, described as 

"A stunning scent for a new era of feminine glamour... an opulent, dressed-up fragrance 

that reveals a stunning new facet of violet with a ravishing, intriguing elegance."

Clockwise from top left: dress, necklace, clutch, coat, heels, scent, bracelet

Favorite California Books

Winter is always a great time to take a step back and curl up with a good book. We love to be
transported to different times, places, and experiences through literature, but sometimes it's
 also nice to read something more familiar, or to choose a book that reacquaints you with a
place you know well. As California natives, we have a special soft spot for some
West Coast writers and their work. These are our favorites:

Tyler's Picks

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

Play it as it Lays by Joan Didion

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Lindsey's Picks

Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson

Pulp by Charles Bukowski

Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende

Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Recipe: Tagliatelle & Mozzarella Filled Meatballs

This is a really easy and delicious version of meatballs, that has the added benefit of being gluten free, as long as you serve it with a quinoa pasta.

Ingredients:

16 oz of your favorite tomato sauce, either homemade or store bought (if you aren't making it yourself, Rao's does a nice jarred sauce)
1 lb. of grass fed ground beef
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (you'll need about 6 ounces)
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 shallot, finely diced
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix the beef with the garlic and shallots, and season well.  Then, take about a tablespoon of meat at a time, molding it around a small chunk of cheese.  Continue until all of the meatballs are formed, with the cheese fully encased in each.

Put the tomato sauce in a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer.  Cook the meatballs in the sauce, turning once, about five minutes on each side. 

Cook tagliatelle according to directions on packaging, so that it goes in the water at the same time the meatballs go in the sauce, until al dente.

Drain the pasta and toss it in the sauce with the meatballs.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Crazy About: Winter Whites

Clockwise from top left: sunglasses, blanket, art, pants, necklace, sneakers, clutch, coat, sweater, pillow

Song of the Week

30 Seconds to Mars - City of Angels

Favorite Hike: Lake Lagunitas

Lake Lagunitas is located in the town of Fairfax in Marin County, above the Meadow Club on lower Mount Tamalpais.  It's only a short drive from downtown Fairfax, but feels picturesquely remote.  The lake is in fact a reservoir, one of seven which provide water to the county, so there is no swimming, but some fishing is permitted.  We love it for the easy and lovely trail around the lake, and the incredible array of birds that are attracted to the water.  There are also several smaller trails which spread out from the lake, making it easy to spend anywhere from an hour or longer there. 

Note: As of this writing, the parking lot requires an eight dollar fee per car, payable by cash (no bills larger than $10 accepted)

Our Favorite Looks from the Spring 2014 Paris Couture Shows

Atelier Versace

Ulyana Sergeenko

Maison Martin Margiela

Christian Dior

Giambattista Valli

Elie Saab

Vionnet

Zuhair Murad

Chanel

Valentino

Interior Design Inspiration: American Hustle

Earlier this week we posted on the fantastic fashion of American Hustle. 

We loved the sets as well, with their use of bold pattern and rich colors (and of course gold). 

We were most inspired by the Rosenfeld's bedroom, and we put together a modern day version.

Clockwise from top left: bedding, curtains, lamp, pillow, cards, chair, folding screen, jambox
image from google

Green Apple Books

We love browsing a good bookstore to find our next favorite read. One of the best bookstores in San Francisco is Green Apple Books, located in the Inner Richmond. With hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from, we never leave empty-handed. You can also sell books to the store, which has been around since the late 60s.

If you can't make the trip to San Francisco the website is great as well, and features their recommendations as well as allowing you to purchase online.

Fashionable Film: American Hustle

American Hustle was nominated for several Academy Awards this year - including Best Picture - but one of their most deserving is for costume design.  The attention to detail in the perfectly 1970s outfits worn by Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, and the rest of the cast, were amazing.  We especially loved Amy Adams' character's style, which started out with lots of wrap dresses and conservative blouses, then evolved into dresses and tops cut down to her navel as she became a con artist.  The use of color was also phenomenal, as were the set design, and the hair and make up, making this a favorite style-wise.

All images via Google

Cocktail Recipe: Foggy Day

It's been warm here in California lately, so we've been drinking this refreshing cocktail often. 

When it gets to be summer, we will also throw in some fresh cucumber and basil leaves.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Gin

1/2 fresh squeezed Lemon

1 oz. Soda Water

1 oz. Pear Liqueur

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. 

Fill a highball with ice and pour cocktail over. 

Garnish with a fresh lemon slice.

Serves one.

Foodie Favorite: Guerrilla Tacos

Food trucks are of course a major trend, and we love Off the Grid up in San Francisco, but only recently stopped by the Guerrilla Tacos truck in Los Angeles.  Parked outside of Handsome Coffee Roasters in LA's Arts District, Guerrilla uses quality ingredients and changes their unique menu daily, based on whatever's freshest at the farmer's and various food markets.   They have an excellent variety of both meat and vegetable toppings to choose from, from the traditional with a twist to daringly inventive.  We were big fans of one of the breakfast tacos, which included bacon, broccolini, sliced cheddar, and a spicy red sauce, all topped with a poached egg.  The sliced cheddar guaranteed that each bite had the perfect amount of cheese, and the runny egg gave the dish just the amount of richness.  We can't wait to go back to see - and try - everything that's on the menu next...

Song of the Week

Jurassic 5 - What's Golden

Vista Vision

Screen Actors Guild Awards Ballot

Tune in tonight to the SAG awards! Will it be a repeat of the Golden Globe winners, or will there be a new set of 
faces making acceptance speeches? Choose your favorites on our handy ballot! 

We Recommend: Top of the Lake

We are a little late to the game on this mini-series, but we had to share our enthusiasm for it.  Written by Academy Award winning writer-director Jane Campion and novelist/screenwriter Gerard Lee, this series is set in the South Island of New Zealand, and stars Golden Globe winning Elisabeth Moss in a huge departure from her role as Peggy on Mad Men.  The setting in this remote, wilderness surrounded lakeside town - where a piece of land called Paradise houses a colony of broken women - is the perfect backdrop for a mystery series that touches on themes of abuse, family ties, and innocence lost.  The characters are all fascinating and flawlessly portrayed, and the story is one that will hook you and have you watching all seven episodes as quickly as possible.

The series played on the Sundance channel in the US (and it was the first miniseries to screen at the Sundance Festival), and is now available on Netflix and iTunes.

Images via Google

Happy 40th, Kate!

We can't believe one of our favorite style icons is 40 today! We hear Kate recorded a song with her husband Jamie Hince, and is celebrating with a Marie Antoinette themed bash. Here are some of our favorite past birthday looks of hers.

Kate's 25th hosted by Versace

The morning after - in a room at the Ritz shot by Juergen Teller

30th birthday - The Beautiful & the Damned themed party

Turning 33

Turning 34 in Chanel

Turning 38 with Jamie

Posing for Playboy's 60th anniversary