Anatomy Of A Dress

Awhile back I mentioned that a dress was being created for me by V. Mora Designs for an Oscars Week event.  I wore the dress on the red carpet to The Wrap's Pre-Oscars event at the Four Seasons Hotel where Oscar nominees Demian Bechir and Max von Sydow celebrated their awards season triumphs.  I wanted to  document how the whole dress came together so you can see how it all began.

Anna Livermore of V. Mora Designs asked me to pick some silhouettes that I liked.  I saw a photo of a dress that she had created that I loved and I sent a photo of a DVF dress since Diane von Furstenberg is one of my favorite designers.

 DVF

V. Mora Designs

Anna then sent me a series of sketches and fabrics.  We decided on a silk charmeuse fabric in coral since I haven't worn that color much on the red carpet.

While I was in Chicago for Toyota Live, we scheduled our first fitting.  Some adjustments were made on sizing and the collar.

We flirted with adding feathers to the tapered end of the asymmetrical collar, but the simplicity of the dress design spoke for itself.

Anna did some finishing touches and shipped it to me just in time for the event last Wednesday.  Here is what it looked like on the red carpet paired with my beloved Stuart Weitzman shoes.

The dress is being shipped back to Chicago as we speak because it will be auctioned off at Chicago Roundup to benefit the GLBT community who are in recovery.  I am so happy my dress will go to a great cause and I hope it brings in lots of money for the charity.

V. Mora Designs was featured in the March issue of Chicago Social, so check out the article (on Page 85) and my quote about Anna's incredible work.  Thank you, Anna, it was a pleasure to wear your designs on the red carpet.  You make a girl look good.

Find out more about V. Mora Designs here.

The Deets on the Dress

I've received so many kind emails, comments, and questions about the dress I wore to the 2nd Annual Thirst Project Gala.  Thank you!  This look was originally assembled for another event last fall, but I never got a chance to wear it.  The outfit finally made its debut on Tuesday. So, here is everything you need to know:

Stylist:  Roni B.
Makeup:  Carolina Groppa
Dress:  Daisy, $72
Shoes:  Stuart Weitzman (Winter 2007 Collection)
Jewelry:  Roni B and Target

I wanted to give you a close up of the detailing on the Stuart Weitzman shoes.  Roni and I went through every gold shoe in my closet because Purple and Gold has a tendency to make me look like a Lakers Girl.  It had to be just the right shade of gold to enhance the eggplant-colored dress.

One other wonderful detail added by Roni was the brooch in the middle of the vertical bow.  It made a very simple dress look elegant and sophisticated.  A perfect compliment to the rest of the look.

Take a look at a few other outfits Roni has pulled together for me here, here, and here.

Top photo courtesy of Leilani Gushiken.

Portland in Pictures

I spent the latter half of last week in Portland for The Dew Tour with one of my favorite clients.  I always love traveling to new cities and exploring the local neighborhoods.  As I've gotten older and many of my friends have moved to greener pastures in the 'burbs, I have realized that I love concrete and tall buildings.  I don't think I will ever leave the city.  It may not always be Los Angeles, but it will always be a city.  I've always had an affinity for Portland and here are a few reasons why:

1.  I already offered up the unique tasty treat of the Maple Bacon Bar at Voodoo Doughnuts on Friday, but remember, like Magnolia Bakery in the Big Apple, there is always a wait:

2.  As an owner of a Prius, I am definitely on board the organic, chemical-free, recycling, solar-paneled way of life.  I just loved the fact that the city of Portland offered solar-paneled compactors in the streets:

                                               

3.  I grabbed an amazing lunch at Tom's 1st Avenue Bento.  Tom must run a highly profitable business:  the line is out the door and he is only open from Monday-Friday from 11AM-5PM.  It is not to be missed on your next trip and the staff is incredibly friendly too. I had an medium rare, tender steak marinated in their special sauce with brown rice and steamed vegetables.  Yum!

                                                

4.  Speaking of food, this is what LA needs to do with all of their food trucks now that restaurants and the city council is complaining, build the trucks into local parking lots.  There were rows and rows of the Koji trucks in the corners of the city parking lots along 3rd Avenue.  It doesn't affect the restaurant business and it offers lots of choices for local foodies.  

                                    

5.  One of the best states in the US to shop because there is no sales tax on clothing.  I stocked up on birthday gifts for my niece and I checked out the nicest Goodwill store I have ever seen.  Be sure to check it out the next time you are in town.  The stock this week offered designers like Dolce & Gabbana, Stuart Weitzman, and Alice & Oliva all at affordable prices.  The outfits are well-styled inside with a significant costume jewelry collection too.  

An adorable Alice & Olivia dress at the Goodwill store all for under $45.

6.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention the MAX. It is a great way to get to and from the airport and the city offers free fares between the downtown locations.  Portland is also a great walking city, so leave that car at home and hop on foot, on a bike, or on the MAX to get around. If you need to rent a car, check out zipcar one of the most eco-friendly and innovative car-sharing ideas around. 

7.  I was there for The Dew Tour, so I had to see some of the skateboarding masters.  Bucky Lasek, an X-Games legend and two-time Snowboarding Olympic Gold Medalist, Shaun White.  Shaun had taken a year off from skateboarding to train for the 2010 Olympics and he still came in first place this weekend.  He is just that great of an athlete.  He catches so much air, it is really inspiring to watch in person:

Shaun catching some major air on the left of the ramp.

Portland is a little sleepy compared to LA, but I really enjoyed my stay.  A couple of things to note though:  the crunchy, granola vibe is often taken to an extreme with the lack of hygiene idea.  I know you don't want to waste water, you eco-friendly Portlanders, but sometimes soap and water is a good thing.  Finally, the city does have an aggressive homeless population.  There was a fight between two homeless men while I was in line for Voodoo Doughnuts that ended with one man throwing a garbage can lid at the other man's head.  This is not just in the rougher neighborhoods, it is all over the city.  Be prepared and aware of this issue when you visit.  I hope Portland has a plan in place to help those in need because it does color a visitor's perception of the city and we know how Detroit fared after my visit earlier this year.

So, get out to Oregon, shop, eat, and have a Maple Bacon Bar for me.  Let me know if I missed other Portland gems for my next visit.  (I have been to Powell's Books many times, so I know that is probably the first suggestion on everyone's list.  Thanks!)