film: next stop, greenwich village.

Today, I'm heading up to NYC, and thought it appropriate to mention this film I saw a few days ago. Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976 romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Paul Mazursky) takes place in 1953 ... and is about Larry Lipinsky, a young Jewish boy from Brooklyn, New York, who moves to Greenwich Village to pursue his dreams of stardom. It features, amongst others, Lenny Baker, Shelley Winters, Ellen Greene, Lois Smith, Christopher Walken, and Jeff Goldblum. I thought that this film was overall very funny, and it was great to see young versions of Christopher Walken, and Jeff Goldblum act.

new stockist: nasty gal.

This coming fall, De*Nada's autumn/winter '09 line will be carried at Nasty Gal Online Boutique. Nasty Gal offers a wide selection of the most desirable and coveted new and vintage clothing and accessories available online. For more information, please visit www.shopnastygal.com

De*Nada is an emerging contemporary women’s and men’s accessories line created by DC-based designer, Virginia Arrisueño. Combining traditional elements with modern trends, De*Nada offers a rising collection of handmade knit accessories for individuals, who desire both quality and style.

Inspired by the culture and the traditions of her Peruvian heritage, Arrisueño works closely with skilled artisans in Perú to create De*Nada’s growing collection. De*Nada is currently sold at select retailers worldwide.

For additional information, please contact info@denadadesign.com / Visit De*Nada’s website at www.denadadesign.com

loves: mia michaels.

I think that this piece is so far my favorite from Mia Michaels. I know I said this before, but her choreography is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking.

de*nada: new collection on new site.

De*Nada launched a new online site today to showcase its autumn and winter knit ‘09 collection, which includes more than a dozen new designs for scarves, gloves and hats. Currently sold at select retailers throughout the U.S. and around the world, De*Nada’s line of handmade knit accessories, for both men and women, will be available at www.denadadesign.com in autumn 2009.

For additional information, please contact Virginia Blanca Arrisueño at info@denadadesign.com

About De*Nada
De*Nada is an emerging accessories line, specializing in handmade knits for women and men. De*Nada is the vision of its founder, Virginia Blanca Arrisueño, who in spring 2005 sought to blend contemporary styles with ethnic elements to offer stylish yet high-quality merchandise. Inspired by the culture and the traditions of her Peruvian heritage, Arrisueño continually works alongside skilled artisans in Perú to create De*Nada’s growing collection.

**Special (big) thanks to James Hobbs and David Zhou (web team), Lise Metzger (photographer), Morgan Hungerford (wardrobe stylist), Akemi Kanazaki (make-up and hair stylist), Zahra Bennett (assistant), Kelly Towles (my emotional and physical support), and our lovely models, Kristen and Sasha.

inspirations: dan witz's dark doings.

"I don't think I've ever been as excited as I am about this work I'm doing now... I'm calling it, "Dark Doings", inspired by my recent time in Amsterdam's red light district."-Dan Wiltz.

Borrowed from: Wooster Collective

music: you came out.

We Have Band - You Came Out (Official Music Video). Directed by David Wilson in very special collaboration with Fabian Berglund and Ida Gronblom from Wieden + Kennedy. Produced by Blinkink. Shot over 2 days and stop frame animated from 4,816 still images without a single moment of video footage.


For more info about We Have Band: www.myspace.com/wehaveband

art: mine.

Hermana ("sister"), 36 x 60 inches, Mixed Media, 2003

loves: panda head mag.

Panda Head Magazine is a DC based quaterly online magazine, which includes fashion spreads, interviews, vignettes, and photography. It’s a great magazine, which I always look forward to reading.

The creator of Panda Head is Morgan Hungerford, a good friend of mine who I met a few years back. She was also the stylist of our recent autumn & winter '09 lookbook (which will be debuting on our new online site soon ... knock on wood). Other members of Panda Head Mag include Erik Lofton and Nilay Lawson.

For more information: Panda Head Magazine

loves: dance.

choreographed by Mia Michaels.


choreographed by Mia Michaels.


choreographed by Sonya Tayeh.


choreographed by Sonya Tayeh.

I love all types of art. In specific, I love the art of dance and am so amazed at how dancers are able to move their body rhythmically and with so much control and refinement to music … and on top of that, be able to communicate to the viewer non-verbally and evoke such strong emotions. Can I dance? Unfortunately, I was born with two left feet so to speak … and so my chances to be a relatively "ok" dancer are … well, zero. I do love to dance though. However, I only dance in the comfort of my own home … Mia (my dog) is usually there staring at me with amusement.

Two choreographers who I am obsessed with at the moment are Mia Michaels and Sonya Tayeh. They have choreographed several performances for So You Think You Can Dance, an American dance reality television show and competition. Michaels, who has won an Emmy for her choreography, is such an inspiration and her contemporary work is absolutely breathtaking. Tayeh’s "combat jazz" routines are edgy and youthful ... gotta love a girl who can sport a mohawk. Overall, I always look forward to seeing their choreography every week on SYTYCD.

Here are four of my favorite pieces from this season and past of So You Think You Can Dance.

trip: the big apple.

Throughout the year, I tend to travel frequently. From DC to Las Vegas, to Lima, to LA, and so on and so on ... it seems like I am always going "somewhere" every other month.

This month, I am heading to New York City. The trip is mostly for business purposes ... I have meetings with a few stores, I need to "walk" a trade show and also check out some retail events, etc, etc. Although I'll only be there for a few days, I do plan to squeeze in some "fun" activities such as seeing art exhibitions, shopping, and of course visiting friends.

I've been to the "big apple" numerous times before. And I must admit that I am in love with this city. I mean, the whole city is a design inspiration. I constantly take mental notes whenever I'm there.

I look forward to heading up there ... and I'll be sure to take tons of photos and post them up when I get back.

happy 4th of july.

Okay, so I know I am one day early ... however since I rarely blog during the weekends, I figured it wouldn't hurt to say "Happy 4th of July!" early ... so, "Happy 4th of July!"

Wow ... is it me, or does time seem to be flying by so quickly nowadays. It seems like yesterday, I was celebrating my birthday, which was in early June. I know that this "fly by" is probably due to me being absolutely consumed with work lately... can you believe I even dream about work? ... which means that it's now effecting my sleep and making me look haggard and feel horrible in the mornings (how I pity my fiance). The past couple of weeks have been brutally stressful for me to say the least, and so I am actually looking forward to this weekend.

I don't have plans really ... not going home to see family ... don't have set plans to go to a barbeque. But to be honest, I'm actually looking forward to spending some time alone ... some "me" time. I am in definite need of a mental weekend, a few days to myself distressing my mind and body of any work related thought. What will I do? I have no idea ... I'll probably be spending my weekend taking Mia out for a run, renting a few dvd's and crashing on the couch, or even better, sleeping in on Sunday morning. Whatever I end up doing ... just be certain that I'll be attempting to recuperate fully before Monday creeps up again.

film: far from the 16th.

"Far from the 16th" from Paris, Je T'aime.

music: gentleman who fell.

borrowed from: cyana trendland.

So as I was skimming through cyana trendland this morning (I know, I'm hooked), I saw a post about Milla Jovovich's album "The Divine Comedy." Instantly, the post brought back so many memories for me. This album came out in 1994 ... I believe, I was 13 at the time. Back then, Milla Jovovich was only known for her modeling career, who then created a well-received 11 track album. I used to listen to "The Divine Comedy" specifically for one song, "gentleman who fell." It's a great song ... and today actually was my first time viewing the music video for it ... which I also love, of course.

inspirations: sabine pieper.

borrowed from: cyana trendland.

"German Fashion illustrator Sabine Pieper lives and works in Berlin. I have not read much about her but her work alone speaks profoundly of her soft vision and passion. She reveals beauty by using sultry colors in her illustration. Sabine’s eye is pure seduction. I am clearly in love with her work!"