Lessons from the quintessential beach bunny

You hear Pam Anderson's name and you think "Baywatch", buxom, blonde...she is a beach bunny extraordinaire.

Last summer she gave House and Garden magazine her recipe for living like queen of the beach.

1. Don't forget to put on the glam shades...
she loves Bottega Veneta.

2. Smell like you're as comfortable on the French Riviera as you are in Malibu...Mix your own special concoction like Pam does by mixing Bain De Soleil #4 with fig oil.
3. Look good while lounging. Pam wears Dermalogica tinted sunscreen, MAC waterproof mascara and MAC Lipglass. if she's feeling especially spicy she might wear MAC VIVA GLAM lipstick in Viva Glam ( of course ).
4. Lay out on white towels strewn with pillows...sounds really comfy. ( She specified white so don't stray from the program - this is serious business looking glamorous on the beach in Malibu ).
I am implementing this whole procedure on the fourth of July in Paradise Cove ( home of the Matthew Mc Conaughey madness ). I will let you know if I get trampled by paparazzi. At least I'll look good if it happens :)

Circle this idea...

This picture ( the one with Tory Burch )was the inspiration for my current Alabama Stitch Book skirt project. I originally started with different colored circles appliqued all over the skirt.

I didn't like it - I just don't do polkadots. They're not me...but circles are different.

Now Tory Burch knows how to do circles. The tunic above is my inspiration for the vintage studs, and I am using the swatches on the wall as inspiration for the rest of the design...what do you think?

So Free City Malibu is...

As I have said in my earlier posts, Malibu is ageless especially when it comes to style. We like comfort with some rock n roll, some easiness yet hip, a little artsy with attitude. Most of all we don't like to try hard too hard. Free City definitely defines all of those things.

Nina Garduno developed Free City. She is, last I heard, the V.P. of Ron Herman's men's division. I worked with her years ago at Fred Segal Melrose ( a good 12 years after Max Azria ) and she is brilliant when it comes to recognizing how to combine comfort with chic, or couture with comfort - whichever suits you best. Remember those crazy expensive vintage rock t-shirts studded with crystals ( $700+ each )? That was Nina's fashion forwardness. What about those distressed revamped, restudded Levi's and cargos all the celebrities were wearing - remember those? Yep, that was Nina too.

Vogue magazine noticed her saaviness and voted FREE CITY as one of the " 7 Essentials". The New York Times wrote a great article called "800 Very Unsquare Feet".They're not kidding either - it's really a rectangle. Although i don't think they were talking about the shape - just the hipness of it all.

Personally, I love the shop even more than clothes. It's a really magical space. The energy is different - amazingly creative. Like nothing I have ever seen. Don't expect Fred Segal, this shop is nothing like it. No nightclub atmosphere with blaring techno. Just cool, unpretentious and artsy. The vibe fits in very well Malibu. The theme lends itself to the indian spirit - unique concept especially since Malibu was founded by the Chumash Indians. I am not sure Nina meant it to be that way, but that is largely what gives it it's mystical air...almost like paying respect to the past...All I can is it's very cool and if you get out here you must visit the store. Meanwhile you can shop online here.

If I was a contemporary girl

This is what my office would look like. This is a beach house in Malibu. I found this pic in Cottage Living magazine last year. Love the Marilyn Monroe pic too.

Beautiful Bardot

Brigitte Bardot always reminds of the summertime. Probably because we saw so many pics of her on the beach.

When I found these pics ( source unknown ) I couldn't wait to share them.

Stunning right? Look at that hat...her makeup is flawless. Just gorgeous...

Through my eyes

This is the view from my beach towel today in the Colony ( Malibu Rd. ). You got front row seats. Enjoy :)

Back in the day

Ah yes...this is me ( left ) and my homegirl Lana. We have known each other since we were 18 years old. OMG the stuff we used to do...scandalous ;)

We met in 1983 when we bothed worked at Jess Boutique on Beverly Dr. ( Beverly Hills ) for Max Azria. I am sure all of you know BCBG Max Azaria. That was our first boss. This was long before he was BCBG. In fact he was still married to his first wife. So let's be clear - "we knew him when..." - :) We still laugh about how hard he was on us - but hey, look at where he is now. As a matter of fact, when I talk to people in the fashion industry and they hear who I worked for - even at 18 - I've suddenly just earned major "street cred" so the conversation never gets to whether I went to FIDM or not. Everybody in the industry knows how hard Max is to work for. If you were hired by him, you must have something. Well, that's good to know...

Anyway, Lana came out to the Bu and we hung out at Duke's with the hubbies and my daughter Tatum and her boyfriend. Lots of fun talking about the old days and drinking cocktails on the Pacific Ocean.

The Sunday Surfer

Years ago my husband was a daily surfer. He grew up on the beachs of southern California hitting the surf from Encinitas to Malibu and beyond. He has since developed a passion for golf ( like a lot of men in their 40's ) and has now become a "Sunday surfer". That suits me fine as we take our beach cruisers up the road to Paradise Cove and surf Little Dume. No turf wars, just good old fashioned fun - So Cal style. Kind of like this pic of my husband 8 years ago :)

and as a surf rat in his younger days...

Even Warren Buffet might need these guys...

I don't care if you are Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett. Chances ( 79% ) are you have errors on your credit report. My husband and I have been in the process of refinancing ( like many of other Americans ) and I can tell you it was mind blowing to see the sheer negligence of the creditors and the bureaus. I have tried to correct these errors on my own for the past two years.

Duplicate accounts ( one bank reported a credit line twice, a credit card company upgraded our cards and reported two cards open etc... ) and other negligent, incorrect items were on both of our reports. Our mortgage broker reviewed both reports and referred us to Real Results Credit. After two years of being frustrated with no results ( no pun intended ) I was happy to be referred to someone that really helped ( not some scam promising - but never delivering ). These people really did what they said they were going to do and they didn't waste time. That's why I am writing about them.

I'm also excited because they just started a new blog, informing the public on how they can take charge of their credit instead of being held hostage by the creditors and the bureaus.

The information is very informative - but I have to tell you it was much better to just let them do it for me. They have fought the same battles before and are much better at it than I could be. After spending two years trying to get some place with these companies, it was just too much stress ( aside from work and kids etc... ).

I am happy to say that we are credit issue free and we have the credit monitoring service to stay on top of any error that may pop up.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...now I can relax :)

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Fred Segal Melrose just sold out of Project Ecoart!!! How happy can I be that $28 candle tiles/coasters ( each piece ) have sold out in two weeks?! I am so happy, humbled...overjoyed!

Revolution Malibu... Surf blue. Live Green.

Revolutionmalibu.tv has been my baby for a while. It's my main website with all kinds of wonderful products being added all the time. This website is the Malibu lifestyle for the artist, the surf rat and then environmentalist. It's up and running ( we are making some navigation pages so if you have questions please email me at revolutionmalibu@yahoo.com ) so feel free to peruse and enjoy.

The other hubs are still having technical difficulties ( projectecoart.com and shoprevolutionmalibu.com ) and once they are up and running correctly, they will be extensions of Revolutionmalibu.tv - which we hope to make into a t.v. channel soon!

Rock and roll baby

Here are some projects I have been working on...



Bob Marley t-shirt for my daughter...




Jimi hendrix t-shirt for one of her friends... ( she already has one ).

One love baby...rasta man...

Peace.

Sheer brilliance

One of my new favorite blogs is resurrection fern.

The sheer brilliance of crocheting rocks and gourds...so different and so beautiful!
You can see the beauty of the rock and the crochet. I love it!!!

Crazy Good

Unbelievably stunning jewelry from Laura Kranitz.

Old School

For all of us who love the Alabama Stitch Book, we developed our love for this style from the original couture line "Project Alabama". Here, I've posted a few pics found in various places ( Ebay mostly ) that were part of the original company that Natalie Chanin founded. This insipration in not to be confused with the new Project Alabama. Use this inspiration to guide you through new projects you make the the Alabama Stitch Book. Happy sewing!!!

Love this lace

These beautiful cuffs are seriously stunning. Is this not a fantastic way to recycle? I'm thrilled!!! See more of this great designer "Robes Of Earth" here.

WARNING: This could encourage an addiction to hoarding scrap lace and other finds.

Brazilian beauties

More great eco friendly jewelry from Brazilian artist Silvina Romero
Doesn't it make you want to hunt for colorful fabric scraps? I have told myself that I will not work on any other projects until my studio is clean. It's a mess.
Until then I can go to her site and enjoy her fab pieces.

I have a new hero

His name is Jonathan Fong. He decoupaged these kitchen cabinets with Warhol posters!! Check out his other great ideas.

The House of designated drivers

Here's the good news about having teens...when they become of age, they want to drive - everywhere - so our answer is :

Parent: "Wanna drive? "

Teen: "Yeah!"

Parent: " Cool. Drive us out to Latigo Kid" ( fabulous margaritas and mexican food in Agoura )

Teen: " AAAAAAAAH! " ( not the good kind of "aaaaaah" )

that's my kind of payback for all of those tantrums :)

Tonight's featured driver is ...Leaza. The youngest who I did not have the pleasure of giving birth to, like the other natural blond in the family, Corey. These are my "Brady Bunch" two. The two dark headed ones are exclusively of my DNA.

The cobbler has new shoes

Finally...wine glasses for me to enjoy.