Warhol piece sells for infathomable percentage more than its actual value.

Andy Warhol's '200 One Dollar Bills' sold earlier this week for $43.7 million at a Sotheby's auction. Which is incredibly ironic in so many ways.

I am considering investing in some rolls of quarters this weekend, laying them out on aluminum foil and cardboard and selling the final piece for a gazillion dollars. I welcome serious inquiries from serious collectors only.

[via WWD]

Happy birthday Sesame Street.

It's everyone's favorite children's TV show's anniversary today. Sesame Street celebrates the big 4-0. And it doesn't look a day over 7 if you ask me.

40 years ago, Sesame Street was revolutionary--combining entertaining programming with educational material was radical. Now, there are networks and DVDs and troupes of performers dedicated to this very cause.

But Big Bird and Cookie Monster and gay lovers Bert and Ernie were the first to do it.

And for that, I say [on behalf of my former child self] thank you and Happy Birthday!

(Even Google acknowledged Sesame Street's big day today. And you know you've made it big time when Google redesigns its home page for you.)

We Like To Party: the Silverlake Art Crawl fiasco.

When folks talk about a 'crawl' it generally involves a group of destinations--similar in theme and close in proximity. The Silverlake Art Crawl would have better been called a scavenger hunt. One with stops very, very, very far away from each other. In which guests are tasked with finding good art and interesting activities. Which were, as it turned out, relatively hard to find on the crawl's itinerary.

But here are some of the more interesting things and places spotted along the crawl.

Gogosha is an optical store for those with, shall we say, taste. We came upon it by accident after the first two stops along the crawl failed us. Pictured below are a ridiculous pair of sunglasses by Mykita and Willhelm that I tried on for kicks (as featured on Sex and the City).

We discovered Lawson-Fenning, a fabulous furniture and design store. Especially awesome? These big, big feet.

In the back of the store is yet another store, Ivanhoe Books, with beautiful coffee table books to last your living room's lifetime.

Materials & Applications hosted a fish taco party in their courtyard. M&A is a seemingly very cool research center, specializing in architecture, urban landscaping and design.

The fish tacos were made with tilapia fish bred in the center's most recent installation. This is either really cool. Or really gross depending on how you look at it. And depending on if you happened to overhear that tilapia are bottom feeders.

There happened to be some great street art right outside our parking spot. This was not thanks to the Silverlake Art Crawl. This was simple and pure luck.

The folks at Subliminal Projects Gallery (Shepard Fairey's Echo Park art lair), let us in early to get a sneak peak at WK Interact's show, 'How to Blow Yourself Up' which opened later on that night. I became aware of WK's work during a show I worked for Seth Carmichael of Carmichael Gallery. A-mazing.

We stopped by Junc Gallery to celebrate Blood is the New Black's 5 year anniversary with founder Mitra K. Great people. Great art. Great cupcakes (c/o Lemonade, my new favoritest spot for food in LA).

And worth sharing, is my new friend at the vintage lingerie shop next to Junc Gallery. She's fun. She's fabulous. She doesn't talk much.

The RSVP Line (Weekend Edition): An artsy kind of Saturday.

You spent the week in a cubicle (those few of you who aren't actors who spend mornings on Runyon Canyon, anyway). So, get yourself out of the box this weekend with some artsy, fartsy activities around town. It'll make you feel better. Promise.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7

* SILVERLAKE ART CRAWL brings art, parties and beer to the East side. How does this differ from a normal weekend in Silverlake, you ask? Ummm...I'll get back to you on that? I can tell you that participating galleries and venues include the very beautiful Barnsdall Art Park, Black Maria Gallery, Le Luz de Jesus (which is just plain fun to say), and Thinkspace. The crawl extends from Saturday thru Sunday, with opening parties, music, hipsters and Dos Equis scattered throughout the weekend. I imagine enough beer and wine will be served to indeed have you crawling, if moving at all, by the end. Click here for the full schedule of events.

* Also on Saturday and part of the aforementioned Art Crawl is friend, Mitra Khayyam's BLOOD IS THE NEW BLACK 5th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION at Junc Gallery. The exhibition will feature original works from the diverse artists who have designed images for the company; celebrating past, present and future T-shirt collaborations. Happy Anniversary Blood is the New Black!

Design Dish: Comme des Garçons & The Beatles, a questionable collaboration.

I wanted so badly to like this collaboration. I have great love for Comme des Garçons. I have great love for The Beatles. I have gratitude for a major design house's willingness to produce a leather-free collection. But if the rest of the collection looks anything like this first bag I've seen, I just cannot get behind it. It would be an assault on my personal style.

[via Hypebeast]

If a tree falls and no one tweets about it...

I know exactly where hundreds of my friends, acquaintances and ex-boyfriends are right now. I know what my coworker is listening to several cubes over. And I know what you ate last night for dinner...with whom...and what celebrity was sitting next to you. You likely know even more about me.

Because when something funny (or sad, or thrilling, or quite possibly mundane) happens these days, we are all rushing to our desktops and mobile phones to let the rest of our thousand person networks know about it.

It is human nature to seek acknowledgment. Even before computers, how many of us would wish our good deeds to go unnoticed, our funny stories to go untold, and so on? But with the rise of Facebook and Twitter and all the systems that interconnect these multiple social networks, it seems that a feeling is not valid, an action not significant, a sick family member not really disheartening, unless we can gain the feedback and cheers and sympathies of our peers.

This realization is not a new one. Many have already commented on the direct relationship between increasing use of social media and our increasing levels of narcissism. But what I really want to know is...

If you feel something in the forest...and no one's around to tweet about it...does it warrant feeling at all?

Sounds: currently listening to...Zee Avi

Zee Avi is young (she is only 23).

She came to LA just a year or so ago from Borneo, by way of Kuala Lumpu.

She has one of those discovery stories that inspires and is awesome and I'm listening to her first album as we speak.

Where the Wild Things Are. As interpreted by dirty hipsters.

I saw 'Where the Wild Things Are' last week in the theatre. I was disappointed. Spike Jonze and Warner Brothers turned my beloved childhood tale by Sendak into a drawn out, emo, plotless film. It was beautiful, yeah. But as my friend noted--it totally could have/should have been a short.

I just saw 'Where the Dirty Hipsters Are' about two minutes ago. I was thrilled. Secret Sauce turned an underwhelming feature into a smart, two-minute short with fun LA references for us Eastside Angelenos. It was awesome.

[via FishbowlLA]

Food Find: Islands (just like the tropics...except dingy and full of red meat)

In my 4-plus years in LA, I'd never been to Islands, the ubiquitous chain restaurant that seems to be on every commercial corner of LA County. And I was curious. Well, I was as curious as a vegetarian could be about what is essentially a spruced up burger joint. And then yesterday--stuck at an event set-up at the Westside Pavilion, where the food choices range from grody Panda Express to pricey Westside Tavern with nothing in between--I took a walk and gave in to Islands.

Here is what I noticed...

The food--it's not very good. At least not for a vegetarian on a diet.

The options--they do offer smaller, more affordable portions of menu items. Like unlimited chips and salsa for under two bucks. And single portion desserts. That's cool. I respect you, Islands, for that.

The information overload--With the menus on your table, Islands offers a Nutritional Data sheet for your review. Eating alone, I had the time to read through this. The Chocolate Lava dessert has 1440 calories. Which is almost as bad as the Kilauea Burger which comes in at a whopping 1600 calories. Well, thank you Islands for offering me great sounding menu items and then telling me they're pretty much going to kill me. Super appetizing.

The B.S. name--Islands is perhaps the most misleading restaurant name I've ever been bamboozled by. There were no cool breezes. There were no attractive shirtless men in leis. And I'm positive--well, nearly positive--that burgers are not the staple diet on any island I've ever heard of. At no point during my meal did I think, 'hey, I could totally be in Maui right now.' I was completely and totally aware for the entirety of my bad salad that I was in a mediocre burger restaurant. In West LA. And for that, I blame Islands.

Design Dish: LA Adventures in vintage boot shopping.

There is little I love better than shopping. The search for the perfect fit. The excitement of a sale. The thrill of a buy. So, when my friends at StyleSectionLA.com asked me to research a piece on vintage boot shopping in LA for their awesome new website, I was in no position to say no.

Stops on the tour included Lemon Frog, Slow, Pop Killer, Decades Inc., and What Goes Around. Below are a few of my favorite boot shots from my shopping trip....

Visit StyleSectionLA for the full story!

Wisdom from the great Madeleine Albright + other memories from the Women's Conference.

Earlier this week I had the great pleasure of attending the Women's Conference. Now these things can go a few ways. You get 25,000 women together and you can have a large trade show floor full of knitting circles and estrogen pills and female finance tools (because, of course, we need our own finance tools--we are simply so inept, are we not?). Or you can get 2 days of intelligent conversations between thoughtful, smart people [who happen to be women].

The 2009 Women's Conference was a little bit of both. But I will skip talk about the expo hall--where I passed more booths selling scarves and handbags than I care to wax on about and sampled more energy bars than one should consume in a 24 hour period--and jump straight to the heart of the Conference, founded and hosted by Cali's First Lady, Maria Shriver: Madeleine Albright at the Luncheon Panel.

Madame Secretary--as the panel moderator, David Gregory, kept calling her--or Madeleine, as she insisted on being called--is perhaps the sharpest tool in the proverbial shed of females living today. And I was honored to hear the 72 year-old firecracker speak.

A couple of memorable quips from her lunchtime banter with co-panelists Valerie B. Jarrett (Senior Advisor to President Obama), Amy Holmes and Claire Shipman...

'I think every woman's middle name is guilt.'


'I think there's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other.'


'Women don't have to hate men to get ahead.'

And it is the last quote that stood out as especially poignant at a conference like this one. It is so unfortunately commonplace for women, when they get together to 'empower' themselves, to form coups against the so-called 'majority' of men. Well, ladies, the 'majority' is not such a majority--they're half the population. We're half the population. What our fate becomes, and the burden we may carry from prior years of oppression, is no longer the sole fault of the opposite [and less gentle] sex. Our fate is ours to define and it is not healthy nor helpful to define it in juxtaposition to those with differing genetalia.

I hope that soon we won't find it necessary to hold conferences dedicated to women's issues. Issues are issues and they're shared amongst all of us--those who happen to be pretty and thoughtful and sensitive and those who happen to be, well, men. [Insert smiley face here. I promise kid.]

The horrors of Halloween.

Someone in the elevator just commented to me that 'everyone's getting into the halloween spirit.' I wonder if he mistook my all black outfit for Halloween spirit. I don't have Halloween spirit. I don't do costumes. I'm just a New Yorker. And even in LA, a New Yorker still needs to don an all black outfit once in a while. To remind herself of her obligatory cynicism and express her mourning for LA's lack of changing seasons.

To all those who are celebrating Halloween tomorrow (oh hell, you've all been trying to push your candy on me all month--you can't even contain your celebrating to a single day any more), enjoy! I hope that a fully grown adult in bear costume frightens you to your heart's content. And then gives you candy. Cause we all need more candy in our lives.

HAPPY  HALLOWEEN.

Diane von Furstenberg gives great bag.

This afternoon I stopped by C Magazine and Rashida Jones' lunchtime shopping event at the Diane von Furstenberg store in West Hollywood which my lovely friend was producing. And though I'm usually not crazy for gift bags--who needs another gift certifcate off some pricey item I still can't afford. and I have enough sample size perfumes to last me a smelly lifetime, thank you very much--I am totally smitten with DvF's canvas tote bag which they handed out upon departure. I am indeed 'proud to be woman.' And I am totally proud to wear this awesome bag.

LA Times does weddings. Cause anything NY can do, we can do [too].

Everyone who knows me knows I love the NY Times' Weddings &  Celebrations section. Well, the LA Times is now entering my the arena of love and nuptials as well. Because 'Asking is hard. Letting everyone know is easy.'

For a limited time, place a free wedding, engagement or commitment announcement in the new Together section.

The RSVP Line: Kia brings good music to LA next weekend. For free.

I thought auto dollars were gone with the crash and burn of the industry earlier this year. Apparently not completely. KIA, of all brands, is clearly spending big in order to align itself with the cool, musically minded young city-dwellers of America with a [quite frankly] awesome event. Behold the KIA Soul Collective Tour. With music, art and design peppered throughout the weekend, the climax of the event is a Silversun Pickups concert on Sunday night. The way to score the golden tickets to an otherwise free and open-to-the-public weekend? A KIA test drive of course. *

Be sure to reap the musical benefits of KIA's marketing dollars while they last...

The Kia Soul Collective
November 6 – 8

Siren Studios
1050 N. Orange Drive
Hollywood, CA 90038

* Test drives start on Friday, November 6 at Noon and run from Noon to 8 PM on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so come on down and check out how we roll.  Tickets are given away on a first come, first serve basis.

Art in LA: The Ultravelvet Collection

What's better than two beautiful people? Two beautiful people who make beautiful art, that's what. This week, my great friends Meredith Rose and Eric Aston, the artistic duo behind The Ultravelvet Collection, are celebrating their new relationship with the Guy Hepner Gallery with a very special opening reception. I will sadly miss this special occasion for work (what's new?!), but couldn't go the week without sharing the news with all of you!

The Ultravelvet Collection Opening Reception

Thursday, October 29th
7 - 9 p

Guy Hepner
300 North Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048

For more information on the soiree, click here.

Obsessions: Barbie + Christian Louboutin create a new modern classic.

Barbie is classic. Christian Louboutin is classic. Together, they are a force beyond reckoning with.

Next month, the world's most celebrated shoe designer and famed bobblehead beauty will release a collaborative doll that trades out Barbie's usual blond tresses and good girl looks with a red do and a leather ensemble on the verge of X-Rated.

For more info on this Barbie doll you'd be best to keep away from your children, visit Barbie Collector.

Food Find: Yogurtland (with a splash of Japanese design culture)

For those of you who aren't yet familiar with Yogurtland, it's like a Pinkberry 2.0 for Americans who prefer a shot of sugar with their tart frozen yogurt. Amongst the celebrated Angelenos who heart the fro yo chain include Lauren Conrad, Lindsay Lohan, and now, well, me. I didn't get it before. You make your own dessert. You put on your own toppings. Great. There's a frozen yogurt machine in the cafeteria. I can deal without Yogurtland...I thought.

Turns out that Yogurtland takes making your own dessert to new levels of awesome with yogurt flavors like Peanut Butter, Pumpkin Pie, NY Cheesecake, and Double Cookies & Cream. Toppings range from the healthy (I opted for fruit on today's adventure) to the decadent (cookie dough, Heath bar, and the list goes on).

 

And as an added bonus, tokidoki, the colorful Japanese design house [brought to the US via an Italian] is in stores right now to brighten up the already cheery yogurt experience. Cause everyone likes colorfully creepy bears, cats and kids with their non-fat frozen yogurt.

The busiest location I've passed by is on La Brea. For a quicker, quieter Yogurtland experience, try the Downtown spot.

Yogurtland - Little Tokyo
1670 South Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The RSVP Line: Hello Kitty's 35 and doesn't look a day over 5.

This Saturday, Hello Kitty will be celebrating her 35th anniversary all day and all night long with her coolest LA friends at Royal/T. And what better venue to celebrate a love of all things cute and Japanese?

The party starts at 10 am with a brunch with DJ Valida, continues throughout the morning and afternoon with a meet and greet with the Hello Kitty design team, workshops and more. And come evening time, Hello Kitty will be throwing down with our friends from Lovemade.

Don't miss the cutesy fun. Maybe Hello Kitty will even share her secrets for keeping her youthful look well into her 30s...

Hello Kitty 35th Anniversary & Fan Party

Three Apples Exhibition
Celebrating all things Hello Kitty

Saturday, October 24th
5 - 7 p
= ( ^ . ^ ) =

ROYAL T CAFÉ/SHOP/ART SPACE
8910 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Food Find: Coolhaus, my favorite new food truck.

With all the brick and mortar places to get grub in LA, the allure of chasing down a truck to get a snack has dumbfounded me since the fad began.

Well, I'm a changed woman now. Last night Coolhaus made an appearance at the event I was working. And I'm in serious like with the mobile store. Coolhaus' specialty? Customizable ice cream sandwiches!

Cookie choices included chocolate, sugar, and chocolate chip. And ice cream flavors ranged from the simpler (just don't say plain) to the whimsical (Earl Gray) to the awesome (Blue Honey &Pine Nut) to the intoxicating (White Russian).

The truck itself--a boxy, little vehicle, somewhere between a Smart Car and a Taco Truck--is the creation of two young architects and is as cool as the desserts inside.

You can, of course, follow the truck's journeys [and try your own ice cream creation] on Twitter.