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Celebs, Check! Yummy Cupcakes, Check! Affordable Vintage In L.A, Nope

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Robyn Moreno spots Jane Fonda at the Beverly Wilshire

Robyn Moreno spots Jane Fonda at the Beverly Wilshire

So I have been in the city of angels for five days, and while I have spotted some celebs (Jane Fonda being the coolest as far as I’m concerned), and had some pretty good meals:

Spanish Kitchen on La Cienega—Paris Hilton had her bday party there if u care for that fodder. Eve Longoria’s restaurant Beso didn’t have great options for vegetarians, though the bartenders are very hunky, telenovela hot, so dine at the bar! Red velvet cupcakes at Big Man Cupcakes in downtown L.A., this area looks SUPER hipster BTW, worth exploring…

Robyn Moreno's fave cupcakes in L.A.

Robyn Moreno's fave cupcakes in L.A.

I have YET to find any awesome vintage deals. Let me clarify and say L.A. is LOUSY (lousy meaning a lot in the Holden Caulfield sense) with vintage/thrift stores, there’s seriously four to a block. However, I have yet to find any great deals or any special pieces.  I went to the National Council of Jewish Women thrift store on Fairfax near Melrose on the advice of a friend and there prices were super inflated, very disappointing.

This does makes sense as this is a very hip ‘hood, so I’d say skip the Melrose/Fairfax area and maybe head to Reseda or something.

This weekend I plan to hit some swapmeets, so hopefully I’ll have something good to report!

Off to much, muah!

xxooo, Robyn

I Found The Cheapest BlowOut In Los Angeles!!

Robyn Moreno's favorite place for a blow out in L.A.

Robyn Moreno's favorite place for a blow out in L.A.

Sometimes getting lost leads you to EXACTLY the right spot!

Yesterday, I headed out (in my trusty Ford Fusion) in search of a blowout here in Los Angeles, and I somehow ended up in Korea Town. While it wasn’t the prettiest block ever, a sign called to me like a beacon, and what I discovered inside was nothing less than earth shattering:

A salon that offers AWESOME blowouts WITH a bang cut (if needed) for $15!

They do give you a rather STRAIGHT blow out, so you might want to direct them otherwise if that’s not your thing. See my hair below.

This beauty heaven is called Rose Beauty Salon (or maybe something else in Korean?) and its located on 3rd St. Tell ‘em I sent ya!!

Robyn Moreno with her korean town blowout

Robyn Moreno with her korean town blowout

Hybrid + Power Yoga+ Raw Food Tacos=Welcome To L.A

Hi dudes!

So I am in (kinda) sunny L.A. for work this week and this trip didn’t come a moment too soon! If I had to slush through another mound of snow back in NYC, I would have have kicked someone in the shin with my snow boots.

I haven’t been to the city of angels (and lots of homeless people) in like 3 years, so I am STOKED! :)

First sign that I was in LA was my rental is a hybrid—NICE!

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This Ford Fusion is bad ass and doesn’t make any noise when you start the ignition—weird.

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The second way I knew I was in L.A. was when I went to yoga with my friend Marianne at her favorite studio Earths’ Power Yoga. Touted as the “Toughest Yoga Class on Earth” I should have known I’d get my culo kicked! Supposedly you burn like five times more calories than a regular yoga class (Penelopé Cruz and Renee Zellewger are huge fans.) While I did survive, barely, I usually prefer more chanty, alignment driven yoga (I come from the Colleen Saidman/Rodney Yee school, :)

BUT when in L.A. do as the Angelenos do I say, so I  will be back, though maybe not today, :)

My LAST confirmation I was in Los Loco Angeles was that last night for dinner I had killer tacos (which I was SOO looking forward to) but they were RAW…not totally heinous!

I picked them up from Whole Foods ( they are from a company called Oaxacan Raw Living Foods—which I can’t find anywhere on the internet.) I think they were made out of nuts and greens and other raw stuff—to further “liven” them up, I added my own homemade guac and salsa.) They ended up being quite rico—though I have never met a taco I didn’t like! To share the love, below is a recipe for Raw Food Tacos, disfruta!

I’ll be back to report on LA fashion (is that an oxymoron?) and LA dudes, :)

xxxoo, Hasta Pronto!

Robyn

I found this raw food taco recipe on Raw Food Nation

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Ingredients:

  • 4 collard leaves (each leaf makes two taco wraps)
  • 2 cups raw sunflower seeds*
  • 1 cups raw slivered almonds*
  • 2 avocados (or 1 1/2 cups fresh guacamole)
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 2-3 tbsp extra virgin organic olive oil
  • ground pepper, cumin
  • 2 cups of your favorite salsa

*You can pre-soak the nuts and seeds for 12 hours before making this dish, but it is not required.

Kitchen Equipment:

  • Cutting board & knives
  • Food processor

Directions:

1. Pour the sliced almonds, raw sunflower seeds and olive oil into a food processor and pulse.

2. Add the seasonings of ground pepper and cumin to taste. We recommend a few dashes on top for eash seasoning. Then pulse your food processor a few more times to mix everything together.

3. Rinse and dry your collard leaves. Then on a cutting board, lay down one leaf. Cut the leaf in half as close to the spine as possible. Remove the spin (if you do not wish to discard it, set it aside for juicing/smoothie making later).

4. Also chop up your avocado and your red pepper, julienne style.

5. With the collard leaf half facing you horizontally, pick a spot to vertically place your ingredients. Use a spoon to scoop out the nutmeat you just made and lay it straight up and down. Remember, you’ll be wrapping these up, so a little goes a long way.

6. Top the nut meat with a couple slices of avocado (or guacamole if that’s what you chose) and red pepper.

7. Gently use your fingers to roll the taco up. If any ingredients slide out, just use your spoon to place them back inside. Then place the finished taco on a separate plate for serving.

8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 for the remaining ingredients.

9. Serve on a plate and garnish with your favorite salsa.

How To Buy Affordable Art

Robyn Moreno wants this painting by Guillermo Olguin

Robyn Moreno wants this painting by Guillermo Olguin

There are certain decisions that haunt you for the rest of your life: like not giving your number to the cute boy on the subway, or skipping your best friends bachelorette party because of the lame job you  quit anyway.

One of my biggest regrets was about a painting. Four years ago, my mom and I ate at Casa Oaxaca in Oaxaca, Mexico. The food was super rico, for sure, but I was most blown away by a painting that adorned the wall next to our table. Puzzling, beautiful, and completely surreal, it was of a cow falling (almost raining) from the sky onto a field.

The entire meal I couldn’t stop staring at the painting. WHY I was so intrigued, I still have no idea, but I finally inquired about the price, which while I forget what it was exactly, I remember it being TOTALLY do-able. I began calculating in my head ways I could make this piece mine, when my mom bombarded me with practicalities, “You can’t afford this!” “It’s ugly!” “How will you get it home?”

Regretfully, I never did go back, though I have thought about this painting tons since then. In fact, I mentioned it to a friend last weekend who travels to Oaxaca often, as that painting in my mind symbolizes Oaxaca to me.

To my flabbergasted surprise, she KNOWS the owner of the restaurant/gallery, and within two days we had the name of the artist! Unfortunately, that work is gone, :( but I am inquiring about other works by him.

So, what is the moral of the story here?

Don’t listen to naysayers?

Don’t let what you want pass through your fingers?

I’d say it’s don’t waste time with regrets as you often do get a second chance, and I am SO amazed and grateful for mine!

Because I want to share the love, below is an article I wrote in my book—Practically Posh—about how to buy art on the cheap. An abbreviated version of this article appeared on TheFrisky.com last year.

Enjoy!

xxoo, R

How To Buy Affordable Art

So you can finally afford an “It” bag (though you loathe the term), a vacation to another continent, and a couch that doesn’t require assembly. So why pray tell do you still have that sappy Klimt poster hanging over your bed? It’s time to outfit your pad with some REAL art. I’m not suggesting you hit Christie’s just yet. But somewhere between Damien Hirst and DIY-nude’s is a bounty of gorgeous pieces perfect for poshifying your home. Read on to find works at every price point..

If you have $20 to $200, buy prints. Prints are reproduced works on paper, which are limited in production and signed by the artist. Prints are ideal for first time buyers, because they’re relatively inexpensive, but still retain their value in case your taste changes.

Check out 20×200, where you can buy a print beginning at $20. If you have a wee pad, visit tinyshowcase, where they sell petite prints.

If you have $200+ to spend, look for original works from students. Ugallery.com features works from art students across the country. What’s cool about this site is that you can choose by price point and genre. I love that it offers a tool that shows you how big the piece will look in your living room. Also, If you live near an esteemed art or design school like The Rhode Island School of Design or Cranbrook, check out their art shows that are open to the public. Maybe you’ll buy from the next Elizabeth Peyton?

If you have $300+ in your pocket, buy big name photography. The trick to scoring serious photos is to buy through non-profits which sell them at fundraisers—nearly all of the top contemporary photographers donate prints to some non-profit or other. Check out The Museum of Contemporary Photograpy, Aperture, and the Humble Arts Foundation.

If you’re will to spend $500 or more, invest in original work from unknown artists. A good place to comb is Charles Saatchi’s “Your Gallery” website. The bonus? Because artists show their art for free, you pay no commission. That said, it can be a bit exhausting to peruse pages and pages of works. But so worth it when you find a piece you love at a price you can afford.

No Use In Crying Over Spilled Dye

img_0501 So this past weekend, my sister decided it was a fine time to tie dye some vintage slips. GREAT idea, except she decided to do this in the MIDDLE of our vintage boutique, A Little Wicked.

Needless to say, the dye found its way onto other items, like this Miami Vice white blazer.

Although I was initially annoyed (as a good white blazer is one my summer staples) I  think the purple splashes on this jacket look kinda cool. VERY ’80s graffiti.

What do you think? Awesome one-of-a-kind piece, or totally tossworthy?

Let me know in comment section below!

xxoo, Robyn

Manhattan Vintage Show

mvsI am headed to Long Island to yoga school this weekend, BUT if I was in the city I would be ALL over this Manhattan Vintage Show!

Over 8o dealers from across the country offering one-of-a-kind wicked wares. I have picked up some killer pieces here, my fave are lace up high-heeled granny boots, SO hot!!

If you’re in town, swing by, soo worth, look for our pal Jen at Olive’s Very Vintage!

* Here’s a tip, go late in the day on the last day when people are offering amazing deals on stuff they don’t want to lug home…..

Robyn Moreno Asks: Strong Shoulders—Cool or Costume?

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Hi dudes!

If your like me, you tuned in to the Grammys on Sunday and enjoyed the outfits as much as the music—

(Roberta Flack was my FAVE).

From crazy Lady Gaga to Beyonce I noticed a continued trend of super strong shoulders.

RiRi (Rihanna) rocked this look lots last year, and I’m still seeing this structured silhouette on the runway. Especially at the Armani 2010 Fall show in Paris last week.

armani shoulder pads

It was no surprise to learn that Gaga Loca and Ms. Sasha Fierce pulled from Armani’s Privé collection for last nights show.

So power shoulders are hot, I get it. The question is: can normal chicks sport this style without looking too, well,  Gaga?

Because we stock all things cool, A Little Wicked (the vintage store I co-own with my sister) carries several pieces 80s pieces (an awesome Escada dress, a “Michael Jackson/Thriller-esque leather jacket, etc) that feature salient shoulders, BUT most customers aren’t super comfortable with the look—especially girls who think they already have broad shoulders.

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Our clientele are a pretty savvy bunch, so to not see this trend translate from runway to street makes me wonder if this is one trend that is more fashion fantasy than reality.

What do you think? Strong Shoulders—Cool Or Costume? Let me know in comment section below.

Ciao! ;)

Robyn, xxoo,

Robyn Moreno Is Looking Minnesota, But Feeling California

img_0404 My sign today at A Little Wicked, :)

Robyn Moreno Is Obsessed With Birdcages

han-feng2 I have kept this photo on my desktop since I interviewed photograher Klaus Lucka on Plum TV almost two summer ago.

It’s a photo of Han Feng (a super talented costume designer) at work in her studio.

There are soo many things that stir me in the picture, but for some reason I am most drawn to the bird cage. At some point I was actively looking for one on eBay, yard sales,  and antique stores in my travels, but I never did find one I like.

Until I came across an ENTIRE section of antique bird cages on 1stdibs.com!

Check these out:

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I love the black one, for a chic chickie!

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The wicker teal one is for a boho birdie!

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The castle-looking one is for a very opulent sparrow….

Some people don’t like the idea of birdcages as it they kept little birdies confined, but I’d never put any fowl in my cage. I’d rather put candles or flowers, or books, or macaroons, maybe some dude, but only if he was bad, :)

I’ll let you know how the search goes!

xxxoo, Robyn

Like My Repurposed Scarf??

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Hi guys! Hope all is well and good in your world!

I am kickin’ it at A Little Wicked, putting out fun spring-y type stuff ’cause I am READY, READY, READDYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was doing a bit of tailoring to our items, “poshifying/wickifying” like we do–making our vintage more awesome and wearable, and I thought the leftover material to the hemmed ‘60a dress makes a rather clever scarf.

Kinda works with my crazy print dress, no?

The dress I’m wearing is next on the chopping block (too long for mini-moi!), who know what I’ll do with THAT fabric…. SO fun!  I love making pretty pieces, especially FREE ones!

Kisses from Magic Land..

xxoxo, R