My blog posts in the past couple months have not been that interesting - I blame Instagram and Twitter for my daily source of inspiration and occasional rantings and musings.  But, I am cooking up something extra for this blog starting in February 2013, a collaboration between my personal, fashionable life and my professional, career life ...  

Gossip Girl lives on! Gossip Girl en espanol! O mi dios! (Or is it ay dios mio?!) Yo espero que yo no necesito aprender espanol ahora jaja :) The Upper East Siders have exchanged their winter clothes for summer fashion all year long in Mexico.  Dan Humphrey is now Dan Parra; Jenny Humphrey is now Jenny Parra; Blair Waldorf is now Barbara Fuenmayor; Serena Van Der Woodsen is now Sofia Sisniega; Nate Archibald is now Nico De La Vega; and Chuck Bass is now Max Zega.  I think I spotted Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith in the preview too?! Watch the new cast here: Gossip Girl: Acalpulco

I have become a little obsessed with Instagram. Follow me! @tatulip

Louis Vuitton is really pulling on all of my heart strings!  A few weeks after the "Small is Beautiful" video launches, featuring styles from the Spring/Summer 2013 collection, the whimsical brand just came out with printable cut-out paper dolls with designer wardrobes, also from the Spring/Summer 2013 collection.  You can download the pdf right here: Louis Vuitton Paper Dolls and starting cutting out!  My paper dolls will definitely invite your paper dolls over for a tea party :)

Cheers and best wishes for a happy, healthy, successful, and great 2013!  2012 consisted of very many weddings, trips, and fun times with family and friends.  I was able to grow in my career, and also grow personally :) We never know where we will be in one year's time, but I am sure it will be an interesting twelve months!  Something different I am doing this year is to start off the year with an empty jar and fill it with notes about good things that happen ... I will empty the jar in one year and reminiscence on all the awesome stuff that occurred.  Watch this space for more posts, photos, and random thoughts from yours truly.

It is almost Christmas Eve, but it has felt like the holidays have been in Los Angeles forever thanks to The Grove! I attended a party at the Madewell store hosted by Nylon magazine and Nylon's West Coast fashion editor, Jazzi McG. It was so nice to meet her, and also enjoy the ice cream treats from Coolhaus. The Grove is a great place to be during the holidays, it "snows" nightly and there are so many lights, making you really feel like you are a part of a winter wonderland. Also, a few blocks down, on Melrose, there are funky boutiques, like the one pictured below. Perfect gifts for your hipster friends ;)  Hope you all get a little something in the next week, whether it be from a "secret Santa" or a holiday card from your neighbor. 

Finally made it to Target to check out the Target x Neiman Marcus x CFDA collaboration.  I bought the Marchesa dresses for girls in size large and had hoped to fit into them; but no such luck.  The pink dress would not zip all the way in the back and the white dress was too high on the neckline.  Everything in the Holiday24 collection is beautiful and well-made, but unfortunately, there was no piece that I felt like I needed to have.  Did you all go and purchase anything? 

I am really enamored with a new video posted online showing Jay-Z riding the subway to his final show at the Barclays Center and explaining to an older lady sitting next to him who he is.
"Are you famous?" she asks.
"Yes.  Not very famous, you don't know me.  But I'll get there someday," says Jay-Z, reinforcing his ambition and hustle.
The next presidential hopefuls should step down because Mr. Shawn Corey Carter is establishing himself as the next President of the United States.  Awesome :)  

Ok, as everyone knows I am a Chanel girl.  Not that I have anything against the other big players in the fashion game, but Chanel will always be my favorite, my obsession, my true desire.  This video from Louis Vuitton, though, is clearly giving Chanel some competition.  Candy-colored clothing on street style blogger models, Paris, a trendy video artist, rainbow bright Ladurée macarons, and beautiful purses.  This is definitely going on my Spring/Summer 2013 want list!


Louis Vuitton presents "Small is Beautiful!" from Louis Vuitton on Vimeo.

For Thanksgiving this year I will be having dinner with my family and then taking a red eye to Costa Rica ... I am very excited to say the least, and will, of course, blog photos and stories upon my return.  But for the most important news - I finally joined the 21st century and purchased an iPhone 5!  As a matter of fact, I am writing this blog entry with it.  So, to most people today is Thanksgiving, however it feels like Christmas to me ;)

A congratulations to Mr. Barack Hussein Obama II on his second term as the President of the United States of America.  I, too, believe in the American Dream and hope that all future presidents exude as much hope, unity, and optimism as he has.  It is my belief that one day all the political divisiveness will be overcome, and our great nation will truly exemplify the name that it has and be "united"! 

Halloweekend has passed and there were certainly a lot of treats had, including a Crumbs cupcake, a "Where the Wild Things Are" party at Blok, and, of course, the famous parade through West Hollywood. Although the rest of the country is suffering through hurricanes and cold weather, we have a constant 78 degrees on this (lucky and appreciative!) side of the nation. And while we are on the topic of the nation, go out and vote on Tuesday!

Last year I dressed up as Nina Sayers in Black Swan for Halloween, along with thousands of others!  This year I hope my Halloween costume is a bit more unique, although it is inspired by another popular film ... I have already gotten plenty of treats this week, but will be seeking more tomorrow :)  Enjoy the festivities, everyone!

Last week, as part of Los Angeles Fashion Week, I had the opportunity to attend the Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion 2012 Runway Show on Wednesday night at the Vibiana hosted by Catt Sadler.  Maybe it was the grandiose atmosphere of the venue, but I felt as if four years ago, when I first attended this event in 2008, it was more intimate, the designers were willing to take risks, and there was a creative energy in the room.  This year, it seemed like there was a disconnect with the fashion.  Even the models, already very tall, were more out of reach than usual with their five-inch Jeffrey Campbell-esque platform heels.  Nevertheless, I wish all the designers who presented the best of luck: Crybaby Presents, Shaina Mote, OmniPeace and Korovilas.  A couple of photos below, from my (very distant) view!

Solange might have legs that go for days and is the sister to one of the world's greatest singers, but I can certainly rival her style skills ;)

Am I the only one who loves the Chanel hula hoop bag?  Chanel has created everything: a guitar case, paper flowers and headpieces, a surfboard, and even a compact all-in-one set.  It is only natural that Karl would bestow upon us a glorified towel rack-slash-purse-slash hula hoop.  Thanks, Karl!

"It's for the beach.  You need space for the beach towel, huh?  And then you can put it into the sand and hang things on it, and things like that." -- Karl Lagerfeld

I had a run in with a very lovely lady yesterday at Bloomingdale's - Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere - and I thought that a lot of bloggers would be interested to know that she is very sweet, personable, and down to earth.  Also, just as pretty and put-together in "real life" as she is on the blog :)  Now, I was obviously coming from work, hence the bare-face, corporate jacket, and unbrushed hair, but I did want to share this photo with all of you.  Happy weekend!

A little inspiration for the world's oldest obsession: Marie Antoinette and weddings. One of my closest and dearest friends got married in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, one of the halls of the Los Angeles Music Center. The bridal party gained access to a few of the private rooms, which were all very grandiose, lavish, romantic, and Marie Antoinette-inspired. I paired together some of the photos from the wedding with some still shots of the film, and voilà! - a fairy tale comes alive.

It is Labor Day 2012, which means the end of the summer 2012 season. I have been terrible at blogging this summer, mostly due to beach days, weddings, bachelorettes, bridal showers, engagement parties, birthdays, graduations, trips, pool parties, and, of course, the usual summer shenanigans. Summer in Los Angeles has been HOT, an upward of 100 degrees most days in the Valley. My trips this summer consisted of a brief Vegas weekend, and a couple weeks in Toronto and Montreal. All in all, it was a good summer, and I look forward to cooler temperatures and increased blogging in the months ahead. Thanks for the continued support, dear bloggees :D

Today I went from the opening of Le Brunch at Bagatelle Los Angeles to a birthday party in Manhattan Beach to a Mother's Day dinner. Brunch turned into a club scene, as diners started dancing on tables and sparklers accompanied the drinks. The birthday turned into a sports tournament, as we played a couple of fierce volleyball games and even a round of beach bocce. The dinner turned into a celebration of memories and the making of new ones, as we crashed a wedding at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. It was a an eventful and fun day. And, here is a gorgeous video to top it all off!