Picking Cotton in California

I recently had the opportunity to see my first 'live cotton field'. On a road trip, between the San Franciscco Bay area and Yosemite National Park, we drove through Merced and acres and acres of cotton fields.

So, we stopped the car and I got to pick some cotton to use in the Textiles class at the college.

A cotton boll to the left.


Here you can see various other shots...

Theatre in Fashion Exhibit Extended

FYI..

The Theatre in Fashion exhibit in Beverly Hills has been extended. Please see the October 25th blog entry for full information. As of now, the closing date is December 14th, 2011.

Theatre in Fashion features 80 garments designed by top designers such as Armani, Capucci, Fendi, Marras, Missoni, Ungaro, Valentino, and Versace. These amazing structures were created for opera, drama, and ballet. Therefore, they are stage pieces and utterly fantastic. Sponsored by the Wallis Annenberg Center, the exhibition is located on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. As you tour the array of color, structure and creativity, you will walk through several galleries, laid out by designer. In numerous cases, you can see the concept sketch, and then the final garment.

Theatre in Fashion (hosted by Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts)

http://www.annenbergbh.com

Exhibit is located in a temporary space at

253 North Beverly Dr.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Hours: Wed – Friday, noon -7 p.m.

Saturday/Sunday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Tickets are $10 per person, Thursday – Sunday;

Children under 12 and students with ID are free.

Admission on Wednesday is free.

Parking is free for two hours in a nearby lot.

And now.. to tempt you...

Missoni Costumes for the 1990 World Cup in Italy

Couture Pumpkin Pie

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it's time to think about the menu. How about a couture pumpkin pie? As with fashion, just a simple tweak can turn a ready-to-wear style into a couture one. And so it is true with pumpkin pie.










I am visiting my parents in Canada, and this morning, my mom asked me to make a pie for lunch. She pulled out a clipping she had from Canadian Living magazine. The technique is simple, and the results are creative and fun.
So.. here is the technique.
After you have made the pie mixture and put it in the shell, smooth it out.

Take 2 tablespoons of sour cream, and mix it with 1-1/2 tsp of milk. Then take a funnel and put your finger over the tip. Spoon in the sour cream mixture.

Move to the pie, and center the funnel over the pie. Remove your finger from the tip of the funnel and let it drip out as you move around the pie. Start in the center and swirl your way to the outside.

Then, take a knife, position it in the pie mixture and move from outside to center. Do this eight times to divide the pie. On one of my pies I simply stopped in the center; on the other I swirled around a little in center.

Bake the pie as usual, and then cool it.

Cut and serve. Here is my dad, enjoying a piece of Couture Pumpkin Pie!

Fashion in Los Angeles

This past weekend I hosted ten women for a design retreat. The second day was spent in the Los Angele's area, touring fashion-related businesses.

Here are some 'street' fashions for your pleasure.