How 2010 Changed My Life

The Top 10 Things in 2010 that will define who I am in 2011:

(In no particular order)

1. The girls. For challenging me, inspiring me, feeding me, egging me on, and forcing me to practice speaking five languages at once. For power-girl pow-wows, for coffee breaks, for late night sob sessions, for heady adventures, for New York, for LA, for lunches when I should have been at work. For sharing a backbone, sharing a dream, sharing a hand. May our futures together be always elegant, classy, passionate and a little bit off the wall.

Cecil Awards

Waiting for dinner after Fashion's Night Out

OC Style Week at the Irvine Spectrum

Urban Outfitters

LCS Designs Pre-Launch Party

Fashion Squad December Shoot

Valentino Screening

2. The boys. Referring to three individuals who taught me everything I needed to know about fast cars, real sushi, music of all kinds, cigars, coffee, alcohol, Apples to Apples, and the true meaning of forgiveness. I love you all.

Hi Times

Something that probably shouldn't have happened (Nashville)

So they're not one of the three mentioned but they're awesome anyway - the Jekowsky brothers. Cecil Awards

3. St. John Knits. I will never look at bows the same. Or line sheets, or gift with purchases, or rings, or hangers, or seminars, or PAs, or fashion shows, and I will certainly never let little wispy things come sneaking out of table centerpieces. This was THE internship.


4. Europe. London made me strong. England made me self-sufficient. Madrid made me wild. Spain made me live. Nice made me dream. France dreamed with me. Italy told me it was all real.

Tea at Windsor.

Oxford.

Madrid.

Las Palmas, Canary Islands.

Irun, Spain/France (Basque Country)

Nice.

Nice in the morning.

Varazze, Italy

5. Paris. I met Lady Paris and I will never be the same. Motorcycles, lights, art, champagne, history, beauty, coffee, baguettes...I will never be the same.


5. LCS Designs. Started a company, entered an industry, planned a dynasty, embraced a learning curve, reached way beyond my means, lost a best friend, lost another best friend, learned the hard way, accepted that this will have to wait a little while.

OC Fashion Week Pre-Launch

Lookbook Location Scouting

Lookbook 2010

6. Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Year two and I still learned something new every day. Old boss, new boss, Jerry Lewis, Richard Benjamin, all of the other Richards, Randal Kleiser, Eddie Olmos, Ray Gideon, Women in Focus, the Valentino event, Jeff McCracken, Andy Lane, the front office staff. Where in the world would I be without all of you?

My desk.

Valentino documentary screening.

First Cut

Me and photographer Adam Ottke at the LCS Designs Pre-Launch Party.

7. Pacific Coast Highway. My escape, my second home. So many times I have met God whizzing over your pavement, cruising your cliff-sides, pausing to watch the sunsets off your turnouts. I come to you for adventure, for perspective, for vibrancy and freedom. God bless California.

Newport.

Huntington.

Oceanside.

Santa Monica.

Oceanside.

9. Starbucks. For all the fashion shows, launch parties, early mornings, adventures, long drives, seminars, classes, meetings, bonding sessions, and out of the box leaps of faith that might not have happened without you. For the fact that the world seems brighter with three shots of espresso in hand. For those times when God, family and caffeine were the only things consistent in my life. Cheers.

Starbucks in London.

Concept Fashion Week LA.

OC Styleweek

LA Traffic.

10. Jesus Christ. All I need. All my strength. Everything is yours. To you be the glory and the honor and the power. Amen.

Refurbished Leather

Once upon a time a little over a year ago, I was walking by H&M when I happened to glance in the window and see a perfect little leather jacket. Upon dashing inside, I discovered that the darling I'd spotted was the last one in stock...and just my size! I plunked down $50 and enjoyed a good 4 or 5 months of prancing around in my new best friend until disaster struck. The cheap faux-leather shredded along the biceps and forearms, creating this really awful trashbag look! I couldn't bear to throw it away, so for the past several months it's just sat forelornly in my closet.

Until a few weeks ago,

When I decided to just cut the arms off and have done with it.

Voila! Instant chic leather vest! Plus I turned the extra good sleeve material into a headband :)

My jacket before...

Ewww! Shredded trashbag yuck!

After :)

Hooray for recycled fashion :)

Christmas at Benvenuto

Bah humbug to all of the Scrooges out there - I love Christmas! For the Saletta family, the entire month of December is a montage of Norman Rockwell worthy tableaus. Typical family tensions are smoothed over with my mother's legendary mint layer fudge, and the continual warmth from the fireplace brings everyone together and a deliciously cliche way. I took a couple pics of the yummy home-ness on Christmas Eve:

In my family present wrapping is an art...

My parents get adorable on their present tags. This one is in my dad's handwriting: "To My Great Adventurer From your Sidekick" Awwww...

My brother attacking the Christmas pies...

The magically refilling Christmas cookie platter! Possibly the best part :)

Favorite Christmas quote of the year: "I believe Christmas has done me good and will do me good and I say God bless it!" - A Christmas Carol via the Muppets