Fall at Benvenuto

Every once in a while, life gets utterly overwhelming and a little escapism is necessary. Thus, last weekend, after a baby shower for my cousin, I whisked myself away for a 24 hour breather at my parents' little country paradise: Benvenuto.

Every morning, my parents have what they call "coffee time." That may seem like a silly or self-explanatory name, but for the Saletta family this was a magical time. This was a daily ritual where my parents would disappear into the garden with their coffee and just walk around and soak up how beautiful everything was. It's a distinctly European tradition, but it's taught me so much about the worth of stopping an looking around me. Here are some pictures from my own coffee time last weekend:

View from the front patio. The recent rain made everything so much greener than it usually is in October!

View from the herb garden. This is why I'm obsessed with Italian cypress.

Sundial in the herb garden. I don't know if it works - I don't think it's ever been pointed in the right direction. My mom got it when we were kids. You can't see in the picture, but the top of the arrow is relatively sharp - definitely a safety hazard...

Fashion in the garden and two of my favorite things. A fresh strawberry and my Roberto de Carlo boots.

Our dog Joshua's hair is beautiful. It's almost blue...

You can tell it's fall when my dad starts stockpiling wood outside the front door. It's a yummy, cozy feeling that makes me think of blankets and hot tea.

My dad is kind of obsessed with decorating things for the seasons. It's crazy but totally adorable and I've definitely picked it up myself. To a lesser degree. I do actually have a few gourds out on the dining room table :)

The back patio and my sister's cat, Cookie. How many pumpkins can you spot?

...Sometimes he gets a little over the top...

Yes, the rooster is there normally.

Something about Thanksgiving silver and wheat is just SO beautiful.

Apparently roses and pumpkins go together now?

Lol. I can do all of the other ones, but this one just made me smile. A pumpkin in a beach-themed bathroom? Really Daddy?

Miscellaneous Event Pics

I found a bunch of pictures lying around from older events that I hadn't posted yet so I figured I'd just toss them on here.

Alex and I at the pre-launch for OC Fashion Week.

Our gang at dinner during Fashion's Night Out.

Desigual at Fashion's Night Out. (courtesy of Tami)

Dressed up for some random party at the beginning of the year. I love Alexa's flowery dress on the far left.

Matt and I at Blended Events' Hello Art, Meet Fashion event.

Spring 2011 Runway Inspirations

Forgive me if I wasn't knocked flat on my back in awe of the collections this season. There were definitely some standouts, but the minimalism trend is really starting to grate on me...Even Balmain seemed to shrink a little this season. Where is the fantasy? Where is the adventure? I don't want clothes that help me blend into the everyday grind - clothes that make me sophisticated but bland! I want clothes that glow, clothes that fight, clothes that take the world to an entirely new level - I want clothes that captivate! Most of all, I want clothes that tell a beautiful and adventurous story.

That being said, here are some of the pieces that I especially enjoyed:

3.1 Phillip Lim

Valentino

A. F. Vandervorst (I love the fierceness of this dress)

Anna Sui (both above and below - I love the free-spirited hippie look. It's so easy, natural and beautiful but it still has a spunk and a life to it)

Emilio Pucci Look 23 (omg these boots...leave it to the Italians to maintain glamor on the sexy side in the midst of a global recession!)

Etro Look 20

Rodarte Look 4

And obviously Alexander McQueen. I can't praise Sarah Burton enough for the way she stepped up to this collection. It's true McQueen, but as all of the fashionistas are saying, it's a little softer, a little more accessible - and of course, it's just drop dead gorgeous.

McQueen Look 12 (I want this dress. I would wear this dress in a second. It's beautiful and perfect and I think I'm in love...)

McQueen Look 30. Swoon. And yes, those are all butterfly cut-outs.

McQueen Look 31

Photos courtesy of Style.com

LCS Designs Pre-Launch Party...finally

What a night! So much happened within the span of a few hours... The venue was great, the Anaheim White House boys Jimmy and Joey were fantastic, and LCS Designs grew up a lot. And of course everyone was chic and fabulous and had a great time :)

Here are some pics from before everyone arrived...




And during the festivities:

Laura and I - both in LCS. As you can see, it was such a beautiful night that most of the guests vacated the banquet hall and hung out outside in the dazzling courtyard.

(Voyeuristic shot...)

Laura again...always a model :)

Me and our amazing photographer, Adam.

This is a really terrible picture of one of my best friends, Bri and I. I don't know why I posted it...lol I wanted her to be a part of this blog...

Bri and my darling Stephen. In a hat. As per usual. The man is amazing.

Bri and Allen, a fellow blogger, after probably too many cocktails. Check out his blog here: http://theaspecialist.wordpress.com/

Overall, it was a pretty awesome night.

The Show I Wasn't In

So last time we left off I had just gotten scouted for a fashion show in LA Fashion Week and then hit by a car Friday night. Fortunately, the car didn't impact my ability to model. The nasty hemorrhage that appeared like a zombie's worst nightmare in my left eye on Saturday night DID. Doctor said there wasn't any particular reason for it but that I should avoid stress. HAHA. However, having a bloody eye isn't the greatest selling point, so I passed the gig onto the fabulous Laura Via who took it in stride and did a fantastic job. Here are the pics she took:

At Concept Fashion Week Day 3 in Los Angeles, getting ready for the presentation with Poliuretano Chic.

Poliuretano Chic dress.

Another Poliuretano Chic dress.

My spicy Laura in Poliuretano Chic with Ela Acosta, the designer and one of the sweetest people I've ever met at a fashion event. That side cleavage makes me a little nervous though...

These two pics were taken by Alex Whiston (according to the FB album I pinched them off of) and they look AMAZING.

Ela is basically amazing. I think it's SO sweet that she texted me after the presentation to see how my eye was doing! Thank you, Ela! Your designs are beautiful!

Check out her website here: http://www.elaconceptdesign.com

Hello Art, Meet Fashion

Last Saturday night I was invited to hang out at the Hello Art Meet Fashion event a J Lounge in Downtown LA. Two minutes after I got there, I was swept off backstage with my friend Jocelyn to help get things ready for the runway show. After a little while of tromping around in ridiculous heels, Jocelyn dropped me off with a couple of her guy friends so I could watch the show while she continued to run around and act like the event planner she is. No other way to put it :) Overall the show was great (though a longer runway would have been nice) and the venue (a spacious outdoor patio looking out onto the downtown skyline) was pretty awesome. What made me happiest though was the amount of people commenting on the dress I was wearing. LCS, obviously. Yes, I do have a card. (*enter swelling feeling of fulfillment*)

Blurry pictures of the events space at J Lounge taken with my phone before I realized I had brought an actual camera.

A few of the runway looks:

Virginia Ying

Genaro Designs
(Basically the sickest ties I've ever seen in my life. I met the designer earlier and he was wearing one of his own designs and it was all I could do to keep myself from reaching out and touching it. Look out Derek, I may have just found your Christmas present...)

(Yeah. He does ties for chicks too...)


Joshua Bryan

(I'm definitely a fan of the big leather circle skirts. They just look like so much fun! Probably not very practical though.)


BlackMoth

I was waiting for pictures to get posted from the events team, but unfortunately the snap of the LCS dress I wore didn't make it to the website. Oh well, here's the lookbook shot - imagine that cinched with a tied leather belt and my chunky cage heels.


After the event, I met up with a friend of mine in Hollywood for a super late dinner at Aroma cafe. omg. So good.

Yeah. That was pretty much the best chocolate souffle ever.