Tonight i was at the Crossroads of the World. And it was surreal. It’s on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood… google tells me that it is “L.A.’s first modern shopping mall”, built in 1936, and there is a replica of it at Walt Disney World Disney MGM Studios at the entrance of their faux Hollywood Blvd… additionally, the Tinlark gallery happens to live there, so i stopped by to check out their first year anniversary show, and it was incredible… honestly getting to see the Brooks Salzwedel pieces up close were well worth the trip (see the post dedicated to his solo show “By Fault of Its Own” here!)… seeing Diem Chau’s Crayons in person finally (I’ve updated the 2006 post with pictures from this show!) was so cool, and Yaya Chou’s Gummi Bear Rug looked strangely enticing (see a post dedicated to this and her other works). They really are as amazingly intricate as they look in the pics, if not more so. BUT, for this post ~ you need to see the Crossroads of the World and the placement of the gallery… the neon sign is classic.

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Good news, everyone! The Smart House has extended its stay in Venice beach till the end of February! (previously it was gone end of Jan). Now, i’ve told you about the Smart House before, as well as the Smart Balls (new ones after the jump!), but with every event the space looks so different, i had to share more images of it with you from tonight’s +Beryll event where i met Sigmar Berg who is not only the founder of this 10 year old line of sunglasses, jewelry, and vintage belt, but also an artist/designer/architect who created all of the photo-canvases covering the walls of the Smart House this evening! All three floors of this loft space were open - ground floor to explore the car, second floor to dine and dance, third floor had the dj and second balcony (with smart car on it!)… models wandered and danced around in black t-shirts bearing the Beryll ‘+’ and dark beryll shades, vintage belts, and the necklaces and jewelry… i also noticed more design details i loved about the Smart House this time, like this “open your mind” wall… So browse and experience the space through pictures after the jump!

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Wow. So for those of you, who like me stayed at home and watched the macworld keynote and madness unfold across the internet through the eyes and ears of the crazy kids at Gizmodo and Engadget with their live blogging of the keynote, etc… here’s a peek at what its like to REALLY be there ~ not as press, just as regular people trying to partake in the mac madness. So dan actually decided to go to the keynote this year (for “fun”), went and spent ages in line yesterday to get his pass, and then got in line at 6:30am this morning (and as you know from our sites, we aren’t morning people, unless it’s because i’m not sleeping till 6am) in the 40 degree weather… and didn’t even make it into the keynote. But that aside, the madness continued as all those turned away tried to make a mad rush for food and warmth after only found themselves in MORE freezing lines, like a half hour just to get into Mel’s diner (which is most certainly not really worth waiting in line for at any other given time)… Seems like apple needs to take care of its fans a bit more? Get a bigger venue? Be more realistic earlier on about who will get in? So although he didn’t get any pics while in the freeeeeezing cold this morning, he did just send over a few quick pics of the rush and sea of mac fanboys running around… let’s just say i’m glad to be home right now, and if he ever tries to do this again, and you guys want us to cover it, maybe i’ll apply for a press pass? More pictures of the sea of humanity after the jump!

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008 is upon us (nearly!), and i’m excited to say farewell to 007, particularly since this year was spent fairly grounded in california (bouncing between norcal and socal), with a few tiny quick excursions. I’m hoping to make 2008 a more normal jetsettery/nomadic year, and could really use some help! I’ve been trying to compile a list of major design events, and things to possibly try to make my way out to… as well as just general places to see, etc.

SO, take a look at the list below ~ help by suggesting more to add to it, or if you’re interested in sponsoring a trip in some way to make sure we cover it, let’s chat! I’m already playing with the idea of having our main NOTCOT homebases for 008 by LA and Paris, but details are in the works… *fingers crossed* ~ what do YOU want to see happening here in 008?

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Gift Guide Day 7 is all about your SNOW DAYS! Being in socal, its currently *freezing* (for a socal girl anyhow) but no snow… i kind of feel like if its going to be this cold, we might as well have the pleasure of the excuse to use a snowball chuck… anyhow, for those lucky enough, here are some toys and gadgets to have some fun with that frosty weather.

p.s. and if you don’t like it one page at a time ~ see my favorite view with all the guides so far on one page.

“The 24th Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow will take place from 24 to 27 January 2008. Year after year, the organizers manage to tempt the world’s very best polo players to St. Moritz. The Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow is part of the Polo World Tour, which includes the roughly thirty top tournaments that take place annually worldwide. This makes it the world’s most prestigious polo tournament on snow.” I just noticed this on Area Daily, and had to share it… and add it to the “things to see one day” list.

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Can you ever be too old to learn to skateboard? Ok, wait. Don’t answer that? I grew up with a lot of friends and family heavy into the skate scene, and i was/am that girl that obsessed about the graphics and design of all the parts… but the combination of wood and gorgeous graphics on the decks at Arbor Sports just grabbed my attention tonight (while doing some sourcing for an upcoming awesome gift guide!) and the Koa Bug one has me totally smitten… and dying to get one and roll around the boardwalk or something. Funny thing is these guys are just a few minutes away in Venice Beach, and i’ve driven by them a million times going to the airport, and have still yet to stop in and check out the store… must do that soon, and get you some pics! Also with my new love, the vinyl cutter, would LOVE to get a woody board to do some stickering design of my own on! More breathtaking images below…

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Gift Guide Day 15 is for all those design loving Weekend Warriors who know their gear looking good on the shelf is JUST as important as how well it performs when needed to save your life, take on the great outdoors, etc… and that pic is of a magical swedish fire starter, but you already knew that.

Gift Guide Day 18 is sponsored by WEJETSET ~ which I told you about earlier when they gave away a mercedes pre-launch… and now they have finally launched! Ready to take on the designer/luxury travel niche… regardless of whether you are continent hopping or just commuting to work ~ WEJETSET is just starting to build up their store to meet all your needs, and for all you east coasters keep an eye out for the brick and mortar store coming soon.

p.s. i just noticed that the links to the previous day’s gift guides at the bottom were broken, but now they are fixed!

On new excuses to travel ~ my latest is to go to Europe via Frankfurt airport, because they just got the largest Porsche Design airport store. This is the latest addition to their rapidly expanding line of airport franchises currently in airports such as Munich, Vienna, London, Moscow, Dubai and Hong Kong. In 2008, new stores are to be opened in Zurich, Copenhagen and Manchester. These are in addition to their retail stores which are currently in Hamburg, Tokyo, Berlin, London, and New York. It’s been fascinating to see how airports have quickly been evolving into high end malls of sorts, and how can we resist jetsetting to shop the airports as well as the cities? So next time you’re in FRA - look for the new Porsche Design Store, “the 145 square meter store is on the second level of Hall B, on the so-called “landing side” of the airport, the area that is generally accessible without security checks.”

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Happy Halloween! I had the pleasure of meeting up Joshua Targownik this afternoon (remember he shot those reform school pics?) and it turns out he was actually the official photographer for LACMA’s (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) Halloween Party! And having just read about it on LAist and seeing how incredible it looked, i couldn’t help but beg him to share some pics with us… (the costumes are quite inspiring - see some of my favorites from his portraits after the jump)

Here’s what Joshua had to say about the dress up soiree:
Muse, LACMA’s membership group for young artists and art enthusiasts, hosted their 4th annual Halloween Costume Ball on October 27th. Drawing 1,000 costumed attendees, the event was held in LACMA’s Los Angeles Times Central Courtyard, and the LACMA West Penthouse. Food, drinks (including the one-of-a-kind Dalí-tini), four DJs from Dublab Sound System, a costume contest, and late night access to two exhibits: Dalí: Painting & Film and The Arts in Latin America made for the best party of the night. Beetle Juice took top honors in the costume contest with stiff competition from Mirror Ball Girl, Poseidon, and a Samurai Warrior wearing a full suit of armor hand made “Make” style using a Dremel and several garbage cans worth of plastic. As Muse’s official photographer for the night, I had full access, two cameras, and five portable lights, but still was unable to capture everything there was to see. I can’t wait to try again next year.

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It’s not exactly easy to find luggage that shows your character while still being not only subtle and gorgeously designed but also functional… particularly when it comes to slick leather travel gear. Just stumbled upon (ok, well got an invite to their Melrose grand opening party, and naturally got distracted browsing the site) Dussault’s fall collection ~ and although you may be more familiar with their hoodies, jeans, and tees and their Gene Simmon’s Moneybag collection… it was really their leather carry-ons and messenger bags that grabbed me. From afar, these bags look like rugged leather duffle rollers, which i’m sure will age nicely with everything it could possibly bump into, and upon closer inspection you will notice that they have skull and money bag patterns pressed into sections of them as well as the calligraphic Dussault D’s for zipper pulls. The classic leather wallet with moneybags imprinted also just makes me smile ~ can’t you imagine a banker on wall street pulling one of these out of his bespoke suit pocket? It’s all about the subtle details that make you look twice. Close ups below…

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