Ballet Couture

I am endlessly fascinated by the convergence of pop culture/art/fashion/movies.  I also love seeing both fashion and lifestyle trends emerge and evolve.  The Couture collections are sometimes the first wave of bringing these together.

I recently saw the movie Black Swan--such a hauntingly beautiful psychological thriller.  The design team Rodarte created the ballet costumes--which brought in glimpses of their previous collections.  I was inspired for days after seeing the movie.

One of the stills from Black Swan.

The theatricality of the Couture collections found inspiration in the beauty and artistry of ballet costumes and their ethereal romanticism.  Here are some of the designers that pulled from this trend: 

Chanel 

Chanel had, by far, the most ballet inspiration.  Karl Lagerfeld does such a beautiful job channeling Coco.

Dior 

Dior happens to be one of my favorite Couture lines.  See some of his last collection here (if you saw Rihanna perform at the Grammy's you'll recognize the dress).  John Galliano brings such beauty to the drama of couture. 

 

    

Jean Paul Gaultier 

The incredible innovator Gaultier, who has been setting the bar for decades, finds inspiration in the delicacate athleticism of ballet. 

All photos of the Couture collections are from Style.com . 

Meatless Mondays: Black Bean Lasagna

Back in mid-November, I started a series for Meatless Mondays with a Curried Lentil Salad.  Well, finally, here is my continuation of the series with Black Bean Lasagna.  A friend of mine made it for me and got me hooked on it.  It's from "Eater's Digest" in Readers Digest.  It's relatively easy and super satisfying.  You can make it up on Sunday and throw it in the oven on Monday.  Serve with a simple green salad and there you have a great vegetarian meal. 

First, the ingredients: 

 

 

 9 lasagna noodles

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1tsp. Olive Oil 

2 cans (16 oz. each) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste

1 cup water

2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

4 egg whites

1 carton (15 oz.) ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Mexican Cheese blend 

  

Cook noodles according to packaged instructions.  Meanwhile...

   

Heat oil in large skillet (you can use more than 1 tsp--it's Olive oil!).  Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until tender.  Then... 

  

Add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, cilantro, and pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmering uncovered for around 15 minutes--or slightly thickened.  

In small bowl, combine egg whites, ricotta, Parmesan, and parsley. 

  

Now comes the assembly--after, of course, you've drained those lasagna noodles:

Spread 1/2 cup bean mixture into a 13 X 19 baking dish coated with baking spray.

Layer with 3 noodles, a third of ricotta mixture, a third of the remaining bean mixture, and 2/3 cup of the cheese blend (you may want to add a little more cheese--especially if you're a fan of it like I am).

Repeat layers twice. 

  

Now you have to bake it.  Cover and bake at 350º for 30 - 35 minutes.  Uncover, and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. 

  

Enjoy another cruelty free meal!  :)

  

Ice Ice Baby

 Icicles

In honor of all those who are suffering through a brutal winter (as I am shamefully enjoying sunny and mid 70'sº SoCal temps), here's to celebrating ice in it's many forms.

They may be a drag when your car is buried in them, or you're stuck on a runway, but snowflakes and ice make up some of natures most beautiful images.

  

The patterns they create are infinitesimal. 

   

And of course we know that no 2 snowflakes are the same.  Their repeating patterns create diverse and unique shapes. 

 

 

 Don't make me go all fractal on you...

  

Now we're talking ice I can understand and appreciate! 

  

Harry Winston has his own version of fractals... 

  

And who can resist the classic Tiffany diamonds.

   

Some nice chandeliers to hang from your ears. 

  

Diamonds and Rollies, for a special kind of ostentation. 

  

On a less pretentious level and a special place in my heart, this was my mom's tennis bracelet. 

  

Even more special was her wedding ring.  I remember my father giving this to her for Chrstmas after their 13th wedding anniversary. 

  

Well, I hope that warmed you guys up!  Just think of natures beautiful fractals and expensive diamonds the next time the snow starts to fall! 

  

(As always, I like to give credit where credit is due.  All photos that are not mine have links--in purple--to the sites where I found them.  If you ever notice a mistake or credit I have missed please contact me to let me know.  Thanks!)

Bad-Ass Animals: the Spiny Orb Weaver

It's been difficult for me to get back into blogging given the range of emotions I'm going through and still dealing with intense grief of losing my mother.  I find my inspiration returning, however, and feel the flow of ideas starting again...

I decided to start back with something that is inspired by my time in Florida.  The Spiny Orb Weaver spider.

I took these photos on the screened-in patio of my mother's house.  I grew up with these really cool, bad-ass spiders and never knew much about them.  They are found throughout subtropical Florida and are identified by their white bellies with black spots and red spines.  Very fashion forward.

They are referred to as "Orb Weavers" for the shape of their web they weave.

They may look kind of mean, but they just keep to themselves and hang out.

Juxtaposed against a decorative purple glass light.

On top of the screen--a little closer to heaven.

Working on a new home.  Floridians tend to like spiders because spiders eat mosquitoes and other annoying bugs.

Spiders can also be cool in fashion--even beyond Goth.

Hanna Bernhard has a beautiful, creative line of pins and necklaces.  Not only of spiders but of sea creatures and wild animals.  I'll do a post on her jewelry soon.

Who wouldn't want to be stylin' in this hat.  I'll work it into a style post of mine...

Miu Miu did a more abstract version in a handbag.

By the way, I'm known to do "spider rescue catch and release" from my house so my cats--and my husband--won't kill them.

Mom

It has been a very long time since I have posted anything.  Most of you know that I was with my mother for 5 weeks as she lost her 4 year battle with colon cancer.  As I sit here and try to find the words to do her justice, I am reminded of trying to find the right words to say during her memorial service.  Even though I feel they lacked the beauty and poetry she deserved, they come from my heart.  Here is a version of what I said:

(Mom at Mt. St. Helen's in June on a trip with my brother and his family).

Who has NOT been lucky enough to have tasted my mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies?  Anybody?  Not many--I'm sorry for you if you haven't.  A group of my friends and I were discussing her cookies and what makes them so special--given that it's essentially a Toll House recipe--and we came up with the theory that it's because they're made with a special kind of love and generosity that exemplified my mother, that made them so epic...apparently an extra cup of sugar helps, too.

(mom in the kitchen--when she was in her 40's--with her beloved Kitchen Aid mixer!  I love her '70's styling.) 

My parents had an open arm/open home policy and so 

 many people through the years experienced the warmth and love of being welcomed into our family and home.  When I sent out an email to my Facebook friends who had grown up with her through her involvement with Girl Scouts, various church choirs, and the AFS exchange program, telling them what was happening with her illness, I received variations of the same email:

"Your mom was my mom".

"Your mom was my 2nd mom".

"Your mom was like my mom".

I've happily had to share her with so many people through the years!

(My parents 40th anniversary--they're together now!).

I was so blessed to be able to spend her last 5 weeks with her.  She gave me a strength I never knew I had.

I knew I wanted to say some words about my mom but I thought: what could I say that would do justice for the remarkable woman she was.  However, all I have to do is look around at the people here and see how many lives she has touched and feel the love for my mother and realize it's already said.

You see.  She wasn't "like my mom" or "my second mom".  She was my mom.  And I'm the luckiest daughter in the world!

 (Taken right after Thanksgiving, when she received her beautiful finished quilt).

A friend of mine sent me a card with this poem called "The Traveler" by James Dillet Freeman:

She has put on invisibility.

Dear Lord, I cannot see--

But this I know, 

Although the road ascends

And passes from my sight,

That there will be no night;

That You will take her gently by the hand

And lead her on

Along the road of life that never ends,

And she will find it is not death but dawn.

I do not doubt that You are there as here,

And You will hold her dear...

Dear Lord, I thank You for the faith that frees,

The love that knows it cannot lose it's own;

The love that, looking through the shadows, sees

That You and she and I are ever one!

Betty Louise Fogt

August 2, 1935 - December 26, 2010