Meet your newest obsession — litl. It’s an intuitive Webbook designed for Internet surfing, and it weighs just three pounds. You can use the litl in two ways — laptop mode (self-explanatory) or easel style, which gets a little more clever because instead of navigating with a trackpad or keyboard, you use a wheel (designed to simulate an old TV dial) or a remote to browse through content.

All of litl’s data is stored in the cloud — there’s no hard drive (part of the reason it’s so lightweight) — which means if you ever lose your litl or forget it at home, your data will still be safe and sound and accessible. And because it’s designed to be used all over your home, it also connects to your TV, so you can stream movies, video games, or whatever else your little heart desires — oh and that’s all in HD. See, what’d we tell you? Your newest obsession, right?

Order yours now.

Next time this week, we’ll be sleeping in our comfy platform bed at The Standard Hotel in West Hollywood, enjoying the first leg of our honeymoon, and I cannot wait! We booked our trip ages ago, and now that’s it fast approaching I’ve got a one-track mind for relaxation and sunshine.

Our first stop?

The Standard Hotel

It’s a hip place to stay, while not breaking the bank, The Standard is an Andre Balazs property and boasts 24/7 room service, a heated pool, Andy Warhol-designed textiles, a daily social calendar, and even a bathing suit vending machine!

And then onto a luxurious 8-day cruise (a la The Love Boat) through the Mexican Riviera . . .

Finally, back to LA for a few days, where we’ll stay at . . .

Farmers Daughter Hotel

Located in Fairfax Avenue, Farmers Daughter Hotel is within walking distance of CBS studios (The Price is Right!), The Grove, and right across the street from the Farmer’s Market. Plus, it has an onsite restaurant — Tart — whose menu sounds simply divine!!

My preferred aesthetic is to interpret the traditional in a fresh and modern way, which is why this Delft porcelain set by lovegroove & repucci probably caught my eye. Using centuries-old, iconic blue and white Dutch pottery, the designers swapped the customary motifs with an atypical choice — graffiti. So what do you think? Clever or crass?

This year instead of dressing up ourselves, we opted to dress up the dog — it’s more fun anyway. And so, on Saturday, Dollar attended his first dachshund meet-up — Happy Hallowiener — on the Boston Common dressed as a skunk. There were more than 100 wiener dogs signed up for the costumed event, and what a sight it was!! Here are some great pictures that Ryan took at the meet-up. Enjoy!

Pepe Le Pew?

This dude was my favorite — flap, flap, flap . . .

The anarchist/punk dachsie — complete with a dyed mohawk!

Chicken fat and little, this little dachsie was sooo squeezy!!

But not as squeezy as Dollar . . .

We haven’t posted a Darcelism in quite sometime, but his sentiments on Halloween are eerily similar to mine . . .

10.29.2009

A Snuggie, a Croc, an Ed Hardy, an Ugg and a Kanye is the scariest Halloween costume I could ever dream of.

Darcel, are we secretly related???

Photo from The Boston Globe.

A few weeks ago as I was rushing through Harvard Square, a glint of Marimekko fabric caught my eye. Could it be!? A huge Marimekko flagship store in Harvard Square!? Too good to be true, although there is a Marimekko concept store in Cambridge. I had forgotten about it completely, until I read an article in the Globe about the Design Research installation at the Design Research building in Harvard Square.

D/R in 1972 (photo found on Flickr.)

I was unfamiliar with Design Research, but after doing a little research of my own, I came to learn that it was an interior furnishings and lifestyle accessories store started by architect Benjamin Thompson in 1953, right in Cambridge, Mass. D/R brought a lot of mid-century pieces into the local culture, and it’s most notably recognized as being the first US business that carried Marimekko textiles and clothing. In fact, Jackie O. bought a Marimekko dress at the Brattle Street store and was photographed wearing it for cover of Life magazine, spawning the Marimekko trend thats waxed and waned in the US over the past forty years.

The current D/R street-view installation celebrates both Benjamin Thompson and Marimekko. It is a recreation of the original lifestyle store that stood there until the late 70s, complete with imported pots from France (brought to the states from the Thompsons’ friend — and fellow Cambridge dweller — Julia Child; Thompson’s collection of butcher block tables; Marimekko frocks; and white Haitian-cotton covered couches. Unfortunately you can’t go inside, but the all glass facade is intentionally conducive to browsing.

Here are some great articles and blog posts I’ve found about the installation:

The Moment: “Now Showing | A Look Back at Design Research”

The Cottage (run by event organizer Nancy Hemenway)

A Bit Late: “D/R Rising”

And finally, “Through a glass brightly” from The Boston Globe.

Good to know: The D/R installation will be up and running through December 2009.

A few weeks ago as the leaves started turning, and we were hit with a sudden cold snap, it occurred to me that I haven’t actually owned a black wool coat for several years and that it was problem time to get with it. A quick search on ShopStyle (great site btw) returned a slew of choices, but unfortunately my taste outdoes my bank account and nothing tickled my fancy for less than $400. Woe is me . . .

Determined to find something fashion-forward and wallet friendly, I trudged on, finally ending up with a coat that suited my taste and my means, meet Cheap Monday’s Audrey Coat.

Pretty sweet, right? When it arrived I wasn’t sure if I liked it at first, but as I looked in the mirror a Scandinavian goth version of myself stared back at me, and I smiled. It’s been nothing but warm and toasty days since!

Available at Revolve (free shipping and free returns!!).

There are a couple of fashion shows I look forward to each season, and JCDC is one of those shows. Mostly because you never know what Jean-Charles de Castelbajac will turn out, but you can be assured that it’ll always be playfully humorous with bits of gawdy commercialism and pop culture carefully mixed in. If nothing else, appreciate it for his creativity, perfect execution, and ability to entertain. Enjoy!

View the entire Spring 2010 collection at WWD.

While I’m not totally sold on food-flavored dental floss — it’s all kinds of wrong — the illustrations on each of these floss packs are pretty darn cute. Would they influence me to purchase the breakfast floss set? Eh, probably not, but maybe you will!

Available at Fred Flare.

I didn’t even know Authentics made candles! But now that I do (thank you Distillate), I must admit, I’d love to sprinkle these lovelies all about our apartment.

Don’t worry! Although they’re made entirely of wax, once the candle burns down to the top of the holder, the fame is extinguished by an invisible metal plate.