On The Red Carpet - Vanity Fair's Krista Smith's Style

I don't know what you will be doing tonight, but I will be watching Vanity Fair's Krista Smith and Tim Gunn in their Oscar's Pre Show on ABC. 
(since I don't have TV at home this is going to take some maneuvering, but I will see this show)

From the Vanity Fair website
Oscars Fashion: Krista Smith Opts for Armani

Vanity Fair’s West Coast editor Krista Smith, who’ll co-host ABC’s Oscars pre-show on Sunday alongside Robin Roberts, Tim Gunn, and Maria Menounos, will wear Armani, complemented with Beladora jewels. The long navy gown and Art Deco–style jewelry were picked for their Old Hollywood feel, Smith says: “I will be doing my best to channel Rita Hayworth—although, considering she was one of the great beauties, it might be a stretch,” she laughs. “At least it will be my mindset!”

Channeling Rita Hayworth - not a bad idea except for the smoking

she was Hollywood glamour personified

so Krista will be wearing Armani and Art Deco Estate Jewelry (from you know where)
that's a whole lot of awesomeness.

unlike Wendy B and her fancy backless Zang Toi dress, the closest I'm ever going to get to Graydon and his Vanity Fair Oscar bash is loaning out a little Beladora bling.

The Trip To Telluride - Part Two

As far as I'm concerned, the place to stay in Telluride was in Mountain Village, not in the actual town of Telluride which was situated in narrow claustrophobic valley.
Granted the Village was a bit removed and a car was required,
but unlike the town it was quiet and had expansive views

The house that we stayed in was part of the Lodges on Sundance
all built with classic Western style log construction.

It was adjacent to the Sundance run

so it had the all important ski in - ski out access

There were windows everywhere so there was plenty of interior light

not that you can tell from this photo

Here's the image from the rental website.

See how bright it was?

I loved the fact that the house was decorated in warm shades of earthy brown with comfy wing chairs, a distressed leather couch, a cozy fireplace and a flat screen tv.

Looking backwards from the living room was an open kitchen with carved wood cabinets and granite counters.  Above it was the open loft-office.

In the corner next to the kitchen was the dinning area with comfortable high backed chairs and a large wooden table.

Since there were six of us staying in the house I appreciated the spaciousness of the interior.
I also loved all of the details in the decoration such as this antler chandelier

and this carved wood armoire

I would definitely recommend the Lodges on Sundance

as long as you can handle the altitude.

Finally, on the topic of altitude, the highlight of my trip was taking the gondola up the mountain to meet up with some friends for drinks then dinner at Allred's Restaurant. 

The food was great and the view of the valley was amazing.

If you go to Telluride, in summer or winter, do not miss Allred's.

The Trip To Telluride - Part One

I have decided that you're really not on vacation unless you leave your computer at home, which is what I decided to do on my weekend jaunt to Dallas and Telluride.  All hell may have broken out abroad but I had absolutely no idea about it.
I was strictly on vacation.
It started early Saturday morning with meeting up with the group of my fellow travellers at the Van Nuys Airport.  I rarely take vacations but having been offered the option of travelling by general aviation rather than commercial, I couldn't say no to this trip.  It's an unbelievable luxury to be able to drive your car right onto the tarmac, unload your bags and then have your car valet parked for you....not to mention avoiding the crowds and the TSA.
So we were off on a quick 2 plus hour flight to Love Field in Dallas for an early afternoon wedding.

Here is the view of the airport with the skyline of Dallas in the distance.
The wedding ceremony was held at the pretty chapel at SMU and the reception was held at a nearby country club.

Out of respect for the bride and groom I didn't take photographs at the actual wedding but I wanted to show you this photo of the flowers at the reception.

The wedding party sat at a V shaped table set with towering glass vases overflowing with white flowers and spot lit for dramatic effect. It was stunning.

The reception went on as receptions do, dinner, speeches, dancing, drinking...
and after a few hours we got the universal signal that it was time to take our leave,
which of course was when the DJ put on "Play That Funky Music White Boy".
Is there some special DJ code that this particular song always has to be played at the most white bread of weddings?

The next morning, after a brunch at the home of the bride's parents, we were off to the airport for the 2 hour flight to Colorado.
Here is the little Cessna Citation that we flew in.

The flight was uneventful, except for the severe turbulence that we hit as we descended over the mountains on our approach to Montrose. For the record, severe turbulence is when you are lifted completely out of your seat and you hit your head on the top of the plane. Thank God it only lasted only couple of minutes.  While I had complete confidence in the competence of the pilots, and while I was fortunate to have been holding a goldendoodle puppy in my lap which kept me calm,  I'd rather not have that particular experience with severe turbulence again.

Once we landed, we piled into our huge SUV and drove up into the mountains. 
It had just snowed the previous night and the storm had passed over
so everything was white and bright.

Here's a view of the mountains from the car. We had the most incredible weather, cold but clear.

Finally, after an hour or so we arrived at our 4 story townhouse in Telluride MountainVillage. 
The house had an amazing view, but being situated at above 10,000 feet altitude was an issue.
I'll post photos of the house tomorrow.

Going Gucci

The beautiful Tabitha at Bourbon & Pearls posted today about the 90th birthday of Gucci and shopping there in her wayward youth.  I shopped there too, way back in the day.

Even with all that happened during the 90 years of the brand

including family scandal and murder

for me what stands out the most was Tom Ford's fabulous 1995 collection for Gucci which revitalized the brand, taking it from Horsey to full on Hollywood

specifically because of this outfit

which we all remember being worn by Madonna

As much as I like vintage clothes

I actually think that wearing this specific blue today would come off as dated 

I prefer to stick with jewelry,

it has, in my opinion, a longer wearable life

such as this vintage Gucci Diamond Bracelet in 18K with black onyx and banded agate

I love the rich colors with just a bit of bling

 and the iconic snaffle bit style

Given that the House of Gucci is coming out with outfits like this black shorts-y thing

which I find to be both un-chic an unflattering

I hope that the firm finds their next Tom Ford

In the meantime, I'll skip the clothes and stick with the jewelry.

Snow Photos

Until I have time latter this week to catch up with my blogging, I'll leave you with 2 photos that I took yesterday in Colorado.

This photo is of a herd of elk cows that crossed the highway just in front of our car then headed off through a snow covered field.

This is the view of the Rocky Mountains as seen from the car as we drove from Telluride to the airport Montrose.



Around Town - Keeping Up With Kristopher at the Soho House

It's hard for me to keep down the smug this week after lunching with lifestyle blogger, tech guru and girl about town, Kristopher Dukes, at the uber exclusive private club, the Soho House. 

The Soho House is situated in the renovated former private penthouse of architect Charles Luckman on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.
According to Luxist.com
The building is a Sunset Strip classic, 9200 Sunset's three-story 50,000 square-foot office building was built in 1964 and the 14-story high rise was built in the early 1970s both by renowned American architect Charles Luckman. Luckman is a fascinating figure, not just an architect but a business man who was named the president of the Pepsodent toothpaste company in 1939 at the tender age of thirty and later became the president of Lever Brothers. After helping to plan the Lever Brothers' New York skyscraper, Lever House, he rediscovered his childhood love of architecture, resigned the presidency of Lever Brothers, moved to Los Angeles and began a second career in architecture. Luckman's firm went on to design the Prudential Tower in Boston, Madison Square Garden in New York City and the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston.
After the Lever House and the Prudential Tower, it isn't surprising that Luckman was behind some of the most famous buildings in Mid-Century Los Angeles
including this famous landmark restaurant at the center of LAX that he designed with Paul Williams

It was the place to dine for the jet set crowd of the early 1960's

This Jetsons style building is still cool

Luckman was also the architect who designed the another Mid-Century landmark 

The Los Angeles Forum

At any rate, Luckman's former 1970's penthouse home, with its 360 view from the snow covered mountains behind downtown LA to the Pacific Ocean, is an amazing place for the Soho House.

After valet parking in the subterranean garage, I took a private elevator to the lobby which was decorated in subdued style except for being dominated by a huge center marble staircase.

Upstairs, there was an interior bar and restaurant and a open air glassed walled garden restaurant complete with mature olive trees and sunken pools with water lilys.

This is the photo of the garden room from the Soho House website.  Beautiful isn't it?

I would have taken a photo of my lunch with my iPhone, but there was a strictly enforced no photography policy.

Given the fact that the members are primarily from the film, media fields and creative industries, the no photo policy allows them to relax without worrying about seeing their photos show up on TMZ the next.

As expected the hip factor was way high,

with surrounding tables filled with agents, actors, fashionistas and gallery girls,

but the service was excellent and the food was delicious. 

Is the exclusive club worth joining?

If you are a celebrity or public person and you want somewhere to hang out where the paparazzi and the hoi polloi won't bother you, certainly.

For a non entertainment type, maybe...assuming you can acquire the required recommendations by two Soho House members and come up with the annual membership dues. 

Great food, breathtaking view, cool crowd...it just might be worth the money.

BHB blogging will be off for the next few days as I will be out of town.

But as usual, I will be reading all of your blogs.

A Week of Wardrobe Challenges and Beladora In Black And White

We've had so many great posts from blogs such as Passage de Perles, Make Do Style and  A Femme d'un Certain Age challenging us to dress with style with a limited wardrobe and now ELLE has featured the Fabiola Beracasa 30 Day wardrobe challenge on ELLE.com
Have the babes at ELLE have been checking out the blogosphere?
I wonder.

Meanwhile I have a wardrobe challenge of my own coming up this weekend as I have a wedding to attend in Dallas on Saturday then Sunday and Monday will be spent in Telluride. So travel clothes, dress-up clothes and ski clothes will all be needed for a 3 day trip.   
It would be easy to pack if I had closet full of clothes from Goresuch, which is one of my favorite online stores. But I don't, so I have no idea at this point what I'm going to wear.

Meanwhile, while perusing the site I found this ELLE TV video


Beladora looks good in black and white!

Oh No...Orange!

Orange is the color for this year's spring-summer fashions
according to the WSJ's article Orange Crush.
I don't know about you, but I rarely pay attention to the "color of the season"
and I probably won't be wearing it
because it is my least favorite color
and it reminds me more of this

and this



than this

Shades of soft peach and coral I do adore

Tiffany & Co. Paloma Picasso Coral and Diamond Flower Earrings

but straight on in your face orange is my least favorite color.
On the other hand
things that come in orange boxes are always welcome.
Last week a few things arrived at the office
such as this

Is anyone interested in an Hermes Clic Clac black enamel bracelet?
Pre-owned but in very good condition and the price is right!

Not Going Gaga - Julia Roberts Jewelry Style

The red carpet looks for last weekend's Grammy Awards have been all over the web
complete with a lot of nonsense about Lady Gaga's ridiculous entrance
Why is it that the only word that comes to my mind
when it comes to Lady Gaga is ennui

Beyonce and Gwynneth looked great without going full Gaga

But do they have the same hair stylist?

On a much more down to earth level
we had the always understated Julia Roberts
at the the annual awards dinner of the American Society of Cinematographers
where she won the Board of Governor's Award along with Tom Hanks

The Daily Mail nailed her for looking matronly,
But, as far as I'm concerned Julia Roberts has moved into Grande Dame territory
and like Meryl Streep, she can wear what she wants
and of course we are always happy when she chooses to wear Beladora jewelry.

A Little Gift Suggestion For Ex-Congressman Chris Lee

Sometimes, a man needs to buy an important gift for his wife on Valentine's Day
Especially, if the man has been caught texting photos of himself to a chick he met on craig's list

Like Congressman Chris Lee
who sent this shirtless photo of himself
and claimed to be a lobbyist yet used his actual name!!!
So instead of doing the work that he was elected to do
he's been busy trolling the interwebs for women.

Your wife not only deserves the biggest apology ever
She deserved a little something special
like these

Diamond Dangle Earrings with Tanzanite Briolettes in Platinum $58,000

Mr. Lee, feel free to call me if you need some other gift suggestions
I'm here to help

BHB Recommends - Valentine's Day Estate Jewelry Gifts Under $1000

Check out my pretty red roses...gorgeous aren't they?

I wanted to start posting about Valentine's Day jewelry gifts two weeks ago
and travel and other diversions kept me from getting around to it.

Thankfully, LPC blogged about this unique Amore Ring
and Mary chose our Multi-Gemstone Heart Earrings as her Vintage Pick of the Day
I'm so grateful for their posts.

In BHB tradition I was going to do a high/low gift suggestion post
but given the crazy rise in commodities affecting food prices worldwide, the international unrest from Algeria to Iran and the stratospheric unemployment numbers right here at home
I think I'll just stick to the low.

So here are my suggestions
Beladora.com Estate Jewelry Valentine's Day Gifts for under $1000

Retro Heart Brooch in 14K Rose and Yellow Gold $395

Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Heart Ring in 18K $495

Pink Tourmaline and Blue Topaz Heart Ring in 18K $495

Diamond Heart Earrings in 14K $595

Diamond Heart Ring in 18K $795

Diamond Pave Heart Pendant in 14K $495

Diamond Heart Brooch in 18K $995

Tiffany& Co. Heart Pendants in 18K $695

Tiffany & Co Paloma Picasso Diamond Heart Brooch in 18K $895

Don't forget, there's lots of adorable vintage estate jewelry on Beladora2.com too!

A World Away In Wellington

No matter how much I like to wake up to views like this

And to be able to enjoy the balmy temperatures
where you can comfortably sit outside in February at 9:00 at night for dinner
which you can't do in Los Angeles without a coat, even in August
It is lovely to be back in LA.

It seems that I was computer and camera challenged the entire time that I was away
But I did manage to take this picture on my iPhone which represents the extremes of Miami

A sky full of clouds worthy of a Renaissance painting over an ugly parking lot
Miami = Beauty and Banality

The highlight of my trip, regardless of the drive from hell up the I-95
was a few days to relax in Wellington, the epicenter of equestrian sports in the United States
with the best of show jumping, dressage and of polo.
Everything important in equestrian events happens in Wellington in the Winter
so as you drive through the town, all you see is one field, ring, paddock and barn after another.



While we tend to think that polo is all about well known players such as

Nacho

and Nic

But in spite of their high profile endorsements from Ralph Lauren and Piaget
the professionals in the game are made up of more than just pretty boys from Buenos Aires

I was fortunate to be able to catch up with a dear friend whom I haven't seen in years. 
She grew up in a California polo family and played very well herself as a teenager.  Later when she was in her early 20s she married a young man from Wellington, who has now become the top ranked (9 goal) American professional polo player. Not only is he an amazing athlete, he is a wonderful person, a devoted husband and a fabulous father.

Since these polo families tend to be dynastic, I expect that in a few years their two sons will be making a name for themselves in the sport.

Showjumping, like polo, tends to be a family thing too.
While in Wellington, I ran into an ex polo player from California, who went into jumping and now his daughter is one of top riders in the US.  At 25, she is a amazing Grand Prix competitor and after her season she is off to Europe to compete.



So I had my few days away from the reality of Beladora
and enjoyed my time in the world of Wellington
but now it's back to blogging and business.