Donna M

I am thrilled to finally have Donna M coming to the perfumery with her domestically designed and produced collection. Like me, Donna is producing the materials that she works with, from the fabrics to the finishing! All fabrics are exclusively knitted in Los Angeles to her precise specifications and sewn in our very own factory.

Each item is “GARMENT DYED”, which means they are pre-shrunk to keep their shape, color, fit and longevity for years to come due to the unique fabric and dye technique! Besides all that good stuff, they feel and wear magnificently. The styles can go from day to evening, from yoga to work to dinner—all while feeling comfortable and beautiful.

Other festivities taking place within the Whizin Market Square include:

• Photo booth
• Live band
• Food drive
• Restaurant food sampling

So, head on over, right around the corner from Paramount Ranch, one of the locations where West World was filmed! We look forward to seeing all your smiling faces!

Style Guide

Although I went to art school and studied illustration, when it comes to designing interiors I have no formal training. There are basic fundamentals (design principals) that carry across all art forms but its not necessarily a given that an artistic person can cross from one to another with grace.

As I design my new space, which is an extension of my brand, I've been pondering the different interior design styles that work for Roxana Illuminated Perfume. Some descriptive words I've used to define my brand have been:

• Romantic
• Elegant
• Refined
• Artistic
• Poetic
• Vintage / Antique
• Feminine

Then there are shapes and patterns I tend to use, such as:

• The Oval
• S curve
• Refined textures
• Botanical

The color palette I use is muted earth tones for the most part with a few gem stone hues:

• Walnut
• Brown Olive
• Pecan nut
• Deep Olive
• Rose beige
• Burnished Rose
• Dusty Rose
• Plum
• Forest
• Teal Green
• Lilac
• Bone White
• Mushroom
• Sage

The basic seven principals of design are:

• Contrast
• Texture
• Complexity
• Scale and Proportion
• Geometry
• Focus
• Prints

On the Interior Designipedia site they put together a list of twenty five style concepts which gets more detailed as you click down through them. The ones of this list that I'm attracted to for my branding are:

BRITISH : Shabby Chic Interiors

This vintage inspired look is very much about comfort with a relaxed and informal air. The word bohemian is often associated with the feel. The color palette is often whites and neutrals. One of the iconic elements is a large, fluffy couch or bed and distressed furniture.

For contrast with the neutrals a splash of bold colors are sometimes added as well as shiny elements paired with distressed vintage pieces.

FRENCH

Sophistication and class define the French, not only as a culture but also this particular style which can be bold or soft. Personally I am attracted to the soft, more country inspired aspect of this look, which cross pollinates nicely with British: Shabby Chic.

the third style I've got going on, which isn't mentioned as one of the twenty five styles is APOTHECARY, which is a combination of: Victorian, Industrial and Gothic.

So, that's the intention, we shall see what I can manifest and how quickly! Almost all my creative energy is going into this at the moment.

IMAGES via Perfumery Space

Color & Scent

 Lately I've been working on perfume related things like the making and decanting of liquid and solid perfumes / packing up orders during the day and then working on the website at night into the wee hours. During the ebb and flow of the week I'll also research bottles and packaging, work on new formulas, place orders, ponder imagery, etc.

The jasmine are starting to wane but there are still periods of bloom time as we shift into color temps and violet season.

This week Martha came by with thread colors for various upcoming perfumes. The process of selecting a color for a perfume can be so darn tricky, firstly because of the limited palette I've chosen to use as a rough guideline, pictured below.

Secondly because finding the wax to match the thread or vice versa can be a daunting task. Then there is the illumination that may already exist or not and last but not least is the basic structure already created for the colors and scent families, although not perfect.

• GREEN: Green scents:  Q, Sierra, GreenWitch, Hedera helix, Chaparral
• GOLDEN: Honey, Spice: To Bee, Impromptu, Mellifera, Honey
• BLACK, UMBER to COOPER: Earthy: Fig 1:Noir, Aumbre, Terrestre
• BROWN: Chocolate
• IVORY: Vanilla: Fig. 10 Blanc, Page 47
• RED to PURPLE: Florals: Aurora, Lyra, Vespertina, Cimbalom, Gracing the Dawn, Vera and the upcoming Figure 8: Coeur de Jasmin

For Impromptu we begin with the illumination. I chose to go with a light golden hue within the colors of the image. Next will be finding the wax, which I might have custom made.

For the upcoming Figure 8: Coeur de Jasmin I had a Mulberry colored wax in mind that Martha was able to find the thread for immediately. Next will be Greg providing the illumination.

For Impromptu and Figure 8: Coeur de Jasmin I'll be creating the little mini cards and searching for
an iconic image for both of those.

For Figure 10: Blanc I already knew that the color was going to shift to an ivory shade. The color of the thread was found in tandem with the wax. Next will be a slight redesign of get the little mini cards and having those printed up.

Mellifera is still being worked on but we are contemplating colors, same with the honey chord which will become a perfume at some point, although the name has yet to be determined, we're just going with Honey for now.

The pale pink thread you see up there to the left of Fig.8 might replace the current color we are using for Lyra since it fits my palette a bit better...or it might be another perfume.

There are two wood fragrances that are part of the Figure series, those might actually break the color pattern. For another perfume in the works we are considering a silver hue.

Gift Guide: Shabby Chic, Pink and the Vamp

Here's a few beauties I found on Etsy weaved in with some of my pieces. The first collection is for the romantic, lover of shabby chic and vintage style.

Bed from Painted Cottage in New Jersey
Vintage Crochet Bedspread - Coverlet from Ethanol in Portland Oregon
Large Coral Branch from EveryEskimo in Michigan
and the Page 47 mini compact from my shop.

I choose Page 47 natural solid perfume because it is a soft and feminine floral vanilla fragrance.


This second collection is along the same lines but pink with a touch of the Girly Girl.

White Chocolate Raspberry Macarons from The Whimsical Spoon in Charlotte, North Carolina
Pink Moon 8x12 Print by MKendall Photography in Atlanta, Georgia
Ballerina Series Blush Tank by ClaireLa Faye in Portland, Oregon
and Lyra solid perfume compact from my shop.

For her I chose the sweet, floral oriental profile of Lyra in her pretty pink crochet pouch.

Off in a completely different tangent we enter the world of the red, hot diva who likes sophistication and bling.


Set of 3 Holiday, Soy Wax Candles by Accessory Closet in Cleveland, Ohio
Red Rose Cocktail Hat w/ Black Netting by Sai Sai Arts in Nashville, Tennessee
Vintage Red Ruffle Stilettos by CaptainCat in Portland, Oregon
and Vespertina liquid botanical perfume from my shop.

I chose Vespertina liquid for this vamp who likes rose and jasmine in her perfume with a bit of mystery. The melding of floral, incense and botanical musk seemed right up her alley.

Chanel in San Telmo

Karl Lagerfeld has been spotted doing a photo shoot for Chanel with Claudia Shiffer in the San Telmo region of Buenos Aires. Being from Buenos Aires, a lover of Chanel fashion and San Telmo I feel compelled to share the photos with you, enjoy! I suggest playing a Gardel Tango while enjoying the sites. These appeared in an article at LA Nacion, an Argentine newspaper. Thanks to my mom for sending this my way so that I could share with all of you.









Images: Chanel

Ending week festvities

The past two weeks have been spent in much artistic splendor while my daughter Eve has been on her Spring break. We did a variety of creative and fun tasks together including cooking, painting, shopping, looking through old family photos, contemplating items for the house design, watching films, listening to books on tape, taking photos and drooling over pretty things at such wonder filled places like Anthropology.

Sunday morning we decided to venture once again to the Rose Bow flea market. I think this will become a monthly excursion for us. I very much like walking around looking for treasures. It's also a darn good place to people watch. During our excursion a Style Blog approached Eve to do a spontaneous film interview. They asked her about what she was wearing and her personal style, including who are her style icons? What a great question! I've been pondering how I would answer this question and will share soon.

Last month at the Rose Bowl flea market I found a small "shabby chic" type shelving unit for my studio. This time I found a sweet wrought iron bird bath that I will use as a prop for photos and events as well as in the garden. As I mentioned back in September I am shifting the style of our home and the finds at the Rose Bowl are great additions to our "Bountiful" style.


That night we choose to make "Pan de Yuca" once again, we made these delicious little rolls back in August after returning from Eucador. Yuca is a popular staple in the diet of the subtropics. While we were in Ecuador last summer we were served the root regularly. Yuca root is derived from the woody shrub Manihot esculenta, also termed Cassava. To make the Pan de Yuca look for Yuca flour at Latin markets, it can also be found at specialty stores as Tapioca flour, which is the same thing.

Ecuador: Hacienda, Into the Amazon, Amazona, Cotopaxi, Indigenous #1 and #2, Orcidarium
Bountiful in Venice
Anthrolpology
Rose Bowl Flea Market (be warned the link has a loud obnoxious ad, turn volume off or low)

Images: Photos taken at Bountiful in Venice, Anthropology in Pasadena and a clothing store in Glendale ©RVilla