Hip Hotel: Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles

This upcoming weekend I am heading to Los Angeles for some much needed R&R. What better way than to spend it at the clandestine Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard? Some girlfriends + I are planning on having drinks there poolside on Sunday, and I'm really looking forward to it. Built in 1927, the sexy Andres Balazs-owned hotel has tons of history, and is very old Hollywood. Everyone from Jean Harlow and Clark Gable to Jim Morrison, of the Doors, has at some point called this enigmatic hotel home. Lucky for us some of the mystery will soon be over with the upcoming film, Somewhere. But for now I'll settle on a sneak peek. ;) Visit: Chateau Marmont

P.S. Know any other cool spots I should check out while I'm in LA? Would love some of your recommendations xo!

Sock It To Me

News alert: knee highs are back!

Yep, believe it or not, the Clueless staple is making it's way back onto runways and onto the streets. Personally, I've always been a fan of this look. It's the perfect hybrid between summer and fall wear, and can easily transition your look from day to night.

That said, I've gathered some options for all you lovely readers to help you master the look. ;)

Enjoy!

xx.

Karina

Pumpkin Patch Socks, via ModCloth $19.99

Autumn Essentials, via ModCloth $19.99

Falke Cashmere Blend Knee-Highs, via Net-A-Porter $170

Over-the-knee Ribbed 1937 Socks, via Madewell $16.50

Wolford Knee-Highs, via Barneys New York $28.00

Knee High Galore, via TopShop (pricing varies)

(Image courtesy of Garance Dore)

New Week, New Art

Do you guys know the website, 20 x 200? I discovered it a couple of years ago and it has consistently been a great site for discovering and buying new (affordable) artwork. The concept is simple. They introduce two new editions of work, usually one photo and one work on paper, once a week. Most are available in three to four sizes. When they first launched, the smallest size was reprinted in the largest batch - an edition of 200 - and sold at the lowest price - $20. Hence the name, 20x200. Now they also offer different sizes for different prices, depending on how many reprints are made of the original work. For example, when they produce only two reprints, they sell the art for $2000. And not only is their art affordable and accessible, their selection of work is well curated by Jen Bekman.

The first photo above, "Chateau" is by the artist, Jeremy Kohm. I love the Art Deco style of it. The second image, "Untitled" by David Corbett, is actually a print I purchased about a year ago. It now hangs framed above my desk and I constantly find myself daydreaming into its layers of color.

Oh, and if you're looking for a creative gift for someone else, the site also sells gift certificates. I think that's pretty neat.

Happy Friday!

How fun are these graphic musical posters by Mico? He started this project called Music Philosophy to combine his love of music and graphic design. It's interesting because sometimes I forget how thoughtful lyrics are, especially when I'm just dancing around to the song, so this is a nice reminder of the music's meaning. Thanks to our friend, Kati for sending us the site!

And now a few fun links from around the web:

Beautiful love story as told to StoryCorps via La Dulci Vida (warning: it'll make you cry)

How to stay positive (this will cheer you up!)

Kodak 1922 Kodachrome Film Test via Flavorwire (haunting and beautiful)

The Golden Age of Max's Kansas City via Flavorwire

Coco Rocha Gets Married

Just a lil' horsin' around via The Frisky

Have a fun-filled weekend everyone!

♥,

Lisa Michelle

All the Pretty Horses

Loving our friend Maria Berrio's painting. ♥

Miami Beach Makeover

Sun-filled rooms, a pool, little dogs, private screening room? - I'll take it. :) See more at Elle Decor

Oh, For the Love of Fall!

Hello, readers! Karina here, the youngest Cifuentes sister (yep, previous photos of me below.) So excited about contributing to DOPT + all the possibilities I'll have to share some newsworthy content with you.

I just got back from a second round wedding trip to the Catskills. Aside from the heavy dose of rain, the cool weather felt really refreshing. And to my surprise, the weather dropped to a cooler climate once I got back to the city. Hooray for an early fall season! This means: I can reemerge my favorite Zara trench, scour for new cozy sweaters, and plan a roundup of good recipes to try out on cloudy days indoors. And when it'll start to get really chilly, I plan on going apple picking! It is the time of the season. ;)

What's your favorite thing to do in the fall? Would love to know!

xx.
Karina

(Image courtesy of Jak & Jil)

Film: Paris, Texas (1984)

One of my favorite films, by far, is Paris, Texas (which you can Watch Instantly via Netflix). Directed by Wim Wenders, it's the story about a mysterious man named Travis Henderson, played by Harry Dean Stanton, and his quest to reconnect with his past and reunite with his family. Nastassja Kinski is perfectly cast as his wife, with her broody good looks and ability to deliver powerfully emotional dialogue directly to the camera. I love everything about this film because despite the story being so tragic, it's actually very beautiful and inspiring.

I don't know what made me think of it today, but if the weather stays as rainy as it has been the last couple of days, I know what I'm doing tonight.

And on another note, this movie makes me really want a pink sweater dress.

♥,

Lisa Michelle

It's Bubble Tea Time!

Boy, have I been missing out. This weekend I tried Bubble Tea for the first time. How? Why did I not know about this before?! It's truly amazing.

Bubble Tea is a cold, sweetly-flavored tea which was invented in Taiwan. It's unique because it contains small tapioca balls which have a chewy, gummy consistency. It may sound a bit strange, but it's really yummy. And another unique factor is that it's served with a fat straw so that the tapioca balls don't get stuck. This drink is popular with Taiwanese school children, and will definitely make you feel like a kid again. :) And it comes in a variety of flavors.

I tried the Watermelon Bubble Tea at Banh Mi in Brooklyn, which I highly recommend, but you can also make it at home. Enjoy! xo

(Photo via Stephanie Pike)

Have a Dreamy Weekend!

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope everyone had a nice week and has exciting plans for this weekend. I wanted to share with you two new restaurants that recently opened up in Brooklyn in case you are in the area soon and want to try something new.

For our sister Karina's birthday yesterday, we had lunch at the lovely Cafe Colette in Williamsburg. It was wonderful! The decor is absolutely stunning, with washed out teal walls, 60s bulb chandeliers and an array of colorful flowers that brighten up the space. It reminds me of a rustic French beach house. And of course, the food and cocktails are also quite nice. I highly recommend the cold noodles with seared tuna or the lobster roll. They are quite delicious.

Photos by Nicole Franzen

Another cute new place to try is Haab. Their tacos are good, filling and inexpensive. But more importantly, they have chocolate flan. It was heaven on a plate. If you need a reason to visit East Williamsburg, this is it.

And now, some fun links from around the web.

Baby's first haircut

Cool slanted house in Prague

Stylish people in Brooklyn

Concrete wallpaper via PSFK

What is it about 20-somethings?

Beautiful new song by DOTP favorite, Glasser

Cupcakes for my friend's new baby boy

Fun and colorful images from Robin Cameron via Design Crush

Awesome wedding gift via Platform

Have a great weekend, friends!

♥,

Lisa Michelle

Happy Hour: Malibu Rum To Go!

I just discovered these mini pouches of Malibu Rum. How cute are they! Looks like they come in three delicious flavors: Rum Punch, Caribbean Cosmo and Tropical Mojito. Malibu Rum Punch Cocktail is made with Malibu Coconut and a blend of pineapple, banana, passion fruit and mango flavors; Malibu Caribbean Cosmo is a blend of Malibu Coconut, lime, orange and cranberry flavors; and Malibu Tropical Mojito blends Malibu Coconut with mango, mint and kaffir lime flavors.

I would love to take these to the beach or pack them for a summer picnic. They look super tasty!

♥,
Lisa Michelle

Happy Birthday, Karina!

Me with my new doll, Karina...

Was she not the cutest thing ever?

And those jammies?.... (And check out Lisa's hair below. Gotta love the 80's!)

And then there was three... The year was 1985. The third sister was born. Karina, the "baby". Now we were a pack. Like Care Bears we were going to unite forces, and radiate light from our bellies to make the world a better place. Ok, not really. There was going to be hair pulling, biting, my Mom having to pull over the car because someone was in a headlock... oh, the joys of sisterhood.

Karina, we are so glad you were born, and became the third sister. You complete us. We love you SO very much! Candy + alien toes! Happy Birthday! xoxo! Love, your two big sisters

Guest Post by Lisa Michelle: Work by Stephanie Halmos

I posted a link to my friend Stephanie Halmos' website yesterday, but in case you didn't get to check it out, I'd love to share some of her work with you. Not only is Steph an amazingly talented photographer, she is also one of the warmest and funniest people I have met in a very long time. She is moving to San Francisco today for grad school and will be very missed. Good luck on the west coast, lady!

Guest Post by Lisa Michelle: Welcome to the world, baby Santiago!

Congratulations to my wonderful friends Marines + Manu. On Friday, August 13th, they celebrated the birth of their first son, Santiago Joaquin.

What a good looking family!

Wedding Weekend in the Catskills

Hello, everyone! Apologies for disappearing yesterday. Just returned from the most beautiful wedding of some very great friends, Darren + Rachel. It was such a magical weekend. Professional photos to come soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share a few of these.

The weekend kicked off with a lovely campfire, complete with s'more making and star gazing. The wedding date was actually planned around the Perseids Meteor Shower, so there were lots of shooting stars, which for most of the guests from the city, was a nice treat.

Darren +Rachel + Darren's adorable little brother play with light.

The girls do cartwheels!

Steph and Kim take a nature walk on Saturday during the day. There was plenty of time to roam the grounds and relax before the big event.

The boys play in the pool.

Magaly + Rocio catch up on their tans. Magaly's swimsuit by Alexandra Grecco.

The lovely bride and her papa.

Exchange of vows and a beautiful Apache wedding blessing.

The couple makes their grand exit to the song, Happy Together by The Turtles.

Isn't her dress stunning?

Wedding guest, Johnny, superbly decked out for the big night.

Party time!

Photos by Stephanie Halmos. More to come later!

Have a dreamy weekend!

It's Friday! Hope everyone has some fun plans this weekend filled with beautiful weddings (Congrats, Rachel + Darren!), farmers market trips + beach picnics!

Alex + I are going to dinner at Colicchio & Sons this weekend. I ♥ Top Chef so, finally, going to one of Tom Colicchio's world-famous restaurants is going to be a real treat. And going to try to catch Eat, Pray, Love. :)

Have a great weekend, everyone! xo

Oh, and here are some totally random links I would love to share with you...

HILARIOUS missing cat email (it takes a few minutes to read, but totally worth it -- like, real LOL funny)

Naughty bookcases

Bizarre-looking animals (eek!)

Mad Men's Christina Hendricks before she was famous

How to Be Alone (via Every Little Counts)

Funny commercial: How many hipsters can you pack in a Honda jazz? (via Swiss Miss)

Adorable painted little piglets

Fake Pool

(Photo by Deb Schwedhelm)

ModCloth

Have you heard of ModCloth? I hadn't until my sister, Karina, sent me their link a few days ago. They have some pretty cute dresses (very Mad Men), great accessories + is reasonably priced (from top to bottom: Star Lake Dress $94.99; I Am a Frock, I Am an Island Dress $106.99; Isabella Locket $17.99)... xo | Shop: ModCloth

Happy Hour: Porch Swing Cocktails!

Don't these Porch Swing Cocktails look delicious? Similar to a Pimm's Cup, but this version includes paper-thin cucumbers swirled in to balance out the sweetness...

And how heavenly does this pulled pork sandwich look? (Come on, your diet starts tomorrow next week ;) Eat. Make. Feast. xo

(Photos + recipes via Smitten Kitchen + The Bitten Word)

When I grow up...

I want to have an airy beach house so I can display this beautiful print in it... ♥

(Photo by David Zimmerman Via Black*Eiffel)

The Gilt of Vacation Packages...

I'm usually a bit skeptical of "invitation-only" websites, but when I came across Voyage Prive recently, via a friend's Facebook post, I was willing to put my skepticism aside (pretty pictures work!). Voyage Prive is a website with flash sales of vacation packages. As of this post, they are posting some pretty good deals in case you wanna book a last-minute-summer's-almost-over trip (photos from top to bottom): 5-night deluxe package at The Corinthia Hotel in Malta $429.00; 2-night deluxe package at The Excelsior Hilton in Palmero $189.00; 7-day Mexican Rivera Cruise package $459.00; 14-days Viking cruise from Iceland to Greenland $4,109.00) Consider yourself invited: Voyage Prive