And The Heat Goes On..

Coming hot on the heels of Musette’s post from yesterday (hot on the heels, get it? He’s here all week folks, tip your waiter!) I will write that it has also been hot in LA. This year we seem to have pretty much skipped the usual “June Gloom” where it will be overcast unto foggy until mid-day at least. Back in the day when I worked in Santa Monica in retail, I could pretty much judge how busy a day it would be by the “marine layer”: if it was socked in by Lincoln Blvd there could be a chance of a decent day- it could burn off by noon. If it reached 26^th Street, forget it. This June, not so much, and this past weekend we had the trifecta of heat, humidity, and bad air quality from some pesky (but thankfully contained) wildfires.

So I didn’t do much.

I did receive some samples from en ever-generous friend, but I have to write that I just wasn’t moved. They just didn’t do anything for me. Since they weren’t from some place that claimed to have hand squished the essences from flowers who volunteered for the job, or was stratospherically priced, or was from a big house I couldn’t get behind saying anything. Everybody’s baby is beautiful and it’s just churlish to say otherwise. Mostly.

So Musette musing about Amouage Lyric and Cinnamon about Guerlain SDV and layering made me think about the few times I did buck the usual response to any temperature that’s higher than (insert name of someone you dislike here)’s IQ and chose not something like 4711 or Eau de Hadrien but one of Lutens heavy hitters. One of those stewed fruit chewy ones that are meant to evoke the souk or a balmy night in Marrakesh. Like Arabie or Fumerie Turque. The latter was one that I tried a liberal spritzing of in the heavily air conditioned counter at the late, lamented Barneys (news on that later) then calmy left the store to triple digit heat and single digit humidity. And as fabulous as I thought I smelled at Barneys after a few blocks walking Dayton Way I was freaking glorious..

I am relatively sure that I have a bottle of it in a cupboard, Since we have a long weekend coming up here in the US I suppose I could mark Independence Day by going through and organising those closets. We will see if that happens.

My friend sent me for my birthday (I know, I milked that like a nanny goat. Sue me) a couple of these newfangled pots I’d seen advertised on faceplace, and which she loves. Anyday- kind of an update of pyrex with lids that can seal for steaming. Apparently you can cook rice or pasta in it (no time savings but you don’t have to stand over it) and create fabulous one pot designer meals that will go from microwave to icebox and back, wowing your friends and filling them with envy. So far I’ve steamed brussels sprouts, asparagus and broccoli. I like them.

MARMOL RADZINER

So, the Barneys news. The Saks Beverly Hills location is going to go through some redevelopment. The original Parkinson & Parkinson building and the Paul R. Williams one will remain while office buildings and apartments will be built around it. The Saks women’s store will move to a re-done (former) Barneys down he street while the mens store will remain at the old I Magnin. The developer has been pretty cagey about whether the women’s store would move back to the original store upon completion of the construction and what will happen to the glorious Williams-designed first floor shopping levels of the original Saks buildings. It would be a crime if they were lost. The architects are ones that I have a lot of respect for and ones that have been responsible for some very sensitive updates on other period buildings, and none of this has come before the Planning or Historic Commissions nor been passed by the Beverly Hills City Council so we will see what we will see…

I did notice on last week’s post that there were late comments from a retailer linking back to their store. Now the comments were obvious PR blurbs, cut and pasted (and not exactly up there with “I’d Like to buy the World a Coke” or “Think Different” either). I did respond that I felt kind of like someone who had a tea party only to have someone bust in and try to sell tupperware. Kind of NOKD, IMHO. What do you all think? AITA?

I did place an order with one of those frag houses (the one where you have to make sure to click on the “coupon”) and got a few things. So upcoming will be Arpège (also got a beensy perfume off of eBay) and that staple of the 70’s Halston Z-14. So it will be back in time and cheap and cheerful again.

So, here in the States is going to be a long weekend where we celebrate our independence by scaring pets with random fireworks displays. (no, I’m not bitter, much.) What are your plans for the weekend? Going anywhere? Most importantly wearing anything? Let us know in the comments.

Photos: Pexels, my iPhone, Marmol Radzinger Architects