In honor of Earth Day this Sunday, I present to you some of my favorite personal photos in shades of green (which happens to be my favorite color!).  I love being green and I love the color green…hope to inspire you for the weekend!

A bamboo forest in Maui…

One of Mr. Cartoon's customized low riders…

A painting by Gertrude Abercrombie..

A desert flower…

Our friend Ariana Lambert in Vintage…

A little luck of the Irish straight from Big Sur, Cali….

Corey's amazing Dries Van Noten heels..

My favorite chair in my house designed by Jay Jeffers...

Fresh coconuts…

Transparent green…

My favorite Adidas high tops..

Horse riding gear..

A flea market find..

Green glass at the flea market..

So all of the CLC staff is headed to the desert today for a big VIP Coachella weekend and I am here in LA with the Coachella blues (this is a state of mind you get in Los Angeles when you don't go to the festival along with half the inhabitants of this city).  Instead, I am here in rainy Los Angeles thinking about all of the music and cute outfits I will be missing.  

One of the bands on my Coachella “To see” list includes the Swedish folk duo, First Aid Kit. I've recently become obsessed with this duo because of their dreamy Stevie Nicks infused vocals and bold fashion style.  The two girls really know how to wear color and favor everything from bright printed maxi dresses to pastel 60's jumpers, soft floral tops and lots of lace.  Sounds like a CLC girl to me, don't you think?  

Since I can't see these girls at Coachella this weekend, I'm happy to say that I will be seeing them next week at the El Rey in Los Angeles.  My plan is to meet the girls and get them into some CLC so they can show all the girls in Sweden who rules the US in print and color! 

Last night I had the great opportunity to have dinner with three fabulous ladies, one who happened to be Karen Marley, the daughter of the legendary Bob Marley.  This was quite a special moment for me as I have been such a huge fan of Bob's music all my life and I very much respect the legacy of his name and what his music represents to the world.  

What I soon found out after meeting Karen is that she has a major flair for fashion and some serious sass.  All the things I love in a gal. Born in Jamaica, she lived in London for awhile before she moved here to Los Angeles. Karen has always had an eye for fashion as well as business working with her sister Cedella on her Catch a Fire line along with the many Marley family projects. 

Karen brought along her BFF and business partner, Monique Aquino- aka Dillon Delacroix, who was equally as fashionable and sassy. The two are opening a new Vintage boutique in Downtown Los Angeles in April called Buttons and Bows that I am super excited about. 

I can't wait to take all the CLC girls there as we are all big lovers of vintage and get a lot of inspiration from things of the past. I also want to get Ms. Marley in some CLC as I know it is such a great fit for her eclectic style.  

The boutique is opening in a few weeks on April 5th, but in the meantime you can check out their website, blog, and facebook page to find out more.

All the pictures were borrowed by Buttons and Bows blog.  

Looking forward to the opening!

xo

M

I'm always looking for inspiration from sources outside of the fashion world to give me a new perspective.  This time I look to my Louisiana heritage and a tradition that has been celebrated in New Orleans since the mid -19th century.  The Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans celebrate their Native American roots through creating these elaborate beaded and feathered costumes that they debuted on “Super Sunday” yesterday at the St.Joseph's Day Parade.  In this parade, over 20 tribes led by each of their Big Cheif's, strut their stuff in what is historically one of the biggest spectacles of New Orleans culture.  

Bold color and embroidery are two things we love here at CLC and throw in some fabulous feathers and beading and…well, we fall in love.  

Folk Art has been a big reference to many designers for 2013, and this particular New Orleans tradition is one of the earliest forms of Folk Art witnessed in America.  The Indians spend an entire year creating their costumes which are all handmade and can weigh up to 150 pounds and cost upwards of $10,000 a costume.  

On the evening of St Joseph's day (today), the costumes are burned and destroyed and the tribesman start all over again for next year's festivities.  Good thing we have pictures to reference!

I think 2012 is the year of color and at CLC we are ALWAYS about color….hope this gets you in the mood to start buying your bright Spring wardrobe!

All pictures by Alfonso Bresciani

To find out more about the Mardi Gras Indians, visit this site.