Go Ouest, Young Man

Lulu super-hearts Gaultier’s Spring 09 collection for Hermès; really, Lulu is delighted any time the French re-interpret classic American styles. In this instance, Gaultier has created a really sleek, sexy lineup of cowboy-inspired outfits invloving fluttery leather skirts, jackets and tunics heavy on the shrug-shouldered look (Lulu says “like Clint in his serape”; Lulu’s father, Kristiano, says “like J. Peterman!”) and the floppy, wide-brimmed offspring of the union between the sun hat and the cowboy hat. See footage which Lulu does not own from Hermès’ Paris show HERE, on a Youtube account with which Lulu is not associated.

These drawings belong to Lulu Kieran, and may not be reproduced in any way without her consent.

Lulu Sells More Things

Lulu has pondered long and hard on a way in which to unite her two great loves, Fashion and Literature. Today, she has found the answer! See the below photograph of Lulu’s fantastic original ink drawing, “Mod Puck”:

This Puck is a li’l bit mod, a li’l bit punk, a li’l bit wearing one of Lulu’s dance outfits. “Oh, Lulu, Lulu!” you cry. “I wish to buy this wonderful drawing! I wish to have it for my very own!” BOY OH BOY ARE YOU IN LUCK. Lulu has this 5×7 drawing UP FOR SALE in her Etsy shop. See HERE! It’s one-of-a-kind, so act fast!

Hey, here’s another image of Lulu’s drawing:

Lulu’s Mysterious Flowers

Normally Lulu posts here with one of her drawings, or at least with some interesting fashion commentary; today, however, she comes to you with neither of these, but with an earnest supplication for aid: WHAT THE HECK KIND OF FLOWERS ARE THOSE??? As you can see, Lulu has them on display in her kitchen, and they are very pretty, and (now, you can’t see this part) smell very very nice, but Lulu has no idea what they are. She’d like to know. Perhaps you can help. Surely some among you are horticulture enthusiasts, or have a book of flower types lying around, or are capable of thieving a book of flower types somebody else has lying around. Lulu will not ask the means by which you get her an answer – Lulu’s burning curiousity must be indulged. So get on that right now, all of you.

Update: Thanks a bunch to Lulu Smith (no relation) who told Lulu Kieran that these flowers are STOCKS, called “matthiola incana” by the more pompous. Hurrah! Another mystery solved.

Juliana’s Visit (Part II)

As Lulu mentioned in this post, a friend of Lulu’s – name of Juliana – spent last week visiting Lulu. Now, Lulu has just lately moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, and Juliana still lives in Chicago; what great luck that L.A. experienced high-80’s weather during Juliana’s stay while at the same time, Chicago was experiencing some of the coldest temperatures of the decade!

Lulu played tour guide to Juliana, hoping to show her friend both the real beauty of California and its crazy weirdo lunacy. Mostly Juliana was happy just to sit back and enjoy the ride – Lulu thinks that a lot of her complacency sprung from her joy at being in temperatures that were NOT eighteen below – but there were one or two things that Juliana absolutely insisted they do. These were:

1. The Hollywood Walk of Fame

2. The Beach

3. The Fashion District

Lulu had weeks ago read this entry in the awesome Los Angeles-themed blog Adventures in La La Land, and had phoned seamstress Juliana immediately; La La Land author Mary had talked about the Los Angeles Fashion District, and how it featured mounds and mounds of cheap fabric. Juliana was properly impressed – and Lulu was more than happy to promise that they would visit when Juliana came round.

By the third full day of Juliana’s stay, the girls had already had a lovely day at a beach in Santa Monica; so they sallied forth to the fashion district, already bustling in the morning, rolls of fabric spilling into the street.

The Fashion District is located between Olympic and Pico in downtown L.A.; fabric stores cover a significant portion of it, and during their visit Juliana and Lulu covered a significant portion of the fabric stores. The District is mostly powered by cheap imports from Mexico, whether knock-off fashions or driven-up-last-night fabrics; for Juliana it was like a dream. “Six bucks a yard!” she’d cry, shaking something enthusiastically at Lulu. “That’s like a third of what this’d cost at Joanne’s!”

Though Lulu’s appreciation of raw fabrics does not travel much farther than “Oh! Pretty!”, she found entertainment where she could: in the strapless sweetheart plaid dress she bought herself (ten dollars!); in the interesting crowds and lovely weather; in Juliana’s staggering ability to haggle.

After a full day of fabric-shopping, the girls stopped at a little restaurant for to eat and gather their strength. Juliana cooed over her purchases, and Lulu over her burrito, as is pictured in Lulu’s drawing at the top of this entry. It was an excellent day for both, and one of them fell asleep on the car ride home, which was understandable because they were stuck in traffic for, like, ever.

Juliana’s Visit (Part I)

Good news! As you may remember, Lulu bought a vampire charm for her friend Juliana from a jewelry boutique called ‘Bittersweets‘. Well, Bittersweets’ blog has run Lulu’s photographs of Juliana and her charm, with a sweet – albeit sort of confused – mention of Lulu’s blog. See the Bittersweets blog here!

The timing could not be better, as Juliana had in fact spent this previous week VISITING LULU IN CALIFORNIA!

Now, Juliana is a Chicagoan, as Lulu was too for many sad years before she moved to L.A.; so Juliana spent most of her visit rejoicing in the remarkably warm weather we’ve had this week. It is worth noting that today in Chicago, those Juliana left behind (and to whom she is returning EVEN AS LULU WRITES THIS) were feeling the pangs of the coldest day in a decade.

Lulu and Juliana did lots of things, some touristy and some relaxy. They spent their first day shopping around L.A. and painting their nails by Lulu’s pool – excellent fun. Then, the next day, when temperatures reached the high 80’s, they packed a picnic lunch of ham sandwiches, cheeses, and fruit, and hit the beach. When they weren’t chatting or (perhaps foolishly) hopping around rocks in their bare feet, Juliana went shell-searching, and Lulu sunbathed. Below is Lulu’s drawn representation of such activities: she is herself thwacked by a too-long bath in the hot hot sun, and Julie is thrilled at the heat.

After Lulu regained her senses, they walked up and down the beach for a while. Against Lulu’s advice, Juliana fed some seagulls. Subsequently, a pack of birds walked silently behind Juliana for a time. Now Lulu is concerned that Juliana may have formed some sort of alliance with them; since Lulu has no such alliance, things may prove unhappy for her, should Juliana ever choose to engage Lulu in battle.

Here is a photograph of LULU HERSELF sitting on a wall by the sea, using her favorite Free People top as a cover-up:

Lulu will continue the story of Juliana’s visit later – there is much much more to tell!

(The drawing, as well as these photographs, belong to Lulu, and may not be used without her permission.)

Lulu Eavesdrops in California

Lulu eavesdropped on some very entertaining patrons at a coffee shop in Malibu the other day; a group of girls of, by Lulu’s best guess, fifth-grade age were waiting in line behind her. They were talking in a very self-conscious, affected way, trying badly to impress each other and everyone around them, and imitating, presumably, their older sisters or mothers. Their accents were so violently Californian that they almost sounded like bad imitations of a Californian accent – they were like a group of tiny West Coast socialites. When Lulu was able to make out their conversation, however, she realized that they were talking about cartoons.

“Wouldn’t it be wee-ahd if all your friends hahd the sahme nahm?” asked the leader of the group.

“Ee-ye-ahh,” agreed one of the others. “Iht’d beh lahk on ‘Recess’, with theh Ashleys!”

And then they started talking about their favorite episodes of ‘Recess’.

Later on, when Lulu was heading out, her iced-chocolate clenched in her lovely hand, she got a better look at the leader; she was wearing a backward baseball cap, and her hair was faux-messy. Both the cut and color of this kid’s hair were more expensive than Lulu’s; this kid’s make-up was better applied than Lulu’s. Now, Lulu does not skimp on haircuts, and Lulu is pretty darn good at applying makeup. It was a little spooky to see a fifth-grader looking more put-together than Lulu does.

Lulu figures that it is rather like rich Edwardian ladies learning to paint and sing and play paino; these girls’ learning about makeup and clothing is simply a part of their culture. It is how their families communicate to one another that their children are sophisticated. Lulu doesn’t find it healthy, but she also does not, as some folks do, find it repulsive. Mostly, Lulu just thinks that it is very, very funny.

Lulu Kieran’s Glorious Return

Fear not! Fear not! Lulu has not been spirited away by a highwayman; she has not succumbed to the illicit temptations of Iowa; she has, in fact, made it safe and sound to California – as a matter of fact, she has been in California since late September!

She apologizes profusely for leaving you all in the lurch; you must have worried so. But with all her unpacking and applying to colleges and lying prone on the floor, she has until now simply found no moment to resume blogging. She assures you that she loves California very much, that she could not before this move have imagined that she could feel so at home in a place she’d only visited once, that she certainly is a California girl. Of course, what can this mean to you? You are all still bitter and shuffly, saying “Well, that’s all very nice, but you really had us going there for a while; we thought you were lying dead in a ditch, or were, worse, alive in Iowa!” Lulu knows there is nothing she can do to undo these long months of neglect – so instead of doing anything in particular, she will give you a picture she’s drawn of Athena:

You know, Athena – the goddess of Wisdom and stuff. What has she to do with fashion? Not a whole lot, except for the fact that we can tell from this drawing that Lulu is going through an American Apparel phase. A.A.’s 80’s vibe has become really attractive to Lulu lately. Lulu has been very interested in the dancer-warming-up look, and A.A., with its slim, high-waisted pants and imitation-leotard shirts, quite fits the bill. Once Lulu loses her moving weight, she will begin dressing much like Athena here; she’ll upload a photograph of herself when this goal is reached.

This drawing belongs to Lulu, and you may not use it in any way without her permission.