When travel I love to pack new stuff to take with me! I am not sure why but I am not the only one who does that. I have a lot of customers that do the same thing! No wonder they like shopping at the store, we think alike!  One of my favorite things to do is rip the Lisa Kline tags off all my new clothes and leave them all over the hotel room or in the trash, on the bed, in the bathroom, etc.  There is just something about ripping the tag off your new favorite item you want to wear, fresh and new and never been worn. It is the only way to travel, hip, new, fresh, trendy and sexy. I guarantee you it will make your trip better!
It depends where your destination is but if you are going somewhere warm and tropical a few new sexy tops, bathing suit cover ups, lounge wear, flip flops, new tank tops, new bathing suits, and a cool hat!! I can go on and on!
If you are going somewhere cold, a new sweater, jacket or scarf or long sleeve tee, a new pair of jeans or sweats to travel in on the plane.

ACCESSORIES ARE SO IMPORTANT TO ADD THAT EXTRA KICK TO YOUR LOOK AND SENSE OF STYLE
SCARVES!!!!

I love scarves and I think they are so important and a fabulous addition to almost any outfit. It gives an extra kick and more style. Be sure to not overdo your look. It you have a print shirt do a plain scarf and if you have a plain color top do a fun print silk scarf. My favorite ones are from Thomas Wylde. My best friend Nicole Allowitz who is the stylist on Access Hollywood and a fashion diva got me into them. They make a great gift too. You can’t buy them everywhere so you have to hunt. It is worth it, I have found them on Haute Look! Her scarves are great when the weather is warm since they are thin but if it is cold out or you live in the cold then you can rock one for warmth and style! I would try a cashmere one with some fringe. They become a great thing to collect and they fit everyone!

BENEFIT MAKEUP-DePuffing Action Eye Gel and more!

Do you wake up in the morning with puffy eyes like I do (because I don’t sleep but still!!) I just found the best product that works to take the puff away, fast too!!!! It is called DePuffing action eye gel from Benefit. You literally feel it working within seconds. It has changed my life!  I put it on before I take my kids to school and now I don’t have to wear sunglasses at 8:00am if I don’t want too!!
Another one of my favorite products from Benefit that I use every day is their blush called Dallas. It is in a sassy little package (a cool square box with a horse on it) it is a really nice color.
Ooh La Lift is great to use after you’ve de puffed the bags and you put your make up on. You dab a bit under your eye and it brightens you up!!!!!!!!!!

EYE LINERS

I am a big fan of eye liners. I have small dark brown eyes and I love putting color on them to make them look bigger, from shadows, to glitter and liners and mascara.
My favorite old school cheapy liner is Cover Girl, perfect blend, in Blk/Brown. I use that every day under my eye to bring out my brown eyes.
I am addicted to Lorac’s Midnight sparkle glitter liner. It is a big fat pencil and goes on really easy. I put that over the cover girl.
Urban Decay black eye liner for the inside of your eye rocks!!! They also have incredible colors. They are so soft and go on so easily so you don’t feel like you are cutting the skin around your eye. I not only like the way it goes on, I like the way it stays on.
Stilla eye liners are super soft and smudgy and they have fun colors too.
Urban Decay heavy metal glitter eye liner is MY ALL time FAVORITE!!! I can’t live without it, I am addicted and I have to say that I put it on in the morning to go to work! I learned about it when I was a judge on Launch my Line and I have been in love ever since. I used to only wear it at night but I couldn’t enough! It just gives you that extra feminine sparkle that all women need!! It makes me smile. I get compliments on it all day from everyone!

PRODUCTS LK IS OBSESSED WITH!

I wanted to share some of my favorite products from Kiehl’s that I use daily. I just went to the Kiehl’s store which is on the famous Robertson because I was out of all my favorite products. My top favorite item is the liquid body cleanser. I hate bar soap and this is all I have used for years. My favorite scent is the gardenia, (so yummy), they stopped making cucumber which is such a bummer, coriander is great, grapefruit too (I hate citrus but I still like this one for some reason) and the latest I tired is Pear tree. Pear tree is sold as a hand soap but Nikki who works there told me I could use it the same way and it is awesome for bubble baths and washing.
Every night I take a bubble bath with the Kiehl’s lavender foaming relaxing bath.
French Rosewater toner is an oldie but a goodie which I use after I wash my face. The blue astringent herbal lotion is strong but good, I use that to get any extra makeup off my face. This is a great product for men too. My husband loved it!
Lastly, the line reducing eye brightening is a great eye cream that I use morning and night.
I am not a big products girl so when I find something I like, I am very loyal.  The people that work there are very nice and informative. I also find the store a nice addition to the street and I am proud to be their neighbor. A tip for all you girls… they have great products for guys. I love buying presents there for guys and they seem to love the products too. The musk oil is my favorite, it is so sexy and subtle.  They have cool masculine wrapping, a white box and big black satin ribbon.
They have great samples too, perfect for travel and then you can test new products out to see if you are into them!

I am really excited to announce the merge of LK women in to the men’s store. The move will happen on the 25th of February. An opportunity was presented to me to leave my women’s space and I took it. The great thing for me is I won’t be running in circles all day on Robertson and I will be so much more productive managing the operation when they are combined. The kids store will remain in the same location. It has been a year since my husband passed and I am back to work and very focused on LK again. Last year with the tragedy I had so much on my plate that is was hard to focus on anything 100%. So when you get a chance come check out the new store and come say hi to me since you will find me on the floor all the time. It is reminding me of the old school LK days which were a total blast everyday!  It is going to be great!!!!

Well I am off to Vegas on Monday for my first circuit of trade shows. I focus on men’s when I go to the Project show but they do have women’s and kids there. I will be going to a few different trade shows, ENK, MR, Magic and Pool and Capsule!! I am not sure how to attend all of them in 3 days but I am fast so hopefully I will cover all that ground!!
I have always done men’s at that show for the last 10 years (since I have had Lisa Kline Men) so I like to focus on men’s and nothing else. I leave for New York right after to go buy women’s and that is what I focus on 100% there. I am very black and white, and it comes out in almost everything I do!  When I finish the shows I will let you know what the trends are for fall!! I love buying and I can’t wait to see everyone, see what’s in the market place and also have a great time. Since I am in the business of fashion and making people beautiful my job is fun and the people in my industry are fun and after a hard day of buying clothes the nights rage. The great thing for me is my business is my pleasure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a fun idea! This was one of my favorite all time Valentine’s Day evenings!

I left a note on my boyfriend’s bed. It was a sexy picture of a woman in lingerie with a garter belt, the whole nine yards. The message said meet me at Casa Del Mar at 8:00 pm. Go to the front desk and pick up a key, the room is under your name.  When he arrived at the room I had cool music playing, I was in a hot lingerie outfit under a leopard trench coat. He started opening his gifts. First, was a bottle of Belvedere Vodka and 2 huge gorgeous Martini glasses with his name engraved on them and a message saying I love you as well engraved.  So we starting having martinis and then ordered room service and the gifts continued with an Omega Seamaster watch and a pair of cool shoes.  Needless to say the night was a blast and it was one of the most memorable Valentine’s celebrations ever!!
Just get creative with your dude. My dude lived for James Bond, so it started with that!

Ok for you men out there trying to surprise or take care of your special gal here are some suggestions to make her smile instead of being disappointed. Yes we are hard to please or at least have high expectations.  Just give us this one holiday please!!! It is really not that hard.
Lingerie is a must for your hottie. My 2 favorite stores that are both in LA and NYC or you can buy on line are Kiki de Montparnasse, or Agent Provocateur.  Don’t shy away from garter belts, whips and chains, sexy bra and underwear sets, perfume, candles, sex books, vibrators and more. Wait till you check these stores out, they are hot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok jewelry is always nice,
Flowers are obvious and super expensive on V day. I would suggest to always get your girl flowers for no occasion and they will go a long way and you will look like a thoughtful good guy getting flowers just because.
You can cook a romantic dinner at home, you can write a sweet card, or a poem or a love song. Buy a really nice bottle of wine, put on some good music by the fire and chill out.
My advice if you are in love is to make every day like Valentine’s Day. You should always tell your girl you love her and shower her with gifts and love and cards and warmth and compassion. My husband always did and it was great.

This weekend is always fun, I love the Grammy’s and the crowd it brings to town. People in the music business are fun and love fashion and are so talented and full of passion. It was really hard to get reservations this weekend but I still managed to pull off Boa for Friday night. I forgot to call till that afternoon and I was supposed to make a reservation for 6!! Oops! My girl Patty took care of me and we sat outside on the patio and had a blast. I strayed from my usual salad and got the boa chop, not as good as the Caesar salad table side. Petite fillet and sauce plate of course. Mac and cheese, fries and mashed potatoes! I was so scared how many carbs came to the table. (I was with some southern girls and they know how to enjoy a meal) they have a new pastry chef so the desserts were different but good. Did you all watch the Grammys? I thought it was great with so many good performances and so many sexy outfits!

As I mentioned it other blogs I am really into leggings so much that I am not into jeans right now, which is all I wore out for years and years. Now I only rock a sexy legging with a sexy boyfriend tee or sexy top leather jacket and heels! You can find so many cool leggings and all stores have them cheap or $$ and no one can really tell the difference except you. You can get leggings with zippers on the ankles, with lace insets, shredded, shiny, liquid, with leather on them, tie died and on and on. I also love that you can wear leggings with boots during the day or flatter shoes and then switch up your entire look by changing your shoes. Put on some heels, and your legs will look amazing. If you don’t have the best legs then wear a longer tunic top if you do have nice legs and a nice butt then rock short shirt to show it all off!! Show off your good attributes and hide your bad, that is the simple trick!

I am obsessed with this sexy tee from David Lerner. It is off white burn out, backless and falls off your shoulders…. Hot hot hot! My new favorite outfit I wore out the other night to Boa Steakhouse with lace inset LNA leggings, and my Sergio Rossi heels. I did the David Lerner tee with a black lace tube top and tons of chains and bracelets and lots of glitter. So much fun! If you haven’t been to the new Boa, go check it out! The food is great and the vibe is amazing. I always have fun when I go there. If it is crowded and you can’t get a reservation you can still eat at the lounge. The crowd that goes there is defiantly decked out and into fashion so make sure to look your best! I always get the Caesar salad (table side) a petite filet, mac and cheese, truffle fries, broccoli , and a Belvedere Martini of course!!!! For dessert try the smores! Make sure to say hi to Lance and Russell for me!

This weekend I went to the Malibu Country Mart at Cross Creek with my kids! We had a good time out there. We used to live there so they love Malibu. We went and said goodbye to our old house (which was really sad) and then went and put our feet in the sand at Zuma Beach which was awesome. My kids ran around on the sand dunes and had a blast. They run all over the park and love to play there. I always see tons of people I know and it is a relaxed vibe. We got a yummy lunch at Malibu Mutt. I am addicted to the falafel sandwich there!! It is my favorite one in history, get extra tahini sauce!!

Salmon in Lemon Brodetto with Pea Pure

4 servings

Lemon Brodetto

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, diced

2 lemons, one zested and both juiced

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Pea Puree

2 cups frozen peas, thawed (about 10 ounces)

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

1 garlic clove

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salmon

¼ cup olive oil

4 (4 to 6 ounce) salmon fillets

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the lemon brodetto, warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice, and the broth. Bring to a simmer, cover, and keep warm over low heat.

To make the pea puree, combine the peas, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor and puree. With the machine running, add the extra-virgin olive oil in a steady drizzle. Transfer the pea puree to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Set aside.

To make the salmon, warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Season the salmon pieces with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon on one side until a golden crust forms, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the fish and continue cooking until medium-rare, about 2 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

To assemble the dish, stir the table-spoon of chopped mint into the lemon brodetto and divide among 4 shallow bowls. Place a large spoonful of pea puree in the center of each bowl. Place a salmon piece atop each mound of pea puree and serve immediately.

Thank god the weather is getting warmer for Los Angeles. I am not into wearing a scarf and a hat and gloves and my Monclair jacket to go out at night! That is what I do in New York.  At night it is still cold but since we drive in LA and we run in and out of restaurants and clubs and parties you can wear less or something sexy and not have to worry about where you are going to put down the hat, gloves, jacket and scarf. As you can see with the clutch strap I like things simple or I don’t like to worry about more then I need to.

So with this being said, I can’ t put a pair of jeans on to save my life. I am obsessed with leggings right now. They are so cute and comfortable and sexy too. I love the comfort factor. Leggings look great with heels because they are a skinny leg which is right on trend and you never need to get them shortened. So throw on a boyfriend tee, or a shredded tee, a leather jacket, tons of chains and bracelets and earrings too with the leggings and a great pair of high heel boots. I always wear heels when I go out at night. Why you ask?? Because you look sexier of course! Oh and don’t forget your glitter eye liner from Urban Decay.

So when I filmed Launch my Line one of the coolest things was the Urban Decay make up. They sponsored the show and I had an incredible make-up artist do my make-up, she introduced me to this liquid glitter eye liner that I am addicted too. I wear it on the top of my lid. I have the silver, gold, blue and purple and I want all the colors. I used to only wear it at night when I went out but I am so in love with it that I wear it during the day now. It is great because it lasts all day too and gives you that extra sparkle you need. So many people like it that I am giving it as holiday gifts!! Shock, I have started a new trend. You can purchase it at Sephora.

When I go to New York I can’t leave town unless I have my Gotham Salad at Café 745 at Bergdorf Goodman Men’s. You can get it at the women’s store or the Men’s store. I choose the men’s store because it is less ladies who lunch and less crowded and there is a bar so you can have champagne or a martini, depending upon your day! The Gotham Salad is to die for- made up of  diced chicken, ham, gruyere cheese, tomatoes, beets, bacon, hard-boiled egg and iceberg lettuce all chopped up and finely dressed with Thousand Island.  So delicious!

Spicy Calamari Stew with Garlic Toasts

4 servings

Calamari Stew

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

2 cups dry white wine

2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds calamari (squid), bodies thinly sliced, tentacles whole

Garlic Toast

4 to 6 slices of rustic Italian bread

Olive oil, for drizzling

2 to 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Warm the olive oil over low heat in a medium pot. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium. Slowly add the white wine and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomato sauce, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixtures to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Stir in the calamari and continue to cook just until the mixture comes back to a simmer and the squid is opaque, about 2 more minutes.

While the stew simmers, drizzle the bread slices with olive oil. Toast until the bread is crisp and turning golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic cloves. Serve immediately with the calamari stew.

I am obsessed with this new line called Goldie.  I ordered one of everything I ordered for the store as a personal for me which I rarely do. It is soooooo cute!!! So right on trend and great price points. The leggings were the most comfortable leggings I have ever put on and they had the cutest stud detailing and I paired it with a sexy loose boyfriend tee (white with grey tie die scattered lightly and black lace insets at the bottom!!!!) live live live.  It is more a top line with such cute tees, all with fun lace details. Come check it out at the store and get your Goldie today!!!!!!!!

My best friend and I got Thai massages at Watpo Thai Massage on La Cienega. We had a private room for 2 and it was really nice and relaxing and the massage therapists were amazing. I have been getting massages for years to relax and to heal my body (they really work) and my new favorite massage is Thai. It is so healing for me and that is their focus. It hurts because they go deep but my theory is no pain no gain!!! We ate at a new cool sushi restaurant in West Hollywood on La Cienega Blvd called Agura that has happy hour from 10-12 pm. I have never heard of that and we had the best food and got out of there for under 100 bucks for both of us with drinks. The vibe and the décor is cool. Go check both out, they rock!

Joes jeans who is one our favorites at LK, just designed a new amazing jean legging. They are the first to come out with this genius design. Denim but no pockets or details except the wash and some shredding on certain styles. It is part of their national ad campaign and you can see billboards up around town. They are super sexy and cute and the new trend. They come in an array of colors and washes.  I love leggings so much now that I actually can’t even bare to put on a jean. I have no interest in jeans right now. Once in a while I will put on the Joe’s boyfriend jean but I really am obsessed with leggings for the time being. I will be rocking the Joe’s leggings with my black lace Goldie top and sexy heels on Christmas Eve for sure where I am hosting a party at my house!!  Happy Holidays to you and your family and may 2010 be filled with love, smiles, warmth and compassion.

Xo

Lisa

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Here is a picture of my tree!

So last Friday was the last day of school for both my kids and I went to my son’s Chanukah party which was cute. I also took him out early and grabbed my daughter and went into Beverly Hills to get my son Colt’s hair cut. I took him to my favorite hair dresser Kevin Josephson, to the salon that bears his name. Now I must note that Kevin is an angel  letting me bring my 3 year old (and my 5 year old daughter) to his salon which is not kid friendly and he does not cut kids hair. But luckily he cuts mine!! I am not into taking my kids to the yellow balloon; they don’t style the kids enough for me. So Colt’s hair was so long it was getting embarrassing and no one I know will take him to get his hair cut because I am so picky and they’re scared!  It was worth the torture of them almost destroying the salon, and me disciplining them the entire time. Colt’s hair is perfect and now he finally has an amazing style that I live for.

We then went  to Harry Harris for some new shoes and I made sure they didn’t destroy that store. The women was impressed who owned the store and said” you are different then all the other mothers that come in here “  (that I know but I told her that is because I have my own store and I know how horrible it is when kids come in and are all over the place and are not disciplined).  It is not fun for anyone. The last challenge was going to La Scala at 6:30, another not so kid friendly place and a lot of older people at that time. It was all going well until my kids starting playing some game in the booth and Colt ran out to get away from Dylan and I went to grab him before he ran down the isle of the restaurant where people were trying to enjoy a quite meal and next thing you know he hit me in the eye with his head as I pulled him towards me and he tried to pull away. I got a black eye instantly!!!!!!!!!!!! You should see it, it’s really pretty.  So after that I decided to go home put them to bed and pour myself a martini while I iced my eye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday night we had the Kill City Party at the Men’s store, it was a great party and for the first time in the history of LK parties we had a live band perform in the back parking lot!! It was awesome; the band was called the Killers. Everyone danced and had a great time and the neighbors complained but it was all good! We had a great bar filled with Patron, Jack and Grey Goose all my favorites. Everyone seemed to be really happy and enjoyed themselves. As tradition I went to dinner at Dantana’s with some friends after the party and got home super late. I love Dantana’s because they are open till 1:00, I love the door man Craig, and the Caesar salad is my favorite one in town! A must have if you go. I also enjoyed Veal Piccata, and cappuccino ice cream! Yum!

I will only buy evening bags from the store that have a wrist strap. I don’t like little clutches without one. What do you do with your bag when you are out at night having a drink at the bar or standing there. It is annoying to hold it under your armpit and what happens when you don’t think about it and put it down and then bye bye clutch. So when you have a wrist band you just leave it on your wrist and there it is, it is safe and looks good and you don’t have to worry about your purse. Your focus can be on your friends or the cute guy in the corner. My favorite purse in the store is the new Kettle Black Clutch. It has the right amount of studs and super cool, and fits everything you need for a night out.

Obsessed with it!

The holidays…my favorite time of year… Dress-up time! For the crazy Hannukah parties, rock leggings, a Hero Crane top and booties- let’s be honest it’s freezing outside!  For an elegant Christmas party, wear an Eight-Sixty sequin dress, tights and stilettos. You can’t go wrong with sequins and sparkles, so go bold. The perfect hostess treat? Crumbs bite-size cupcakes! Plenty to go around the party, and  just enough taste to satisfy that sweet tooth ; )

So the challenge this week was a one piece outfit inspired by animals. I thought the animals were great for inspiration. I love exotic animals and think it was interesting or luck of the draw that certain designers chose baskets that had animals that were perfect for them. Like Merle loving the tortoise, it did go perfectly with her color pallet. Kevin was happy getting the llama, Lou Anna liked her monkey and felt he was fluid like her designs. The zebra for Kathy Rose was great. I fell off my couch laughing  with Patrick’s response to getting the snake, that Cleopatria was killed by one.

The no dress rule is quite a challenge as well.

I still think Coco is such a downer and I am not into her connection with Marilyn. Marilyn is being a good sport I would have to say which shows a lot about her. Coco needs a chill pill, and she is telling Marilyn to relax!!
I love the trim room panic and I was glad Kathy got her wish with the Zebra fabric being in there. I also like how Kathy and Emile worked together and made a black jumpsuit. That was a very good move over the first 2 options.
Luckily Patrick is too reserved to slap Roberto across the face. Roberto is so demanding and loves to push Patrick’s buttons and he even was trying to torture the mice, he is irritating.
I have a big scent issue, I hate so many smells so I could totally relate to Merle when she was dying with the sage. I am sure it was strong and even though it was Kathy’s inspiration I could see where it would totally hinder the other designers. I also love that she went and told her to put it out, I would have done the same thing.
I felt bad for Patrick that the outfit was so not him, his “jumper dress” became a bathing suit! It was horrible and Kevin’s was horrible as well. I thought Kathy’s was great. I was bummed at Eric and Galina’s design, I think they could have done better!!

Until next time
Xo
LK

I am pumped for the Kill City party at the men’s store this Thursday from 8-11pm. The parties I throw in the men’s store rage and have the best vibe. I am not sure what I am wearing yet but you can bet it will be rocker attire for this crowd. I love that it is so close to the holidays it gives the LK staff a chance to relax and hang out. Nervous Wreckords will be performing live (we have never had a live band before, so this I can’t wait to see!!) followed by a DJ set from Patrick Melcher. The bar will be full with Nakhon Beer, Vodka, Patron, Jack and red bull. Kill City is serving Vegan franks (I will try one but I am into real meat!!! I am far from a vegan, but it is their party!!) Tradition is my close friends and I going for a late night dinner after an LK event, usually  at Dantana’s since they are open till 1:00am. (it is also my favorite restaurant!) what do I order there…. The Caesar salad and Shrimps Diablo! The best in town.

Ok I have a new obsession. I finally got the boots I have been looking for at Barneys in New York. They are low and have 4 straps of leather with different studs all over them. They are a dull color black leather and look worn already. There is a chunky heel too. They are Bareny’s Co-op. I paired them with a pair of shiny black leggings from LNA with a zipper going up the back leg in bronze. I unzipped the bottoms and so you could see the entire boot!!!!! Such a good look I would wear them every day if I could!!  As for the top if you were all wondering, I had a sexy cami on from Cynthia Vincent (Twelfth Street) and a shredded cardigan from Hero Crane and tons of chain necklaces and bracelets!

I have had a lot of fun family events because it is Chanukah!!  The kids have gotten so many presents they don’ t even have time to play with them all!! I love holiday time, it is fun and festive. My friend Matt came helped me get a Christmas Tree (that was my Chanukah present!!). My husband loved celebrating Christmas so we will keep the tradition alive for him. The kids love it too. The theme of our Christmas Tree is Noah’s Arch, full of animals and copper and gold ornaments. It is really pretty. I will take a picture when we are done. Every year I do a different theme and my husband thought I was crazy, and said most people use the same ornaments each year. I told him I am Lisa Kline and I like doing different themes each year to mix it up… I am Jewish anyway!!

The highlight of the Chanukah party on Saturday night was my mom’s famous potato lakes made from scratch. She didn’t want to buy them from the deli or Gelsons because they aren’t as good as hers. She peeled 2 pounds of potatoes by hand. I think I need to buy her a cuisinart for Chanukah! When I told her that she said the potatoes get too watery when done in the machine and she likes them better by hand! I appreciated all her hard work, they were so good! Thanks mom!

I love how cocky the designers are getting.

As you can start to see with each challenge and a bit of education how intense it is to stay focused on keeping their line cohesive. I loved the trend forecasting, I think that was important for the designers to understand what that is. Having the jellyfish and butterfly as part of the design, Venice Beach was a great place to go and get inspired. I grew up in Los Angeles and went to Venice Beach and I always took out of town guests there. I love Venice Beach, it’s a crazy place full of creativity and insanity and weirdos!   With the beach in the background makes it is a very inspirational place. I love that the designers were on their own, and not with their experts, so it forced them to do the design on their own. The designers seemed a bit overwhelmed walking around Venice Beach!
Back at the studio, I love Thai and Merle and think they are a great team and designed a great outfit. I think Coco is a horrible partner and I feel bad for Marilyn, I didn’t know how bad it was between them and Coco’s attitude stinks and I would be so bummed if she was my partner. As the show unfolds I do find humor in the stress and frustration that some of the experts have with some of  the designers. Besides Coco and Marilyn I find the partnerships between David and Julie, as well as Roberto and Patrick challenging. The partnerships that I am starting to like a lot are Merle and Thai, Louanna and Jim and Eric and Galina.
I think orange is a difficult color in general to design with (not to mention I can’t stand that color) I put my feelings aside when judging the orange in the designs!! (not to worry!) Some did it great and some did not! That was not an easy incorporation anyway you looked at it!!

It was hard to eliminate since a few weren’t that great. As judges we were very fair and hashed out what we thought and what who was going to be eliminated as to how they followed the challenges and all the other requirements. We had a lot to judge them on.

Stay tuned next week! Episode 2 is really exciting!

It is almost the same weather in Los Angeles as it is in New York. If I was in New York I would be wearing layers, a cashmere sweater, a coat, a scarf, gloves and a hat. Here in Los Angeles with it freezing cold I can’t believe I’m wearing an LNA long sleeve deep v neck, tons of necklaces that are making me freeze along with a leather Illia vest which isn’t warm. I have my moncler jacket on but it is not helping. Why when I am in Los Angeles do I not dress appropriately for the weather I wonder? I always laugh at myself and all the other LA locals who have no clue how to dress in LA when it is cold! I am in fashion and I do it! I guess we are so used to it being warm that it doesn’t phase us. I always go out of the house with nothing on in LA. 90% of the time it is warm.

After yesterday I made a vow to dress warmer or according to the weather!

Tune in to the premiere of Launch My Line, a new show on the Bravo network, where I served as one of four panel judges.  It’s such an exciting show you’re gonna have a blast!

The show premiere’s Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 11pm PST.

I’ll tell you everything I know about fashion and more

-LK

“Bravo’s newest fashion creative competition series, Launch My Line features 10 established fashion designers paired with 10 industry professionals, who are highly regarded in their own field of expertise, but have always dreamed of having their own clothing line. From stylists, music producers, event planners to CEOs and choreographers, the innovators will work with the established designers to bring their vision to life and create a fashion line. In the end, one team will be declared the winner and someone’s clothing line will be launched.

Acclaimed designers, twin brothers Dean and Dan Caten of DSQUARED2 join Launch My Line as hosts, and fashion notables Stefani Greenfield and Lisa Kline serve as judges.

Each week the teams will be put to the test, as they have to rely on each other’s expertise to get through the competition. Some teams form a natural connection while others have instant tension – but at the end of every episode a complete look from each team must walk the runway and be judged in front of a live studio audiences.”  excerpt taken from [Launch My Line]

Today I dipped my nails in gold…well, sorta.

For those of you who haven’t heard of Minx Nails, they are the new alternative to nail polish. Replacing the old with the new, you can forget about the lacquer, acetone and a sticky mess. You can’t do them at home, it takes about an hour and a half and it’s very hard to do. I got mine done at Pampered Hands on Melrose. The process is simple but tedious, a sticker is heated to the form of your nail and voilá– off you go with sexy, shiny, chrome-like fingertips! The manicurist must be so precise to make the sticker as perfect as possible. My nails are by no means perfect but no one seems to notice but me! People are commenting on my nails all the time, they are a show stopper and make such a cool statement.

I tried it for the first time today, and I can’t say it’ll be my last! I asked for Golden Lighting, but next time I’ll do Silver!

Try it. I’m a big fan!

-LK

The English Mastiff– my favorite kind of dog.

Those sweet puppy eyes, soft ears, and coat. If I could have them all I would! My Hercules is huge. He runs the house…the kids love him and so do I. His name is pretty self explanatory. These dogs can grow up to 350 lbs!

Guiness Book of World Records recognizes the heaviest dog of all time as a Mastiff from England named Zorba, at over 343 pounds (156 kg). Zorba stood 37 inches (94 cm) at the shoulder and was 8.25 feet (251 cm) from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.

My Hercules still has some room to grow

Woof woof!

-LK

Who doesn’t love Mick Jagger? Yesterday, today or tomorrow? He’ll always be a star in any woman’s sky!

Wherever I go, you can be sure Beast of Burden is playing, it’s the soundtrack to my life.  I love this song, even my little boy Colt was born to it.

Cheers to you! Cheers to the Stones!

-LK

From Nancy Sinatra to Madonna, women indulge in the sexy feeling of leather on their skin; they wear it, they rock it, and they flaunt it!

These tough chicks wear their leather to an extreme; in turn women of today follow their trends in an attempt to embody their bad ass style.

Enjoy the pics. and coat yourself in leather ; ) I <3 it.

-LK