fashion Category
Candies. On our fingers.
We’re huge fans of our girl Yanique Venezia and her cocktail vintage rings she appropriately named: Confection Jewels. We LOVE these rings. Can’t get enough of them. We went through them so quickly, sold them so fast, we had to make another appointment with the lovely Elke Ricablanca to show us MORE rings. Yes, we’re addicted. Hello, my name is Lolo and I’m a Confectionholic. You so rarely see me or Mrs McM without our rings.
And seems like we are not the only girls in town who love them… Check them out!
I’m setting up an appointment this weekend with our boy Ryan from Verten Media. Pictures of our new selection should be up soon on our store! FYI, we’re throwing our summer party at the end of August, we usually bring more rings too to our events! Yes, yes, we like to indulge our girls…
For right now, LA feels sooo good I’m gonna go sit at my neighborhood cafe shop finishing up ‘Henry and June’ by Anais Nin sipping my boba green tea iced drink. So very Asian I know. I can’t help it.
Love!
L
Do we play favorite here? Yeah we do, well, at least I do. I am huge in supporting local designers, hand made, vintage or limited edition merchandise. My part deux of things I love for our men (and seriously, some of these you and I can rock ‘em too!) are the awesome jewelries of Union the Brand by designer Yanique Venezia!
Union the Brand, Bicycle Parts Collection
Here’s for your cyclists men… everything from handle bar and sadle charms to stack of cogs and chain rings…
The Handle Bar Charm
Bike Chain Three Fingers Rain
The bike gears are currently available at Royal/T Cafe in Culver City for a limited period of time and Confection Jewels website.
The Toolbox Collection
Your men probably have enough tools by now in the garage and around the house! If you’re not an expert in tools and going to the Home Depot is considered a major turn off… despair no more… he’ll love these charms and you will too. They don’t take THAT much space and you can borrow them. If you ask him very nicely, that is. Mix and match them, do two or three charms in a chain. They look so good no matter how he wears them, with a t-shirt, a button down shirt. We like our men accessorized. We really do.
Nail Bangles (made out of ten inches nails!)
The Shovel (made me smile)
Unisex Seat Clamp Rings
Besides Confection Jewels site and Royal/T Cafe in West LA, the boys at Shop Tradition carry these awesome line too. For more information and questions on the jewelries, go head and email the girls of Confection Jewels at info@confectionjewels.com . If you get to talk to the smokin hot sales rep Elke, tell her the Martini and Milk girls send her LOVE.
Happy Father’s Day dads!
Love,
L
PS: All pics are the property of Confection Jewels and Yanique Venezia. Thanks for letting me use these amazing pics girl! xx
PSS: I secretly want ‘em all for myself.
Father’s Day is almost here again, are you ladies ready? I truly think Dads deserve a big toast once a year, a thank you for pulling Mr. Moms when we need them to. Some of them do it more than others obviously, and for those we love and appreciate… may we suggest cool gifts for them? There are a couple destinations I’ll be sending you to… here’s the first one, say hello to Fred Segal Finery in Santa Monica.
Future Vintage Accessories Line
I LOVE anything modern meets vintage. ’Future Vintage‘ is a Los Angeles based men’s accessories line I absolutely love. The designer travels and picked up gorgeous vintage pieces along his travels in the U.S. and Europe and turned those pieces into cufflinks, tie bars, charms… I am absolutely loving the gun cufflinks in this collection!
Now, even though your man may not think he needs a tie, well honey… he does. I’ve seen it way too many times, a guy or his wife or girlfriend (sometimes the poor assistant panicking not knowing exactly what to pick) trying to find a tie for an event the guy needs to go to in an hour. It really doesn’t matter if a guy says, “I only wear jeans and t-shirt to work. I don’t ever wear a tie.” My man says it all the time and guess who just got the last minute text begging to please find him a tie? That’s right. Moi. And ladies, ties are not boring. Your men wear them with suit, he also wears them with his denim and button down shirt sleeves roll up for a date night with gorgeous you.
David Hart Ties Special at Fred Segal Finery for Father’s Day, Buy a Tie Gets a Tie Bar
I also think a little smile is a good thing to have in a relationship. These pin-up girls collection from Paul Smith is not only adorable and gorgeous, it will put a smile on his lips whenever he sees it. Trust me, he’ll think you’re the coolest girl for letting him appreciate all kind of beauty in this world. Or how about pick one that resembles you the most?
Not ready for the girls yet? Well, start him off with Sir Paul Smith’s collection of colorful and playful socks or cufflinks then…
There are so many things I love about this place. Everything from their installations, merchandise selections (everything is so carefully edited before they made it to the sales floor) and obviously the expertise of its sales people. You know you’re in good hands the second you enter the store…
So ladies, have fun! The friendly staff of Fred Segal Finery will take all the stress of Father’s Day shopping away from you. They’re just good like that, no kidding. While you’re chatting away with them, please do let them know that Martini and Milk loves their store!
Lots of love,
L
Pics on this blog a collaboration with Dian McManus. Thank you Mrs McM!
There are many reasons for this but mainly it is because once we become a mother, our lives will never be the same again. It asks us to serve fully and it also tests our sanity. The idea of motherhood used to scare me and I somehow thought I was missing a nurturing gene. Then it all changed four and half years ago when I became a mother to a lovely baby boy.
Being a mom certainly has transformed me to be capable of things I couldn’t imagine doing. Suddenly I can cook and somehow I manage to function (zombie-like) with very little sleep. Often times I feel like a circus juggler performing multi tasks like drying my hair while running to the kitchen to prepare brakfast and getting my son and myself dressed all the same time! Just when I think I have become superhuman, I seem to develop “mommy brain”. As you all know, this brain perpetually continues to exist especially the very first years of mommyhood. My beloved H (hubby) often finds our front door to be open because I forgot to shut it (luckily we live in a doorman building) and the most recent incident of dropping my iPhone with my mail in the US Post Office mailbox!
A very cool thing about motherhood is that I established a new kind of friendship with my new set of “mommy friends”. These friends speak the same language as I do, no matter how different we are. We don’t need to have much in common except for finding ourselves in similar situations with our children. We are all from different parts of the world but share so many of the same things today and are never judgmental. We totally understand if a playdate needs to be canceled last minute or if we randomly need to meet up for “wine & juice boxes” play time after school.
There are many types of moms in this world and unfortunately only celebrity moms get all the attention. I think it’s great that Angelina Jolie has a dozen kids but I am sure she also has a dozen nannies! The real deal mom’s are the rest of us who live in a true reality and these are the 5 types of moms I mostly admire.
The Onesies Moms
I have the most respect for these (single household) moms who do it all by themselves. They have never-ending demand on their time and energy. I bow to these women. I honestly think they are “wonder women”.
The Working Moms
Being a working mom offers all types of intense emotions: love, pride, worry, fatigue, stress and the occasional mental break down when it all comes together. It often feels like I am doing fifty things at once. I can’t imagine what it feels like for moms who are doctors, lawyers, journalists, CEOs, etc. Working moms are simply “incredibles”.
The Stay at Home Mom
In my mind, there is nothing more rewarding and worthwhile than staying home with your children. I did it for two years, but let’s face it: it’s not easy-breezy. It basically means 24 hours of mommy duty and I personally think this is terribly difficult.
The Moms of Twins, Triplets and Multiple Children
I don’t think we need more explanation here, do we?
The Ultimate Mom
Last but not least, this is the type of mom I know very well because she happens to be my very own mother. The woman who gave me life and always makes me feel safe. I admire my Mom’s never ending compassion and her ability to maintain some humor and cheerfulness even at the most difficult or painful times in her life. My mom is (secretly) my fashion icon. I vividly remember how chic she always was (and still is) in her purple Charles Jourdan pumps, a wrap dress and blue eye shadow (it was after all the 80′s). She instinctively KNEW my passion for fashion. When I was 5 years old, she LET ME chose my very own birthday dress. I was euphoric and spent hours at the mall and my Mom patiently waited. With her guidance, I ended up with navy and white pinstripe “sailor” dress with red bow. It was very Jean Paul Gaultier-ish. Below is a picture of her I love the most, when she was in a fashion show with traditional Indonesian ensemble.
These days I don’t necessarily take fashion guidance from her, although she thinks that my Marc Jacobs dress is very “dangdut” (that is sort of the Indonesian word for “tacky”). I now take motherhood tips from her. I admire her remarkable strength and wisdom. My Mom looks at life half-full, and I try to live by her mantra ”if life gives you lemons, make lemonade”.
Being a mom is exhausting because it will always involve long hours and the type of worry that is endless. Motherhood could put our lives into spiraling chaos but it is so rewarding in so many ways. The official Mother’s day is over but let’s celebrate each day as if it is Mother’s day. Being a mom certainly has brought out the best in me and has completed my world.
PS: Salut to all the wonderful mommy friends I have: Rachel, Beth, Amy, Farah and Sanaa. I also want to give special cheers to yummy-mummies: Lolo Kartikasari and Dian McManus, who kindly include me as a part of their creative world.
Happy mother’s day moms!
I hope you all had a great mother’s day celebration on Sunday! LA’s weather was great, slightly cloudy with a little breeze, just enough for us moms to have a beautiful day with our families. I was still in recovery mode from all the work we put in on the Batik Exhibit and Fashion show which Martini and Milk team put together the day before, a collaboration with the Indonesian Consulate in Los Angeles. My wonderful good friend and ex husband, Matt P, totally let me rest on mother’s day. Thank you Matthew!
11.15AM as planned, I was picked up by my party which consists of Matt, Caitlin and Matt’s dad (who drove down from San Diego for the weekend). Matt took me to a gorgeous brunch of bottomless mimosas at Engine Co. No. 28 in downtown LA which was so perfect for me since I love historical buildings (and bottomless mimosas lol). The building was built in 1912 as the most expensive fire station built in Los Angeles. It served the city until 1969 and finally in 1983 the building was preserved and now a home for a theatre organization, a law firm and the restaurant.
Engine Co. No. 28
Now, Matt and I are quite the efficient crew. It’s almost like we’re not trained for surprises because we both are very busy people. I was presented by gifts pretty much the second I entered the car, which I happily opened during our drive from my loft to the restaurant. And I.. LOVE my gifts! Cait had made me a shopping bag which she decorated and painted at school, the front of the bag says “Mi mama esta salvado mi mundo” (My mom is saving my world). Cait goes to a language immersion program where she speaks Spanish on a daily basis, so no English translation on that bag. Mommy just gotta do her best to learn as Cait gets more fluent in Spanish lol!
Matt’s Dad found this amazing vintage necklace for me, which compliments the Trina Turk bracelet Matt gave me as his Mother’s day gift. Modern meets vintage… how very appropriate!! All gifts combined together and I’m ready to stylishly save the environment, yay!
Vintage Necklace and Trina Turk Bracelet
Wait, I’m not done! I know, I know.. I am so totally spoiled on Mommy day. What can I say, I’m blessed to have these good people in my life. Since Cait’s grand daddy was in town, I got taken out to dinner too that day. Ramen in Little Tokyo it was as the day turned a little chilly… I have both my world complete, American brunch and Asian dinner.
With Cait & Zeda (Grand Pa) Polesetsky
I am happy to report that all the crew of Martini and Milk (including Irma Hardjakusumah, which we consider as honorary member of the tribe!) are as spoiled as I was during Mommy day. Each one was celebrated, loved and pampered by their families. And I am even more proud to report that each one looked absolutely fabulous and chic as they are being celebrated and loved on the beautiful mother’s day celebration!
Mrs McM and gorgeous Keira McManus in Los Angeles
Dhania Moore & her handsome Zac in NYC. And OMG… check out that cutest Mother’s Day gift she’s holding!!
Once more, happy belated mother’s day from all of us here at Martini and Milk. We love you and we will continue to create and share our creativity, our projects and our events with you…
-L-
