because real men like letterpress.

purchase your art of manilessness stationery here.  $15.00 for a box of 15.

A:  miss joan crawford, in 1946, for her lead role in "mildred pierce."

(and her hair looked fabulous, of course!)

have a wonderful oscar weekend, darlings!

xoxo,
tula

{above: "alice in wonderland" costume design by colleen atwood.}

poodles, yesterday i boogied on down to the fashion institute of design & merchandising (FIDM) to check out the 19th annual art of motion picture costume design exhibition.

over 100 amazing costumes from 20 films from 2010 were on display, including four of the five "best costume design" oscar nominees:  alice in wonderland, true grit, the tempest, and the king's speech.  the only oscar nominated film missing in action was "i am love."

viewing the costumes up close and personal gives mucho appreciation to the fine details which go into each piece.  it also showcases the costume designers' craftsmanship and storytelling abilities.  from mud-encrusted boots, to hand-drawn fishnets, to "moth eaten" fabrics, it's a true feast of fabulous character fashion.

keep in mind, these are not replicas!  they are the actual costumes worn by the actual actors.  yep, leonardo dicaprio wore that very fedora and christina aguilera really squeezed herself into a that teeny, tiny sequined corset.

not to mention, you're just a few feet away from clothing that touched the body of johnny depp.

{above:  "shutter island" 1950s-styled costumes designed by sandy powell.}

{above: "coco chanel & igor stravinsky" costumes designed by chattoune & fab.}

{above left: "coco chanel & igor stravinsky";  above right: "shutter island."}

{above:  "the tempest" costumes designed by sandy powell.  image by matt sayles for AP.}

{above:  "true grit" costumes designed by mary zophres.  image by matt sayles for AP.}

{above and below:  "burlesque" costumes designed by michael kaplan.}

WHAT: 19th annual motion picture costume design exhibition

WHERE:  FIDM's exhibition gallery @ 919 south grand avenue, los angeles, CA 90015

WHEN:  now until april 30th. open tuesday - saturday (10am-4pm)

$$:  FREE!!!

{all photography by WHORANGE unless otherwise noted.}

for all of your teeny terrarium needs.

{assembled terrariums available for purchase or as DIY kits by twig terrariums.}

{via the haystack needle.}

{above: crayon shooter at the urban outfitters in westwood.}

kittens, banksy's art is popping up all over los angeles and i'm not complaining.  with the oscars just around the corner, theory has it that sir banksy is hoping to make some last minute graffiti love to the members of the academy in the hopes of securing some votes for his oscar nominated documentary "exit through the gift shop."

{above:  charlie burn.}

if you haven't seen "exit through the gift shop" yet, rent it now, or watch it instantly on netflix.

that is an order.

{above: dog wizz in beverly hills.}

also, one the documentary's biggest set pieces involves the mr. brainwash "life is beautiful" show, which i was lucky enough to attend.  click here to read about my adventures with mr. brainwash.

unfortunately, some of banksy's latest art may have a short life.  for example, his rendition of mickey and minnie mouse boozing it up with a model on sunset blvd. has already been taken down.

oh, sunset boulevard, is there anything you can't ruin?

psst, if i have any academy voting readers -- you know what to do!  voting ends today.

{all images via banksy.}

{above: "cat story #7" by miles aldridge.

{above: twill magazine.}

{above: H5 production.}

glossy mags and catwalk couture as seen through the brilliant and ballsy eyes of "i hurt i am in fashion."

...according to APAK.

whoranging in space has never looked so good.

for the real housewives of palm springs.

{photography by jeffrey milstein.  thanks for the tip, torr!}

i'm personally passing the USS enterprise plate down to my grandchildren.

{altered antique plates by beat up creations.}

i can't guarantee that making this little origami book for the object or your affection will get you laid this valentine's day, but it will most definitely get you an amicable hug.

watch the tutorial, melt into the nick drake song, and have a delectable valentine's day, darlings!

xoxo & xoxo,
tula