THE EAST BAY WOMAN’S GUIDE TO STYLE
fresh From splashes of color to pretty florals, fashions fit for spring
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tableofcontents
84 78 58
features 58 Spring is in Fashion goes pretty, flirty and floral as the weather heats up. By Donna Kato and Joanne Ho-Young Lee
78 Shoe showcase Footwear that goes the distance in stilettos, platforms and sandals. By Donna Kato and Joanne Ho-Young Lee
80 Passion for purses An array of handbags in the season’s softest colors. By Donna Kato and Joanne Ho-Young Lee
84 Icon Sportswear magnate Missy Park’s winning philosophy. By Mark Emmons. Photos by Patrick Tehan.
Scene’s green report 92
Zem Joaquin is on a mission to mainstream environmentalism – stylishly. By Julia Prodis Sulek. Photos by Patrick Tehan.
98
Rising eco-star Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins’ big priority? Her family. By Julia Prodis Sulek. Photos by Patrick Tehan.
10 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
119 SPACES Spring/summer color trends, local designers’ fave furnishings and much more.
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72
39
107
29
departments 23 The Insider Local stylistas on what they like – and what you’ll want, too. By Stephanie Simons
29 Indulge Engagement rings and other things with a wedding day theme. By Crystal Chow
39 Shop Talk These boutiques have presents for Mom, your BFF and others. By Crystal Chow
43 Body & Soul Mindfulness meditation can teach you how to be here, now. By Melinda Sacks
107 Entertaining Christina Cribb of Danville throws parties with a purpose. By Bonnie Wach
112 Getaways A sophisticated respite awaits at Las Vegas’ new CityCenter. By Mark Whittington
167 Behind the Scene Magic happens on the style front when a team of pros gets to work.
168 Seen Scene’s East Bay launch party, American Cancer Society’s Mardi Gras revels, the East Bay Women’s Conference.
Beauty Report 49
Intense Pulsed Light therapy: does it erase skin damage? By Donna Kato
54
More advances in turning back the clock with tissue tightening, facial injectables and more. By Kaitlin Lockhart
12 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
170 Good Works – and a reader contest Do your part for Earth Day 2010 and you could win a makeover at Le Jardin at the Spa. By Kari Gohd
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Bold. Sexy. Different. May 29 - 30 The Flint Center Tickets 800.745.3000 The Spring program includes world renowned choreographer Jirí Kylián’s masterpiece, Petite Mort, a brilliant blend of postmodern dance and swordplay set to Mozart. Continuing the program is Ma Cong’s fabulous French Twist which simply explodes on stage. An extremely energetic fanciful ballet with wit, and quirky humor. Rounding out the program is Michael Smuin’s Songs of Mahler. A vivid ballet that flows through a range of emotions from playful to dramatic and passionate.
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Rebecca Hall-Lucero Art Director Kristine M. Carber Editor, Spaces Magazine Donna Kato Contributing Fashion & Beauty Editor Crystal Chow Julia Prodis Sulek Contributing Writers Joanne Ho-Young Lee Patrick Tehan Contributing Photographers Rebecca Parr Copy Editor Kaitlin Lockhart Intern Scene Magazine Vol. 2, No. 1, ©2010 by the Bay Area News Group. All rights reserved. Material herein may not be reprinted without expressed written consent of the publisher. Make sure you receive every issue of Scene Magazine. Email scene@bayareanewsgroup.com, or write to Scene Magazine, 2640 Shadelands Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598. Visit us at SceneBayArea.com
Josie Lepe
Katharine Fong Editor & Publisher
Welcome to Scene, the East Bay woman’s guide to style We’re excited about this inaugural edition of Scene in the East Bay because of you. Your exuberance and welcoming spirit, along with distinctive style, have been most striking as we’ve planned this issue and been out in the community. Your confidence and optimism about the future, and about life, have been infectious. We’re certain that Scene can become an integral part of your world and serve as your essential guide to the people, shops and services, and up-to-the-minute developments on the local style front. We know you like looking and feeling good, and that you’re eager to hear the latest trends and advances on topics such as beauty, wellness and fashion that will help you present your best self to the world. Scene brings you this, and more. This is what you can expect in every issue: a showcase of the season’s most exciting clothes and accessories, the most luxurious and effective beauty treatments, the most appealing examples of home décor and design. Our team seeks out leading health and medical professionals and experts from top salons, studios, day spas and medi-spas. We meticulously report on the latest thinking, treatments and products. Perhaps most significantly, we highlight the East Bay’s strong, intelligent women icons and leaders who make a difference, whose drive and aesthetic make them stand out from the crowd. This issue, for example, features Missy Park, whose sports apparel actually fits women and makes them want to move; Zem Joaquin, founder of Ecofabulous.com and an ardent advocate for sexy, sustainable style; and Christina Cribb, a hostess both gracious and fearless. We hope you’ll enjoy Scene and find it an indispensable tool in making some of your important choices. We can’t wait to hear what you think. We’re forming an advisory group to help us shape future issues. If you’re interested, please let us know at scene@ bayareanewsgroup.com.
Katharine Fong Editor & Publisher
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 17
contributors David Rounds President & Publisher Bay Area News Group//East Bay
Donna Kato is a fashion expert, trend-spotter and style editor. As a journalist she has covered the fashion, retail and beauty industries, helping consumers understand and incorporate into their lives both practical and cutting-edge design.
Michael Turpin Vice President Advertising & Marketing Bay Area News Group Ginny Banuelos Director, Retail Advertising Bay Area News Group John Stoeser Targeted Publications Director Monica Balistreri Product Manager Cissi Holmgren-Kates Advertising Production Manager
Joanne Ho-Young Lee specializes in portraiture as well as fashion, boudoir and wedding photography. An award-winning photojournalist, she is based in Silicon Valley (www.thefrenchboudoir. com) but travels the world for business and pleasure.
Timothy Tsun Advertising Design For advertising information, call (925) 943-8259. Copyright 2010 Bay Area News Group.
Join us! Stephanie Simons’ writing has appeared in C magazine, DailyCandy, PaperCity, La Garçonne and other national publications. She has interviewed style celebs from Manolo Blahnik to Carré Otis, and appears on television as a style authority.
Fall issue - publishing August 13 Fall arts, fall fashion Holiday - publishing November 19 Holiday glamour and gifts
Bonnie Wach is the former editor of Design For Living Magazine and Napa Sonoma, and is a regular contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Her writing has appeared in Travel + Leisure, Time Out and the New York Times Magazine, among others. Martin Poole/Digital Vision/Thinkstock
18 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
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F E S T I VA L O P E R A 2 0 1 0
One of the world’s most popular operas, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly returns to the Lesher Center in Festival Opera’s allnew production of this beloved classic. Experience anew the joy and heartbreak when innocent love turns inexorably to tragedy as cultures collide in turn-of-the-century Japan. Performances at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek Tickets from $39
July 10 – 18, 2010
C nduc ed by J se h M ches • Di ec ed by B i n S u enbie Sung in I i n i h Eng ish su e i es w w w. f E S t I va l o p E r a . C o M
Conducted by Michael Morgan Directed by Mark Foehringer Sung in I i n i h Eng ish su e i es
Hopelessly entangled in an ancient family feud, Lucia descends into madness and murder when she is coerced into a loveless marriage by her scheming brother. An audience favorite since its debut in 1835, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor exemplifies the bel canto style of opera. Performances at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek Tickets from $39
August 7 – 15, 2010
Sponsored by: California Bank of Commerce, Diablo Regional Arts Association, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Johnson Plate & Tower Fabrication, Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation, Bernard Osher Foundation, City of Walnut Creek.
T I C K E T S 9 2 5 - 9 4 3 - S H OW
Kenneth Cole
theinsider
nautical Anchor your wardrobe with candy stripes and seafaring shades of navy blue, plus yachtworthy accessories (think rope and brass).
Bettye Muller
tribal The warrior princess look isn’t complete without a statementmaking obi belt or chunky necklace of wood, chains, feathers or metal.
Nordstrom
floral Dresses go full-on “heavy petal,” but these bright, blooming botanicals are anything but garden variety.
Marc Jacobs
from runway to east bay 5 top trends for spring Keep your look up-to-date. For more detailed fashions of the season, including shoes and bags, see Page 58. By Stephanie Simons
Diesel Diesel
military Blazers and jackets stand at attention this season, thanks to masculine hardware and utilitarian touches in camouflage, khaki and army green. Kenneth Cole
transparent Feather-light, see-through party dresses are made for layering, and Lucite heels and handbags give new meaning to the term “goes with anything.”
Diesel
theinsider
cross culture
These local tastemakers crisscross the globe in pursuit of rare gemstones, exquisite fashion labels and home décor culled from international bazaars and boutiques. These are the things they adore most, both here and abroad, and what they miss when they’re traveling. By Stephanie Simons
Alina Bialobrodska + Irenka Kudlicki Poland
Alina owns an eponymous, Euro-inspired boutique on Walnut Creek’s Main Street. Irenka, a self-taught jewelry maker, creates accessories from striped flint found exclusively in the mountains of Poland (and sold at her sister’s shop).
Clockwise from top left: Irenka Kudlicki with Alina Bialobrodska. Alina’s boutique, which sells Irenka’s jewelry (three items shown here) as well as ahead-ofthe-curve fashions, featured here and on our fashion pages (Pages 5877). Inset photo above of their mother, Krystyna.
SHOP Footcandy in Walnut Creek for impeccably made boots, Berkeley’s A La Folie for lacy French underpinnings. DIne Polish kielbasa at European Country Market in Concord, or pierogis and stuffed cabbage at Chopin Café in Walnut Creek. IcOnS Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel, Miriam Haskell and our very stylish mother, Krystyna, who lives in Poland. LABeL LOVe Prada, Gucci and Dior. PAcK AG denim leggings, Wolford body suits, buttery-soft T-shirts and silver hoop earrings by Flint. BRInG HOMe Baltic amber and striped flint in a mélange of colors; Polish paintings and sculptures for home. MISS MOST Rolling hills, oak trees and quaint shopping promenades in Walnut Creek, Lafayette and Danville. MAnTRA “The best thing you can do for your personal style is to invest in luxury items that will last for years to come.” www.alinab.com, www.irenkakudlicki.com
26 • Scene • spring 2010
Reny Ryan Brazil Born and raised in Brazil, Ryan owns Reny’s Skin Care in Pleasant Hill and is the author of “Confessions of a Brazilian Bikini Waxer.”
Ryan’s book contains tales from her waxing room, where she serves myriad clients. Stories are funny and spirited, like the author herself. “I won’t go anywhere without lipstick,” Ryan says.
EARLY INFLUENCE “When I saw Heloisa Pinheiro (the girl from Ipanema) in a magazine wearing a miniskirt, I rebelled against my Catholic parents, snapped one up and began strutting down the street like a model.” ICON Gisele Bundchen. PACK Bikini, hat, sunglasses and lipstick. BRING HOME Sexy dresses that you can only find in Rio de Janeiro. MISS MOST East Bay weather, but Brazil’s climate is just as fabulous. DINE Espetus Churrascaria in San Francisco for Brazilian barbecue and caipirinha drinks, or Monsoon Masala in Pleasant Hill for mussels made with Indian spices. DANCE Salsa at San Francisco’s Café Cocomo. SCOOP Go to Brazil in March when their summer is ending and the sales are fantastic. MANTRA “Absolutely adventure into Brazilian wax — it’s empowering and liberating and boosts your sex esteem.” www.waxconfessions.com
Johnelle Mancha France A self-professed Francophile, Mancha has lived in Paris and Florence and speaks fluent French. She owns Berkeley’s Mignonne Décor; her mother, Kimberlee, owns its sister store in Brantome, France. SIGNATURE Paint-splattered jeans, because I’m always reworking pieces by hand for my furniture line. SHOP Down at Lulu’s on Telegraph in Oakland for conversation-making vintage accessories, the Temescal farmers market for a taste of France. INSPIRATION French Elle Décor, Maison Française and other design-related reads at Pendragon Books on Oakland’s College Avenue. WHEN IN FRANCE The flea market scene in Paris and Rue Montegueil. PACK An empty suitcase. BRING HOME Vintage clothing and glassware, war postcards, quirky pottery pieces and decanter sets, digestif and aperitif glasses. MISS MOST The scent of the air when I’ve been away. GOOD GENES My “bama” (grandma) is still a fashionista at 70. MANTRA “Take risks! Try something new or relive something old, and when in doubt, keep it simple and classic.” www. mignonnedecor.com
Mignonne (“sweet” in French) carries home furnishings, luxe personal care products like soaps from France, and local artwork.
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 27
theinsider
get the look spring tips from a local stylemaker By Stephanie Simons
Gina Blair Photography
the expert
clark russell
Best known for impeccable cuts and color, Clark Russell has created runway looks for design labels Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier and styled photo shoots for local clothing line Tart, carried at Bloomingdale’s and boutiques such as Elisa Wen. Since appearing on the Style Network’s Emmy-nominated reality series “Split Ends,” in 2009, he spends most of his time at his Walnut Creek salon, and in Los Angeles, where he tends to makeup and hair for high-profile beauties like the ones below.
‘Pastels pop for spring... they’re amazing on Asian and Latin women’ the makeup constance marie
Lipstick color this season is bright, including vibrant coral and pimento-orange. Dress up the look with gloss, eyeliner and sheer blush applied to the apples of the cheeks. And stock up on pastels: “Pastels pop for spring, and they look amazing on Asian and Latin women with yellow-based skin and dark hair,” Russell says. If that’s you, look for velvety textures in shades ranging from meringue pink to watercolor green. “Redheads and blondes can achieve the same ethereal look using gold or bronze shadow, since pastels can overpower fair skin and look too ’80s.” A hint of gold shimmer is sexy on the center of the lid, the inner corners of the eyes and the brow bone.
aisha morris
retna
maria menounos
Style — Hairstyles of the moment are asymmetrical, with a resurgence of loose, onesided buns and long braids slung over one shoulder. Heavy bangs are still around, but the look is tapered from short-to-long in left-to-right fashion. Many women are growing out last year’s A-line cuts in pursuit of more length and less polish. The result is a “piece-y” looking cut, with the longest sections framing the face and hitting the shoulders. color — An uptick in the economy – and spirits – dictates a little more effort in the form of lighter hair and sun-kissed highlights. Red turns heads in bold shades of titanium orange, auburn and strawberry blond – colors that connote a little bit of a bad girl streak and make the wearer stand out from the pack. “Most East Bay women are out hitting the pool or the soccer field with the kids. They can keep their color from fading in the harsh sun by wearing a hat and using UV-protective products.”
“Hairstyles of the moment are asymmetrical” INSIDER jumps to page 165 28 • Scene • spring 2010
Gina Blair Photography
the hair
indulge
Handcrafted platinum ring with oval-cut 2.48-carat natural fancy pink diamond and 1.78-carat pavé-set diamonds by Jack Kelege, $495,000 from CH Premier Jewelers.
bridal bling Only the bride shines brighter than these wedding-worthy jewels
The ring is the thing, of course, when vows are exchanged, but so are pendants, bangles and other assorted glittery pieces. Whether worn by the bride, the mother of the groom or any other member of the nuptial party, each adornment must meet — if not exceed — the promise of the occasion itself. In other words, it must be an object of beauty and a joy forever. Story by Crystal Chow
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 29
indulge Necklace of platinum-set diamonds with emerald briolettes, $275,000 at Tiffany.
Semi-mount ring featuring 0.36-carat total weight natural round white diamonds and 0.65-carat total weight natural princess-
18-karat rose gold ring with
cut white diamonds in 18-karat white gold,
filigree-style pavé set with 2.30-
$3,300 (not including center stone) at
carat diamonds, $4,775 at Joe
Milner’s Jewelers.
Escobar Diamonds.
Earrings with morganite briolettes Semi-mount ring featuring
totaling 77.63 carats, in 18-karat
0.84-carat total weight natural
rose gold and accented with
round white diamonds in
platinum-set diamonds, $40,000
18-karat white gold, $3,080,
at Tiffany.
or platinum, $4,180 ( not including center stone) at Milner’s Jewelers.
Semi-mount ring featuring 1.03-carat total weight natural round white diamonds and 0.09-carat total weight natural round pink diamonds in 18-karat white and rose gold, $4,180 (not including center stone) at Milner’s Jewelers.
30 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
Platinum earrings with pear-shape blue sapphires, 9.20-carat total weight, and diamonds, 1.12-carat total
Cultured freshwater pearl bracelet
weight, $17,575 at Joe
with diamond links and toggle, 1.60-
Escobar Diamonds.
carat total weight, by Mastoloni, $5,740 at Lustre Pearls & Gems. Pendant in 18-karat white
gold with cushion-cut 8.17carat tanzanite with 0.39carat diamonds, $8,125 at Joe Escobar Diamonds. Platinum necklace with 0.52-carat 18-karat white gold earrings with 1.23-carat pear-shape diamonds and 1.23-carat total
Asscher-cut center diamond and round brilliant-cut diamonds, 1.15carat total weight, $24,250 at Heller Jewelers.
weight round diamonds surrounded by micro pavé diamonds, $8,200 18-karat white gold earrings with pavé 1.48-carat total weight diamonds and cultured Tahitian pearl enhancers, by
at Heller Jewelers.
18-karat white gold ring with 0.91carat radiant-cut center diamond, two matching radiant-cut stones, 0.72carat total weight, and round brilliant cut diamonds, 0.29-carat total weight, $12,900 at Heller Jewelers.
Gellner, $7,500 at Lustre Pearls & Gems.
Diamond semi-mount engagement rings, from $5,200 in 18-karat white gold to $13,100 in platinum (not including center stone), from the Tacori Crescent Collection, available at Lustre Pearls & Gems.
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 31
indulge
Handcrafted platinum ring with radiant-cut 8.38-carat natural fancy yellow diamond and 2.74total carat diamonds by Jack Kelege, $205,000 from CH Premier Jewelers.
18-karat white gold diamond lariat, 7.30-carat total weight, set with rose-colored South Sea pearls, $17,000, by Garvani for Derby Jewelers.
Where to buy CH Premier Jewelers Westfield Valley Fair 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 1235, Santa Clara 408.983.2688, www.chpremier.com Derby Jewelers 411 Hartz Ave., No. 0, Danville 925.855.0700, 510.604.3009 Joe Escobar Diamonds 450 E. Hamilton Ave., Campbell 408.341.0300, www.joeescobardiamonds.com Heller Jewelers 2005 Crow Canyon Place, San Ramon 925.904.0200, www.hellerjewelers.com Lustre Pearls & Gems Westfield Valley Fair 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 1099, Santa Clara 408.296.3686, www.lustrepearls.com Milner’s Jewelers 2058 Treat Blvd., Walnut Creek 925.938.3915, www.milnersjewelers.com Tiffany Westfield Valley Fair 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 1247, Santa Clara 408.243.7771 149 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto 650.328.2552 1119 S. Main St., Walnut Creek 925.939.6300, www.tiffany.com
32 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
Marrakesh blue enamel and 18-karat yellow gold ring, $2,200, and 18-karat yellow gold bangle, $4,500, by Paloma Picasso for Tiffany.
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MT. DIABLO NURSERY & GARDEN Continuing a 50 year established nursery tradition, Mt. Diablo Nursery & Garden features outstanding customer service through special orders, delivery, and garden services. Come visit our unique garden gift shop featuring the work of local artisans...Lafayette’s best kept secret! 3295 Mt. Diablo Blvd. 925.283.3830 info@mtdiablonursery.com www.mtdiablonursery.com
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Elmwood Stationers is a true local stationery store, providing essential office supplies and featuring journals (Paperblanks, Moleskine, and Claire Fonataine), Mrs. Grossman’s stickers, Japanese erasers, Waterman/Parker pens, and greeting cards. Support your helpful independent local retailer! 3643-D Mt. Diablo Blvd. 925.299.6900 Berkeley Location: 2947 College Avenue 510.841.3073 www.elmwoodstationers.com
in Lafayette QUEEN BEE
Come experience the magic of Queen Bee. Enjoy our fabulous selection of gifts for all occasions, including our one of a kind jewelry and ribbon room. Decorate with our original art, furniture, and unique table tops. 261 Lafayette Circle 925.283.7900
ZEEBA
Zeeba “affordable elegance” has started its 2nd successful year in the center of Lafayette. We specialize in exceptional home dècor & gift ideas in our beautiful store, where past meets present. We invite you to visit our new expansion of designer clothing and handbags along with our existing collection of vintage and contemporary items. 3574 Mt. Diablo Blvd. 925.299.9400 www.zeebaliving.com
LEATHER PERFECT
Restore your favorite leather garments, purses, and furniture. Top retailers come to us when a garment needs cleaning, repairing, or altering. We use the most effective and environmentally friendly products available in the world today. Leather Perfect! New, Consignment & Retail. 3330 Mt. Diablo Blvd. 925.283.5808 www.leatherperfect.com
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just the thing From girly goods to custom furniture to whimsical kids’ stuff, these shops have what you want calypso twist
east bay flower company
filthy gorgeous
There are stores galore in the East Bay for savvy shoppers to peruse for the perfect gift. But after visiting treasure-filled boutiques like these, narrowing the choice to a single purchase becomes one tough task. Story by Crystal Chow Photos by Kerry Hiroshi Paul and Ken Perkins
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 35
Designer Prototypes • Antiques • Sculptures • Bronzes Lighting • Estate & Model Home Furnishings One-of-a-Kind Items • Florals • Decorating Services Fine Jewelry & Watches • Staging Rentals & Sales
1500 Contra Costa Blvd. Pleasant Hill, CA 925-682-6800 www.estatesconsignments.com
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calypso twist Feeling out of sorts these days? Turning into a negative Nancy? Then get to this whirly, twirly carnival of a store for a spirit-rousing, soul-reviving jolt of joy. “Celebrating art in life and home’’ is the mission statement put forth by owner Miriam Michael. Certainly the riot of eye-popping colors within the walls of Calypso Twist, reflected in the playful accessories, jewelry, wall art, furniture, etc., energize like a jamboree. This is as much a gallery as it is a place to find unique things. Michael takes great pride in showcasing the works of more than 200 artists and craftspeople, almost all of whom are American. A prime example is Sticks, out of Des Moines, Iowa, maker of a fantastical line of wooden furniture, accessories and art. The craftsmanship is heirloom quality (a rocking chair is about $1,500) and customizable. See
for yourself at the store’s annual Sticks trunk show April 23-24. Closer to home is someone like Freddy Moran of Orinda, an amazingly talented quilter in her 80s who still is going strong. Children get their own special space in the back of the store. Here it’s all about whimsy and dress-up. Sweet little tutus and sparkly footwear shout for attention next to knitted caps begging to be bought by doting grandmas and aunts. An adorable pint-size stuffed chair with a sock monkey motif goes for $264. If you need a special wedding gift, seek out the Muse Ware Pottery line, featuring customizable plates and platters that are handsome enough to adorn a mantel or coffee table. Better yet, come in and be ready to party.
Miriam Michael’s colorful store will unleash your inner decorator, thanks to its variety of accessories, furniture and art.
1357 N. Main St., Walnut Creek 925.944.4860, www.calypsotwist.com Hours: 10-6 Monday through Saturday, noon-5 Sunday
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 37
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east bay flower company Many regulars at the Danville Livery & Mercantile shopping and dining center are old friends of the East Bay Flower Company. It serves their floral and plant needs, for sure, but is just as handy for impromptu gift purchases. In fact, business is roughly split between flowers and cadeaux, with sales especially brisk before and after meals at neighboring restaurants, according to Viki Low, co-owner with Kristine Simpson of the Flower Company. The impulse buys can be attributed to a diverse selection of inexpensive yet desirable goods, artfully arranged in a comfy environment. The offerings are “a reflection of both our tastes,” says Low, which translates to lots of jewelry, accessories and decorative home items. Easy price
points will definitely open up pocketbooks: Dangly heart earrings, for instance, are $12.95; leopard print cloth Mary Jane shoes, $19; a retro cherry cupcake pattern apron, $22.95. Don’t miss the unique table lamps, which range from $20 to $165. “We don’t do big markup on our things, and I think the customers have caught on to that,” Low continues, which explains the great popularity of their distinctive scarves in an array of fabrics, including cashmere. A signature item at East Bay Flower Company is the Ditzy arrangement: five-inch vases are filled with fresh flowers, including roses, in a gorgeous arrangement. It’s a present sure to please a hostess, friend or loved one, and it’s only $20, including tax.
Affordable buys at the shop coowned by Kristine Simpson, left, and Viki Low include table lamps and $20 floral arrangements.
206 Sycamore Valley Road West, Danville 925.837.3418, www.eastbayflowercompany.com Hours: 9-6 Monday through Friday, 9-5 Saturday
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 39
P A I D
A D V E R T I S I N G
This technology, known as the Acrysof ReSTOR lens, is one of the biggest breakthroughs in cataract surgery in the last decade.
A
s the space shuttle Discovery carried the rotor that he helped design and develop to the space station Ben Murach had his mind on another type of space: his immediate environment. For more than 30 years Ben Murach had been wearing glasses or contact lenses to see objects at near and far distances. A recent advance in eye surgery allowed him to eliminate glasses and contact lenses permanently. This technology, known as the Acrysof ReSTOR lens, is one of the biggest breakthroughs in cataract surgery in the last decade. “I don’t need my glasses or contact lenses for reading, working at my computer or driving,” said Ben Murach. He was convinced to have cataract surgery performed by Dr. Randal Pham, founder of Aesthetic & Refractive Surgery Medical Center, after meeting Odine Wiens, who wore glasses since she was 5 years old. Odine Wiens who just retired from her 20-year job as a child nutrition assistant at Evergreen school district, had the procedure done by Dr. Pham more than one year ago. “My grandson asked me why I don’t wear glasses anymore?” said Odine Wiens. “I told him ‘grandma had eye surgery and doesn’t need to wear glasses’ and he said ‘but grandma always wear glasses; if she doesn’t wear
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order to place a man-made lens inside the capsule. If the capsule is broken during the procedure and there is a large tear in the capsule the substance that normally stays behind the capsule moves forward. This substance is called vitreous. When this happens, the surgeon cannot place the man-made lens inside the capsule where the natural lens normally sits; the surgeon may place a different type of lens either in the corner between the iris and the capsule or in front of the iris. These lenses are called sulcus-fixated if they are placed in the corner between the iris and the capsule. If they are placed in front of the iris they are called anterior chamber lenses. When sulcus-fixated or anterior chamber lenses are used because their locations are not where the natural lens sits, the resulted power of the eye may differ from the calculated power which was measured before the surgery with the natural lens sitting inside the capsule. This difference in the calculated power and the resulted power may cause patients to require glasses or contact lenses after surgery. Ashley Stice, representative of Alcon Inc., the manufacturer of the Acrysof ReSTOR lens, confirms that of more than 150 Acrysof ReSTOR lenses implanted by Dr. Randal Pham, there has been no conversion to sulcus-fixated lens or anterior chamber lens implanted. “It is of utmost importance that you choose the right surgeon for this procedure,” said Odine Wiens. Ben Murach agreed: “You only have two eyes; for a procedure that requires exceptional skills and knowledge of refractive surgery I did extensive research to find a surgeon who is competent in both lasik and cataract surgeries.”
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glasses she can’t be grandma’,” laughed Odine Wiens. The human lens is like a camera lens. It helps focus light onto the retina, which is like the film of the camera. The human lens is made up of mostly water and protein. The protein lets light pass through and focus on the retina. As the eye ages the protein clumps together and starts to cloud a small area of the lens. The clumps also make the lens hardened; this hardening of the human lens causes people to have difficulty seeing up close. This loss of ability to see up close is called presbyopia. The cloudy area in the human lens is called a cataract. For years surgeons across the U.S. removed cataracts and implanted manmade lens to replace the natural lens. This procedure is called cataract surgery. “This is one of the safest procedures performed in the U.S. today,” said Dr. Pham. Each year millions of Americans undergo cataract surgeries across the U.S. Patients who undergo conventional cataract surgery still need to wear reading glasses after surgery. Because the Acrysof ReSTOR lens works like progressive glasses patients who have this lens can perform most daily activities without any glasses. “To implant the Acrysof ReSTOR lens, however, requires very precise and skillful work,” said Dr. Pham. Because patients who undergo implantation of the Acrysof ReSTOR lens have high expectations-they expect to be less dependent on glasses after the procedure, measurements made before the surgery and the surgery itself must be extremely accurate. The natural lens of a normal eye stays in a clear sac called the capsule. To remove the cataract, the surgeon first makes an opening in the capsule. The surgeon then removes the cataract from the capsule using ultrasound. The surgeon must save the capsule in
*An independent study found 85% of patients who received the Acrysof ReSTOR intraocular lens never had to wear glasses. Mrs. Odine Wiens and Mr. Ben Murach are actual patients of Dr. Randal Pham. Neither of them receives any monetary compensation for their testimonials. This ad was reviewed and approved by the Medical Board of California.
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filthy gorgeous First of all, about the name. Jonathan Ortiz, who owns Filthy Gorgeous with his sister and mentor, Tirzah Ortiz-Wanlass, credits their grandmother for the inspiration. The matriarch never understood the appeal of antiques, he says, and questioned why people even bought anything not new, shiny and polished. To her, things with a past were “filthy.” The siblings found this epithet amusing enough to make it half of their store’s appellation. Far from sharing their relative’s opinion, interesting relics to them are out-and-out “gorgeous.” A trove of objets d’art populate their “home, life, style emporium,” although there is a true mix of vintage and new merchandise from all over the world. Look for an impressive range of Western and Eastern religious items and icons, for example, that include crosses, rosaries and statues of saints, Kuan Yin (the goddess of mercy) and
Buddha. Actually, anything that strikes the pair’s fancy is apt to show up in the constantly changing store, from gold jewelry to French tea towels to fancy wall mirrors. Filthy Gorgeous also carries the fine-furniture lines Lee Industries and Pepper Berry (the latter does custom pieces). Naturally enough, Ortiz and OrtizWanlass are designers, following in the footsteps of their parents, who owned an interior design business/shop. Feel free to ask about their services. He had his first client at age 15; she’s been featured in publications such as Better Homes and Gardens. They also wrote a book, “Family Spaces: Creative Solutions for Family-Friendly Interiors,” in 2003. The boutique appeals to those “a little more stylish and trendy, more savvy and cutting edge,” says Ortiz, who blogs about his passions at thefglife. com. If that describes you, it’s time to get a little filthy, a little gorgeous. S
Siblings Jonathan Ortiz, left, and Tirzah Ortiz-Wanlass offer a mix of vintage and new merchandise acquired from around the world.
1329-A N. Main St., Walnut Creek 925.210.1500, filthygorgeoushome.com Hours: 10-6 Monday through Saturday, noon-5 Sunday
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 41
Beautiful designer furniture at consignment prices
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42 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
body&soul
being here Mindfulness meditation, which stills the mind and lets you be ‘present’ in life, is a powerful weapon against stress When I signed up for a mindfulness meditation class, I figured I was the average stress junkie – always doing at least three things at a time, quick to get irritated and a veteran insomniac. Increasing migraine headaches and occasional heart palpitations were confirmation I needed to find a better way to cope. What I learned during my eight-week course was that while I seem hardwired to imagine
the worst and often react too quickly in stressful situations, I could, even as a slightly older dog, learn some life-changing new tricks. Most of us are aware of the prevalence of stress and its ill effects, yet often there seems little that we can do to change things. The good news is that mindfulness meditation, the practice of stilling the mind and tuning into the body and the present moment,
iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Story by Melinda Sacks
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 43
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body&soul has proven a powerful way to combat stress and the negative impact of a hectic lifestyle. Even small changes can make a big difference. Mindfulness isn’t just the latest New Age trend: The Journal of Behavioral Medicine, the American Journal of Psychiatry and the American Journal of Cardiology are just a few of the scientific publications that have noted how mindfulness meditation can markedly improve both physical and mental health. Margaret Cullen, a marriage and family therapist in Walnut Creek and Oakland who has taught mindfulness meditation for 15 years, says, “The practice has the power to dramatically shift your relationship to your experience so that nothing on the outside needs to change in order for you to live a more fulfilled and balanced life.” While transcendental meditation, or TM, teaches repetition of a verbal mantra and concentration to help people slow down, mindfulness meditation focuses on bringing awareness to the body in the present moment. It is a practice that is relatively easy to weave into your daily life – even your workday. Formal training in mindfulness, along with books and CDs that teach the techniques, are available and popular. But even following a few simple steps on your own can slow the heart rate, decrease blood pressure and calm the mind. “Mindfulness is much broader than meditation,” says Renee Burgard, a licensed clinical social worker based in Palo Alto who teaches Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). An eight-week program founded in 1995 by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts, MBSR has been acknowledged in medical journals for giving people the tools to cope with myriad life challenges. Burgard says mindfulness as defined by Kabat-Zinn is “paying attention on purpose in a particular way in the present moment with non-judging awareness.” Students of MBSR learn to spend from five to 45 minutes a day sitting or lying quietly in meditation. Guided by the teacher or a recorded voice, they focus their attention on breathing, feeling and “scanning” the body, or gentle yoga stretches to still the mind. “Because of the pace of life and the number of inputs we all experience, people need help in learning to stop and to modulate their reactions,” says Burgard, who notes most of her students are female. “Meditation addresses the human tendency to react instead of to respond.” Cullen, who studied with Kabat-Zinn and teaches meditation to Kaiser patients, doctors, teachers and families, describes MBSR as a secular way to learn how to meditate. “If you have a mind and a body and a desire to meditate, and some sense that there is another way to be,” you can meditate, she says. By practicing as little as 20 minutes a day, Cullen’s students report significant reduction in anxiety, improved
mindful every day Mindfulness teachers offer the following tips for applying the teachings to everyday life: Follow a simple practice for several minutes, ideally several times a day: Close your eyes. Focus on an image you find relaxing, or focus on your breath. Pay attention to breathing in and breathing out. Use any everyday task as a mindfulness exercise, from brushing your teeth or taking a shower to doing the dishes or walking the dog. Notice what you are doing and how your body feels – the water on your skin, the pavement under your feet. Teachers call this being present in your life. Remind yourself to be mindful. This can be anything from pasting a sticker on your office phone or refrigerator door handle to an audio reminder, such as the ring of your cell phone. Every time you touch or hear this reminder, stop for 10 seconds and pay attention to your breath. Mentally say, ”I am breathing in, I am breathing out.” Replace an unproductive cycle of worry with recognition and observation. Say to yourself, “Here is my worry.” Shift your attention to your breathing or sensations in your body. Paying attention to the body often quiets the mind and interrupts a repetitive cycle of worry. When you are multitasking, notice what you are doing. If you can stop and do one thing at a time, do that. If you can’t, notice each thing you are doing. While eating, pay attention in a different way. Put a bite in your mouth and don’t chew right away. Notice the taste of your food. Try eating in silence. To cope with anxiety, allow for what is wrong, then move your thinking to what is not wrong, even if it is as simple as the fact that you can walk outside and breathe fresh air. Ask yourself what there is to be grateful for, or to appreciate. Next time you are at a red light or waiting in line, rather than getting impatient, use the time to check in with how you are feeling. If you get mad, notice that you are mad. Finally, if you want to try sitting or lying meditation, pick a time of day and a quiet location where you won’t be interrupted. Sit for two to five minutes at first, only paying attention to your breathing or, if you prefer, scanning your body, from your toes to your forehead, noticing how each part of you feels.
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body&soul mood, greater ease and calm, better decision-making, more energy, clarity, less reactivity and greater sense of self-control. The practice can lead to physical changes as well. When Charles Johnson, a retired chemical engineer, began his mindfulness practice eight years ago, he had borderline high blood pressure and was considering taking medication. Since then, he has founded his own company, Stress Reduction Training, and has worked with Kaiser in Oakland, Vacaville and Vallejo, as well as the University of California-San Francisco’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. Today, his blood pressure is normal without medication, which Johnson attributes to having learned to be mindful and present. “Everyone comes to meditation class for a reason,” he says. “People are trying to affect some sort of change in their lives.” As a “graduate” of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, I can’t honestly say I am now stress free, but I can say I have tools that get me through those 2 a.m. worry sessions and help me fall back asleep. The headaches are less frequent, as are the episodes of my racing heart. A little Velcro sticker on my office phone reminds me
46 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
web sites www.umassmed.edu/cfm Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, University of Massachusetts. www.mindfulnesshealth.com/audio_files Renee Burgard’s guided meditation audio files. www.stressreductiontraining.com Stress Reduction Training, founded by Charles Johnson and offering East Bay classes.
books and cds “The Miracle of Mindfulness, An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation” Thich Nhat Hanh, Beacon Press, 1999 “Wherever You Go, There You Are,” Jon KabatZinn, Hyperion, 2005 “Guided Mindfulness Meditation,” (Audio CD), Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sounds True, 2005 “A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook,” Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein, New Harbinger Publications, March 2010
iStockphoto/Thinkstock
body&soul
to take 10 seconds to pay attention to my breathing a few times a day. And when I walk my dog, instead of talking on the cell phone and doing lunges I didn’t have time to finish at the gym, I try to remember to really hear the birds, or notice the feel of the squishy wet grass under my feet. It’s a beginning. S
workshops John Muir Women’s Health Center in Walnut Creek offers workshops on mindfulness and specific issues (healing, weight loss, etc.). www.johnmuirhealth.com.
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 47
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beautyreport
seeing the light Intense Pulsed Light treatment can rejuvenate sun-damaged skin
John Foxx/Stockbyte/Thinkstock
Story by Donna Kato
My mother has every right to tell me she told me so. As a teen, I soaked in the sun in the back yard from mid-morning to mid-afternoon on warm days, refusing her offer of a wide-brimmed hat and ignoring her pleas to come inside the house. In college, I’d come home for the summer, already browned from spring break trips and baby oil-only sunning sessions. I ignored Mom’s warning that one day my fair skin would pay the price. While I braced for wrinkles, what I didn’t expect was that sun damage would make my complexion splotchy, spotty and sallow. One of my best physical features became my worst. As a result, for most of the past two decades, I’ve tried almost everything to even out my skin tone, from topical skincare regimens using a hydroquinone such as Obagi, to glycolic acid like MD Formulations. I tried prescription creams such as Retin-A and Tri-Luma. All helped slow or lighten the discoloration – but any exposure to sunlight meant the return of brown spots.
HOLIDAY ISSUE 2009 SPRING SCENE 2010 MAGAZINE • SCENE • 49 l
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Contra Costa Ballet
Many people prefer IPL to more invasive procedures that require recovery time, such as chemical peels and laser surgery.
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How does IPL work? IPL can reduce hyperpigmentation and sun damage on the face, neck, chest and hands. Light energy emitted from a medical device is absorbed into target cells beneath the surface of the skin. The light energy is converted to heat energy, which zeroes in on the damaged areas that cause hyperpigmentation. A medical professional determines the amount of energy that is safe and effective for your skin condition.
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What can I expect? Time commitment: Four to five treatments, done three to four weeks apart. Depending on the size of the area, each procedure takes about 20 or 30 minutes in a doctor’s office. In the office: You wear protective eyeglasses. Some doctors apply a cream to numb the skin. A cold gel that helps the IPL device conduct energy more efficiently is put on your face. The device is applied to damaged skin; light energy is delivered to the skin surface in pulses. Pain: Minimal; each zap feels
like a rubber-band snap. Immediately after, your face feels hot and sunburned, but within an hour you should look and feel fine. Post-treatment: Brown spots darken in the next days, and may scab. Scabs will flake away. You should see results within a week or two, with substantial lightening of dark spots after the entire series. How long the treatment lasts depends on your diligence with sunscreen and with staying out of the sun. Cost: $300 to $500 per treatment.
beautyreport
Courtesy Dr. Min-Wei Christine Lee
The most effective of the treatments was a chemical office charges $2,300 for five treatments. Developed in the late 1990s by Silicon Valley dermapeel. The results were measurably great and lasted for about a year. But it wasn’t without some trauma: I was tologist Patrick Bitter Jr. to treat a redness-causing skin allergic to the salicylic acid in the peel and needed an condition called rosacea, FotoFacial and PhotoFacial allergy shot to deflate my puffy face. Recuperation also also were found to improve sun-damaged complexions. While there have been new technologies to tackle took longer than usual, forcing me to hide out for a full other aging-related cos10 days. My first social metic issues, IPL reengagement post-peel mains the best answer was dinner with friends, for those who want to who made sure we got a reduce the appearance dark corner table at a resof freckles, broken blood taurant so that I wouldn’t vessels, blotchy skin and scare other diners. discoloration caused by Last spring, my dermasun damage, says Dr. tologist suggested I try Min-Wei Christine Lee, Intense Pulsed Light, or a dermatological surgeon IPL. It’s a treatment that and director of the East uses a device that gives Bay Laser & Skin Care off light energy to destroy Center in Walnut Creek. unwanted pigmentation “It’s become a stanbeneath the epidermis. dard treatment, one of Also called PhotoFacial Before, left, and after Intense Pulsed Light treatment. the many things someand FotoFacial, the proone can do to rejuvenate cess gradually improves the face,” says Lee, who sun-damaged skin over is also an assistant clinithe course of four or five cal professor of dermatreatments, done about a tological surgery at the month apart. Physicians University of Californiabelieve it stimulates celSan Francisco and author lular regeneration, and of “The Ultimate Guide those fresh cells remain to the Best Skin Ever: undamaged until ulLasers” (AuthorHouse, traviolet rays hit them, $19.98). stimulating pigmentation While treatments can again. be administered by a doc“It’s one of the best tor, nurse or medical practreatments for hyperpigtitioner, both Gladstone mentation that isn’t too and Lee recommend askdeep,” says Dr. Hayes The treatment can reduce the appearance of freckles, ing questions during a Gladstone, director of plus sun spots. consultation, particularly the division of dermatoif you have darker skin or logical surgery at Stanford University Medical Center, who recommends IPL are Asian, black or Latino, because ethnic skin tends to for mild to moderate sun damage. “It’s a good way to be more sensitive and scar-prone. “Like any medical procedure, there are many, many significantly clean up sun spots without down time.” But, Gladstone says, “It has its limitations: It won’t variables, and there’s no way you can tell whether it will help with wrinkles or sagging skin, and it’s an invest- work,” Lee says. “It’s important to see someone experiment.” Since IPL is considered a cosmetic procedure, enced and talk about your expectations.” The treatments themselves are relatively quick and it is not covered by most insurance policies. Gladstone’s
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 51
stress-free, as I found out. In a doctor’s office, I reclined on an examining table and was given protective glasses. A cold gel was put on all over my face to help the IPL device conduct energy more efficiently. The device was applied to the area of my face with sun damage, and then light energy was zapped to my skin surface in pulses. Each zap, to me, felt like a hard rubber-band snap. The nurse who administered my treatment went over some areas twice. Immediately after, my face felt hot and sunburned. But the discomfort subsided within an hour. Other than a little redness and swelling, I looked and felt fine. I was told to stay out of the sun and to use sunscreen, even for the car ride home. In the next day or so, I noticed brown spots darkening, followed by slight scabbing. I was able to cover the dark spots with makeup. (It’s important to let the small scabs flake away, as picking at them can cause scarring.)
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And although I thought my face looked smoother, my doctor says it was because my skin was rejuvenated, and had a healthier, less-stressed appearance, and not because IPL smoothed lines or wrinkles. Gladstone says rejuvenation is often more dramatic when IPL is used in conjunction with other cosmetic treatments, such as Botox. In fact, results from IPL can seem glacial. The full course of treatment, given every three to five weeks, takes several months to complete. Still, many people prefer it to more invasive procedures or surgery that require recovery time – such as chemical peels, microdermabrasion and laser surgery. For me, it took two full weeks after each treatment to see results. After each one, my skin appeared brighter and more even-toned. I saw the most dramatic results after my last IPL treatment in October, with my most troublesome dark
beautyreport Questions to ask: Dr. Hayes Gladstone and Dr. Min-Wei Christine Lee recommend asking these questions during a consultation in addition to other questions addressing your concerns about IPL: 1. Who is doing the treatment and how much experience does the doctor, nurse or medical practitioner have with IPL and in treating my specific type of skin? 2. What can I expect given my age, sun damage, ethnicity? 3. Will you do a test spot if I’m concerned about how my skin will react? 4. Do you have before and after photos that I can see?
© 2010 NCPHS, Inc. All rights reserved.
splotches significantly lightened. I’ve been warned by my dermatologist that this won’t last if I’m outside for prolonged periods of time, with or without a strong sunscreen. It was explained to me this way: Sun exposure will “wake up” the sleeping melanin that causes dark spots and blotchy pigmentation. Sunscreen and shade will help keep discoloration from rising to the surface of the skin. So, I’ve been diligent about sunscreen and wearing ugly sunhats that often get the eye roll from friends who aren’t sympathetic to my face-saving vanity. It’s a sacrifice for me, too, I tell them. I’d much rather be wearing a sleek Chanel headband than an ungainly North Face hiking hat. My doctor told me that I may need “booster” IPL treatments from time to time. That may be the case in the next month or so: I’m heading for a vacation in Hawaii and unless it rains every day, I’m bracing for a blast of skindamaging rays.
You can’t know what the future will bring. But you can be prepared for it. To find out how you can gain the peace of mind shared by Pat Brown and all our Life Care residents, call Pam Marron at 650.424.4307, and ask about our new contract options.
The Sequoias–Portola Valley is an accredited continuing care retirement community. 501 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028 | Tel: 650.851.1501 | www.sequoias-pv.org The Sequoias–Portola Valley is a not-for-profit community of Northern California Presbyterian Homes and Services. License# 410500567 COA# 075
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 53
beautyreport Three ‘lunchtime treatments’ can get your skin looking radiant again
getting your bounce back Who wouldn’t want a little lift for spring? We’re talking literally. Recent developments in skin care mean you can restore your skin’s elasticity and banish the sagging and bagging that come with age – and do so without going under the knife, or spending hours in a doctor’s office. As you age, your collagen production slows and your skin is less firm. “Your skin is like a balloon that is slowly letting out the air,” says Dr. F. Richard Noodleman of AgeDefy Dermatology & Wellness of Campbell, “similar to a grape [turning] into a raisin.” Enter procedures that use Titan, Thermage and Sculptra. They’re among the “lunchtime treatments” now available that can lift, tighten and stimulate natural collagen growth and fill out skin on face and body. All have gained in popularity since being approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The skinny:
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Hemera/Thinkstock
Story by Kaitlin Lockhart
Titan The Titan device can be used on moderately sagging areas on the stomach and upper arms, along the jaw line and under the chin. According to Dr. Jyoti Sarma, an Alamo-based internist specializing in cosmetic dermatology, the best candidates for Titan are those 40 to 50 years old who are just starting to experience looseness in their skin. “But if there is too much loose skin or too much fat, it is not going to work,” she cautions. How it works: The device uses infrared light to go beneath the skin’s surface and heat the dermis. The heat causes collagen to contract and thicken, not only re-plumping the existing collagen, but also creating micro-injuries that stimulate the growth of new collagen. The device simultaneously cools the outer layer of skin to protect against breakage. The procedure takes about an hour, and most people have two or three procedures over four to six weeks. Results: Because new collagen needs time to grow, results are not fully seen for about six months, and can last up to two years. The good: No anesthesia, no downtime. Can be used on all ages and skin types. Infrared has been shown to not injure fat cells under the skin (which otherwise could create lumps under the treated area). The bad: Some feel a brief “heating” sensation or discomfort during
Resources As with any medical procedure, you should research every option to find what is optimal for you and your body. Both Noodleman and Sarma stress that’s it’s important to find a board-certified, experienced medical professional and have a realistic consultation with them to decide what procedure would be best for you. For more information: Titan www.tightenmyskin.com Thermage www.thermage.com Sculptra www.sculptraanesthetic.com American Academy of Dermatology www.aad.org American Society of Dermatologic Surgery www.asds.net
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 55
beautyreport treatment. Some notice redness and mild swelling on the treated area post-procedure, which dissipate within an hour or two.
device cools the top layer of skin to protect and prevent burning sensations. The procedure lasts about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on area treated.
Costs: $500 to $2,500 depending on area treated, as well as how many procedures are needed.
Results: Results are fully seen after about four months, and last for about two years. Thermage claims that because of its deep penetration, a single treatment may be all you need.
Thermage Thermage treatments can target cheeks, jaw lines, “turkey neck,” skin around the mouth and the forehead. It can be used to reduce excess skin on upper eyelids, wrinkles on eyelids and crow’s feet. It can also tighten stomach, arms, legs, hands and buttocks and decrease the visibility of cellulite. According to Noodleman, Thermage (and Titan too) has a “shrinkwrap effect” that slows down the skin’s sagging.
The good: No anesthesia, no downtime. Can be used on all ages and skin types.
Procedure: The Thermage device uses radio frequency technology to heat the collagen both in the dermis and in subcutaneous fat tissue. The heat makes the collagen contract and thicken, and stimulates new growth. The
Costs: The price for one face procedure could run $1,000 to $5,000. Treatment around the eyes and for cellulite is more expensive because of special, single-use equipment used.
The bad: After the procedure, some people notice a redness and mild swelling on the treated area, which dissipate within an hour or two. More serious side effects have been reported, including lumps under the treated area, burns and blisters, and skin irregularities.
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Sculptra Sculptra treatments are a series of injections that restore volume to the face, including deep lines and concavities. Sculptra also stimulates production of your own new collagen. But it is more complicated than other fillers, says Dr. Sara Wasserbauer, who specializes in aesthetic medicine and cosmetic services in Walnut Creek. “Because Sculptra lasts longer, is more volumizing and can require multiple visits,” she says, “it is essential that patients seek out either doctors or nurses with both advanced training and substantial experience with this particular filler treatment.” Procedure: A powder form of polylactic acid mixed with water, Sculptra is considered a liquid implant. It is a one-time treatment regimen of up to four injection sessions, usually scheduled three weeks to a month apart.
weeks, and will continue to see results for the next four months. The results can last between one and two years. The good: The Sculptra procedure does not require any lasers or incisions, and the material is naturally absorbed by the body. It does not contain any human, animal or bacterial components, and there is no required allergy testing before treatment. The bad: The face is numb for about an hour after treatment. Some people experience injection site discomfort, redness, bruising, bleeding, itching, swelling and – rarely – infection. After-care is required, including icing, massaging and temporarily avoiding UV light.
Results: Most people will see results in as little as three
Costs: Each vial can cost from $700 to $1,500. Depending on the size of the area treated, each of the three to four injections can use up to a full vial. S
E mbrace the new you!
Fall in love with your skin again.
Deborah Francesconi, RN
The Obagi Nu-Derm® System, a prescription home treatment that: • Diminishes fine lines and wrinkles • Improves skin texture and elasticity • Corrects uneven pigmentation (age spots) Botox Cosmetic®/Dysport® • Treatment of frown lines, crow’s feet, eyebrow lift and excessive sweating The Latest Fillers (Restylane® / Juvederm® / Radiesse®) • Treatment of fine lines, wrinkles and scars, lip enhancement, lip lines, laugh lines and more Fraxel® • Improve tone and texture, erase unwanted brown spots and reduce fine lines and wrinkles around eyes
Mark N. Isaacs, M.D. Inc.
Vein Specialists of Northern California 1981 North Broadway, Suite 427 • Walnut Creek • (925) 945-8656 • www.veinspec.com SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 57
Simple, cheery blossoms say warm weather is here. Mcginn floral sundress, $195, and Tory Burch faux croc embossed thong sandals, $195, Nordstrom.
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springstyle
fresh &pretty The forecast is bright: fetching florals, splashes of color and a casual elegance There’s a joyous, hopeful sense of renewal that comes each spring and with it, a yearning for a fresh presentation. We’re ready for lightness and warmth, both in spirit and in what we wear. Spring 2010 embraces chic versatility. It’s about bringing your own sense of style into the mix – as long as the end result is neat and sleek, artfully edgy or charming and feminine. This season calls for fewer rules and playing with textures and colors and even with notions of what defines a basic. Common khaki, for instance, gets an update when paired with a vivid print, luxe accessories or sky-high platform heels. Florals, another seasonal tradition, are
modernized to give flowers a techno, futuristic flair. Appropriate, too, are muted blooms, reminiscent of an Impressionist’s garden. Among this spring’s essentials are utilitarian looks inspired by military uniforms and safari clothes. There’s a definite global influence in the ikat fabrics and tribal touches. Neutral shades like butter, caramel, vanilla and latte evoke comfort and familiarity, while punches of bright pinks, yellows, blues and purples complement our newly revved-up, energetic selves. The style story this season is about the evolution of classics, bold finishes, easy statements. A fashion moment when upto-date never means over-the-top.
Story by Donna Kato Photos by Joanne Ho-Young Lee SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 59
Structured, sharp and sleek define spring’s best suits. Narciso Rodriguez self-belt jacket, $1,695, and cropped pants, $695; Yves Saint Laurent “Tribute” platform sandals, $760, all from Nordstrom, Broadway Plaza. Blue topaz and pearl earrings, $100, Flying Lizard Design, San Jose.
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Kiss spring hello in a dress splashed with fanciful bouquets. Betsey Johnson strapless bouquet border dress, $425, and ombre cardi, $198, at Betsey Johnson boutique, Valley Fair. Frye boots, $348, Kate Spade charm bracelet, $255, and Lauren Ralph Lauren set of bangles, $38, all from Bloomingdale’s.
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An abstract watercolor swirl makes for a perfect nouveau print on a blouse. Fifteen Twenty silk blouse, $185, Elisa Wen, Danville; Tenax cigarette pants, $159, and Boutique studded suede flats, both from Alina B., Walnut Creek. ABS by Allen Schwartz hoop earrings, $60, Bloomingdale’s.
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Neutrals call for a spot of color. ModaSpia “Fiji” Italian linen dress of organic cotton and hemp with shirred waist, $165, Olive boutique, Danville. Tabitha long ruffled floral print cardigan, $128, Anthropologie, Blackhawk Plaza. Boutique metallic platform shoes, $160, Alina B., Walnut Creek. Aqua crystal bubbles necklace, $38, Bloomingdale’s.
Beautiful blossoms go high style. Moschino Cheap & Chic floral dress, $750, and Christian Louboutin “Bianca” cork pumps, $695, Nordstrom, Broadway Plaza. Carolee Lux “Love” bangles, $125 each, Bloomingdale’s.
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Stylishly D ifferent A N TH RO PO LO G IE RESTO RATIO N H A RD W A RE P A T R IC K JA M E S C O A M E X IC A N C U IS IN E ST O M P W IN E LO U N G E L A U R U S B IS T R O R E A D . B O O K S B L A C K H A W K G R IL L E JE LLY FISH SPA SE E JA N E R U N G E O R G IO U C R U N C H F IT N E S S G E O F F R E Y I S C O T T D O LLH O U SE LIN G ERIE D RA EG ER’S M A RK ET A shopping experience like no other,ata place unlike anyw here else. Follow us on
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An expert touch M
any people are looking for a better quality of life. Blackhawk Plastic Surgery helps give patients the confidence to pursue it. Our center provides a complete package for patients looking for both surgical and non-surgical care. Dr. Stephen J Ronan is dedicated to helping you feel and look your best. We strive to provide excellent care with close personal attention. The Blackhawk Surgery Center is a state-of-the-art facility located adjacent to Blackhawk Plastic Surgery. The center was created to allow our surgeons and staff to tailor a custom-made experience from start to finish.
Stephen J. Ronan, MD FACS
The process begins with a consultation or information visit. Dr. Ronan’s consultations tend to be lengthy. After he elicits the goals and desires of the patient and conducts a focused history and exam, Dr. Ronan reviews the options available. Realistic expectations are discussed and before/after photos of actual patients are reviewed. All of your questions are answered. The goal of the consultation is to provide the patient with more than enough information to make a good decision. The process doesn’t end with surgery. Patients are carefully followed in the post-operative period. After recovery, patients can return for a lifetime of follow-up.
PROCEDURES BODY
liposuction tummy tuck lower body lift brochioplasty buttock lift
BREAST
breast augmentation breast lifts breast reduction breast reconstruction male breast reduction
FACE & SKIN short scar face lift blepharoplasty brow lift neck lift
otoplasty (ears) rhinoplasty (nose) Peartl fusion laser resurfacing
LATISSE • RESTYLANE • DYSPORT • PERLANE • OBAGI • CUTERA • MENTOR
Hi Dr. Ronan,
PATIENT TESTIMONY
I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know I’m amazed with my results so far. Since I saw you last appointment, I’ve gotten smaller (you were right it does just startling dropping off) and I can’t believe that shape that I am seeing. I might actually get my pre-wedding, pre-pregnancy figure back. My body looks almost as good as I did in my eartly twenties. So I wanted to thank you for that. For while I didn’t believe I was ever going to look that good again.
B
Dr. Ronan’s evaluation and recommendation for
tummy tuck and lipo for best result was right. He did an incredible job on the sculpting and I love the results. His staff was excellent! Special thanks to Sandy for answering all my daily questions and being very attentive to my needs. Your staff was AMAZING! I also wanted to tell you how impressed I am with your follow-up and calling the night of surgery, etc. That is SO RARE to find and I wish there were more like you! Thanks again! DM
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Lacy transparency and a pop of color add feminine flourish. Rachel Rachel Roy slit-back dress, $119, Macy’s, Broadway Plaza. Rachel Weisman sparklae-stretch headband, $24, Anthropologie, Blackhawk Plaza. BCBG “Myra” rosette sandals, $250, Bloomingdale’s.
Elegant extras add up to sleek glamour. Nanette Lepore ruffled silk blouse, $268; Dolce & Gabbana D&G pencil skirt, $335; Jimmy Choo “Quito” Elaphe blue python cage stilettos, $1,295, all from Nordstrom, Broadway Plaza. Cara stack of bangles, $68, and R.J. Graziano lace-covered pearl necklace, $45, both from Bloomingdale’s.
IN :A
For details visit us online at broadwaysanjose.com or call 866-395-2929
TR BU TH IBU RN E TE TH CO T E FI LO O T FLO D D LE G R P HE OR R R U B M S ON EAS RP EAT AM TO T E LE L ES M MP HE A RO M O IA F !
RA
PHOTO BY PAUL KOLNIK
ANNOUNCING THE 2010-2011 SEASON
BROADWAY SAN JOSE: ANNOUNCING
THE 2010-2011 SEASON As we come to the end of our first season, we want to say “thank you” for all of the enthusiasm we received during our premier season in San Jose! Our first season has been an electrifying journey over the past 6 months and we’ve enjoyed some of the best that Broadway has to offer. Looking forward, we’ve just announced our 2nd season in San Jose and some of Broadway’s most recent blockbusters will be making their way to San Jose as part of our 2010-11 Season. First off, we’re thrilled that next season includes seven exciting shows! Our season starts out on September 21st with a show guaranteed to knock your socks off! The international dance sensation, straight from a record-breaking run on Broadway, BURN THE FLOOR. We’ve all Sept 21-26, 2010 seen shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance?” With BURN THE FLOOR, you’ll feel, live on stage, all the passion, drama and sizzling excitement of 20 gorgeous champion dancers. The second show in our line-up will have you singing and dancing in the aisles as the Fab Four - or at least a tribute to the Fab Four will be in San Jose. RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES opens October 26th and runs Oct 26-31, 2010
through October 31st. It’s the next best thing to seeing and hearing the Beatles live and includes amazing hits like Let it Be, Hey Jude, While My Guitar Gently Weeps and many, many more. RAIN is a spectacular show that you’ll want to share with the entire family. Our next show is a “soaring and joyful” musical about love that comes from the classic Pulitzer-Prize winning novel by Alice Walker, and the moving film by Steven Spielberg. We are thrilled to bring THE COLOR PURPLE to San Jose, November 23-28, 2010. It’s an Nov 23-28, 2010 inspiring story of hope, love, self-discovery, and triumph over adversity and a show we are proud to present. Our next two shows are giants of musical theatre. First, we are presenting an allAmerican favorite that looks at the sub cultures of high school life in the 1950’s. Yes - GREASE will be “the word” Jan 18-23, 2011 in San Jose January 18-23, 2011. Our next Tony-Award winning show is a look at tradition and one of our absolute favorites. We are proud to present to you FIDDLER ON THE ROOF March 15-20, 2011. This musical has captured the hearts of people all over the world with its universal appeal. Its March 15-20, 2011 timeless classics include such memorable songs as
Tradition, Matchmaker Matchmaker,r If I Were a Rich Man and Sunrise Sunset. We are thrilled to bring this glorious tradition in musical theatre to the CPA. BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE... After securing your Season Tickets for the 2010-11 season, you will be given priority access to reserve the best seats in the house for two special events. Come see what all the noise is about when STOMP returns April 12-17, 2011 to San Jose for an encore performance in 2011. Using your not-so-typical instruments such as garbage can lids, brooms and Zippo lighters - we know this unique theatrical experience will have you thinking about rhythm in a whole new way. STOMP will be in San Jose April 12-17, 2011. Finally, we end our season with another “get happy” hit featuring the timeless music of ABBA. Yes, you guessed it - we are bringing back MAMMA MIA! June 7-12, 2011. We are thrilled to be closing our second season with this worldwide phenomenon about June 7-12, 2011 love and identity that over 40 million people worldwide have fallen in love with. Wow! We have a really amazing and fun-filled season - but it won’t be the same if you’re not here! We’re saving you a seat! Get more information at broadwaysanjose.com or call 866-395-2929. Get your season ticket online today and save $10 on each season ticket.
All shows held at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. Get a season ticket for as little as $115. Buy online at broadwaysanjose.com and save up to $10 per season ticket.
Sunny and flirty take an edgy turn paired with unconventional pants. Fifteen Twenty ruffled silk blouse, $198, Elisa Wen, Danville. Rachel Rachel Roy tapered harem pants, $89, Macy’s, Broadway Plaza. Guess cage shoes, $99; ABS by Allen Schwartz crystal and gold cuff bracelet, $250; Carolee drop earrings, $50, all from Bloomingdale’s.
72 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
Utility details are inspired by military uniforms this spring. Lauren Vidal parachute dress, $459; American Vintage scarf, $79; Flint quartz drop and chain necklace, $229, and bracelet of smokey quartz beads, $169, all from Alina B., Walnut Creek.
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Hop into Alden Lane this spring, for more than just beautiful plants. An inspired place to shop for home, garden and gift! Mention “Scene” magazine when you purchase these adorable bunny slippers and we’ll reward you with the ears to match! Available in adult and children’s sizes, these whimsical slippers are guaranteed to make you smile! 981 Alden Lane Livermore 925.447.0280 www.aldenlane.com
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A nautical feel comes through in a color-block top. Pier Antonio Gaspari knit top, $359, Alina B., Walnut Creek, and DL1961 jeans, $168, Elisa Wen, Danville.
Special offer for Scene readers from Olive boutique - see Page 158. (Olive features fashions with an ecoconscience; a dress and handbag are shown on these pages.) Fashion credits, Page 159. SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 77
shoefetish
Badgley Mischka Ruffle a foot in shoes that mimic what’s on clothes this season. Badgley Mischka satin T-strap shoes, $215, Footcandy.
happyfeet It’s easy to put your best foot forward in these gorgeous shoes Story by Donna Kato Photos by Joanne Ho-Young Lee
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shoefetish Bourne A shoe that pulls together several trends of the season. Purple snakeskin-embossed suede pump finished with a crystal-kissed flower applique, $245, Footcandy.
Christian Louboutin Shoe expectations are high when the red soles are a giveaway. Be conventional in “Bianca” cork platform pumps by Christian Louboutin, $695, Nordstrom.
Valentino Wedges and rope-y espadrilles are back in a big way this season. Dress them up or dress them down with Valentino’s bow-trimmed espadrilles, $495, Footcandy.
Yves Saint Laurent Wish-list shoes include these YSL heels, which pay homage to the fine footwear the French design house has been making since the early 1960s. Pebbled leather T-strap “Tribute” platform sandals by Yves Sain Laurent, $760, Nordstrom.
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 79
bagfetish
happybags Fashion-forward purses add the perfect finishing touches to any ensemble Story by Donna Kato Photos by Joanne Ho-Young Lee
Valentino Lighthearted and whimsical, Valentino “Summer Flower” napa leather tote, $2,690, Footcandy 80 •SCENE SCENEMAGAZINE • SPRING 2010 HOLIDAY ISSUE 2009 l
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bagfetish Kate Spade Bold blue is a basic this summer. Kate Spade Brookyln Heights collection “Stevie” shoulder tote in Bluebell, $365, Bloomingdale’s.
Ashley Watson Eco-friendly doesn’t have to mean drab carry-all totes. Consider this “Phoebe” bag of recycled leather by Ashley Watson, $309, Olive, Danville.
Marc Jacobs Carry an instant classic with a Marc Jacobs bag. “The Single” quilted shoulder bag with chain inset strap, $550, Bloomingdale’s.
Coach When your coloring just won’t let you wear yellow, carry the color with the Coach “Kristin” slouchy hobo bag, $398, Coach stores.
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fit to move Missy Park’s sportswear – and lifelong message – makes women want to get off the couch Story by Mark Emmons Photos by Patrick Tehan
fledgling Title Nine company actuMissy Park likes to joke that she has ally was the more mature Everywommastered the skill of failing quickly to an who would love to get into better succeed sooner. shape, but lacked the right tools – Here’s what she means. namely sportswear that made her feel In 1989, Park was a young businesscomfortable and confident. woman who audaciously launched Fast forward two decades. Park, 47, a mail-order women’s sports apparel oversees a 200-person company based company out of the Berkeley garage in Emeryville that has expanded to a that she shared with her housemate’s full line of active lifestyle wear, from vintage car. She targeted women just workout clothes to swimsuits to dresslike her: 26-year-old former college es. (And, yes, sports bras.) Title Nine athletes who wanted to maintain the ships 25 million to 30 million cataphysiques they had sculpted through a logs a year and has 15 retail stores, inlifetime of sports. cluding four in the Bay Area. She also She sent out 30,000 catalogs, and funnels some of her financial success then sat back and waited for the avaback into the community, including lanche of orders from hard-core jock- Title Nine uses regular funding sports programs for girls. ettes. women, not models, in its Park’s simple message of empowerInstead, Park recalls receiving just catalogs and Web site. ment has never changed. 13 – only three of which came from You can do this. people whom she didn’t already know. Get off the couch. But what emerged from the crushing disappoint“Fitness has such a transformative effect on peoment was an epiphany. That baker’s dozen of women, ple,” says Park, who considers herself more evangePark noticed, all had purchased bras. “So I thought about that,” Park says. “Where do list than entrepreneur. “We get to have real impact women buy sports bras? The average American wom- on people’s lives figuring out how to help girls and an is a 36C, and a bra from Target probably is not women get more active. I mean, how great is that?” going to work, because some serious engineering is Park rarely sits still, which helps explain why her required. I realized that not having a bra that fit prob5-foot-7 frame remains trim. (Mountain biking and ably was the biggest obstacle to working out.” She concluded that the untapped market for her daily work on an elliptical machine don’t hurt, either.)
“We get to have real impact on people’s lives figuring out how to help girls and women get more active. I mean, how great is that?” 84 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
Title Nine's nonprofit work includes grants to grassroots organizations that get kids active. “Profit is good," says founder Missy Park, shown at T9's Emeryville headquarters. "But if all you’re doing is making money, boy, you’re leaving a lot on the table.” SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 85
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Dressed in casual Title Nine wear, she walks with a bounce in her step through the loft-style company headquarters that reflect her quirky, non-corporate personality. “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun,” advises a Katharine Hepburn quote near the front door. And above racks of clothes – T9ers, as employees call themselves, serve as apparel testers – are these words of caution from Naomi Judd: “The trouble with trouble is it starts out with fun.” The cumulative effect is a positive vibe similar to what’s found in the locker room of a successful sports team. That’s no accident. Park, while charming with a quick smile, is a serious woman who plays to win. “If you were to ask what the fundamental piece of me is, I’d have to say sports,” Park says. “It made me who I am. There’s no greater classroom for life than the sports field. I never saw sports as an end to itself.” She feels so strongly, in fact, that Park named her company after the landmark 1972 Title IX federal legislation that banned discrimination in sports based on gender. Lillian Hunter Park, nicknamed “Missy” by her family in Greenville, S.C., grew up at a time when only one in every 27 girls participated in high school sports. She was part of the first ripple of female athletes that three decades later has become a tidal wave. More than 3 million girls competed in prep sports in the United States in 2008. “I came along at the best time for girls,” Park says. “Suddenly there were all these opportunities, and there weren’t that many of us playing yet. You could do anything, and you didn’t have to be good, because I certainly wasn’t.” She’s being modest. Park actually was a versatile athlete who played tennis, lacrosse and basketball at Yale Unversity, where she was a history major in the early 1980s. After graduation, she came to the Bay Area and worked at The North Face, which provided her valuable exposure to developing clothing lines and catalog production. Then, with about $20,000 in seed money, Park struck out on her own to correct what she had long considered a fashion injustice. Throughout her competitive career, Park had been forced to wear men’s basketball shoes – stuffing foam into them because of her narrow feet – and ill-fitting uniforms designed for guys. Amazing as it sounds now, though, specializing in fashionable workout clothes for women was a gamble. There were no other female-oriented ap-
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Sports, Park says, “made me who I am. There’s no greater classroom for life than the sports field.”
parel companies, which suggested there just wasn’t a market. But she plunged ahead anyway, packing up orders on a kitchen table and answering the two phones lines herself “even though that was probably one too many.” The Great Bra Lesson proved to be the springboard for Title Nine. “There’s an old saying in the sporting goods business that you would ‘pink it and shrink it’ for women,” says John Horan, publisher of the Sporting Goods Intelligence newsletter. “Title Nine and others felt women deserved better. And really, if you’re a woman, do you want to go The Sports Authority and ask some guy what bra you should be wearing?” Horan doesn’t know Park, by the way, but he knows all about Title Nine. “My wife and daughter have been excellent customers,” he says. “We’ve been getting those catalogs for years.” Park politely declines to speak in specifics about the privately held company’s finances. But she does say Title Nine has 1 million customers in all 50 states and made a profit in all but two years. Title Nine has weathered the recession well enough to continue opening stores, which Park believes is important, because they allow for a more intimate relationship with customers than online. “You know, it’s just like in basketball, where you have to take what the defense gives you,” Park says. “It’s a bad economy, but it’s a great time to sign leases. We’re planning for the future.”
three questions for Missy Park You’re on a budget and can afford only one piece of workout gear. What should it be? “It’s a toss-up between a good bra that fits you or comfortable shoes. If you’re more than a 36C, I’d invest in that bra. If you’re lower, maybe it would be shoes first. As for what kind of bra or shoes, I’m a big believer that we all are own best experts. Women know what works for them.” (Title Nine’s Web site features super-specific guides to determine the right bra [sports or everyday] for you; www.titlenine.com – enter “bra genie” in the search area.) What do you caution women against when they’re shopping for fitness clothes? “We often hear people saying, ‘I’m going to lose 10 pounds, so I’ll get the smaller size.’ We tell them: ‘Buy your right size now, and when you’ve lost that 10 pounds, we’ll give you a 30 percent discount on that smaller size.’ I say that because you don’t want to confront a drawer-full of judgment every time you’re ready to work out.” What advice do you have for women looking get into better shape? “Just get active. Look, there’s so much misinformation out there. I mean, there’s even a freaking doughnut diet. And you see ads for those contraptions that claim you can work out for four minutes a day and be as fit as if you ran a marathon. So the role we often play is the myth-busting thing. We’re the people who say: ‘Well, no, you can’t just work out four minutes a day.’ It takes more effort than that.”
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 87
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icons As the company matured, Park decided she was better at articulating big-picture vision than day-to-day managing. So she hired a president, Estelle DeMuesy, four years ago. “I basically fired myself,” Park says. But her fingerprints still are found on every aspect of the company. That Southern-accented voice that greets you when you call Title Nine? It belongs to Park. She also writes the catalog copy, helps select product and sample-wears the clothes the company carries. About 35 percent of the company's apparel carries Title Nine labels. Park uses other manufacturers when she decides they can make something better than she can. Where she really excels, though, is forging a bond with customers. People are encouraged to write – and they do – about their fitness stories on the company Web site. The catalog models are regular people who Park calls “attainable” examples of fitness for women to emulate. “They’re not looking to Victoria Secret you,” says Horan, the industry observer. “All you see is real people, and I think there’s an appeal in that.” And when it comes to the apparel, Park uses the same words over and over. Easy to wear. Easy to maintain. Clothes that you own and don’t own you.
90 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
Park uses the same words over and over. Easy to wear. Easy to maintain. Clothes that you own and don’t own you. She draws an analogy to the kitchen of her Berkeley home that Park shares with her partner, Dana Tillson, and their two children, Gillie, 11, and Leo, 8. Instead of having a clutter of specialized cooking implements, she prefers versatile tools. “I feel the same about clothes,” Park explains. “It might be a dress with a built-in bra and a hidden pocket where you can stick your driver’s license and a hotel key card. Or it could be running shorts that you wouldn’t be
embarrassed if you had to go to the grocery store in them. I love multi-function.” She also likes multi-tasking in terms of working hard and playing hard. Park schedules Fitness Fridays, where employees leave early and do something sporty. Every October, they close down the company to stage the Title Nine Olympics, where they choose up sides and compete in events such as dodge ball and tug of war. “It makes me realize that my dream job probably should have been summer camp counselor,” says Park, who also makes time to coach youth basketball and soccer teams. Nearest to her heart are Title Nine’s nonprofit endeavors. She provides T9 “Starting Block” grants to grassroots organizations focused on getting kids active, such as a girl’s basketball league and swim club in Oakland. “Those are the meaningful things that are fun and really move me,” Park says. “Profit is good. But if all you’re doing is making money, boy, you’re leaving a lot on the table.” And with that, an assistant hustles Park off to a meeting. She practices what she preaches. Park never stops moving. S
Park, pictured with Title Nine staffer Emily Ferrey, writes the catalog copy, helps select product and sample-wears the clothes the company carries.
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the green goddess With her eco-friendly lifestyle site, Zem Joaquin is taking the movement to the mainstream – and bringing sexy back Story by Julia Prodis Sulek
Desiree Northend
she was destined to make a name for She was born in 1970 with a herself in the environmental movename that means “earth” in Czech ment. Unlike her parents’ generaon a commune in Palo Alto called tion that reveled in the countercul“The Land.” ture fringe, though, she is helping Zem Joaquin was a dark-haired create a modern movement in the pixie with patchwork pants who mainstream. played with chickens, danced in And she’s doing so with her own the central longhouse and sang with sense of rebellion: She’s making Joan Baez in the squatters camp off green glamorous. Page Mill Road. Founder of Ecofabulous, she creThe darling of the draft resisters ated a Web site that gives readers back then, she became the subject eco-friendly lifestyle options, from of their illustrated fairy tale about modular furniture made from recy“Zem, the little queen” who unites Recycled, recovered chairs cled paper to chic throws made of a strife-torn world. Even Baez, who in Joaquin’s home. hemp and flax. Going green needs to founded the commune and lived be less about sacrifice, she realized, there for a time, included “Zem Zem” and more about motivation. (The site’s motto: “sexy. in her 1975 song, “Children and All That Jazz.” Perhaps it should come as no surprise then, that sustainable.style.”) After all, she muses, “People
“Being fabulous is feeling like you’re getting what you really want. At the same time, you’re not taking more than you need, and you’re giving back.” 92 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
Patrick Tehan
Joaquin, pictured with her daughter in the Ecofabulous offices, created a green home – and blogged about it – to protect her family’s health.
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 93
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icons: scene’s green report Standard who took her to theaters, boutiques and Paris for weekends and “taught me everything I know about design.” Joaquin (then Spire, her maiden name) finished her degree in organizational communications at Pepperdine, where she started a recycling program. And after a stint managing male models in Italy (she followed a boyfriend there), she returned to San Francisco in the late 1990s to help her best friend, Gina Pell, start Pell’s fledgling fashion and beauty Web site, Splendora. “She was my VP of business development because she’s so good with people. She has a way of developing and nurturing connections,” Pell says. “I always told her that if she was a superhero, that would be her superpower – the ultimate connector.” It was Pell, though, who connected Zem with her husband, tech entrepreneur James Joaquin. They met at a cocktail party in 1999 in San Francisco, married and had two children. She was volunteering for homeless causes and political campaigns when her children were diagnosed with severe asthma. The family was living in an old Craftsman in San Francisco at the time, spending many a night in the emergency room when she decided she had to “save my children and create a healthy home.” The Marin County house, tucked among blackberry bushes and towering trees, became her eco-incubator.
weren’t too interested when organic cotton looked like oatmeal and felt like a burlap sack.” Step inside the 1960s-era home in Marin County that she remodeled for her family and you’ll see what she means. At 39 years old and just 5 feet tall, she opens the front door with bare feet and a big smile. Behind her, vintage black-and-white curtains she found at the Alameda Point Antiques Faire frame a pair of chairs she recovered in remnant lime green silk. Sleek kitchen counters are made from newspaper wood pulp and fly ash. Her vintage Laszlo dining room chairs are refilled with natural rubber. “Being fabulous is feeling like you’re getting what you really want,” she says. “At the same time, you’re not taking more than you need and you’re giving back.” So how did this commune kid become such a design diva? She may have been raised on granola, but she came of age living in London for two-and-a-half years in her early 20s with her godmother – a stylish critic for the Evening
Photos by Desiree Northend
Joaquin’s dining room features vintage Laszlo chairs refilled with natural rubber and a chandelier made of hundreds of transparent flowers.
Joaquin bought Regency chairs on eBay, then repainted them before having them refilled with natural latex and covering them in a Q Collection organic cotton fabric. She painted the wall to complement the color on the chairs.
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 95
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“People weren’t too interested when organic cotton looked like oatmeal and felt like a burlap sack.” —Zem Joaquin
Old painted beams were stripped with beeswax, wallto-wall carpeting was replaced with recycled wine-cork flooring and solar panels were added to the roof. But finding sustainable products, and stylish ones at that, wasn’t easy. “I realized there was this enormous gap,” she says. “There were no resources for eco-design and people interested in design.” It was her husband who handed her a copy of “Cradle to Cradle,” the environmental manifesto of architect William McDonough, whom James Joaquin had heard speak at the 2004 TED conference for technology, entertainment and design in Monterey. “This is what you’ve been talking about,” he said at the time to his wife, “what you’ve been spiraling in towards.” She was so enthralled by the book, which professes ecologically intelligent design, that she invited McDonough to lunch with “some of my friends that I think can change the world.” The guest list included her husband’s good friend, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar; Segway inventor Dean Kamen, whom she had met at a dinner party; and inventor, entrepreneur and Disney “imagineer” Danny Hillis. This time, it was McDonough’s turn to be impressed. He invited her to attend his annual eco-summit in Iceland the following year with some 20 “thought leaders” and activists. Unlike some in the environmental movement who preach doom and gloom, he says, Joaquin takes a positive approach. “It’s a big dark world out there, and we need brightness,” he says in a phone interview from Abu Dhabi where he was talking to real estate developers about green design. “Zem is a sparkle.” And she knows how to throw a party. Over the past several years, she has raised nearly $1 million dollars for Global Green, an L.A.-based nonprofit that activates its Hollywood base to bring attention to green issues,
1 2 Saving H20: Zem’s top picks Just on the subject of water conservation alone, Joaquin has ID’ed her favorite things for both home and personal style. 1. Cascade Lancashire Chandelier by artist Michelle Brand – plastic bottles turned into strands of flowers, $12,000; www.lisafontanarosa.com 2. Recycled silver water necklace by designer Linda Loudermilk – proceeds go to water conservation, $149; www.lindaloudermilk.com 3. FRESH fabric made of recycled plastic water and soda bottles; www.valleyforge.com 4. Bio-Glass countertops made of 100 percent recycled glass; http://coveringsetc.com 5. At-home carbonating system for making sparkling water – $90-$200; www.sodastreamusa.com 6. Non-toxic dishwashing tabs to avoid chemical run-off to streams – $6.50; www.methodhome.org 7. Pedal-operated, hands-free faucet that saves water – $350; http://pedalvalve.com
5 7
ZEM jumps to Page 164
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 97
icons: scene’s green report
magic time She’s a rising star in the move for a clean-energy economy. But for Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, staying close to home is the bigger priority. Story by Julia Prodis Sulek
path diverged into teen pregnancy and She’s young, she’s smart, she’s going addiction. It’s a fate that Ellis-Lamkins places. knows too well could have been her own It’s a sentiment that’s been attached to and one she is committed to preventing Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins since she was 27 for her nieces. and leading the powerful South Bay La“Nothing is more important than bor Council in San Jose. And it remains making sure they grow up healthy, loved a familiar refrain now that she’s 32 and and confident and have everything they running Green for All, a national organineed to do whatever they want to do,” zation based in Oakland that pushes for she says. working-class jobs in the emerging green To those who know her well, she is a industry. woman of substance and style, passion A woman of color who grew up as a and conviction. child on welfare and bounced among Ellis-Lamkins heads up Carl Guardino, president of the prodomestic violence shelters with her the nonprofit Green for All. business Silicon Valley Leadership mother and younger sister, she still manGroup, is an unlikely ally who has beaged to earn a university degree. Along the way, she became as tough as she is charming, as come a close friend. “It’s incredible what she does quietly for so many likely to partner with big business as put up a fight with the local elite. Her tenacity landed her enticing offers to people,” he says. “This is a single woman who has a big career, significant responsibilities, yet invests the maswork in the Barack Obama administration. But she did not want to go to Washington, no matter sive amounts of time it takes to take a big role in the how prestigious the offer. And because of, or perhaps lives of three young relatives. How many people would in spite of, her decisions, she says, magical things have do that?” Ellis-Lamkins not only talks the talk about wanting happened. She has personal reasons to remain in Northern Cali- to make people’s lives better, he says, but she also walks fornia, and to some they are as surprising as they are the walk. Phaedra, her first name, came from the lyrics of a illuminating about who Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins really is. Ellis-Lamkins, who is single, has become the guard- Nancy Sinatra song; her last, Ellis-Lamkins, from the ian of her three nieces, ages 6, 8 and 10, the children combined surnames of her Jewish mother and Africanof her sister who was raised alongside her, but whose American father. Her upbringing was “chaotic,” she
“Nothing is more important than making sure [my nieces] grow up healthy, loved and confident and have everything they need to do whatever they want to do.” 98 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
Patrick Tehan
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, pictured in her office, keeps in shape with spinning classes and healthy food. Her fitness goal: “As long as every year I’m lighter on my birthday, I feel I’m doing good.”
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 99
Courtesy Green for All
icons: scene’s green report
In February, Ellis-Lamkins and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas announce the partnership between Green for All and the hip-hop group.
says. Three times her mother packed up her two daughters and fled from her husband, once to a shelter in San Francisco, another in Fairfield, and a third time they moved to Hawaii, an ocean away. While children of violence tend to repeat the pattern and spiral into failure, Ellis-Lamkins’ mother knew her oldest daughter was different. “My mom tells me a story of when new people moved
in across the street,” she recalls. “I took a book across the street and said, ‘Do you want to read?’ ” She did well in school, eventually attending California State University-Northridge, and graduating in 1998 with a degree in political science. She moved to San Jose as a labor organizer shortly after and worked her way up to executive director of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council in 2003. Working in the labor movement was exhilarating, she says, but it was confrontational, too, as she struggled over living wage and other labor issues. “I’m tough, it’s fair to say,” she says. “We were building power, and we were building power on behalf of poor people, working people, people of color who had no access.” She learned that getting a politician elected sometimes isn’t as important as shepherding through lasting legislation. And winning at all costs isn’t as important as making other people feel like they’ve won, too. Last year, Essence Magazine named her one of the 25 most influential African-Americans in the country, and several years ago she was named one of the 100 most influential people in Silicon Valley by San Jose Magazine. Unlike her labor council job, where “every day felt like a fight,” she says, “it feels like an opportunity every ELLIS-LAMKINS jumps to Page 102
Patrick Tehan
Ellis-Lamkins says the idea that her work can help create a sustainable planet, create opportunities and “the fact that it’s hip, that’s magical.”
Phaedra’s new style It’s one thing for a young woman to be smart. It’s another to be cute. And after a lifetime of being the smart girl, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins is finally happy to embrace the cuteness. And after she lost 85 pounds over the past four years, her signature darling dimples are smiling in a whole new way. “When you lose weight, it’s like you hear music and the world opens up,” she says. Instead of being able to shop at one or two stores for her wardrobe, “the whole mall is open to you. The most exciting thing is being able to walk into any store and being able to purchase something.” She started getting serious when she was 29 and lost 50 pounds in a year through the L.A. Weight Loss Program. When the program went bankrupt, she took it upon herself to keep losing. Depending on the schedules of her nieces, she tries to take morning spin classes, squeezes in brisk walks and trains for a marathon once in a while. Her diet philosophy is less about what she eats but how much. “Today I had Thai soup and brown rice, because yesterday I had a piece of cake from a
birthday,” Ellis-Lamkins says. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be a size five or six, because I love food.” She’s not actively losing weight anymore; she says she’s “actively maintaining.” As long as every year I’m lighter on my birthday, she says, “I feel I’m doing good.” She’s so pleased with her new look that not only does she enjoy friendly nods from handsome men in the elevator like never before, she also felt “like a princess” at a recent NAACP awards event. She wore a cobalt blue, full-length Badgley Mischka gown – size 10, she’s happy to report. “It was the most glamorous night of my life,” Ellis-Lamkins says. “It was like, ‘la la la la la!’” The dress is housed in a place of honor – her office closet, so she can look at it every once in a while, and be ballroom-ready just in case. “Yes, sister, yes,” she says, “it’s in the closet.” She has nothing against smartness. It got her where she is today. “But being cute,” she says, “is a new experience.” —J.P.S.
icons: scene’s green report day” at Green for All, an organization she describes as combining the environmental movement with social justice. And that’s when she began to believe in magic. Everything she stands for she is able to pursue in Oakland, and “for some incredible reason, people see it as righteous,” she says. “The thing that hurts me so much is that for all the righteous things the labor movement does, it doesn’t get to be seen that way.” She’s working on a national stage now, with trips to New York for a United Nations leadership summit on climate change, and to Washington, where she was one of a dozen sitting with the president at a jobs summit meeting. She is partnering with the hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas to work on green campaigns. The idea that her work can help create a sustainable planet, create opportunities for working people and “the fact that it’s hip, that’s magical,” she says. The vibe is so positive, she says, she’s finding new joy in her life. And part of that joy comes from her nieces, who have been a big part of her life since they were infants. The oldest was born with a heart condition, which was too much to handle for Ellis-Lamkins’ sister, who was Ellis-lAmkiNs jumps to Page 160
Voted
Green for All aims to improve the lives of all Americans – particularly those living in poverty and people of color – through a clean-energy economy. It partners with business, government, labor and grassroots communities to increase quality jobs and opportunities. Some current activities: • A partnership with the Black Eyed Peas on their 2010 The E.N.D. Tour (in concert in California cities the first week of April) to change the face of environmentalism, provide advocacy opportunities and educate audiences. • Teams with cities to build clean-energy economies, such as the home retrofit effort in Portland, Ore., that will create jobs, reduce pollution, lower energy bills and expand business opportunities. • Runs the Green for All Academy, which expands, educates and engages support for climate solutions and a clean-energy economy. See www.greenforall.org for more information, particularly about local Earth Day activities.
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entertaining
Christina Cribb’s favorite party style is all about simplicity and comfort.
right at home If Christina Cribb could offer one piece of advice to potential party hosts, it would be: Conquer your fear. The socially active mother of three knows from whence she speaks. Living just outside the gated community of Blackhawk, where the average mansion ranges in size from extra large to gargantuan, and where guest lists often include CEOs, rock stars and former NBA players, Cribb understands how intimidating entertaining this crowd can be. “I think a lot of people are afraid to entertain. They think they have to throw a fancy high-heels affair,” says the 36-yearold Cribb, whose career ventures have included owning a
An adventurous hostess banishes party paranoia with easy grace – and elements of surprise Story by Bonnie Wach Photos by Jose Carlos Fajardo
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 107
entertaining
“Some of the best parties I’ve thrown are simple, intimate gatherings,” Cribb says, shown in her Danville home.
building maintenance company and a skincare business. She moved to Danville eight years ago with husband, Gary, executive vice president at Ross Stores, and their three young children. “Some of the best parties I’ve thrown are simple, intimate gatherings. All you really need to do is give people something fun to try, something interesting to eat, and make them feel welcome. If I have someone new coming over, I often ask them to bring something. It makes them feel like an important part of the evening.” A self-proclaimed old soul who collects everything from Depression glass and Grandma’s linens to vintage etiquette books, Cribb finds inspiration in bygone eras and family history. “Even though I didn’t live during that time, I miss it,” she says. “I think old-fashioned social etiquette is something of a lost art.” Cribb actually gets some of her best party tips from the likes of Emily Post, Heloise Bowles Cruise (the
columnist who wrote “Hints from Heloise”) and the archives of her Portuguese grandparents. After unearthing an old cheese mold and recipe that had been handed down from her grandfather, a fisherman, she found and bought similar molds from a small community in Canada that still made them. Cribb resurrected the family cheese recipe and now serves it at gatherings on top of Portuguese sweet bread, with a side of eggs and linguiça.
cribb sheet: best party practices • Introduce a special detail, something different or handmade that no one’s ever tried. At one party, Cribb flew in stone crab from the East Coast to give guests a taste of something other than Dungeness. • Don’t be afraid to fail. Cribb draws inspiration from her grandfather, who arrived in America with a borrowed $5 gold piece and turned it into a fortune. “Even if you attempt something and fall flat, your friends are going to respect you for trying.” At parties, she usually does the cooking herself and often experiments by combining recipes – like a paella she made for New Year’s Eve with rice from Ina Garten, a sauce from Bobby Flay and chicken from Tyler Florence.
Cribb usually cooks the food she serves at her parties, like this cheese, handmade from a family recipe.
108 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
• Comfort is key. Cribb prefers serving family style, with food stations spread around the house to keep the flow of the party going.
entertaining One of her favorite party ice-breakers, she says, is to add an element of surprise. It’s a technique she learned from the Food Network’s Ina Garten, a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa, who recounts in a book how she convinced Robert Redford to show up at a soiree, plant a passionate kiss on a guest and exit swiftly out the door. While she couldn’t muster the likes of Robert Redford, Cribb did use the idea to great success at an elegant Christmas party she threw at her home a few years ago. Knowing that these affairs could sometimes get stuffy and formal, Cribb hired a “really cheesy” Elvis impersonator to show up at the door and start singing Christmas carols. “It was so much fun. It really lightened up the party,” she says, laughing. “The best part was that he went upstairs to change and ended up staying and drinking wine with the company. Then later, one of my guests sneaked upstairs and came downstairs wearing his costume.” Doing something unexpected disarms people and gives them something to talk about, Cribb says, but perhaps most importantly, it gets their attention. Which is why she plans on employing the technique at the patron party for the East Bay Chapter of the American Heart Association this month. The gathering is a preview for the annual Heart of Gold Ball fundraising gala at Wente Vineyards in May. Cribb volunteered to host the event to bring greater awareness to the many lifesaving services the association provides. The Cribbs, who met at a dinner party in San Diego – where Christina grew up – share a strong and very personal commitment to the American Heart Association: Gary lost his mother to heart disease, and his father has had more than 20 heart procedures; Christina lost her grandfather to heart disease. “Heart health affects so many people,” she says. “Everyone we talk to knows someone or has someone in their life who’s been touched by it.” The gala, one of the top fundraising events nationally for the AHA, is expected to raise more than $800,000 this year. Conveniently, the theme of this year’s gala, “A Night at the Derby,” is something the Cribbs know a little about. Before moving to Danville, they lived in Kentucky for four years and attended many Derby parties. For the patron dinner, Cribb plans on turning her house into an elegant racetrack, with tables covered in brightly colored jockey silks, roses and ladies’ derby hats. Other ENTERTAINING jumps to Page 161
party with heart The American Heart Association’s Heart of Gold Ball, “A Night at the Derby,” will be from 6:30 to 11 p.m. May 22 at Wente Vineyards in Livermore. For tickets and information, see www.heart.org/ eastbaycaheartball or call 510.904.4000.
family recipe: cioppino 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 large yellow onions, chopped 4-6 cloves garlic, chopped 1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped 1-2 linguiça sausage links, chopped 2 16-ounce cans tomato sauce 2 cups red wine or Madeira 4 cups water
6 fresh basil leaves, julienned ½ teaspoon chile pequin, chopped 3 tablespoons clam base A selection of raw seafood (crab, lobster tail, prawns in shell, clams, squid, mussels, scallops and white fish; Cribb suggests about two chunks of each per person)
Serves about 6 Saute onion, garlic, parsley and sausage in oil until onion is glazed. Pour in tomato sauce, wine, water and spices. Simmer about two to three hours until sauce thickens. Bring to a boil, add clam base, then add fish and shellfish. Simmer 15 minutes. Serve in soup bowls with warm crusty bread for dipping.
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 109
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getaways
oasis
We ended the evening on a swing, alone in the middle of the city. It had been a perfect day of decompression – a hot-stone massage, a bite at a patisserie, people-watching in a pocket park, a magnificent sunset and a lingering dinner. Relaxation is not what you expect from a getaway to Las Vegas. But CityCenter, the newest resort on the Strip, is unexpected. Vegas resorts lure you with luxury, then seal you inside so that you gamble in their casinos and spend your money at their celebrity-chef restaurants, posh shops and trendy nightclubs. MGM-Mirage and its partners spent $8.5 billion to provide another kind of elegance at CityCenter. They hired internationally known architects to transform its 67 acres into an urban hub and spent $40 million on fine art to create an aesthetic treat for visitors. They created “green” buildings that invite the daylight inside. The buildings themselves are not connected, apart from a few covered walkways and enclosed areas. But the layout allows guests to wander in and out of the three hotels – Aria, Vdara and the Mandarin Oriental, past the leaning condo towers of Veer and through its crazily angular high-end shopping mall, Crystals. This exploration is best done on foot, so save the stilettos for clubbing. You might wind 23 floors up in the Mandarin’s Sky Lobby for tea (or cocktails) with a striking view of the Strip. You could zone out in the meditation rooms of the Aria’s 80,000square-feet spa.
Las Vegas’ sophisticated CityCenter brings respite from the Strip
Courtesy CityCenter
Story by Mark Whittington
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 113
getaways
Vdara’s rooms let you control curtains, lights and TVs with the flip of a switch.
You can spend your inherited or newly made fortune at Crystals, a 500,000-plus-square-foot emporium with couture and luxe shops. You most certainly can eat and drink beyond your heart’s content at the many bars and restaurants. We sipped sherry with pata negra jamon, gazpacho and stuffed dates at Julian Serrano in Aria. The next night we took a foodie trip from Asia to the Mediterranean at Silk Road in Vdara. You can sample Eva Longoria Parker’s family recipes at Beso. Dinner here puts you on the guest list for her nightclub, Eve. You can get the full bustle of Vegas at Aria, which has a casino and a high-tech nightclub. But CityCenter is one resort where you could be happy to stay in your room. Vdara, where we stayed, is nonsmoking. The décor is modern but warm. The bed swallows you, and the tub is deep enough for a long soak. There is even a table for two in the kitchen. At the hotels – and throughout CityCenter, for that matter – you can feel good about your carbon footprint: The complex boasts that it improves by more than 30 percent the energy efficiency over standard building codes. The rooms are techie delights. Curtains,
114 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
lights, and TV are controlled with the flip of a switch – or the remote or touch screen at Aria, which also remembers your preferences for your next stay. Both hotels have media hubs for all your electronic devices and a giant flat-screen with 250 channels – including one to check the flight home. But don’t forget to look out the window. We watched the sky turn salmon, turquoise and ashes of roses, then got a repeat performance as the sunset reflected on Aria’s glass skin. And that was before the lights came alive in the city.
room rates Aria $159 and up for weekdays $259 and up weekends Vdara $159 and up weekdays $229 and up weekends Mandarin $325 and up weekdays $259 and up weekends www.citycenter.com
getaways
Courtesy CityCenter
the spas Each of the three hotels has its own spa, salon and fitness center on two levels. Each has separate women’s and men’s as well as co-ed facilities. You can get a foot bath and then relax with a view of the Strip at the Mandarin or sip Veuve Cliquot with your ginger hand treatment at Vdara. You could spend all day at the Aria’s 80,000square-foot, Japanese-themed spa complex with redwood saunas, eucalyptus steam rooms and hot plunge pools inside and an infinity treatment pool on the balcony outside overlooking the hotel’s pool and lounge. Sixty-two treatment rooms offer hydrotherapy, Vichy showers and a full menu of massages,
including couples, Swedish, Thai poultice, ashiatsu (barefoot massage) and hot stone. There are two meditation rooms. The “ganbanyoku” features beds of heated stone, which are popular in Japan. It’s more comfortable than it sounds, and the mineral bed supposedly emits negative ions and infrared rays to increase metabolism, improve blood circulation and aid in detoxification. The “shio” features illuminated walls of salt bricks and salt lamps. The salt-infused air reputedly heals skin irritations and helps with respiratory problems. The lounge chairs in this room vibrate to the gentle pulse of the piped in New-Age music.
The Aria’s “shio” meditation room features salt walls and lamps that reputedly help restore health.
the shopping Crystals is evolving and at press time some of the big retail names: Prada, Lanvin, Fendi, Versace, Dior, Gucci, Miu Miu, Ermenegildo Zegna, Philipp Plein, Emilio Pucci, YSL as well as restaurants such as Brasserie Puck had yet to move in. Once they do, they’ll be in good company: Tiffany, Tourbillon, Cartier, Bulgari, de
Grisogono and Van Cleef & Arpels all are open for business, should you need a fancy bauble or timepiece. Bottega Veneta features fine leather goods, Kiki de Montparnasse is all about lingerie, Assouline is a purveyor of books, and designs by Louis Vuitton, Nanette Lepore, Roberto Cavalli, Tom Ford and Carolina Herrera can make you look like the player you are.
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 115
getaways
the art Left: Henry Moore’s “Reclining Connected Forms.” Right: Nancy Rubins’ “Big Edge.” Far right: Maya Lin’s “Silver River” stretches over the Aria’s check-in desk.
CityCenter is impressive by design. The owners hired big-name architects – Cesar Pelli, Rafael Vinoly, Norman Foster, Helmut Jahn, Daniel Libeskind, David Rockwell and Kohn Pedersen Fox – to make a grand statement. They worked independently, and the result definitely isn’t a cookie-cutter complex of unified designs. The quirkiest are Libeskind’s Crystals shopping complex and Jahn’s leaning condo towers at Veer. From the outside, Crystals’ multifaceted, jagged roof looks like metal-skinned sheds smashed together. Inside, however, the elegant, airy space has a feel similar to New York City’s Guggenheim. The museum-quality, corporate art collection by the likes of Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, Henry Moore, Maya Lin, Jenny Holzer, Nancy Rubins, Richard Long, Julian Schnabel, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, is almost casually on display. I nearly missed the Stella, with its big, bold geometric stripes, hanging behind the cheery woman who was checking me in to Vdara until I took a step back. And I stumbled right by the Rauschenberg as I walked from the bar to my
116 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
room. It’s well worth stopping by the concierge desk at the Aria for a walking tour map of the collection. The showstopper is Rubins’ “Big Edge” – a bouquet of real boats, metal and often colorful, full-sized canoes and rowboats, exploding in the middle of the traffic circle between Aria and Vdara. I returned several times to a bench in a tiny pocket park with shade, water and trees. Here you can watch the crowds trying to make sense of Moore’s massive “Reclining Connected Forms,” an abstract marble sculpture that suggests a human form – but not really. The park provides a good view of people lifting their eyes to take in Lin’s graceful “Silver River,” a depiction of the flowing length of the Colorado River in shiny silver that looks almost molten and flowing, that stretches over the check-in desk at the Aria. The official fine-art collection doesn’t provide all the visual delight in the resort. There are wonderful touches everywhere, from the wall of water and rainbow fountains by the taxi stand at the Aria to the fantasyland cakes
Courtesy CityCenter
that decorate Jean Philippe Patisserie. Watch out for surprises such as the series of Christopher Walken paintings outside the Deuce Lounge. There also are easy-to-find galleries featuring glass by Dale Chihuly, sculptures by Richard MacDonald and wilderness photographs by Rodney Lough Jr. But art fans should walk downstairs toward the Mandarin’s porte-cochere and check out the CENTERpiece gallery, which features works by CityCenter artists and architects as well as Las Vegas artists. There are works on paper, photography, books, even furniture. It’s also a consulting service – for example, if one of the condo owners wants to buy a Richard Long, they’ll go out and find it for her. You won’t see one of the most whimsical pieces – Holzer’s “Vegas” with its scrolling message board – unless you are picking up your car at the Aria’s north valet. While I waited, this message served as coda to my trip: “When you are trying something new, you are torn between anticipating a delightful surprise and thinking you’re a fool to ignore what you like.” S
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 117
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Features
Departments
A slice of Paris | page 136
Haute stuff | page 127
Designer Joan Osburn combines her love of color and France in this rural cottage.
Although simple in design, a tray can be helpful in countless ways.
The perfect palette | page 144 Check out the latest spring hues before transforming your home.
At the table | page 130 Caroline Somary of SpringLoaf Catering shares her secrets for throwing a successful outdoor party.
Take a seat | page 148
In the garden | page 134
The purchase of a dining chair isn’t to be taken lightly. Three designers offer tips on making your selection.
Flower-intensive vines are just the trick for adding elegant color to the garden.
Favorite spaces | page 150 More than a coastal town, Santa Barbara dishes up fine design, chic shopping and a slew of great restaurants.
Also visit us at SpacesBayArea.com SPRING 2010 • SPACES • 121
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Most of us have strong preferences when it comes to color. For some it’s yellow for its uplifting quality. For others, it’s a soothing blue. And yet others are happy surrounding themselves with neutral creams and white. On the pages that follow, you’ll see a spectrum of hues. Our featured home, for instance, is inspired by the owner’s love of Provence, while in Inside Design, we witness the 2010 trend to grays and orange. But no matter what the motivation, it always comes down to surrounding yourself with the colors you love. Enjoy the issue.
Kristine M. Carber Editorial Director
The premier magazine of design
editorial director Kristine M. Carber art director Timothy Tsun contributing designers LeeAnn Nelson Robin Siegfried staff writer Crystal Chow contributing writers Joan Chatfield-Taylor Joan Jackson Barbara Jones Charles Neave contributing photographers Margot Hartford Kerry Hiroshi Paul
Spaces Vol. 4, No. 2 ©2010 by the Bay Area News Group. All rights reserved. Material herein may not be reprinted without expressed written consent of the publisher. MAY_09
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124 • SPACES • SPRING 2010
for advertising information, call 925.943.8259 or 408.920.5793. For other information, call 408.278.3464. www.SpacesBayArea.com
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HauteStuff cool
Like an extra pair of hands, a tray can be helpful in countless ways. Although simple in design, its value goes far beyond the main function of bearing canapés, cocktails or tea for two. For one thing, everything looks classier when placed on a tray. And when the server or platter is an object of beauty, that makes it flat-out fabulous. — Crystal Chow
Get into spring and summer mode with these white-trimmed lacquered trays from Plantation. Featuring wood construction, they’re available in five tropical colors. 15 by 12 inches and $125 at www.plantationdesign.com.
SPRING 2010 • SPACES • 127
HauteStuff
1
Tapas and other small bites will look appetizing indeed atop this Blomus-designed stainless-steel and porcelain serving tray. Imported from Germany for Nova68. 11.8 by 5.1 inches, it’s $49.99 at www.nova68.com.
5 Inspired by folk art and the bright colors of Central America, designer Alexander Girard created this Millerstripe-pattern tray of high-grade duroplast. It’s 18 by 14 inches, made in Germany and available at the Museum of Modern Art Design Store. $80 at www.momastore.org.
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2
This handsome tray is a fine example of folk art tole painting, which dates to 18th-century New England. It’s formed of pressed sheet iron and hand-painted, measuring 24 by 18 inches. $119 through Wisteria at www.wisteria.com.
6 Put a little (mirror-polished) steel in your serving ritual with this gorgous Recinto tray by Alessi. Available in two sizes, $168 and $196, from Velocity at www.velocityartanddesign.com.
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Go dotty with this black-and-white number from Jayson Home & Garden. Handcrafted of stoneware and porcelain and measuring 14.75 by 6.5 inches, it’s $135 at www.jaysonhomeandgarden.com.
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The open pattern on this Bisanzio tray is almost too pretty to cover up, so best to pair it with see-through glass and plastic items. Manufactured in Italy of bent wood in two sizes and three colors. $160 or $175 from TableArt at www.tableartonline.com.
7
You want sparkle with that martini? Then serve your drinks on this Preston Tray by Z Gallerie. The faux croc finish is lined with rhinestones for lots of flash. There’s lots of surface, too, with measurements of 21 by 13 inches. $59.95 at www.zgallerie.com.
SPRING 2010 • SPACES • 129
AtTheTable
SPRINGLOAF CATERING Owner
Caroline Somary Age: 39 Hometown: Born in Cheshire County, England but now lives in Lafayette
Background: Studied graphic design and moved to San Francisco to work in marketing. Met her Swiss-born husband, Darius, who also worked in marketing but whose dream was to become a chef. He left his job to attend the California Culinary Academy, where he graduated with honors in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts. In 2003, Darius founded SpringLoaf and Caroline joined him to manage the business.
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Mentors: Donna Hay, the Australian equivalent to Martha Stewart but much more contemporary, and Jamie Oliver of the United Kingdom. “Their philosophy is all about simple, honest food.” Inspiration: Both Darius and I grew up with mothers who loved to cook so good food was a way of life for us. Our families would always cook for friends rather than go out to dinner.
What motivates you: Variety. People ask why we don’t start a restaurant but in catering no two events are ever the same so there’s no monotony. The menu is always changing and always based on the season and the client’s taste. Your culinary philosophy: Buying seasonally, and using local products, especially organic ones.
AtTheTable
Photos by Kerry Hiroshi Paul. Table design by Caroline Somary.
Biggest food trend you see: More dessert bars, and a movement away from classic desserts like cakes at weddings to desserts like pies, ice cream bars, etc.
Signature dish: Beet napoleon. We’ve converted so many people to beets. And Cornish hens stuffed with pine nuts and cranberries. Favorite food: Dessert, especially fruit tarts. Most memorable event: The opening of the new library in Lafayette. We created the food based on American classics. For Huckleberry Finn, we served
Southern cuisine; for Cannery Row, we had a seafood station, and for Joy Luck Club, we featured Asianinspired dishes. The dessert station was based on Dr. Seuss books with quirky dishes like a Cat in the Hat. It was a huge success and really brought the community together.
If you weren’t a caterer, what would you be: A stay-at-home mom. I have two children, 3 and 5, and one loves to eat and the other is fussy.
And when you aren’t working: We’re outside enjoying California. We love to camp and have the best food in camp. We even make our own marshmallows. — Kristine M. Carber
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AtTheTable
6 easy steps to a successful summer party Be creative next time you plan an event. Here are a few tips from Caroline Somary.
1) Don’t overdo the decorations Keep decorations simple and let the food be the focus. Caroline suggests a neutral palette, getting color from candles or linens, like napkins. To dress up serving platters, garnish with flowers or greens. Ribbon also works well, such as red and white for the holidays or pink for a baby shower.
2) Choose seasonal dishes Before planning the menu, check Quesa.org for its chart of what’s in season in the Bay Area. Food should be honest and simple, says Caroline, who also eschews expensive bottled water for homemade iced tea or pitchers of tap water with slices of fruit.
3) Try a family-style menu By putting out large platters of food, everyone gets to taste what’s offered, plus it’s a good conversation starter since people interact when food is shared.
4) Think beyond finger food You have a much greater selection of dishes, Caroline says. For example, try serving a small summer salad in a cosmos glass or a shrimp cocktail in a martini glass, both of which look beautiful and add elegance to the event.
5) Print menus A simple menu (printed on your home computer) lets guests know the names of the dishes being served and the local farm or producer providing the ingredients. At the end of the meal, guests have a special memento to take home.
6) Remember that you’re outdoors Spring and summer are wonderful times for outdoor parties but don’t forget the afternoon sun, especially in the Bay Area. Consider renting patio umbrellas to shelter guests from the heat.
132 • SPACES • SPRING 2010
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Free to spaces and scene readers. Call 408.278.3464 to reserve a space. Limited seating.
Coming soon: Culinary night at Blackhawk SPRING 2010 • SPACES • 133
InTheGarden
134 • SPACES • SPRING 2010
InTheGarden
Vine times
W
ould a modern-day Jack settle for an ordinary green beanstalk? Probably not. Instead, he’d wish for one of the fast-growing annual vines that produce gorgeous scented flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. These vines are especially enticing because they are easily started from inexpensive seeds. They grow quickly in sunny areas, climb effortlessly to cover fences, trellises or teepees and — the bonus — many self-sow for next year’s garden. Cardinal climber, for instance, shines with clusters of scarlet heart-shaped flowers that serve as tiny fastfood outlets for visiting hummingbirds. Grow by a window to watch the hummers swoop in for their treats. Morning glory does just what its name suggests. The trumpet-shaped flowers open to catch the early rays and close toward day’s end. It is a relentless climber and can reach 15 feet or more given enough sun. Magic is the word often used to describe the romantically fragrant moonflower. A member of the morning glory family, moonflower also fulfills the promise of its name. The white trumpet-shaped flowers open at sunset — or even on a cloudy day — and fill the air with a heavenly scent. This plant needs plenty of summer heat to bloom. Gardeners who like two-for-one deals appreciate the runner bean vine, a.k.a. scarlet runner bean vine. It grows quickly and produces clusters of scarlet or orange flowers that turn into edible bean pods. But, wait, there’s more. When left on the vine, the pods fill with large purple and black swirled beans that are perfect for the soup or stew pot. The secret to growing these flower-intensive vines is to choose the sunniest spot in the garden. Seeds can be sown directly into the soil or started in small pots to transplant into specific locations. For gardeners with limited space, a container and a trellis to climb on is all it takes. — Joan Jackson
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A Paris accent
Designer Joan Osburn’s home is testament to her passion for color and travel By Charles Neave Photographs by Margot Hartford
S
et at the end of a quiet lane, behind a set of decorative iron gates, sits the home of designer Joan Osburn and her husband Steve. It is a modernized bit of France set in the southern part of wine country, with dozens of decorative rose bushes and a kitchen garden behind, above a small wooded tributary to a nearby river. In front of the house, which sits on an acre, the landscaping is strictly but casually European. When the Osburn’s built this comfortable two bedroom, three bath house five years ago, they had very specific ideas. One of them was art, the other, as Joan, the self-
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Opposite page: Coral and melon hues are carried into the kitchen, with its French bistro stools and Italian silver tile island made to mimic metal. Above: The master bedroom has 12-foot doors opening to a view of the garden. Walls are Provence yellow, and furnishings include an antique dresser and French café tables collected on Joan’s travels.
described ‘color wizard’ is the first to say, is color. There is not a single white wall — or ceiling for that matter — in the entire 2,000-square foot dwelling. “It is really all about art, isn’t it?” she says, as she walks from room to room. As she has said for years, she looks at every threedimensional space as her canvas, and color is her most important tool. The color palette that has been employed here runs the gamut, but in every space it works so that even on cloudy days the rooms shine; on sunny days they absolutely glow. Lighting is well thought out, so at night the colors continue to stand out, if more subtly. Windows are ideally spaced and for the most part large, and French doors lead from the master bedroom and the combined kitchen and dining room. What they call the ‘café’. “The house is carefully infused with color and texture that flows from one space to the
next,” Joan says. “Nothing jarring, but there is nothing tepid about the way the color is selected and applied. Downstairs all the wall and ceiling surfaces are layered in hues and topped with opalescent finishes, each with a different brushstroke texture. This color technique catches the light in different ways as the light of the day, and the seasons, change.” Furnishings are an enchanting mix of antique and contemporary French, for the most part, ranging from the whimsical to the practical. Fabrics vary in pattern, color and texture, and the emphasis is on the practical, the comfortable and often the whimsical. They provide color, and at other times by their very presence and positioning, highlight it. “In addition to the wall and ceiling colors, all of the fabrics, rugs, furniture objects and lighting were selected to harmonize and juxtapose one with the other to
SPRING 2010 • SPACES • 139
Above left: This alcove sports an antique French door and a 20th century marble bar from a bakery in Paris. Above right: Two of Joan’s paintings hang in the stairway, which also features vintage glass-fringe chandeliers and a custom railing. Opposite page: The Osburns eschewed bright colors in the bath for soothing blues to evoke a spa-like feel.
create an interior that is of-a-piece.” It takes time to digest the sheer volume of objets and furnishings found throughout the house. From the dining room table — a circa 1900 French antique cast iron base with a sandblasted glass top in the French Directoire style — to the collection of espresso cups and sauces in the salon. “Trends in furniture are always shifting, and yet furniture is a purchase that needs to last for years, possibly generations ... It is important not to get stuck with a trend that will look dated in ten years. Rather, I suggest using a mix of well designed and interesting pieces where function and form are equally important. In other words, do not sacrifice one for the other. Scale is often the most overlooked element in furniture selection ... It is a trick to balance all the pieces together both functionally and aesthetically.” To create an interesting dynamic, mix antiques with modern. Antiques add patina and texture and since they are ‘recycled (they have already lived a life elsewhere) antiques are essentially ‘Green’. “Many of the items
140 • SPACES • SPRING 2010
she finds in her travels she features on her Cafe Society Store website. Quite a few are one-of-a-kind, and come from a range of periods from Belle Époque, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, French Deco and beyond. Other categories include newer items, a line of metal outdoor furniture and hand-selected jewelry. The art on the walls and the small sculptures here and there are also a mix, of found treasures and her own contemporary works. She studied painting in Paris and at Cal Arts in Los Angeles and not surprisingly her paintings are colorful, but at times they are more subdued than the walls on which they hang. “My work is very loose and ‘painternly’, with color, yet at the same time, highly restrained. I like to combine the brush stroke with geometric forms. “Both Steve and I were fortunate enough to go to art school before we went to design school. All of the elements of art and design align beautifully, but the art part of it gives our work a creative twist. In fact we like to say that our design is, in fact, classic/modern with a twist.” And, of course, with a Parisian touch of color as well. s
SPRING 2010 • SPACES • 141
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InsideDesign
around it.” To help guide that process, McLean relies on the so-called 60-30-10 rule. Very simply, 60 percent of the décor is your primary color, usually the walls; 30 percent is a secondary hue, which can be used for furniture, window or floor coverings, or a focal wall; and the remaining 10 percent is an accent color that can be carried out with striking accessories. Whatever, the hue, McLean adds, it’s very important to carry it throughout the house. “If red is a favorite color, use shots of it in every room. It may be a throw pillow or the mat in a picture frame, but it should feel like it’s the same house,” she says. “Color is an important element that helps create a unified whole.”A member of the Color
Marketing Group, which forecasts trends in the industry, McLean predicts that cream tones will face stiff competition from gray as the predominant neutral shade. Cool smoky pigments are coloring the walls in many contemporary homes, rich charcoal is warming more traditional spaces and deep slate is making a frequent appearance on shutters and front doors. However, beiges tones with hints of organic hues will continue to be a staple for creating sophistication and elegance.
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InsideDesign
Here is McLean’s take on other trends for 2010: Red: New colors are crisp, with blue undertones creating rich berries and crimsons. Don’t rule out Russian red, which remains an iconic hue for conveying energy and drama, passion and femininity. Orange: Considered a “social” color, orange is an attractive accent for neutral cream or gray, and also pairs well with purple, fuchsia and red. Look for shades in expressions of nature, such as citrus, melon, pumpkin and clay. Yellow: The contemporary version of this optimistic color goes vibrant, with undertones of green, black and gold. Hues are reminiscent of faint candlelight, bright sunflowers and roasted squash. Green: The true colors of nature — think grass and clover — come to the forefront, with blue replacing yellow as the predominant undertone in the real “green” movement. Blue: The most peaceful of all colors continues to evoke a feeling of tranquility. Pale blue-gray creates a classic neutral shade, with red-based berry colors coming in their own. Purple: Monochromatic combinations of blue- and red-based purple create sophistication and romance and hearken back to the days when purple was the color of royalty. s
SPRING 2010 • SPACES • 147
Take a seat
Three designers share their favorite chairs By Joan Chatfield-Taylor
Y
ears ago, the formal dining room was considered so important that it was often larger than the living room — or the parlor, as it was often referred to in those days. Even the smallest house squeezed in a room devoted only to dining, a space almost inevitably furnished with a rectangular table and a parade of matching chairs. It was a setting that seemed to emphasize proper etiquette rather than comfort. Everyone sat up straight, no elbows on the table, children were seen and not heard, and when the hostess turned from conversing with the man on her left to the person on the right, all the guests promptly did the same. Along came World War II, the servants went off to work in wartime factories, and things were never the same again. Modern architects ripped down walls, and the dining room either shrank or disappeared entirely, replaced by that amorphous space known as the dining area. As the dining room contracted, the kitchen grew and practically everyone got used to the idea of eating family meals there.
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The growing informality inspired a new kind of furniture for dining. With even formal meals served in an extension of the living room, chairs and tables had to harmonize with the larger room’s style and provide extra seating there when needed. Grandmother’s ladder-backed antiques didn’t always fit into this picture. The purchase of dining room chairs is not to be taken lightly, given the numbers needed, so we asked several Bay Area designers to choose some of their favorites and to offer some tips on making what may be a very long-term commitment. Ruth Livingston, an interior designer in Tiburon, says, “The first piece of furniture I ever designed was a dining room chair, because they were so hard to find.” Created in 1994 for a client in Atherton, the Athena chair, a skirted style with a high, curvaceous back, went on to become a bestseller and spawned countless variations. “They all have a back detail, because that’s what you see most of a dining room chair.” In the case of the Athena,
the back has an inverted pleat fastened with a fat round button, suggesting an elegant silk cocktail dress. Her newest design is her variation of the oval-backed Louis XV chair that has been re-interpreted in everything from gilded wood to Lucite. She has stripped the familiar shape down to its essentials, a slender, unframed oval back perched above an upholstered seat and four sturdy wooden legs. Palo Alto interior designer Pamela Pennington has a sleek, understated favorite. It’s the Cadette chair by Dakota Jackson, a New York-based designer whose studio and factories are in Long Island City. “This chair is extremely comfortable with its high back and padded seat,” she comments. “I love the fact that it offers so many options. You can do an upholstered chair with your own choice of fabric. It also comes with the wood back with upholstery just on the seat, for a more informal look. It also comes as an armchair and now, with the Cadette II, you can have a cutout back for a more retro look. It’s a classic, and it’s made in this country.” San Francisco designer Jay Jeffers, known for his lighthearted, colorful interiors, offers some practical suggestions for picking the right chairs. “Think about how much they will be used. If they’re for everyday dining, comfort should be a factor. If they’re only used
for occasional dinner parties, you want your guests to be comfortable, of course, but style can play a larger part. There should be a comfortable seat and a nice pitch to the back, not too straight up or not too slanted back, or your food will end up in your lap. I always look for chairs that look good from the back, because that’s how they will be seen most of the time. “We tend to use out of the ordinary chairs, and we mix them. For example, we might use a wooden side chair with an upholstered seat, but we would use fully upholstered wing chairs as the armchairs at the ends of the table. You can use different chairs to add interest as long as the seats of the chairs are the same height.” His own dining area in San Francisco is an example of his free spirited approach. He’s lined the sides of the gleaming wooden table with six side chairs dating from the 1960s. At the ends, two imposing armchairs with fretwork backs seem to have arrived from a garden terrace; in fact, he acquired them from the estate of the late Vivian Vance, the television actress best known for her role as Lucy Arnaz’s best friend. The trellis pattern is repeated in the skirt around a nearby console table that serves as sideboard. It’s a relaxed setup that our grandparents undoubtedly would not have understood. s
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FavoriteSpaces
150 • SPACES • SPRING 2010
FavoriteSpaces We’re off to...
Santa Barbara Santa Barbara may be an old town, but it’s far from outdated. Throughout its scenic streets are chic shops, fine restaurants and a slew of delightful buildings. Here are 5 of our favorite reasons to visit.
1
Shop till you drop
The shopping never ends in Santa Barbara, but here are a few standouts: Rooms and Gardens, with its wooden floors, high ceilings and shelves of soap, candles and tabletop décor; Maison K, catering to contemporary tastes; and Brostrom’s, for the antique collector who loves browsing for Asianinspired gems.
3
Haute hotels
A longtime Hollywood haven, Santa Barbara and its resorts are legendary. Old World elegance is the hallmark of the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore, set on lush grounds with a spectacular view of the ocean. A must-stop is the Ty Lounge for Oprah’s Pomegranate Martini, named for the talk show host who stayed at the hotel while house hunting in the hills above town. B&B fans will like the Victorian Cheshire Cat just a short walk from restaurants and boutiques.
4
Acres of orchids
One of the largest orchid-growing regions in the country, Santa Barbara is the place to find that special cymbidium or phalaenopsis. Among the top growers are Gallup & Stribling, CalOrchid and Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, all open to the public for buying a bloom as a souvenir of your visit.
Ven Lilac ‘The Lip’
5
Brostrom’s
2
Red-tile tour
Park the car and follow the red tiles for 12 blocks past 22 historic buildings, including the Spanish colonial county courthouse (be sure and climb the clock tower for its sweeping view), the Spanish deco-style post office, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum and Plaza de la Guerra, where the first city council met in 1850.
The Biltmore
Divine dining
With seven-figure homes the norm, it’s no surprise that fine dining is de rigeur here. French fare can be found at Bouchon Santa Barbara, boasting a Wine Spectator award of excellence wine list. Seagrass is the first coastal cuisine eatery, dishing up spiny lobster, oysters and seared giant sea scallops. And for great service at great prices, head to the Cajun-inspired Palace Grill, a hit since it was founded in 1988.
SPRING 2010 • SPACES • 151
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expertQ&A
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ride — and as soon as you get in your seat, apply a moisturizing cream. My two favorite ingredients in moisturizers are hyaluronic acid and glycerin; they don’t irritate, and they hydrate without making skin oily. Reapply the cream several times if you are on a long flight. Is there a way to avoid arriving with red puffy eyes? Don’t eat in-flight peanuts, pretzels or chips; NO salt! And keep eye cream samples with you. You can even ask your flight attendant for a cup of ice to keep your eye cream chilled and right before you land, put cold eye cream under your eyes. Look for eye cream with anti-inflammatory ingredients (like coffee berry, licorice, soy). The coldness of the cream will help with puffiness. If you forget to bring your eye cream, or accidentally checked it in, ask the flight attendant for green tea bags, wet and ice them, and put them on your eyes. Green tea is anti-inflammatory.
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Dirty skin is a huge issue during travel; is there a solution? Air on airplanes is recirculated from the engine! That’s all the more reason you want to protect your skin and use a barrier, so remember to always use a moisturizer. I also like pre-moistened wipes. My favorite is by Pond’s, and I think they are called microdermabrasion wipes. They have little green bumps to help exfoliate. What else do you recommend for combating dry plane air? Mist your face with mineral water. Some of them have a high concentration of selenium; those are my favorite. It helps with moisture in your skin. How many products should we pack on the road? All you need is a cleanser, plus morning and night creams. In the morning, think about protecting the skin, so pick a moisturizer that does triple duty. Pick one that has SPF and also antioxidants to shield your skin from pollution, sun, smog, all those things we expose our skin to. And at night, think about repairing your skin. I like creams that have salicylic acid
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expertQ&A if you have issues with breakouts or acne; if it’s fine lines you are concerned about, then look for over-the-counter products with Retinol. It breaks down into Retin-A, which helps build collagen while you sleep. What if we are heading to the tropics and are worried about sun damage? One of my favorite ingredients is niacin, one of the B vitamins. It helps reduce pigmentation and sun damage. The trick is to find products that do double duty, so you don’t have to put three products on in the morning and then three at night. So, the key is simplicity? Exactly! Think, protect in the morning — and repair at night. That’s a simple way to streamline your routine, especially if you travel. It’s hard to carry the entire contents of your medicine cabinet with you in your makeup bag. It’s already a lot between the blush and the foundation and the powder without having to carry all your liquids as well. So if you can pare it down to two essential ingredients, you are way ahead of the game.
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get the gear Some of Dr. Jessica Wu’s picks: • African Red Tea Serum and Skin Insulator (with SPF 15) from Ole Henriksen helps fight the harmful effects of the environment. $48, $35 at www. olehenriksen.com. • A spritz of one of the Aromatotherapia antioxidant-rich aromatherapy mists from Sponge moisturizes, refreshes and gives you back your glow. $45 at www.spongeskincare.com. • From hot summer sun to cold winter winds, your lips are protected all year with all-natural Rescue Balm. $5.95 at www.rescueremedy.com. • New Kanebo Sensai Hydrachange Mist contains hyaluronic acid (a favorite of Wu’s) and pure water to leave dry skin refreshed. It’s perfect for air travel. $75 at Neiman Marcus. • Ponds pre-moistened wipes are ideal for wiping off the grime from travel. $4 at drugstores.
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 157
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Fashion information from “Fresh & Pretty” Pages 58-77:
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Shot on location at Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery in Pleasanton (see Page 163). Models Ashley, Kylie and Paula N. from Look Model Agency, San Francisco. Makeup by Elizabeth Bozzo; hair by Natalia Prager, both of Aveda Atelier SalonSpa, Santana Row. Styling assistance from Stacy Diaz, Alexandria Diaz, Kari Gohd and Kaitlin Lockhart.
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ELLIS-LAMKINS continued from page 102
struggling in a violent marriage. One by one, the girls came to spend time living with Ellis-Lamkins or her mother in Fairfield. Two years ago, the youngest, who was 4 at the time, moved in full time with EllisLamkins. But it was clear the sisters needed to be together. The job in Oakland brought Ellis-Lamkins closer to her mother, and in February, she sold her house in San Jose and bought a new one in Fairfield. She hosts slumber parties for her nieces on weekends and makes sure the girls get to their dance classes and math tutoring. Sometimes she wishes she were married with her own children. That day may come. Meanwhile, she knows her sacrifice is worth it.“It’s hard not to be in D.C., but I don’t think I could be anywhere else.” She figures that when the girls are off to college in another dozen years, she will be just in her early 40s, with plenty left to contribute.“I’m going to spend those years in my life making sure the girls are confident and do well in school,” she says. Because in the end, she knows, professional standards alone will not be how she measures her life. S
Jose Carlos Fajardo
Cribb, a self-proclaimed “old soul,” finds inspiration and ideas in bygone eras and family history. CRIBB continued from Page 109
fun design elements will include mounted horse heads, stations with Derbyinspired tapas, a mint julep bar and live betting – the proceeds of which will go to the East Bay American Heart Association. Cribb won’t reveal her element of surprise, but says that it likely will involve educating people about the role of emergency medical technicians. “My goal is to get people excited about the gala and to make them aware that the dollars they give to the AHA don’t just go to research, but are used every day from the minute someone dials 911 – equipping ambulances with medical devices, paying for EMT training and offering forums for doctors to share information,” she explains. “Hopefully, I can help people understand why we do all this – and have fun while we’re at it.” S
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Casa Real is a gem in Livermore Valley wine country Event center Casa Real, opened two years ago, was the ideal spot for our spring fashion editorial shoot. Located in the heart of the Livermore Valley wine country, it boasts a lovely outdoor courtyard and elegant indoor spaces – perfect for weddings, meetings and parties. The center is adjacent to the Ruby Hill Winery tasting room. Architect George Phillips designed Casa Real to be suggestive of a Mediterranean villa. Hand-carved wooden doors and handcrafted limestone elements imbue the center with Old World charm. The rooms are grand, and feature a 2,000-square-foot entrance hall, a 12-foot-high limestone fireplace in the Amber Room and a ballroom that seats up to 550 people.
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510.741.5400 Follow us on Facebook SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 163
Desiree Northend
Joaquin and her husband, James Joaquin, met at a San Francisco party in 1999.
ZEM continued from Page 97
including the sustainable rebuilding of New Orleans and Haiti. At her first party she threw at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco several years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio showed up. Salma Hayek and Orlando Bloom came to the second. “She actually seduces people into doing the right thing,” Ariana Huffington of the Huffington Post said when she presented Joaquin with Global Green’s Founder’s Award last year. “She always makes people feel that the right thing is the fun thing.” Plus, Huffington added, “she’s adorable.” While Joaquin founded Ecofabulous in 2006 to chronicle her environmentally friendly remodeling resources, she has since expanded it to include organic beauty, fash-
ion and lifestyle choices. She consults with such companies as eBay and Safeway and has been a frequent “green” guest on radio and TV shows. She raises chickens in her side yard, grows tomatoes and herbs, and even has her 6-year-old daughter weighing in with her opinion about kids’ green products. And over the past few years, she’s convinced every one of her closest friends to drive a hybrid. So what’s next? “I never thought in a million years I would want to have a commune,” she says. But lately, she’s thinking about it, maybe bringing her closest friends together, living sustainably off the grid. She doesn’t have the details worked out yet, but one thing is certain: Unlike the A-frames and outhouses she grew up with, she says, “this commune would be stylized.” S
Courtesy of Global Green USA
Joaquin received Global Green’s Founder’s Award last year, presented by actor Adrian Grenier and the Huffington Post’s Arianna Huffington.
For more photos of Zem Joaquin’s home, see www.lookiloos.com
theinsider INSIDER continued from Page 28
a green convert
Courtesy Convert
Environmentally conscious stylistas have a new destination, as fashion-forward Convert opened its doors in Berkeley in March with a unique blend of local and eco-friendly labels. Created by apparel industry veteran Randy Brewer, former style guru of Villains in San Francisco, Convert is more than just a boutique that houses sustainable style. Brewer is taking a proactive approach to green-ing the fashion world: “Many of my preferred vendors are still in the early stages of migration to more environmentally friendly practices, and I’m doing what I can to emphasize how important that is and provide a catalyst for them.” In designing the space, which is in Berkeley’s Fourth Street shopping district, Brewer incorporated work by local artists and items from the Alameda flea market. Buying local or green can often mean costly, even unattractive goods. But Brewer aims for appealing items at affordable prices, letting customers have the best of both worlds while saving the world. S – Kari Gohd 1809B Fourth St., Berkeley, 510.649.9759. 10-6 Monday through Saturday, 11-6 Sunday.
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Our Fall issue, publishing August 13, takes a look at local arts and culture and fall fashion. The Holiday issue, publishing November 19, highlights the seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s glamour, galas and gifts. Be sure to receive your copy. Email scene@ bayareanewsgroup.com, or write to Scene Magazine, 2640 Shadelands Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598.
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behindthescene Scene magazine reader contest Tell us how you helped the planet on Earth Day 2010, and you could win a dazzling makeover at Le Jardin at the Spa in Pleasant Hill! See how to enter on Page 170. You must be 18 years old and a legal California resident to enter. Employees of the Bay Area News Group and their families are ineligible. The Le Jardin at the Spa makeover includes teeth whitening, a haircut and color, and a makeup application. Limit one entry per person, per household. The winner may be photographed by Scene magazine and featured in the fall 2010 issue.
Photos by Joanne Ho-Young Lee
continued from Page 170
A Betsey Johnson dress and cardigan are steamed to remove wrinkles.
The storm before the calm
Natalia Prager touches up Kylieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hair.
Outfits are carefully sorted.
Kari Gohd tapes shoes to protect the soles.
The end result is always glamorous: beautiful models wearing chic clothes and accessories in a lovely setting. But getting to this point requires hours of prep and detailed coordination. On the day of the shoot, garments must be steamed; shoes need to be taped to protect the soles; earrings, necklaces and bangles are carefully sorted so a good match can be made for each outfit. Meanwhile, the hair and makeup artists work their magic (in this case, Aveda Atelierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Natalia Prager and Elizabeth Bozzo). Scene was fortunate to have good weather (it was February, after all) and a team of pros working together. Fashion editor Donna Kato had spent days pulling the right pieces. Photographer Joanne Ho-Young Lee ended up shooting several thousand photos (!), later edited down to what you see in this issue.
seen Linda Rimac Colberg, Colberg & Co., and Francene Anderson, emcee and executive sales director, Mary Kay Leslie Dawson, chairwoman, Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce
The East Bay Women’s Conference “Navigating Change: Facing Forward,” took place in March at the San Ramon Marriott. Journalist and keynote speaker Lisa Ling talked about the importance of a global perspective; other speakers addressed such topics as women’s health care, personal finance, getting ahead and social networking. Judging by the packed sessions, EBWC 2010 was a big success.
Sunne Wright McPeak, CEO, California Emerging Technology Fund Keynote speaker and journalist Lisa Ling
Lori Moirao
out and about Jon Shindo, senior V.P. Wells Fargo Bank, and wife Joyce
Courtesy of American Cancer Society
Ken and Jean Hofmann of the K.H. Hofmann Foundation
“Mardi Gras: Masks, Music & Mission” let the good times roll at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville. The mid-February gala benefiting the American Cancer Society drew nearly 400 celebrants and raised over $200,000. The festivities included signature Cajun/Creole dishes, tasty libations, fortune tellers, games of chance, dancing, live entertainment, zydeco rhythms and more.
Daniel Boggan, Jr., gala co-chair; board of directors, Clorox; president, Alameda County Medical Center Board of Trustees, and wife Jacqueline 168 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
Event honoree Dr. Michael Levine, medical director, radiation oncology, John Muir Hospital, and wife Suzanne Farley
Karl Wente, Wente Vineyards, and Robert B. Hetler, partner (retired), PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Josie Camacho, Alameda County Central Labor Council; and Victor Uno, board of port commissioners and Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO
Kristy Whitford and Cassandra Miller, both of Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa
Bay Area News Group/East Bay Publisher David Rounds and R.C.Staab, BANG marketing director
Chelsea Blackburn and founder/winemaker Shauna Rosenblum of Rock Wall Winery
Walnut Creek Mayor Susan Rainey and husband, former state Sen. Richard Rainey
in the east bay Scene threw a coming-out party for its East Bay edition in January, and tout le monde showed up. It could have been the venue – the elegant Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. Or it could have been the scrumptious finger foods and wine, along with the live music. The raffle prizes from local merchants didn’t hurt, of course. But it was probably the happy crowd – a wonderful welcome for the new girl in town!
Scene Editor Katharine Fong and Susan Bazinett of J. Rockcliff Realtors
Kara Collier and Jasmine Buczek, both of All in One Fitness
Tracy Dietlein of Broadway Plaza and Kristin Anderson, of the Walnut Creek Library Foundation
Debbi DiMaggio and Adam Kusum Bhat and Naras Betta, both of Highland Partners Bhat, both of the Concord Allergy & Weight Loss Clinic
Wanda Wallis of ReMax Accord and Rebecca Ines of the Ruth Bancroft Garden
Ken Perkins
Juan Rivera and Susan Outlaw, both of Teatro ZinZanni
Bonnie Waters of Changes Salon & Day Spa with Dennis Winslow
SPRING 2010 • SCENE • 169
goodworks earth day 2010
get your green on By Kari Gohd
Celebrate Earth Day in the East Bay Did you know Earth Day turns 40 on April 22? Commemorate the occasion at a variety of community events designed to inspire environmental awareness through local action. On Saturday, April 17, expect planet-friendly action in three East Bay cities (check local Web sites for more): The city of Emeryville will honor Earth Day at Doyle Hollis Park with exhibits from Bay Area green vendors, local live music and food, booths and presentations from area environmental organizations. There’ll also be eco-friendly activities for children. The event is from noon to 4 p.m. More information at www.ci.emeryville. ca.us. Walnut Creek’s Earth Day tribute in the Walnut
Creek Open Space plans to include environmental education activities for children, community service projects, bird walks and a picnic. More details, including time and location, can be found at www.walnutcreek.org and the “Walnut Creek Open Space” Facebook page. Livermore’s Earth Day celebration at Robertson Park will begin with breakfast and a community cleanup, followed by lunch, live music, arts and crafts, plus other activities free of charge for morning volunteers. The cleanup begins at 8:30 a.m., with the festival starting at 10 a.m. Find more at the “Livermore Area Recreation & Park District (LARPD)” Facebook page or at www.larpdrecandpark.org.
OK, maybe you can’t single-handedly halt global strife, but if you tell us how you helped the planet on Earth Day 2010, you could win a dazzling makeover, courtesy of Le Jardin at the Spa in Pleasant Hill (at right). Spring is about renewal, after all, so here’s your chance to indulge in an especially fabulous way. How to enter: E-mail scene@bayareanewsgroup. com by May 15, and in 250 words or less, tell us what you did on Earth Day 2010 to help make the East Bay a greener place. Judges from Scene and Le Jardin at the Spa will pick the essayist with the most inspiring answer.
170 • SCENE • SPRING 2010
The makeover: As a reward for your commitment to the Earth, Le Jardin at the Spa is offering a makeover including teeth whitening, a haircut and color, and a makeup application – guaranteed to refresh your look for spring. For contest details, see Page 167. Le Jardin at the Spa is celebrating its six-year anniversary in April. It sits on an acre of land with four cottages and serves as a full-service salon with spa treatments. Visit Le Jardin at lejardinatthespa.com.
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