um, hello? these guys are like frida and diego. mega-cool!

omigod!!! i experienced a total epiphany last night watching beth ditto and her band “the gossip” perform at the alexander mcqueen opening. if you have never seen or heard this little lady sing then you’ve just added another “to-do” item to your list because seriously, i didn’t see anything on stage that impressive in a while. brilliant!!!! below is my review of the night…

Jay Alexander wasn’t exactly off the mark when he noted mid-way through the opening of the Alexander McQueen store on Melrose Avenue that it wasn’t a typical McQueen party crowd. This is L.A after all and the West Coast fashion contingency rarely transform into dance-crazed, party animals at the best of times. But all that changed last night during Beth Ditto’s performance with “The Gossip” (following arrivals by Janet Jackson, Eve, Lisa Eisner and Liberty Ross) as about ten seconds after arriving on stage in a claret-seqinned cat suit and high heels, Ditto addressed her audience. “You like fashion? You like my shoes? Well good! You can like them from up here” as she proceeded to kick them off and haphazardly serenade her way through the crowd whilst playing paparazzi and photographing guests including McQueen himself, who sang and danced from afar flanked by fans. Thirty minutes later post-show party praise kicked into overdrive as Ditto’s infectious wow factor continued to make its presence felt via witty one-liners (she jokingly declared she had just signed a one million dollar modeling contract with Wal-Mart). As guests attempted to exit via the blue (I repeat, blue, not red) carpet, Ditto emerged in a second outfit, this time a sheer butterfly-print caftan and could be overhead waxing lyrical to legendary music producer Rick Rubin about the ensemble. “You should get one of these, you need one of these!” insisted the singer. At which point Rubin rapidly responded, “I know, I know. I’ve already got one!”

easing the transition from african living to the los angeles way of life, jeskimo and her super cute canine “lady c” show us how its done on the west side.

you know how you hear of people speaking from time to time about the vacation of a lifetime? well i just experienced that, and if you have never considered africa as an option in your travel agenda then its high time you changed your mind. a HUGE thanks to de beers diamonds for showing me the light. now go book your ticket!

visiting the diamond feeding scheme headquarters today in soweto was truly one of the most amazing experiences in my 33 years folks. not only did i have a pack of young 3 – 4 year old angels surrounding me jumping up and down for giggles and hugs, after checking out the headquarters (which exists thanks to de beers and enables kids to eat a nutritious meal once a day as opposed to nada), i witnessed a song and dance routine by about 50 women. it doesn’t get better than this, seriously. check the style too. africa is what’s up!

visiting the diamond feeding scheme headquarters today in soweto was truly one of the most amazing experiences in my 33 years folks. not only did i have a pack of young 3 – 4 year old angels surrounding me jumping up and down for giggles and hugs, after checking out the headquarters (which exists thanks to de beers and enables kids to eat a nutritious meal once a day as opposed to nada), i witnessed a song and dance routine by about 50 women. it doesn’t get better than this, seriously. check their style too. africa is what’s up!