Who are we? Two dapper L.A. gals who love to eat cake, among other things. Our names? Mari and Sara'. We met and immediately bonded while in graduate school at U.C.L.A. As we discovered a mutual interest and passion for art, poetry, music, fashion, photography, architecture and design- herstory was made and we collaborated! Our middle names are Sofia and Kali, hence the inspiration for the name of our line of handmade designer jewelry and other various goodies: SoKalDesigns. This blog is a place for us to showcase what we find fascinating in the world of art and design and the random flotsam and jetsam of the aesthetically driven part of our minds, as well as a way to update our fans about our upcoming lines of jewelry. We hope you enjoy sharing the vast space of the world of design/art/media with us...and far beyond :)
These shots were taken outside on the walls of a car shop located on Pearcy St. in downtown Los Angeles just two days ago. Gorgeous, soulful colors!!! Garrett and I were on our way to the MOCA "Art in the Streets" exhibit, and I thought I would preface my next post (which will be filled with photos from said exhibit) with some art that was actually in the streets...near to the museum. Art credit: unknown
I was chillin in a parking lot about four or five months ago, waiting to preview our debuting line of jewelry to a yet-to-be-named store in Echo Park. Bored, and stuck outside waiting for them to open, I walked around and snapped these shots. The one above was taken on somewhat private property, but that's of no importance now. All that matters is the sheer awesomeness of this piece...and once again, the artist(s) is unknown.
This is a set of super fly art my boyfriend and myself happened upon just steps away from the Capitol Records building about two months ago. We tried mightily to figure out who the artist is, but heck it we aren't that good at identification. As always, if you spy this and know whose it is, give us a shout out so we can give credit where it's due.
Just because I have about five minutes to post something up here and because I want to share a sample of the jewelry we are creating, in eager anticipation of our own Fall 2011 line!
The above photo features Kali's beautiful gem-drop earrings (on a lovely neckline as well).
The above photo features my own simple collection of pure silver (.999) stackable rings, slightly hammered.
Presenting!!! a smattering of looks which debuted this summer that I think would go well to make the transition into the fall. For instance, even the super bright Betsey Johnson frock (yes, its almost brain smashingly floral but work with me people) could be layered with a more demure blazer to add some pop to anyone's look once the sky begins to turn droll again. In order from top to bottom: Betsey Johnson Gorgeous Garden dress in floral chiffon, Gypsy 05 Summer Lovin frock in leopard, the Marc by Marc Jacobs Ozzie Square Baby Aiden Bag in purple leather, the Rebecca Minkoff Obsession Bag in snakeskin, and the Young Fabulous and Broke Sydney Ombre romper. (photos courtesy of www.shopbop.com, www.betseyjohnson.com and www.singer22.com) These pieces have a certain ease to them, like you could toss them on years later and they would still make a funky, fun contribution to your wardrobe.
I was strolling around Echo Park, CA a couple of months ago when I spied these gorgeous works of art on the sides of various buildings/billboards. I am not certain of who any of the artist are exactly, so if you know, or you are them...or its just plain obvious to you in a way that I don't get, let me know! Haha!!! Big-up to whoever did these though.
There's no way for me to share anything I love without sharing this photograph by Minor White, a photographer whose work showcases mid-twentieth century America.
Our hopes are that this blog will be in most ways a culture, arts, and fashionably inspirational blog so I'll leave you off with this quote by Minor White; give time for it to sink in:
"No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen."
"Beats, Rhymes and Life": A Tribe Called Quest Documentary directed by Michael Rappaport is out right now!!! Currently they are only showing this amazing flick as a limited engagement in LA and New York, but the film will be expanding into rest of the U.S. for showings pretty soon. I haven't seen it yet but when I do, I will definitely be dedicating another post to some introspection regarding these hip-hop masters of flow. I can't wait!!!
This here is a trailer for "Infamy", a documentary about some of the most prolific graffiti artists in the U.S. today. I posted this because I have had the Los Angeles MOCA exhibit "Art In The Streets" on my mind: the first comprehensive museum retrospective on the street art movement, ever. I have always been in love with the rebelliousness of street art as a medium, probably because...technically, it't not legal (which is juicy to me on a certain level), but mostly because it is free for anyone who wants to take it in and be transformed by it. It is an unrestrained, non academic, free flowing form of expression that doesn't need the stamp of a giant price tag to make it relevant or worthy of praise. And with that in mind, check out this flick...
"Beautiful Losers" is another documentary that explores the underground art movement, but doesn't focus purely on street art like in "Infamy" seen above. The interviews are super candid and informative regarding how underground artists eventually gained a great deal of limelight- and revolutionized the world of print media and typography as we know it. It provides a real history to the movement of this particular segment of the art world, and I personally think it's one of the better art documentaries I have ever seen.
Welcome everyone to SoKalDesigns blog, and feast your eyes upon our very first blog post(s)!!! My name is Sara' Kali and my lovely partner Mari Sophia and I wanted to have a place to showcase our love of fashion, art, photography, music and all things related to design that we respect and generally find to be uber awesome. We will be posting pictures of our latest jewelry designs to be published for sale on our Etsy site, as well as drawing your eye to sights to make your corneas sing merrily :) Stay tuned for weekly updates and feel free to leave comments...
