You may have noticed a gap in posts and that would be due to a two week vacation to my hometown in Mississippi so that The Critter could delight our family and friends as much as he does us. We had a wonderful time, but I really must to catch y’all up on the very excellent Mississippi Artist exhibit we walked, The Real Housewives finale and reunion, and I have all sorts of fabulous new design friends I have made over the last few months.

Until I manage this, please absorb yourself (as I did) in this article from Los Angeles Magazine about a fraudulent interior designer. The entire thing literally made me cringe, as I know many of the characters involved, as this scam artist rolls in all the same circles I do. Also irking is that this type showman really causes pause to a good client when considering using my profession’s services – I am no stranger to having to clean up the mess of another. Never have I read such apt descriptions of the world of interior design here in Los Angeles. Thanks to design nomad for such dark juiciness – I must admit I am DYING to read Part Two!

…and goes to show that amazing talent can take the abc’s and turn them into art.

* Thanks to the Critter’s Grand Mother for sending this

I know, I know – you thought that the Aesthetic Addict has jumped the shark and is only interested in base amusements like the Real Housewives – but no, dear reader. I spent the better part of Veteran’s Day at The Getty, my favorite museum in Los Angeles. The Getty is one of the enormous perks of living here – just ten minutes in the car to the tram that goes up the hill!

I have now visited The Getty ample times that I am becoming familiar with their collection. I am starting to hone in on more details of my favorite pieces, which are – surprise – in the furniture collection! Tuesday I became obsessed with ornament, and made my own little collection of photos of some of my favorites.

We greatly also greatly enjoyed the garden and the exhibit “Please be Seated” – a multimedia installation that allows you to “sit” in a period chair in a period room! Sigh – now all I need is a powdered wig and a bunch of servants.

P.S. – You may have noticed a new section to the right of my posts called “Alexandra out and about” – this is the place you can click to see more photos of our trip to the Getty…

Dwight is right – again. The gay bff of NeNe says “What is a fashion show with no clothes? Nothing.” This is the Best RH series yet!!!

But Sheree went ahead and pretended it was something and her friends came and saw just that – a lot of nothing. I just love it when people think they can do everything and it’s all just so easy. She didn’t even have one of her designs made to wear herself on this launch! There were no clothes to show because she hired a seamstress to make the clothes that someone else sketched, and they didn’t come out the way she wanted. If she had an effing clue she would know that a live model is needed to make a pattern for these samples. So what did Sheree actually contribute to the design? Someone else drew it, someone else was the seamstress — what else is there? Of course Kim didn’t show for the evening of all evenings of Sheree’s life, since she had to go be with Big Poppa. I thought that she and Sheree might become lovers for all the compliments they are constantly paying one another, and not showing to Sheree’s event was not the behavior of a bff. Oh and how I love this – it has been alleged that Sheree is writing bad checks for services for the party!

Speaking of a whole lotta nothing – did I hear it correctly, or was my sound garbled on my plasma? Kim’s singing sounds like a cement mixer – who the hell is fronting all this ridiculousness? She is granted an appointment with one the foremost vocal coaches in the business and she behaved like a little brat, saying that she was being nitpicked. I am becoming less and less amused with her, as I see that she is drinking ALL the TIME, she doesn’t cook, she doesn’t work, she certainly doesn’t take care of her daughters unless it’s to throw an expensive party, and even then she stands outside smoking the entire time. In the last two episodes she has gone from being besties with NeNe to bff with Sheree and has burned the bridge to NeNe permanently by texting her, calling her a bitch. Unfortunately for her, she made a big faux pas by not responding to DeShawn’s invitation to dinner, so Mrs Snow and Mrs Hartfield are now getting the idea of what’s really going on here. Poor sweet little DeShawn, she’s just trying to help everyone get along. Fortunately she and her hubby are getting along just great, as evidenced by his gift of a new Rolex for her birthday that he bought her in Monte Carlo.

NeNe is still my main girl – she very bravely told her story at the Big Hat luncheon she hosted for her charity “Twisted Hearts” – assisting abused women. She raised $13,000 – almost as much as DeShawn made for her charity with WAY less drama. She also go the DNA test results regarding whether or not the man who raised her is actually her father and whoop! He’s not. Good thing she has that wonderful husband and sweet sons to console her.

Um and can I just say that Ed Hartfield is…Whoo lawd! Last night showed him working out with his trainer in Lisa’s and his backyard, and I would much rather have seen him as the eye candy at Sheree’s lame party as opposed to the poor twinks she hired to be painted with her lame logo. Looks like he’ going to go out with the Raiders this season – I may be a football fan after all!

…was mostly NOT in the hood.

You know I hate the freeway. My Perfect Husband always jokes that I practically will drive through people’s backyards to shortcut. I realize that millions of people hop on the freeway many times a day and think nothing of it, but for me it’s a Voyage, requiring much anticipation and strategy, figuring naps, appropriate dress, and leave time, none of which worked in the end. Nonetheless we made our way to Jungleland. The Critter was delighted to run and run all over the carpet, hoard plastic balls and play house with birthday girl Hannah Ann, two year old of City Mommy Roxanne, and one of the two sassiest dressers in the Greater Los Angeles area. After much fun and cake, we took the voyage back to Beverly Hills to meet the very fabulous Debra for tea in the Atelier. After catching one another up on life and love, she and her fabulous mary janes moved on to her next appointment just as my Perfect Husband arrived from his overnight to Mammoth.

As we drove to Culver City to see “I’m Not a Racist, but…” at the Actors’ Gang for the Sunday matinee, gal pal and lover of Louis xiv Laura and I talked about how we never go to Culver City because we don’t “get” it. I think we didn’t realize the provocative and the pleasant that awaited us. “Racist” was a very pretty compelling – it was a workshop piece about racism, meaning the actors were cast and enacted scenes from one another’s experiences with racism. Lots of things that never would have occurred to me, and it’s pretty clear that all of the actors have deep resentments towards white people and Christians, even the ones who are white people and Christians. Made me think about a lot of things. I had a long talk with my friend about the show and he said that it’s going to constantly going to be changing from comments, so it also is interesting to know their process and how it came together.

You know the thing they say about “walking a mile in someone’s shoes”…

After the play we mosied on down to the Helms Bakery and did a quick stroll through H. D. Buttercup. I am impressed with how much better it looks and how much great looking stuff they have. I mostly do custom upholstery for my clients, but if I had to do something fast and off the floor, I’ll go there again. After a couple of trips around the maze and a brief dilemma over the purchase of a mirrored bed for Laura’s bedroom, we took the few steps south of the showroom into Father’s Office. I was amazed at the sexy incarnation of the original “office” in Santa Monica, and the food was sublime – noshing on some of the “small” menu items made me vow to return with my Perfect Husband for a casual date night to try the “big” items. Father’s Office has everything we would want – high style, great food, all kinds of beer and interesting beverages, sports on tv, and sexy lighting.

Prop H is defeated, but not by much at all – no doubt there will be a recount and we’ll be subject to problems like this with Oasis Realty West ad nauseum.

So the worms are turning. Sheree is still a moody snooty woman who is constantly being reminded by Kim (who is now better dealing her soon to be ex friend NeNe) how absolutely beautiful they are. Kim is also being prepped for a singing career by Dallas Austin, who no doubt owes her sugardaddy some kind of HUGE favor. Remember, Big Poppa is still anonymous – that he thinks he’ll remain so after this harpy is through with him is proof that her girly bits are made of something really special. Again NeNe is a righteous sister girl, helping Kim pick a country song to record that her daughter’s music teacher wrote, even singing along to encourage her “process”. NeNe also makes appearances as the promoting emcee of DeShawn’s fundraiser, first on a local morning talk show, and again at the event.

Oh, and the event – don’t get me started. Dwight was right. If you want people with BIG money to spend money for charity, you have to make people pay to get in the door. Folks with the cash to front the kind of cash that DeShawn envisioned don’t want to party with the proletariat. Even Kim knew that. I think DeShawn is still of the more the merrier mindset, and it bit her in the behind in a very embarassing way. Also, if you’re going to have a live auction, you MUST have a real auctioneer – it’s a profession, you know, and it takes experience to draw lots of money for an item. It was excruciating to watch the party flounder so pathetically. Kim spent more on her daughter’s birthday than the whole event netted that evening. Ouch – I just got chills thinking about it again.

Little Miss Wu Sweat Hartwell, on the other hand is shaking that money maker and sweet ol’ Ed is helping – lots! She hosts a trunk showing of her new jewelry designs and is quite successful with the launch, becoming a recruit for a lucrative licensing deal with Steven Zale. I always squint a little when I see people like Lisa calling themselves “designers” – I’m pretty sure she didn’t create the castings that all those Byzantine era pieces in her collection and pour the molten gold into the molds herself. I do find it hugely cheeky of her to actually have a beading party right before the trunk show, enlisting her buddies to string up the baubles she will then charge WAY too much money for, soley based on her celebrity as a wife of someone famous. Let’s hope this venture turns out better than this business venture from her last marriage.

This week’s previews promise a big catfight between the NeNe, Sheree, and Kim troika and Kim will sing, if you can call it that – you can watch it between reports of the REAL one.

I am SO happy today! Two good reasons – it’s almost Halloween, so I can wear this hat while strolling the Critter and dress him a sweatshirt that makes him look like a pumpkin. I get really crazy with costumes and no one is safe once I decide what WE’re going to be, as is evidenced by the photos above. Which by the way brings up the other reason that I am so happy today – my friends Victor and Trudi share that same spirit and sense of fun. Trudi has a collection of Goofy memorabilia that will truly blow your mind and a giant human size Goofy takes up residence on her sofa. It has become a nifty test for newcomers to her parties how people interact with Goofy. If one just tosses him aside and doesn’t give at least a simple “hello” to him then probably that guest isn’t so much fun. Victor is a merry Englishman she met via the internet (just like myself and my hubby) and had a long distance relationship until they could stand it no more and they have since never left one another’s side. We have shared many laughs and memorable moments with them and are DELIGHTED that they got MARRIED!! In Florence, Italy! Last week!

Congratulations my goofy friends xoxo

Bill Rau, president of my beloved M S Rau Antiques in New Orleans says that historically antiques perform well as investments in troubled times. Rau should know – his family has had their shop in the French Quarter for nearly a century. I have visited their beautiful space on Royal Street more times that I can count, as a small child and as an interior design professional, and still I am always awed and inspired by the unusual and authentic pieces they aquire for their clients.

Maybe we should all cash out our stocks and buy this. And this. And this! And this and this and this, and ship it all to the atelier!

Call or email Philip Youngberg, my consultant for inquiries…