Sparkle and Shine - Warehouse District

Jill (from Those Ghosts) and I had yet another adventure last week. This time we explored the Warehouse District neighborhood just southeast of downtown. While it looks like we are in some forgotten section of the city, it's anything but! Manufacturing, food processing, cold storage and the like continue to thrive in the area. In the 1970's some crazy artists began to occupy the spaces. It was illegal to live in the buildings until 1981 when the "Artist in Residence" ordinance was passed.  Now everyone wants in on the act - living the lifestyle while driving up the prices. The neighborhood is now more commonly known as the Arts District and is slowly becoming gentrified.  Galleries and a few shops and restaurants bordering Little Tokyo are awaiting your discovery! Read about my first brush with this hood here and don't forget to check out Jill's take on our adventure! (And special thanks to her for doing such a great job playing my photographer)

 Many of the old warehouses are available as movie location rentals. I eased into the shoot wearing a Helmut Lang cashmere sweater over my sparkly number...

Aldo booties

These shoes work just as well for the Christmas season as they do Halloween

Then I pulled out all the stops! Vintage dress circa 1985

All hail Andy

When I bought this dress at the Rose Bowl Flea Market the lady who sold it to me asked me where I might wear such a sparkly dress. I told her I'd wear it to the supermarket or some such place. In other words - I think sequins are more unexpected and exciting at the market than a holiday party and are suitable year round... That's why I think this urban setting worked so well - the tension of opposites!  That said, we all love a little sparkle and shine at Christmas time...

Are you going to sparkle this season?