Spring lands in Hollywood
Hussein Chalayan, Guinness cake, and Kazan vs. Hitchcock.
Jelly Sandwich is almost one year old! This is my dream world.
Here’s an Ed Ruscha from the show that inspired this newsletter—
I have spent my afternoon calling libraries in the area to see if they have access to a copy of West Magazine from April 1948 containing a photo essay by Raymond Chandler appropriately titled “Chandler’s LA.” I read an excerpt from it in The Big Goodbye by Sam Wasson which I have been devouring over the last week. I will update you if I find the full essay. Until then enjoy this quote–
The best time to see Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles, is in the grey mists of the early morning, or better still, in the very late afternoon, when streets are in shadow broken only by golden yellow sunshine; times when your eye can be tricked into ignoring the long lines of franchise eateries and gas stations, each with its own plastic sign in one or another primary color; times when you don't notice the cheapjack apartment buildings glittering their anodized metal geegaws at you; times when your eye can pick up the Los Angeles which existed prior to 1942. That is not an arbitrary choice of years, for after 1942 the swarm of defense workers, the maddened construction of factories, homes, apartments, the industrial and automotive smog, all irrevocably altered the physical face of Los Angeles.
I celebrated St. Patrick's Day (I am 63% Irish) by making a Guinness cake. The closest I will get to consuming any type of alcohol is if it’s baked in something or used in cooking (usually dry white wine). I would say this recipe is my preference for chocolate cake. Not too rich, but just right. Exactly how a chocolate cake should taste. I would remake it with vanilla frosting. Cream cheese frosting can get a bit heavy for my liking. It was a hit right out of the oven, warm and very moist, but still a treat the next day with a glass of milk.
Last weekend, I watched a double feature of On The Waterfront (1954) and North by Northwest (1959), both starring the exceptional Eva Marie Saint, a member of the Actor's Studio. Her breakout role opposite Marlon Brando earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Watching Kazan's film followed by Hitchcock's made me appreciate how camp Hitchcock's style can be perceived after many years of black & white Hollywood, the technicolor visuals are a real treat.
Between these films, Saint also starred in the movie A Hatful of Rain (1957), one of my favorite plays. The play was initially improvised by Shelley Winters, Ben Gazzara, and Tony Franciosa at the Actor's Studio for Michael Gazzo, who later appeared in The Godfather II. Saint plays Celia Pope in the film adaptation, scored by Bernard Herrmann. She is still alive at 100 years old.
Speaking of The Godfather II, John Cazale’s address in the 1973-74 Yellow Pages <3 c/o Bernie Kaminski. 42 West 63rd Street.
A lovely furniture showroom, Desmar Studio, opened recently on Western Avenue. My favorite from the lot was a Lalique box and storybook bedside tables.
I recently ordered 2 things from Prada’s SS 2002 collection on The Real Real and Shelly Winters’ memoir, which I found out existed from Michelle Dean who wrote a beautiful Los Angeles guide to lit on
Gift Guide.
I’ve been spending a lot of time at home this week as I’m going to be quite busy starting next week. Appropriately, that always happens to me in Aries season, which starts today. I stood at the top of a hill yesterday and looked all the way down Western Avenue, one of the best views in the city.
I found a Hussein Chalayan book at the new Community Goods project, a bookstore called Architecture on Melrose. I have not been able to get a coffee from the flagship since the early days of opening in 2023 because the line always wraps down Edinburgh and around Melrose, so this is a nice addition across the street. They offer limited food and beverages at Architecture, which is nice if you don’t feel like waiting in line. On the menu is a hot dog with accouterments and cold brew (they don’t have milk, I asked).
I wish I had this in my closet to wear today on the first day of spring. Anything that looks like frosting piped high on layer cake is a yes from me.
It seemed like a lot of you enjoyed my version of my favorites list so I’ll take that into account for the future.
Things I need in order to live
I celebrated my 29th birthday since we last spoke. Here’s a photo of me blowing out my candles. It was one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had.
One person asked about my beauty/skin/herb rituals, so I can say a little about that. I used to be a serum and P50 QUEEN when I lived in New York and knew nothing about anything and then developed perioral dermatitis which is when hell wreaks havoc all over your face. I had to stop using everything and washed my face with sulfur soap for months.
When I moved to LA, I stopped using a lot on my skin. I recently tried Monastery's line, which I was lucky enough to be sent during gift guide season, and love it. I will soon be repurchasing this serum. The Attar repair concentrate is also very good for dry winter months (I use it on my hands too).
For beauty (if you could even call it that)— I have the same Tom Ford Shine and Illuminate palette from three years ago (is that bad?) and use Elta MD tinted sunscreen most days if I want to look not so dead. I did recently buy Westman Atelier's complexion drops and the texture of that compliments my skin nicely. I have not used any other mascara since Glossier came out with Lash Slick in 2018. I am a tried and true Emily Weiss head! Nothing is as good. I think since I used to tape my eyes at an angle and apply the Naked palette heavily in high school, I have been turned away from makeup. The photos of that time period are bone-chilling. I look 40 years old. I use blush occasionally, but only sometimes and then always regret it. My skin has pink undertones already and I hate looking like a clown.
There is some great theater happening in New York right now that you don’t want to miss. Paul Mescal is Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire at BAM. Sarah Snook in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Music Box. Andrew Scott in Vanya at Lucille Lortel. A little further uptown- Ghosts with Lily Rabe, Billy Cruddup, Levon Hawke, and one-to-watch Ella Beatty at Lincoln Center Theatre. This weekend Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart with a few dear friends of mine is on in Jersey City, which really is just as far as Brooklyn. Tickets here.
Leaving you with these Araki flowers to embrace the start of spring—
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