The Painted Ladies and Painted Walls of San Francisco

I have a few final photos from my trip to San Francisco, taken in the Mission District of the city, an eclectic underground neighborhood with a strong latin history. The small side streets are filled with creative wall displays from the local graffiti street artists, giving the area its urban flair.

The first picture shows a few of San Francisco's historic "Painted Ladies" near Alamo Square that are a must-see for tourists. The name "Painted Ladies" derives from their Victorian style and their many bright colors; this infamous row on Steiner Street even makes an appearance in the opening credits of Full House!

I knew I couldn't miss the opportunity to see Diego Rivera's mural during my visit as well.

After seeing the Rivera mural and some of the other murals around The Mission, I wondered where these artists got their ideas for their work, and thought it would be interesting to know where everyone gets their inspiration from...so, what inspires you to create? From music to fashion, where do you draw your ideas from?

Frida Kahlo Series: Uños Cuantos Piquetitos Tiara

This piece is named after one of my favorite works by Frida Kahlo, Uños Cuantos Piquetitos (A Few Small Nips). The painting, shown in the background of the photo below, depicts a murdered woman laying in a bed with the perpetrator standing over her. Kahlo explained that the painting was inspired by the stabbing of a woman by her drunken boyfriend who told the judge, "I only gave her a few small nips".

I love the look of the bracelets all mixed together, many of which are actually designed by a good friend of mine, Louise Gos.

Photographer: Zoe Armbruster
Necklaces and Tiara: Shourouk
Heels: Chanel
Dress: Isabel Marant
Ceinture: Found in Thailand
Bracelets: Mix of Vintage, Louise Gos and Frieda & Nellie from Barney's New York
Bag: Vintage

Frida Kahlo Series: Oaxaca Tiara

Bix Restaurant is a classy retro supper club situated on a small yet romantic alleyway in Jackson Square. It is renowned for its old-fashioned cocktails and elegant atmosphere, while offering customers live jazz on a nightly basis. The piece pictured here is called the Oaxaca Tiara.

Photographer: Zoe Armbruster
Necklaces and Tiara: Shourouk
Heels: Chanel
Dress: Isabel Marant
Belt: Found in Thailand
Bag: Vintage

Frida Kahlo Tiara Series: Inmaculada Tiara

These photos are actually taken right behind the boutique in Jackson Square. The old brick buildings have an industrial feel and inspired me to use the street as a backdrop for a series of photos displaying each of the three Frida Kahlo head ornaments. This is the first set, showing the Inmaculada Tiara.

Photographer : Zoe Armbruster 

Necklace & Tiara: Shourouk

Heels: Chanel

Sweat-Shirt: Erotokritos

Skirt: Isabel Marant

Socks: Antipast

Bag: Vintage

La Boutique's Shourouk Exposition!

I'm back from the exposition at La Boutique in San Francisco and I have some pictures from the event. I met a lot of great people and had the opportunity to explore the city as well. The first photo shows the owner of La Boutique, Carole Harari, and I. Carole was so nice, giving me a warm welcome and taking the time to show me around the city and make sure I was taken care of. I am grateful to have had such a great hostess!

Here is the interior of the boutique. The decorations were a combination of industrial and minimalist elements. The boutique is located in Jackson Square, a historic neighborhood filled with brick buildings built in California's gold rush era that managed to survive the 1906 earthquake.

For the exhibitions, Carole included portraits of Frida Kahlo, my inspiration for the tiara below this photo, which was actually designed exclusively for the exposition (I will post the pictures of the tiara being worn tomorrow.)

PHOTOGRAPHER JULIE MICHELLE

PHOTOGRAPHER JULIE MICHELLE

While I was there I sat down with Kristen Philipkoski, who is pictured below trying on one of my tiaras, to answer a few questions. You can find the full interview on her blog, Stylenik!

KRISTEN PHILIPKOSKI

Photographer julie michelle

PHOTOGRAPHER JULIE MICHELLE

PHOTOGRAPHER JULIE MICHELLE

PHOTOGRAPHER JULIE MICHELLE

PHOTOGRAPHER JULIE MICHELLE

Bertrand Pellegrin

Many of the photos we've posted are thanks to Julie Michelle, who runs a website about San Francisco that gives a unique look into the city through the eyes of its residents using her creative photography and the stories of those she encounters. You can read more on her project online at I Live Here SF.

As you can probably tell by the pictures, I had a great time at the exposition! Thanks again to Carole Harari and her husband for inviting me, to Zoey and Chloe for the decorations and to everyone at La Boutique who made it such a great event!

La Boutique in San Francisco Hosting Shourouk Exposition Thursday!!

I am off to the United States! First stop New York, then on to San Francisco. I have been kindly invited to La Boutique, a classy and modern loft in San Francisco, to hold an exposition of the collection as a special in-store event on Thursday the 19th. La Boutique has a great setup, and for the décor next week, they will be transforming the boutique into a miniature version of the atelier here in Paris. I’ll have pictures of the transformation when I get back…I am sure they will make it look amazing! While I will be displaying the collection and meeting some fantastic people, I will also be showing a tiara created especially for the event that was inspired by Frida Kahlo. I am so excited and couldn’t be happier that the wonderful people at La Boutique have invited me to hold this exposition.

Check out La Boutique's website!!