If in sports they tell you "it's all in the wrists", shelter shops would tell you "it's all in the edit", which is why people are going mad for Scotti Sitz's edit at the Los Angeles homegoods store, GARDE on Beverly Blvd.
It opened in April and I promptly wrote about it for the L.A. Times, but couldn't stay away. It's not a huge store, but I always find a new discovery: a book or a chic badminton set or piece of pottery; I don't think I've ever left empty handed. I'm honestly trying not to sell this place so strongly, but if you're looking for a last minute gift for a hard-to-buy-for person (who has everything), get into the shop or check them out online.
OK, phew, now that that's over with I can now just gush about Scotti. Good taste puts it lightly, she's spent years in New York working in fashion for Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani and just frankly has an incredible eye. Of course she's also got that tomboy edge as well, i.e., she drives a Porsche 911 and knows how to re-grout tile, which is why her Q&A is here. Wammo.If not in Los Angeles, I would live...possibly on a farm near water with greenery, that's quiet, with lots of Whippets, sheep and chickens.
My dream holiday would be to...right now my wish list includes Puglia, Mexico City, and the hamlet of Inverness, California.
My current obsessions are...
Food: I make the best grilled cheese sandwich and unfortunately I was told to cool it on gluten so I am rethinking my obsession with macaroons.
Music: I stream KCRW Eclectic all day at the shop because I'm lazy and it's a nice mix of new and some old. I love old 60's rock and I'm a sucker for soulful women singers like Adele, Sade, and new discovery Melody Gardot. I try to limit my husband's playing of 1980's New Wave music!
Fashion: Who wouldn't want anything by Celine right now?! My style is pretty tailored with a twist, no bells or whistles for me, and like my shop, I rarely wear any bright colors.
Retail Stores: Other than my own? Graanmaarkt 13 in Antwerp is my new current favorite (designed by Vincent Van Duysen). Merci in Paris is fun and inspiring, and I love Miller et Bertaux in the Marais for timeless fashion by two very chic French men. Locally, for the home I really love the style and taste of NK Shop on Beverly.
I channel my childhood self when I...sing out loud and dream big!
The fictional characters I most relate to are...perhaps Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice—a little stubborn, independent, opinionated, self-assured and she ultimately got the right guy! Or sassy comic strip character and "ace" reporter Brenda Starr, that fab red hair!
If I had to be outdoors all day I would...love to be anywhere sunny, beautiful, animal-friendly and a place with good food.
My favorite quality in a man is...confidence.
My favorite quality in a woman is...loyalty.
I'm terrified of...being irrelevant.
My dream car is a...restored 1978 Porsche 911 SC with original Fuchs wheels, but I am quite content with my 2000 Porsche 911. They just fit like a glove, and I only drive stick-shifts. Oh, I wouldn't mind the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 that James Bond drove in Goldfinger. Yes, I'm a bit of car geek.
My cocktail of choice is...a Martini with Hendricks Gin, Blanc Vermouth, splash of tonic water and a lemon twist.
My celebrity crush is...Daniel Craig, Walton Goggins, Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling...I guess that's more than one.
The beauty product of choice is... Tom Ford's Blush Nude lipstick. I've always worn pale lips and played up my eyes. If I did the reverse I would look like Betty Boop.
My friends and I like to...explore ways to make our homes and lives more interesting...and make interesting cocktails.
If I could go back in time for one decade it would be...a toss up between the roaring 20's and the 1950's. The 1920's, especially in Paris, would be so fascinating. A period in time between two World Wars that bred creativity and experimentation along with an attitude of freedom. The 1950's was also a period of newness, technologically, and design in architecture, with optimism about the future.
As a teenager I was totally into...being a beatnik, being adventurous, wearing anything vintage, boys, The Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin.
I tend to splurge on...art, for some reason to me art is in another category, so I always seem to justify the investment. And of course, the occasional pair of shoes.
A strong cocktail, fast cars (not at the same time), and a dash of creative wardrobing...is what makes me have Tomboy Style.
