Idée Fixe-January

An “idée fixe” sounds so much better than an obsession, right?  You can pretty much make any horrible thing sound glamorous if you say it in French!  Here are my January obsessions, (or what I just can’t get enough of THIS WEEK…)  Since this little blog of mine focuses on Art, Food, Handbags and Music, I’ve picked one fixation from each category and chose to answer this simple question:

I can’t get enough __________

Here we go!

ART

I can’t get enough:   Exhibition Catalogs.  

Every exhibit that I see usually involves me getting a coffee table book to commemorate the event.  I basically need more coffee tables to hold them all, but nevertheless I love them.  One show that I still kick myself for missing (besides Cindy Sherman at SF MOMA), was “Now Dig This” at the Hammer. This show explored the sociopolitical dynamics of Black Los Angeles and the artists working in L.A. between 1960-1980.  This catalog highlights some amazing work by over 35 artists including Charles White, Betye Saar and Fred Eversley. The show was part of Pacific Standard Time, a city-wide collaborative retrospective on the birth of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.  I have been scouring the pages of this catalog eager to learn more about these artists whose talent has been largely overlooked by the mainstream critical art establishment.

FOOD

I cant’t get enough: Bar Ama

On Saturday my Instagram feed was filled with pictures of chorizo queso and frito pie from Bar Ama. They looked so good that I had to trek down to the arts district yesterday to check it out for lunch.  The food was amazing.   This tex-mex outpost by Baco Mercat’s esteemed chef, Josef Centeno features comfort food that pays homage to the women in his life.  I had the Branzino ceviche, guacamole, puffy tacos of grilled marinated shrimp and pork barbacoa, and a yummy chocolate rice pudding for dessert.  But what really got me obsessed about this place was the Baco Pop, the chefs own soda.  I had a delicious tamarindo/mango concoction that I am craving as I type.  It was light and refreshing without being overly carbonated and sweet.  I need to get a case of that stuff stat.

HANDBAGS

I can’t get enough:  Clare Vivier

Seriously.  They’re local, the bags are beautiful, and the flagship store in Silverlake is adorable.  Oh and they monogram!  Gotta love that!  I’ve been posting their bags on my Polyvore and Pinterst boards for a while now and decided it was high time to get one of her bags.  I can’t get enough of this clutch!

MUSIC

I can’t get enough:  Trap 

Maybe I’m going to too many spin classes with high energy music, but I am obsessed with Trap music (a year late, I guess)!  Trap is basically a big ol’ jumble of hip hop, house, dub and trance all smashed together in an energized package.  Much to my husband’s dismay, I’ve been dancing to and playing this song non-stop:

And in the spirit of the post, since I’ve said “I just can’t get enough” about a million times, I now have Depeche Mode stuck in my head 😉  Look at how young Gahan, Gore and Fletcher look in this video!  We will not speak of the decision to wear suspenders sans shirt here…