Road Trip+Purchase+Marfa, Texas+Prada. Not in That Order.

Almost to Palm Springs! 

I picked up my new car (To tow my Airstreams- not my clients!)  in Houston and ended up driving through Marfa, Texas today. 

I had to make a stop at the art installation "Prada Marfa" and photograph 

my new Tonka Toy! 

Btw, Texas is VERY flat. 

Very. 

Road Trip: Making my Back to Palm Springs

But first, I had to make my way down to Texas to pick up a new car to haul My Airstreams. 

Of course a car big enough was in Texas. What other state would have them 

so readily available and affordable? 

On a side note: This has to be one of my favorite photo bombings, courtesy of 

Grandma from Central Casting. Discreet, yet obvious. 

ROAD TRIP! Continued: All Suited Up!

I've done the Oldsmobile Car Show in Michigan

  

I paid the Family in Ohio a visit.  

My next stop: A Wedding in Baltimore, Maryland of course!  

I realized it was time to get suited up!

I like to call this: 

"A Different Kind of Drag"

Between the weather in Palm Springs and working on the airstreams there's not a lot of room for the suit and tie look. 

I think there's a little wink here to 

Film Director (and Baltimore's  own) John Waters, no? 

Palm Springs #TBT!!

Me with the incredible 

MISS KEELY SMITH! 

Taken in 2007 at Twins Palm Estate, the former Frank Sinatra Home.

Singer extraordinaire whether with Louis Prima***, Frank Sinatra,

or better yet on her own, she is a force to be reckoned with!

Keely has been a long time resident of the Desert and is definitely in the top five favorites!

*** Fun fact - Keely + Louis were a bit of the Beyonce and Jay Z of their day. Whether winning Grammy's or singing at the JFK inauguration ("That Old Black Magic") , they were 

THE "it" couple.

For more #TBT CLICK HERE for a video of Keely back in the day singing "that Old Black Magic" 

More Vintage Car Porn from The Oldsmobile Homecoming through the Palm Springs Lens!

I think I may have found a new Wagon to shuttle my clients around!

I spotted this slick wagon at the Oldsmobile Homecoming Car Show + Swap Meet  this past weekend:

And like I always say, everything in life is in the details:

I think my clients would like the option of having a snack or a cocktail while looking at homes, don't you? 

Downright nifty. 

The two tone effect may be good for the  Paul Kaplan Joshua Tree Outpost office. 

I think this one may be the High Roller Car - put all those other agents tooling around in their Bentley's to shame:

Then, there were these:

Did anyone say Steve McQueen?

If this Lime Green beauty doesn't say Palm Springs, I don't know what does!

And this tricked out one for date nights:

And this one for day-to-day errand running:

Or this one:

Then there was this snazzy interior:

And this classic which would look goood on any road, in any driveway, and improve ones looks by 50%, guaranteed:

All in all a terrific Father's Day Weekend, and if you love Oldsmobiles, this is THE show to attend. 

A big Thank You to my Father for instilling the love, respect and appreciation for these beautiful cars (and all cars!) 

Thank you Dad, and let's do it again next year!

ROAD TRIP!

Here's a sneak peek at how I spent Father's Day weekend with my Father:

In Michigan!

At the Oldsmobile Homecoming!

Seriously, my head was going to explode

More pics tomorrow!

Media Spotlight on Palm Springs Part 3: Hotel Lautner

I just wrote about the Lautner Hotel back on May 11th when some of us from The Paul Kaplan Group went for a looksy + some cocktails  as guests of Tracy Breckmann and Danny Heller.

The desert has been getting some serious love lately: Warby Parker, The New York Times, A book on the Palm Springs Lifestyle, and on and on. 

And the love continues: There's a show on Saturday Nights called  First Look TV  on NBC *** that airs after SNL and is hosted by  Audrina Patridge. 

The other night, lo and behold they did a segment on the HOTEL LAUTNER 

in Desert Hot Springs. 

Desert Hot Springs never looked so fancy. 

Very cool, indeed. 

Hotel Lautner getting some love as it should. 

My favorite is this: 

Danny and Audrina casually strolling through the grounds

in some everyday cocktail attire. 

And then, 

Toasting each other with the Hotel Lautner Signature Cocktail.

I love TV and how glamourous they make everything look. 

The hotel is really worthy of a visit if you make it out this way; steeped in architectural history, and truly unlike any hotel experience you will ever have, guaranteed. 

(though I can't guarantee Danny in a tux strolling  around with you)

For More Info on The Hotel Lautner go: HERE

***Thanks to my clients the Benders on the East Coast for alerting me to this and giving me the screen shots!

More Media Spotlight on Palm Springs Part 2a: Palm Springs Lifestyle

Fast Company magazine profiled Nancy Baron's book The Good Life  which includes a photo of me in the Silver Suitcase® --- Fast Company used that photo  as the intro to the piece with this headline:

PHOTO ESSAY OF LIFE IN PALM SPRINGS MAKES ME WANT TO RETIRE IMMEDIATELY 

Photo by Nancy Baron 

Fast Company wrote: 

Photographer Nancy Baron's  The Good Life takes us behind the classic veneer of the city's resort glamour. 

Read the full article HERE

Thanks Fast Company! 

The Media Spotlight on Palm Springs Part 2: The Fashion Edition with Warby Parker + Trina Turk

For most, Palm Springs conjures up images of sunny days, pool side martinis, capri pants, cruising in vintage convertibles down wide open roads flanked by towering Palm Trees underneath clear blue sunny skies.

Photo courtesy of McCormicks Vintage Cars Palm Springs 

One quality about Palm Springs is it ALWAYS conjures up a certain image with people - one that is usually retro chic, mid-century architecture, Hollywood glam, and a lot of hipness.

This has not been overlooked by the tastemakers in the fashion world.

For instance: 

The latest fashion ingenue to enter the Palm Springs style fray is the über hip eyeglass/sunglass brand Warby Parker which sent out an email blast a while back touting their new limited edition line of glasses titled “Palm Canyon Collection”.

Photo Courtesy of Warby Parker 

The description for the collection:

"Warmer getaways inspired us to refresh that essential vacation item: a nice pair of frames. That’s why we’re pleased to bring you some of our favorite shapes, updated in a Palm Springs palette of mesquite, acacia, ironwood, and sand. Think: Steve McQueen and Neile Adams sunning in midday heat, midcentury architecture, and vivid, expansive landscapes…"

(I recently wrote about Steve McQueen on my airstream blog but that's a whole other story)


One of the fashion mainstays of Palm Springs is acclaimed fashion designer + Palm Springs resident Trina Turk  who really has been the ambassador of the Palm Springs look for the past 20 years.

Photo courtesy of Matchbook Magazine

Trina shot into the fashion stratosphere re-introducing the Palm Springs look to new generations, who, in turn, embraced and sported the look with fervor.

Trina’s name sake shops dot Palm Canyon, and is a staple out here for clothing to home décor.

I would be what you call a regular at Trina Turk for Men - not only do I wear her clothes but I've also been decorating one of my vintage airstreams with her home decor textiles.

I do wish Warby Parker and Trina Turk had teamed up - they would've been the Palm Springs Dream Team! 

New York Times Announces To World Palm Springs Is Cool Again.

Today, the Sunday (!!) New York Times did quite a nice write up on Palm Springs being in "demand" right now. You can read the full article  HERE.

One of the statements made in the article is that Coachella is responsible for bringing the most recent boom in development. 

Photo Courtesy of The New York Times/Patrick T. Fallon

Funny enough, many of my posts have already addressed what was in the New York Times piece: the bits that perhaps a certain A-Lister who purchased a certain high profile home cemented the notion of making it "permissable" for others to follow, while the rumor of another A-Lister looking for a home and coupled with this article about the Hollywood "elite" pushing prices up just slammed Palm Springs to the front and center of the zeitgeist stage.

Palm Springs is officially a brand, and exploding y'all. 

Media spotlight on Palm Springs Part 2 + 3 coming up.