The Art of Italian Motoring

On Father’s Day, Beverly Hills hosted the annual Concours d’Elegance on

Rodeo Drive

, paying tribute to some of the most famous and beautiful examples of Italian design. This years tribute to Italian motorcycles and automobiles was one of the best collections of I have ever seen assembled which makes it even more amazing that the event is free and open to the public.

The most famous autos were well represented- Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Maserati, Lanica, as well as Ducati, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Lambretta for the moto enthusiasts. There was even a sweet vintage Vespa that I wanted desperately to take for a spin ala Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.

The perfect Father’s Day event, the C d’E. had something for everyone- legendary cars, quirky gourmet food trucks (Italian meatballs anyone?), shopping and window gawking along Rodeo and a number of other Italian design firms from Murano glass to fashion.

The only thing that could have topped it… if they let you pick your favorite to drive home in. La vita dolce!

SoCal Chroma Zone Event: June 10, 2011

Color Marketing Group held its SoCal Chroma Zone meeting on the beautiful campus of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising on Friday. The event was primarily attended by color experts from the Southwest US, although there were a handful of participants from the East Coast sprinkled into the group.

The event began with a presentation from Mike Shamassian of Shmaze Custom Coatings who detailed his Custom Design Studio- a state of the art facility that revolutionized color design and prototype development. He had on hand some of his magnificent custom work, from ski goggles, to sunglasses, to smart phones, laptop computer covers, automotive features and even a fantastic hair dryer! Companies like Oakley, Nokia, Blackberry, Giro, Nissan and Motorola are clients and it is easy to see why. Mike showed amazing finishes that pushed the innovation envelope for color, sheen, texture and effect.

Next, the Color Workshop started and the groups started on what would eventually become the SoCal Chroma Zone palette of 12 colors. Each Chroma Zone palette- New York, SoCal, Chicago etc... will be displayed at the International Meeting in San Antonio in September and in addition, the palettes are available to CMG members. The work halted for lunch and our second speaker, but resumed with great energy and lasted until campus closed!

After lunch we heard from our second presenter, Vicky Deger. Vicky is a costume designer and wardrobe stylist working in LA and I first met this interesting Aussie on the set of a TV commercial shoot. Vicky treated us with an overview of her work and the process he uses to determine color and style choices for projects. We got the inside scoop on subjects like the use of color to subtly covey messages to the viewer, the implications of color and style choices on film, dressing kids and more. We were also lucky to have Vicky participate in the Color Workshops.

In addition to the event content, our hosts from the FIDM displayed inspiring student work throughout the room and campus. They also made available a collection of gowns that were on display for participants to view at their leisure.

The next CMG event is the big International Conference set for September in San Antonio. Registration for the conference and rooms at the conference hotel are OPEN!