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LOS ANGELES TIMES • Nov 7, 2010

Closet Visit gives readers a peek inside

Closet Visit gives readers a peek inside

For women, one of the fastest ways to get to know a new friend is to look through her closet. Sifting through the layers of silk, sequins, cotton and wool, we can learn about our new acquaintance’s past, her obsessions, her quirks and the things we have in common.Los Angeles artist, photographer and fashion lover Jeana Sohn is inviting everyone to this intimate party, via a weekly feature on her blog.

Though female bloggers posting photos of themselves and their outfits online has become ubiquitous in this Internet age, Closet Visit ups the ante, presenting elegant, at-home portraits of some of L.A.’s most creative, stylish women, such as handbag designer Clare Vivier and jeweler Kathryn Bentley, shot with their wardrobes.

Sohn says that since she started the feature in mid-September it has doubled traffic to her 5-year-old blog (jeanasohn.blogspot.com) — from 2,000 hits a day to 4,000 — and generated countless recommendations as well as a few eager volunteers. It not only indulges the audience’s voyeuristic impulses, it also satisfies the subject’s ageless feminine desire to play dress-up.

The Korean-born Sohn says that when she decided to launch this project as a way to “practice” with her new camera, a Canon 7D SLR, she felt nervous that the women approached “would be like, ‘Oh, she’s just some girl, I don’t want to show her my closet.’ But they’re actually flattered. I was really surprised; when I get there, all the outfits are laid out.”

Her first “visit” was with gallerist Heather Taylor, who represents Sohn’s delicate, nature-inspired paintings at Taylor De Cordoba in Culver City and helped her put together a list of potential future subjects.

“I was totally onboard right away,” recalls Taylor, whose bohemian Hollywood glam mode encompasses vintage floor-length Halston, ankle-length jeans from the Gap and studded velvet Prada pumps. “Jeana has such an interesting and unique aesthetic,” she continues. “Whether it’s photography on her blog or her paintings, she finds this light that’s really beautiful. I feel like it has a specific effervescence, so I knew she would bring that to it.” Still, Taylor says, “I can’t even believe how amazing they are.”

Normally posted on Monday mornings, each visit features up to eight different looks and settings, plus the found still-lifes that Sohn’s lens captures: a tangle of jewelry, shoes against a carpet or a work space mid-project. There’s an undeniable shared sensibility, but each woman is an original.

Although Vivier and Bentley live across the street from one another and wear each other’s pieces, Vivier’s style is classic with a streak of off-beat Parisian chic and a weakness for ankle boots, while Bentley mixes Native American jewelry and tribal prints with vintage Balenciaga and Belstaff. Mohawk General Store’s Bo Carney, also featured, has designs by Vivier and Bentley in her shop and her closet, but her style overall is bolder and more modern.

Sohn also interviews her subjects, and it’s fun to pick out the common threads: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Frida Kahlo and Sofia Coppola are repeatedly named as style icons, and the Italian label Marni seems to be the across-the-board favorite — and that includes for Sohn, who writes that she was “dying” over screenwriter Deborah Kaplan’s Marni collection.

But for Sohn, this is about more than finding a woman who “dresses cute.”

“I’m trying to find someone who’s more inspiring and creative and hard-working … and who dresses well,” she says.

The chic women in her orbit are definitely keeping Mondays looking pretty for now, but Sohn isn’t opposed to opening Closet Visit up to New York or other cities. “It would be amazing if someday it turned into a book,” she says. At the moment, though, “I’m gonna just have fun with it and let it grow.”

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Yesterday, May 1st, would have been Daisy’s 17th Yesterday, May 1st, would have been Daisy’s 17th birthday, and she got close. That’s a good, long life for a dog, but when are we ever ready to say goodbye? When I took her home from the Pasadena Humane Society back in February 2007, they told me she was about 9 months old, and I chose May 1st as her birthday because it was also Beltane, a pagan holiday celebrating fertility and the earth, and May Day, honoring workers’ rights. Daisy was a true May queen, tender as a spring flower, and, like a good Taurus, also stubborn as a bull—as those who knew her can attest. I’ve been going through the many photos I took of her, and here are a couple from a favorite category, “posing with plants,” and also a few with some of the sweet children who fell in love with Daisy at first sight, probably because she was small enough for them to hold in their arms, and also because they intuitively felt her gentleness. Plus, a video from last year’s Mexico City trip during better times. I’m lucky to have had such a benevolent being in my life, and I hope she’s rolling in the grass all day long, over the rainbow bridge. Happy heavenly birthday dear Daze, forever loved and missed🌈🤍🌼🤍🌈
Superbloom first-timers 💨🌼🧡💜#poppies Superbloom first-timers 💨🌼🧡💜#poppies
✨🌎Happy Earth Day!🌍✨What better day to s ✨🌎Happy Earth Day!🌍✨What better day to share some images from the beautiful “Spirit in the Land” exhibition I saw at the Nasher Museum in North Carolina during a recent visit with my mom. As the show’s curator Trevor Schoonmaker wrote, “Our desire to live in harmony with nature is ultimately what will determine our future.” Please visit @nashermuseum for better reproductions and all the artist info. I love you Mother Earth🌿🙏🌿
Happy Birthday to my beautiful and beloved grandpa Happy Birthday to my beautiful and beloved grandparents, Mary and John Nelson, aka Mame and Grand, born on April 18th one year apart, in 1906 and 1907. What I wouldn’t give to hang out with them today, eating fried clams, driving around in Grandy’s metallic periwinkle blue 1966 Mustang (🔥), and listening to Mame play jazz on the old upright piano. 🎂❤️🎼
Thanks @evaperezcasesmeiro for capturing me in thi Thanks @evaperezcasesmeiro for capturing me in this beautiful light at the marvelous @xinuperfumes earlier this month. This was about a week after Daisy died so I see a lot of sadness in my face, but I also see resilience. Today is my first birthday in 16 years without my precious pup by my side, which I guess is its own kind of rebirth. I’m grateful for the rains but I’m glad the sun is shining brightly today here in Los Angeles. Happy spring to us all, may we welcome new connections and new growth 🤍☀️🌱🤍☀️🌱
Buenas noches 🌖💜 Buenas noches 🌖💜
Last night in Leonora’s palm with Annie, Winnie, Last night in Leonora’s palm with Annie, Winnie, and Amy 🤚✨#leonoracarrington
One moon ago, Daisy sleeping peacefully as I climb One moon ago, Daisy sleeping peacefully as I climbed up to the roof, my head swirling with possibility. Ten days gone and I just miss her more every day🌼🌕
Thank you all SO MUCH for your beautiful messages Thank you all SO MUCH for your beautiful messages of sympathy and love, and your remembrances of Daisy. I want to reply to each one individually, but every message makes me cry so please accept my gratitude here in the meantime. This photograph was taken by @altr___ego three days before Daisy passed, during a somewhat regrettable visit to Lago Algo. But in this moment she was enjoying the sunshine and the breeze, and I’m glad she got to see Chapultepec Park. Love from us both 💛💛💛
🌈🤍💚🌼DAISY🌼💚🤍🌈 (May 1, 200 🌈🤍💚🌼DAISY🌼💚🤍🌈
(May 1, 2006-February 25, 2023)
Dear friends, I don’t have many words to offer right now, but I wanted to share the news that my darling Daisy left us this past Saturday, February 25, after eleven days of injury and progressive heart and lung failure. Most who know me know what she has meant (and means) to me, and for now I’ll just say that I will love and miss this rare and beautiful creature for the rest of my life. Thanks to those who reached out with kind words, comfort, company, prayers and candles; we felt and appreciated it all. I’m especially grateful to the friends who have been by my side here in Mexico, giving both of us extra love. Daisy was so beloved, because she loved so freely herself. I will carry her spirit in my heart 🐕🕊

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