LA Shoot – Behind the Scenes...way, way behind...

While we were in LA shooting our new RetroSpect Collection (look for it later this year....super hot), we got a lot of work done. And we also got a lot of no work done. Does that make sense? Here are some outtakes from the LA shoot day.....How do I have this job? It’s amazing.

LA Barney – Ahhhh Hollywood Blvd....where people that have nothing better to do actually make a living dressing up as cartoon characters, Jack Sparrow, and...Barney?!? Do kids still watch that crap? Do they even know who Barney is anymore? Well..I do. It’s a white guy named Steve...wearing a Barney costume...sorry to crush your dreams children. Oh, and there’s no Santa Claus either. Harsh. 

LA Dave – While out “scouting” on Day 1 in LA, Dave (Dragon’s Art Direction otherwise known as “Beaker”) and I came across some interesting things on the Venice boardwalk. Note to self, if I ever decided to be a pot head, I know where to get the goods....There was some incredible people watching that day and I think Dave and I left the boardwalk a little more worried about humanity than we were before. Dave looked for some guidance from the Zoltar machine and came up empty handed. Good thing he only pumped a few dollars into that thing. What a rip off. 

LA Helmet – When I get bored I like to make fun of myself and do things that some people might call “embarrassing”. One of these things was to turn myself into an actual bobble head with the help of AJ’s new motorcycle helmet. Enjoy and you’re welcome. 

LA Shoes – Adidas called, they want they’re entire 1982 collection back.  Mad steez. Mad. 

LA1 – Now, now, now...don’t everyone get all excited. I can’t even ride a normal bike, let alone a manly motorcycle. So no, I wasn’t riding this off into the sunset. I was merely entertaining the thought of trying to steal AJ’s bike when I realized that I don’t know how to ride one. So I took a picture on it instead. Thumbs up. 

LA2 – CHiPs was a great show....great. 

What happens when co-workers drink together

You get drunk...that’s what happens. Duh. Myself and our International Department resident bad ass Ashley went out with our other International Department resident bad ass/aussie-Canadian Jane (not pictured). Jane decided it would be fun to take photos of Ash and I (drinking...it was Friday and we were celebrating). She then proceeded to do some super artsy fancy treatments on said photos which begs the question “What happened to normal photos taken with a disposable camera? Where did those days go?” Oh, that’s right they are buried underground with the dinosaurs...but I digress...Anyway, I tried to take photos of them as well but I didn’t know how to work Jane’s phone and she kept yelling at me, so I got nervous. And when I get nervous the only cure for that is more Pinot Grigio. Waitress! 

Platinum and Power Point Presentations

There are two things that I do a lot of... change my hair style/color, and Power Point Presentations. Obviously one is more fun than the other. I bet you can’t guess which one though. 

Both of my two favorite things are captured in this photo...my recently new dye job going to Platinum blonde (which I swore I would NEVER be...never say never...never), and me schooling the Power Points of the world with my dazzling Spring 2012 Eyewear Line presentation. Thumbs up to that for sure. 

Hill and Geordie Do Mammoth

I know no one wants to see a romantic vacation of me and my boyfriend so I’ll spare you all the explicit photos...(...or will I?)

We hit up Mammoth for one last trip before the season is over and it was amazing...sunny, great snow, no wind (surprising for Mammoth), and we brought our new child Walter the Weiner Dog for his first encounter with snow. And his first encounter with a massive mammal...Bodie, a Bernese Mountain Dog that belongs to our snow TM Alex Pashley.

Geordie was wearing the new APX goggles which he thought were amazing and I was wearing the new Hogwild color in the Rogue. Because I like glitter and sparkly things. 

Pets Look Good in Dragons....

Pics of our furry children, Vader the cat and Walter the weiner dog, trying on some new color samples in the Decca and BLVD....They weren’t super into it but we got a few good shots of them. Next ad campaign maybe?

Inspiration: It is Milan afterall

Although my trip to Milan was all business, I did get to run around a bit and check out some of the latest fashion. Inspiration can come from anywhere but Milan seems to have a plethora.

Some strange fashion was on hand at the tradeshow. Golf meets English countryside? I don't know but I'm digging his ability to run it.

The Duomo and the streets of Milan at night. What's not to love? The beauty, the lights, the history...love it.

Behind the Lens: Italian Factory

Ever wondered how your sunnies are made? At Dragon, our higher end models are made in Italy. I took a trip out to the factories last week to check on the development progress. It was a whirlwind trip and here are some highlights....

Me and one of our factory experts modeling next season's hottest new lab coats.

Wood chips..who would have known? This is a process called "tumbling" the factory does to each of the frames after they pop out of the mold. 

Painting made easy...

And this is me and one of the factory workers looking like weirdos in the

white lab coats. Super unflattering but really comfortable. Could be the

next generation of the Snuggy

The Empire Strikes Balch....about the Shield

The Shield is our new sunglass. It is a completely new design and was styled around our world champion team rider, Mick Fanning. There has been a ton of hype about the release of these shades and I've been keeping pretty quiet about the secrets behind them...until now. To give you some background on my new lovechild, here is an interview I recently did for Empire Ave.

Favorite Places: Hell-A

I travelled 2 hours in heinous traffic to spend the day in LA to remind myself why I don't live in LA. Its a geographical anxiety attack. The things I do for Dragon. :)

The Brand New BLVD's!!!

Here is Dragon's own Hillary Balch for another installment of her bits of wisdom. Check out the new BLVD sunglass and her beautiful flowers...

You're Welcome Facebook. Love Dragon Europe.

Here at Dragon, we are very concerned with others and like to help out when we can. In the spirit of giving, we thought we would help out Facebook by joining and saving their brand. We know how tough the economy has hit Facebook and how hurting they are for users. Well, here you are Facebook. You're welcome. Love Dragon Europe.

P.S. This is Dragon's very own sunglass PLM, HIllary Balch. For those of you who don't know what a PLM is...well, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out.