Sunday, September 27, 2009

Concrete Jewelry


At last someone has recognized the marmoreal, sleek beauty of concrete and made it into jewelry! Ha! Go to http://www.konzuk.com/ to see the interesting offerings of stainless steel, diamonds, and yep--concrete. Now I know what I'm getting for Christmas.

Planned Parenthood Fundraiser

There just happened to be a gaggle of good shoes standing around me at the Planned Parenthood auction so we got our feet together for a pic: heeled patent leather oxfords, leopard print kitten-heel mules, beautiful silvery pointy slides, and bronze platform t-straps. Fierce!
Dora supplied all the wine and came dressed fashion-forward as always: this time in a black and white print tunic, black leggings, and silver chandelier earrings.

Crystal came over from Spokane where she serves on the local PP board, and showed some real style in a teeny silver bubble-skirted dress with bow at the dropped waist, black cardigan, and fabulous patent oxfords. Chic.


Thursday, September 10, 2009

You know how I love Garden Dance! Here's the info on their big Fashion Front event next Saturday, Sept. 18. Wish I could go but I'm gonna be in Atlanta! Anyway--get your tickets now, this sounds like such fun:
Garden Dance is celebrating Autumn with Fashion Front--the fashion show on Front Street that we did last year with Carly Holtzinger and her amazing fashion designs! In addition to Carly, Fashion Front will have fashions by Gretchen, Steve Goodwin the Haberdasher, Rollo's, New Yak City, the Shopkeeper, and of course, Garden Dance. We've got the gorgeous girls ready to go to show you the latest trends in fashion for fall. Purple and grey are important colors for the season, skinny pants, scarves, and lots more. Plan to attend, it's a week from tomorrow, September 18, 2009 from 5:00 to 8:30 with the fashion show starting around 6:00. Your ticket buys you a glass of wine from Gilbert Cellars, Stems, or Cascade Wine Shop, a beer from Yakima Craft or a non-alchoholic beverage. There will be restaurants serving appetizers, great music, fun fashions, and frivolity! Tickets on sale at Garden Dance and Gretchen's. $25 if you buy them pre-show or $30 at the door. All proceeds go to Rod's House for homeless teenagers in Yakima . See you there!
Michelle 509.452.0611

Leggings & Leopards

Laurie showed up for a meeting yesterday at Allied Arts wearing this cuuuute leopard print jersey dress with tiers of tab-like ruffles all over--she said she got it at Macy's on one of the "half-off the half-off use your card & get another 15% off sales." (Love it when they're giving stuff away.) Obviously, other shoppers had looked at this dress and said "no way!" because they couldn't figure out what to do with it. It took someone creative like Laurie to come up with the right accessories and give this dress a total look, and that's what I love about it: the black patent sandals, the short-sleeve longish cardigan, the gold medallion hanging on the pearl necklace, and the leggings.

Which brings me to a whole new discussion: LEGGINGS. They're back. They were my wardrobe staple in 1983. My daughter Julie told me that the hard & fast rule here is "If you did the first time, you're too old to do it the second time." What???? Seriously????
Last year I held out on the leggings thing because of that little statement but this year I'm feeling like going all iconoclastic on her and breaking out the leggings. So I bought a pair with brass buttons going down the ankles, and I dug out a beautiful pair of stretch velvet ones I saved from the last time around. (Ha! I knew I was hanging on to them for a reason!)
After all, leggings can be the perfect solution for some problems. Like, your dress is really to short to be a dress any more. Like, you're flying to somewhere warm from somewhere cold: you can wear a cute dress & take the leggings off when you arrive! Like, when you've grown sick of wearing those designer jeans that are so uncomfortable and so low you're always yanking them up and your muffin top is always hanging over. Like when you want to tuck your pants into your boots this winter.
And especially like, when you want to disguise certain figure flaws with a nice long tunic that covers all those areas. After all, the legs are the last to go, why not show them off?
So, thanks Laurie, you've inspired me and I'm going for it. I'm doing the leggings thing and I don't care who knows about it. For now tho, I'm trying to be abstemious and sticking to just basic black. I'll leave any furry leopard print leggings to those Cougarlike ladies I keep hearing about.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The Bravern


Good news for fashionistas! Or even Wanna-be's like me. The Bravern has opened in Bellevue--a new very upscale shopping center near the convention center that combines restaurants, residences, a spectacular two-story gym, and shops all in one fairy-tale ball of wonderfulness.
Restaurants include John Howie Steak, Artisanal Brasserie & Wine Bar, and (my fave!) Wild Ginger.
The David Barton Gym is supposed to be state-of-the-art and from the pictures it looks like a jewel-box in which to sweat.
Shops: Jimmy Choo (shoes), Masins (furniture), Ferragamo (shoes & bags), Tory Burch (Seattle girl turned nationally famous designer), Louis Vuitton, Wolford (hosiery), Brooks Brothers, and the big Kahuna: Neiman Marcus.
Also on the premises, an Elizabeth Arden Red Door spa. Julie & I went to the one in NYC a few years ago and it was a luxurious treat. We had pedicures and then braved the NY freezing rain in flip-flops so as not to ruin them.
Can't wait to see it and report back! I'm pretty sure I'll just be looking and drooling, trying hard to keep my credit card from leaping out of my bag. So sad.
If you get there before I do, leave a comment, let us know!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Chelan Style



I spent Labor Day weekend in Chelan, where it's usually fun to see some resort style at it's skimpiest & sunniest. Not the case last weekend, when it was raining, cool, breezy--and the major style was Polarfleece & denim.
The one bright spot was Jessica's new crimson red cowboy boots --yeehaw!---so urban cool but country sturdy. Plus she says they're super comfortable, a big plus.
She got these on line at www.infinityshoes.com which is a fabulous sight with all kinds of shoes, boots, and bargains. (These boots have recently been marked down to $49.99 but I think they're out of red in most sizes--waaaah!) They're by Miz Mooz, which is a brand also carried by Nordstrom. Rock it, Jess.


Monday, September 7, 2009

WalMart Style

Lots of people ask me if I put "Fashion Don'ts" in my blog, and I really try not to. For one thing, that would be just too easy. I always tell them that all I'd have to do is hang around the WalMart parking lot.
Well someone has done just that, and this website is the result. YOU CAN'T NOT LOOK AT IT!!!! It is so hilarious! And nausea-inducing all at the same time.
http://peopleofwalmart.com/