La Belle Boutique

How many times have you driven down Yakima Ave. past "La Belle Boutique" in that corner of the old mall near the Hilton and thought to yourself: "I really should go in there one of these days"? There are always interesting-looking things in the window, and besides, I think if someone is brave enough to open a boutique in the vast empty landscape of the old mall in an almost-declared-dead downtown we OWE them a visit, don't we?

La Belle Boutique turned out to be a pleasant surprise, full of a wide range of style categories: some romantic and lacy, some sporty and colorful, some young denim and floaty tops, even some old-lady polyester.

New for fall were some beautiful tapestry jackets, short 3/4 puffy- sleeve gathered jackets with tie belts, and lighter blazers.

Not just clothing, La Belle carries some beautiful antique-looking jewelry, cute bags, and funky gift-type items.

There were lots of those great Three Dot t-shirts in every color, dresses by Jonathan Martin, several clever variations of the LBD, and "Mu" Jeans, which I'd never heard of. Also on the floor, some lesser-known brands like Ravel which makes beautiful, crisp white eyelet blouses and skirts and pants to go with. I tried on a gorgeous white shirt with a collar made of fabric roses--a little ridiculous and overwhelming on me, but for someone who's tall and stately it would be a fabulous piece.

So, go on in one of these days. There's a half-price rack and I'm sure some of the summer stuff will be marked down soon. The one employee that day didn't seem very interested in selling anything so if you're the type that likes to browse unbothered, this could be a plus. Evidently the owner, Carmen Young, has another job at Comp. Mental Health so she wasn't there. But she has made some great buys and has stocked her little shop with lots of wanna-have items. And like I said, she's a brave woman to locate it downtown! It's like finding a little jewel box!

La Belle Boutique
509-469-2070
321 E. Yakima Ave. #100
Yakima, WA 98901
Carmen Young, Proprieter

City Shorts

Who says we can't wear shorts at our age? Lyn was wearing this beige & white striped city shortsuit at lunch today & looked so casual and stylish. Love the big bag too-- (and you can't tell it but she has blue toes.) A walking advertisement for Weight Watchers, she lost lots of pounds last year and since then her fearless fashion sense has been evolving in the best of ways. Who needs that tacky Kirsty Alley? Or has-been Valerie Bertinelli? We have Lyn Snell right here in Yakima! Bring on the shorts! Middle-aged knees be damned!

Painted Pints Party

This was a fun Allied Arts event at Gasperetti's G Spot where local artists had all painted pint glasses in their own unique styles. The glasses were sold for $20 each as a fundraising kick-off for the Fresh Ale Hop Fest on Oct. 6. (DON'T MISS IT! IT'S THE HOTTEST EVENT EVER!) Pretty clever idea, I thought. What a mob! Most of the glasses were sold within 20 minutes--yikes!
This is Sandra at the Painted Pints Party. Love the skinny crop jeans and the jeweled sandals! She looked very chic. By the way, here's a cool website I found: www.seattlechic.com It's a Seattle shopping guide to lots of great boutiques over there--not just clothing but housewares, kid's clothes, lots of others; all categorized according to location. Click before your next trip so you can visit some of these unique places!
Also try www.pikepine.com for Jasmine's take on what style is in Seattle. You may not agree with her ideas of what style is, but it's always an interesting take on fashion.

"Triboot to Ileen"

I used to have a wierd thing about buying clothes in consignment shops, re-sale shops, and yard sales. The idea of wearing something that someone else (who knows who? and with what diseases?) had already worn. That was until I started volunteering at the Discovery Shop, which is the American Cancer Society's resale shop, after I "retired" from Nordstrom.

It didn't take long after sorting, washing, ironing, pricing, merchandising and displaying all these donations for me to be looking, trying, and buying. Soon I was an avid convert: among a myriad of minor pieces I scored a sheared mouton jacket from the '40's, several pairs of vintage leather gloves, a Jones New York suit that fit me perfectly, sport coats off the dollar rack for my husband. (He's still wearing them, don't tell anyone.) I decided second-hand clothes could be the best thing that ever happened to this girl.

One day my friend Ileen Shields died suddenly. She had been my mentor on the Planned Parenthood board years earlier. Now she was a lady with style. She loved clothes, she loved shopping for them, she loved wearing them, and she always looked perfect in them. She had mountains of them! Ski clothes, boating clothes, dressy clothes, travel clothes. Her Scandinavian heritage showed through in many of the things she wore: bright colors, embroidery, beautiful Norwegian sweaters. She and Gene traveled the world, and she brought the world home to her closets.

Kristy, her daughter, called me soon after to say that they wanted to donate Ileen's things to the Discovery Shop. I took the trusty van up to collect that most generous donation and noticed among all the miles of beautiful designer-wear a pair of black Ferragamo boots. What a magnificent objet trouve!! And I don't even speak French! Boots like I never in my lifetime could have afforded to buy new. Like a dream! Leather lined! A little stirrup thing that made them look just like riding boots! Tiny gold medallions! Just the right heel! My size! And (like most of Ileen's things) barely worn! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

Of course we were never allowed to buy anything donated until it had been priced and put on our sales floor for a designated amount of time. I waited and watched patiently. I hid them behind some other, taller boots, hoping no one would find them. Every time I went in the shop I would visit them, talking to them, trying to make friends with them so they wouldn't go home with anyone else.

Finally one day my chance came, I paid a ridiculously small price for them (no one in the shop recognized designer prizes when they saw them--plus I had a half-off coupon), and wore them home. And then wore them and wore them and wore them.

That's when I realized that sometimes wearing used clothes can be an act of love and an act of honor. I adored those boots so much that every time I put them on I thought of Ileen and somehow felt closer to her (talk about 'big shoes to fill'....) I remembered her smile and her sense of style and the elegance that seemed to exude from her every pore. I often thought as I wore them that if she was somehow looking down on me she wouldn't mind that I had taken these little leather pieces of her glamorous life and made them my own. I liked to think that she would be smiling one of those impeccably-made-up Estee Lauder smiles at me every time I zipped up those boots.

I've worn them for seven years now. They went with everything--skirts, pants, jeans, suits. I packed them on every trip. I've had them re-soled, re-heeled, re-dyed. Of course now those little sqare heels are out of style (OMG, I could walk for miles on those things! Can't say that about my stilettos). I've tried to find a pair I like well enough to replace them, but nothing seems to come close. I'll wear them a few times, then toss them to the back of the closet and put on the Ferragamos. They are so worn out now, they conform to my feet like buttah, dahling...more comfortable than my bedroom slippers. I simply can't say good-bye to them.

So this is my tribute to you, Ileen. Thank you for the fabulous boots. But thank you so much more for the influence you had on me when I was a young mom, teaching me things about philanthropy and generosity, about giving time as well as writing checks, about being willing to take the reins and make the effort to make things happen in this town, about living well and giving well. You also taught me that one's wardrobe, though it can be fun and fabulous and an interesting way to express oneself, is certainly not the most important thing in life. But I also thank you for expressing your style in a fun and fabulous way. And for buying those amazing Ferragamos.

Fortissimo! Fashion in Tieton?

The Fortissimo! fundraiser for the Yakima Symphony and the Yakima Museum was held in the "Mighty Tieton" fruit warehouse in Tieton and featured acts from the crazy/amazing Teatro ZinZanni in Seattle. The invite stated "No ties, no pearls, no heels required." So just how does one dress for a night of circus acts in a fruit warehouse? With no air conditioning, I might add? I'm pretty sure that's a question they've never had to answer on What Not to Wear.

But Yakimaniacs stepped up to the occasion with some interesting variations on summer casual party wear. Here are a few of them:




OMG where did this guy come from? There's a man in Tieton with style? (And can I keep him?) He said he bought the shirt because it looked like something Charlie Sheen wears in 2 1/2 Men. I wonder if he'd give his fiancee an 11 Carat rock like Charlie did?

The Orminskis came ready to party under the big top: she's in sequins & a boa, he's in seersucker with a pink bow tie. Loves it, loves it! A girl can never go wrong in sequins. Or maybe she can?

But here's the best part: his pink socks and hand-painted one-of-a-kind oxfords. With pictures of famous musicians on the toes. Now there's some art! Ramalamadingdong! Hang him up on the wall!

Kurt wore a Facconable pastel striped shirt & Earl jeans--not bad for a dentist, huh? ( Pronounced "Fackuhnahbul." Try that next time you go to Nord's so you can totally embarass yourself.)

Terri, cool as a cucumber in white with a boa added just for the circus atmosphere. How many women have boas just lying around? And actually wear them? Only for special occasions like this.

This is a beautiful skirt that's almost a piece of art by itself. (Of course being tall like Donna helps when displaying such art). The ruffled leather bag is a copy of the one YSL did a couple years ago; looks good with her outfit. And Jerry's shirt goes with it all! Did they color coordinate before they went to Tieton?

Proving that style is ageless: Bobbi always looks fashionable and never boring. She's obviously a woman who loves her clothes, she buys pieces that fit her well and she's not afraid of color. This is a fun print jacket to wear over white.

Jessica & friends all showed up looking very put-together on a warm summer night. Some of the jewelry was obviously provided by the Fortissimo goody bags...

Fashion Sightings at Fools Fall in Love

These white bermudas are perfect and fresh for a hot summer night; she put them with a black top and tiny heels. The proportions work really well for her, she was very petite. The bag was big-- but not too big-- and she carried it well.

This girl brought some style to the Warehouse with her tiny-print black & white top and black pants with a subtle pinstripe which made her look taller. The pink headband added just the right touch of color and she had a flirty little haircut which really suited her. She obviously didn't mind having her picture taken!

And she had fabulous ruby slippers.... It may have been a little early for the new bootie-shoe but these looked great! What are they calling it? The bootie shoe or the shoe bootie? I think it should be the "shabootie." There. That solves the problem.