Winemaker's Dinner

Best of Shoe: Anissa's black, white, & red wedgies with the big ol' rubber soles. I forget the brand name, hummm, sorry! But they're made in England. And she has another pair that's mustard yellow & grey, how cool is that? Janie displaying her tiny bag made of beer can pop-tops. Just don't step on it & blow out your flip flops. And it was green. I mean color green. And green. Doubly green. So green.

Best-dressed trio:Michele in strapless celery green chiffon mini, Kristelle in sleek white pants & silk top with cut-in shoulders, and Natalie (? ooops did I forget her name? oh jeez) in a chocolate brown, aqua, & yellow patchwork print with brown trim. Can't see the shoes! Michele had on beige patent wedge sandals, very summery. BTW she's the instructor at YV Tech's Fashion Marketing class. (Another Nordstrom alum like Kristelle & myself. And Janni, and Tim, and Denyse, and geez we're all over the place.)

This is Susan in hot pink, hot pink, and hot pink. The mottled-print sundress is from Gretchen, very flattering style, very cool for a hot evening. Love the pink stone jewelry-- so bold; and especially the ribbon-tied wedges. A girl who's not afraid of color!

Ellen all glimmery in a gold two-layer gathered skirt with black crocheted tank top--so pretty the way it's lined throughout until that last row of lace. Nice.

Fall Trends 2009 Take it or Leave it

All the fall editions of fashion magazines are out now & after perusing them I've come to my semi-annual conclusions of what I can't wait to buy and what I hope goes away forever. So here goes, I call it "Take It or Leave It".

Take It:
Bold prints, neon colors
Bright colored coats (who needs beige when it's raining?)
Leggings (loved them the first time around, I'm willing to try again)
Colored tights
Platform shoes (not done yet)
Embellishments (rhinestones, bling bling, sequins, jewels--love them all)
Structured jackets (enough of the swingy, 6-mo.- pregnant-looking cuts)
Draping (especially where you need it most)
Fur trims (PETA be damned)
Boots--in all heights
Romantic white shirts (love ruffles on anything)
Skirt suits! (So tweedy and ladylike)
Dresses for day or night (check out Dillards.com--tons of dresses!)
Satin
Embellished ballet flats (we can't all wear stilettos all the time)

Leave It
Harem pants (please. Flattering on no one.)
Belts over cardigans (Give it up, Michelle)
Jeans that cost over $200 (Go to the Gap. No one cares about the label on your butt)
Capris (SERIOUSLY. LOSE THEM FOREVER.)
Gigantic bags
Bags that cost over $1000 (There's a recession on, people. Have some respect)
Shoulder pads (yes, they're coming back)
Big scarves tied around the neck over everything
Heavy, clunky jewelry
Peplums (unless you have a 24" waist)

Anything to add??? Or to argue??? Leave me a comment!

Nordstrom Fall Fashion Show

Any NQPS-ers who'd like to get out of town and experience some real food for the fashion soul--make a note of the upcoming Nordstrom Fall Fashion Show in Bellevue. To benefit the Detlef Schrempf organization, it'll be held on Sept. 30 at the Bellevue Hyatt. Doors open at 7, show at 8. It's $125 for VIP tickets if you'd like to go early to the VIP party, or $60 for regular people.
Nordstrom used to hold it's trend show back in the olden days here in Yakima every summer to benefit the Red Cross, and they were always quite spectacular events. Beautiful professional models, powerful music, spectacular lighting & effects, lots of clothes you wish you could wear but probably won't but might buy that one scarf that was kind of cool or that pair of shoes that wasn't toooo expensive or maybe that coat......
Anyway, Detlef's org. pairs with other small organizations in Seattle that benefit families and children, so that can't be a bad thing to spend $60 on-- and get to see some new fall trends!
Go to http://www.detlef.com/ for info & tickets.

Gladiator Sandals

I know! Some people think I have a foot fetish, I don't. I actually have more of a shoe fetish. When I saw these blingalishus silver gladiator sandals on an adorable little blonde girl at Sage I just had to ask for a photo. Wish I'd remembered to ask her where she got them, oh well.

PS If you haven't yet tried Sage, you should go while it's still summer! Sit on the beautiful enclosed patio, listen to music, order up some great appetizers & drinks--it's almost like being in Palm Springs! Seriously. And dining in their restaurant is fun, too. The servers are attentive, the menu is varied, the wine list is deep, and the atmosphere is chic and current. Love it!

Gibson's 30th Anniversary Party

Whoa there was a whole lotta dancin' goin' on at Don & Ellen's 30th Anniversary Party last night, and some good blogabilities were there too. This is their daughter Allie in motion. She had on the most beautiful chiffon strapless dress, gathered in a twist at the bodice, a blue/green/lavendar Monet-like watercolor print. There's another shot of this dress standing still if you scroll down. These party guests both looked great! Check out the orange patent wedges on the left, plus bright op-art striped top, summery white mini. Also loved the green & gold ethnic print dress on the right, cut-in shoulders, narrow belt, short length--perfect for a summer party.

Whose feet are these? Cricket was showing off her snazzy little black wedges. So cute! But she changed into her BEDROOM SLIPPERS for dancing. Isn't that cheating? Well, maybe they weren't her bedroom slippers but they were little socky things.

OMG are you as sick of this Country Club carpet as I am? I think it may have been the hot thing about 15 years ago but now it just looks ridiculous. And it's such a bad background for my shoe pics!!! I vote for new carpet, ASAP.

Anyway, who knew Doug Bernd is a shoe guy? These are Cole-Hahn hurraches he said he bought at Nordstrom years ago & they just keep getting more & more comfortable. His wife says he has so many shoes there's no room for hers in the closet. That's a switch. He also has some white bucs. Gonna blog those next time he turns 'em loose out of that big closet.

Susie looked so cool & summery in this leopard print empire waist chiffon with ribbon trim. It's exactly the same style as one I own in navy & white polka-dot! This looks completely different & is perfect with her reddish-blonde hair. Grrrrr!

Here's Allie with her friends--all looked so great in their little cocktail dresses and 4" pumps. Yummy!

This couple said they didn't plan on coordinating their looks, but they both looked great in brown & beige tropical prints. Her dress was so cute with the two prints & the contrast at the hem & neckline.

Elizabeth in her
fabulous silk sheath--horizontal stripes in pink, blue, black & white--so simple and flattering. She said she got it at "Reise"--never heard of it? She discovered it when she was vacationing in Europe. A great simple dress like this could take a girl anywhere! Loves it.

Wedding

Doesn't she look great? I voted her best-dressed wedding guest. She was wearing a black & white tribal-type print with a twist and a button at the bodice--it fit her perfectly and was so chic-looking. Plus--fabulous black patent platform pumps, a pretty apricot-colored flower in the back of her hair. She looked relaxed and stylish. Here's the happy couple: my nephew Todd and his new bride, Caryn. Her dress was ivory slubbed shantung strapless with gathers on one side that made her waist look so tiny! Also a beautiful cascade of rhinestones down one side of the skirt--just gorgeous but very simple and classic-looking.

This is my grandniece and flower girl Emma dancing with her Grampa.

And this is Ava Grace, also a flower girl in her pretty little white dress with sash and sparkly silver shoes--they both looked so angelic, and Ava danced the night away--I don't think she sat down once! And she never worried about having a partner.

Regatta Weekend

I did a little long-distance blogging last week-end while we were in Astoria, Ore. for my nephew Todd's wedding. The wedding was serendipitously timed to coincide with Regatta Weekend so somehow I ended up at the Regatta Parade down Commercial Street in Astoria. And what a parade it was! There were some special things worn in Astoria! Evidently to be in the parade all you had to do was wear a giant tutu and butterfly wings: Or a tuna costume, complete with crown.

Or you could ride in a yellow submarine...

And if you're Regatta Queen, you can just wear horizontal stripes and capris while you do dance moves from your queenly perch!

Speaking of perch, how about a pink irredescent fish hat?

I liked this guy. He said his kids had bet him $10 he wouldn't wear it thru the whole parade, but he did!

All in all, fun times to be had at Regatta Weekend.

More Crazy Shoes

Here's a website that's so fun! If you love shoes, you should go to
http://www.stylelist.com/trends/fashion-trends/crazy-shoes?feed=1

Summer Shoes

Ok, an alert blog reader sent me pix of some interesting shoes: here's the Obama flip-flop--which has nothing to do with his changing his mind on any issues.Wild things. Nice legs, too, dontcha think?For the flower girl in the wedding, I guess:

And these must be little ladders for social climbers?
I don't think any of these are for real but you have to admit they're quite imaginative....

Now these are real: Denise was wearing these to lunch today--so chic!

By the way, I tried Geppetto's (next to the Shopkeeper on 32nd & Summitview) for the first time today & it is fabulous!! Plus our favorite server formerly from YCC, Tracy, works there. The Greek pizza was delicious & I was so happy to find it since Zesta Cucina for some reason quit making pizzas. Plus lots of pasta dishes, paninis, sandwiches, salads, & some interesting Italian appetizers. Try it! But get there early, there are just a few tables & they fill up fast at lunchtime. (They do serve dinner, too--they're open til 8). AND they're expanding into the next two rooms, including the fireplace room. That'll be so cozy this winter! Check out the Ladies Room--love the tile!