Caribou Barbie update

For a great column on Caribou Barb's million-dollar make-over, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/opinion/26dowd.html?ei=5070&emc=eta1
It's from the NY Times, written by esteemed columnest Maureen Dowd, and boy does she have words about all the spending on Sarah while the rest of the country watches their 401K's dive and their jobs disappear. Whew.

Jackets, Jackets, Jackets

Ah, Suze Orman would have been so proud of the ladies at the Leslie Loudon Guild luncheon on Oct. 20. This lunch is one of my favorite events to blog on about. Every year it's the place to be to see what NQPS women are wearing for the fall season.

And every year it's jackets! So here's Midge in hers--it's a lightweight raw silk with the most beautiful embroidery detail on it. Honestly a jacket that can be worn year-round and always look good with skirt or pants. She found it at Coldwater Creek. So pretty.

Deb looked so great in hers: she went with the good ol' staples of black pants & tank (can you ever have too many of those?? I think that's my winter uniform) and lit it up with this cool silk number in beige, black, & white. Looked like it was woven in and out like ribbons but it was actually pleated. So pretty! She told me the catalog where she found it: Dane & Divine? Dive & Daning? Dave & Dining? Dangit & Damn? As you can see I promptly forgot it. Sorry. Deb, if you read this, put a comment on & tell people where you got the divine dining jacket.

Jackie looked pretty divine herself in this 3/4 length jacket black & beige print. This is a great length for smoothing over figure flaws and making one appear taller. Neither of which are problems Jackie has. But she looked great in it. She got this one at Chico's, which seems to be everyone's favorite store.
Takes a lotta ladies to put on a luncheon like this. Lyn (center) was the chair of the event & did a wonderful job. She's got on a cool dress of filmy fabric in a great autumn-looking beige print, topped with the leopard print shawl. Grrrrrr. And a little baby Louie on her shoulder.

Becky (left) was on the committee, she wore a simple black cowl neck with a cute beige puffy little unpressed-pleat skirt & chic black pumps. Loved it!

Melissa (right) worked on the committee too and looked so profesh in her black skirt & black & white houndstooth jacket. (It matches her golf bag.)

And the best-dressed award goes again to Kay, who wore this fabulissimo jacket that is actually more a piece of art than a jacket. It's black boiled wool with amazing embroidery and silk flowers in green and lavender. I mean, it is delicious. It is rockin'. It is major, major, major. She got it at Gretchen, which is Gretchen Gilday's new store. Gretchen used to be the manager of Steve Goodwin's Haberdasher Ladies, but she bought the space and made it her own. So there are new lines, new things, new sizes, and some real style for NQPS! Go there! I actually haven't made it in yet but I honestly intend to. Soon.

PS It's "Gretchen" singular, not "Gretchen's" posessive.

Not just jackets, TIGHTS! You gotta be brave to wear tights like these!This is Marcy, the Community Development Director at Memorial Hospital, and these tights are bold. You have to wear stuff like this with moxie, & she has it. So let's be brave, I say. Good for you, Marcy. "The ability to accessorize is what sets us apart from the lower species." (That's a famous quote from "Steel Magnolias", I think.)

Actually, the fashion show at the lunch was staged by Memorial Hospital gift shop, and it was all accessories. Obviously if you go in the hospital gift shop and expect to see nothing but a few Get Well cards and some porcelain figurine angels, think again. The shop at Memorial is a great place for accessories, and Marcy and her shop manager Pam talked about how much fun they have going to market every season in Las Vegas to find new, unusual, and moderately priced items.

At the show models wore all kinds of great new bags: huge hobos and structured satchels, fuzzy & furry, two-tone, laden with silver & braids, patent & croc. And scarves: chiffon, burn-out velvet, soft & furry. And watches: silver and very contemporary, bangle-style, only $17! Jewelry: giant cocktail rings, stone bracelets and delicate necklaces. And of course: JACKETS!
Like Suze says, "Remember ladies, it's People first, then Money, then Things, then JACKETS."

Go get yours quick.

YCC Annual Meeting

Kay always looks good, but this night she looked especially major in the long skirt, the gorgeous gold leather jacket, and the brown suede boots. That's a whole lotta leather for one woman, but she absolutely carried it off.

Here's a closeup of the boots, which she said she "picked up in Amsterdam." (Great, I'll just zip right over & get me a pair.....) They're UGG-types with a flat heel, inside zipper & cool tassels. Kinda Sacajawea-looking.

Robin, new board member and more importantly, FEMALE board member at the YCC Old Boy's Club, is more at home in golf shorts than she is in a skirt, but she looked downright stylish in this gored mid-calf length brown skirt and the fall-colored print t-shirt. The belt was the perfect accessory, slung the perfect way, (helps when you have an actual waist), and her jewelry was an interesting mix of earth-toned stones. I think those good ol' boys will sit up & take notice.

You know, I really would love to see some new carpet out here so I would have a better background for my shoe pics.

These are Jumpin' Judi's, and I've blogged her feet before. (Well the rest of her, too.) I absolutely love these shobooties that are part black stretch fabric, part croc-embossed burnished red leather. Fabuloso!!! Judi likes to ride so she definitely likes the boots. They almost looked like they could be comfortable too, something one can rarely say about great-looking shoes.

Ok, Zeb saw me taking pictures of everyone's shoes and figured I had a foot fetish, so he immediately offered up his woven fishermen's sandals. These are great! I know I don't blog enough men, so I'm happy to show Zeb's cool shoes! He lied & told me he got them in Italy but they're actually from the Nordstrom Shoe Rack. Which is almost as good as a trip to Italy when you don't have the time or the money. It's like a wonderful little country all in itself. And it's where I've gotten a LOT of shoes. I could wander barefoot down the 7 1/2 aisles for hours and hours....

Maui Wedding

Everyone loves a wedding. But a destination wedding on the South coast of Maui---oh, how could anyone turn that down? We were lucky enough to go to my cousin Dan's wedding to the lovely Lisa at the Prince Hotel in Makena. It was definitely a party to remember! Here are a few of the pics:

First of all was the rehearsal dinner, held at the Lahaina Luau. Most of the girls wore great sundresses, but Leah's really stood out. It's an aqua & yellow print with bold yellow braid trim. Very islandy. There was one actual bride there! Wierd place to spend your wedding day, but she looked really pretty.

After much research, I decided these guys were the best-dressed men at the luau. Can I bring one home as a souvenier?

Lisa's dress was very flowing, simple, and informal: white satin with a twist in the bodice and tiny beading trimming the edges. She looked like she could have sailed away over the ocean in this breezy gown! So perfect for a beach wedding. It was windy, so her maid of honor had to hang on to the veil all through the ceremony. (note to future beach brides: forget the veil. It's always windy.)

Dan wore a khaki jacket & pants with a green Tommy Bahama shirt & a traditional men's wedding lei. The groomsmen wore the same shirt with khaki slacks. Everyone, bride included, wore flip-flops.

This is Dan's sister Leah again. The bridesmaids dresses were aqua chiffon with the same twist int the bodice, empire waist, two-layer skirts, spaghetti straps. (Have we all finally had enough of strapless gowns at weddings????) The girls looked absolutely diaphanous as they crossed that lawn and then stood there with the ocean in the background. Yum!

Here's Jo, mother of the groom, with her favorite cousin.....

Sondra, one of the wedding guests, in a filmy tangerine & green print dress. Cool bi-level hem, I thought.

Sarah 2.0

Ok, for my Republican friends, I must reconsider my first impression of Sarah Palin. The NY Post says she did hire a stylist, actually a whole team of them. I have to admit they did a bang-up job for her debate. Loved the black suit, the pleated peplum on the jacket, and especially the candy-apple red shoes. Still hate her politics. Ok, here are some pics. You decide if it looks like McCain's hired some help for her.

Sarah, pre-stylist:

eeeuwww, are those mukluks on her feet?Sarah, post-stylist team, in her $2500 designer jacket:

And I had to toss in this one:

OMG! Is this her house???? No, it's actually her office. I guess that's how she intimidates people during negotiations. I know if I were sitting across from her, I'd spend all my time staring at that stupid bear. Grrr.

Quote of the Day

"Nothing ages you faster than desperation."........Jaclyn Smith, commenting on women who dress too young for their age.

Fresh Hop Ale Fest

Whew! This Allied Arts event is becoming one of the primo fund-raisers in Yakima! Beer-drinkers come from all over the land! It's always a big party & huge fun & great food & beer & wine. This year it was pretty chilly & windy but no one seemed to care once the dancing started.

Thanks to Jessica, Lindsey, and to Helen & her committee for organizing such a great event. People don't realize how much work goes into these things!

Also: I had no idea Kim Nowacki was so talented on the cowbell. Genius. More cowbell, I always say.

There was a little bit of style there, too. Everyone wore jeans (unless they were wearing kilts) and there were some great jackets, scarves, sweaters & hats in the mix.

Here are just a few shots of the goings-on:

Cuter in Kilts! This is Andrew, braving the Not Quite Palm Springs of Washington in a black pleated kilt. First question I asked him was whether he worked for Rogue Brewery, because those guys were wearing kilts, too. WHAT??? Three men wearing kilts at the same event? In Yakima? OMG. Film at eleven.

Anyway, Andrew was actually there on his own and sporting his own brand of kiltwear. He told me he's originally from Tampa (as my friend Tammy from Florida would say, "He's a Tampon."), but now lives in Spokane & came over to Yak just for the event. He looked like he was having a good time. And the wind was blowing, too. But he didn't seem to mind.

Here 's one of the Rogue guys, I wanted to interview him but he was pretty busy selling gallons of ale all night. I think I could get used to this kilt thing. If all the kilters were this cute. Note to self: drink more Rogue Ale. Those guys have style.

Green was definitely the color of the night, and she took it to the limit with this fresh-looking emerald poplin jacket & designer jeans. (They were everywhere too.) So put-together, very hop-chic. Plus I loved her hair.

This is Loretta, who also happens to be one of my neighbors. She was rockin all night to the Shreds and looked so cool in a white jacket, jeans, and crocheted scarf. Toasty.