Fashion Diet

I am on a fashion diet. I finally have a minute to catch up on this most amazing, whirlwind trip to Vegas a week and a half after my return back to D-town. And I am seriously on a fashion diet. Everything I can read, see, find, look for and notice in fashion - I am on it.

I've said before that I have trouble relaxing. I have spent so much time focused and stressed out that I actually don't know how to fully enjoy myself. I feel guilty if I relax because that means something isn't getting done that I need to do. But I'm starting to change that. And Vegas was a great start. And it was helped along by my meals.

Morning one began super crazy early at the Wynn with ENK. We were staying at the timewarp of the 90's, the Luxor. Do not stay there. It was a joke of a hotel. I needed a passport just to get to the elevator that only stopped on your floor every now and then. The room was bare essentials with plug-in ethernet. PS - computers built in this decade don't have ethernet slots anymore. No internet. No cell reception. Joke.

So we trekked over first thing AM to have breakfast at the Wynn. It is the best breakfast I've ever had. Peaceful, quiet, luxurious, full of fashioned elite. The coffee was great, the chaise lounge with puffy pillows definitely helped the relax factor. And PS - the best chicken apple sausage I've ever had. Total luxury. And the beginning of my fashion diet. Tunics and easy style. Resort wear at its finest. Metallic flats. It was Tory Burch heaven.

We left ENK for Magic and, let me tell you, a different vibe. Project and Magic were young and funky. LA vs the NYC of the other end of the strip. Skinny, skin tight jeans, leggings, tons and tons of denim, sky high wedges or super strappy flats. Men with skinny rolled jeans. Layers upon layers, totally updated 80s with scarves, fedoras, jewelry. Everything layered.

We were only there for 2 nights so night two we went for a nicer dinner. We ended up at Paris (after 6 restaurants were either booked solid or had a 2-hour wait) at about 9pm at Mon Ami Gabi. We had breakfast here back in October and I loved it. I love it even more now. Yummy champagne, amazing pinot noir, hangar steak with a bernaise sauce, window view overlooking the Bellagio fountain. If we weren't both about to fall over from exhaustion, it would have been so romantic.

Overall it was nice to get away for a minute, but even better to be inspired again. I know that I'm in the right industry and doing the right thing for my life. We met new vendors, opened new accounts, found what's different and new. I bought feather earrings, brought back bracelets from LA for the girls and the store, funky wallets - it was Christmas!

After all the urban finds, goodies, appointments, fun and amazement I was exhausted. I think I might finally be coming back to life again. And can't wait for the next one...

Straight from the Source

As I mentioned, I went to Vegas market. Seriously so fantastically amazeballs. I can't wait to go back already. But I wanted to share my new fashion wisdom. Below are the upcoming Spring 2011 men's fashion trends from each show via WWD:


Project:
Skinny jeans remained the key fit in denim, with variations on the style plentiful, such as looser fits toward the top, tapering to a skinny fit on the lower leg. Colored khakis and twill bottoms were abundant, as were nylon outerwear, deconstructed blazers and activewear influences.

PGA:
Technical fabrics still dominate, but fashion has found its way into the golf market. From argyle sweaters and bouncy skirts to polo shirts that change color in the heat, the industry has embraced innovation for spring.

Magic:
Military influences appeared on outerwear and cargo shorts, and plaid wovens remained a key item in many collections. Nondenim bottoms like khaki and corduroy added newness to denim lines and brands played with details on polo shirts, a staple of spring lines. Fedora hats were attention-grabbers for buyers seeking novelty.

ENK:
Darker, cleaner denim in slim and straight fits was the key direction at Paige Premium Denim, as it was at many jeans brands. “We’re moving away from destruction and have things with soft hands and stretch,” said Jonathan Geller, men’s sales director at PPD and stepson of company founder Paige Adams-Geller. “We also lowered our entry price point to $170, down from $186. Department stores are asking for lower prices to move merchandise.”

MRKT:
Woven shirts with contrasting patterns, hybrid coats, deconstructed sport coats and colorful outerwear were among the top-selling items. Although suits were available, most vendors focused on dress-down casualwear.

CAPSULE:
Swimwear was a key category, with brands such as Onia and Orlebar Brown offering modern, sophisticated takes on trunks and volleys in subdued solids. For the fashion-forward Capsule crowd, bold colors and prints were available at labels like Monitaly, where paisley shorts and blazers hung next to ikat-print shirts, as well as Riviera Club, which showcased a Baja-inspired collection perfect for après-surf — such as serape hooded pullovers and double-layer gauze shirts.

POOL:
Graphic T-shirts continue to dominate, but some of the labels made the move into woven shirts, jumping on the plaid and chambray bandwagon.

Magic Morning

I'm sitting at the store, cleaned and merchandised, on this quiet Wednesday morning. The door is propped open with a cool drizzle falling outside. I couldn't be happier right now. This constant oppressive heat has become depressing. I can't open the blinds in the bedroom (for months now) because just the intensity of the sun made the heat too much for the A/C to keep up with. It was a wonderful site to see the Walgreens parking lot this morning. Ha!

I lay in bed this morning, reading my most fabulous study Bible, listening to the drizzle outside the window. It was exactly what I needed to begin a long day the right way. Now the playlist is pumping the best of my favorites and for now, the air is nice enough to enjoy - rain and all.

He said, she said

How do you stop arguing when you're both predisposed to do so? How do you remove the hurt or stifle the sudden urge to defend yourself? And how do you know you should keep trying? These are just thoughts. Of course, our thoughts always come from our daily influence, so I suppose they're fairly important thoughts based on my current influences.

I just want to make sure it's possible to live together, work together, see each other all the time and still figure out how to appreciate each, separate one from the other and love being together. And stop arguing.

Lucky One

I crawled out of the shower this morning to the smell of coffee brewing and walked to the kitchen to see dinner already in the crockpot. I will admit that I do not always feel this way nor appreciate things, but I do have an incredibly amazing partner and I am a very lucky girl.

Let me tell you about this dinner. It's Scotty's Mom's recipe of crockpot roast w/ a jar of pepporcinis - juice and all. Throw in some cracked pepper and leave it all day. I am drooling already. Cannot wait!

This crampy girl needs some sleep and a day off. I haven't had a day off in over a week and won't for over a week. Now I need to drag my sore self around the store and get my re-merch on. Love this store!

Fashion & Food

My entire life has existed around fashion and food lately. It's like the most perfect two things ever. Maybe that's why I finally feel relaxed in life. (Or it could be my new girl I hired majored in psychology and is slowly unwinding my issues).

Tonight - a menu of pesto chicken on the grill and then baked with mozzarella cheese with a side of spinach and pine nut spaghetti made from skinny spaghetti , spinach, garlic, pine nuts and a sauce of chicken stock, corn starch and parmesan cheese. I made it up! I'm so excited. And last nights dinner was phenomenal. It's an Italian chicken and pasta a made a while back and it still was the best thing ever the second time around.

I also spent this last week in Vegas at market and abso-freaking-lutely loved it. It was like I was fashion starved and now I'm filled. More later. And then a fashion show/happy hour. I bought a new Kate style clutch, but for like $30. I mean, life is fantasticness in a bottle of wine.

I hadn't written in a while and have a tendency to be a bit dark, twisty and slightly moody so I thought a happy update was overdue.

Off to finish dinner, finish my bottle of Ruffino, snuggle with my honey and enjoy the foosball on the telly.

Cheers!

Calm, quiet start

I'm not superstitious, but I will say that every Friday the 13th things go wrong. It just so happens that way every time, but I'm not a freaky friday sort of believer. Swear. I think that this year, Thursday was my Fri the 13th. And since it was just yesterday, perhaps I'll have a great day today. After yesterday, I deserve it. Ugh...yesterday.

I'm sitting in bed with coffee and morning TV, cutting coupons and about to place a super important phone call regarding paychecks. Boo turned my alarm off and went into work for me and even told me not to rush! Ugh, amazing man. He takes care of me better than I could ask.

OK - phone call ready. Today is NOT going to be my traditional Fri the 13th. It's not. But just in case, that's why I haven't gotten out of bed yet.