Quickie!!!

Just dropping a little knowledge on ya!

CUSP Northbrook Court will open this Thursday in Chi-town! So if you're in the area, be sure and check it out!!!

DailyCandy dropped a little gem in my inbox this morning! For all my lover's of vintage, check out Archive http://www.archivevintage.com/ For some fabulous, high-end vintage finds! From housewares to clothing!!!! They've got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lastly, be on the look out for Women Behaving Fabulously!!!!!!!!! Our "Day" is coming soon!!!!

Live long and Dress Well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Iron Gate 8/6

Looking for the perfect date spot in DC??? Look no further. Trot yourself down to the Iron Gate Inn Restaurant. Located in Dupont Circle. The Iron Gate Inn is where you want to be. It's got nostalgia, ambiance, and great food!!! Not to mention, the service was quite excellent. I never had an empty glass of water!

A little history about this hidden gem. The Iron Gate Inn is one of the oldest restaurants in Washington DC. It was originally a horse stable located on an estate, that was later transformed into a restaurant. It holds a lot of history and inside you will find authentic horse stables(no longer in use of course) that have been transformed into quaint, romantic, dining cubbies. It's amazing(thanks Jen and Dawny)!!!! Oh, and did I mention the outside dining takes place under a real life grape tree??? And yes, the grapes are edible!!!! It's a perfect way to share an intimate dinner with friends(thanks Ladybugs) or with a special someone, or even for a large event(they have a retreat in the upper portion of the stable for large parties!!!!

You'll never look at a horse in the same way! Experience...The Iron Gate Inn!!!!!

Live long and Dine Well!!!!!!!!!!!

HiGh and WiDE...The Perfect Jean 8/5

Well, there has been lots to say about the State of the Jean as of late! Jeans have stood the test of time in my book. From old school Levi's 501's to colorful Girbaud's to Guess, to the infamous Seven's and the list goes on and on. Jeans have gone from Bell'd to Acid Wash; Skinny to Boot Cut. From Mom-Jeans to booty-crack Low Cut to Paper Bag(who remembers the infamous Guess paper-bag jeans?) My sister had a pair of those back in the day and I thought they were the freshest things I had ever seen!!!!!!!!! They were totally awesome for the 90's!

Well, let's bring the jean full speed ahead to the latest and greatest(not everyone will agree) trends in denim: High-Waist and Wide Leg and in some cases both High and Wide!!!! Let's see how we can rock this. Well, I personally am loving the High-Waist jean, guess I'm flashing back to my days of old, in the late 70's early 80's. The high-waist jean is a great alternative to the ultra low cut, not always so flattering style of jean. Some folk may disagree and I can say that you must be very selective in picking the right high-waist for your figure. For those of us blessed with hippage, you may want to try Seven's Georgia Style. This style incorporates both the high-waist and wide leg look and they have lots of stretch, so go down a size from your normal size.

Seven Georgia

Now on to the Wide Leg!!!! The wide leg jean is ultra flattering and ultra popular this fall. You can find them in various colors and textures, including corduroy! Every fashion outlet has them as well. From Gap to Neiman's. You definitely have lots of options both in style and Price!!!!!!!! Check out some other styles I'm digging!

Jet Jeans Rich and Skinny Jeans

Dittos Jeans

Always remember, the secret to the perfect jean is trying lots of styles and cuts and knowing what works best for your shape! Take a friend for a second opinion and you are sure to find a Winner!!!

Live Long and Dress Well!!!!!!!

Brides Gone Wild!!!!!!!!! 8/3/07

So, today my girls and I participated in Filene's Basement's annual "Running of The Bride" event!!! And can I just start off by saying, "What a Rush?" OMG(oh my GOSH), the morning started off at 5 am for most, 3:30am and even 9pm the night before for brides to be!!! Doors opened at 8am! Can you say DEDICATED and Determined? You could so feel the adrenaline in the air. Their were goodies being handed out, television crews, radio stations, vendors, security, you name it and of course anxious brides-to- be with their dedicated teams!!!! Team Florence had a game plan: choose a designated meeting spot and GRAB, GRAB, GRAB!!!! And can I say, team-work definitely pays off? Our two brides-to-be found not one but two dresses for great prices (prices range from $249 to $699)! It's definitely luck of the draw, because we had at least 60-70 dresses in tow and there was a winner to be found! Not to mention, there were designer dresses floating around too. Some of the ladies even witnessed the find of a prized Vera Wang gown!!! Yes, I did say Vera Wang, needless to say that one was not getting away from that bride-to-be, no way!!!!!!!

In the end, there was lots of sweat, no blood, and tears of joy, but totally worth every minute of it! All you brides-to-be looking for a team to Run Wild with you...Look up Team DC!!!! We Find Dresses!!!!

For more info on the annual event go to http://www.filenesbasement.com/bridal.jsp

Live Long and Shape up!!!! Because you will definitely need all of your energy for this event!

Fashion Venting: To Jean or Not to Jean?

Every once and a while Fashion just doesn't score with the average shopper, here is one concern from a pretty savvy shopper:



Jen-Ko from Los Angeles says: Hey Fashionista:

I just want to vent to a fellow fashionishta and fashion blogger. I feel as though the fashion industry either finds us stupid or thinks we don't have a memory. They are trying to push the wide leg jeans (in particular the 70s style) on us as if this is a new thing. Excluding the addition of the ones with the high waist, these are the same old jeans that the entire nation was wearing two years ago. They look the same as the boot leg jeans with the wide bail that everyone already has. I know every thing comes back, but generally decades come back after at least a 10-15 year lag time. Have designers just run out of ideas? I think the industry recognizes that not everyone could rock the skinny jeans trend, they lost money and are now trying to recoup their costs by pushing what they know will sell. I am not stupid. Because they didn't allow enough lag time for the trend to come back, not only can you buy the wide leg jeans from Marc Jacobs, but you can also get them for $30 from The Limited Express. Generally the trends trickle down. Season one, only those willing to spend mega bucks can rock the latest trend. Season two, that same trend trickles down to The Gap and the rest of the world can rock the trend, provided the fashion industry has already moved on to something new. Now because the industry is just pushing the same old thing that was out two years ago, The Gap and The Express are just pulling out their old backlogged merchandise. Anyway, I just got pissed today when I received an email from ShopBob toting these jeans as the hottest thing out there, when it's really just the same old ish!



Fashionista says: Well said Jen-Ko! And I totally understand where you are coming from! I was just thinking about doing a blog on the wide leg jean phenom. I personally am glad it is back and in higher cuts, I'm kinda sick of folk always commenting on Crack is Wack!!!!! And I share the sentiment that they are running out of ideas, this fall's looks are really plan like. Not like last fall, where they really had a lot of cute looks, layers and chunky knits. i think it was a real slow year for the top designers. nothing is really making me say Wow!!!!!!!!!! But I am confident that their will be some great finds out there, and maybe their will be more of a focus on accessories and SHOES instead!!!!! I'm actually really feeling the wide leg as a means of taking away from those of us with wide hips! Its a happy balance! Blog is soon to come, so be on the look out!!!!



Thanks for comment!



Live long and dress Well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



p.s. for all my fashionistas: Check out "The Fashionista Diaries" on The Soap Network at 9pm. Check your local listings for times. It's pretty decent so far!!!

Finding Forever

Common's 7th album , entitled "Finding Forever", drops tomorrow! He will be in Santa Monica tomorrow and at Borders on Lst NW in WDC 8/14/07 at 12:30pm. Listen to the album in its entirety here: http://www.mtv.com/music/the_leak/common/finding_forever/#

It's pretty HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy!

Island Getaways

Looking to getaway to somewhere amazing and tropical? Looking for an oasis of relaxation and tranquility? Look no further! Try The Grenadines or Barbados! I personally have not visited either place, but have friends who have been to both places and stayed in the most amazing resorts! Take a look at The Raffles Resort in Canouan http://www.rafflescanouan.com/ This place is secluded and off the beaten path, but it has everything you could ever need. I know a couple who traveled here for their honeymoon and all they could say was "When are we going back?"

Consider The House Resort and Spa in Barbados http://www.thehousebarbados.com/index.cfm

This place looks beyond amazing!!!! I'm ready to go there like NOW!!!!!!!!!!! A friend of mine turned me on to this place and we will definitely be adding it to our list of places to go!(thanks KBH).

For all your travel needs, try Carroll&Co. travel http://carrolltravel.agenthub.net/ or ProTravel http://www.protravelinc.com/ ask for Paulette! Both are great resources to have so save them to your favorites!!!!

Enjoy!!!!!

Live long and Travel!!!!!