Boutique Sale!

Regina's in Castle Rock will be participating in Margaritas and Mark Downs on July 30-31st! Go say hi, have a drink, grab a few great new tops!

Donna Fashions

One brand that I found at a Boutique is Donna Fashions. They are located in Canada. Their website is slightly annoying. It is set up to flash the clothing lines at you. Don't let that stop you from locating a Boutique near you with their clothing. It is very well made. Almost everything is lined and the stitching is strong. I love the Ready To Wear collection that they have for work clothing. They include a wide range of sizes and they are true to size. Check out their lines and where to buy their clothing on the website:

Donna's Fashions

What will I miss about summer? Cute Kate Spade jewelry on the counters of course.

Because it is 24 carat gold, it almost justifies the price for me. $98.00 Ouch!

Boutique Find

I bought this outfit at Jasmine Boutique before they closed. It is comfy and I just have been wearing it as I do normal things (go to the post office, grocery store, etc...) Just goes to show that normal suburban moms can go to the Boutique and get nice things. Boutiques are not just for the overly trendy skinny girls!

Denver, Boulder Boutiques?

Do you know of a great Boutique that I should visit? I love exploring unique clothing stores so drop me a comment and tell me about your favorite spots!

Wedding possibilities

I am to be a guest at a February Wedding. Thus, I am out shopping.

I found this top that I absolutely love. Sorry dressing room pictures are not that great but this JS Collection top ($158) has a delicate black lace over a pink satin material.

Now the question is: with pants or skirt? Leave a comment with your opinion!

Leave a comment!

Yummy Prada!

I was browsing the perfume counter at Nordstrom, Park Meadows and I asked for a sample of Prada's original scent (pink box). I love it. I was expecting a huge price tag on this baby but it was only $74.00 for the 1.7 and $100 for the larger bottle. It is not overpowering and would be a great day or night perfume. It is the perfect mix of sweet flowers and sandalwood.

New Find!

I was shopping at the Outlets in Castle Rock and I happened into the Cabi outlet, which is a store I normally would not have gone into because the window display seemed too teeny-bopper for my taste. But, in the spirit of trying new clothes and my personal agreement not to let my perceptions of size scare me away, I went in.

I loved it.

They have reversible clothes. I have one reversible skirt and I do actually reverse it. I was thinking, in hard times like these, why shouldn't we be buying reversible clothing? We can increase our wardrobe by only buying one piece!

I haven't bought anything yet to take a picture of but I absolutely love their website!

Here it is:
www.cabionline.com

Quality not Quantity

So Isaac Mizrahi said on The Fashion Show that people should buy quality not quantity. I have to admit, most of my pre-Bella at the Boutique wardrobe consisted of 75% off sales at Target. Nothing wrong with that-it is what we all have to do once in awhile. But, then I added up all the $7.00 jeans and $5.00 t-shirts that I don't wear anymore or that fell apart and I realized that I could afford a really nice pair of jeans. I splurged on a pair of not-your-daughter's jeans at Nordstroms.

The Nordstrom's sales woman suggested that you buy the size smaller than you normally wear to get the 'tummy tuck' effect of the inside panels of the jeans.

Not Your Daughter's Jeans happens to have contest for a free pair of jeans on their website: www.notyourdaughtersjeans.com

Enter to win!

OPI wonderful!

I love OPI Polish because it is strong and they really set the tone for the season when they release their new colors. An OPI bottle of pink that I bought a couple years ago is the only bottle of nail polish I ever used completely. This year, one of their lines is inspired by denim it is called "A Bright Pair." I just bought A Grape Fit by OPI nail polish. I love it.

A Grape Fit!

This rich purple was made for you.

OPI is releasing a new line of Matte nail polish. I actually am digging on it.

You can check it out on their website: http://www.opi.com/

I also listed some of my favorite OPI colors on the Bella Boutique through Amazon-link is at the top of the page.

Dressing for a wedding

I am on assignment. I have to think about what I am going to wear at a February wedding in PA. My partner will be in the wedding and dressed formally. How do I match that and also feel comfortable. I have a black formal dress but I think that it might be too formal as it was a former bridesmaid dress.

I looked at EHow.com to gather some advice:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2139245_dress-wedding-reception.html

To answer their questions,
1. I believe it will be a formal wedding but most of the guests will be slightly more than casual.
2. I haven't seen the invitation yet so I can't really gather much from that.
3. It is February so my favorite summer green dress won't work. (Dang!)

I am going to the Boutique! I will post some things that I try on.

Dansko if you are on your feet all day

When I am not blogging I am teaching and that means that I am on my feet all day long. I love cute shoes but most of them hurt after second period. I found that Dansko is best for long days. I know that doctors wear them under scrubs, thus hiding the plain look of the shoes. I began to look for something a little more trendy in the Dansko line. I found these:

Oh, I should mention that a couple of years ago the insoles of a pair of my Dansko's fell out. I called the company and they sent me the things that I needed to repair them free of charge. I love when companies are behind their products!

Socially Responsible and Eco-Friendly Fashion

How to be socially responsible and eco-friendly and fashionable.

Gap and Nike have come under criticism for their workplace conditions in developing countries. But, they are the big names and probably not that unique when you look at the fashion industry at large. And, creating fabric is not always ecologically friendly. The solution seems so far out of reach but there are a few small steps that you can take to be socially responsible, eco-friendly and fashionable.

1. Sew your own clothes. You create your conditions and get to design it yourself.

Ok, I know that was unreasonable. I hate sewing. Fabric is often more expensive than just buying a shirt at Target. And, who has the time?

I will start over.

1. Buy recycled clothing. Check out Anvil Knitwear. Their clothes are super cute.




2. Buy organic clothing. I see organic cotton clothing at Whole foods and there are a plethora of online retailers selling organic. Organic content means that less pesticides and chemicals are seeping into the ground and water.

3. Alpaca. They are cute. The fiber is warm and soft. I love wearing alpaca sweaters in the winter. Pair it with turquoise and you have a sexy Santa Fe look. Check this out from http://www.purelyalpaca.com/

Why Alpaca?

Alpaca clothing is an Earth Friendly renewable resource... Soft padded feet, not hooves reduces soil erosion. Efficient digestion allows for lower feed levels and great compost. Alpacas are camelids (in the camel family), consuming less water. Renewable elegant hypoallergenic fiber provides natural clothing for all.

4. Vintage. The harm is already done. You are reusing :)

5. Boutiques. Boutiques often boast locally created goods which means that your product did not have to travel from across the world to get there. And, you aren't giving money to a large corporation because boutiques are more often than not, locally owned and operated.

6. Buy at art and music festivals. One of my favorite designers, Autumn Teneyl started out in local shows. Little to no overhead, no lights, no big building to heat and air condition. Plus, you get something really unique, probably hand made, and local.

7. The jury is out on this one for me but I have been tossing around the benefits of buying clothing from MLM sales companies like Cabi. At least I am helping to support a (most-likely) woman and the storage of clothing is in her home. However, it still has a large transport and a large company so who knows how their clothes are made.

Any other ideas?

August Boutique Interview

For August I will be interviewing the owner of Regina's Fashions in Castle Rock. Regina's clothing is very hip with a lot of tie-dye rock star looks. I imagine myself walking out of Regina's interview in Jeans with heals and a rocking new tank!

Philosophy

I love Philosophy. I use their moisturizer and sun screen. The body scrub is amazing. For Christmas, I got a bottle of Inner Grace-the big one the 2 oz spendy version-from my partner. Now, I have almost .25 left and it smells like alcohol. I have emailed Philosophy because I actually want to see how they handle it. A good company stands behind their products when something isn't right. If I am putting all this crap on my face, I want to know that if they find out something isn't right with those products that they will stand behind those, too.

I will keep you posted on their response. Keeping my fingers crossed for now!

What you won't read or see on Bella...

I write this blog because I love shopping at boutiques. I love the fact that they are women-owned (usually) and that they are small businesses-which means they have to put their customers first. I also love that they carry higher quality clothing that I won't see on every single person in Denver. But, I also know why they don't do better. Often boutiques are intimidating for women because you are not as likely to be the anonymous shopper browsing through the same ol' store (you could replace Gap, Old Navy, Macy's or Target here). Because they are local and small boutiques are more personal and as a shopper you have to get accustomed to that. Unfortunately as a society we have moved away from the mom and pop restaurant and the home town clothier. That said, I know that women will only enjoy boutiques if the people in the boutiques are personable and they seem like they can trust them to tell them that they might need a Spanx to go under this shirt.

Therefore, you will not read or see on Bella:

A. A Boutique in which I don't feel comfortable. If I go in to a Boutique and the salespeople-it doesn't have to be the owner-don't make me feel comfortable- you will not read about it on Bella no matter how much I like their brands, displays or their clothes.

B. If the clothes are so expensive that I won't even take a second look, then you won't read about it on Bella. I have a higher threshold than most for prices so if it sticker shocks me, it will sticker shock others for sure!

C. If the clothes are plain, shapeless and look like something I would buy at a department store then I am not going to review it on Bella.

I don't want to write about things that I don't like. I want to keep it positive! I skipped over a Boutique today because the clothes were blah and the sales lady was sort of distracted by a necklace and acted put out when I approached her and said hello. If I have to beg for a hello then I don't want to trust you to tell me that I should try on a different size or that I have picked two browns that don't really match.

Boutique Sale!

Irresistibles Boutique in Castle Rock is having a Moving Sale!

Boutique Cali and Mo

New (to me) Boutique!

I popped into Cali and Mo today. What an amazing little Boutique! The store is about half vintage and half new merchandise. Some of the merchandise is repurposed vintage materials like these beautiful bracelets by Babes and Hussies.

I was also delighted that Cali and Mo sells a lot of local product. These bracelets are made in Colorado. As with this Autumn Teneyl dress which is sewn in Colorado and probably seen at a music festival on a dancing beauty or even in a vendor's tent. Save yourself the dirty feet and just go to Cali and Mo.

According to Cali and Mo fashionista, Katie who works at their Park Meadows location, Cali and Mo is named after the co-owners who live in Cali and Missouri and are just two girls looking to make a living. Ali hand makes lamps out of vintage materials. This particular lamp includes a vintage wedding dress and shade. This lamp would look so sexy in a bedroom.

At the back of the boutique hangs a vintage coat that is over 100 years old and as Katie said, "was worn before the titanic sank." If you love it but can't justify the money just use the Boutique's lay-away plan. They give you three months to pay anything off. I like the sound of that-they might just be getting a lot of my Christmas business!

Here is the coat that I am thirsting for. Look at the arms, what a beautiful shape.

I usually get a little worried about size in boutiques because often they don't carry anything over a 14 but Cali and Mo goes up to 3x on some of their designers. These sheer shirts would look cute over jeans and a camisole.

Want something unique? A bag that only you have. My mouth is watering over these bags. George, Gina and Lucy bags are handbags made in Germany and Cali and Mo have a very small collection, they buy unique pieces and for most styles they only buy one bag. That means that not everyone who has been to Coors field will have seen your bag. I am digging on this colorful bag.

Cali and Mo will help you stand out, look trendy, and have fun while shopping. Katie says that they will be bringing in an exciting new Tarina Tarantino line for the fall. Tarina Tarantino is girly, goth, hip and chic all at the same time. Her colors are bright, feminine or both. I am going back to Cali and Mo to check that out!

Cali and Mo have 3 stores in Colorado. Their original store is on the 16th street mall. The other two stores are in Cherry Creek and Park Meadows. If you don't live in Denver, they have a website: http://www.caliandmo.com/index.htm you can shop there. But, you won't get to see the beautiful displays and talk with the all-knowing and delightful Katie!

Perfume Samples at Nordstrom

I have figured out how to get perfume samples sans the cardboard! Nordstrom will give you a vile if you ask for a sample. I don't think that the perfume manufacturers are making those little viles anymore but if you want to really get a feel for how the perfume will interact with your own personal chemistry, ask your Nordstrom's sales person to give you a sample to take home. I thank the perfume goddess for Nordstrom.

Sunglasses

It is time to replace my huge Paris Hilton-type Fossil Shades circa early 2008.

Ani Difranco's drummer, was wearing shades like this at the Mile High Music Festival. I am going to try them on and see how they look on me! I have been waiting for these to be back "in" ever sense Tom Cruise made that one movie... You know the one!

These are Mosley Tribes Alliance shades.

Denver Clothing Boutiques?

Anyone have any good boutiques around Denver that I should check out? Leave a comment!

Perfume Samples

I hate perfume samples on little cards. I want a vile that I can take home, put it on when I am clean, wear it for a day and see how it goes. This whole business of trying to find my new scent is so frustrating!

RIP Jasmine Boutique

The Jasmine Boutique started this whole transformation. I was just going to the post office when I saw a huge banner stating that the boutique was going out of business. I walked in. Because the prices were low, I was willing to try things on that I would normally have thought would never fit. I am between a size 14 and 18 depending on the brand of clothing and usually boutique clothes are just sized too small to work for me. What was meant to be a pop in and look ended up being an hour and a half of trying on beautiful clothes. I pulled out the mastercard and spent 300 on what was over 650 dollars worth of clothing. I bought this the first day I was there. It is a halter, I put a little black tank under it and I later bought these leggings to go under neath it. I know that it is still a little on the frump side, but at least I am experimenting with color!

Sorry I am still trying to figure out how to work the picture function on this computer!