First Pahtay of the Season

...okay, the second, as KAC's bash was first (and me, home sick, missing it!!).

Tonight was the party at Cafe Milano to launch Fox's My Network TV. Special guest was Bo Derek.

I knew there was no way my husband was going to miss that action--and when we dropped off our son at our friends' house to watch him for the night, the husband was INSANELY jealous. I remember Bo being huge when we were young, but I guess I forgot that he was every 12 year old boy's fantasy.

So flash forward to 2006.

Like every celebrity evereverever**, she's shorter than I pictured. But she looked pretty good. You can tell that she's had a LOT of plastic surgery , but it's the good kind--like CZ-J's eye job. Well, maybe not THAT good, but she still looked hot.

Cafe Milano was like 8 KAZILLON DEGREES, and the crowd was kind of weird (it was like 20% the usual suspects, 80% Fox people, who were pretty random), but all in all, a good night.

Best of all, my husband had his picture taken with Ms. Derek herself--I swear, I thought he was going to faint.

**Ironically enough, the one celebrity who is taller than the rest: Bo Derek's boyfriend, John Corbett. He's like 6'6". I met him, randomly, at Bridgehampton Polo about 4 years ago, at the height of his Aidan fame. I was too shy to approach him at first. Three cocktails later, he was nearby and my friend Kimberly threw her dog at me and yelled, "Quick! Tell him that Winnie is a fan of Pete's!" (if you don't recall, Pete was his dog on SITC). Emboldened by vodka, I did just that.

He was completely kind, gracious, and quite chatty actually. But I was so flustered, he being Aidan and all, that I had NOTHING to say. Another moment with fame squandered.

P.S. Sorry, but I hate every picture of myself ever taken, hence the Photoshoppiness.

District Sample Sale Scoop #3

In case you didn't receive the DSS email this evening...

If you'd like to be added to the invite list for future Suited for Change events, email rsvp@suitedforchange.org. Such as, for example, the FANTASTIC Saks Beauty Event staging Wednesday, October 4. Just as a hypothetical.

Ain't No Time to Hate, Barely Time to Wait

It's 9 p.m., and here is my to-do list for the night:
-Write and disseminate press release for upcoming event.
-Review mentoree (mentee?)'s resume (yes, I'm a mentor--how fab is that?)
-Write proposal for possible book tour (not for me, for someone else's book)
-Finish rather large glass of wine that's standing between me and computer (Frog's Leap Zin, 2005. Fabulous.)
-Get to sleep at reasonable hour because my new (day) job is Kicking. My. Ass.

So no time to blog. What I want to know-oh, where does the time go?

Okay, quick review of fall ads.
Dior: Thank goodness they're finally featuring actual clothing that I might actually want to wear. Those boots must be mine.
Michael Stars: Kudos. New campaign not only shows their t-shirts, but the lifestyle. Made me actually want to buy.
Donald Pliner: I know the woman who does their ads (or at least did last time I checked). And I totally admire her. But these ads suck. I know he's pretty much a nightmare to work with, and his shoes are pretty heinous, but still.
Chanel: Don't know how much those jeans cost. Don't care. Must own.
Banana Republic: Exactly how do they think that a spread featuring mediocre people wearing boring clothes is going to entice me--or anyone--into their stores?

Bonus: P.R. Ads
Loreal: People. Gotta switch up the scary guy showing how to apply foundation, famous makeup artist or not. And do you actually think that devotees of P.R. don't know how to apply foundation?
I.N.C. Ditto. Booooring 90's sundresses on a runway. Umm...not sure you realize this, but you paid a lot of cash to be a prime sponsor. Get it together. Study the audience, and present them with a product they might actually want.

...that's all I can think of at the moment, and I'm too busy to run upstairs to fetch. Love you. Mean it.

Believe in Reincarnation(s).

I've done the U Street Corridor before, but it's always en route to somewhere, or to pop into some specific place (usually after darting into Cakelove for a cupcake), or heading to the Black Cat when the shops are shuttered (and there was that one night in the basement at Cafe Saint-Ex...). But it's up the street from my new job, so I've taken a few lunch hour laps--and now I'm hooked.

My favorite place of them all: Reincarnations Furnishings. Packed to the gills with unique yet not completely off-the-wall pieces including couches, artwork, lighting, sculptures--one of those stores where you could picture at least 50 things you see in your house.

And that's even before you look at the price tags. It's SO reasonable. I saw almost this exact chandelier at Bowhe & Peare in Bethesda for around $700.

At Reincarnations: $225.

I spoke to the owner, Christopher Torres, who gave me a brief rundown about the place. They started out selling chiefly estate and consignment (hence the name) that they refurbished, but over the years, they've evolved into selling new pieces. Their business model is to rely on turnover, constantly getting new pieces in and selling as cheaply as they can. Best of all, it means that every time you go in there, you'll find something new.

Tip: the back wall in the basement is full of great bargain items!

Reincarnations Furnishings, 1401 14th Street NW, 202.319.1606; Open Tuesday-Sunday 11-8.

District Sample Sale Scoop #2

I've been trying to post a blog (with requisite photos) for a few days now, but damn you, finicky Blogger, damn you to hell. So in the meantime, the District Sample Sale site is live, and you can now buy your tickets, so do so now--before it's sold out.

You've been warned.

He Made It Work.

I try to stay away from blogging about Project Runway--better left to the experts, like DC Celine and Capitol Hill Barbie.

But Jeffrey was robbed. There, I said it. Yes, Michael kicks ass, and is going to win in the end. But a trump l'oiel belt? Genius. The color scheme? Never would have thought of it; in fact, thought it was heinous going in, but it completely worked. Construction: flawless. Fit: perfection. Something about it reminded me of Miguel Adrover's first runway show when he reconstructed Burberry.

Fine, he's a pain in the ass--not high-maintenance pain in the ass, but like the IT guy in your office that thinks, even though he wears a parka in the summer and has posters of computer codes all over his office, that he's cooler than everyone. And when you ask him for any help at all with anything, he bitches and moans and whines and complains. About doing. his. job. So like that.

But still. He was robbed.

Kindasorta Fashion Retraction

I was all geeked about Shop It To Me, as it is a genius concept. And I stand by that statement. But after the first email they sent, showing about 50 items from designers I chose in my size from a bunch of different online stores, it dried up. And fast. Because once they show you everything out there from their six participating stores that are on sale, the sequential emails are then pretty scarce. It may get better if they can get more stores on board, but for now, it's kind of a snore.

Then there comes the problem of shopping online without seeing your beloved product in person. Take, for example, the Prada shoes I bought via SITM from Great Bargains. Online, they looked a little bit platformy, and pretty cool. In person, notsoverymuch. The world's most weirdly pointed/square toe. A totally bizarre sole. Not so good at all. And I'm not too big to admit it: the NINE Loehmann's price tags (reducereducereduce) on them didn't give me much confidence before I even opened the box.

However, there is an upside: I discovered a GREAT site that lists their stuff on SITM: Yoox. Finally, some innovation online. They have limited-edition items, vintage, high-end exclusives, and great sales.

I fell in love with these Viktor & Rolfs with gold chain decorated toes, and knew they had to be mine. And they did not disappoint. Not at all. They're not quite my Henry Beguelins, but they were half the price and all the sexy.

Ah, The Smell of Manure and Old Money

Let us begin by clarifying that neither of the above are mine.

We traveled to Pittsburgh (Go Steelers!) this weekend to celebrate my Grandmother-In-Law's 90th. I missed her 80th in lieu of my best friend's wedding, and was never quite forgiven. This time around, not only did I show up, but I wore a dress of hers from the 60's that I had shortened into a mini for the fiesta, so I think I'm finally back to even stevens.

My husband's grandmother rocks, by the way.

We stayed at a family friend's 60-acre horse farm about a mile out of the city. It was an incredible weekend, rolling up all of my favorite vacations into one. Their house, filled to the gills with pictures and trinkets from the hunt, reminded me of the best 30th birthday ever, with 13 of my friends in a beautiful, Flagler-designed musty, rambling house in downtown Palm Beach*; riding our friends' golf cart/tractor contraption around their property was reminiscient of riding the windy hills of Mustique (except this time, we had a muffler); and best of all, we had our son with us, who was equal parts enthralled with and petrified of their six horses, and he had an absolute blast.

Pittsburgh is a fabulous city. Old architecture, nice people, decent cultural activities. I grabbed a copy of their version of CapFile/DC/DCStyle/WL in the restaurant; it's called Whirl. I always say that DC has a population of about 250 people. If that's the case, Pittsburgh has about 125. Total small pond. I could handle that.

So back to shopping.

About a year ago, we were at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, and I spied a necklace that I've been OBSESSED with ever since-it was silver, and had individual letters that spelled out "15 Minutes of Fame." Went back this weekend and it was no longer there, but must find it. Or make it. No, find it. Because I've got other crafting priorities: I've got to learn to knit so I can make that cashmere A-line Pringle sweater that's in September Elle. Must have that sweater. Must.

Speaking of obsessions, after calling every Henry Beguelin store in the US and finally contacting their hq in Italy in search of my shoes, I got a call from Nancy at Relish saying that she can special order my shoes for me, but there's only a 50% chance that they'll come in. So fingers crossed.

All in all, a great weekend, indeed.

*Best 30th Birthday ever brought to you by the largesse of my sister's former husband, back in the time I like to refer to as the Gravy Train Era. Good times, those. Good times.

Tagged!

I just found this in my drafts folder from last week...

Tagged by my favorite Aussie (who I was hoping to meet at the HH last week, but alas, husband and son with summer colds, and me with a case of the cold feet!):

Five things in my freezer: Russian chocolate, fresh bagels bought and sliced (I was feeling quite organized that morning), cilantro, vodka, ice cream sandwiches.

Five things in my closet: Ah, still unpackaged fall finds from NYC trip: Intermix high-waisted houndstooth pencil skirt w/wide patent belt, Steve Madden patent platforms*, black Habitual cords, fab Scoop dress with mirrored accents, plus an old as the hills kermit green really mod-looking Oscar dress purchased at a sample sale 20 million years ago that I can't WAIT to shorten into a mini to wear with black tights and patent heels a la Olsen twins in August Vogue (no, haven't put a lot of thought into that one...)

Five things in my car: Old cans of Slimfast, daily report cards from daycare, Prada shoes I ordered from Shop It To Me that weren't nearly as cool as the picture and must go back RIGHT NOW before my husband finds out I ordered them in the first place, August W (completely wrecked from reading it poolside today), tattered map of US (reminder that there was a point in my life when I used to camp across country with $40 to my name, and loved every last second of it).

Five things in my purse: Stamps, Armani lipstick, Isaac sunglasses (Target), lottery ticket, diagram of a friend's bong that I was going to sew a carrying satchel for (long story. Or maybe not.).

Five things in my wallet: Bank card for which I don't know the PIN** (lord help me if I ever get held up), Intermix discount card (schmuwack!), NM card, Random valet tickets, business card for Nic Simmons, GM of the Cotton House in Mustique (because someday I'm sending him a case of smokes and a bottle of good American bourbon in payment for the best vacation evereverever).

I tag thee DC Celine, Jurgen of ze Nation, CapHill Barbie.

*So, was ANYONE going to tell me that Steve Madden sells really really good knockoffs of Chloe shoes for about 1/5 the price? Anyone??

**Story: I had a meeting with Simon Doonan last year. Yes, THE Simon Doonan. I shit you not. He flew down here for it and everything. Just four of us. In a meeting. And one of us was Simon Frigging Doonan. Anyway, I was SO nervous and excited and petrified and holycrapcrapcrapitssimondoonan and all that on my way, I stopped at an ATM to get money and got to the machine and ttthhhhwoop--just like that--my PIN number left my brain, never to return. Gone. Yes, I was THAT nervous. And seriously, it's never returned. And I never remember to call to get a new card until, well, I need to get money from an ATM, when, you see, I can't do anything about it. Not smart, I know. But then again, if I had actually been smart and gotten a new card, I wouldn't be able to tell this story, now would I??

Ode To The Musiest Muse Of Them All

There are times in your life where you just meet the right person at the right time. Click. It's instant.

I think of my friend Staiphner, who I met for the first time when we waved to each other at a fanfriggingtastic Dead show (Buffalo 1991). I was on the floor, she in the upper tier (she was with our mutual friend who was 6'5"--an easy spot).

I think of B2, hired because of her excellent taste in shoes, who I swear is my doppelganger in so many ways it's kind of freaky.

I think of Michelle, who I was introduced to by my sister because I was too shy to make the intro myself (I was ten).

I think of the sisters N & M, with whom I bonded in the bathroom at a beach bar in a drunken stupor, and with whom I ended up spending some of my best college years.

And not too long ago, I met The Liquid Muse. Smart. Kind. Hilarious. Thoughtful. Cool as a vodka-soaked cuke. And a kickass writer to boot. I loved her instantaneously.

Life got busy for a spell--quit job, started job, traveled, fell into funk, had family stuff, you know how it goes. And -poof- in an instant, The Muse was gone. Headed to the other coast. And just like that, my life was a bit less sparkly.

So my dear friend, safe travels, and come back soon. And see you when I get to LA--sooner than later.

xoxo

You Heard It Here First...

District Sample Sale
Tuesday, September 12, 6-10 p.m.
3307 M Street NW, Georgetown (former Staples Building)

The first ever District Sample Sale: the season's most fashionable charitable event! Join us in Georgetown for the capital's best boutiques selling their wares at incredible prices.

This is a Labels for Love event, which raises funds and awareness for women's and children's causes globally; door proceeds will benefit Suited for Change.

Details will be forthcoming soon, so keep your ears peeled: tickets will be incredibly limited. They're $25 in advance; $40 at the door, and include cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, hourly giveaways and much more.

See your fashionable self there!

And The Winner Is...

Big Fat Big Ol' Vat Of Beauty Loot Grand Prize: Kristen Fisher

Second Prize (Fabulous Fetching Graham Webb Hair): Susanna DeRocco

Third Prize (The Famed BabsieD Sample Bag): Stephanie Beeler

Congrats to all! Please email me your address and I'll get you your goodies straight away!

*We found just 3 donors we could track back to this effort--if you did donate and aren't above, email me and I'll be glad to send you a 4th or 5th prize!

Last Call for Lootahol!

Hi everyone,
We're getting ready to select the winners of the grand fabulous Talking Budgie donationathon, but it seems to take a few days before donors show up on the Whitman Walker System. So if you donated but don't see yourself on the scrolling list of donors, just shoot me an email and let me know!

I'll draw them later this eve.