District Sample Sale

tickets on sale today, 10am at www.districtsamplesale.com. This is the season we cross the $200,000 mark of donations to our charities (which now number NINE!). Hope you can join us!

District Sample Sale: March 18

We're so excited about coming back to Georgetown for our fifth event! Hope to see you there!

Breaking news!

I was all set to chat it up about the promo jar of Natura Bisse Diamond face cream that arrived at my office last week--that is literally the size of my head--but I just got word of the biggest sale ever:

The R. Nichols 5 and dime sale starts tomorrow, with everything $5.10, sold in packs of eight.

Dear lord. Get there while you can before it all runs out!!

Madame, your gown awaits...

Need a dress for the 20th? Of course you do.

Seriously: Put. That. Bridesmaid. Dress. Away. She promised that "You could really wear it again--definitely, I swear it."

She lied.

So plugging a bit here, but here are some options in the $350-$750 range:

Saja: beautiful gowns, fun colors (though the black one with the studded neckline is my fave). Trunk show with 10% off through this week at Ginger. $400-$500 range.

Nicole Miller: cute dresses that you actually could wear again (unlike your liarliarpantsonfire bridey friend's taffeta concoction that ran you four and a quarter, not counting the shower). Trunk show with 20% off this weekend at Imagine Fashion Apothecary. $350-$600 range.

Teri Jon: Higher up on the price scale, but pretty gowns that wear really well and are very reasonably priced for their quality. Also check out the 50% off gown rack, all at Harriet Kassman. $750 range for Teri Jon.

Oh, and while we're on the topic: Nanette Lepore will be in town for inauguration weekend. Keep your eyes peeled for her famed curly locks dancing around town.

Today's Obsession: Chahhming, Dahhling

I have a charm bracelet. Specifically, I have a Links bracelet that is made to hold charms. I also have charms.

For a while, I liked the bracelet on its own, and I just never got around to attaching said charms (all received during my 30th birthday weekend party on Middle Road in Palm Beach, in the epicenter of what will forever be known as The Gravy Train Era. But I digress.). Part of it is that I already have a jangly bracelet: a Kelly watch, the locket of which rattles around with each step. Point is, you can already hear me from a mile away when I'm sporting it (helpful to warn when I had a staff back in my corporate days).

My sister also was somehow able to finagle my grandmother's gold charm bracelet, which is just rattly and wacky and filled with treasures, some from flea markets, some from the world over. So even though I like my lil' Links, it just doesn't compare. Again, I digress, this time with jealousy.

But now that Washington is--for at least the next month--the cool city, I may actually get around to attaching said charms to said bracelet, simply so that I have the excuse to buy this one and janglejangle it around. Also available in White House and Washington Monument charms, with prices ranging from $345 - $1035, all available in yellow or white gold. Custom commissioned and available exclusively at Charles Schwartz & Son at the Willard and Mazza.

The Greatest Gift of All

...came from my SIL. The 2 DVF boxes were a close 2nd.

...this is from one of the two assorted packs I received. The company is called Mean Cards, and this is not even close to the funniest one there. Also check out her life story, told through her animation. Enjoy!

Score!

I'd show you the SICK black Armani cardigan I scored at 40% off, but I was too busy photographing my seating arrangements instead of my outfit on Friday; I'd also show you the gorgeous lipstick red Ikito dress (with the 4" cutout RIGHT above my bum) that I wore twice last week (once to the Charles Nolan show at Saks, which was tres fun though I didn't quite get where he was going for spring but I digress)--but I was too busy trying not to faint from the sheer pain of being simultaneously 4 months pregnant and in 5" Choo boots to pose for a picture. But trust me, they're both incredible. And now they're going to be discounted even more...

Bloggers Corner at the DSS!

So if you're coming to the DSS and you're a blogger, please do the following:
-Get your ticket now, as they're going quickly!
-Email blogger@districtsamplesale.com with your full blog name, address, and a 25-word description of your blog, and we'll feature it in our Fashion & Events Blog page in the DSS program.
-Stop by the Bloggers Corner at the DSS and pick up your fabulous free goodie bag!

That is all. Carry on.

We're Number, Um, FIVE!

So another fun fact from WWD: The DC Metro area has been ranked fifth in the nation in annual beauty spending, with an average annual spend of $453 (I don't believe procedures were included in the calculations--if they were, my group alone would add about $35 per capita...).

So I started doing the math (as really, when it comes down to it, I'm a number-crunching statistical analysis wonk more than anything else):
La Mer foundation, sold by pushy saleswoman, two shades too dark. Grrr. : $65
La Mer foundation, correct color (whitewhitewhite) sold by Jamie, the fantastic LaMer rep at Saks CC: $65
Laura Mercier Sunkissed (bought all left in stock as they were discontinuing it): $66
Nars Blush (Orgasm, but of course): $25
Too-Faced eyeshadow, George and Weezie: $17
Lipglosses: 8 colors, all in search of the perfect shade of tangerine that I don't think exists: $80 (approx)
Drunkypants Cosmetic Shopping at Random Department Store Beauty Event: $330 (the last one I went to, anyway).

That's $648 without really thinking about it. To achieve a fabulous level of...complete mediocrity. Damn. Guess maybe I should allocate that to the procedure side of that ledger. But that's another post entirely.

Sunday Toast

Happy Sunday!

I'm enjoying my Sunday a.m. routine: Snow Queen BM, Sunday Source, NYT front to back (front page first, weddings a close second, though the Mrs. Astor article by Bill Cunningham trumped both this week), and catching up on the WWD's I've skipped over the course of my busybusydamnbusy week.

...but I had to interrupt to share this bit of spectacular marketing prowess, from Friday's WWD...

Now I love me Barneys' shoe department more than just about anything else. But Saks' new shoe department at its NYC flagship: effing BRILLIANT:
-It's an entire floor (Eight). 50 vendors, 100,000 pairs (it is listed as "stockkeeping units" actually--but that's got to be pairs, right?).
-They lobbied for--and got--their own zipcode from the USPS:
10022-SHOE, which is incorporated into all their collateral.
-It features a shoe repair shop.
-They set it up so that the seating is arranged around tables--so while you're trying on Stuart Weitzmans, the person across from you is trying on Chanels--so you KNOW you're going to upgrade (though the real VIPs have their own luxe room, but of course).

So, CMO of Saks, whomever and wherever you are: I raise my glass of tomato-infused deliciousness and salute you. You are a marketing genius.

Too hot, too cold, too late, I'm sold...

Wow. Today. So that was a blur. One of those where I was so up to my eyeballs that the only way I knew it was 6:00 was from the throbbing that is my butt bone from sitting behind my computer for far too long.

But this weekend. Now that, my leetle fashionable friends, was just fine.

For starters: SoHo Grand. I don't know why we always stay there--maybe because due to my old old job, I always could score an upgrade. No upgrade this time--room was okay, though really small. Some air conditioning regulation would really benefit occupants (me). Options were 800, or four, degrees.

And you know how, for example, you see that one, say, fuschia handknit Balenciaga sweaterdress at Kirna Zabete that looks so fab on you but you just can't pull the trigger because, realistically, how many times can you wear a fuschia handknit sweaterdress (that you know you'll drop "thanks--it's Balenciaga" EVERY SINGLE time someone comments on it because you just can't help yourself even though it makes you look like a pompous ass) before you overdo it and it sits in your closet and right when it's about to become truly fantastically retro a family of moths gets to it? BUT for the rest of your shopping trip, nothing else looks good because it's not THAT dress?

That's kind of how shopping was. Well, it was a little about the dress, but much more about the 8 kazillion dollar Oscar Satio Oiwa painting that I've been longing for for about three years. It's still there, at this awesome little shop on Mercer, in need of a home--one that can afford an 8 kazillion dollar Oscar Satio Oiwa painting (which isn't mine). So there was that.

But the food: now that was a whole other story. For starters, Lure. It's kind of like bigger hardwood Fly with food. And Prada. On a boat. If that makes any sense. Oh, and there were potato chips and a drink recipe I texted to TLM in a drunken stupor. So yes, Lure = good.

Then if it's Saturday and it's NYC, it's brunch at Balthazar. Because no one gets their percentages of horseradish, vodka, and tomatoes just as perfectly precise as those geniuses behind the bar. No one. It's summer, so the crowd was mainly comprised of tourists casually looking around to see who they could see. Answer = no one, just more tourists. But yum. Tip: there's an attendant in their very stocked bathroom at all times. So your options are: a.) bring your purse b.) forget your purse, then have to head all the way up, down, and back up 20 crickety stairs to tip said attendant or c.) feel guilty all day. I went for option b. this time--have never, ever been bright enough to go for a.).

Then shopping. See above. But add in the stellar Pucci vintage collection at What Comes Around Goes Around, the fab hippy snotty Plenty dress I got for next to nothing at Scoop, and the great Hendrix shirt I got my son at same.

Next, a little irony: the Meatpacking district for Craftsteak. Oh, and I in my favorite comfy-blanket Manoush grey dress from Alex. Was stopped three times by pretty awesomely clad people asking about it (including a fabulous man who ran up to ask if it was French). Between that and my husband who was given the nod and stopped about 50 times to ask about his Wilco shirt whilst shopping, we actually felt a wee bit cool. In NYC. Kind of unprecendented.

So back to the meats. So Proof (has it opened yet? Anyone?) is modeled on the Craft concept. And if they nail it half as well as the Craft people, then holy bejezus it will be the BESTEST restaurant in DC (at least until Ris' restaurant opens). From the innovative, impeccable decor, to the flawless service to the humongo wine list (Cadence Cabernet--not hugely expensive but a solid choice) to the "medium rare plus option" offered for the greatgreat dinner to the peanut butter caramel deliciousness that was dessert, they just got it.

And just when that was quite decadent enough came the encore--with your check, you get individually wrapped homemade cinnamon muffins for the next morning. And they are frigging perfection.

Dear Mr. Kuller,
Please do that.
Sincerely,
Babsie D.

So be ready to spend the equivalent of a Balenciaga fuschia sweaterdress on your meal, but no regrets at all.

Things we did: saw Tatum O'Neill (who I see EVERY time I'm in NYC, I swear it), debated buying the way cool photograph of Keith Richards with a bottle of Jack that we almost buy every time we're there, napped before going out because we're damn old.
Things we didn't do: Stop a Broome Street, Barneys or Bergdorfs, see the fabulous Holly at HollyWould (damndamndamn!), stop to see preggers p.r. maven K who rules the town, 5 college roommates, or favorite former co-worker L. Had to focus.

So that's about it. I've lost about 10 pounds in the last few months due to stress and sheer laziness, but think I put them all back this weekend. But to spend three days with the man who somehow still loves me, starting it all with great music, ending with great muffins? Yeah, worth it.

GO RIGHT NOW

Yoox Sample Sale started this morning. Just scored Balenciaga shorts for $95. Tip: change "Items per page" from 10 to 30 for fastest scanning.

Good luck!

A Whole New World

Okay, reprieve over.

Armpit of the universe: winner and remaining champion: Orlando, Florida. Dear lord.

The saddest thing I witnessed, not only there but maybe in my entire life, was a man videotaping his wife. At a Rainforest Cafe. Gift Shop. Shopping for souvenir T-shirts.

There were a few highlights, such as enjoying my final expense account trip for a while (Seasons52: a fantastic restaurant; Wolfgang Puck: while I thought both the decor and the food would be cheesy and commercial, only the decor was, the food was fabulous; but Emeril's Tchoup Chop: HORRID. I've never seen any restaurant spend so much time crafting such a perfect-sounding menu, only to completely flub the implementation all around); and the weather was great (I came back to DC's frigidity from a 75 degree day). And my companions were great. It was sad that I was just getting to know some of them, and getting to see how hilarious and cool so many of them are, only to leave right after.

Speaking of, a small tribute to the coolest of them all:
The Monica
3/4 Vodka
1/4 Chambord
Splash of Orange Juice
...serve on the rocks, and enjoy your badass liquor on liquor combo.

So anyway, I was basically in survival mode down there, just trying to juggle as many balls as possible, not drop too many of them, and trying to get a million projects done before my last day. Then I came back home--and I swear, it was to a whole new world:
-Anna Nicole. I literally laid down with a migrane and woke up to the news. The jokes about it just make me uncomfortable, because it's just sad all around. That money is a total curse, and will be forever.
-Barneys Warehouse Sale started. My friend K2, a fashion p.r. director in NYC who is preggers, was at the private first day. She scheduled her sonogram so that she would know the sex of the baby in time for shopping, but they couldn't figure it out. She settled for a cashmere AC/DC rock jersey, figuring it would be fine either way.
-My child learned to say his "l"s. I picked him up out of bed the morning I got back (wearing a sweatshirt with writing across it). He pointed to them and said "Yetters. No, Letters." And it at was that moment that he changed from baby to boy and my heart broke just a wee little bit.
-Speaking of, he also is damn near obsessed with Kraftwerk. So that's fun. But he can now spot Jerry Garcia on the guitar--well, he's about 8 for 10 on average. Not bad for a 2-3/4 year old.
-The District Sample Sale is going fabulously. We have 23 total vendors, just about every boutique in DC plus a few accessories/jewelry people, plus Snow Queen Vodka martinis, Peroni beer, yummy apps, and a great after party: The District Sugar Shack, featuring champagne, a CakeBar cupcake bar, and Grooming Lounge treats for the boys. We raised $10,000 our last time out, and with your help, we'll beat that for this season's chosen cause, SOME Place for Kids.
-My last day of my day job was right after I got back. It was weird being at a job for only six months: not enough time to make any more than a negligible impact. On my last day, the clock hit 6, they shut down my computer, and I left. End of story.
-And now I'm off, in business for myself. I'm terrified. TERRIFIED. And thrilled beyond words. My sister is known for this type of cliff jumping, not me. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I have to take it. Wish me luck. Lots of it.

So there you have it. I'm back, a little tired, but it's a whole new day, kidliwinks.

Stubbs Sale!

So if you haven't been to Southampton in a while*, and haven't had the opportunity to head south to wander the amazing Worth strip from East (Beach, Pucci, Neiman's) to West** (Johnnie Brown's***, Everglades), you can still get the look--and for cheap, while they last:

Stubbs 50% off sale starts tomorrow and runs through February 5 (although you can access the sale site right now). The Jollys I pined for this summer aren't on the rack, but lots of other good ones are (these above, currently available in 6,7,8: $105!).

Of note: at the same time you're browsing online, their stores are PACKED with bargain hunters, and their store and online inventories are one in the same. If you see a pair you have to have, you may want to call one of their stores and buy them over the phone to make sure you get them. I've ordered even during non-sale times and have had the last in my size bought right out from under me.

Happy shopping!

* ** Yeah me, either.

***Great baby gift: copy of Mizner Mouse, The Pride of Palm Beach. Signed copies (at least the last time I was there) are available at both Johnnie Brown's (owned by Brooke Shields' dad) and that bookstore that's over by the Church Mouse, the best thrift store EVER.

BabsieD: Big Talker

So in response to DCCeline's "so where did you go?" question, and in response to my own "so many events for fabulous me to go to because I'm just such a busybusy girl blahblahblah..."

Here's where I went last week:

Nowhere.

And I had the best damn time doing it.

Thursday: made it as far as Peacock for cocktails with my friend B2. Laughed my ass off. Caught up by actually making eye contact and speaking in full sentences--you know, like normal people do with their friends (which I just haven't made enough time for as of late, save for text messages and 30-second phone convos). Such a good catch up. And Peacock nachos rock.

Friday: Lunch with my friend M. at Rasika. (But wait--before you click that link, be warned--it could possibly be the most annoying website EVER). Fried spinach (Palak Choat) to die for, and company to match--the perfect antidote to a dreary rainy day. I was feeling rather schlumpy that morning, and threw on my Casual Friday finest--J. Crew camouflage pants, black cashmere crewneck, ballet flats (at least they were Chanel, so it was only 80% schlumpy). I looked up from my hot tea out the window and saw M. crossing the street-black cape, incredible bag, hair perfect--a vision even in the rain. She's just one of those people who always looks fabulous.

Saturday: soapmaking class. Yes, laugh if you will, but it's always been a goal of mine. What did I learn? 1.) I'm not making soap until my child is about 18, because lye (1/2 of soap), can kill you. The teacher started off with a horror story about a 2-year old. So that ended that fantasy. 2.) "Triple-milled" soap is a process by which they squeeze all the glycerin out of the soap (thrice, in case you haven't figured out that piece of rocket science). So that actually makes the soap more drying. Verdict: apparently my $50 box of Jo Malone Sandalwood soap is bad for me. Oh well, it still smells better than anything on the planet (save for Laura Mercier creme brulee). 3.) Actually there is no #3--that's pretty much all I learned.

Also, lap at Storehouse. They keep lowering their prices, their selection keeps getting worse. I was hoping to find my dream living room couch right at the intersection of Dirt Cheap and Perfect Shade of Golden Tan, but I don't think it's going to happen. I did score a copy of Chanel and Her World (normally $60, got it for $30) and a few copies of Nasty by Simon Doonan (fabulous man and his book is a hilarious read--will make a great stocking stuffer).

Sunday: neighborhood Halloween parade. Yes, take a moment to revel in the astounding cuteness that is my boy and his cohorts:

My son tried to out-stubborn me, but he keeps forgetting that I'm actually the one that taught him stubborn. So the fish costume was going on, dammit. He's looking down in the picture out of protest (since he's wearing a full-on fish, but his one best friend's Thomas the Tank costume was too long so he got a pass after a few minutes, and his other BFF did full-on stubborn and won. So my boy was just a little pissed.

Monday: Well, worked my tail off for starters. Then put a few touches on my upcoming event (SOOOO excited to blab about it, just can't quite yet), then off for cocktails at Firefly with The Liquid Muse, in from her new home out west for a few days. Tried to be cool and order the house drink (when you're out with TLM, you can't just order wine!), had exactly one sip of the Firefly Punch. WAY too rummy. But Michael, the new G.M., brought us over some INCREDIBLE yummies (holy truffle fries--those things are crack), and some sort of Apple Brandy concoction, which was quite deliciouso.

All in all, a perfect stretch spent with people I love.