By: Julie Bortnick, of the fashion and lifestyle blog from prosecco to plaid
One of my absolute favorite things about summer is the endless days in a row of wearing dresses. It might be fairly warm almost year round in Houston, but this wardrobe staple doesn’t kick in to high gear until right about now. Gone are the days of pants because it’s time to move your fabulous frocks to the front of your closet and enjoy these hot days in style. Read the rest of this entry »
What a busy time we’re having right now. So many things every night that I feel like I’m missing as many as I make it to, but this past week was highlighted by some pretty big events…..which means lots and lots of picture Read the rest of this entry »
Accessories are my passion and it’s this love for all of these many fashion categories that excites me about each new season. However, putting this all into one blog posting can be challenging and somewhat overwhelming, so for today I will show you many of my favorite picks from most of the accessories that will make styling your outfits for spring/summer such a delight. However, I must leave shoes to be their own posting as there is so much exciting fashion happening in footwear that they deserve their own story.
Why Do I Love Accessories ? Mainly because there is no quicker, easier and I must add, budget-friendly way to make your current closet essentials look trend-right for the season, than through the addition of well-chosen accessories. For example, if there is a color for the season like this Spring’s Orange and Yellow or Shades of Blue and you’re unsure that you want to wear it in your apparel…..a pop of it through accessorizing will make you feel very NOW and in-trend. White is always a fresh approach to the coming months and this year pop it off black and you are wearing the most popular color story of the year! I could go on and on but the 
message is a little pop of accessories can go a long way to add style to your wardrobe and a lot can do even more……when in doubt, Accessorize!
The good news is that there are so many great places in this town that specialize in doing accessories well……a bientot, More Than You Can Imagine, Willow, Tootsies, Cotton Club, Neiman Marcus, J.Crew (both in store and online) and many, many more. Read the rest of this entry »
What a delight for us to share a lovely breakfast and have some one-on-one chat time with one of the most creative and delightful women around, the talented London shoe designer, Charlotte Olympia Dellal. She was making her first trip to Texas exclusively for Neiman Marcus to meet her customers and celebrate the launch of her newest Cosmic Collection of Birthday Shoes, richly colored suede flats, and Zodiac Pandora Clutch boxes,
each embellished with enamel and Swarovski crystal zodiac symbols, designed to celebrate the twelve star signs. Each style comes with a Charlotte Olympia horoscope book to take away any guessing on just what your accessories say about you?!
About Charlotte Olympia: Luxury accessories designer, Charlotte Olympia Dellal launched her London-based shoe brand ‘Charlotte Olympia’ in January of 2008. Her designs, which have brought this charming female shoe designer in this male-dominated field to the forefront, are known for their classic sophistication and meticulous attention to details. She has created the brand’s feminine design philosophy that is inspired by the bygone era of old-Hollywood glamour. Added treat, all of her shoes feature, on the sole, the iconic web design that is becoming iconic to this designers’ brand logo. For more info on Charlotte and see so many amazing and very special footwear, visit her site at charlotteolympia.com.
Ippolita Jewelry Collection is being showcased this week at Neiman Marcus with a trunk show and personal appearance by one of the company representatives on April 10th. I’ve always admired this designer jewelry collection as one that I felt to be an original trailblazer. Through its unique use of stone craftsmanship and signature bangle clusters, it has created a trend, followed by many in the jewelry business. Ippolita believes in layering her pieces and is considered the first of her trade to take fine jewelry into daytime wear. She created her pieces to be worn for everyday use and to take the wearer from day into night. Read the rest of this entry »
Roz and Trish (photo taken by Trish's 12 yr. old daughter, Jillian!)
Recently, I had a great time visiting with Trish Wescoat Pound, on Neiman Marcus Galleria’s 3rd Floor with founder and creative director of one of the coolest and fastest growing collections in Contemporary Designer….Haute Hippie, the perfect name for this one-of-a-kind contemporary look that she has created.
Trish, looks every bit the part of the “Hip/Ro-Bo” (Rock Bohemian) customer that she designs for. She’s definitely a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n roll, originally from Oklahoma, where her earliest dreams were to become a country music singer. She was, in fact, staying over and heading to the Rodeo that night with her daughter, Jillian, to see Blake Shelton whose wife Miranda Lambert is a big Haute Hippie wearer. Although her focus is there, her reach with this line is far beyond a limited demographic, as I for one can prove, as someone that has bought from this collection and we won’t mention how far away I may be from her target audience?! Shhhh!
She also comes to this point in her life, more than paying her dues from collecting tons of experience as a 20-year veteran of the merchandising/designer world. She has designed for and led many important sportswear companies before taking the leap on her own…several of note are: Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Theory and lastly, President of all Contemporary product at Liz Claiborne, which included Juicy Couture, Laundry and others. She calls herself a “100% gal,” meaning she does not go into anything she tackles without living and breathing it with all of her existence…her energy is boundless and contagious to all around. She also knows it all, from the creative to the business end which made for a great visit with me, as we played, “Retail Geography”, you know the one….”do you know___?” Read the rest of this entry »
Michelle Smith’s, Milly Collection was one of NYFW’s runway shows that I was determined to see, and stayed over an extra day of my shortened trip to do it. You see, I had interviewed her and had such a great visit with her when she was here for Neiman Marcus’ special event for Dress for Success (click here to learn more about Michelle) and reported on it late last Fall, that I was intrigued to see what her new season was to offer.
To find these fab items, see below!
Valentine’s Day is upon us and what greater way to show you care than a small token of your love for those special people in your life. It’s historically a holiday of small trinkets and unusual items that say “I love you” in lots of different ways. Read the rest of this entry »
Another good year has come and gone in the world of Fashion and if you’re like me, this time of year, I just get hooked on reflecting back on so many things……movies, books,stars that have emerged, those we have lost and big news stories. Well, Fashion has had all of that and I’ve searched the web, coming up with my own favorites of the year both in Trends and Big Stories that we have all taken notice of in 2012. The mystery remains as to what will linger on into 2013! Having seen several of the Spring Collections, there will be encore appearances for many of last year’s biggest looks, just done with a new twist, of course, to keep us all interested……….looking back is fun, but looking forward is exciting! Read the rest of this entry »
What a life story for Lubov Azria…born in the Ukraine where she studied ballet under Bolshoi Junior Company. Is then forced to leave Russia, heads to San Antonio, Texas where her family has friends and she lived for several of her early years. I can only imagine the culture shock, but Lubov answered “yes ma’am” when I asked if this was true and says she considered herself a Texan at heart, but not for long as she then moved to L.A. Her love was art, but realizing that making a living could be difficult, went to FIDM Fashion School in L.A., and found a new passion. She went for a job interview with Max Azria, 21 years ago, was hired, married her boss a year later, and the end result has been a beautifully close collaboration between Lubov and Max that has created for her a top design responsibility and title and a 20 brand empire that the two oversee.
As we chatted at Neiman Marcus after I had seen both runway shows at Fashion Houston, I asked her to talk to me about the lines that I had seen and a brief glimpse of each customer. She felt it was important to understand that there really are three lines…. Read the rest of this entry »
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