Save The Girls

Tonight was the first annual designer bra show Save "The Girls". The event was held at Spitfire which is typically a trendy sportsbar in Belltown but was transformed to include a pink runway for designer bras which attracted many local fashionistas.

Along with a runway show of uniquely decorated bras, clothing by Opal and handbags by Clutch, they also had a silent auction and raffle which included some great items. Some lucky person even won a flat screen TV!

The bras were decorated by local students from AIS, Movin' 92.5 listeners, local designers, shop owners and many others. The show even highlighted 3 breast cancer survivors (way to go ladies!!)! A Race for the Cure represenative was there to recruit runners and walkers and if you've never done that race I would suggest this be the year for you. It's a great race for an even greater cause. Plus, I was told this will be the last year they will go over the Viaduct - it has great views of the Sound!

I am a big fan of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation which dates back to my college sorority days - they do a lot of amazing things and raise a lot of money for breast cancer research. Audrey Clark & Carli Smith put on an amazing event and I applaud them for it!

Check out my pictures from the evening!

Buffalo Exchange Opens in Ballard June 20, 2009

This excites me!! No more having to head over to the UW to drop off clothing for a wee bit of cash.. Now I can just head on over to Ballard!

BUFFALO EXCHANGE OPENS IN BALLARD!
Hip buy-sell-trade clothing shop opens a second shop in Seattle in mid-June

SEATTLE, WA- Eclectic buy-sell-trade clothing shop Buffalo Exchange announces the opening of its first store in Ballard at 2232 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107 (west of 22nd Avenue NW), phone 206-297-5920, on June 20, 2009. Paid parking is available in the back and the store is convenient to several bus routes. Store hours will be Monday-Saturday 11-7, Sunday 11-6.

The 2,500 square-foot space was secured by Buffalo Exchange on April 20. The shop is at street level in the Ballard Square mini mall, in a neighborhood of independent shops and eateries. The shop features 10-foot high ceilings, floors refinished to look like weathered wood and accent mirrors. There are eight roomy, well-lit dressing rooms and two buy counters, where customers can sell their clothes for cash or trade.

The Ballard location is Buffalo Exchange's second store in Seattle. The U-District location opened in 2001 at 4530 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, phone 206-545-0175. Seattle's Grist.org says of Buffalo Exchange: "your shopping cart is full of only the chicest recycled garb" (Jan 13, 2009) and Buffalo Exchange was listed for Best Vintage and Resale, 2008 Best of Western Washington, King 5 NorthWest News Television in Seattle.

Buffalo Exchange is unique because clothing and accessories are bought, sold and traded directly with store customers. Used clothes can be traded for any item in the store, including jewelry and brand new clothing. The ever-changing inventory includes designer wear, basics, vintage, jeans, leather and one-of-a-kind items. Buffalo Exchange is a sustainable company that works to protect the environment by reusing and recycling clothing. The store donates to local nonprofit agencies in the community through its Tokens for Bags(r) program, which has generated over $300,000 for hundreds of nonprofits since 1994, saving 6 million bags. Shoppers are encouraged to accept a token instead of a bag for purchases, and Buffalo Exchange donates five cents to a charity of the customer's choice. As of May 2009, the resale clothing store chain has 34 stores and 2 franchises in 13 states, with $56.3 million a year in sales. The resale clothing store chain celebrates 35 years of business in 2009. For more, visit www.buffaloexchange.com and www.myspace.com/buffaloexchange.

http://www.buffaloexchange.com/bulletins_det.php?Bulletin_ID=979
http://www.buffaloexchange.com/locations.php?Region_ID=18

A New Take on NY Fashion Week

I stumbled across this and couldn't help myself!

The Cove

Today I went to see a movie in the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) that was really well done and informative. It was the audience winner of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The movie is The Cove. Is is all about the dolphin slaughter that takes place in Japan every year.

The movie was so moving and I hope that whoever reads this will go see it when available. It is sad to watch but you will leave wanting to do something. Sadly, most of the Japanese population know nothing of this or about the high levels of mercury they are ingesting by eating whale meat (which is sometimes dolphin meat w/o them even knowing).

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, The Cove follows a high-tech dive team on a mission to discover the truth about the international dolphin capture trade as practiced in Taiji, Japan. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide.

The Cove exposes not only the tragedy of dolphin slaughtering in Japan, but also the dangerously high levels of mercury in dolphin meat and seafood, the cruelty in capturing dolphins for entertainment, and the depletion of our ocean’s fisheries by worldwide seafood consumption. We also see how the mandate of the International Whaling Commission has been manipulated by the Japanese Fisheries Agency for its benefit and its subsequent effect on the rest of the world.

Here are some tips from http://www.takepart.com/thecove
What Can I Do To Help?

1. Explore SaveJapanDolphins.org and educate yourself about the issues.
2. Stop buying tickets to shows that exploit dolphins and whales.
3. Donate now. We will spend the money to stop the needless slaughter and sale of live dolphins.
4. Tell your friends about SaveJapanDolphins.org
5. Talk to your children about Saving the Dolphins.
6. Write letters using the addresses we have provided.

If you know anything about me you should know that I love sushi. Here is a helpful guide to let you know what fish in your area have high levels of mercury in them so you can avoid eating them. There is also one about sushi.

FREE Tickets to see The Proposal

Shop It To Me is giving away free tickets (which are good for 2 people) to the advance screening of The Proposal in Seattle and Portland.

The screenings will take place on May 27th and June 16th in Portland, and May 27th and June 2nd in Seattle.

They are giving away free tickets to the first 30 people in each city to comment on their post, so head on over to the Shop It To Me blog and leave a comment... NOW!

Old Navy Flip Flops Just $1!

Just an FYI: Old Navy will be selling their flip flops for $1 on Saturday May 23rd! They are the best flip flops to just throw in your bag and go to the beach... or use for the gym shower... or after a pedicure... Seriously, a $1? That is awesome!!

I want a pink pair, blue, green, black, orange.... You get the idea!

Bouncing Wall is Closing :(

I just got the very sad news that one of my favorite local boutiques, Bouncing Wall, will be closing their doors at the end of May. Make sure to swing on by and check out their shop before the doors close.

Don't be to sad though as they will be taking Bouncing Wall on the road (and online)! They have embraced the concept of "shopping while you drink and mingle, happy hour style!" They had their first Bouncing Wall Shop Social on August 22nd - check out the images!

The events are by invitation only so check their blog for upcoming shopping events.

Valentino: The Last Emperor

I went to see "Valentino: The Last Emperor" and it was great! My favorite Valentino quote of the movie was "I love beauty, it is not my fault".

It was interesting to see a glimpse into the life of Valentino (Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani) and Giancarlo Giammetti. They have quite a dynamic that was entertaining to watch. Plus, Valentino's 5 pugs were adorable! They live a very large and lavish life.

Here is what wikipedia had about thier lavish life: "Valentino and Giammetti's lifestyle has always been flamboyant to the extreme. John Fairchild, editor-at-large at Women's Wear Daily and W, told Vanity Fair (August 2004): Valentino and Giancarlo are the kings of high living. Every other designer looks and says, ‘How do they live the way they do?’ I don’t think they made the money that Valentino and Giancarlo did, because Giancarlo knows how to make money. If they did, they didn’t spend the money like Valentino. No other designer ever did. When the terrorism first started in Rome - the period when the Red Brigades were kidnapping people - Valentino was riding around in a bulletproof Mercedes. And do you know what color the Mercedes was? Red. My God, I thought, you must want to get blown up.

Valentino owns marvelous villas and apartments around the world, all boasting an extensive array of art pieces. These are: Palazzo Mignanelli near the Spanish steps in Rome and a villa on the Via Appia Antica, a major historical landmark of Rome, Chalet Gifferhorn in Gstaad, Switzerland. In France it's the Chateau de Wideville, a castle on 120 acres (0.49 km2) in Davron, about 30 minutes outside Paris which he bought in 1998 and had meticulously restored by the late Henri Samuel, the dean of French interior design. The castle had been previously decorated by the late Renzo Mongiardino, the greatest of the Italian decorators, who also worked on Valentino's Roman villa and Giammetti's Tuscan house. Built circa 1600, the castle was once the home of Claude de Bullion, the finance minister for Louis XIII, who slept at Wideville, according to a plaque in the castle, on January 22, 1634. During the reign of Louis XIV, Madame de la Valliere, one of his mistresses, lived at Wideville. Her bedroom, a mirrored-walled chapel with a 30-foot (9.1 m)-high ceiling, was converted into a bathroom. Valentino also has an apartment near the Frick Museum overlooking Central Park, New York and one of the largest private houses in London's Holland Park, a 19th-century mansion whose centerpiece is the grand salon, which features five late Picassos. The breakfast room is lined with 200 Meissen plates, and the small salon has two Basquiats and a painting by Damien Hirst. His villa on the cliffs of Capri has recently been sold.

Valentino also spends much time on T. M. Blue One, his hundred-and-fifty-two-foot long yacht boasting a full-time staff of eleven, and a selection of art ranging from Picassos to Andy Warhol. He frequently visits Giancarlo Giammetti's residences: the penthouses in Via Condotti in Rome and on the Quai D'Orsay in Paris, or the country estate in Cetona, Tuscany."

Check it out, it's a great film if you're interested in fashion!

I Covet Shoes (and Jewelry)

I started a new blog today that I plan to maintain just like this one!

I LOVE shoes!! Please check out the Shoe Coveter, my new shoe blog! I plan to stop people and photograph their shoes and ask some details about where they got them, how much they spent, etc...

What else should I ask?

I have a Jewelry Coveter too but haven't posted anything just yet - stay tuned!!

Yes, I am crazy!! That would be a total of 5 blogs I maintain - WHOA!!! This should be fun! I hope you tag along. :)

thaw Spring Fashion Show Recap

South of downtown, or SODO as it is fondly known as, at the Pacific Industrial Center, the 3rd annual thaw Spring fashion show was held. thaw is seattle's annual fashion show and fundraiser featuring several local independent designers. Proceeds from the evening benefit the Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA) to fund social services and research.

The evening started off with cocktails, appetizers and shopping from various vendors and sponsors. My mom (my partner in crime for this event) and I went and checked out the VIP room - there was another bar and a lot more food available (sushi, noodles, dessert, and so much more). In the main room there was krab ceviche', Via Tribunali pizza, Orient Express, a few bars and more...

The show was scheduled to begin at 8pm but didn't actually begin until about 8:45 or so. We were pretty anxious to get in so once the curtains open everyone rushed in to find their table or seats. (I was please with my seat right up against the runway - that helps when taking pictures!)

There was a live auction of several big ticket items, an emotional snipet of a documentary on Huntington's Disease and then the runway show began.

The designers featured were (not in this order):
The top 5 winners of Seattle Magazine’s 2009 Seamless in Seattle competition, Adam Arnold, Michael Cepress, Jill Lindsey, Karly Orr, Liza Rietz, Holly Stalder, Kate Towers, Liise Wyatt, Wyatt Orr, and handbags by Sabrina Love!

I fully enjoyed this show - there were many items shown that I would love to own! I wish I could say "this was my favorite item" but I don't know that I can pin point it down as there were atleast 10 or so pieces I want!!

Check out the images from the show!

Sunday is the Best Day... Sometimes

Today turned out to be a really nice sunny day here in Seattle. The weatherman had called for rain but thankfully he was wrong.

I started my day off with an hour long facial at Spa Noir, which I LOVED. Then I met up with Melissa at Shoefly which was just supposed to be a random quick stop but then I discovered their 70% off sale section and couldn't resist myself... I tried on a few duds but then found a cute brown heeled sandal that I had to have! The shoes were originally $116 but after the discount and tax they came to $38.33. SCORE!

Then Melissa and I headed over to Polite Society to check out what was left as they are closing (So sad!!). They have a few cute items still available but it was pretty picked over. I guess that is good for them though as that means a lot of merchandise has been sold. There were many pieces of antique furniture - a beautiful French desk caught my eye!

Then we hit Free People to see what they had. I've seen their clothing at Nordstrom but have yet to actually visit their shop. There were some nice items in there but their clothing felt a bit to young for me.

After all that shopping it was time for some bubble tea in the ID. We hopped a bus and headed on down there. As we were walking towards the tea place we noticed this crepe place we've had our eye on was open (it had been closed for renovations). We've talked about it for so long - today was the day!

I had the most delicious banana custard coco whipped crepe. It had bananas, whipped cream, custard and chocolate sauce. OMG it was sinful and sooooo yummy! I just kept telling myself it was low fat... We did still get bubble tea after we both had a crepe. The sugar rush has set in!

We said our goodbyes and headed our seperate ways. The day isn't over yet, but man, it was a good day!

A Good Read from the Library

Today I stopped by the library and just so happened to stumble up this book which I am very excited to start reading. It's called "Vintage Shoes" by Caroline Cox.

I haven't gotten very far yet but sofar there is a great quote from Christian Louboutin: "Women should live to the rhythm of high-heeled shoes!"

Check it out, it has a lot of great pictures of beautiful shoes!!

WTF Metro!

This is a post unlike any of my others as it is a more personal matter for me...

Last night my husband came home and was very upset. Apparently at 1pm yesterday on his way to work he was on the #7 bus headed to Columbia City and 10 15 year old kids got on. Husband was talking on his cell phone to his brother and got off once they got on as they were being really loud and calling him "faggety ass white boy on a pink phone" (his phone broke so he is using an old phone of mine which happens to be pink). He just ignored them. Then a Hispanic family got on and they started yelling "swine flu, swine flu" and scare the family so bad they got off. Then one of the girls told husband she was getting off the bus so he moved out of her way and instead she stole his seat and called her friend over. Husband said "No, move your ass over". Well that unleashed the beast in them. He now had to stand as it was a packed bus and his seat had been stolen. They started flicking him, grabbing his bag, pulling on his iPod cord, spraying him with perfume, called him names, pushed a sore on his neck and saying "swine flu" and just went on and on. No one on the bus said a word... It was a packed bus too... filled with people who wouldn't even look his way.

Husband had no idea what to do since they were kids. Had it been an adult he would have lashed back... What kind of rights does an adult have against kids? I know one solution would have been to just get off the bus but then aren't you just fueling what they are doing?

Five of the kids got off at his stop to go to the alternative school by where he works. He is going to contact the school but not sure what else to do. I wanted to at least post a blog about it as I think it is so wrong of people to just watch something like this happen. All someone had to do was tell the bus driver a guy is being harassed call the police. Then the cops could meet the bus at the next stop and handle this situation. Husband was not hurt but he felt powerless. Thankfully he wasn't hurt as you never know what kids who act like will do... They were basically showing off for one another, the pack mentality.

I read a story yesterday about a woman who asked a bus driver to call 911 but supposedly he refused. According to the article: "The woman claims she told the male Metro driver that "she wasn't with this man and that she needed him to call for help," but the suspect told the driver they were engaged and she "was just mad at him," police said. According to the police report, the Metro driver is alleged to have told the woman, "You're with him now — deal with it."

I also did a search on metro bus just to see what other stories I could find on the Seattle Times website and I found quite a few...

It saddens me that things like this are happening. What can we do to make riding to work safer and cleaner? (cleaner is a whole other issue - I learned recently from a bus driver that Metro NEVER cleans the buses other than just blowing the trash out. No wiping down of the seats, rails, etc. YUCK!)

I love riding the bus, I really do. It's so easy and quick. Everyone is entitled to a safe, clean, harassment free ride. I wonder if that is possible?

I just wanted to share this info for any and all who may read this. If you see someone being harassed or harmed or even get hurt do something about it. Don't idly stand by and do nothing. What is that was you, wouldn't you want to be helped? This goes for all instances... You see someone fall in the park, ask if they are ok, don't just let them lie there. Come on people, treat others as you would like to be treated! It's as simple as that.

Ok, enough of my soap box. Thanks for reading.