Shopping Event at Clutch

I am so excited about an upcoming trunk show at Clutch on Dec 17th for several reasons:

1. I love Clutch
2. I love to shop
3. I will be selling my jewelry there!! ;)

Hope you can make it!!

Please join us on Thursday, December 17th for a holiday shopping event at the shop (212 fourth ave at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel).

From 3pm to 7pm, they'll be featuring some of the best of local designers including, but not limited to: Jewelry from Tarah Prater Perini & Kelsey Colliander, Luxurious Knit Wraps from Lynn Pinkoske and other great items that you don't usually find in our shop.

Refreshments to be served!

Upcoming Events I'm Excited for....

This week is going to be a busy one... Here is where you'll be able to find UFN hanging out and socializing...

Bi-Annual Dress for Success Event at Clutch:
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 5–7:30pm
Drinks, sweets, prizes, giveaways, polish changes from Julep, and jewelry from Rock Star Jewelry for 25% off. Bring in a gently used handbag or toiletries for 25% off a new fancy handbag! Win win!!

2nd Annual Goodwill Glitter Gala:
Nov 5th at 6pm at the Sheraton Hotel Metropolitan Ballroom (1400 Sixth Ave)
Also note, the 26th Annual Goodwill Glitter Sale which is November 14 - 15th, from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Girl On Top:
Nov 6th, 6-9pm
The Limited at South Center 315 S. Center, Strander Blvd.
-Chatting up the women in Seattle you need to have on speed dial
-A gift bag valued at over $500 (full of stuff you'll actually use)
-An exclusive 40% discount on The Limited's brand new business-chic attire (perfect for that next big meeting or interview)
-Free-flowing Girl On Top Cocktails
-Career advice from Nicole Williams (who couldn’t use that at a time like this?)
Please RSVP (let them know UFN sent you!)

Then next week:

November FGI Event:
Nov 10th at Ummelina Day Spa (1525 4th Ave) at 6:30-8:30pm
Seattle’s Fashion Group International is hosting a fall fashion event on Tuesday November 10th at Ummelina Day Spa. Event highlights include a mini trunk show presented by Betsey Blach from Cashmere Wrappings, complimentary hand massages and foot soaks from Ummelina Day Spa and a special presentation by FGI member Margaret Spencer who is a Seattle-based wardrobe stylist. “As a Personal Stylist, I empower women to be their personal best and help find the right fit for their individual shape,” says Margaret. Admission to this event is free to all FGI members and $10 for general admission.
Please RSVP to Courtney Russell at crussell@halfpastlavish.com

SEMI-ANNUAL BLUSH II
Nov 13th, The Spitfire Grill (2219 4th Ave) in Belltown at 7pm
This semi-annual event showcases designs from local fashion designer Vantha Ry. Ms. Ry’s clothing line which caters to petite women who are 5’4’’ and under consists of ready-to-wear separates that are functional and fashionable. In addition to Vantha Ry, Blush II will also include fashions derived from other up and coming designers and boutiques in their fashion show lineup.
Guests and attendees of Blush II will enjoy an evening of fashion, beauty, and entertainment all to benefit Y.E.S. and Dress For Success which provides its members with volunteer, fundraising and networking opportunities to champion the mission of Dress for Success, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women.

Stay up to date on local events and sales with our Events and Sales Calendar! (We work very hard on it!) :)

Clutch Turns 2!

Guess what! One of our favorite downtown shops, Clutch (1212 fourth ave at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel ), will be celebrating their 2 yr Anniversary on Thursday August 13th from 5pm to 8pm!

They will have Noshes by Conscious Catering, Champagne, Wink Cupcakes, Music, Swag for the first 50 guests and fabulous discounts and select Arm Candy!!!

It's going to be quite the shindig - you better be there! ;) See you there!!

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!

The Weekend Update

Friday felt like it took FOREVER to get here so by the time it finally arrived I was so happy to know the weekend was within reach.

Friday night was date night for hubby and I. We went to our favorite Italian restaurant and then went to the Cinerama to see Watchmen. It was a good movie but in the middle of the movie I turned to hubby and said "How long have we been in here?" It just seemed to go on and on and on...

Saturday was a relaxing day of sleeping in and catching up on a few TV shoes that had been recorded. I did manage to get downtown for a bit by then rushed home to get changed for the Blush Trend and Beauty Event (which was sponsored by D List magazine and LBD Events and Productions) at Ascada in lower Queen Anne (621 1/2 Queen Anne Ave N). My friends, Melissa and Regina, accompanied me. But first we enjoyed some sushi at Shiki, always delicious!!

The Blush event was a really enjoyable way to spend a Saturday evening! I have never been to Ascada but now will be going to try it out as it's a cool place. There was a VIP reception where gift bags were handed out and after checking one out discovered they were packed full of goodies! They even came with a cupcake from Wink (which are AMAZING!!).

The place got packed pretty quickly with a fashionable dressed crowd. I saw some really adorable shoes on some of those girls! Especially Vantha Ry's (the featured designer), she had these great silver sparkly platform heels. I should have asked here where she got them - they were sassy! (Update: they were also by Report and Report Signature)

The fashion show started at about 9:30pm and Vantha showed 12 looks. Her mom and grandma were even present. Her mother sews all the clothes Vantha designs. Her clothing line is for the petite woman (Sadly, not me). "It’s a clothing line designed for women who stand 5’4” or under—where overwhelming large prints, extremely long hemlines, and unflattering styles don’t exist - Vantha Ry is a clothing line for the woman who wants to make a large impression in the world."

All the handbags seen in the show were from Clutch and the shoes were by Report and Report Signature. (check out the brown thigh high boots, they are HOT!) We had a really enjoyable time at this show, I look forward to the Blush 2! (Thanks Audrey for the invite!)

Make sure to check out the photos I took of the event!

Sunday turned out to be a busy and odd day. I started out the day with a quick 2 mile run around my hood. Then I headed down to the Green Festival to visit SPUN (which I proceeded to stock up on 2 wrap dresses, a boat neck tee and tank top), then I wandered around checking out the other vendors. I even ran into a few I knew (Hi Tara of Revival Ink)!

After the festival, I hopped a bus to "head over to REI" and ended up getting lost in Capitol Hill... apparently I went to far. Thankfully I made it back downtown and over to my 2:15 facial at Spa Noir with a few minutes to spare.

After my WONDERFUL facial I headed down to the ID for my favorite Sunday activity with Melissa, bubble tea! Then to wrap up the day I went back to the bus stop, where I accidentally walked up on some random guy peeing on the garbage can (he looked like a somewhat normal guy too... so gross! Don't touch the garbage can at 5th and Jackson!). In my opinion the bus couldn't get there fast enough!

Now that I am safe at home I must reflect on this weekend and just say it was actually a fullfilling and enjoyable weekend (random peeing guy and all). Don't get me wrong though, I am not ready for work tomorrow!

Hope you had a great weekend too!

I Fell off the Planet...

Sorry, I was sick for a few days and feel like I fell off the planet as I'm backlogged on email and UFN stuff...

After two days of staying in bed I just HAD to escape. So, Regina, Melissa and I went to the Ballard Boutique Warehouse Sale. I can't say I was super impressed by some of the clothing. Clutch had some really nice handbags, Kimberly Baker had some adorable jewelry and several boutiques had some great jeans available (and reasonably priced!). (I refrained from spending money on items I didn't need just now.) There were several men's items but since I wasn't shopping for hubby I can't report on what they had. The men there seemed to be doing just fine with their purchases though. From what I heard, there was a mad rush in the morning so maybe next time we should go earlier!

The rest of my weekend was pretty low key and not shopping related. I did hit up the "All Tharp" ballet performance on Sunday at PNB. That was great! Sadly, I did miss I Heart Rummage though. Now I have to wait another month - sad!

On another note, a random yet fun one, some of you may remember me talking about Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog with Neil Patrick Harris... (If you liked Buffy or Firefly then you'll love this!) Well a co-worker of mine has created one of his own video application to get into the League of Evil. It's really funny!



Best of luck to you Jay! ;)

Shout Out!

Yesterday UFN (and yours truly) got a shout out on NWSource by fashion writer Alison Brownrigg. (Thanks Alison, you rock!)

Make sure to check out her Minding The Store section on NWSource. It's always a great read!

My latest Obsession...

Clutch is one of those shops I want to just roll around in, literally. I love handbags... Kimberly has some of the greatest taste in bags and it's very hard to go into her shop and not want to walk away with every item in there. I kid you not...

I got an email from her today about a warehouse sale for Clutch! I immediately got excited! It's on Saturday, October 4th, from 10am to 6pm at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard (3410 NW 67th St). All Spring and Summer bags will be marked down 50 - 70% off.

After perusing her site, I stumbled upon this little gem of a bag called "Kale Tate Tote - Smoke" for $650 (Sadly, it's way out of my price range).

I have decided to devise a plan of attack on how I will acquire such a beautiful bag. Here is my strategy:

Dear Santa,
Please bring me the Kale Tate Tote in Smoke for Christmas. I've been a good girl... I have been kind to strangers and non-strangers. I have done my chores at home (kinda). I have petted puppies and kissed babies. I recycle. Did I mention the bag is $650? (Did I just hear you gulp Santa?) Do I need to be BETTER than the above statements? If so, please advise.

Thank you for your time (and patience), I know you are a busy, busy man.
Sincerely,
Tarah

Think it will work? Yeah, I didn't think so either... See you at the Warehouse Sale!

Fashion First 2008

Tonight was the big Fashion First event we've been getting ready for. UFN signed up as a sponsor and have been trying to promote it heavily.
(<--- Myself and Dawn)


Regina arrived with me and we valeted the car and then headed in. We had our picture taken on the red carpet - very shi shi!! ;)There were some really well dressed men and women at this event - it's a great place to be seen and to do the seein'!

We headed up to the VIP area once getting our media badges - that is where the free drinks and appetizers are people! I loved the spring rolls that were going around, I could have eaten a whole tray - they were SOOOO GOOD!

We found out there were no seats for us due to a seat counting mishap so we decided to just stay up stairs and try and take pictures from there. They didn't turn out as well as I would have liked but they would have been worse standing in the back and I'm not going to sit on the floor with the other photographers dressed in all black. I wore a white dress, not floor appropriate. Plus, I'm not in this to be a hardcore professional photographer, I take the picts so all of you who didn't go know what the show looked like and for those of you who did to relive it, if you so choose. Someday I'll get a better camera or maybe we can find a photgrapher to work with... We've had offers! :) Check out those pictures here!

Anyways, it was severally hot upstairs (that whole heat rising thing... damn science!) I don't like to sweat unless working out but it was inevitable, it's Summer! The show was well done, I enjoyed it, even if I watched it through the lense of a camera. It's always exciting to see your local designer friends items on the runway and I instantly spotted all the Sabrina Love Handbags and Suzabelle's clothing. Plus, I was happy to see the Petaline.net and Clutch (pictured) segments - they had some great pieces on the catwalk. I NEED TO SHOP! Thankfully, after the show was over, I was able to talk to these ladies and congratulate them on the show - it's always such a big deal to have your pieces on the runway! (Dawn will talk about the actual clothing in the show, she is better at that than I am). :)

The only major snag in the evening came when it was time to leave. I typically go with the if I have nothing nice to say I won't say it at all... But OMG Downtown Valet were so disorganized... Regina and I wanted in line for 45+ minutes after our ticket was taken and as we waited we watched more and more people get their cars... I joked and said I bet we will be last even though we are ahead of all these people. WE WERE! I tried to get my keys and was instructed to not touch the keys or take mine... I didn't see it or I would have insisted I was taking it. Then when everyone was pretty much gone I was like "Seriously where is my car, you took my ticket, we were in line and now everyone around us who was behind us has left" The guy took my ticket stub and low and behold my keys were on the peg board... He finally ran off to get it. I was so annoyed. It might have been a "you have to be there situation". Feeling cranky from the heat, wearing heals that had overstayed their welcome and waiting for 45+ minutes to leave is no fun.

All in all, Fashion First was a fun event to attend and they did pack the place with fashionable people. I would recommend going next year if you missed it.

SATC & the CRAVE Market

Today was finally the day I got to go see Sex and the City. I won't give you any spoilers because that's not cool... I will say though that I loved the movie. I laughed, I cried and I laughed some more. The outfits were amazing, the shoes, the accessories - I loved it all. Way to go Patricia Field!! I wish I had half the clothing budget she had!! (Dear Santa, please send me my own stylist along with fashion budget for Christmas. Amen & thank you, Tarah)

If you haven't seen it yet, I urge you to check it out. If you were a fan of the show then I think you will be pleased with the movie! (I wish I was getting paid for that plug!)

After the movie I met Dawn at the Seattle Center to check out the CRAVE Market. There were tons of local businesses there promoting fitness, massage, chocolate, skin care, etc.

Local boutiques and designers had tables selling their wares at sample sale prices. I picked up two cute dresses from Horseshoe in Fremont and an amazing leather handbag from Kimberly at Clutch. Then we mosied over to Dry Soda for my favorite flavor, Lavender. Sustainable Style Foundation was there as well so we chatted with Zanetha to get the low down on what they do and how we could get involved.

All in all, I think Melody put together a great event. I love the sample sale idea and getting all those boutiques together in one place. You really can find something you need when you have that many options.

From all the designers and boutiques I spoke with, it sounded like it was a great venue for them and they did really well. I'm sure Melody will be doing the event again, so make sure to sign up and be apart of the next one!!

Check out my photos from Crave!

DIFFA (and me being a WOOSIE!)

We had a meeting today with DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS) to go over some details for the auction associated with the Party at the Mansion on October 13th at the Rainier Club. We had procured about $4500 worth of merchandise but we still need more. We had agreed to try and raise $10,000, but man, it's alot harder than I thought. Many designers and shops have been so helpful and supportive - thank you so much to all of you! We appreciate it!

If you would like to donate some items for the cause please let us know. Your business will not only get some great exposure but you will also be helping a great cause. Also, you can buy tickets for the event on their website - it's such a fun party!!

After the meeting, Dawn and I had to go pick up some awesome donated shirts from Sam Trout, a local t-shirt designer. I must say, they are so cool! Then we proceed back to the downtown area to make a quick stop by Clutch to check 'em out. Such a great shop - they carry some amazing handbags!! We were able to meet the owner, Kim, she was super nice and chatted with us for a bit. They will be having their grang opening party October 4th, we will definitely be there!

After Clutch, we walked to another boutique that I will not name. It is absolutely lovely and the people inside were cordial... However, I totally got stage fright and didn't speak to the owner, even as she stood 10 feet from us and I knew who she was immediately... I felt so under dressed almost like I needed to go home and change and come back... It was all in my head, I know this. No one made me feel that way by any means... I'm such a woosie! I had an opportunity and I blew it, I will have to try again another day. I can't believe I got so nervous - that's so silly... right!?