My husband is a bit of a hoarder — uh, I mean “collector.” It was one of those things I didn’t realize until we were married. When we moved from Nashville to Alexandria after being married for just 3 months I had to pack and unpack his junk — um, I mean “collections.” The collections include but are not limited to, ticket stubs, stadium tumblers, baseball cards, coins, stamps, sporting programs, state maps from rest stops (can’t make that one up) and anything related to the University of Tennessee.
The only things I find worth collecting are things I can wear.
This outfit reminded me of that because it represents one of my favorite collections, jackets, and one I am working on, jewelry by Steven Vaubel.
Vaubel jewelry is all handmade in New York 18kt gold vermeil in green or yellow gold. Every piece is a statement and never goes out of style.
piece
Recently my next door neighbor shop, Hysteria, started carrying SMYTHE, another one of my favorite lines. They are great investment pieces that never go out of style. I wear the ones from this year as much as the ones I bought 5 years ago (that doesn’t mean I don’t need updates, if you’re reading this, honey.)
Here are a few pieces they will be carrying this spring and I can’t wait to add to my collection.
Valentine’s Day
Nobody loves pink and Valentines Day more than my daughter. My husband and I use to cross the river to Your Nation’s Capital to go to dinner exactly twice a year: Valentine’s Day and our wedding anniversary. Now he takes our daughter out on a date for Valentine’s Day and I get left dateless. She gets dressed to the 9s, and usually in something pink. She gets a big bouquet of flowers, her favorite candy, reservations for a white table cloth, 4-course dinner. My husband wears a coat and tie — not his normal ad agency attire — and makes sure the whole night is a production, and a crash course on gentility and etiquette to boot. Our daughter looks forward to it for weeks, and has already started quizzing her dad to make sure he orders her flowers in time. Some people have asked me if I get upset that he doesn’t take me out for the big day, which always surprises. Truth is, it only makes me love him more. When my daughter’s much older and on a big date with some boy I’m sure I’ll want to strangle, that guy will have an awfully big standard to meet as a gentleman — and if that makes me miss a dozen Valentine’s Day dates, that’s fine by me.
Here are some of my favorite pink things in the store for Valentines Day that I am sure would get my 4 year olds approval.
Back in the Saddle
So the New Year’s Resolution is not going so well — the yoga pants have crept back into the daily attire and are taking over like kudzu. But it’s not too late to salvage the season, so I’m back in the saddle. We’ve had a mild winter in Northern Virginia and so it’s been easy to let those great winter clothes take a back seat — but I’m now determined to get them in rotation before it warms up and I’m dying to put on bright silks and florals and great patent leather shoes. Speaking of those, I’m bringing back a favorite designer this spring, Siegerson Morrison. We’ll have some darling patent leather flats from the Belle by Siegerson line — so there’s something to anticipate!
Dress: Lanvin Shoes: Anyi Lu Tights: Wolford
Seventh Annual Old Town Boutique District Warehouse Sale
In 2005 my friends and I at Hysteria started a little something called the Alexandria Warehouse Sale. There were seven stores that signed up and we had no idea what to expect. It was a hit from the start. We knew we had found a good idea when women were lined up in the cold and dark waiting on the doors to open that first year. My husband volunteered to work for security (he thinks that makes him beefcake) and the first year he was stunned to see a customer change clothes to try on a dress in front of strangers! What a woman will do for a bargain!
The crowds have grown, the number of stores has grown, and now eight years and 13 more stores later, it’s the most anticipated bargain shopping event of the year in the DC area. We’ve moved to a larger location with parking, a Metro station, and room for inside (warm) waiting. We control access to a limited number of shoppers at a time so no one has to wrestle for a handbag, brooch, or perfect kitten heel.
Stores like Treat, Mint Condition, Red Barn Mercantile, Apple Seed, Zoe Boutique, LaCuisine (check ‘em out!) and others discount items from 60 to 80 percent for one day of shopping madness. You won’t find these prices on this designer merchandise any other place or any other day of the year. It’s the perfect girls-day-out.
This year we have been fortunate to get some great press attention for the event. This morning a group of us appeared on Fox 5 and this Friday at the 11 o’clock hour I will be on WRC in Washington, NBC-4.
Wear something comfortable and come out this Saturday. Though, I’ll warn you up front that Fashion Washington will be there taking pictures…so you might not want to disrobe for the masses, lest you end up famous.
Day 2 ~ Back to work and going strong
Coat L.A.M.B.
Tights Wolford ~ Booties Elie Tahari
Dress Derek Lam ~ Bracelets Robin Brooks ~ Earrings Alexis Bittar
Resolutions ~ Start Getting Dressed
Last year I was in New York hailing a cab found my self drawn to the roof-top ad on the taxi that pulled up. It was for Piperlime and it just had two sentences: “Yoga Pants are Not Pants. Start Getting Dressed.”
Whoa. Did that hit a nerve. Let’s be honest. I have 2 young children, I haven’t lost all of what I still like to call “the baby weight” (even though youngest is already potty-training), I own a small business and I have a workaholic husband who could just as easily claim a legal residence at the C Concourse of Reagan National Airport. Bottom line: I am busy.
Still, It occurred to me that it is time for me to get my act together. I am in fashion retail. I need to start acting like it.
Don’t get me wrong: I love clothes and have a few too many in my closet — as my husband reminds me when he gets off the road long enough to look at a Visa bill.
So with the launch of this new blog I’m giving myself a challenge: to get out of my yoga pants (well, not every day) and post to the masses (or at least the few family and friends who follow me) so they can hold me accountable.
I am always giving out advice about how to wear things, time to start doing it myself. Where shall we start?
Trench DVF ~ Shirt Tory Burch ~ Jeans Current Elliott ~ Shoes Sam Edelman Adena Loafer with studs in Rose Gold
Elizabeth on Talk Live touting the power of glitter and bling for the holidays
Elizabeth Todd speaks on all things sparkly. Check out the segment and find out how to add a little sparkle to your wardrobe this holiday season.
Tory
I have been meaning to start a blog for years. SO when I went to the recent Tory Burch opening and had my photo taken on the premise that I had a blog, I decided it was time to pull the trigger.
Tory Burch is to me what Peyton Manning is to my husband.
I opened my store in 2003 and Tory Burch launched in 2004. Since then her line has been a staple in both my wardrobe and my store. I first carried the Reva in May of 2006 and since then have expanded to carry handbags and sunglasses. Each year her shoes seem to get better.
After meeting her I realize why she is so successful. She is a graceful and elegant as the clothes she designs.
We just received our latest shipment of resort handbags and they will not disappoint…just like meeting Tory didn’t!
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A Contradiction of Style
Do you ever have one of those moments when everything gets clear, just clicks in an instant? That happened to me last week. It hit me: style-wise, I am a contradiction. What I think I want and what I actually want aren’t the same…and it’s totally fine.
First, a little back story. In 2003 I decided to open The Shoe Hive. There were many reasons I wanted to do this: I loved small business, I am an entrepreneur at heart, I love fashion…and I couldn’t find Bettye Muller shoes in Northern Virginia.
I bought my first pair of Bettyes in the town where I was born, Cincinnati, Ohio, at one of my still-favorite stores, Alligator Purse. Then I got my second in Richmond, Virginia at The Little Shoe Box. Naturally, once I opened The Hive, Bettye Muller was the first order I placed for my dream store.
The love affair began and we’ve carried Bettye every season since. She’s done a trunk show for us and become a good friend. But it occurred to me that I have been taking Bettye Muller for granted; her line is more than just one of our best sellers and my personal favorite. As I unpacked the boxes of her Fall delivery, I realized the Bettye brand is just like my life: a contradiction.I own Bettye’s shoes for practical reasons. Her fabrics are exquisite. Her quality is unmatched. The silhouettes are timeless, practical and yes, comfortable.
But I buy them for the shelves of my store for another reason entirely.When I go in Bettye’s showroom and look around, what catches my eye? The beautiful, practical pumps that fit my real life, as evidenced by my closet at home that’s filled with her classic kitten heels and exquisitely made flat boots? No way. Not even close. Instead I am swept away by and totally in love with by the entire collection of five-inch platform heels.
And now I’m wearing gorgeous five-inch platforms, right?Sigh, no (see: closet full of kitten heels and flats), which brings me back to my revelation: Bettye doesn’t just get this contradiction, she celebrates it. So if the five-inch platforms you love don’t fit in your real life, you don’t have to compromise on the style that attracts you.
This season I picked four shoes that demonstrate this. The Bombshell, a suede slingback with a python platform and heel, and its counterpart the Arpege in python. The Fury in grey suede, and the Feather black.
So come check out our fall collection. As Bettye reminds us, even if you flock to the runway-ready five-inch platforms when your life is really more preschool pick-up, you can bridge the gap without compromising on style.
