The yarn options for knitters and crochet-ers just get better and better! Now you can even make your own yarn! I personally probably won’t because my eyes just love the finished product better but for those of you organic folks out there, Hello Yarn will supply you with tools to spin your own!
Thanks to my pal Abs for the link!
Trunk shows are so much fun! Especially bridal trunk shows because you know that the dresses you’re trying on are current! This weekend, on Friday and Saturday, B.Hughes Bridal on Harding Road (across from St. Thomas Hospital) is having a Justina McCaffrey trunk show.
Don’t you just love how the models are dancing their way down the runway? Gorgeous!
B.Hughes has the full lines for Justina, Vera Wang, Romona Keveza and Badgley Mischka. Far as I can tell, they are the only boutique in the entire Tennessee bridal market that (officially) carries these designers. Right now there’s a beautiful, black Vera Wang gown in the window that I wish I had a reason to have!
The boutique also carries bridesmaids lines from Dessy/After Six, Vera Wang, Watters & Watters and couple of others, plus they rent tuxes. You can pretty much outfit your entire bridal party, and your parents there!
Stop by the store and see the lovely Jessica, manager of B.Hughe’s. She has a keen eye for what’s going to fit well and what won’t. I’m sure interning at Vera Wang in NY helped! Oh and it’s worth your while to make an appointment if you want undivided attention when trying on your gowns!
B.Hughes Bridal/Formal ˚ 4231 Harding Pike ˚ Nashville, TN 37205 ˚ (615) 297 7800
Not realizing that most businesses beyond the Davidson county line are closed on Sundays, I ventured out to Franklin when my dad was visiting last weekend to show him something beyond Green Hills or the golf course. The beautiful weather and the few stores that were open made up for the trek there, and I managed to stumble upon a new jewel of a shop that was, surprise surprise, actually open that day.
Haven: Sanctuary of Style is very appropriately named. Owned by stylist Claudia Fowler (and on that Sunday, run by the very nice Celee), the shop follows the Anthropologie style decor that blends its merchandise in with the display surfaces. Your attention is caught by the obvious – beautiful dresses, designer denim, and clothes draw your eye to the various areas around the room. Your line of sight is then drawn to the wonderful objects that surround the clothes, like the fashion-themed coffee table books, candles, accessories and ceramics. Everything is either sitting on salvaged pieces of furniture, or has a backdrop of a salvaged wooden door or frame.
It’s all so organic and so fantastic, with all the objects looking like they were just a natural part of the shop’s environment. Your senses aren’t rushed because the merchandise isn’t all in your face. Your shopping experience then becomes even more enjoyable than it normally is. Even my husband wasn’t in much of a hurry to leave!
Ms. Fowler definitely knows style. Her tastes and good eye are evidenced in how the shop is decorated. How delightful is that old piano? And I’m certainly not doing it any justice, you must go see it for yourself – it’s well worth a trip to Franklin if you don’t live there, and if you do, well, lucky you!
No website yet, but they’re working on it and I’ll have the link when it’s up. Word has it, they’ll have online shopping capabilities on their site!
Haven: Sanctuary of Style ˚ 343 Main St ˚ Franklin, TN ˚ (615) 790 7954
My adoration for vintage clothes shopping in Nashville always stops short when I look at the price tag and receive a big punch in the face when I see that the cardigan I have in my hands costs $85. Um, did fairies knit this? But thanks to the lovely ladies at Local Honey vintage clothing store on 12th Ave South and Linden Ave, I’m not apprehensive anymore.
Reasonable prices aside, what they offer is tasteful and varied. From leather boots to chunky-knit sweaters to the cutest dresses just perfect for Spring, you’ll find that your vintage needs will be catered to. They have new arrivals every week, a killer sale rack, and lovely housewares as well.
Helen, who co-owns the shop, also makes her own clothes and recently sold a dress to the wife of someone whose name rhymes with Mack Dwight. Bring your vintage pieces and exchange them for store credit or other finds from the shop! Check out the furniture and home decorative accessories they have for sale.
Local honey also provides alteration and mending services! You can find them on MySpace. No website yet, so you have yet another reason to go by and see for yourself what Local Honey has waiting for you!
Local Honey ˚ 1207 Linden Ave ˚ Nashville ˚ Mon – Sat 10 – 6, Sun 12 – 5
What a day Saturday was! The staff at Life á la mode, accompanied by fellow craft-aficionado girlfriends, hit up the Revolution of Craft show. It was a worthwhile time had by all! My mission that day was to meet Shona Cowart of LALA dex Press, a letterpress stationery company she runs out of her own studio in Murfreesboro, TN. Shona and I had been corresponding via email, and couldn’t wait to meet her and see her booth.
A native Californian, Shona moved to Murfreesboro 8 years ago. In short, after graduating from MTSU with an arts degree (letterpress and book art), she used her skills, combined them with the inspiration she found in the beautiful architecture in her city and started LALA dex. What is unique about her letterpress is that it’s not very conventional letterpress. Her style is more contemporary, and quite fitting to middle Tennessee’s alt-country, rockabilly funkiness.
These are the cards I got (you can’t ever have too many thank you cards!). She also makes notebooks and journals with hand-crafted covers filled with recycled paper – talk about one-of-a-kind!
Her books and stationery are available at her Etsy store! Life á la mode will be following up with Shona every now and again. In the meantime visit her site, LALA dex Press!
Craft Fair tomorrow! Don’t forget, it starts at noon at the Cannery Ballroom under Mercy Lounge. Organized by the Nashville Craft Mafia, “Revolution of Craft” looks really promising for a day full of unique, hand-made wonderment!
See you there! And let them know you heard about it via Life á la mode!!
Ah Target. You go in for a bottle of Fantastik (with a K) and you leave with at least $60 worth of stuff you never knew you needed. And clearly, you needed that tank top you already have five of, or another tiny potted plant from the dollar bin or even those cute pyjamas except this time, the polka dots are multi-colored!
I’ve always loved shopping at Target, and I feel no shame in saying that. While I appreciate and will happily spend way more than I should on quality designer apparel, I will also reward myself with quantity with the bounty that Target presents me each and every time I go in there.
So, this time it was gum and post-its that I needed. But thanks to the geniuses in the Target marketing department, they have the store set up so I have zero willpower and cannot avoid going through the clothes department, and necessities are relegated to the importance of “afterthought.” And throw Proenza Schouler in the mix and, well, I’m toast. Oh the cuteness that is GO! Proenza Schouler. Proceed with caution.
The Keds rip-offs are very comfy, as are both babydoll tops. Now, I haven’t tried on the black dress yet, that has yet to arrive in the mail and I’m eager to see that box on my front step.
Target’s great when it comes to experimenting with styles and trends. It’s like the training bra of finding the right look and fit, and once you’re ready to take the designer plunge, you’ll at least be confident that what you’re investing in will be perfect!
Oh, and I completely forgot the gum and post-its. Guess that means I have to go back!
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