I take it back: Cameron Diaz was my unquestionable favorite from Sunday night. The more I have seen pictures and footage of her walking the carpet, the more I fell in love with it! I actually first swooned for this Oscar de la Renta when it walked the runway, and was thrilled to see someone wearing it, even if it wasn’t me.
And for once, Miss Diaz showed up with hair and makeup that I actually LOVED! Her hair was clean and wavy, her makeup was perfectly tanned and bright. A definite high score for the Zoe team.
I love a challenge. Especially when a successful, innovative solution to said challenge is $500. Even more especially when said challenge involves putting together appropriate outfits for various occasions.
What am I rambling about? Macy’s Daily Fashion Challenge, of course! In a brilliant PR move that plays to the internet generation (as well as the thousands of people that while away their time in the office on procrastination-encouraging websites), Macy’s has created a game challenge that allows YOU to be the fashion director. How glamorous!
Each day they release a different scenario that you must find the perfect ensemble for, using only Macy’s current clothing obviously. Today’s challenge: “You’re about to meet your future in-laws, what will you wear?” Oh the possibilities! The site demands you “use [their] new mix and match tool to combine the season’s hottest styles and accessories into an outfit that’s uniquely you!” The best part is that you can enter your outfit daily for a chance to win a $500 Macy’s gift card – and let me tell you, Macy’s has seriously stepped up their trendiness game. I would be ecstatic with a huge gift card there (or really anywhere for that matter, so maybe I’m just desperate).
So say goodbye to a solid 45 minutes of time you’re supposed to be filing important business information or taking serious phone calls – and say hello to your new part time job of Macy’s Fashion Director That Only Gets Paid If My Outfit Is Better Than Everyone Else’s. Dream job? I think so.
While relaxing and feeling uber-trendy at Bin 152 on King last week (which, incidentally, ALL of you need to check out – its rustic, cozy feel and knoweldgable owner and staff make for a great night on the town), our table got a draft of something fabulous. Was it wine? No. Was it the cheese platters? No.
It was the perfume of a woman who kept walking by our table. Eventually, perhaps it was the vino that gave us courage, we just had to know the name of the light as air perfume – so we asked! The answer? Dolce and Gabbana’s Light Blue, and my mom went out and bought it at Sak’s the next day.
So many currently popular perfumes are WAY too over the top in their scents; too floraly, too musky, too something. Either that, or they fade away within an hour and you can’t smell the expensive eau de toilet you put on that morning. Light Blue is fresh and long lasting – and we weren’t the only ones asking the lady the name of her signature scent! With notes of rose, jasmine, musk and apple you’re sure to be noticed walking into a room, too.
Our friends over at adorable bridal boutique Maddison Row have planned quite the social butterfly calendar for this month, affectionally calling their string of events March Madness. They’re hosting everything from trunk shows to charity benefits, and of course capping it all off with their glamorous Charleston Fashion Week Bridal Couture show. See below for the full calendar of events with their descriptions!
March 13th and 20th: Cinderella Project Charleston
Volunteers needed to help every economically challenged Charleston teenage girl get the dress of her dreams for spring dances.
March 12th and 13th: Carolina Herrera Trunk Show
Show-stopping, Old Hollywood bridal gowns? Enough said! Make your appointment ASAP.
March 20th and 21st: Carol Hannah Whitfield (of Project Runway) Trunk Show
Come meet the sweetheart designer that made Charleston proud! It’s the designer’s first signature bridal collection trunk show, so you won’t want to miss out.
March 20th: the Maddison Row and Bella Bridesmaid runway show for CFW
1:05 sharp! Get tickets here.
As if going to Milan wouldn’t be enough of a fairy tale for any fashionista, sassy clothing line Moschino opens its very own hotel this month – one that is inspired by fantasy and fairy tales – in an old neoclassical railway station in Italy’s fashion capital. Maison Moschino is the hotel of dreams.
The hotel is absolutely stunning both inside and out! It boasts a huge lobby, bar, fitness center, 65 rooms and some junior suites. And because it would just not be good enough to have 65 identical rooms, all numbered 1-65 – yawn – there are six different types, all with their own themes. There are a wide variety of fairy tale inspired rooms: “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Sleeping in a Ballgown” (with the latter complete with a glam ballgown-inspired headboard), the “Forest” room (with tree branches spanning the walls)…the list goes on and gets more jaw dropping with each room.
The rates are obviously pretty pricey – for the most basic of rooms, “The Classic”, it’s 270 euros per night. Eek! But a girl can dream and marvel over the sheer glamour of a designer-decorated Milan hotel, right? Right.
When big-time designers create lines for Target, it’s usually the clothing that gets all the attention and praise. But when it comes to print-crazy line Liberty of London, I’d rather forget I ever saw any of the hippie-inspired garments, and instead buy every single home accessory they’ve designed.
Please don’t laugh at our current obsession with home decor and housewares, because it’s only getting stronger! These Liberty of London pieces are fun, bright and exactly what you need to brighten up your home. The same way we get restless with our wardrobes and buy accessories to spiff things up, when you get restless with your home it’s much more cost effective to buy, say, this adorable tea pot to display as opposed to a new couch.
The line includes everything from coffee mugs to stationary to ceramic canisters to planters…endless possibilities! And there’s even a bike! The line hits stores March 14th – let the countdown begin!
I always forget how much I love the outdoor, foreign market feel of World Market. All their products, whether wine or food or art or furniture, just seem to exude unique chic simply by being within the walls of this store. It’s a great place to hit when you’re looking for specialty foods or quality furnishings and decor.
So especially if you’re in the market for home updates, get to the World Market on Orleans Road this week! Wall art, furniture, decor and even some fun trinkets are up to 50% off! I personally purchased a gorgeous, art-nouveau-esque set of three paintings for only $50. It was a miracle I walked out of there without buying everything!
Even if you’ve lived in Charleston for years, the overwhelming masses of delicious and high quality restaurants can make it difficult to choose where to dine on any given day. Especially when you have guests in town! How can you possibly pick just one or two places?
The City Paper just released the winter 2010 edition of dish, their award-winning dining guide. With 93 mini newspaper size pages detailing all the best dining spots in the city, selecting restaurants is ten times easier! Hundreds of restaurants are profiled, reviewed, and organized into fabulously convenient sections (neighborhood favorites, cheap eats, desserts, etc).
And if you just want them all listed by region or type of cuisine, there’s a master index list in the back. Pick up your free copy at one of its many locations before the weekend!
If I had my dream wardrobe, I would be wearing skirts and dresses 6 days a week (and selecting my outfits via a computer and rotating closet a la Cher in Clueless). But recently, maybe because I have become such a dress-only girl, I have found myself longing for quality separates. Pants that are chic and not necessarily denim, tops that are feminine and blousey and can be worn from day to night. I found all of that in Vera Wang’s Fall 2010 collection.
Beautifully draped tops still had Vera’s touch of structure, and even the most “simple” designs were anything but minimalistic. The necklaces and bracelets roped on each model were chunky, tangled, fabulous pearl-esque pieces. Just a reminder to all of us that bold, statement accessories can spice up even the most basic outfits.
It’s here again! Despite all the snow and tireless talk of a still-unstable economy, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week commences today in the Big Apple, holding its finale at the beloved and renowned Bryant Park. It’s a bit sad that fashion week will no longer be synonymous with Bryant Park starting in September, but I’ve heard the Lincoln Center is absolutely a better fit, both size and atmosphere-wise.
Throughout the week Lizz and I will pick out some of our favorites – and obviously some of the fails – that stomp down the runway. I am personally looking forward to the tailored, feminine stylings of Jason Wu and the emergence of other small name designers. And obviously the red dress show for heart disease that takes place today!
Rumor has it that all the top name designers de jour are sick and tired of the recession, and I can’t wait to see all the color and glamour that will reflect that!
Check out Style.com, Fashionweekdaily.com, or the week’s official website for all the up-to-minute news and gossip from the tents!
Conversations about how Superbowl commercials really just aren’t all that they used to be were, from what I heard, prevalent at many other Superbowl parties other than the one I attended. Advertisers honestly need to be on their game every other day of the year, now, and as a result the day that used to be all about the commercial breaks is now a little lackluster.
Still, I thought this “Parisian Love” ad from Google was SO sweet. I love that Google actually advertised, too – obviously trying to showcase they are still a dominant force in the website search engine world regardless of bing’s heavy advertising and success. (We often like to pretend we are Rachel Zoe and other various Bravo celebs, saying “where should we meet this client? Oh, I know! Lets Bing it! We’re so trendy.). The commercial was simple, effective, and didn’t try too hard.
Anyhoo, I’ve watched this commercial numerous times now, and would love for nothing more than to hop on a plane to Paris. I want truffles and Parisian romance, too! Even if you’re already seen it countless times, too, go ahead and watch it again here 
Wink Boutique in West Ashley has finally changed their name! Drive past the adorable Avondale storefront and you’ll know see a “Bashful Boutique.” In celebration of this new chapter for the store, owner Errica Watson is hosting a Bashful Bash this coming Thursday, February 11, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
Errica knows how to throw a great party – as always, the Bashful Bash will include sparkling wine, chocolate strawberries and other appetizers as they celebrate the new name for their shop. As we’ve preached before, Bashful Boutique has some of the trendiest clothing in Charleston at the absolute best prices. Especially if you’re still in need for something fun and flirty for Valentine’s Day this weekend, stop in and check it out!
She personally had me at chocolate strawberries…
Bashful Boutique is located at 829 Savannah Highway.
I squeal with glee once a month when I open my mailbox to find the newest J. Crew catalog – that happy day came earlier this week, just in time to lift my spirits amidst all this rain. These catalogs are more than your average cheesy “catalog posed” happy couple, with cheesy twinsets and cheesy backdrops. Much more.
To me, the J. Crew catalogs are always like a mini fashion magazine without the endorsed articles. The styling is right up Charleston’s alley, and I end up dog-earring every other page, causing my clothing wish list to grow exponentially. This month was no different, as the modern preppy pages took us to the streets of Portugal in the spring. Sensational colors, cuts and classics fill every page. Ruffled skirts in rose, chicly bedazzled tees, perfectly cut to flatter ankle pants in staple as well as fun colors, amazing jewelry combinations, and of course cardigans galore.
Speaking of cardigans: they don’t need to look “grandma” or dated. Choose vibrant colors and patterns, layer it over a feminine blouse or dress, and you have an easy look for any occasion. J. Crew’s Jackie cardigans are without a doubt office staples at least twice a week at Southern Protocol. Especially for the late winter weather here in Charleston, hovering somewhere between coat and thin top temperatures, a cardigan is a necessity in every woman’s wardrobe.
Trot on over to Charleston’s own boutique J. Crew (at 264 King Street) to check out all the latest fashions – if nothing else, the incredibly aesthetically pleasing clothing and displays will lift your mood this weekend!
We all love chocolate. We all love bubbly drinks. And we all love getting out on the town for a laidback yet sophisticated soiree on a Thursday night.
So we will all be interested in the sweet event taking place at Sweet 185 tonight: the debut of Sweet Teeth, a line of natural chocolate truffles, bon bons and bars that will now regularly be available at the unique King Street spa/boutique. According to Sweet 185, Sweet Teeth is the “only confectionary in Charleston specially devoted to the production of finely crafted truffles and chocolate sweets.”
The delicious event, which takes place from 5:00 – 8:00 this evening, will include yummy tastings of Sweet Teeth’s chocolates (courtesy of Sweet Teeth chocolatier, Eric Battles, who is known for innovative flavor pairings) as well as champagne and strawberries. The boutique will also have a selection of their one-of-a-kind Valentine’s Day gifts and treats on display.
Artisanal chocolate, champagne and Valentine’s Day presents all at one time? A full week before Valentine’s Day? Yes please!
Sweet 185 is located at 476 King Street in downtown Charleston.
We have a bit of a Mademoiselle Chanel obsession here at Southern Protocol. So naturally, when a friend sent me the latest book chronicling Chanel’s life, I giddily jumped up and down then plopped on the couch to start reading right away.
The Gospel According to Coco Chanel, by Karen Karbo, is an easy, fun read that brings a new twist to the traditional designer biography. Each chapter tackles a different subject Chanel dealt with, and commences with one of Coco’s numerous quotes (she is truly one of the most quoted designers of all time!). Chapters range from “On Feminity” to “On Style” to “Cultivating an Archenemy” – hello, Elsa Schiaparelli (or as Chanel referred to her, “That Italian”).
Karbo’s style is very conversational, as she mixes in Chanel’s history, life philosophies and legacies in with her own beliefs and experiences. Gospel is definitely not the biggest or most important look back on Chanel’s life, but it’s innovative, charming, and really does give some great in-depth information on one of the most influential designers of all time. A must-read for all Chanel fans!
