Southern Protocol

John Galliano, the current mastermind extraordinaire at one of the world’s most adored fashion houses (Dior, dah-ling!), did not disappoint during his Paris Haute Couture show. Never one to send inconspicuous models down the runway, this season, taking inspiration from Mr. Dior’s iconic 1953 “Tulip Collection,” he had all of his models made up to look like, well, tulips. Abstractly speaking.

Each model stomped down the runway with an impressive amount of florist cellophane wrapped around her head (courtesy of London milliner Stephen Jones), and enough makeup underneath to have a really cool effect – it was somehow reminiscent of the Alice in Wonderland flowers that come to life in the original Disney cartoon.

Getting past the models’ aesthetics, the clothes were stunning as always, and they all seemed alive with florals. Tiny waists and ballooned skirts that still hit around the knee were accented with detailed jackets and hydrangea adornments. It was excess and texture at its best – especially with the breathtaking ball gowns that made an appearance at the show’s closing… I literally cannot stop thinking of them, they’re like a dream.

The looks weren’t exactly the most flattering (all that texture is bound to take its toll!), and for all you realists out there who are rolling your eyes at the “lack of wearability”: it’s not supposed to be wearable, it’s supposed to be art. And this collection was art at its absolute finest.

See full coverage at FashionandRunway.com or Style.com ’s news feed.

I try really hard to be a foodie. I’m so far off from being a genuine one, but in the sense that I appreciate all flavors and think myself to be adventurous in trying new cuisine, I could semi-count. All that PLUS I subscribe to Bon Appetit. I know, impressive.

There are some issues of Bon Appetit that are awesome, and some that are just eh; May 2010’s issue is fabulous. It is filled from cover to cover with delicious, FRESH recipes – just what we all need for the beginning of warm weather. I literally 2 minutes ago stumbled across this drink recipe, and had to share: a Limoncello Champagne Cocktail with Mint. Hello, freshness; hello, perfect cocktail for an evening of relaxation and gossip on the porch.

Limoncello Champagne Cocktails with Mint (Makes 2)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup limoncello
2 tablespoons sugar plus additional for dipping Champagne flutes
Lemon peel strips from 1 lemon
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice plus 1 lemon wedge
1 cup (about) chilled Champagne or sparkling wine

Place mint, limoncello, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon strips in blender; blend until mint is finely chopped (lemon peel will be coarsely chopped), 10 seconds. Strain into small cup; discard solids. Run lemon wedge around rim of 2 Champagne flutes. Dip rims into sugar. Divide limoncello mixture and lemon juice between flutes. Top with Champagne.

Cheers!

PS Head over to the Bon Appetit website (link above) for some GREAT brunch ideas. Mother’s Day IS this weekend, after all!

It’s Derby Week! That may not mean much to some of you, but Lizz is bubbling with excitement. Bourbon Balls are one of her absolute favorite treats this time of year, and the best version of the recipe – in her opinion – hails from a cookbook called Derby Entertaining. It’s not too late to invite some friends over for some festivity on Saturday, and these delicious bites will be a huge hit!

Chocolate Bourbon Balls (makes ~48 candies)
1/2 cup softened butter
16-ounce package confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup bourbon
1 cup chopped pecans
4 1-ounce squares semi-sweet chocolate
4 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
Pecan halves

Cream butter and gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed. Add bourbon; beat until smooth. Stir in chopped pecans. Chill and shape into 1-inch balls. Cover and chill for 9 hours. In a double-boiler over boiling water, combine all squares of chocolate. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, until chocolate melts. Using a toothpick, pierce each ball and dip in chocolate. Place on waxed paper. Gently press a pecan half on top of each ball. Chill until chocolate hardens.

Yummm! Enjoy!

I love this time of year, when it is warm and sunny and people hold events outside! The Upper King “Design District” is holding its annual Spring Design Walk tomorrow night, April 15th, from 5-8 pm in the stores, then 8 til closing in all the restaurants. The list of happenings for the event is miles long, and every single one looks more fun than the last!

Literally there are way too many cool and artsy events to type out here, so below are just a few of the things I find most exciting. Check out the full list of details here!

*Mayor Riley will open the event at the corner of Radcliffe and King around 5:00 pm

*Grand opening of Macaroon Boutique at 45 John Street. A hugely anticipated patisserie…YUM!

*Tommy Dew and Charleston City Slickers will debut their iPad app that gives you a GPS tour of Upper King (sidenote: I am fascinated by iPads)

*Sea Island Habitat for Humanity will present their deconstruction program at King Street Kitchen Company. KSKC will serve sweets from Charleston Cookie Company, display one-of-a-kind florals by Stems (yay Anne!), and exhibit some cars from Baker Motor Company.

*Acclaimed food writer Holly Herrick will sign her new cookbook with delicious Southern recipes at SieMatic

*Franklin Smith will do “Intuitive Guidance Readings” at Seeking Indigo…I’m 99% sure that means the same thing as going to a psychic.

*DJ Sonar and Christophe Chocolatier at Dwelling

That seriously is only a small snippet of the events. If nothing else, go grab a drink outside at Chai’s or Joe Pasta and watch all the commotion!

Wedding magazines can get a bit tired after awhile, don’t you think? The ideas get a bit stale, the featured photo spreads a bit blah… but leave it to Martha Stewart’s take on the bridal magazine to leave Lizz and me swooning! The Martha Stewart Weddings Spring 2010 issue is, in a word, flawless.

Our personal favorite few pages are filled with a photo spread entitled “Center Stage”; a shoot that instructs the ultra delicate feminine reader to “draw inspiration from the quiet graceful beauty of the ballet.” Pale, pale pinks, lots of tulle and ruffles, and muted gold accents dominate the first shoot – we especially loved the innovative idea of using longer tutus as decor hanging from the ceiling! What a precious idea for a bridal shower.

The issue is pretty hefty, and page after page is filled with clever ideas only Martha could brew up, gorgeous colors, and even a few tips on food and wine pairings. The true beauty of the issue though, is that while it is a wedding publication, almost every single tip and tablescape can be used in general entertaining. Whether you’re in the planning process or far from it, mix up your magazine buying habits a bit this week and place Martha Stewart Weddings in your cart at the grocery store…it’s such a treat!

Lizz and I were never the athletic stars (or even benchwarmers, for that matter) in our families. I’ll give you a second to register that shock. I know, it’s surprising.

While March Madness does hold my interest for the tiniest of seconds, it really is only because I like to fill out brackets. I have no idea who some of the teams even are – often I pick based on which cities I like better, or perhaps who has the colors I’d prefer to wear – but I do revel in filling out forms.

So imagine my excitement for Fug Madness! A March Madness inspired seeded tournament sponsored and created by none other than the Fug Girls at GoFugYourself.com. A tournament dedicated to the craziest, ugliest, wtf-iest outfits of the year! It’s heaven! So much more exciting than watching tattooed men dribble a ball, and it only takes minutes as opposed to hours! Plus, how festive and hilarious are all the bracket names: Charo, Cher, Madonna and Bjork. Appropriate AND clever.

Technically Fug Madness started yesterday, and I’m clueing y’all in a bit late…but as they say, better late than never. Print out your bracket and make your selections! And because Fug Madness is so much cooler than March Madness, you actually get a hand in deciding who moves forward to the next round; visit GoFugYourself.com everyday to vote!

For whatever reason, it seems that it’s taken a bit for the Olympics to get any hype. Now that we’re nearing their end, I feel it’s finally all anyone talks about – especially the South Korean figure skating sensation Kim Yu-Na, who took home the gold last night in women’s figure skating.

Let me be frank: I understand nothing of figure skating. Triple sow cows, toe loops and lutzs look shockingly similar to me, and probably the rest of America. So we watch, hoping no dreams are shattered by nasty falls, mesmerized by how high and quick those turn jumps are. I also watch for the fashion, because figure skating costumes are generally just too cheesily fantastic to be ignored.

I was happily surprised last night to find that I actually LIKED a lot of the outfits; that they broke free from the stereotypical looks. My favorite by far was Canadian sweetheart Joannie Rochette. The shocking electric blue number was artfully bedazzled – yes, I realize the slight oxymoron there -, cut in an interesting pattern, and was the most playfully tasteful costume I’ve ever seen. What tipped me over the edge was her very cool hairpiece (which I couldn’t find a picture of)…no 1990s scrunchie for this Olympic medalist! It looked like a Project Runway challenge winning design; trendy, different, and truly eye catching.

Can you tell we’re ready for spring and warm weather? I’ve been loving the Fall 2010 collections this month, but since I can’t purchase those items for months and months, I figured why not focus on the flirty highlights of spring and summer 2010?

Above are the colors Interfiliere (the only fabric trade show in the fashion industry) released a few months back for the upcoming warm season. How pretty! These colors are not only uplifting and sunny, but flattering on almost every skin tone. Pick out your favorites, and look forward to finding clothing in these fun sherbert colors!

We are SO excited, flattered and happy to announce that Southern Protocol was named as one of The Knot’s Best Of Wedding Planners for 2010! Only six coordination companies were recognized for the entire state of South Carolina, and Southern Protocol was lucky enough to make the list.

The huge-deal award is decided on by recent South Carolina brides, who vote for their favorite vendors from their wedding experience. Nothing starts off your week better than finding out you are truly appreciated by your clients – thank you so much to all of our beautiful brides for making our job so fabulous.

Go see the entire list on TheKnot’s website, and see if any of your other favorite vendors made the cut!

Holy, sequins is the main thing I think about when reflecting on the dresses from Sunday night’s Golden Globes. All-in-all I was just a bit “eh” with the looks, but there were a few that merited serious vocal exclamation – whether it be for good or bad. I’ve picked out our top three: My favorite, Lizz’s favorite, and our agreed “What the hell is she wearing? Does she want to look awful?!” choice.

Sara’s Favorite: Emily Blunt’s Dolce and Gabanna blush frock was romantic and perfect. The draping was gorgeous, and her accessories styling – thick and sparkly bracelets with just enough daintyness – completed the look beautifully. Plus, how cute it is that she is engaged to Jim from the Office? Love. Lizz thought her hair was not “red carpet appropriate,” but I’m choosing to cut the girl some slack. Hey, it was raining!

Lizz’s favorite of the night was January Jones, in a chic black number that was semi-reminiscent of everyone’s favorite party girl, Holly Golightly. When asked about her inspiration for dressing, she simply responded that she does her best to stray away from 1960s fashion, not wanting to be Betty Draper on her days off, too. I did love the look, especially the shoulder detail, but it was just a teeny bit wrinkly…even right out of her car onto the red carpet. But the red lipstick? Fabulous, and one of the biggest trends for this spring.

And now, for the biggest WTF moment of Sunday night: Tina Fey. It was just…so…unflattering! The horizontal strips of striped fabric gave the illusion of a bulky body, and we all know she has a great figure. Honestly, she looked beautiful from the top up; even the waist up for that matter. The sweetheart neckline and corseted top is a great choice for 99% of people. It was just the umbrella cupcake disaster that was her bottom half that totally ruined everything. For someone who is such a brilliantly funny actress, it would be lovely to see her LOOKING lovely, looking chic.

Check out more Golden Globes fashion – and pick out your bests and worsts – at E! Online. (Sidenote: I’m boycotting E! Red Carpet coverage from here on out: You never see full outfits, Ryan had a spray tan, and Giuliana started yelling, nay screaming, at George Clooney for an interview, only to start yelling at his girlfriend in Italian when she was snubbed. Giuliana, you know I love you on your Style Network show, but not on E!. Rough)

Tis the month of resolutions; “this year I will exercise more,” “this year I will drink more water,” or “this year I will not spend my rent money on that fabulous new pair of shoes.” Or something along those lines.

While most of your resolutions are surely perfect and (somewhat) attainable, Southern Protocol would like to suggest a little resolution for us all: Be polite. Be considerate. Be charming!

In today’s society, with all the non-personal forms of communication and incredibly busy day-to-day schedules, the simplest of manners often fall to the way-side. The fall of etiquette really is a shame – think of how much it means when you receive a handwritten thank you note, or someone you don’t know holds the door open for you. It’s the little things in life that count! Proper etiquette speaks volume about you as a person, and we could all do with a little conscious effort to maintain it.

Here’s a random sampling of ways to really increase your manners this year:

1. Give genuine compliments – something deeper than, “I just love that necklace!”
2. Complete a task around the house without your roommate/significant other asking you
3. Even when at a family meal, sit up straight and use proper table manners
4. Whenever you see a stranger on the street struggling with opening a door, picking up dropped items, etc., stop and help them out
5. As always, never underestimate the importance of “please” and “thank you”

So go out and show off those manners! (Please.)