Southern Protocol

Now that Betty White has outlasted all of her Golden Girls co-stars, and has had quite possibly the most random comeback of all time, there’s only one obvious thing left to do: a clothing line with Jerry Leigh Apparel, of course!

I am absolutely dying laughing that 88-year-old Betty White has an upcoming clothing line. The best part is, she has SUCH a strong following – from her actual Golden Girls days as well as her new, younger fans – that this line will no doubt be uber-successful. I actually bet it will be more successful than some of the younger actress-turned-designers (you know how I normally feel about that prototype!) that have churned out collections recently…

Set to launch in August, the collection consists mostly of hoodies and t-shirts featuring Betty herself, and range from $28-48. As if having a shirt with Betty’s deceivingly sweet-as-sugar face on the front isn’t enough, part of the proceeds will benefit the Morris Animal Foundation.

How could you possibly resist?!

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.

As if there weren’t enough cool things going on this weekend, what with Spoleto being in town and gorgeous weather on the forecast, I have another thing to add to your Saturday To-Do List: The first ever Lowcountry Artist Market.

Inspired by artsy and addicting website Etsy (the “place to buy and sell all things handmade and vintage”), The Lowcountry Artist Market will feature handmade vintage and local items. Charleston artists will be selling handmade jewelry, vintage clothing, stationary, children’s clothing, custom hair accessories, art, and much more! How wonderful does this sound? You will walk away with amazingly unique purchases, knowing that you helped support more than 40 of Charleston’s own creative minds.

The market will be held at the Music Farm downtown from 10:30 am until 5:00 pm. And just in case you need a little extra incentive, the Music Farm’s bar will indeed be open. Be sure to pop in for a minute or two while strolling around tomorrow afternoon!

Music Farm is located at 32 Ann Street. 843.577.6969. For more information on the market, please email kristen@musicfarm.com.

If you didn’t get to sip on any tasty beverages for Cinco de Mayo yesterday – or even if you did – Bashful Boutique in Avondale is giving you another chance!

The bang-for-your-buck boutique is holding a festive “Cinco de Seis” party at their 829 Savannah Highway store from 6:00 – 8:30 tonight. Treats include guacamole, queso fondue from neighbor Avondale Wine and Cheese, and some homemade salsa. Wine and Caribbean beer will also be served.

So if you’re in the mood for shopping and sipping, head on over to Bashful Boutique tonight at 6:00!

Attention all you fashionistas on a budget: stop everything you’re doing and head over to TheOutNet.com, Net-A-Porter’s relatively new sale and clearance site.

For those of you unfamiliar with Net-A-Porter.com, it’s essentially the online go-to for high end merchandise; think Saks, Neimans, and Bergdorf’s virtual counterpart. While NAP has always had a clearance section, they decided to expand on it, probably listening to the thousands of customers who voiced their desire for more deals and steals.

TheOutNet has tons of designer brands way on clearance that will make any shopper giddy: Chloe, Louboutin, Herve Leger, Marc Jacobs, YSL… the list goes on and on! What makes the site more unique is its “special events.” They will randomly have “Flash Sales” – a certain item is put up for sale for a certain time frame, and gets cheaper and cheaper as the clock winds down; the longer you wait, the cheaper the garment will be… but the smaller chance you have of getting it before it sells out. Oh, the anticipation!

I’ve heard that they also do $1.00 sales. At a random, unannounced time they will put a variety of items up for a $1.00 sale. And we’re not talking $30 dresses from Target, we’re talking $2200 Herve Leger dresses. For ONE DOLLAR. Crazy!

Check out the fashion haven today and see what deals you can score.

And another designer joins the Target fun! Urban chic designer Zac Posen’s line for Target drops on April 25th, and the hype in NYC is already insane. Parties and pop up shop launches galore – the rest of us just have to wait another week and a half!

I love that all these designers have realized they can create lines like this without compromising their design aesthetic; lots of people love Zac, Gaultier and Rodarte but can’t necessarily afford the real thing! While I appreciate their effort and savvy business sense, the lines are cheaper, and sometimes it shows. I say this because, like most of the designers before him, I like a great portion of the Posen for Target lookbook…but sometimes when the lines actually debut the quality is a little lackluster. I generally love at least a few of the pieces in person, but most are disappointing.

But who knows! Perhaps Posen will turn that sad song around. His styling is usually a bit too hard for me, but I can tell there are some great potential separates in there. LOVE the colors! Check out the entire lookbook here, courtesy of NBC New York.

(Something else: I read earlier today that 19-year-old Emma Roberts, who does act but is known mainly as being Julia Roberts’ niece, was slamming all the designers that do collections for Target, saying they’re super “cheesy.” Also that she wants to create her own collection one day – but never something for Target; instead something like The Row or Elizabeth and James by the Olsen Twins. Newsflash, sweetheart: the Olsen Twins also just launched Oslenboye, a low priced line for JC Penny. Get some business sense and a bit more courtesy before you start burning bridges!)

Like most people, I’ve always had a bit of a “bleh” taste in my mouth for Talbots. Sure, their twinsets and front-pleat pants look quaint on my grandmother, but once I aged out of Talbots Kids, I generally avoided the brand.

Fast forward to 2010, when the store so associated with bland, conservative, country club aesthetic is in year two of its rebranding and repositioning. Their past few collections – namely last fall, this spring, and this coming fall – are, dare I say it, trendy! Not trendy in a specifically young demographic way, but in a surprisingly pleasant way that is leaving their target market fighting over pieces in the store (seriously – a woman was taken out on a stretcher fighting for a dress Michelle Obama wore on the cover of Essence).

The big dogs in charge of the rebranding finally realized that their consumer’s sense of and desire for style wasn’t changing, just their bodies were. The clothing now consists of fashionable blazers, ruffled tops, perfect dresses in great patterns and colors, pants that fit impeccably (they actually had a campaign last fall that paid customers $5 to try on their new fit of pants – and ended up selling a whopping 600,000 pairs) and a great collection of accessories. It’s great styled clothing simply cut in a way that fits a not-20 something year old’s body flawlessly.

We’ve been taking numerous image consulting clients by Talbots stores and sending them links to the online site – they may be hesitant at first, but immediately after browsing the noticeably updated pieces they’re in love!

You can’t beat a high quality store that makes beautiful clothes that are on point with current fashions!

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!

Mark your calendars!

It seems Cynthia Rowley is everywhere these days – making her appearance at CFW, launching a collection with Roxy, being fabulous in general…and now we get to bask in the glory of her designs at a fraction of the cost! Friday, April 16 – Sunday, April 18 from 10 am – 7 pm the downtown Cynthia Rowley boutique will hold a rare sample sale. We’re talking up to 80% off clothing and accessories!

Cash and all major credit cards will be accepted, and naturally all sales will be final. We’ll see you there!

Cynthia Rowley is located at 341 King Street. 843.577.8013

If there’s one fashion-related business that Charleston is missing out on (generally speaking), it’s thrift and vintage stores. Before you go into fits of protests about the select places on King and in West Ashley, let me explain! Yes, those stores are there. And yes, sometimes they have squeal-worthy finds. But not all the time! They are so hit and miss…but I guess such is fate at a thrift store.

That was, until that huge pink ice cream truck started making its rounds around the Charleston area. Love Me Again, the vintage boutique on wheels started by a hipster known only as “Jenny,” prides itself on fab finds of vintage and gently used clothing for women, men and children.

She has a new cute shop on Coming, but if you want “more lovin’”, then you can call her up to host a Cocktails and Clothes party! Invite all your friends and loved ones, and receive an additional FIFTY PERCENT off all your purchases!

Love Me Again Clothing is a genuine vintage heaven on wheels; the clothes are trendy and on point, having a cool history without looking ratty. Visit her store on Coming or keep your eye peeled for the best car ever: the pink ice cream truck. Check her website for upcoming events.

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.