New Jersey Life A-List 2009
New Jersey Life A-List Issue Oct. '09
We just received our official letter (pictured below) and are so excited to receive such great feedback from our customers as well as editors – we absolutely love what we do and are so grateful that you do as well!
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED!
New Jersey Life A-List 2009 Recipient Letter (click to enlarge)
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ADAM reversible vest
This morning on my journey to work, signs that October is essentially here were quite evident: Halloween decorations abound, leaves transitioning to yellow and orange hues, and grape harvesting at the local vineyard I pass daily. Fashion translation: we get to break out our favorite fall vests! It is the perfect time of year whether you’re running kids back and forth to games or trekking into the city, this vest from ADAM (left) is our favorite this year! It is reversible: one side is an insulated puffer vest while the other is faux fur. The puffer side is constructed from Thermore insulated fabric which is a serious outerwear company that provides cutting edge technology to winter down jackets. The vest is weather protected with this fabric, yet doesn’t make us feel like a snowman – no bulkiness here: the bonus of course is that it is navy – we love this color choice. Black down vests are so commonplace and the numerous other colors that we normally see down vests and jackets coming in are too sporty. Navy gives this vest its fashion forward edge along with the gorgeous faux fur which can so easily be mistaken for real fur – it doesn’t have that fake fur feel or sheen. We can easily see wearing it during the day navy side out and switching it up at night reversed for a more glamourous option to keeping warm! We are so used to falling in love with ADAM’s great dresses, knitwear, and pants that we are so blown away by this incredible asset to the Fall ‘09 collection!
for pricing and availability: buyer@shopglowonline.com , 732.747.2262 , www.shopglowonline.com
spring 2010: choices
After another long yet exciting day of Spring 2010 fashion, the final lineup is beginning to reveal itself. The choices are endless but in the end either it is a nay or yay so trusting my fashion instincts is essential and immediate. This color or that color (such as above), this fit or that, this fabric or that fabric…..my brain is on overdrive but these are the days that buyers live for each season: LOVING SPRING 2010!!! The runways were great but nothing compares to seeing an entire collection lined up in perfect syncrasy in their showroom: it is is pure heaven. I’m a very tactile buyer and this carries over into my personal shopping style as well: I can see the shows and items online but seeing and feeling it in person is what I love – it is such an incomparable experience and sensation. This is why I don’t shop online – I cannot feel or sense the texture, lines, flow of something from an LCD computer screen. I can get inspired but I need that in-person experience to become fully aware of what it is all about. BOTTOM LINE: it just is not as fun 2 dimensionally. I can only compare it to the euphoria felt after remerchandising the entire store for a new season or to put it in a kid’s perspective: walking in to Dylan’s Candy Bar and having it ALL to yourself: what candy and flavor do you go to first?
Either you want the strawberry or the sour apple jolly rancher: indecisiveness leaves you flavorless or with a belly ache because both flavors cross cancel each other on your taste buds. Although, sometimes I wish I could have both choices just like Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
I want the whole works
Presents and prizes and sweets and surprises
Of all shapes and sizes…..
I actually don’t really want what Veruca wants. I want to go through it all and choose the best of each collection and the best choice for each piece: each dress has its perfect color and fabric, both aren’t equal. The method to my fashion madness: SPRING 2010.
Smythe Blue Plaid Equestrian Jacket
Smythe Military Jacket
Our Smythe jackets have arrived and once again we are in love with the absolute perfect construction of their outerwear. They know how to make outerwear with the most perfect fit season after season and somehow manage to reinvent their style with new jackets for us to swoon over! The plaid jacket (left) is based off of their trademark shape, their fabric choice and texture this season have evolved as well as the detailing of their leather woven buttons which are in a beautiful caramel color. This jacket would certainly look amazing styled now with denim and a slim shirt underneath, transcend through winter with a sweater, boots (amazing with the Rag + Bone riding boots below – we had a try on session with them!); and next spring I can see it being worn with a white tee underneath paired with a navy or gray scarf. The plaid is so quintessentially New England; add a Starbucks latte or hot chocolate and we are ready for the festivities that this season brings!
In case plaid is not your thing and even if it is, Smythe’s black jacket for Fall ‘09 is the military inspired shape pictured above on the right. When I tried this jacket on in the showroom, I was so impressed with the freshness of the fit, the shape, the detailing, and the buttons (emblem brass). It is so tough for designers to bring a fresh perspective to the classic black military jacket shape, but if anyone is going to do it successfully, we know it is Smythe: and they have. This very easily became my personal jacket order for the season – it is extremely functional and smart looking. It looks great open or closed because Smythe separated the top and bottom of the front creating a panel that gives the coat a breakaway effect without the “flappy-ness” that an actual breakaway jacket has. Whether I am in New York, running errands around town, going to work, or going out to dinner I know that this Smythe jacket will be that strong finish to my outfit each time I put it on. This is what outerwear is supposed to be all about: a strong yet simple statement. No fuss, no fiddling, no eccentricities just perfectly structured and styled outerwear that actually accomplishes the two things we want most out of our jacket: warmth and style.
for pricing and availability: buyer@shopglowonline.com ; 732.747.2262; www.shopglowonline.com
rag + bone riding boots
After running around today in New York for Fashion Week (which was of course exhaustingly amazing), I was even more excited to return to the store to find that our Rag + Bone riding boots had arrived! The arrival of these boots has been much anticipated since seeing them in the showroom months ago and now they are finally here! They arrived in a beautiful chocolate leather as well as a combination black napa/nubuck leather – and both are undeniably perfect! My favorite things in a riding inspired boot: rounded toe, slight heel, sturdy structure yet not stiff, and most importantly the leather MUST look perfectly worn in but not abused. These boots are that and then more – color preference: I can’t choose because both are so chic in their own way. The chocolate is a beautiful shade of saddle brown and read all-American, while the black is almost an off-black and read much more British equestrian. It depends on your preference. What I also love about the chocolate is that it really is the best brown boot I have seen in a very long time- it is tough to find the right shade brown boot to begin with and then have the leather and lines of the boot so incredible is really unheard of. Let’s not under appreciate the black however because the combination of the napa leather and nubuck leather panel has created great depth to the boot – much more so than the typical flat black boot- and the wide band at the top of both boots really finishes the look off at the top of the leg very well. Rag + Bone’s pieces always make me feel super chic in a way that I know looks effortless, enviable, and accessible and now my feet will get to enjoy their designing chic genius too! Pair these with some skinny jeans or double knit pants, a great tee, and Smythe jacket for the ultimate in Fall ‘09 equestrian chic!
for pricing and availability: buyer@shopglowonline.com , 732.747.2262 , www.shopglowonline.com
rag + bone fall 2009 gloves
We are feeling quite British today with the arrival of rag + bone’s fall gloves. Two different styles have caught our accessory obsession. One, which arrived in black and also red is termed the “fencing” fingerless glove. LOVE the name and LOVE the look and functionality even more! Each fall/winter I go through at least one pair of fingerless gloves because I literally use them so much. This year the fencing glove is my new pair to use with love. What I love about rag + bone’s take on the fingerless glove is that it has the mitten attachement which stays hooked back by the cutest little rag + bone button! This way our fingers are accessible yet if it gets too chilly we can untab the mitten attachment and voila! a new pair of gloves! Fingerless gloves are so functional -why I am obsessed with them: when I am buying a coffee at Starbucks, or paying for a cab, answering my cell phone, or even trying to find my keys in my bag – one would usually have to take off the glove to avoid fumbling these simple tasks. With fingerless gloves, the gloves stay on and the task gets accomplished seamlessly. I also adore that they chose to introduce this beautifully perfect shade of red for the gloves as well: the easiest way to bring a pop of color to an outfit is with an accessory. I see this red glove working perfectly with an all black jacket, boot combo, denim and choc or camel, ivory, and even purple or navy!
The second glove that just came in from rag + bone is the cashmere and leather driving glove (the shorter one pictured above). This glove has so much personality, yet it is so simple that it can go with practically anything. It isn’t bulky at all and has a brass button and leather closure. It makes us feel a bit rebellious paired with an A. Wang dress or a bit more demure back to an Elizabeth + James blazer, trouser pant, and heels. I think right now on a chilly night I certainly wouldn’t feel shy breaking these out with one of the new Monrow shirts (posted below), my Helmut Lang vest, Helmut Lang leather leggings and Camilla shoes (posted below) because after all they are DRIVING gloves and even if we aren’t British why not be inspired by their historically amazing style and glove it up!
for pricing and availability: buyer@shopglowonline.com , 732.747.2262, www.shopglowonline.com
Nicky Hilton's Boutique Closet
Labor Day has passed and October is rapidly approaching. The uncertainty of the weather is a daily concern for our closets right now. Are there going to be more 80 degree days or is this cooler weather here for good? Yes, we could reference The Farmer’s Almanac, but can someone please create a Seasonal Fashion Almanac: let us know when it is okay to officially switch our closets over from Spring/Summer to Fall/Winter.
These transitional periods that come around twice a year are the worst for our closets. We are adding essential new Fall pieces, shoes, boots, and coats to our closets, yet we haven’t fully removed the maxi dress and gladiator sandals. Transitioning the closet is an entire day, if not weekend, event. How do we make the most out of this transition?
Wouldn’t our lives be so much easier if we all could have a celebrity closet? InStyle and many other magazine have featured spreads on various celebrity closets over the years. One of my favorites has been Nicky Hilton’s (pictured left). Maybe because it has a similar colorscheme as glow, but also because in general it looks like her own private boutique! It would be so much more exciting to wake up and waltz into our own private room that is our closet (we all loved that scene from the 90’s cult film Clueless). Most of us might not have the availability to have a Nicky Hilton closet, but we can learn from her and other celebrities closets. Take a look at some of the best celebrity closets we all can gain inspiration from: http://bit.ly/celebrityclosets.
My suggestion to customers when it comes to their closets and to myself is always: be cohesive, have style, and be organized. Try to switch all of your hangers over so they are all uniform – our favorite hangers are Huggable Hangers – they save space and come in an array of colors. Once you have this taken care of, visit a store like The Container Store and pick up a rolling rack (for your out-of-season pieces you will put in the attic or basement), storage baskets (woven, canvas, etc.), clear shoe bins, and drawer accessory dividers. Now it’s time to remove everything you plan to not wear at all from now until next April: folded items in storage bins and hung items in garment bags on rolling racks. After this is done, attack the in-season pieces: organize by color by item: shirts by color, pants together and then by color, etc. I like to separate my button downs from the rest of my shirts because I think they all look really pretty on their own. I also separate my casual and work dresses from my event dresses because I don’t need to look at that fabulous gown everyday – plus event dresses are always more delicate – there is not need to be shuffling through them on a daily basis. I found this article about closet organization – it has a lot of great suggestions: http://bit.ly/3XCCv .
Remember: even if you have the smallest closet, take the time to set it up properly – it is never too late. Utilize other areas to organize your wardrobe such as under the bed, bedroom trunks, storage cubes, armoires. This is your own personalized collection of pieces you have purchased because you love them: your closet should reflect this love. It is your own evolving boutique.
MONROW FALL 2009
Monrow is an LA-based tee shirt collection designed by Megan George and Michelle Wenke. The two designers wanted to create a t-shirt line for everyday use that combines elements of high fashion and luxury living. Monrow is known for fashion-focused themes like “Save Rochas” and “Kate”, and was featured on whowhatweardaily.com. They truly have become queens of the tee-shirt. A favorite with celebs such as Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton, Sienna Miller, and Kate Moss. Monrow pieces are made from soft superfine “tissue” cotton some are double layered, asymmetrical, not too fitted, and not too loose and very sexy: they are essentially the tee we all see models wearing and ask ourselves, “why can’t I look that chic in a simple tee?” Now you can.
for pricing and availability; buyer@shopglowonline.com ; www.shopglowonline.com ; 732.747.2262
