{such a} Martin+Osa Email Offer

One of the nicest surprises on mornings where I hate everything in my closet, is to open an email and find a coupon for one of my fave boutiques. Today was one of those mornings, and I'm sharing the coupon I received with you. Get $20 off at MARTIN + OSA with LUCKY BUCK$ from Lucky Magazine. Use your LUCKY BUCK$ towards any MARTIN + OSA purchase of $75 or more. Around Cincinnati, you'll need to shop online, so visit MartinandOsa.com. Check the sale section of the site - I spotted an uber-cute Tuxedo Blazer for a mere $44.95

Discount Code: 45
Web Code: 87478529

{such a} Invitation that I've waited for, but can't accept...

At long last, my invitation to the Grand Opening Gala for the new Nordstrom store arrived...and wouldn't you know, I can't go!

The gala is the night before a huge meeting that I'm scheduled to attend in San Jose, CA. Of course the meeting couldn't be closer to Nordstrom...no, that would be too convenient. And since there's virtually no way that I know of to attend and hop a plan to still be ontime on Thursday, I am forced to tearfully, regretfully decline the invitation.

I hope that you go..and if you do, please take pictures and tell me all about it. And rest assured, I will be indulging in a Nordstrom spree soon.... XOXO

ps - Please excuse the crappy photography. In my enthusiasm to share my invite with you, I was forced to use my Blackberry camera for the snaps. They're not great, but trust me that the invite pack is gorgeous.

The invite package as a whole. Beautiful rectangular envelope with embossed letters. Inside, long rectangular invitation imprinted with old-fashioned riverboats and embossed with the gala wording.
______________________________________________________________

The RSVP card. Also embossed. I'm so sad I have to send this back with my regrets.

{such a} Blogher 09 Adventure

Blogher 09 in Chicago was an amazing experience for me. I met fabulous bloggers (@momtrolfreak and @sabrinabot among others) and attended fab parties (EA Active and the Lush Experience by Blogalicious). Yes, there was a preponderance of mommy bloggers and the swagaholics caused me to raise an eyebrow or two, but that’s not what’s important. What matters is that much to my surprise, there were a large number of incredibly fashionable women at Blogher 09. I’m not sure what I expected really...but I was happily surprised to see stylish, trendy women everywhere I went at the conference. Cute summer dresses, mod booties, skinny jeans and brightly printed tanks.

Check out just a few of the galleries:

Blogher Galleries
Blogher Flickr Galleries
Tide Laundry Lounge Gallery
Rick from Tiny Prints Gallery

I was thrilled to find out that both Carson Kressley and Tim Gunn were going to be in attendance at Blogher. Carson came with Nikon to promote Look Good In Pictures, Nikon's How To Series with Carson Kressley, and Tim Gunn came as part of Tide’s Laundry Lounge. Both were dressed to the nines, Carson in a lime green sweater (that he quick-switched to don a t-shirt given to him by an attendee) and Tim in a dark grey pinstripe suit. I a scoop (not really a scoop) on the next Project Runway, which Tim shared will be in LA, and starts on August 20th.



Paula Deen also put in an appearance to plug her new line of food at Walmart. She suprised me by adding a very cute, very sparkly pair of slip-on flats to her jeans and denim shirt outfit. I’m not one to cook with a stick of butter or more, but I approve of her shoes 100%.



The most fashion-unique event of the entire conference was the Cheeseburgher party held on the last night. In case you’re not familar, and I wasn’t, attendees to this late-night soiree sponsored by McDonalds are given McDonalds bags to wear as headgear. I could not figure out a way to make that bag look good, so I didn’t wear one. So sad...not! It was a great party despite my lack of paper hat. Fortunately, I had my hot pink feather boa from Bowlher...mad love.

{such a} Local Designer Featured in Daily Candy

DAAP Graduate Anna Pachan is all over the news these days. First, a fabulous write-up in Cincinnati Magazine and now, a Daily Deal in the Daily Candy Deals newsletter. If you haven't seen her swimwear line called Cala Ossidiana (means obsidian beach in Italian) you're missing out. Beautiful one-pieces feature a layered on sheer look with intriacte strap work, and her bikinis are simple profiles with a pretty blend of bandeau and string pieces. Locally, find Cala Ossidiana at Snap Boutique, but hurry--summer's almost over so they won't be around for much longer.

PS-If you don't subscribe to Daily Candy, subscribe for updates on hot find and fashions, and for a discount on purchasing Cala Ossidiana swimwear online, enter code DAILYCANDY during checkout from the Yahoo store.

{such a} Fashion News-Anna Sui At Target!

Anna Sui at Target
Yes it's true! Anna Sui, everyone favorite playful, colorful and uncompromisingly original designer is launching a line of clothing for Target - our favorite recessionista shop spot. Sui is only the second designer, after Alexander McQueen to become a part of the Designer Collaboration for Target. Up and coming designers like Erin Fetherston and Rogan Gregory have been featured in the GO International collection. From an interview with Women's Wear Daily:

"I have always been a fan of designer partnerships with mass retailers," Sui told WWD exclusively. "I think it is a great way to bring fashion to everyone. I love Go International and was intrigued with Target's new take on designer partnerships. It's a fresh approach. I was able to select a muse or source of creative inspiration to focus the collection around. It is an exciting challenge to try and interpret my aesthetic into a mass-produced product with a specific inspirational source as the focus."

Rumors have been flying as to whether or not this collection will be based on characters from TV's popular Gossip Girl. Since I'm not a fan of the show (actually never seen it) I'm not worried either way, but sources have said that Target, not Sui, is balking at being associated with the show. Seem the characters engage in hijinx that Target finds a little to racy for their customers!

The collection will debut online at target.com and in stores on September 13th, so mark your calendars. It will only be available until Mid-October.

{such a } Five Must-Have Indie Dresses - Summer '09

Baby, it’s hot, hot, hot outside, and while the temps and humidity may keep you running for the chill of a nice air-conditioned room, these cute summer dresses can heat up your wardrobe without burning up your budget. Try these five trends in totally wearable, completely unique styles. Every dress listed is made by an independent designer - support these fab up-and-coming labels!

Maxi Dress - the maxi has been spotted just about everywhere this summer. With its long sweeping lengths and forgiving fit, the maxi dress is easily glamourous, and can transition from daytime to nighttime with minimal effort.

Long Wildflower Dress - Prodiji by Brittney Kelley


Tiered Dress- soft layers give ethereal dimension to a simple dress shape, while skimming over any problem spots. Ideally look for silks or blends that move with you, and stay away from overly heavy fabrics.

The AK Style - Anavaa Kisasa


Delicate Boho - Continuing the trend towards colorful swirled prints with an earthy sensibility, the delicate boho dress has a simple, flowing style and unique handkerchief or embellished hemlines.

Green Multi-Dress - Blue Plate Fashion


A-line Dress - Retro fabulous and updated for summer, the a-line has returned to the market with a vengeance. Another chic option in the “forgive me I’ve sinned and eaten cookies” category, the simple “a” cut of this dress lets you breathe easy and still be on-trend.

Assymetrical Dress- Tulle


Goddess/One-Shoulder - as the name implies, the style of this dress invites you to channel your inner Aphrodite and show off your shoulders and arms with a unique neckline. Yet another all-around flattering dress, look for solid colors if you’re not feeling daring enough to wear this style.

One Shoulder Wrap Dress- Sammy Lenko



All photos courtesy of the respective sites.

{such a} Packing with RedKat

I admit, I am a hopeless over-packer. Yes, I’m the one that packs enough clothing for a world vacation, when I only need enough for 5 days. I will mentally go through the “what if” scenarios, and pack outfits for each and everyone. Safari in Vegas? I’m prepared. Skiing in Honolulu? Check. Let it be said that no matter where I go when I’m out of town, I have just the perfect ensemble tucked away in my suitcase.




As one who over-packs, there are certain strategies that I must employ to ensure that even though my bag may be stuffed to the gills, it won’t weigh more than 50 lbs and cost me any of my fun money. Here are just a few of my pointers:

Roll your clothes - yes, roll them up, military style. You’ll be surprised how much more you can fit into one suitcase. Wrinkles are virtually eliminated, as rolling keeps your clothes from getting crunched. In some instances, proper clothes rolling can result in being able to take a carry-on instead of a checked bag. Score!

Keep a list of your outfits - if your suitcase has more clothes in it than a shopping bag full of Nordstrom’s sale items, you know you’ll have a tough time keeping track of just what’s in it. Make a list. Write down each outfit you put together, and if you are really detailed, assign the outfit to a particular day. This ensures that you’ll have your bases covered, and allows you more room in your suitcase for packing non-essential things (formal gown for a trip to the Alps, anyone?)

Try on everything - try on each and every outfit you plan to take with you. There is nothing worse than laying out a week’s worth...okay more like ten days worth...of clothes, only to arrive at your destination and realize that certain items don’t work together. Trying everything on also ensures that you don’t wind up with any embarrassing moments, like striped undies under white pants, or a black bra and a strapless dress.

The accessories - as you try on all your outfits, add in the accessories you plan to wear with each. If you see opportunity to repurpose a silver pendant with two outfits, do it. Shoes are a major suitcase spacehog, so try to limit yourself to no more than 3 pairs. Nest your shoes inside each other, and line the edges of your suitcase with them, thereby creating a little space in the middle for items like jackets to be packed flat. With necklaces, I like to sort mine out into little cinched jewelry pouches so that they don’t get hopelessly tangled in transit.

Makeup and perfumes - the TSA regulations have made carrying perfumes, lotions and other feminine sundries a true pain. But, if you smartly pack two of your favorite perfumes rolled inside a shirt, or a pair of socks, you’ll save space and cushion them from breaking. NOTE: This doesn’t work for carry-ons. With a carry-on, your best bet is to head to Sephora and stock up on the free-with-purchase samples. Use your trip to audition new perfumes to find new faves. Hairspray and body lotions can be rolled inside of pant legs, thereby saving space in your makeup bag for lipsticks, eye shadows and moisturizers.

Now, reading this you may think that my goal is to pack as lightly as possible by only taking what I need. Au contraire! By following my pointers, you not only can pack all your favorite “what if” outfits, along with any “maybe I might need it” selections. Not to mention that by smartly organizing your suitcase, you are guaranteed to have room to shop, shop, shop wherever your travels to take you! That is what a true fashionista would do...