Sunny December

Dress: Shoshanna

Shoes: Jimmy Choo

Wind in My Hair...

Dress: Shoshanna

Booties: Prada

Warm in Wool

I love wool dresses, and they are perfect for cold, windy days like today. But living with two pugs means any fabric like wool is immediately covered in pug hair. Oh well, what can you do? I'm not going to give up my two cuddle bugs. Norman was being especially sweet this morning, wanting to nestle in my lap while I ate my breakfast.

Today's outfit is from my favorite designer, Shoshanna: just a simple blue and black wool sheath dress. Colorblocking is one trend that I have embraced wholeheartedly.

Dress: Shoshanna Noura Wool Colorblocked Dress

The dress is still available on Gilt.com. Click on this link to get an exclusive invite and save 30% off your first purchase.

Booties: L.A.M.B.

Here is a shot with the blue Kate Spade purse that perfectly matches the blue in the dress.

Purse: Kate Spade New York

Suddenly Fall

Today was the first day I truly realized that the season of tank tops and flip-flops has come to an end. It was actually chilly this morning, and I am wearing long(ish) sleeves!

Dress: Shoshanna

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman

I think you can really see the red in my hair in this outside shot. Here's one from inside:

Homegrown Fashion

Wearing the Nanette Lepore Cosmic Crepe Dress

The fashion world is definitely not without its controversies. One major topic that seems at the top of everyone's lists this summer is over high-end, American fashion designers outsourcing their clothing manufacturing, resulting in lost American jobs and revenue. Made in the U.S.A.? Made in China is more like it.

Even the Ralph Lauren-designed Team USA Summer 2012 Olympic uniforms turned out to be produced overseas. While that fact certainly did not cast a pallor over the Olympic Games -- though, it seems to me, that if any one item of clothing is made here, the Team USA Olympic uniform should be it -- it did turn up the heat on American designers who choose profit over patriotism.

It also got me thinking about my own closet, and what items gracing my shelves are made more cost efficiently outside the United States. It turns out... a lot.

Of course, a few of those labels make a point to produce as much clothing as possible in the United States, in areas like New York City's famed Garment District. Nanette Lepore is one of the most outspoken designers on her stance to keep her clothing made in the U.S.A. She appeared on an episode of Project Runway All-Stars, and part of the challenge for the designers involved factoring in the cost of American production when making their creations. She also talked to CNN earlier this summer about her outrage over the Team USA Olympic uniforms:




My friend, Taryn, actually brought this issue to my attention a few years ago, when we bonded over our love of Nanette Lepore clothing. She told me that she purchased a top, knowing full well that Nanette Lepore's clothes were made in NYC, and discovered later that the label read "Made in China." She was outraged, and wrote a letter to the company to tell them so. What is shocking is that she actually received a reply. The truth was, they told her, if her top had been produced here, then it would have cost so much money most people would not have been able to afford it. That broke my heart.

A recent article in the NY Daily News highlighted the issue of American clothing manufacturing as well, showing that Nanette Lepore isn't the only designer who is making an effort to bring clothing manufacturing back to the United States. Shoshanna, another of my favorite designers, also produces some of her clothing here. It's not a giant leap, but it's at least a first step.

Nanette Lepre Cio Cio San Dress with BCBGMaxAxria Sandals

I've highlighted just two of the Nanette Lepore dresses in my closet on this post. If you're interested in shopping for Nanette Lepore clothing, shop her website, NanetteLepore.com. Each product page, like this one, shows where the item was made, and most of them proudly boast, "Made in New York City."

Dinner Out on a Difficult Wednesday

The last day of August this year wasn't a typical day for me, although it started out just like any other weekday. I got up at my usual time (5:15), but instead of heading to the gym for a workout, I immediately started getting ready for my day. At 6:30, I left home and headed to Alpharetta, where I would be spending the day at my parents' house taking care of my 90-year-old Grandma.

In this photo from 2008, my Grandma Marie is being silly, putting on my Fendi sunglasses.

She was visiting this past week, and my father was due to fly her back to New York on Sunday... but Irene hit and changed everyone's plans. Their flight was canceled, and my dad would need a full day to shuttle her to New York and then head back home to Atlanta, so he rescheduled the flights for this coming Saturday.

Since she can't be alone during the day, my parents had to scramble to find suitable arrangements to accommodate the extra week my Grandma would need to stay in Atlanta. My mom took off Monday and Tuesday to be home with her, my dad arranged to work from home Thursday and Friday, so I volunteered to keep an eye on her on Wednesday. It just happened to work out that aside from two conference calls, one that eventually was pushed to another day, I didn't have any in-person client meetings. Lately, work has been crazy, filled with meeting after meeting with both current and potential clients, so this type of day was an anomaly for me. I'm glad that it allowed me to help out my parents when they needed me, though. They are always so good to me, how could I not offer to help out.

My Grandma has lived a wonderful life, though this past January, she lost her husband of over 60 years. Since then, she has had a lot of upheaval: she moved out of her home in Texas, where she had lived since 1979, and moved in with her daughter and son-in-law in New York. She also has dementia, or Alzheimer's (we are not really sure), so most of the time she doesn't seem to know where she is or whom she's spending time with... made all the more confusing lately with her visits to Texas and Georgia to see her other children and grandchildren. (We all wanted to help celebrate her 90th birthday.)

Another photo from 2008: My Grandma, me and my Grandpa.

Most of the day, my Grandma thought I was my mother. She called me Linda and asked question after question about where she was, what was happening to her and why she couldn't remember so well. I was able to get a lot of work done while answering and soothing her, but it was still upsetting to see my Grandma that way, and to fully understand that she didn't know me. When my mom finally came home, she seemed to realize her mistake, but of course I still felt (stupidly) hurt. She seems to have become even more frail in the months since she lost my Grandpa, and that was also upsetting. She is one of the sweetest, kindest women you will ever meet, so it was heartbreaking. I guess I'm just glad I got to spend a day with her (11 hours)!

When I finally made it back home, I felt so exhausted, but I convinced Chapin that I still wanted to go out to dinner as we had originally planned. We had a gift card we needed to use because it expired that day, and after being stuck inside all day, I was itching for a night out.

I put on one of my favorite fancy dresses: this black and silver polka dot dress from Shoshanna. I just love it, and I paired it with similarly sparkly shoes and a black and silver purse. I was very matchy-matchy, as Nina Garcia would say, but I didn't care. I felt beautiful!

Me with my sweet hubby: August 31, 2011

Chapin bought me this dress for Christmas several years ago. (Here is a similar black and silver Shoshanna dress, though not as sparkly.) I remember thinking it looked like the Celine dress that Carrie wore out to dinner with Aidan in the "Just Say Yes" episode (Season 4) of Sex and the City:

Chapin and I went to Veni Vidi Vici for our dinner, and it was wonderful. This restaurant is actually one of the few in the Bucklead Life Restaurant Group that we have never eaten in before, so it was a great experience for us. Chapin had the appetizer portion of the Pappardelle dish to start: wide pasta ribbons, rotisserie duck and mushroom ragu. I tried a bite and it was so delicious, I might have to come back just for that. For dinner he also had duck: the Anatra entree, which was half maple leaf farms duck, lentils, wilted spinach and dried cranberries. He didn't finish it all, so he will have the leftovers for dinner tonight.

Our visit to Veni Vidi Vici actually coincided with Midtown Restaurant Week, so I ordered off that menu. My dinner included:

• Indivia ai Ferri: Grilled Belgian Endive, Citrus and Raisin Vinaigrette, Gorgonzola, Candied Pistachios
• Gnocchi alla Romana: Roman Style Baked Semolina Gnocchi, Spicy VVV Marinara, Crispy Guanciale
• Merluzzo: Pan Roasted New England Blue Cod, Parsley and Olive Oil Yukon Gold Potatoes, Caper and Grained Mustard Salsa Verde *I actually got mashed potatoes instead. Yum!

Midtown Restaurant Week ends September 4th, and it is a great opportunity to try trendy, popular restaurants in the Atlanta Midtown area for a very reasonable price. Of course, if you order an expensive bottle of wine like Chapin and I always do, then your bill might not be that beneficial to the wallet, but I needed it after my stressful day.

Side note: If you look closely at the picture above, you will see a little pug! I love seeing George in this pic... I think it makes me love it even more.

Happy Birthday, Gail

This past weekend, my family and I celebrated Gail's 30th birthday. Gail is my middle sister, the "blond one," and is a third grade teacher in Nashville, Tennessee. Here are the three sisters dressed up in our fancy "going out to dinner" outfits:

Laura, Michele & Gail: Sisters!

I am wearing a fabulous gold dress from one of my favorite designers, Shoshanna. The Shoshanna Gold Metallic Jacquard V-Neck Twist Waist Dress looks great on -- especially if you have a bit of a tan. Shoshanna's designs always deliver when it comes to comfortable, chic clothing that highlight your best assets while hiding (or masking) your worst (in my case: hips and thighs). I also have some great gold eye shadow -- Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Glimmer Eye Shadow in True Gold -- that I don't get to wear too often, so I was happy to be able to use it on this occasion.

I couldn't find the exact dress online, but here is strapless version of the gold Shoshanna dress available now at Saks.com.

Sisters in Despicable Me

Before Laura (on the far left, above) started highlighting her hair, her hair color was as dark as mine, if not darker. Every time I see the three sisters in the movie, Despicable Me, I am reminded of my sisters! I love this movie and have seen in at least 20 times now.


Originally a family of five, we are now a family of nine, since all of us are married, and my mom's dad, my Grandpa, now lives with my parents. It's quite a gathering when we are all together. Unfortunately, Chapin was out of town working in Dunedin, Florida, for this particular celebration.

Gail's husband, Rich, tried to plan a surprise party for Gail's milestone birthday, but it didn't work out, so we surprised her with dinner out (Sugo Restaurant) and a cake instead. She loves the beach and seashells in particular, so I ordered her a cake in the shape of a beautiful seashell. The cake inside was chocolate, and the decoration on the seashell is cinnamon, so the overall flavor was so delectable.

Seashell Cake from Rhodes Bakery

I ordered the cake from Rhodes Bakery in Atlanta, and they always do a great job. I also ordered Chapin's 30th birthday cake here, and you can check it out in the picture below. It was all chocolate -- his favorite!

I love birthdays and my family, so it was such a fun weekend. We also gave Gail her birthday present: a Michele watch. Now all three sisters have a watch from my namesake brand.