Ahh the sweet smell of soup and succe$$

Last Saturday’s fete was FUN.

Mr. December rocked the house with their folk stomp ukulele power as a jovial crowd of ethical enthusiasts supped on soup and swilled Dark & Stormies. Amidst the merrymaking eager supporters shuttled in and out of the fitting rooms trying on fall fashions. At times it was hectic, but ultimately rewarding for satisfied customers and for the school kids out at West Side. We are so proud to announce that we exceeded our fundraising goals. It feels great to be able to hand a big ol’ check over to the West Side School Fire Relief Fund. Huge thanks to all who turned out and braved the crowd to shop for a great cause. Special thanks to Ari, Ames, Matt, Andrew, and Jimmie for making the food, drink, and folk happen.

WEST SIDE SCHOOL FUNDRAISER & FALL FASHION FETE!

It’s a party . . . and you all are invited.

Our new Fall fashions are here! Warm sweaters, coats, dresses and shirts for women and men by designers Linda Loudermilk, Rag & Bone, Edun, Covet, Loomstate and others. All lines are very limited production and all are exclusive to Arboretum in the North Bay.

Please join us to view the truly beautiful collection, savor soup and drink Dark & Stormy cocktails at this not-to-be-missed event.

TWENTY PERCENT of sales made during the party will be donated to the WEST SIDE SCHOOL FIRE RELIEF FUND. Let’s get our wonderful school rebuilt!

WHEN:  Saturday, November 3, 5:00 to 8:00 PM

WHERE:  332 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg

WHY: look good. feel good. do good.

Images from the devastating West Side School fire.

What the FUR?!

Is it getting cold out there or is it just me? Well, when the temperatures drop you best not hesitate to grab yourself a new full length Fur Coat! That’s right folks, just “hop” on down to your local Versace or Dior boutique. Or simply go to the Neiman Marcus or Sak’s websites and you’ll find 10 pages of glorious fur coats and accessories for the whole family (what’s cuter than little Sally marching along clad, head to toe, in a pony-fur coat?), all available for convenient home delivery. It’s that easy to purchase the butchered remnants of helpless animals! If you’ve become bored with the same old fur coat number, fret not, there are many more options for you to choose from. Perhaps a fur “head wrap” to keep your temples warm and cozy. Or maybe fox fur cuffs so your wrists don’t get chilly. Or cutest yet, fur trimmed camisole and boy shorts from Hanky Panky. Oh, and just in case you lost your old one, you can get a new mink ponytail holder from Saks in a variety of colors. They are so cute and really practical too. I just don’t know where I’d be with out my fur ponytail holder.

Am I missing something? Seriously, I feel like the world is sliding backwards. I thought it was clear that global temperatures are rising, and fast! And, according to this recent article, big label fashion designers have started to panic about the lack of definitive seasons and how it will affect the fashion industry. Somehow, FUR is still making a huge and I mean HUGE comeback. How did this happen? How did we let it? Why is no one doing anything about it? The list of designers who are using real fur from real animals is so long and it seems that no animal is safe. From rabbit to mink, fox and raccoon, sable and sheerling, goat and chinchilla it’s all here.

We’ve been seeing a sprinkling of fur here and there from gaudy, vapid designers on the runway for years. However, it’s now going mainstream and you can see it everywhere. Recently, the October issue of Elle (with Reese Witherspoon on the cover) caught my attention in a big way. Over 50 pages of ads for fur coats from many well known designers. From couture labels like Lanvin all the way down to working class collections like BCBG and Juicy.  We have to do something. These designers are in a shocking state of denial. It’s astounding that in today’s world a super frivolous product like fur is making a power comeback.

I thought we were making progress. I guess I was wrong. Those able to make contributions to important issues are instead being tempted by a $3,000 goat fur shoulder bag. Goat fur? What? Most shocking of all--it’s working! That’s right ladies and gents, it is in fact the Year of The Furrier. Get your club, head to Alaska. There are baby seals waiting for you.

The brief list of who and what to boycott:

Neiman Marcus

Sak’s

Christian Dior, John Galliano, Versace, Lanvin, Oscar de la Renta, Alexander McQueen, Michael Kors, Gucci, Hermes, Tod’s, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Alexander McQueen, Furla, Derek Lam, Chanel, Roberto Cavalli, Carolina Herrera, Missoni, J. Mendel, Blumarine, Proenza Schouler, Fendi, Etro, Zac Posen, Bottega Veneta, Coach, BCBG/MAXAZRIA, Sobara, Bally, Cole Haan, Rock & Republic, Juicy Couture, Burberry, Rizal Furs, Valentino, Christian Lacroix, St. John, Nina Ricci, Armani Collezioni, Yves Saint Lauren, Chloe, Max Mara, Akris, Andrew Marc, Badgley Mischka, Theory, Giorgio Armani, Montcler, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin.

This is the short list of designers currently using fur in their collections. There are also a number of celebrities who seem to have misplaced their morlas too. These are a few:

Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, Lil Momma, Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lopez, Adrien Brody, Kiera Knightly, Ashanti, Britney Spears, Busta Rhymes, Debra Messing, Elizabeth Hurley, Eva Longoria, Gwen Stefani, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Connely, Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Madonna, Sean “P Diddy” Combs.

This too is an abbreviated list of celebs who love fur. To see them in all their fuzzy glory, check out the FICA website.

FASHIONABLE CASH!

It’s that time of year again. Yes, Vegas. Kate and I had the honor of attending the zoo that is the Las Vegas fashion-trade shows, 3 of them. Fortunately at the Pool trade show this year they had a nice little “eco” designers section, aptly named s(eco)nd.  While we were there, we came across this awesome line of wallets. They are hip, but not too hip. Different enough to make people notice, but not contrived. After about one minute of deliberation we decided to bring these in just in time for the Holiday season. They really would make a great gift for pretty much anyone who uses cash. We’ll have them in store by mid-October, so start your lists now.

db clay, a Portland Oregon based business (another bonus point) has patented a special environmentally safe, leather free material. The company’s founder/designer Garrett Stenson has named this new material “Tope”. Tope is a synthetic fabric similar (IN TEXTURE) to vinyl. I know that’s a scary word , but don’t be frightened my friends.  Tope does not contain the hazardous chemicals found in vinyl based products. In particular, Tope contains NO PVC, Tope is non-toxic, Tope is chlorine chemicals free and Tope is fabricated through a pollutant free process. They have a highly technical printing process, whereby they can print high resolution photographic images using environmentally friendly inks. The icing on the cake, Tope is Vegan and animal cruelty free!!!

So, while I did lose a diamond from my wedding ring in Las Vegas, at least we came away with this diamond in the rough!

Late Breaking News

Visit winecountry.com to read a glowing review of our humble establishment by discerning wine journalist Cortney Cochran. Seems that Courtney not only knows her potent potables, but has the scoop on fashion as well. Check out her other musings on the Hip Tastes blog. She brings a fresh, occasionally irreverent, perspective to the wine industry. Go Courtney!