Maureen’s Blab and Blog

One of my FAVORITE designers, Trina Turk, will be in town today speaking at the SF Design Center with the editor of California Home + Design magazine.  I have long admired the graphic fabrics used in the Trina Turk line.   Trina Turk launched her business in 1995, having learned to sew and design from an early age.  Within the first year she had Barney”s New York, Fred Segal and Saks selling her clothing.

“Inspired by the multicultural mix, architecture, and landscape of Los Angeles and California, The Trina Turk Collection is full of the Season’s most casually sophisticated – and “must have” silhouettes. Trina’s philosophy is to create wearable, optimistic fashion that incorporates the best aspects of classic American sportswear.”

 Trina Turk opened her flagship store in Palm Springs in 2002, to much excitement and fanfare, as the desert was a constant inspiration to her.  A store in LA soon followed, and her NYC store opened in 2006 in the meatpacking district.  Trina Turk residential opened right next door to the original clothing boutique in Palm Springs in 2008.  In 2009 she introduced an indoor-outdoor fabric line with home furnishings manufacturer F. Schumacher

“Turk will sit down with California Home+Design Executive Editor Erin Feher for a frank, funny and insightful conversation about finding your style, building your brand and why California is still the land of risk-takers and tastemakers. Audience questions and participation are highly encouraged. “

Design SF 2012 Keynote, SFDC Galleria, 101 Henry Adams Street SF, Ca 94103 February 1, 2012 10:00 – 11:00 AM

It’s the same time every year, so why am I always so surprised when I have to decide what to wear???  I am referring to the annual AICI (Assn. of Image Consultants Int’l) 3 day Education Conference I attend each January.  This is a wonderful, informative, action packed couple of days that sends your mind into overdrive by the time you leave on Sunday evening.  The San Francisco chapter of AICI sponsors this conference and I NEVER miss it!  I have been a member of AICI sine 2005, received my FLC (first level certification) in 2007 and my CIP (certified image professional) certification in 2009.  In order to maintain this certification you have to earn CEU’s on a regular basis, which is only ONE reason I go so religiously.

The only part of the weekend that stresses me out is when I go to put my outfits together for each day.  This is a great looking group, let me just say!!!  The only other comparison I can make is when I have to pack for NY Fashion Week…YIKES, that is stressful.  I’m sure you’ve heard it said that ‘women dress for women, not men’.  I definitely agree with that.  The vast majority of the attendees are women, and there are usually only one or two men (sorry fellas).  I definitely dress for the women I will be encountering over the weekend.  These are wonderful women that are mentors, colleagues and friends.  You’d think I wouldn’t be so overwhelmed by the prospect of packing for this weekend.

My rack with "potential" outfits

I start planning the outfits in my mind at least a month beforehand.  I re-work and edit along the way and then the week before, I take out my trusty rolling rack and start coordinating.  You might think this is strange behaviour from someone who makes a living dressing people…and it is!  After trying on all possible outfits, I tweak them and substitute pieces where necessary.  By the time the conference starts, I’ve put aside all possible doubts and settled into the fun and camaraderie the weekend brings.

Oh boy, better start planning for next year…

New Years Eve has come and gone, the kids are back at school and we are left with our semi -realistic resolutions to grapple with.  I’m not sure why we make resolutions in the first place, but I’m as guilty as the next guy of making them and trying to keep them.  At the top of the list of New Years resolutions, is always the “lose weight/get in shape/ exercise more” variety.  With obesity rates skyrocketing in this country, it’s a noble goal for many.  For those of us not battling the bulge, so much as the slowly expanding midsection, I have a great product!

Much more slimming with the Booty Wrap!

Kathy Kramer started with a brainchild called the “Invisibelt”, a belt meant to smooth out the button or snap front of pants or jeans.  Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to review that product in the future.  Anyway, Kathy is truly a mother of invention.  Her newest invention is the “Booty Wrap”.  I LOVE this product!  The Booty Wrap is and piece of fabric that can be tied around your waist like a sweater or sweatshirt without the bulk or heft.  The best part is the pockets sewn in to it, that allows you to leave the house without a handbag.  The pockets can be used for credit cards, cash, cell phone, keys, etc.  The amazing part is that the Booty Wrap is actually SLIMMING and hides your behind!

A few months ago, I was going for a walk/hike with a friend.  She was wearing a Booty Wrap and I asked her about it.  It was perfect for stowing the few things she had to carry.  I have to say, I have been using mine for the gym, going to yoga and for walking/hiking.  I chose black and it goes with everything.  I’m going to buy a white or light colored Booty Wrap for the summer so that I can wear it with tennis clothes or to the beach/pool!  I’m a real sucker for a product that results from a need or just plain great idea, and Booty Wrap is it!  Keep it up Kathy!!!

You are down to the wire…it’s Christmas Eve and you don’t have gifts for all of the people on your list.  Although you vow not to let this happen yet again, here it is and you’re in the same place you were last Christmas Eve.  I have some suggestions that will help you put the ‘jolly” back in “holly, jolly Christmas”.

Giftcards are always a great option for the last minute shoppers.  EVERY major chain of grocery and drug stores has a kiosk of gift cards.  While this is certainly one option, giving the gift of a service or class is also a great gift.  What about a gift certificate for house cleaning for the busy mom, or elderly relative?  What about a gift certificate for a massage for the sports enthusiast, or a yoga class voucher for the stressed out business person?  What about a gift certificate for flowers from your favorite flower shop for a friend or relative on a tight budget?   A personal organizer for the family getting ready to move or move in.   I just sent out a gift certificate for my personal shopping services to a man who is surprising his wife and 2 daughters with their own version of “What not to wear”!  In many cases you are also giving your dollars to locally owned and operated businesses.  The ideas abound for services as gifts…

Memberships are also a favorite gift of mine.  Many people would love to get a museum or zoo membership.  Lots of moms with young children would adore getting a membership to a kids’ museum or attraction.   In this same vein, tickets to an event, that the recipient would enjoy is always welcome.  Tickets are a great way to enjoy the gift of time with a loved one, especially if they choose to bring you!    Opera, the symphony, Broadway, concerts, comedy, take your pick.

The most economical gift you can give is your time, experience or expertise.  What about a voucher for babysitting?  What parent of young children would not JUMP at the prospect of free babysitting?   What about manual labor in a loved one’s garden or around the house?  What about cooking for a stressed- out family or lonely elder…even better if you offer your company as well.

Lastly, making a donation to the charity or non-profit close to the recipients’  heart is a “can’t miss” gift.  We all have organizations that are important to us for one or many reasons.  A donation in their name or a loved one who’s passed on , can mean so much.

Thank you for reading and following my blog this year.  I‘m wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy 2012!!!

If you’re like me, you will have started out the gift giving season strong and organized.  Much like running a marathon, you’re quick off the starting line, but then you hit the “wall”.  You start to panic, and the decision making abilities you thought you possessed are suddenly gone.  I have a few quick and easy gift ideas to help you enjoy the holidays rather than stress about them.

My first gift suggestion is a great one because it’s a “unisex” gift…great for both men and women.  It’s called a Slapwatch and I LOVE them!  They are fun, colorful, has an easy -to -see face and is reasonably priced.  They are a straight piece of plastic that curves around your wrist when “slapped” on.   The face pops out and can be inserted into a different colored band.  At around  $18 – $20 per watch, it doesn’t break the bank!

The other product I LOVE is the POCH (I, II, III, IV).  They are little rubber change purses, clutches, eyeglass holders and cell phone cases.  These are so cute and are imported from Japan.  Unfortunately, you can’t order them online yet, but I’m sure that’s coming.  They too, come in fun, bright colors that retail for around $10- $20 dollars.  This has been my “go-to” gift for many of my friends’ birthdays recently!

Both of these products are available at Pelago on Medau Place in Montclair village in Oakland, (510)339-7090. Pelago is one of my favorite stores for every kind of gift imaginable.  Owners and buyers, Mark Wallaert and Bill Fidrych, have impeccable taste.  It will take you more than one go round before you see everything in the store.  They have a knack for getting a lot of different products into a small space, and merchandising it beautifully.  They also do complimentary gift wrapping which I totally appreciate during this crazy season!

Stay tuned for more fun and easy holiday gift ideas!

As shoppers flood the stores today, Black Friday, for the official start of the holiday shopping season, I thought I would offer a few gift ideas of my own.  Over the next few weeks, I have some great present suggestions for those of us who have run out of original ideas.  Some of them are local companies that offer great products, some are super original, and others just a lot of fun!

Last Friday night, I attended a book signing for a new book by Jon Tiffany called Eleanor Lambert: Still Here.  The book signing was held at Luna, a trendy boutique on Sacramento St. in the Presidio Heights neighborhood of  San Francisco.  Ian Mackintosh, the Director of Public Relations for the Academy of Art University’s school of Fashion, invited me and worked alongside Tiffany, for the iconic Eleanor Lambert.  Miss Lambert, as Tiffany always refers to her, was a public relations extraordinaire, before most people knew what a PR person was.  Tiffany is animated and fun to talk to and has an easy going way about him.  He speaks enthusiastically about both Miss Lambert and the book.  It’s easy to see that this book was a labor of love that started with an idea, was originally going to be a documentary, and ended with this beautiful “coffee table” book.

Maureen French & Jon Tiffany, author of Eleanor Lambert: Still Here

Amazon.com describes the book: Eleanor Lambert: Still Here is a look into the life, career, and accomplishments of world-renowned American press agent Eleanor Lambert, as told through the experience of her assistant and fashion historian, John Tiffany.

 John Tiffany has over 20 years of experience in public relations, event production, branding, marketing, and sponsorship projects around the world, founding his own consulting business in New York. Early on, Tiffany was mentored by the legendary Eleanor Lambert.

Jon Tiffany's book, Eleanor Lambert: Still Here

Mackintosh also worked for Miss Lambert in New York for 6 years.  Mackintosh worked for other well known fashion PR firms before making the move to San Francisco to head up public relations for the school of fashion at AAU in Downtown San Francisco.

The book has received great coverage from Harper’s Bazaar, Women’s Wear Daily, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and others.

Some Eleanor Lambert trivia:
-She organized the semi-annual Fashion Press Week in New York as a coordinated schedule of  designer collections for the international press. She initiated a similar schedule for the European fashion capitals establishing the coordinated centralized showings now followed around the world.
-She founded the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and initiated the idea of the Costume Institute Gala, the preeminent social event for decades in New York.
-She founded the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)
-She founded and coordinator of the International Best Dressed List (now coordinated by Vanity Fair magazine)

The book is available at amazon.com and makes a GREAT holiday gift for the fashionista in your life.

Many months back Tina Ketchie Stearns contacted me, asking if I would try her great new product, “Go Free Pants”.  I was intrigued, to say the least.  Several weeks and pant sizes later, my Go Free pants arrived.  I chose the 5- Pocket Jean in Black.  I was thrilled to get them and tried them on immediately.  Here is what Tina says about how and why Go Free pants came to be:

“I was watching The Today Show while they were interviewing a female doctor about women’s health issues including postpartum depression, breast cancer and heart disease. Regarding bladder and yeast infections, the doctor said, “The less women wear down there, the better.” My own mother had told me that for years. About a week later, I was at our monthly “Girls Night Out”, and I told my friends what the doctor on the Today Show had said. That’s when several of my girl friends admitted that they go “commando” (no underwear). I had no idea! A few of the girls said they wear thongs to get rid of panty lines. I was a “granny pant” girl! My friends are all lovely ladies of every shape and size, but not what I imagined a thong or commando type to be. They encouraged me to try it, so I did.”

That was really the start of this new concept in pants.  You’ve heard of and probably seen the “camel toe” effect…a pant that is too tight and rides up the middle of a ladies’ privates.  NOT a flattering look!  The way the Go Free pants are constructed is really unique, because there is no middle seam, rather a sewn in “panel” that is comfortable and flattering!  The great thing about this pant is that undergarments are optional, you can wear them if you want and don’t need to if you choose.  Tina’s success is catching on and she gave many pairs of Go Free pants away to celebrities at the Oscar Week Suite Hilton Beverly Hills event she attended in February, and got fabulous reviews.

Now, what about the pants, you ask???  I loved wearing these pants!  First of all, the fabric is a cotton twill with stretch…translation, they are SOOOOO comfortable.  No more dying to get out of your pants and into your sweats when you get home.  The fabric is light enough for summer, and heavy enough for winter (at least in the San Francisco bay area).  They don’t lose their shape as the day goes on, and they really “breathe” down there!  The only issue I had was that the length is not very long.  I am 5’5” and they would have been short on someone taller.  They come in a 32” inseam and 29” for petites. One of the best selling points of these pants is that they retail for $74-$84, a really affordable price point!  Even better, Go Free pants donates a portion of proceeds to non-profits like Hospice and cancer research…a win/win all around!

For those of you who went to high school in the 70′s…this one’s for you!  The uniform back then was bell bottom jeans with a tight fitting polyester button front top tucked in to the jeans, maybe a belt, maybe not. Add to that the requisite Dorothy Hamill haircut… think that 70′s show and you know what I mean!  I can almost hear Billy Joel’s album “The Stranger” playing in the background. 

The footwear of choice was a pair of natural toned platform wedge sandals.  The sandal was KORK-EASE!  These sandals were the real deal.  I didn’t own these, as they were too expensive on my meager babysitting earnings.  I had a knockoff pair that myself and my 2 other sisters had to dutifully pass around between us.  As you might imagine, this caused a lot of hair pulling and name calling.

Here’s the good news…these sandals are still around!  The cost is a bit steeper ($40 in the 70′s vs. $135 in 2011), but the sandal is the same!!!  I bought these back in the spring with so much anticipation, I can’t tell you.  I got them in the mail from the Korkease website and I was like a kid on Christmas morning!  I could run a marathon in these babies!  Below are the traditional style called AVA, and the slope of the wedge is so slight that you hardly even notice it…

For those of you with younger backs and feet, I love the BETTE.  A little more lift and more slope to the shoe…

Kork-ease is a Brooklyn based company that has been around since 1953.  From their website:

“Turn the clocks to the 1970s, and you couldn’t turn the corner of any street without seeing someone wearing a pair of Kork-Ease sandals. Many brands tried to copy our sandals, but none could adequately duplicate our style or success.

The Original Kork-Ease Wedge has been immortalized in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Landmark Shoe Collection – an honor bestowed to only 25 styles of footwear all-time.”

The great thing about Korkease sandals is that they have other styles that are so fun and wearable.  These sandals never seem to wear out and they develop a ‘weathered’  look that can only be acquired with time.   I love the BEATRICE as well:

Does anyone remember these shoes?  Comment about these shoes and any other trends you remember from the 70′s, I’d love to hear from you!  I love that some things don’t get replaced with newer, better, faster, etc.  You can’t really improve on a classic, can you?

Does packing for a trip get you stressed out?  Do you pack WAY too much for a trip?  Do you feel like you never pack the “right” clothes?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, join me at ATHLETA at 2226 Fillmore St. in San Francisco tomorrow night (Thursday 6/9) for a summer packing seminar!  There will also be a representative from Timbuk2, to show you a great regulation sized carry-on bag.  Refreshments will be served, and I’ll be available to answer all of your packing questions after the presentation.

ATHLETA opened on Fillmore St. in January, and they are the perfect place to find all kinds of summer clothing staples.  I also LOVE their bathing suits.  They are sized like bras, and are sure to fit just right.  They also just got a ton of cute summer dresses in.  One of my favorite packing tips is to use a dress as a cover-up for daytime, and pair it with heels or fun sandals for evening.  Think of your clothes as multi-taskers, just like all of us!

I’d love for you to share your best packing tips here…that way we can all use them!  I do hope to see you at the seminar tomorrow night!

It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of May and graduations are in full swing.  For 22 Academy of Art students, graduation is all but overshadowed by seeing their creations strut down the runway at their graduation fashion show earlier this month.  With guests of honor that included Cathy Horyn, fashion critic for The New York Times, Nathalie Rykiel, President and Artistic Director of Sonia Rykiel, Fashion designer Yigal Azrouel, and other fashion luminaries, there was a lot to celebrate. 

The show was held at a tent erected especially for this show.  the venue felt much like the tents in Bryant Park during New York fashion week (the shows are now in their new location at Lincoln Center).  With a capacity crowd sitting on high rise bleachers, you could feel the anticipation.  With Simon Ungless at the helm, as director and creative genius of the show, it gets better every year.  Simon is also the Director of the School of Fashion at the Academy, former classmate and collaborator of Alexander McQueen, and the friend that suggested Sarah Burton to Alexander McQueen (you remember, the Sarah Burton that designed Kate Middleton’s wedding gown?).

Many of the collections were collaborations between fashion design and textile design students.  This made each combined collection, much more interesting and unique. 

The collection by fashion designer Brittany Burgraff and textile designer Wendy Tam was a feast for the eyes!  There were endless layers of tulle and brightly printed fabrics.  This collection gave new meaning to the term ‘layering’…

The collection created by Drew Williams was one of several collections that utilized plastics…you read that right, plastics!  Drew lists his inspiration for his collection as “agarose gel electrophoresis, Rudi Gernreich, medical attire”.  Nuff said…

 The last collection of the show was by designer Cynthia Tran and textile designer Kassie Moody.  Cynthia is a hometown girl from Oakland, Yeah!   The Inspiration for this collection was “Ludwig Bemelman’s Madeline children’s books and 1960′s silhouettes”.  This was a stunning group of amazing dresses.  The fabrics just floated down the runway and each one had an architecture all it’s own.  Simply beautiful.

There were many more collections including several menswear capsules, that were really impressive.  It’s hard to remember when you see all these amazing and creative pieces, that these were designed and sewn, or printed by STUDENTS!!!   Many of these uber talented students are going on to intern with some of the most well known designers in the world before striking out into the exciting world of  fashion design.  Congratulations AAU students, well done!!!!

SAVE THE DATE—  I will be doing a packing seminar on Thursday, June 8th, 6 pm at the ATHLETA store on Fillmore St. in San Francisco.  Come by and learn how to pack for those summer getaways…see ya there!