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| My May Piece in Pacific Sun - Comfort-fit Numb |
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"If you live in Marin, you are likely aware of the female population's fascination with comfort-fit pantaloons ranging from leggings to yoga pants to running crops.
This became evident to me on a recent Sunday afternoon trip to Marin Country Mart's Off the Grid, where I counted no fewer than 60 ladies donning some version of stretchy slip-on pants. Observing this trend got me thinking about denim and the point in time in which spandex usurped denim for the title of the county's favorite pant fabric. Some will surely say it was when the popularity of yoga reached mass appeal, while others will offer up the time when stores like Lululemon started designing easy-fit pants that were also sexy.
To my mind, the scales tipped to Lycra's favor when the fashion industry had the gall to re-introduce skinny-fit jeans; the least easy-fitting jeans of all time. Their shrunken, uncomplimentary cut and muffin-top-enhancing ability gave women good reason to, at the very least, forgo the current denim trend. However, I don't believe public disdain for the pervasive peg leg has to lead to a closet full of elastic-waistband pants or to an avoidance of denim altogether..."
Read more on Pacific Sun… |
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| My March Piece in Pacific Sun - A Tale of Our Castaways |
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"Strolling by the Humane Society Thrift Shop in San Anselmo, I spotted a pair of nude patent leather Christian Louboutin heels (you know, the red-soled shoes) displayed in the window and couldn't pass up the opportunity to inquire about them. Upon further investigation I discovered the shoes were priced at a mere $50 and appeared barely worn. Stunned by the magnitude of the find, I quickly cashed in on my good fortune and escorted the shoes out the door.
Now I am not chronicling this shopping episode to induce shoe envy (well, maybe just a little), but rather to point out that my experience is likely to be a somewhat routine one at resale shops around Marin. In fact, the county is one of the better places in the country to shop for designer cast-offs due to its large number of stores offering resale clothing, accessories and home decor. This, coupled with the high levels of status brands
being donated or consigned to stores, breeds fertile grounds for secondhand shoppers. However, even with this kind of local bounty, frequent resale shoppers, or "dealistas," say there is an art to hunting down the best finds in Marin. Here are a few insider tips for scoring a fabulous deal:"
Read more on Pacific Sun… |
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| My Piece in Marin Mommies: Are You Wearing "Mom Jeans"? |
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"Finding the perfect jeans to fit and flatter has never been an easy task, however it seems to get monumentally harder after entering Mommydom. From grappling with body shape changes to general weight gain to diminished time, energy, and money to devote to the sassy jean cause, shopping for a new pair can be a real chore. These constraints coupled with a perplexing myriad jean cuts, styles, rises, and rinses, it’s really no wonder moms throw up their hands and go baggy. However, throwing on a pair of mom jeans can be the first step down a slippery fashion slope leading to the acquiescence of other mom-ish looks such as white trainers, fanny packs, polos, leatherette handbags, thin braided leather belts, and alma mater sweatshirts. With a bit of effort and styling know-how this downward spiral can easily be prevented.
The first important step is to recognize if you have succumbed to mom jeans. This is done by perusing your closet and looking for the following combination of denim styling.
- Relaxed leg cut which slightly tapers to the ankle (accentuates girth of upper thigh)
- Medium-high rise (visually protrudes lower belly)
- Light to medium rinse (visually adds 5 pounds)
- Loose fit around hips (broadens hips)
- Baggy rump (flattens and diminishes shapeliness of rump)
- Wide, small back pockets placed close to side seams (flattens and lengthens rump)
Even if you happen to own a few pairs of mom jeans have faith, it’s not too late. You can still recover your sassafras from under all that denim if you act quickly. Follow the guidelines laid out below and get ready to take your look from mom-ish to mom-dish…"
Read more on Marin Mommies…
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| My February Piece in Pacific Sun - Creature Comforts: Have You "Comfort-ized" Your Style? |
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"For many of us who leave the hustle and bustle of "the city" and move to "the county," we come to comfort-ize our lives. Whether we are looking for a more comfortable living situation (a bigger house or lower rent), a better public school system, a reconnection with family or a plethora of parking spots, the quest for a more relaxed lifestyle inspires much of our new lives in Marin even down to our clothes. In fact, from Novato to Fairfax to Sausalito, a relaxed style of dress defines Marin living. Marinites take great pride in being underdressed for all occasions, and it shows."
"I moved out to "Comfort County" almost three years ago and my closet hasn't been the same since. Once filled with unique pieces of this and that, it now holds a preponderance of pullover fleece and Lululemon spandex pants. Even for a style watcher like me, it's been difficult to resist the comfort-izing of my personal look. However, my giving in to this uber-casual way of dress has come at a cost: diminished originality and flair."
Comfortize Fashion #1
Inactive in active wear
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Comfortize Fashion #2
Clogged up
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Comfortize Fashion #3
You've been fleeced
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Read more on Pacific Sun…
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| Style Surmountables: Handbag Clutter |
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Issue:
No place to store expensive handbags so you stuff them into your closet or under the bed causing them to  lose their shape and value.
Solution: Consider displaying your biggest and finest handbags on an ornate coat rack either in your bedroom or near the front door.
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| Hosting the Comcast's Digital Downtown - San Mateo Launch |
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In an unprecedented move that has taken months of planning, the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce and Comcast this week announced they radically upgraded the broadband network in San Mateo's downtown underground utility district.
The project that many have called the "Digital Downtown" was the brainchild of The EDGE, an initiative of San Mateo's Chamber, which is committed to identifying and overcoming obstacles to economic growth in San Mateo. After listening to the concerns of San Mateo's business community, EDGE leaders approached several broadband providers late in 2010 to investigate how higher-speed broadband could be brought to downtown. Comcast was the only provider to engage the group and offer to make a major capital investment to achieve The EDGE's goal.
Over the following months, The EDGE and Comcast worked with downtown businesses, property owners, and city government to ensure that the project will deliver maximum benefit to downtown while minimizing any impacts to the underground utility district.
As a result, hundreds of businesses, from medical offices to high-tech start-ups, now have access to Comcast's business-class offerings, which delivers over a state-of-the-art optical fiber backbone. The expansion aims to allow for download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second and upload speeds of up to 10 megabits per second. Bandwidth up to 10 gigabits per second will be available for businesses with the largest data needs. |
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| Join Me at Fashion's Night Out at The Shops of Tanforan! |
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I will be co-hosting and judging the Project Style fashion contest at The Shops of Tanforan with model Whitney Thompson, winner of America’s Next Top Model, cycle 10. Five contestants will be tasked to style an outfit incorporating one of the new fall trends with-in an hour. They will be judged based on how they performed and the winner will win a $1000 shopping spree, plus the winner will be entered to compete nationally with 15 other contestants for a chance to go to NY’s Fashion Week. I hope to meet you there! |
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