first of all – i really enjoy typing “2010″ and i also like saying it.  twenty-ten.  much snappier than “two-thousand and nine”.  and speaking of snappy – one of my most favorite trends of 2009 that i hope continues the journey through 2010 and beyond is the ladylike sex-appeal of the Mad Men style. 

i”ve always been a sucker for retro.  and i adore thinking about a time when women wore dresses most of the time.   so feminine, so pretty, so refined.  the body looks amazing in little sheaths and pencil skirts.  not only do they harken to the feminine mystique – they are also quite powerful.

i love this Milly sheath from one of my fave portland boutiques, Mabel & Zora.

millysheath

the full skirts worn by the ‘nice girls’ of the era are also a lot of fun – especially when scaled down for modern times.  belts that enhance the waist are a simple, elegant way to create shape.

loving the bright sassiness of the Lady Belle dress from my fave retro maven, Trina Turk.   perfect for an outdoor spring wedding.

lady belle dress

and then of course, there is the skinny cropped pants – a perinneal spring favorite for me.  always chic and carefree with a pair of flats and sexy, sexy with heels and a jaunty scarf around the neck.

love this cute pair from Nanette Lepore  (her fit is dreamy and you gotta love that the modern styles come with ample stretch!).

nanette

the thing about these styles is they aren’t really trendy – they’re classics.  you’ll never have buyers remorse and they rarely end up at the consignment shop – preferring to hang in your closet for the long haul.

i’m thankful for the show Mad Men not only for entertaining me – but for bringing this style back to the forefront of fashion.

call me old fashioned – but there it is!  i love this style.

i had the pleasure of (briefly) attending the 3 year anniversary party of one of my favorite Portland boutiques this evening:  Mabel & Zora (and a hearty congratulations!).

the party looked to be well-attended and the ladies were doing some serious shopping.  the service was impeccable, the merchandise was gorgeous and well-stocked, and the wine & cupcakes were sweet.

here are a few of my observations as to why this party was a success (other than it’s a popular store!):

goody bags were distributed to the first 25 guests

  • this filled the store with guests right off the bat  – creating great energy
  • the bag was filled with discount coupons from other like-minded & neighborhood stores – a great way to spread the love

there was a drawing for really cool prizes every 1/2 hour – but you must be present to win

  • keeps people exactly where you want them:  shopping in your store (sadly, i had to leave to put my son to bed)

 

a hot item - denim – was 15% off.  not too big of a discount from the stores perspective (i’m sure they made up for it in volume ) but for merchandise that rarely goes on sale – this would be where i’d buy it!

the party was also on the same night of a monthly street fair - which draws a pretty large crowd.  all in all – a great way to celebrate, market the store, and hopefully generate a whopping amount of sales!

tell me about events & parties you’ve thrown – how have you made them work for you?

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