get thee to la ree.

a couple months back, i paid a visit to this relatively new shop off main street in bellevue. i was pleasantly surprised when i saw a beautifully staged shop with many lines that i can pretty much bet on that no other stores in the area carry. no cliche walls of denim found here! this is a store that caters to a crowd that loves a more refined look and higher end fashion. they do carry a few denim lines, but not the played out lines like seven or citizens of humanity. not only do they carry clothes that are to die for, but also have a great assortment of accessories, including oliver peoples (hands down, my favorite brand of glasses--i have about 5 pairs!), gustto handbags, dana kellin jewelry and a lot of other great finds. i found a great anna corinna bag there that i had to have, resulting in an unplanned purchase that never resulted in buyer's remorse. the gorgeous selection, inviting store staging and bottled water branded with the store's logo, down to the beautiful pale blue, logo emblazoned shopping bags with grosgrain handles, show the owner's meticulous attention to details, which results in a very nice shopping experience. i suggest everyone in the area rush to this boutique with credit card in hand and shopping in mind. you won't be disappointed.

also, yen jewelry may now be purchased there.

mark your calendars for the yen jewelry trunk show at hitchcock.
i plan to bring not only the new fall pieces and popular signature designs, but also some never before seen limited and one-of-a-kind designs.

date: saturday, september 29, 2007
time: 5:00 pm
location: hitchcock, 1123 34th ave. in seattle (madrona neighborhood)

it's neiman marcus beauty event time!

i am a sucker for gifts with purchases. it is is my vice; my sickness; my addiction. i have made some pretty stupid purchases just to get the impractical gifts with purchase. the sickness goes even deeper when it comes to gifts of sample sizes of makeup, body and skin products that i will save in my box o' samples, but never get around to using. i just hope that this isn't a foreshadowing for a sad future where i save everything from emtpy toilet paper rolls to dust bunnies and old t.v. guides.

since i love getting free cosmetics i will never use, i really look forward to the neiman marcus beauty events that they have a few times a year. not only do i get products that will probably go rancid before they are opened, i get a bag that is actually not too horrendous to use in a public setting. while i won't be seen carrying them like a handbag, i like to use them to carry lunch, transport small jewelry orders from point A to point B, etc. this time around the bag is a pewter colored tote. some of the great samples i won't use include some estee lauder mascara (i prefer shu uemura), prada perfume that i will never buy since my last prada perfume evaporated completely, laura mercier lipstick in a color that i am sure that looks good on 5% of the population and some other goodies. while this event is pretty darned glorious, the only downside is that now i live in a location that doesn't have a neiman marcus locally (moment of silence, please). usually the bags have additional coupons for free gifts that are redeemable when bringing the certificate to one of the counters in the store. it isn't shabby stuff either. once there was an offer for a free jay strongwater purse mirror, complete with the designer's signature enamel and crystal adornments. it is bittersweet, indeed.

so, if you are local to a neiman marcus, get there now with your amex or neiman marcus card, or a crisp $100 bill (bring some extra for sales tax), so you can not only get your bag but redeem any certificates in them before the goods run out (and they will run out fast, if not gone already). if you are like i, get any of your major credit cards ready and go to the neiman marcus website and get to shopping!

seattle just got a little prettier.

okay, maybe that is a stretch, but after many "where in seattle can i see your jewelry in person" calls, i finally have a place to direct people. i am glad about this since i know for many it is hard to purchase jewelry online; this gets even harder for some as the price points increase. also, the jewelry is so much more impressive in person, since the website pictures don't give the pieces' sparkle any justice.

now on to the details. hitchcock is a great little boutique in the madrona area. the boutique offers many one-of-a-kind pieces, jewelry reconstructed from vintage finds and a few lines from local designers. this shop offers pieces that can't be simply found at nordstrom or other area department stores. a few of the lines that may be found there are iosselliani, thea grant and subversive jewelry; and now yen jewelry.

be sure to check it out. here are just a few pieces that you should be able to find there right now.