Halloween At Zoe

Let me first remind everyone that if you are ever in a location needing rain, please ask me to come and plan some sort of event.  Because I can pretty much guarantee a ton of it.  Remember the Sidewalk Sale?  Remember my Fashion Event at the height of Tropical Storm Lee?  Let's add to it the Halloween events in Old Town for Saturday!

In preparation, I picked up quite a bit of candy a few weeks ago at Giant, using coupons and the specials they had going at the time.  Both of my crystal bowls at Zoe were filled to the brim with candy.  Did anyone come trick or treating for candy during Saturday's Nor'easter?  Of course not.  Where is that candy now?  In my home, being handed in big handfuls to the few trick or treaters we have.  And yes, I did "sample" some on Saturday at the store.

In the spirit of things, I had also planned to combine fashion and a costume on Saturday!  One of my favorite comic strips has always been Peanuts.  (A little known fact - Jim and I visited the Snoopy Museum in Santa Rosa, CA on our honeymoon).   And I always considered Lucy as the ultimate Big Sister.

In the 2007, a group of designers was asked to create fashions inspired by the Peanuts characters.  During Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in 2007 in New York, a show was held titled "Snoopy in Fashion".  Following the show, each of the items was offered on eBay for auction with all of the proceeds going to the organization "Dress For Success".  Of course, with my love for Peanuts and my love for fashion, I had to bid.

I won one of the Lucy outfits, designed by Liz Claiborne.  This beautiful outfit has a black high waisted skirt, a black sleeveless peplum top and a satin jacket with snaps.  Here is the outfit as it went down the runway.

I had never really imagined wearing it.  I was delighted to have a piece of fashion that meant something to me and the proceeds went to a good cause.  I had thought that someday if I had room in my home, I would display it and some other items I've purchased over the years.  But here was a chance to wear it!

I did a "trial run" try on earlier in the week.  I would have loved to have found a wide belt like the one pictured on the model but a quick look at some other local stores didn't show me anything I liked.  On Saturday morning, I slipped into the outfit.  The top went on with no problem.  The skirt was quite a tight fit in the waist (ooof - I probably should not have had that waffle for breakfast).  Believe me when I say I was "sucked in" for the entire day!  Honestly, the model must have had a rib removed or something!  I've lost a lot of weight but I'm not runway model thin by any means!

Here I am, modeling the dress in the store.  I wish it were a better picture so you could see the full effect of the dress.  I should have recreated the pose of the model in the runway!

Sadly, not many people braved the weather to visit the store to see my fashionable costume (I had even created a little sign to explain the costume to anyone who may ask).  But it was fun nonetheless.  And I was so excited to get to wear it and find that it (mostly) fit!

Next:  Oh the Places You'll Go!

Spring 2012 Fashion Shows

It is mind-boggling to think that, with our DC area weather just turning cool today in preparation for the Fall season, the Spring 2012 Fashion Shows have been taking place in New York over the past week (called Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week).  And that I'll be going to NY on Monday to select the spring items for Zoe.

Two of the lines sold at Zoe conducted runway shows during Fashion Week.  Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I was able to see recorded versions of both shows.  Some day I hope to actually attend one in person (but I don't think I'll ever be famous enough or important enough to sit on the front row and be snapped by the paparazzi!)

The real point of a runway model is to "display" the clothing in such a way that you are fascinated by the garment.  The model is not supposed to stand out in any way.  I have to say that I was so distracted by the distressing thinness of the models at one of the shows that it negatively affected my viewpoint of the designer and the garments.  While I've recently been given some grief about my weight (and lack thereof), these women truly were too thin.  And some of them had skinned knees and odd sunburn/tan lines that added to the distraction.  Thinking it might be just me, I asked Jim to look at one of the shows.  He had me stop about halfway through because he was so disturbed by the look of the models.

In 2006, the regional government in Madrid, Spain instituted a ban on overly thin models during their Fashion Week.  They based their criteria on the BMI measurement (which has certainly had its share of controversy as well).  But it sounds like a step in the right direction.  A model doesn't need to look like a skeleton in order for us to appreciate the design she is wearing.