Tag Archives: WIshing True

HUGE Kathlin Argiro Sale in Washington, DC

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I just wanted to let everyone in the DC area know that my designer friend Kathlin Argiro will be holding her annual sale at the Georgetown Visitation Bazaar, November 7-8. If you don’t live nearby, I don’t suggest reading the rest of this – it will only make you really really sad.

This is a great opportunity to get new Fall dresses at sample sale prices! Good ol’ Visi devotes an entire room to Kathlin’s dresses and there are always tons to choose from.

Whether you need a dress for an event or just love a good sale – you can’t go wrong with a Kathlin Argiro frock. And sample sale prices? That’s probably the only way that I can justify buying a dress right now…

I’m thinking that I might need one of these for work:

Maybe the one in the middle? Not sure… I’ll have to see them in person to decide.

If you don’t live in DC and did in fact continue reading, I apologize for any tears you may be shedding right now. For everyone else, here are full details:

Annual Kathlin Argiro Sale

Georgetown Visitation Bazaar
“Esprit de Noël”

Friday, November 7th
11 AM – 9 PM

Saturday, November 8th
10 AM – 4 PM

1524 Thirty-Fifth St.
NW Washington DC

FREE ADMISSION & FREE PARKING

Hope to see you there!

Initially Challenged

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The early 80s were hard for me. As a young girl, I wanted nothing more than to fit in and be like everyone else. But I wasn’t like everyone else. All of my friends had something that didn’t. I didn’t have a middle name. Which means that I didn’t have a middle initial. WHICH MEANS that I couldn’t have monograms.

The preppy look was in and monograms were everywhere at Annunciation grade school: on sweaters, on tote bags, on jewelry… And two initials just weren’t enough. When it came to monograms, I was a day late and a letter short.

But I wouldn’t be denied. I loved monograms and if I had to lie, cheat or steal to have one – so be it. Luckily I only had to lie, and just made up fake middle initials to go with fake middle names. First there was M for “Mary” which could be attributed to either the Catholic school influence or my love of all things Little House on the Prairie. But Mary didn’t stick. So I moved onto “Eleanor,” which felt a bit more real to me since it was a family name. And it was the only family name I would consider since none of the others held much appeal for me: Olive, Hazel, Ruth, Reperatta, etc. I don’t remember if anyone questioned my alternating initials, but I’m sure they did. I was a very odd little girl.

While I was once bitterly resentful about my parents’ decision to shortchange me on a middle name, I have to admit that I now understand. When it came time to select names for my own children, I was struck by how superfluous a second first name seems. What is the point of it anyway? Is it like “a spare” in case you lose your first one? When does it actually come in handy? But I couldn’t inflict the same indignity of a monogramless childhood on my own babies. Instead we chose family names to use as middle names so that there would be some relevance to them.

Of course it all worked out in the end for me. When I got married, I was able to make my maiden name my middle name and VOILA – monograms! I was thrilled. But monogram sweaters really weren’t en vogue for the late 20s crowd in the year 2000, so I had to find another outlet for my monogram mania. My first opportunity arrived when we picked out our wedding invitations. We ordered our thank you note paper at the same time, and I had a huge book full of monogram styles to choose from. I went all out and selected a gold leaf Florentine script. My mother initially thought it might be a bit much and tried to steer me toward some more conservative (boring) styles. I was having none of it, and insisted on the gold. And I still stand my by choice. It was my monogram coming out party and I needed something special.

So what does this have to do with my Materialistic Monday theme? I recently found some monogram necklaces online that brought it all back…(hence the frivolous stroll down memory lane).

Last week, I happened upon the Max & Chloe jewelry site. One of the featured pieces happened to be a gold monogram necklace that immediately caught my eye. I clicked on the designer’s page (Brian Danielle) and fell in love with this:

Let’s take a closer look at that:

Swoon. A little expensive (for me) at $385. But I had a very nice daydream about buying it.

Then I started checking out other designers on the site, and I found MORE MONOGRAMS! How about this pretty oval one from Kacey K?

Oh dear – if I can’t afford the first one, then $1,320 is definitely out of my price range. But soooo pretty… I think that calls for another daydream. Hmmm….

Okay – one more try! After a little searching, I found another option (this time from Sonya Renee) that I loved and could even afford if I saved my pennies for a while:

I really like the effect of the monogram as a circle within a circle. Need a close up?

Somewhat of a deco effect? Whatever it is – it brings to mind an old school cufflink. Not sure how an H in the middle would look, but at $112, I might be willing to give it a try.

Don’t worry Chris – I know this isn’t the time to be buying monogram necklaces that I don’t need. But my Monday theme is about things I don’t need but want. So there you have it. Monograms. Wonder if I can find any signet rings online…I always wanted one of those…

Visit me next week for a Materialistic Monday giveaway from another jewelry line: Lisa Leonard Designs!

Currently Making My Day: The Evening Picture by Janet Hill Studio

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Doesn’t everyone have a “happy place” online? Usually these are sites devoted to beautiful images. Ones that make us forget about our daily grind or the political debates or the state of the economy… Just a little escape into a world where everything is beautiful and peaceful – and no one is running around the house with a non-washable red crayon….Oh wait – that last part only applies to me, but you know what I mean.

For me, this site is Ontario artist, Janet Woodward-Hill’s Janet Hill Studio: The Evening Picture. Materialistic Monday is not all about clothes and accessories. It’s about wanting something that you don’t actually need. And I can honestly say that I want every painting on this website.

I found Janet’s lovely work at one of my other happy places, The Paris Apartment. These little jewels that she creates DAILY (I’m not kidding – one each day) are usually on small canvases (6 x 6 give or take a few inches), and pretty affordable for original paintings. That is – if you can snag one from her Etsy shop before someone else beats you to it. They don’t last long.

As the daughter of an interior decorator, I was immediately drawn to the interior scenes and use of textiles. So of course, the first thing I did send the link to my mother. I also e-mailed Janet to see if she sold her work to stores since these paintings would be perfect for my mother’s shop.

As it turns out, The Evening Picture will soon be sold as limited edition prints on canvas. They will be in her Etsy shop (which should last all of five seconds) and also in retail stores throughout North America, Australia, and Europe. (If you are a retailer or designer and want to carry her line of prints on canvas, email her at janethill111@yahoo.ca and she’ll add you to her list.)

I told Janet that I planned to feature her on my blog, and asked if she’d mind answering a few questions about her work and process. Here is what she so graciously sent back:

BPOC: When did you decide to start “The Evening Painting” site? What prompted it? Friends, clients? Just a desire to have a virtual portfolio for your miniature work?

JH: I started “The Evening Picture” site when I decided I wanted to shut down my retail store. For six years I owned a store called The Great Dame in Stratford, Ontario. It specialized in European bath and beauty products, but I also displayed my paintings on the wall. After a few years, I realized that it was the paintings that were drawing a lot of customers to the store and it no longer made sense to keep up the high overhead of owning a bricks and mortar shop. I had heard of other artists selling online, more specifically on Ebay, so I decided to start selling my ‘oil sketch’ paintings online and that lead to the blog and Etsy. It was a leap of faith I suppose, but I enjoy taking risks.

BPOC: Where do you get your inspiration? Do you paint strictly from your imagination or do you sometimes actually set up still lifes? Or both?

JH: I get my inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. Magazines are a big component, as are other blogs, movies (I have a portable DVD player in my studio and will often have movies playing in the background), and my imagination. Often it’s an odd combination of all of the above that leads to a painting. I never work from still lifes as I’m too lazy to go about setting it all up.

BPOC: I am particularly drawn to the details you include in your work – especially the textiles. Have you ever done any work in textile design – or interior design?

JH: I don’t really have an interior design background, unless you count the three days that I worked in the Schumaker fabric library which I found a little hellish. I graduated with a fine art degree and never really knew what to do with it. I considered going to design school but never felt that I would be a particularly great designer as I tend to get annoyed easily. All my friends and family told me that I was a natural painter, so somehow I combined my love for interiors and painting and found a way to make a living off of it. Every day I wake up and can’t believe that I am able to do this.

BPOC: Obvious question: how do you find the time? Your small paintings are like little jewels – it’s hard to imagine that you don’t spend all day on them.

JH: It’s pretty much a full-time job for me, so I try and approach painting as a job. Doesn’t sound too glamorous, does it? After I walk my dog in the morning, I try to discipline myself and head into my studio for most of the late morning and afternoon. Money is also a pretty good motivator I hate to admit. If I want that pretty, new hot pink clutch, I have to buckle down and paint. My husband is quite jealous that I’m able to do this for a career, as he thinks I don’t “technically” work. In many ways I have to agree with him when I reflect back on previous jobs – particularly office jobs that I had that required an hour of highway commuting every day.

Thank you Janet for taking the time to exchange e-mails! And more exciting news – I will now have a little piece of my happy place in my own house (which I guess is supposed to be my real happy place…) I told a close friend about my near obsession with these paintings, and she purchased one for me as a belated birthday gift (very belated since my birthday is in April – but I’m not asking questions!)

Need a quiet moment in a place where colorful shoes are perfectly lined up and Spring flowers never wilt? Visit The Evening Picture. I do this every day and it’s better than…dare I say it?…CAKE (and a lot less fattening).

As Good as Cake Giveaway: Bee Gee Bags

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**UPDATE: I forgot to mention when I first posted this, that Brooke has offered to give all Big Piece of Cake readers a 10% discount on any orders. So if you do buy any of her bags, just make sure to let her know that you placed your order after hearing about her bags here!

Poor Chris! He reads my blog every day, and all I’ve been giving him lately is handbags, dresses, skincare products and 80’s fashion nostalgia…

Too bad! It continues today with an exciting giveaway from one of my favorite indie designers, Brooke Galardi of Bee Gee Bags. She was so appreciative of my rave review last week, that she offered to send me one of her gorgeous bags as a thank you.

But you know – I’m so generous and giving, I just had to use it for a giveaway to my readers. Which of course means that I’ve already worked out how I can set up an alias on blogger and comment to be included in “the drawing.” Said “drawing” would be documented with pictures of one of my kids pulling a name out a glass bowl and then proudly displaying the winner. And what do you know? It’s my alias! This would be easily accomplished by either (a) a drawing of several slips of paper inscribed with the same name, or (b) just taking a picture of my child holding the slip of paper with the alias, whether it was selected or not.

But of course I wouldn’t REALLY do that. I’d just think about it…

Back to the real drawing. Here are pictures of the beautiful bag:

Don’t you love that fabric? It’s so vintage – but at the same time modern (or is everything vintage kind of modern right now?) Anyway – you can click on the image for more detail from her Etsy shop. Also keep in mind that purple is “a very important color this season” (Kathlin Argirio said so in the interview I posted yesterday – so I know that’s true). That lavender accent would work well with the colors we’re seeing in fashion this Fall.

This bag usually retails for $66, so how exciting would it be to win one? Like – for free? If you aren’t jumping up and down saying “pick me! pick me!” right now, then you don’t deserve to own one of these bags – so don’t bother entering.

Here are the rules. ANYONE can enter to win (yes – even you less than enthusiastic types – I was only kidding). All you have to do is visit www.beegeebags.com and then leave a comment on this post telling me which style and fabric combination you like best (and it’s okay if you don’t pick the bag that I’m giving away – but wouldn’t it be cool if it was AND you won?)

I’ll keep this open for a full week and will do the drawing next Tuesday evening. Good luck!

My First Big Interview: Fashion Designer Kathlin Argiro

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There is nothing I like more than thinking that I know important people. Well – maybe there are a few things like more…my children playing together happily, a nice dinner with my husband, blah blah blah. But seriously – I do know some really interesting people and I LOVE talking about it.

And if there’s anything that runs a close second to my love of feeling important, I mean, my family, it’s a well designed dress. I’m not kidding. Admittedly, my daily uniform does tend to revolve around pants lately – but that is based more on practicality than self expression.

I’m a dress girl at heart. I once devoted my summer wardrobe to what could only be called “worship” of the classic sun dress. There was even a time when a funny male friend called all of the girls in my 20-something beach house “the sundress brigade.” And I’m not even embarrassed by that – we were hot.

So you can imagine how much I have enjoyed telling people that I know successful NYC fashion designer, Kathlin Argiro. And on Friday, I had the opportunity to actually interview her. How appropriate for Materialistic Monday!

As a fellow graduate of Georgetown Visitation High School, I have followed Kathlin’s career and the success of her label (going on 11 years now). I’ve seen her designs on the Today Show and Fashionably Late with Stacey London, as well as in Vogue and In Style magazines.

While Kathlin does maintain a couture line, she is quickly becoming best known for her ready to wear line, Style Me Chic. I have purchased some of her pieces through sample sales (always one for the bargains, me). And a particular dress that I bought on a whim several years ago has actually become my “go to” for evening events (a long black lace column with tiny spaghetti straps…how can I go wrong?)

Kathlin’s designs are known for their classic lines, but always with a twist. When I asked about her design philosophy, she explained that “while women ultimately want to wear simple clothing, there has to be a reason to buy it.” Life is fast and busy, and we all want to look great without spending hours on that look. But we also want to have fun with current trends. Designing clothes that translate well for multiple occasions while staying fashion forward in the details is a signature of Kathlin’s design style.

One thing that I love about Kathlin’s designs is that she is always coming up with something new. This past summer she released a dress trademarked as the Dressong. I had to laugh because I actually bought a sarong style skirt from her back when I was in high school (I knew you when Kathlin!) The Dressong is a “unique dress/sarong that can be worn countless different ways and takes you from the beach to poolside cocktails with a simple twist of fabric.” No kidding! Check this out:

Now that summer is over, the Dressong will have to hibernate for the colder months (with the exception of tropical locations and resort wear needs of course). Fall is at our doorstep, and those of us feeling a chill in the air are ready for long sleeves. One of the biggest challenges of the “in between seasons” is finding clothes that will be comfortable in fluctuating temperatures. Enter my favorite solution: The wrap dress.

Kathlin favors this dress for her own lifestyle and finds that it can move easily from a business meeting, to a custom fitting, to an evening out. The jersey fabric doesn’t wrinkle, the simple lines can be dressed up or down and the color and pattern selection offers something for every personality.

When I asked Kathlin about her favorite styles for this Fall season, the wrap dress was at the top of her list. She continued that purple is an important color in fashion this year. In fact, the long sleeved wrap dress in chocolate brown and purple has been selling out faster than they can get them in stock (one drawback to online shopping…I seem to have slower fingers than most…)

I followed up with a request for Kathlin’s advice on how those of us with decidedly unglamorous lifestyles can look stylish for the holidays (the office holiday party, a neighborhood open house, etc.) While the wrap dress presents an excellent option since it is both comfortable and versatile, she suggested trying to add a bold color or print for a little drama. This will still look appropriate in less formal settings, but makes for a great alternative to the ubiquitous little black dress.

If your needs do tend to run more formal, Kathlin also offers a line of customized ready to wear that can suit your personal preferences for style and color. This “design your own dress” option “allows you to create your own unique, semi-custom dress in a simple 3-step process.”

Step one: pick a silhouette Step two: pick a fabric Step three: pick a treatment

This is particularly popular with bridesmaids since they can each wear the same length and fabric with a variation on style and finishing. And what better way to look at these dresses with your bridesmaids, than to visit her New York studio at 265 West 37th Street!

Kathlin has started holding regular Shopping & Champagne parties at her studio, combining efforts with various co-sponsors such as Social Diva, Smashbox Cosmetics, Arbonne International and Lingerie Fit Expert. Guests sip champagne, shop for dresses and recieve demonstrations on the co-sponsor’s products and services.

These events are only advertised by word of mouth and e-mail, so contact the studio if you want to be on the list. It is also possible to organize private parties at the studio, as well as at your own home. Something I wish existed when I was planning my own wedding!

At the end of our interview, I asked Kathlin how she would describe the woman who wears Kathlin Argiro. Her response:

“The Kathlin Argiro customer is a woman who wants to be noticed in the ‘right’ way. She wants to be stylish but always appropriate. She likes sleek, chic, feminine, sophisticated, timeless clothes that are easy to wear and make her feel GREAT!”

Don’t we all…

Thank you again Kathlin. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

EXITING GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT! Remember our friend Brooke Galardi from Bee Gee Bags? She has offered to give away one of her gorgeous clutches to a lucky Big Piece of Cake reader! Check back tomorrow for a picture and details.

In My Clutches: Beautiful Bags from Bee Gee

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First, a disclaimer: None of the men that I know and love will have any interest in this post. Not even you Dad, even though I know you read all of them (and send me sweet e-mails with pictures of your own shoes that you’ve had since the signing of the Declaration of Independence). No – this is a post about handbags – and I just can’t imagine that any of my boys will be able to relate.

Second, a spoiler: Next Monday I will feature an interview with fashion designer Kathlin Argiro. I was supposed to interview her on Friday (and thanks to a suggestion from my friend Jozette, even got my technology challenged ass in gear and set up skype on my computer so I could record the interview and not rely on my dismal shorthand skills) – but we had to postpone a week. So definitely check back next Monday for that!

This week’s Materialistic Monday features Brooke Galardi, creator of Bee Gee Bags. I have been a huge fan of these clutches ever since I found them in her Etsy shop last Spring. Here is the one that I bought:

Isn’t that fabric gorgeous? Looks like she’s made more, so if you must have a “Waterlilly” clutch, you can buy it here.

Brooke lives in my hometown, Washington, DC, and is self taught. Inspiring no? Makes me think, “come on Kate – learn to make something already! All of this whining about wishing you could sew is getting old…”

How much do you want this one?

That much? Hmm – I think you may want to rethink you’re priorities. (Just kidding – ME TOO!)

While this is a very new business that has only just started selling to stores in the DC area and California, one of Brooke’s bags has already been featured in the June 2008 issue of Glamour Magazine. I don’t know about you – but I’m impressed.

Here is another little gem (love the ladybug detail):

The vintage feel of the fabrics and the simplicity of the designs make these bags timeless. Each one looks like it could be a cherished family heirloom passed down from Grandma. I’m thinking that Anthropologie should pick up this line pronto. Bee Gee Bags have become popular bridesmaid gifts – and seriously, if I was getting married this year, I’d be contacting Brooke. Talk about a gift that your friends can use again!

Before wrapping up, I’d like to leave you with one last thought:

Sigh. I think I will be dreaming about this one for a while…

Don’t forget to visit me next Monday for an interview with Kathlin Argiro. This innovative lady has set herself apart with a line of custom ready to wear dresses and hosts frequent champagne and shopping parties at her NYC showroom. I’m already feeling glamorous…just the escape I need from my daily life of potty training and commuter hour gridlock!