Welcome to Style Parlor

Slip into our new blog from Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s LifeStyle editors. Satisfy your craving for shopping and style information—plus national trend-spotting news—all with a local point of view.

As a senior editor at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, I oversee a team of editors and associate editors that cover fashion, retail, home, and lifestyle trends. We’ve known for a long time that we have more to offer than can fit on the pages of our monthly city magazine. Enter Style Parlor.

I’m really excited about this new initiative. Though many of you have read/followed my blog, I’m much better creating as a team. So I’ve shelved Life in Style and will direct my efforts to Style Parlor. Four (for now) editors will serve up your daily dose of buzz on local shopping and style sprinkled with our individual tastes and personalities. You can sort by category: Fashion, Beauty, Wellness, Home, Design. You can also sort by topic: Shop Talk (new stores, events, and retail news), What We Found (an item we’ve discovered at a local store, show room, or antique store), and Point of View (commentary from the writer’s perspective).

Plus, you can sort by writer: Melissa Colgan, who is probably out in the stores more than all of us combined, has a terrific eye and sense of style in fashion, home, and gifts. Katie Derdoski covers beauty, salons, spas, and those things that make us feel beautiful on the inside. Abby Van Ness keeps you up-to-date on new stores, new products, and buzz. I’ll be dipping in and out, talking about merchandise that catches my eye, stores and stylemakers that deserve attention, and trends to pay attention to. And since I’m the only editor with children on our team, you’re more apt to find me covering shopping with and for kids.

We know you don’t have all the time in the world to shop. That’s the point of Style Parlor. We’ll help you navigate our cities. Find the greatest gear. The most fabulous shoes. The best deals. The one-of-a-kinds. The don’t-misses.

So stop in often. Tell your friends. And chime in with your own likes and dislikes, and let us know if you think there is stuff out there we’ve overlooked. Plus, ask questions by leaving a comment for us. Seriously. Consider us your personal shoppers and stylists.

Talk to you tomorrow.

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for Swag, our weekly shopping and style e-newsletter, which offers some of our scoop first, plus our weekly picks for events, sales, and trunk shows. And if that’s not enough, watch for our soon-to-debut Style Parlor weekly video, where you can see first-hand what’s happening in stores—practically live.

How I Spent My Day Off

I took last Tuesday off to prep for a trip to Boston. Not only did I need to pack for Curt and I, but also for my twins and their stay with their grandparents. Plus I had dry cleaning to pick up, a prescription to grab, a swing through Macy’s to nab my husband’s pants that had been tailored, and a much-needed cut and color for yours truly. Oh, and I got my nails done.

So where did I head for my three hours of power shopping? MOA, of course. My hectic life doesn’t leave much time for trips to Bloomington. My list included: A dress to wear to a wedding on Martha’s Vineyard. A casual—preferably knit—dress. Shoes appropriate for walking (and walking and walking) around Boston. A trench (or equivalent) coat for Boston’s transitional weather—including the rain that had been forecast. And, maybe a new handbag or clutch (if the right thing caught my eye.)

How’d I do?

~ Found an LBD that I like a lot . . . but don’t love. I only had so much time to shop, and no time for tailoring. Plus, with the other things on my list, didn’t want to blow the budget on the dress. It’s a classic style that will serve me well for work-related events. If you want to see it, it’s the dress that you can only see the top half of in this header.

~ I found a great black knit jumper on sale at Banana Republic. I can already tell you it will be part of my winter weekend wardrobe. Great with boots. I can wear it without anything underneath and top with a sweater or jacket, or layer it. I could have worn it every day on my trip with tights and boots (see below). It’s not on the BR site, so I can’t show you that one.

~ Didn’t find a topcoat that really spoke to me. But I did find a chic, waist-length little jacket that folds into a little ball. It’s light as a feather and kept me surprisingly warm. It has a little shimmer and faux-fur interior.

~ The item that I wasn’t 100 percent sure of when I bought them—but ended up loving—are my shoes from Staccato. I needed something super comfortable and stylish, with some height. The denim and trousers I brought along are hemmed for heels. But I didn’t want to walk the cobblestone of Boston in heels. A combination of bronze metallic leather, camel suede, and two Velcro tabs. Can’t find a photo online. Also came in silver or black. They had another similar style that had more of an athletic look. Mine have a Pliner vibe. So comfortable.

~ Then back to Nordstrom for some boots. I really wanted dark brown riding boots. But nothing in my size. And I was already late for my hair appointment (thankfully my hairdresser loves me so much.) I opted for a pair by Paul Green. These are boots made for walking. They rock. As I made my way around Boston in my boots, black tights, and black knit dress I had flashbacks to the early ’90s when I had similar boots and black tights were all the rage. I wore those earlier boots to death. I have a feeling this new pair will become dear friends.

~ I used a longer topcoat I already had, and broke out a black bag I hadn’t used in a while. I did buy a clutch. But on second thought, I’m returning it. I found one in Boston I liked better.

And, of course, I overpacked.

Tomorrow I’ll fill you in on Boston and my shopping trip to the Nanette Lepore boutique.

Smooch

Lucky me received a little TLC from a makeup artist recently. We had a shoot for MSP—and, as usual, I was running out of my house in a flash to get to the photo studio (somewhat) on time. I’ve become a little more lax in making sure I’m in full makeup lately. Not sure what that’s all about. But anyway, on this particular day I was in luck.

After I knew our crew was in good shape and the shot was going to be great (it was for the cover of our new annual Home magazine) I decided to head to the office. I chatted up the makeup artist before I left and she gave me a little touch-up. Or should I say, start-up.

She works with Bobbi Brown (my current brand of choice) so I took special interest. We focused on lipsticks. We played around with a few before we landed on Brown 4 and Ruby 6 Lip Sheer (for a more dramatic look, I start with full coverage of my lips with my lip pencil). At my next earliest convenience (two weeks later) I picked up a tube of each.

I’m very happy. I tend to like a stronger lip, but Suzy helped me find colors that are strong, but not as dark. I went back yesterday and added Raisin. A long-time favorite. The woman at the downtown Macy’s also sold me a Sugar Rose lip gloss for when I want a little more shine. Remember, this fall, it’s all about layers.

Off to Boston and Martha’s Vineyard—will report back on the shopping when I return. And I did pre-shopping at Banana Republic, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Staccato.

Faux Fabulous

If you read this blog, you probably already know that the ladies in this department are Domino magazine devotees. When we got wind that one of the magazine’s regular contributors, Celerie Kemble, would be in town for a presentation at IMS, we knew you’d want the goods. Since I sadly couldn’t be there, I turned the reins over to associate editor Melissa Colgan:

I first learned about Celerie Kemble from the first issue of Domino. She was featured with her mother, Mimi McMakin, for a story called “Are We Turning Into Our Mothers?” about the similarities between mother and daughter design styles.

I fell in love with Kemble’s interior design style—a brilliant mix of Palm Beach whimsy and Park Avenue polish—as well as her personal style. Her perfectly refined eclectic look made her stand out on the style pages of The New York Times. This day, she was perfectly put together in Lela Rose and Christian Louboutin heels, and I was lucky enough to get her to pose for a photo with me:

So when Lacy Armstrong, manager of one of my favorite local show rooms, KDR, told me that not only would they be carrying Kemble’s line of composite fabrics from Valtekz but that she would also be in town for a speaking event, I decided to use my media credentials and wiggle myself into a room full of interior designers to see her speak.

Kemble and passionately presented her line of synthetic leathers for Valtekz. If you are thinking what I originally thought—“Faux leather??? Oh, no!”—we're all mistaken. These synthetic leathers, which are made in a process called vacuum embossing, are inspired by fashion—buttery soft and at once very current and classic. Just as our accessories add the finishing touches to our outfits, a brilliant faux ostrich skin on an accent wall can add depth and texture to a room.

In addition to having a wider range of colors and textures (at least 200) these fabrics have another distinct advantage to the real thing—they look more polished, have no blemishes or marks, and are less expensive. In the past, synthetic leathers and vinyl upholstery were sad fakes that fooled no one. But because of new technologies in manufacturing and Celerie's sense of color and style, synthetics have been taken to new heights.

The collection offers ultra-realistic faux leathers and exotics, such as shagreen, alligator, ostrich, parchment, and rattlesnake, that are so spot on and realistic (even to the touch), that I imagine them just as perfect for a handbag as an ottoman.

Here are some of my favorites.

A classic chair made more contemporary with pearlized ostrich in granite.

An ottoman in buttery sage.

A tufted chair in azure blue faux ostrich.

A member of the trade is required to purchase any of the Celerie Kemble for Valtekz fabrics. If you don’t have a designer, use the Design Connection service at IMS.

Under the Gunn

I watched Tim Gunn’s new show last week, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. Or at least the last half. I had higher hopes. I couldn’t get Queer Eye for the Straight Guy out of my head. Except this time it’s one (I assume) gay man and he’s working his magic on a straight woman. It’s another version of the same old, same old. But in this case there’s little humor. They didn’t hook me.

But what did capture my attention is the reminder of how difficult it is to wardrobe a woman. Line one hundred of us up and we have one hundred different body types. It’s no wonder retailers have challenges. Most women don’t know what to wear—or what looks good on them. And, frankly who has the time to figure it out? How many pairs of black pants from how many different departments or stores do you have to try on before you find a pair that’s flattering?

Anyway, back to Tim Gunn. I watched his subject last week try on item, after item, after item, until they found the pieces for her. God, how many of us have been there. You see something you love and you try it on—and it looks awful on you. Sometimes it looks not quite right, but you buy it anyway because you love it so much. Or you just don’t have the time to find a better option. Then women wonder why they have closets full of clothes and nothing to wear.

These days I’m striving for home runs when I buy. I must have taken a dozen pieces into the fitting room at Macy’s on Sunday. Two worked. Both are great. A Cynthia Steffe dress and a Nanette Lepore jacket. As much as I wanted pieces from some other designers—a bit more trend-forward, and priced less—these two designers work for my body type. I can see wearing the hell out of each piece. And that’s the point.

Tim—and his sidekick, model Veronica Webb (they have no chemistry)—helped the woman last week look like a million bucks. (OK, I admit, my eyes welled up when she did her fashion show for her husband and friends.) I didn’t love the show, but I was reminded how important it is to find the right dresses, pants, jackets, and blouses for your body type and personality.  Carry on.

BTW: When does Project Runway start its new season?!