Brittany! Show off your inner babe.

The Brittany top is fab.  It's great as a comfy tunic top, or as a dress for those of you who love to show off your legs.    Shown below in cream lace ($88).  

It's named after Brittany who works here at the boutique part-time.  She's sassy and cute and has great style.  She's also a bit silly...as seen here with her little sister.

$78 in the grey stripe... shown alone, and with the matching Elizabeth cowl neck ($45).

XO, M.E. 

Brittany, baby!

More Brittany tops are in! In LA, top means dress for the fab bodies in this town, tunic for the curvier gals.

Named after Brittany, who works in the boutique a couple of days a week. Like her, they're a class act! Wear them alone over jeans, add a Bond Belt to cinch in the waist, or a pair of tights and boots.

$68 each.

XO, M.E.

A day in the life...

A day in my life...here's what today brought.  

1. Wake up and grade students papers.  

2. Go to the garment 'hood and introduce my FIDM class to the techniques of an expert fabric pleater.  Field trips rock!

3.  Head back to FIDM and grab my favorite new food at the FIDM Cafe - so yummy, so light.  Perfect.  Tri-ce.  I wish that Whole Foods would start carrying these.  

4.  Teach 2 FIDM classes the benefits of good lighting, wall displays, and more.  Here's an example of an amazing wall display at TopShop in London.  

5.  Finish teaching at 6 PM and chat with a couple of my students from a previous quarter.  Call Brittany at the boutique and check on sales.  

6.  Head over to my sewing contractor.  Drop off cut tickets for new fab styles, recuts on ME & Blue best sellers...like the Goddess, Janna, Edison, Julianne, Kristi.  Submit sketches and swatches for new samples and discuss the logistics of wholesale of the ME & Blue collection to other boutiques around the country.  

7.  The day is done!  Time to eat!  I grab take out Samosa House just down the street from my apartment.  What took me so long?    This Indian food rocks!  

8.  Feed the pooch and chill out with her.

9.  Ichat with my honey about what we should be for Halloween.  Contemplate this 'Pretty in Pink' idea.  I can be Molly Ringwald.  He can be either Ducky or Andrew McCarthy.  He wants to be the boyfriend.  Duh!  

10.  Night night!  XO, M.E. 

Leaving on a jet plane...

I'm spending a few days with my family in Oklahoma. My bags are packed and I'm ready to go. Today was super hectic. Teaching at FIDM, picking up more Brittany tops and Bond belts, and spending quality time with my honey. It will be nice to spend a few days with family. XO, M.E.

Ho ho holiday open house!

Our Holiday Open House was a ton of fun! Here are some fun photos from the evening.

Danielle (l) and Melissa (r).

Melissa (l) with me and Brittany (r)

Alana Sweetwater and her band...Marlon on drums with Dylan on bass.

Me with Alexis...

Aunt Marilyn and my boyfriend, Dave

Caroline chatting with a friend.

Happy holidays! XO, M.E.

XO, M.E.

New goodies! Stripes galore...

We just got in some fun items for the spring season. After so much sparkle and bling this past season, white, black, and stripes feel clean and fresh.

Brittany's at $78

and $85 for the Frances styles...

XO, M.E.

Peaches and pit stops.

My trip to the east coast got extended when I heard word that my dear Aunt Frances had passed. Danielle and Brittany are holding down the for at the boutique, and I just road tripped with my mom from our cabin in North Carolina to Oklahoma. Sharing the drive is always fun, and I'm always stopping for fun photo opportunities and yummy food, too!

I tend to stop for hand painted signs and was drawn to this fruit stand in Forrest City, Arkansas. We picked up a basket, and marveled at the yummy cantaloupe and watermelon, too!

And a fab song about...Peaches!

XO, M.E.

Awesome Asheville...

I always love coming to Asheville, North Carolina. My sister, Blue and her husband, Kevin just moved here from Ireland. And my parent's have a cabin in nearby Burnsville, North Carolina. Dave and I came out here for a few days of fun. We're planning a small wedding out here in the fall and enjoy the low key, local community vibe that is prevalent.

Here, at the West End Bakery in West Asheville,

we were reminded of this.

My sister, Blue, works just next door at Beauty Parade. A fab, fun place to get a haircut.

The night before, we hung out at the Westville Pub and saw this rockin band called Spirit Family Reunion. They seemed like they fit right into the "ya'll" feel of Asheville, but are actually from Brooklyn.

Yes, the guy on the right is playing a washboard. Really!

Besides Amoeba, this is my other favorite record store, Harvest Records. I finally scored the new LCD Soundsystem, old school Sinead O'Connor, the new Goldfrapp, and classic Gram Parsons. We talked about my love for KCRW, and their new Asheville FM radio station.

My soon-to-be last name, Molnar etched into the desk!

A few minutes away, we checking out yummy cupcakes at Short Street Cakes for our upcoming wedding. Yum yum.

And I love the buy local philosophy of the town. This sign is all over town, and I even bought the sticker!

Just a few minutes away, we went to this fun antique mall, the Antique Tobacco Barn. I found a couple of groovy items and Momma Blue (looking fab in the Brittany top) scored a fun piece of yard art.

Time for a few days in the mountains and then back to LA.

XO, M.E.

Planes, trains, and zen gardens...

The boutique is open for business...but I'm taking off a week or so to recharge my batteries and get inspired!  Traveling seems to be the best way to put things in perspective.  So, after a hectic week of putting lots of new styles in production, finishing grading at FIDM, and making sure my fabulous shop girls (Danielle, Brittany, Ruth, and honorary guy Phillip) knew the drill, I got out of dodge - to London and Ireland.  Of course, I keep looking at outfits (hello - floral dresses, lots of purple, and short booties!).  And I'll be posting throughout my travels fun fashion trends and other inspirational things...

Flying Virgin Atlantic with Dave.  Ooh...how I love the sleep mask, red slippers, and cozy blanket I got onboard.   That and the great online entertainment...  And waking up hours later ready to start a full day.  

Then - arriving 11 hours later in Heathrow.  We found the Tube (the subway).  Thank goodness they kept reminding us to "Mind the gap"!!!  There's a lot of space between the platform and the train.  It was like the blind leading the blind to figure out how to get to our hotel...but we finally did.

And --- ahh.  Zen gardens...just across the street from the Hempel Hotel in the Paddington section of London where we are staying.  That's ME (in the Frances sweater and Stevie top!), and Dave in his groovy "Shaft" vintage jacket.  

Stay tuned for more posts on fashion trends, inspirational items, and more from abroad...XO, M.E.