Bedlam in London...

Dave & I are safely back in the U.S. and loved our recent stay in London.

Our friend, Caroline Butler recently opened up a groovy store called the Earl of Bedlam.

I asked her, "Why Bedlam?" Well... it's named after a mental institution right down the street from her store. Of course, it's all in the name of fun at the boutique.

But ironically, a few days after we saw her, plenty of shenanigans, looting, and general mayhem erupted on the streets of London. It wasn't the citie's finest moment, I'm sure. Caroline kept us posted on Facebook and closed early one night and kept the boutique safe by dressing the mannequins like this to protect the store...

Fortunately, our trip wasn't affected by the riots and it certainly wasn't anything to keep us away in the future.

Here are some scenes from Bedlam. Enjoy!

Another onesie for Baby Blue on the way.

Groovy t-shirts and fun displays...

Saying goodbye... Dave, ME, and Caroline.

XO, M.E.

London Calling

My hubby, Dave and I have finally taken a long awaited honeymoon / now babymoon to our favorite city, London! Here's what the trip has been like so far...

We saw this bus on the 405 freeway in LA on the way to LAX. A sign of a great trip to come. If I can laugh that early in the morning, it's a good thing!

Jetlag day 1. We settled in nicely to our VRBO pad in the Islington area of London. I fell in love with the space immediately. A perfect mix of a renovated row home, modern touches, and a lovely garden. Very very nice! Still jetlagged. Time to take a photo of my baby bump.

And more jetlag. Time to stock up on all of my British fashion magazines. I love how they give you free lipgloss, eyeliner, and even horoscope guides along with magazine itself.

Day 2 ... off to the London Eye.

Then we realized that it would take some time to go around. With my impatience and claustrophobia. Uuh, no thanks. But it was fun to look at from the ground.

And we landed right next to the Vintage Festival at the Southbank Centre. Check it out!

It was crowded!

I love vintage clothing. I sell less of it in the boutique than I used to, but it's a huge source of inspiration for my line. And there was plenty of inspiration to go around!

One of favorite booths was Strawberry Kats. They're stuff has a vintage vibe and it super wearable. I'm always a sucker for cutout shoulders and pretty prints.

And this fun pillow from Retro Pigeon was a gift for baby-Blue to be. I hope she loves vintage stuff as much as me!

And I'm always a fan of fun vintage/bamboo furniture. This chair looks like a flower. Love it!

Dave even got in a jam session on this British Music Experience groovy vintage double decker bus. We went upstairs and checked out the recording studio!

And I felt like a modern day groupie as I went down the tiny little staircase.

More updates to come from London. In the meantime, our AB FAB British sales girls Henny, Caroline, and a guest appearance from Danielle are keeping the boutique rolling. Shop guys Sean and Phillip are also helping to keep things moving along. Aah, how I love a little vacation. Cheers!

XO, M.E.

purple = the new neutral...part 1

I keep hearing that purple is "hot" this season.  But in LA, it's hard to see when everybody is in their cars.  So I took to the streets of London and Ireland recently and saw a sea of purple...and realized that there is no place like home...ME & Blue has purple, too!

Here is my photo journal --- part 1 of the passion of purple this season.

Patty from Brazil.  She speaks Portugese and walked on the train wearing a purple sweater AND matching boots.  So cute.  I snapped this shot of her the first jet-lagged morning Dave and I arrived on the London Tube.  She has her own blog, too.  It's in Portugese but has some cool photos around London.    

OOh!  And check out the studded suede booties at Topshop.   And the knot necklace, too!

Then in Ireland...my sister, Blue was wearing a purple tee-shirt as she lounged at home.

At ME & Blue in LA - a set of hand-picked vintage glasses with a purple twist. 

And here --- in LA at ME & Blue.....the one-shoulder 'Julianne'  dress in purple... $78.  

Stay tuned for more purple passion both on the streets and in the ME & Blue boutique!  XO, M.E. 

Spittalfields market in London...ooh! I'm in love!

I'm travelling this week with my boyfriend, Dave. We spent a couple of days in London. I shop and design for a living for my boutique and tend to keep my shopping for pleasure to a minimum. That is so not the case when I go to London! We went to Topshop this past Saturday, then to the Spittalfields market on Sunday. My mission at Topshop --- boots! And I found them --- the "Dolphin" style --- flat, to the knee, and perfect with my designs.

Dolphin boots on Topshop website

The next day, we were off to Spittalfields market. Home to the best independent designers and vintage goodies I have seen under one roof --- ever! I wore my ME & Blue "Grace" dress with my new boots... and Dave got this groovy vintage jacket (we call it the "Steve McQueen") at one of the stalls.

Stay tuned for more details on our travels. 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.