Halls Crown Center and the Invasion of the Red Bag Club

Last night, local Kansas City bloggers were invited to tour the Halls store in Crown Center, preview some fall trends and of course - shop.  Halls Crown Center has recently undergone some changes, "moving over" to make room for LegoLand and Sea Life Aquarium.  

 

We started in the women's shoes (duh!) visited accessories (fellow bloggers Meg and Jana snagged some really great bags!) felt like a kid again in the children's department, wondered if I could convince The Mr (Instagram pic here) to wear velvet (anyone else remember George Castanza??)  got into the Holiday spirit and finally walked out with new friends, new shoes, a new fur vest, a goodie bag (literally - a fire engine red handbag) and some delicious chocolate chip cookies.

Meet Tinkerbell, the sweetest shopper of us all (wink.)

The Children's department - where a kid can be a kid - and where I decided I need a yellow fire hydrant somewhere in my home, lol!

Menswear - gah, if only I could convince The Mr to wear a tie!!

Have you heard of raw denim?  It's pure, unadulterated fabric - no whiskers, no stone-washing, no "special effects", treatments or softening.  It's the pair of denim you can truly make your own - the hard way, lol.  A very helpful associate explained to us that to make your denim "your own" you don't wash it - you freeze it to kill any germs/bacteria (and other rules!)  I'm old, and this simply reminds me of the good old days when you could buy a pair of Levi's and over time it would conform to the shape of your....well, butt.  (p.s. that processed whiskering and fading often is terribly unflattering anyway!)

Getting into the Holiday spirit in the Deck the Halls store - and wishing this little treat were real!

A tribute to the new Sea Life Aquarium.....

What my Tree should really be decorated with......

 

The red bag (with lots of goodies) at least half of us were carrying around that evening (the horror, lol!)

 If you haven't been to Halls Crown Center - I highly recommend it.  It has a fabulous price point, friendly associates and a great selection.  Thanks again Halls, for a great night out with the girls (bloggers!)

Gift card and gift bag provided by Halls Kansas City.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Photographs copyright Pretty, Polished, Perfect.

KC Social: Saks Off 5th Event

Saks Off 5th can be a great store, and can sometimes be hit or miss.  Sometimes I can't get enough of the shoe selection, the spring and summer dresses can be phenomenal (but my size is almost always sold out!) and the denim never fails me, ever.  Right now they have racks of denim on clearance, with an additional 50% off !  I just bought a pair of wide-leg Joe's jeans for $45 - a well-fitting pair in a classic shape.  


That being said, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th graciously hosted a night of food, music and shopping for the local Kansas City bloggers.  

A special apology to the ladies on the end who were cut off.  Lesson learned: Always bring a user-friendly lens to an event where someone else might be taking the picture.

I also realized that the single most difficult thing to do at an event like this is to eat, talk, meet new people, instagram and shop all at the same time.  But I did manage to find an amazing dress that I am impatiently waiting to have sent over from another store, a white Calvin Klein dress on clearance and a multi-strand pearl necklace (shocking, I know - I may or may not have an addiction.)  I even managed to snap a few bloggers' outfits:


Meet Louise LeMans, pinup extraordinaire.  I first met her at the KCFW Spring Shows.

Terri, of Rags Against the Machine.  The professor in college we all loved, counted as a friend and maybe even considered a mentor.  I was so excited to finally meet her in person!

She had this necklace that perfectly complimented her dress (and her style) and now I am officially on the hunt for one just like it....

A few of the bloggers I've gotten to know well over the past few months, thanks to the KC Blogger group.

Shea of Bon Chic Bon Gastronimique, Kristine of Simply Bold Blog, Me, Sandy of Sandy A la Mode, Lisa of Peridot Skys and Ngan of eNVe Designs.

Had such a fun time with these girls!  If you are a KC Blogger, we would love to meet you! (I promise we don't bite, lol!)

  

Surprises, Tim Gunn, Kate Spade and Other Girly Things

I wasn't entirely sold on this event.  I have watched every season of Project Runway (have I ever mentioned that since I was a little girl all I wanted to be was a fashion designer?)  I liked Tim Gunn's TV Personality.  I haven't fallen in love with Lucky Brand denim yet.  But.  I do love Kate Spade (not surprising, right?) and after a friend asked to catch a ride with me, the deal was sealed. 

We arrived early, shopped the Kate Spade store (dress coming later this week) and found our seats (a true fiasco, but a story for another time.)  As we waited for the show to start, we discussed meeting Tim Gunn for the photo-op after the show.  I'm not one for photo-ops with celebrities (whether of the A-list or D-list variety.)  In my humble opinion, a photograph with someone famous isn't really that awesome.  An entire conversation?  That's pretty cool.  Getting their digits?  That's brag worthy, as long as you aren't a groupie or a "professional dancer".....

I wondered if I would find Tim Gunn personable.  I wondered if taking a photo with him would be like High School Graduation; that awkward moment where you have to pause while "shaking hands" as the Principal hands you your empty Diploma holder.  I didn't like the Principal and I'm fairly positive she didn't like me (and guess what? I don't have that picture.) 

The show started and I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't a standard fashion show where models walked down a runway to loud music.  They brought out two models at a time and Tim gave styling tips, suggesting why each outfit worked (and making one model tuck in his t-shirt; see the rule of thirds below.)  Tim was personable, charming, funny, entertaining and he had good advice:

Tim says the single worst capri pant, ever, is the cargo capri. I agree. Well, actually, denim overalls and the overuse of commas (haha) are far worse.

Tim loves belts - they can give proportion where there is none.

 Dress your bodies as a series of thirds (not literally - he specifically said, "Do NOT pull out the measuring tape." Don't create a line that cuts you in half. 

He also advised against dressing up Maxi Dresses. He thinks they should only be worn with flats dressed down (way, way down,) and should be accessorized with larger bags, not clutches.

He lent a tidbit of history (they are not "wife-beaters"): the tank top originates from France, where a pool is called a "tank." Thus, we have the tank top.

A few other pieces I loved:

From top left: Trench Coat, Jacket + Hat, Jacket, Hat + Swimsuit
After the show there was a Q&A, and I think by that time I was starting to feel like Tim was an old friend (I'm not too ashamed of my own cheesiness.)

After the show was the after party.  Not really, but there was a long line of people waiting to take a photo with Tim.  A few of my fellow Kansas City Bloggers were there and we talked, took photos and finally decided to get in line to meet Tim Gunn. 

As we got closer and closer, I started to feel a little bit giddy (again, I'm not too proud to admit that.)  I think everyone hoped they were wearing the right thing, haha!  My turn was up and it was nothing like my High School Diploma Staged Photo Op.  I introduced myself, Tim complimented my choice of "just the pop of leopard," and we snapped a photo.  I graciously told him it was so nice to meet him and then asked him a question.  And you know what?  That man held my hand throughout the entire (one-minute) conversation.  I left thinking that I wanted to adopt him as my uncle or something. 

Got my photos, chatted with the chicest woman we met in line and then headed home (but not before stopping at Natasha's for some macarons.) 

This is Meggy (from Chasing Davies) & Jen (yes, the tote bag says "what would Tim Gunn do?"  I can't help but think, "He wouldn't wear this bag, so why is his camp handing them out to us?")

I think it's about time I read that book of his (okay, I actually had no idea he had written a book until this event......but now I know he has another book being released in September!)