Amazing Greys

Yes, I'm going to say it. I know we hear this statement each and every fall, every time the winds of change start picking up speed, and everyone gets on the color shift bandwagon from late summer drudgery to fall fantastic.

Grey IS the new black. Little black dress aside, which will ALWAYS be in fashion, traditionally black accents, such as piping, tights, shoes, hats, you name it-they are all grey now. Not a wimpy, namby-pamby (I love that phrase!) light heather grey, but a strong wooly, fleecy, English sort of grey, with flecks of coal and ash mottled throughout. Just the thought of it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside! This transition to grey accents make everything just a little bit softer, more ethereal and tactile. Less stone-cold bitchy badass and a little more feminine and mysterious. So go ahead and grab Grandpa's old slouchy cable knit out of the closet and wear that thing like you own it, with eggplant tights and a pair of riding boots.

Alas, us ladies in Scottsdale will have to wait for the one day of the year when the temperature actually drops low enough to don anything woolen. So for us desert-dwellers, look for greys in tights, hats, tees and cute high-heel Mary Janes that are the perfect non-boot fall statement. In fact, I saw a savvy Scottsdalian just the other day in none other than deep charcoal grey Mary Janes paired with midcalf grey socks and remarked at how smashing the look was, without trading her style for comfort, as the temperatures here remain above 100 degrees!

Or, as shown here in this luscious photo from Alexander McQueen's fall collection, pair charcoal grey with browns for instant richness and unstudied chic. I can almost taste the cup of steaming hot cocoa that this yummy fall look is begging for, maybe with just a touch of peppermint schnapps-to keep off the winter chill, of course!

Cheers for now,

The Maven

Native Couture

At Shiprock Trading Company, a fuzzy picture of the calm before the storm

I just returned home from a witnessing a phenomenon. New on the scene, this past weekend I was properly initiated into the Virgil Ortiz fan club. Who is Virgil Ortiz, you might ask? After returning home from a whirlwind trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, I feel a little better equipped to tell you.

For the past few months, I have been privileged enough to be on the inside track, consulting on the product development end of the brand-new fashion line for this artist-cum-fashion-cum-interior design star. Working on the Fall 09 release of mens and womens tee-shirts and lux silk scarves for Virgil's fashion line Indigene-pronounced 'in-di-ju-nay', proved to be both exciting and inspiring. However, this is not Virgil's first foray into the fashion scene. As a sought-after ceramic pottery artist, who blends traditional technique with contemporary, edgy, graphic imagery, Mr. Ortiz's work has been snapped up by savvy collectors for years. In fact, after catching the eye of Donna Karan a few years ago, she invited him as a guest designer to help create pieces for her spring line in 2003. That experience sparked a passion in Virgil, expressed in limited edition collections of handbags, leather jackets, hand-painted denim, collector-quality tee-shirts and cashmere.

Only this season, after much experimentation, has Virgil finally released a line that will be available for wholesale to select boutiques around the country. A selection of organic cotton tee-shirts, screened with highly graphic images designed by Virgil debuted alongside his offering of sumptuous printed silk scarves at the annual Indian Market in Santa Fe this past weekend. We were prepared for his line to cause a stir, but the feeding frenzy that became of this quiet little space in the back of Shiprock Trading Company finally clued me in to what is really going on here. When the doors opened at 6 o'clock Thursday evening, it was like a rock concert-really! Hey, even Val Kilmer showed up to check things out. Now, with my eyes open a little wider, I watch with great awareness this star rising to take his place among legends. Which is exactly where he belongs.

Visit the artist's website at: virgilortiz.com

Cheers for now,

The Maven

A Long, Hot Fall

While I can't complain about the weather in Scottsdale most of the year, the least fun transition is always from summertime, when we go from scorching, sweaty, make-up melting hot temperatures, to the autumn months when we can expect slightly less scorching, sweaty, make-up melting hot temperatures.

As if it's not enough that we have no real change of seasons, such as leaves turning colors, or a crispness creeping into the morning air, we are also forced to look longingly as fashionistas in cooler climates who get to rip into all the brand new fashionable digs that go along with the biggest season of the year. Cute fall coats? Wool dresses? Forget it! Fall is virtually non-existent here in the Sonoran desert, where temperature extremes transition practically over night from sweltering heat to a winter's chill, leaving fall in the dust.

So, how can we desert dwellers get our autumn fashion fix? Through fabulous new makeup and nail colors, of course!! My new favorite color on the PLANET is Estee Lauder's Black Amethyst limited edition nail color, brand new for fall from their Sensuous Gold Collection. I almost want to lick it right off my fingers! Also, one coat of polish is enough to lay down a rich, deep, slick plum color that is almost black. This is a MUST-Have item for anyone pining away to wear a a new MaxMara suit, but the weather just won't permit! Wear this nail color with lightweight clothing in shades of nude and camel, and you'll be right in step with fall's hottest look, without spontaneously combusting due to high temperatures!

Cheers for now,

The Maven

Welcome to My New Blog!

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different!"

I love this quote by Coco Chanel, the goddess of style. At first glance, it seems a little cliche, but in a day and age when we all strive so hard to be different, distinctive and unique, I find it both amusing and a little disturbing that so few of us actually achieve individuality.

This is part of the mission of my blog-to take an element in our environment that someone, be it a designer or corporate marketing department, declares is 'in', and make it your own. In order to do this, you must posess the skills of self-awareness, and self-editing. Not every trend is for every body, and it's usually easier to tell when someone else is doing it wrong than to identify a 'yikes!' fashion moment in the mirror. That being said, fashion should be fun, it should make you feel sexy; like the best version of yourself you can be. The more you figure out who you are and what it is that inspires you, the less like anyone else you will become!

I look forward to blogging about fashion, style, well, just about anything beautiful and inspiring, whether it's a subject specific to Scottsdale fashionistas or style connoisseurs across the globe!

Cheers for now,

The Maven