Fashion Slow Lane!

La Jolla Sunset 2015 When I first started looking at apartments in San Diego in 2013  I was excited about the move from rainy Seattle to San Diego.   I looked at over 20 apartments and applied to like 10 of them.  All of the applications were turned down. I felt hopeless.  No one wanted us.  No one wanted to rent to a family with terrible credit, two small dogs and a kid.  It did not matter than I had a copy of my husbands new salary as proof of income and that it was well above the national average.  Our credit sucked. I was almost in tears when I realized I had been in San Diego for a week and a half and had still not found a place to live.  My kid was 3 states away with my parents, my dogs were at some random dog hotel in Seattle, my husband had already been gone a month working in downtown San Diego fullime while living out of a seedy hotel in Mira Mesa.   I was paying $1800 a month a rental in downtown Seattle.   I had ...

I just created a mood board for our F/W 2015/16 collections.  I love the bright colors and strong shapes, heavy hardware and detailing.   Trend board by Sauvage Private Label LLC. Color Trend Board by Sauvage Private Label LLC 2014 Follow me on twitter @roccosauvage Follow us on pinterest @tarasauvage Check out our website at www.tarasauvage.com Cheers, Tara & Rocco

Miu Miu whimsical jewelry If you follow my blog you will notice I am a little neurotic.  That is just me.  The things I blog about can vary from a heavy bare your soul topic to a  blog post about my crazy travels to Third world countries where I picked up lice.   Yep... just me.  Crazy. Real. Honest.  I love travel, fashion, business and Miu Miu. On a lighter note today I want to talk about my favorite fashion brand. EVER .   That is Miu Miu.  The average American has never heard of it but most of my fashion friends know and love Miu Miu.  Its the younger sister of Italy's Prada, same designer just more whimsical.  Miu Miu is know for its fun, trendy, embellished statement pieces.    I used to collect their shoes when I lived in Los Angeles and there was a Miu Miu flagship store in West Hollywood.  That wonderful store closed a long time ago, so now I only buy Miu Miu when I go to Bologna, Italy for the Linea Pelle...

So here we are..at the end of 2013.    What a year it has been!  Last year at this time I was crammed into a super small 750 square foot apartment in downtown Seattle with 2 adults, one kid and two pugs.  Needless to say it was a bit cramped! Now I am living in an amazing location with sun on a daily basis!  Right now I am watching my favorite pug Rocco live out his last days.   When he first started to lose his ability to walk, the vet suggested thousands of dollars worth of MRI's and other expensive procedures, but my gut told me to just take care of Rocco at home.  I knew he was dying.  Today he is still eating but there is a lot of blood in his stool.  I want him to die at home with us, not to be euthanized by a cold Vet who charges $200 just for the procedure.   I have not decided what to do 100% but the main thing is that the dog does not suffer and we feel good about our decision. I wish everyone has a great holiday season and...

They say it takes 3 weeks to get a new habit formed.  I am going to start by cleaning out my closets and  samples.  I have over 500 bags in my life, some old, some junk.   Its time to give everything to Goodwill that I don't want.   Then I will have more room for new stuff and more space to work and relax. I have a lot of other habits I am trying to work on right now, such as running 4X a week (because I can) and eating less.  I realize the older I get the less calories I need or its just going to end up in my spare tire around my middle, which by the way is already big enough! #DeClutter. I also need to get rid of leather swatches from 2008 and all the old handbag patterns I will never revisit again.  #doIreallyneedthis We need so much less than we think to get by on a regular basis.   I mean do I really need 8 winter coats new that I live in Southern California?  I think not. More later..I am not in the mood for blogging lately......

Sometimes looking to the past is the best inspiration for new design ideas.  Lately I have been working on some projects that involve vintage military inspired pieces.   I have found military stores, etsy and junk stores to be the best place to do my research.   The cool thing about etsy is that you can purchase the things you want if you like them.  I prefer to buy stuff in person.   Here are a few of my favorite pieces.   I love the patina on old leather bags...you can feel the years of use in the handles and straps. If only the bags could talk to me and tell me the journeys they have been on. San Diego has such a rich military history..I am just beginning to find some of the old vintage stores..

I have always loved leopard print whether it was pony hair printed leather, fabric or even fake leather, but when its overdone it seems tacky. (no need to explain that here, you all know what I am talking about.)   I think just the right amount of animal print is sexy and fun.   I think it is best to accessorize with a pair of leopard heels, a fun scarf or even a pair of gloves.   Love these pumps!  Right now I am in the process in moving from a cold and wet climate to a warmer climate in Southern California.   I have been cleaning out my closet..and noticed I have over 10 coats and a few leopard sweaters.   These will have to go in storage..for now. I will have to find a new way to accessorize with leopard or animal prints in a 70 degree year round weather.  Once I get settled I can't wait to go shopping and find these shoes (or something along these lines)...they would look great with dark denim jeans and black or white T-shirt.   Ciao for...

Closing Rocco e Dante...all bags are 70% off!  Check out our online sale at www.roccoedante.com Your chance to get an Italian leather handbag at below cost! Thanks all, its been fun!  Enjoyed it but now we are exploring new options.  Please feel free to shop our final sale and share with your friends!  All Sales are Final! No exceptions.  Please order online and allow up to 2 or 3 days for shipping.  We generally do shipping twice a week. xo Rocco

As most of my friends know we are winding down the brand.   It's a tough economy for luxury start up brands and I am no exception.  I have scaled the brand back to an online shop and just a few local stores.  Maybe in the future we can ramp it up again, if I win the lottery or find half a million dollars in my mattress. Now I am at a crossroads, I am interested in taking on a full time job as a designer or something in fashion and possibly working towards an MBA to sharpen my skills. I am hoping a big brand will hire me.  I love design, that is for sure.  I went broke being an entrepreneur and I sure learned a lot of things and about myself as well.  One thing I learned is I hate bookkeeping and working in the warehouse, and following Nordstroms one million page routing guide is a complete nightmare.   What I love? Trend research , design, dealing with cool shop owners, and social media!   Love twitter, Facebook, all that jazz.  I would r...