Fashion Slow Lane!

So I was just on Skype with my business connection from the Middle East to talk about belt manufacturing and etc.  During my time on Skype I got 3 invitations from Russian hookers looking to marry me!  Wow!  Such luck I have these days.   Instead of travelling the world,  I just need to open Skype and I get proposals left and right. I did not dare crush their dreams and let them know that I did not have a penis or a big fat wallet. Where are you going next?  Will your travels take you to Russia to find a mail order bride?  or where will you go?  Without a penis I am not invited to Russia or so it seems...maybe next year...

About six years ago we flew to Bangkok to pick up our daughter from a Thai orphanage.  She was a toddler with a mind of her own and spoke Thai.  Luckily I speak some Thai!  It took weeks or months for her to stop trying to go with strangers we met in the elevator of our building..that is what happens when you grow up with random rotating caretakers in an institution like setting. There were many other challenges along that way, but she was healthy and happy.   Fast forward to today...my Thai girl is 9 years old.  She is spunky, cheerful and likes to eat Thai food.  To celebrate her 9th birthday we went to a local Thai restaurant that I have not tried yet!  The food was AMAZING!  Try the Lobster for example...to die for!  So amazing that I have to blog about it!   www.chedithaibistro.com in La Jolla, CA They had the best Thai food I have tried so far in the area!  Aroy Maek Maek!

In the past five years I have been to Italy several times to go to the Linea Pelle show, meet with factories,  check out tanneries and hardware suppliers.   I  also lived in Milan for six weeks to take a course on leather handbag pattern making!  That was an amazing journey..(that sounds like something that a contestant from "The Bachelor" reality TV show would say).  When I was living in Milan I went to Lake Como several times and travelled all around Italy.  It was an adventure and I made some really great friends along the way. Vintage Scooter in Milan The next leather show in Bologna is this fall and I have no plans to go.  Since I closed my leather handbag line Rocco e Dante late last year  I don't have any production needs that require me to go to the leather trade show this fall.  Very disappointing!  I used to love to go to just to eat the amazing Italian food and to run into old friends in the fashion industry. P.S. Bu...

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......

I run because I can.  Not because I love it or because it makes you lose weight.  Eight years ago I was in the hospital on and off for one month due to an acute ruptured appendix/peritonitis (infection of your entire gut- some people die from it). Following the hospitalizations,  I suffered from moderate to severe knee pain for 2 years.  I was not able to run or even walk a mall without pain.  (I had suffered from a rare side effect of flouroquinilone antibiotics-severe tendinitis)  So now, I am thankful that I can run pain free.  I am slow and steady. Today I ran 2.2 miles, yesterday I put in 2.5 miles.   Its nothing major, but its awesome..considering I used to run 5 miles a day and then for several years I could not run at all. Recently I went to the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and bought some new Nike running shoes.  They are the ugliest things I have ever seen, but they were the only colors left in my size in that particular type of...

Hotel Chandler, New York City, New York I have been to New York City at least 25 times in the past decade.  I usually stay at least a week for fashion week.   I have stayed over 10 times at the same hotel.  Why the same hotel?   When you find the hotel you like, there is no reason to change.  The hotel I started staying at in 2001 is Hotel Chandler.  I think it had a different name back then, but it has the same feel today as it did over a decade ago. It is a small boutique style hotel.  It is where I stayed a few weeks after 9/11 happened.  I was young and just starting out in the fashion industry.    As a single female traveling alone in a big new city it was a perfect match for me.   I had tried the tourist trap hotels around Times Square.  (actually by boss at the time put me up there.)  I did not feel safe and the rooms were disgusting, you know cigarette butt burns in the bedspreads and nasty stains on the ...

There is a lot of blogs and articles in the fashion industry talking about Made in USA.  We all know that if you buy Made in USA you have to pay more for the clothing, shoes and handbags.   A lot of people that shop at discount stores like WalMart and Target complain when they go into a boutique and a pair of jeans are $250, but if you look at the label they are often Made in the USA. As a shopper I totally support Made in USA.  Last week I bought a pair of Rag & Bone jeans at Nordstrom.  The price tag was high, about $245.00 plus tax for a pair of jeans.  But I  love them!  There is a new website devoted to Made In USA factories.  Here is the link:    www.makersrow.com This sit is a great resource for USA based designers and startups.   They are adding new suppliers monthly so check back often!  The average American consumer is still very price conscious so I am not sure how fast Made in USA will take o...