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Posts Tagged ‘Vera Wang’

All about the brides

Friday, January 7th, 2011

Time to get married. Or at least start realizing your dream wedding. Mpls.St.Paul Weddings presents the Bridal Party this  Sunday, Jan. 9 at The Depot (details here) and in anticipation, we highlighted some trends bright and early on Fox 9 Morning News with M.A. Rosko. Some of my favorite details:

Time to move beyond cupcakes. Miniature desserts are gaining popularity - like these individual wedding cakes by Grandma's Bakery in White Bear Lake

And speaking of mini, these cake lollipops by Cocoa & Fig are always a hit, either as a bite-sized dessert table treat or individually wrapped to take home.

Did you notice how I went straight to the sweets? Backing up a bit:

A loose up-do by Sarah Sponberg of MN Bridal Makeup (she did the airbrushing too). The hair looks soft, lovely and natural (no one has to know it took hours and is rock hard with hairspray)

Gowns from Priscilla of Boston

Oh yes, the dresses! We wanted to cover a variety of looks and trends with just three dresses and arrived at these from Priscilla of Boston.
Left: Vera Wang strapless silk mermaid gown with swirling tissue organza flanges on skirt. Note the jeweled grosgrain sash at the waist, a way to add a pop of color or embellishment, without committing for the whole night – take it off after the ceremony, or put it on for the reception. Available in lavender and blush tones for a more subtle look. ($4,650)

Middle: Platinum for Priscilla of Boston textured organza and tulle ball gown with a classic art deco styled belt and full, draped skirt. Fulfills the princess fantasies, while looking contemporary. ($4,975)

Right: Melissa Sweet strapless silk chiffon short dress with ostrich feather skirt. Yes, you can wear a short dress for a fancy wedding. Tea-length and even above the knee gowns are gaining popularity. Perfect for the bride who wants to show off her legs…or just have a little more fun. ($2,975).

P.S.: Another bridal event kicks off in Minneapolis this weekend: the first Bridal Expo at Macy’s, downtown Minneapolis. Every week through Feb. 13, take advantage of bridal trunk shows and advice from industry experts like The Wedding Guys, Sheree Bocheneck, creative director for Apres Party and Tent Rental and others. The festivities culminate with a bridal sample sale Feb. 10 to 13. (Event details here, and call 612-375-2162 for appointments and more.) This Saturday, Jan. 8, join me and my mom Harmony Kaplan as we broadcast Shop Girls from the first floor of the downtown Macy’s. That’s 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on myTalk107.1.

Vera, where are the smalls?

Friday, November 2nd, 2007

07veraholidayHadn’t been over to Kohl’s since the initial fuss about Vera Wang’s Simply Vera budget line, so I stopped by this week and unintentionally launched myself on another shopping goose chase. The good news: the second wave of Simply Vera looks as good (with a few notable exceptions, like the shapeless, scoop neck tops, which wouldn’t be flattering even on a pregnant person) as the first: silky print party tops, gray and black dresses that you know would get plenty of wear to work and beyond, and a long wrap style sweater – which happens to be exactly what I’ve been looking for. And of course, the Knollwood Mall Kohl’s had XLs only. So at 9:45 p.m. last night, I bounded into the Southtown store…and found the selection only slightly better: Ls, XLs and one M. Where are the smalls? This is exactly what happened with the first shipment – smalls disappeared instantly (guess small people shop more?). I know there are formulas for size runs and all that, but come on. If a size is gone at every store, that tells you that you need to order more!!!

Shopping mission

Tuesday, September 18th, 2007

It’s wonderful when work and personal shopping desires overlap. I rushed to Kohl’s early last week to scrutinize the new Simply Vera Vera Wang collection before writing a column on it for the Pioneer Press. Trying on a few things was research! I bought an extremely soft long sleeve crewneck – good for layering – on my way out, but I passed up the $138 short sleeve textured coat. It nagged at me all week, especially when I spotted it on models in two fall fashion magazines. I got back to the Rosedale Kohl’s on Saturday intending to commit, and much to my surprise, the entire collection was 30 percent off and my coat was gone. Gone! I know Kohl’s tends to discount everything, but really, why would you mark down such a high profile line in the very first week when the designer has appeared on Oprah? That’s Kohl’s. So, I went home for the receipt from the shirt – no way was I going to pay full price – and headed to the Southtown store where I got my price adjustment, but no coat. They, too, were out of just about everything in small sizes. I did score two cute shirts for my kid (if your little one likes Sesame Street, Kohl’s is the place), both on sale, of course. A shockingly competent customer service agent agreed to check the system for me to see if any store in town might have the coat. She found it in Burnsville. And like a fool, I immediately drove there at 8:30 on a Saturday night (yes, I do lead an exciting life), family in tow, to buy it. I’m not sure my desire to have the coat turned into a need to possess it. But now that I’ve got it home, I’m not so sure the coat looks as great on me as it did in all the magazines. Too much material up top and I think I’m too short waisted for the belt. Guess I’ll get to make another trip to Kohl’s this week – that’s more times than I’ve entered the store in the past year, so they should at least feel good about that.


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