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October 24th, 2008
One of our favorite holiday traditions happened this week—the arrival of the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog. Once a year, when we receive our treasured catalog, we immediately drop everything else and read it cover to cover, exclaiming over each and every item. And while we realize things with the economy aren’t exactly ideal right now, and a $1,500 teddy bear dressed up as Karl Lagerfeld may be a tad ridiculous even in a bull market, we nevertheless enjoy our stolen moments of daydreaming over extreme extravagance. The best part of the issue is, far and away, the “Wow! Gifts.” Among the highlights this year are a backyard, million-dollar, 3-hole golf course designed and constructed by golf-pro Jack Nicklaus; life-sized representations of yourself done in Legos (only $60,000!); and a luxury wedding package at The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach (a cool $1.3 million). Our question is, do people actually order these things from the catalog… and who are they? Also, are they looking for a girlfriend? We kid, we kid. p.s. It may not be a wedding at Pelican Hill, but a present for you, dear |
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Seattle Picks: |
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| 1 | Red Letter Day Even when there’s not a cloud in the sky these days, it’s still at least 10–15 degrees cooler than we’d like. But that hasn’t really dampened our spirits. The torrential downpours, on the other hand, are another story. Yet somehow we still manage to pull through and find something to sing about. That’s why we l-o-v-e love what we found at JJ Boutique on Pine the other day. We couldn’t make a single snide remark about the weather, because it gave us a reason to take home the perfect red wool coat displayed in the window—the mix between a pea coat and a trench coat is just what you need for the “sometimes cold, sometimes wet” Seattle fall days. And of course we found a few dresses to throw on underneath our new coat, in fresh and vibrant colors and prints. Our favorite? A structured strapless in indigo, graced with delicate twigs and romantic sparrows. Watch out world, we’re on a roll now! Raindrops keep falling on our heads, but at hey, at least we look cute. JJ Boutique |
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| 2 | Dress for Success The other day we bought a dress with absolutely no event in mind. It was just hanging there, waiting to be worn. Of course, you can show up to the Opera in jeans and no one bats an eye, but we were determined to have a fancy night out. What better excuse than dinner at former Herbfarm chef Jerry Traunfeld’s new digs, Poppy? Thank goodness for reservations—the space was packed. The cocktails were well-balanced and the starters (eggplant fries with honey and gorgonzola cherry-sage puffs!) piqued our interest. No full menu to navigate here (or to agonize over when you want to try absolutely everything). We each ordered the daily Thali (a ten-dish wonder served on a round platter). When the food arrived all fashion choices faded to the background. Wine and conversation flowed freely punctuated by exclamations like, “Wow!” “Now that is good!” “Mmm!” It was a party in our mouths. We rocked that dress and Poppy rocked our senses. But don’t worry ... we spied a lot of denim. Poppy has enough style for any outfit. Poppy |
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| 3 | Wag This Way She’s your best friend. She knows all your secrets and even what your SSB’s are (secret single behaviors—you know, those things you do in private that not even your boyfriend knows about). She never ditches you for another guy, never talks behind your back, and is always there to snuggle if there are tears. We all have great girlfriends—but really, aren’t our pets the most loyal friends we’ve ever had? Treat them right by stopping into new pet boutique Zak and Zoe—not only serving man’s best friend, but the friend herself. They have everything from name-brand dog food (they even offer free delivery!) and specialty treats to novelty items like “Dog is Good” T-shirts. Shopping fun for you and Fido—what could be better? We plan on doing all of our holiday shopping here—not only for our pampered pooches, but for all of our dog lovin’ friends as well. And as an extra bonus, enjoy 10% off all dog and cat food and 15% off all gift items thru Nov. 7 when you mention you saw them in Seattle Picks! Zak & Zoe: A Modern Dog Mercantile |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | Almost Too Pretty To Eat If we could eat chocolate for every meal, well, we probably would. White chocolate, milk chocolate, Hershey’s Kisses, hot chocolate, chocolate bread, we love it all equally. So imagine our delight when we happened across these artisan chocolates from Jin Patisserie. Made and painted by hand, they come in unique flavors like caramel clove, mango basil and lavender. In our minds, eating one box is almost like eating a whole meal because of their gourmet flavors. Right? |
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| 2 | Saving Us from Ourselves Our mom always had one closet in the house that was packed full of emergency kits and first aid. She even assembled emergency kits for our car before we headed off to college. We inherited her need for preparedness—but our kit is the Critical Care Kit from Miss Oops—for beauty emergencies. Complete with a dry sponge for removing deodorant marks and makeup powder, and Pucker Protector (balm for cracked lips that looks like a gloss), we know Mom would be proud. |
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| 3 | We’re Melting Last week we had one of those days—a trying day at work, followed by a long commute home on an overcrowded bus to a home that needed cleaning. The only thing to be done was to climb into a hot bath and reboot. The perfect accompaniment to our bath—besides the glass of wine—was a Candy Petal Cocoa Melt from Bauble Bath. It melts into the bath, where the cocoa butter makes your skin super-smooth. Ah, the simple pleasures of life. |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Let’s Be Independent Together Thread Show is back, and we can hardly contain our excitement. This fashion/shopping event showcasing the top 100 independent men’s and women’s fashion designers is an affair not to be missed. There is a complimentary cocktail hour, limited-edition and one-of-a-kind designs, runway shows, gift bags and more—oh my! What: Thread Show |
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| 2 | Bend and Stretch Let’s face it, for some of us, if we don’t sweat it out first thing in the morning, we may never get it done. Lucky us, our favorite Pilates boutique studio is currently offering an Early Bird special where you get your first private lesson for only $30—half the usual amount. Break out the spandex, we’re on our way! What: Early Bird Special at Bodytonic Pilates |
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| 3 | And Good Lingerie for All It’s an election year, and with it comes, not only a new president, but also, Zovo’s Election Year Bra Event. All bras are up to 60% off—including new fall shipments. Take your pick from lines like Chantelle, Huit, Princessse Tam Tam and Simone Perele, in sizes from 30A to 44H. Gotta love it! What: Election Year Bra Event at Zovo Lingerie |
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| 4 | One Year of Style |
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Speaking of the imminent arrival of the holiday season, the Seattle Picks Holiday Gift Guide is coming up—reserve your space today to let everyone know about what you have to offer this gift-giving season… and let our readers in on the secret! Email Ashley@seattlepicks.com for more information!!! |
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