Kooza, the latest Cirque du Soliel show, will be starting April 9th! 
You can save 15% off ticket prices by clicking here: www.cirquedusoleil.com/pearl

Offer good through May 24th, Enjoy the show!!!

Just got back from market, we ordered for Summer and Fall and I can’t even begin to tell you how cute it is!!!  Summer is my favorite time of year, especially in Portland!  I love sundresses, yellow, pink, any bright colors and all the fun sandals that come out in Summer! 

This year is full of bright colors, bold prints and ladylike details!
We love, love, love Veronica M for Summer and this year might be her best ever!

Veronica M halter maxi

There are tons of maxi’s, but plenty of knee-length versions as well!  And the prints!!!  Oh, the prints!!!  They are beautiful in oranges, teals, browns and purples!

Daisy print dropwaist dress from Veronica M

This adorable daisy print dress is on the way right now!  We ordered extra because we all want it!!!  So glad to see some color!  Teal is the top color for Spring and Summer, followed closely behind by coral, we have the Butter by Nadia dresses coming in both, plus some beautiful silk dresses from Beth Bowley, Trina Turk and more!

Sunshine dress from Trina Turk

And speaking of Trina Turk, how cute is this little yellow dress???  This will be here in March along with some more beautiful true Trina style dresses!

There’s something for everyone this year, Nic + Zoe has great collections that you can mix and match making them perfect for travel or work pieces, Milly & Beth Bowley have wonderful silk and jacquard dresses that are just right for special occasions and we’ll have TONS of Veronica M for everyday…I can’t wait!

Save 20% off everything February 6 and 7 at MZ, even markdown merchandise and new arrivals!

Okay so my last post about fashion on the red carpet was well liked and I was asked to do another one for the Grammy’s! Yay! I love looking at celebrity red carpet fashion! The Grammy’s are extra fun because these talented musicians like to wear “costume” fashion statements! 

Lea Michele in a sexy, one-shoulder Romona Keveza mini, which featured a shredded skirt!

 This may be my favorite of the evening!  Great example of a one-shoulder done to perfection! Love the fun skirt and her proportions in this dress! She looks amazing!

Mary J. Blige in a fuschia peek-a-boo Gucci gown!

Here is this amazing color again!  This fuschia is huge for spring!  Love how this color looks great on everyone!

Pink in a floor-length ombre dress by Tony Ward Haute Couture!

Love, love, love ombre! This dress is rock star meets starlet!  Amazing!

Jennifer Nettles in a crimson-and-black Victoria Beckham cut-out dress!

I love this dress for so many reasons! First because it is stunning on Jennifer, it was made for her body! Second because it is a Victoria Beckham!  Her designs are so flattering and classic! The color is amazing and the black detailing just draws your attention to her face!

Taylor Swift in a fabulous sapphire, off-the-shoulder Kaufman Franco gown!

This dress is amazing! With this outfit I have to talk about her hair, make-up and jewelry because they complete this gorgeous dress!

Beyonce showed off her famous curves in a form-fitting Stephane Rolland gown!

I love this woman!  I love that she takes risks and shows off her curves!  She can wear this pale pink and the shape is out of this world!

Fergie in a royal blue Emilio Pucci mini!

Last but not least is Fergie in this vibrant Pucci dress!  This one-shoulder has added interest with the metallic accent!  Perfect for the Grammy’s edgy and beautiful at the same time!

I loved so many of the gowns on The Grammy’s red carpet this year!  The colors, the metallic, the sequins the silhouettes; there was so much to love!  Hope you enjoy viewing this as much as I liked making it! Let me know what you think!

My favorite dress! Diane Kruger epitomized Hollywood glamour in this marigold frock and red lips! You don't see this color on the red carpet very often but she pulled it off!

With some dresses it is more about the color! We have these great fuschia hues in the store right now and it is a favorite of mine!

Anna Kendrick looks great in this dress but what I love the best is the color! Gorgeous!

Here is another one arm that I love!  Short, white, and with great detail! Perfect!

Marion Cotillard loves one-shoulder draped dresses! So do we!

Another one arm in peach this time!

Maggie Gyllenhaal looks great in peach! What a great color for spring!

I don’t love the fabric on this dress but the color and the shape are amazing!

Sandra Bullock looks amazing in this color and I like the hint of leg!

There you have it! My favorite red carpet dresses so far this season! What are your favorites?

We are crazy about Trina Turk here at Mabel and Zora if you didn’t know!   We got in a new Trina Turk dress yesterday that we absolutely love!!!!  It is the Honono Dress in Violet!  Oh my goodness what a beautiful dress! 

Luxe and Ladylike!

Trina has infused this classic little dress with modern attitude by juxtaposing ivory chiffon splashed with sparks of subtle gold against the luxe texture and rich hue of violet silk tussah! Super feminine with petals at the neckline, adjustable straps to ensure a flattering fit, and a side closure with petite pearl buttons!  The Honono Dress is a fashion find that will take you from board room to cocktail hour without missing a beat!

Kris Nations Dahlia Earrings in gold!

Looks great next to all our new Kris Nations Jewelry! The Dahlia Earrings measure 1 inch diameter.  Made of recycled metals in your choice of sterling silver overlay or 14k gold overlay.  Made in the USA.  Come check out all our great new gold and silver necklaces, earrings and bracelets!  Love getting gorgeous new items!

Are you wondering where to find the next hip fashion show, or who’s having a huge sale this weekend?
Check out The Neat Sheet!  It’s filled with the latest fashion news, style ideas, happenings around Portland, and awesome contests!  I’m trying to win a pair of Sorel boots right now to match my hubby’s new pair!

Karen Vitt, it’s fearless author has been covering style, culture and shopping in Portlandfor more than 10 years, writing for print and Web publications including Lucky Magazine, The Oregonian, Women’s Wire (iVillage), Oregon Bride and many others. 

It’s fun, funny, insightful and a great way to make sure you’re at all the events going on in Portland!  Plus there’s special offers just for NeatSheetreaders!  Sooo Awesome!!!

We love Portland!   Even in the beginning of January when we know we have months and months of gloomy rain ahead of us before we can sport our sassy Summer dresses again, we still feel love for our beautiful home!  One of the many reasons we love it so much are all the wonderful locally owned boutiques and restaurants.  And being a small business owner, I know how every penny does count and add up to hopefully more time in business!  So we have tried to eat only at local restaurants and shop at local businesses for the past couple years.  The more money you spend in a local establishment (versus chain-store or restaurant) the more stays in our own economy helping us all! 

It’s pretty easy to do in Portland, with so many amazing restaurants I don’t think I’ll ever run out of new places to go and more boutiques than any other city I’ve ever lived in.  Granted, every once in a while a pair of heels from Nordstrom’s swoons me and I can’t resist or my family makes our annual journey to Chili’s in honor of my dad (it was his favorite restaurant!)  but it’s pretty fun to see if you can spend only locally!  And a bonus is most local places offer discounts often to keep you coming back! 

Check out the 3/50 project below and you will see how powerful it can be if we all keep it local!  (sounds like a good resolution…and easier than losing that last 15 pounds!)

We here at Mabel and Zora love clothes!  Working with clothes, talking about clothes, looking at clothes and of course buying clothes!  So it would follow suit that we own a lot of clothes!  It is our job to buy new clothes, but when it gets to the point that you need a bigger closet to hold it all but only wear half of it then changes must be made!  My co-worker Allison and I were just discussing this matter today!  She naturally has an amazing closet full of great clothes from the past 10 years!  However her style as evolved and while she still likes many of her pieces she feels like some of them are just not her anymore!  

This summer I went through my closet and gave away 5 large bags of clothing to friends and family and donated the rest to William Temple House!  Still I held on to lots of clothes, rationalizing that someday I would wear them again.  However this fall I went through my closet again and didn’t hold back…if I wouldn’t wear it today then I won’t wear it tomorrow! I got rid of another 4 bags and some coats!  It was an amazing feeling!  Like I lost 5 pounds of stress weight!  Not only is my closet easier to manage but just makes me feel good to look at only clothes I love!

I was telling this to Allison hoping this would make it easier for her to get into her closet and get rid of those pieces that she just doesn’t love or wear anymore!  The year 2009 is about to be over and 2010 about to begin!  What a great time to get rid of the old and then you won’t feel guilty about getting the new!  It is that time of year, time for changes and a fresh start!  So she is off to sort, sell and give away all those pieces that have just been gathering dust in the back of her closet!  I know that when she gets done with it she will feel revived and ready for the new year and all the new clothes it will bring!

For more reading and tips on this subject check out the Daddy Likey blog!