Scarves: Bringing a bit of Europe to the USA

Recent travels to both Italy and Holland educated me on Europe’s love affair with the scarf. In Italy, kiosks full of scarves are as common as gelato carts and popular with both men and women.  Italian men sported scarves, sun glasses and fabulous shoes as they trekked around town. Scarves for sale were unisex patterns and worn by all.

 

The Dutch are just as addicted to their scarves! I marveled at both women and men, dressed for work with fashion scarves and fabulous shoes, pedaling their way to work on bicycles. Though not in sidewalk kiosks, scarves were for sale at every clothing shop I visited and worn by many.

 

I purchased scarves in both countries and wear them often mostly to remind myself of European women and men, who really know how to dress well, mix trendy with classic, and add scarves to complete the outfit. In Europe, the scarf is the “IT” accessory.

 

So I searched for and found a source for fabulous scarves for Finders Keepers, with very modern and European designs. The summer scarves have been popular and the fall scarves have begun arriving. A current trend for this accessory is the infinity scarf, which is easy to manage and fun to wear. Stop by and try one on.

 

So far I have just found women’s fashion scarves but I am searching for the male counterpart, even though I’m not sure if our American men are ready for a “fashion” scarf. What do you think?

 

 

From Bonnie's Desk: Dog Rescue was not on my to-do list today!

Traveling the back way from the furniture store to meeting today, I saw a large dog and 4 puppies running loose along the sidewalk. At first glance, it looked like a mama and her puppies had escaped from a back yard. I stopped and rolled my window down to get a better look and it didn’t look good. The pups looked to be about 8 weeks old and their ribs were clearly visible. Mama dog was very friendly and turned out not to be mama but a male dog looking after these 4 boxer mix puppies. I was dressed for a meeting and short on time but quickly decided that the least I could do was go get them some food. 

 

I went to the house and grabbed the dog food and some water. When I got back to the spot, another person had stopped to see about them and was happy to see me and the food.  Soon, 3 other cars stopped and together we watched them devour the food. The hungry male dog let the puppies push him away from the food bowl so I had to give him food in a separate bowl so he could eat. I was amazed. Phone calls were made to rescue groups, friends, vets and photos were taken. Eventually one of us offered to keep them in his fenced area until they could be officially rescued. I’ll check on them tomorrow. They are super cute, and the adult male dog? A great disposition….and parent!

 

Notes from Bonnie's Desk: The Dress Decade

Yellow, Calvin Klein, size 4, sundress, it jumped out from the dress wall as I was straightening during Spring Fling Saturday. It was added to the pile of dresses to try on after closing. So many beautiful dresses and oh so tempting to someone like me, who believes this wardrobe staple deserves more accolades than it receives.

 

In a workshop I love to teach, Closet Chaos to Closet Confidence, attenders are instructed to purge their closets of unloved clothing. After the purging process, they are encouraged to fill in wardrobe gaps, especially the dress gap. Why? Dresses are the great “go-to” piece of the decade, quickly edited with accessories, heel heights, jackets, cardigans and belts. One dress can go a long way, all the while making a statement for the wearer.

 

And then there’s the fabulous party/cocktail dress on the sale rack that fits like a charm….and it’s NOT black. If ever there was something that made listeners stop and take note, it was when I made this statement: “No wardrobe is complete without a couple of great looking cocktail dresses, so for heaven sakes, buy the dress you found on the sale rack, that you love, that fits wonderfully, even though you don’t have an event on the horizon, because you WILL need it and when you do, you WILL already own it.” It was permission given and written down, like a hall pass from the teacher…”yes, she has permission to buy a dress she doesn’t need, just in case.”

 

Ask Betsy about this. A few years back we were shopping the sale racks at Macy’s and the party dresses were deeply discounted. She tried on a  dress that fit beautifully and was very affordable. However, it was after the season and she “didn’t need it” so she didn’t buy it even though I warned her that she would have regrets, and to this day she still does.

 

Because shopping for the perfect dress when you must have one is not efficient. It’s too stressful, too demanding and usually too expensive.

 

Shopping for dresses should be on-going, therapeutic and sensible. Dresses are plentiful and a good value in stores everywhere from consignment stores to regular retail. Even prom dresses can be found at consignment stores like Forever Young in Lilburn, where an entire floor is dedicated to formal wear, long and short, simple to extravagant but all extremely affordable.

 

Of course I tout shopping resale, because that’s my life. The dress walls at both Finders Keepers locations are an array of beautiful colors, textures, fabrics, designers and styles at extremely affordable prices. As a shopper, one must be willing to try on many, even those that may not have great hanger appeal, to find a dress or 2 that add pop to a wardrobe. Of all the dresses I tried on that evening, I only bought one, the yellow Calvin Klein. Embrace the fact that it takes continual additions to have a wardrobe that is ready for any of life’s events and go shopping often and only buy what you love. Chaos will give way to confidence and with confidence comes peace. We all need more of that!

 

Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of this week’s email for the coupon for 20% off one regular-priced dress, my Easter gift to you. (Not on our email list? Visit our website to sign up: http://www.fkconsign.com/Join-Our-Email-List.html)

 

Bonnie Kallenberg