Apr
30
Look of the Week
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And here we have the lovely Denise, of Mary. She’s wearing a great shift by Ella Moss, super cute plaid espadrilles by Not Rated (from Sophie Shoes just a few doors down) and carrying a bag that the Shop Tart really, really loves by amykathryn. The patterned bag with lavender metallic trim was big enough for a day at the pool or a day of shopping. Denise is also wearing her own necklace, by Diana Werner. There were several other gorgeous necklaces by Diana Werner in the store. They reminded the Shop Tart of Alexis Bittar’s hammered gold jewelry, without the hefty price tag!
Diana used to be a Gamecock cheerleader, which isn’t surprising given her great smile! There were loads of cute dresses at Mary that made the Shop Tart long for Spring. There’s nothing better than a sunny Spring day spent strolling up and down Devine Street and through Five Points, shopping, eating and chatting, n’est-ce pas?
Apr
29
tullulah Sale!
Filed Under Great deal, Sale | Leave a Comment
As a mother of three, The Shop Tart (how can we put this so as not to hurt her feelings?) needs a little help in the bustline department. Okay, a lot of help. Nothing pulls an outfit together more than the proper foundation garment. A bra that fits and doesn’t show through her clothes can make a lady look ten pounds thinner and sixty-two percent more put-together. That is a statistical fact (that happens to be made up, but is true nonetheless.) Those sorts of bras tend to be pricey, which is why The Shop Tart was thrilled to hear about the sale that Kristy’s having at tullulah: buy one bra, get the second half off*, Wednesday and Thursday only. She’s expecting a big shipment, with a huge range of sizes.
The Shop Tart recommends (and owns!):
- The Carina, which goes lowest in the front and has straps that can be worn criss-crossed or regular.
- The Tisha, with straps that are farther apart, better for wide necked tops.
- The Strapless bra, with optional straps.
Kristy also carries frillier stuff, for special occasions (honeymoon!) and insanely cute but practical stuff for other occasions, like a matching robe and gown for the hospital when you’re there to have a baby. Trust the Shop Tart on this one: You do not want to receive visitors in a grungy t-shirt, even if you did just go through labor. And trust the Shop Tart’s mother, herself a mother of four: It’s a good idea to keep a nice bathrobe by your front door when you go home with the baby, so you have something to throw on over your clothes that’ll discourage visitors from staying too long. Works like a charm; the Shop Tart and her mother employ this technique until the baby is at least a year old. And it has to be a cute robe, because if it isn’t, people think you’re depressed.
Kristy can also advise you on any lingerie issues you might have, including unsightly panty lines and proper bra fit. And don’t leave without a little box of Hollywood Tape, double sided tape movie stars use to keep their clothes on straight and avoid wardrobe malfunctions. The Shop Tart has even used it in a pinch to temporarily hem pants.
So don’t miss that sale, Wednesday and Thursday. If you want text messages sent to your phone the day of a big sale, click here to follow the Shop Tart on Twitter. She promises to only send messages about sales and not random things she wants you to buy for her!
Happy Shopping!
* Fell free to insert your own jokes about bras being "half off" here. The Shop Tart is far too classy to do so. Ahem.
Apr
28
Follow the Shop Tart!
Filed Under Clothes, Home, Meet the Designer, Sale, Shoes | Leave a Comment
Wasn’t the weekend lovely? There was plenty of sunshine in between the rain! Allen Stephenson of Southern Tide Polo was charming and the Shop Tart was thrilled to meet his mother, who was charming as well and cute as a button. She must be so proud of her son, who by his mere presence managed to convince the Shop Tart’s husband that he must have a Southern Tide Polo in Vintage Orange, which made him look very healthy. Allen himself was rocking the shirt in Charcoal and looked quite dashing. Here he is:
The Shop Tart, in giddy fan mode, had to snap the picture with her cell phone, which is why the quality is not the best. Here’s one more shot, in which Heather (of Britton’s) is sipping a Hurricane and wearing the cutest earrings that she created from Southern Tide Polo fish hang tags:
And here’s the Shop Tart’s plan for the week:
- Bohemian Home is carrying wine now! Go ahead and pencil in their first wine tasting on May 15. The Shop Tart particularly enjoyed a bottle of crisp Italian white, Pignoletto Superiore by San Vito. Of course she shared, silly! Not that it matters to true wine connoisseurs, but the label was so pretty (there was a drawing of a bird on it). And these things do matter when choosing a hostess gift, as does the price, which was just right at $18.
- Strobler has a store full of new things and they’re offering 15% off all Prada and GrassRoots furniture until the end of the month. There were a lot of sophisticated occasional tables and very useful and attractive glass paned cabinets, perfect for spring cleaning and organizing linens!
- Belladea still has a full sale rack, so go take a look! And buy the Shop Tart that pair of white Paige jeans that she doesn’t need at all while you’re there.
- Sophie Shoes is offering 25% off all shoes. No word on how long that sale is going on, so get in there today. Check out that gorgeous pair of multi-colored, patent leather spectator heels by Hale Bob. Scrumptious!
- You only have two more days to take advantage of the offer from H2 Women: No enrollment fee if you join this month. The gym is beautiful, so is the spa and they have free chocolates and coffee! What more could a girl want?
Happy shopping!
Apr
25
If you feed them, they will come…
Filed Under Clothes, Meet the Designer, Sip and Shop | Leave a Comment
Sometimes, it’s difficult to get men to dress the way you would like. The Shop Tart has chosen her battles with Mr. Shop Tart very carefully. Early on in their relationship, she gave up on ever separating him from his nasty, kelly green Chuck Taylor’s. If a man refers to something affectionately as "My Bar Shoes," go ahead and let it go, because you will never win. And you might as well learn to love his Sebadoh t-shirt, because you aren’t going to win that one, either. Recently, Mr. Shop Tart replaced the bar shoes with plaid Vans. The Shop Tart, by the way, is no Demi Moore and her husband is no Ashton Kutcher, but she has the sense not to even hint that he might be a bit old for such a look, lest he replace them with something even worse. Actually, it’s a testament to her love for him that she kind of likes the Vans (and misses the Chuck Taylor’s, just a little bit. Please don’t tell him, though, because he might try to resurrect them!)
From noon until 6 pm tomorrow, you and your man can enjoy a Fish Fry, Barbeque and Southern Tide Polo trunk show in the parking lot behind Brittons of Columbia. You’ll even be able to meet the founder and creator of the Southern Tide polo, Allen Stephenson. And he’s from Greenville, which is extra exciting, because the Shop Tart loves anything local! The Shop Tart stopped in Brittons today and was treated to a demonstration of the superiority of the Southern Tide Polo by Lucky Levinson of Britton’s. The shirt is so soft on the inside and the fabric has just a hint of lycra, so the collar never loses it shape. Mr. Levinson is so sure of the shirt’s integrity that he stretched it out. As promised, it kept its shape. The colors are stunning (Dear Mr. Shop Tart, you would look very nice in the Periwinkle or Fusion Coral, but we can just call them "blue" and "orange," if you like!) The Southern Tide Polo is also available for women.
The Shop Tart thinks this Fish Fry/Barbeque thing will be a great way to trick her husband into going shopping enjoy a Saturday with her fashionable husband. She’s sure that free food and Allen Stephenson’s enthusiasm will turn him into a believer!
Apr
24
Babies!
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The Shop Tart loves baby showers, particularly when they’re for girl babies. You see, she has three boy babies and one husband. Although she adores the boys, she’s always excited to have an opportunity to shop for a girl. It’s probably a good thing she has no daughter, because she might blow the poor girl’s college account on clothes…
In her quest for the perfect baby gift, the Shop Tart found too many to count. Here are some highlights:
- Tickled Pink is the place to go for all things custom. Owner (and designer and seamstress!) Caroline Glenn can monogram anything and has a room full of fabric to choose from. When the Shop Tart stopped in, she was working on monogrammed night-light shades. Too cute! Tickled Pink is known for their custom nursery bedding, but they also do clothes, curtains and bags. Speaking of bags, they carry the très chic Petunia Picklebottom diaper bags. They also have baby socks that look like Mary Jane’s by La Trompette if you’re looking for something small. If you’re looking for something big, they are the only place in town carrying Silver Cross strollers.
- Debbie at Sid and Nancy had the perfect gifts for a mom who plans to keep rockin’ after baby. She showed the Shop Tart several Rock onesies (in black, so they won’t show dirt!), tiny rockabilly-style sunglasses and the absolutely essential Temporary Tatoos for baby! She also had a totally punk-rock messenger style diaper bag that made the Shop Tart (almost) wish her toddler wasn’t heading towards potty training.
- Little Lambs and Ivy as always had plenty of great things to choose from. They carry a ton of the very stretchy, cute and cuddly Zutano, which the Shop Tart has found holds up very well to repeated washing and wear.
- Paul D. Sloan Interiors isn’t a place one would normally think of when shopping for a baby. In fact, actually bringing a toddler into the store could end up costing you thousands of dollars in damages. But they carry the cutest bowls, cups and divided plates by BabyCie. They have French words on them, which makes them très chic and educational, too!
- Last, but not least, Tiny Treasures has a great selection. The Shop Tart particularly likes their collection of traditional baby clothes, like day gowns and bonnets. They also carry very pretty small diaper bags in Toile, perfect for baby’s trips to church nursery!
Happy shopping!
Apr
23
Look of the Week
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Spring is here and the ladies at VanJean know it. There are two weddings being planned (Susan’s in two weeks and Kindall’s this summer). And you know what comes after the wedding…the honeymoon! Every bride has the same fear about her honeymoon: What ever will she wear? Never fear, VanJean has enough selection for a three month cruise around the world. If you aren’t planning one of those any time soon (and the Shop Tart isn’t!), pick up a few beachy things to make you feel like you’re on vacation.
Here’s Kindall, in the Look of the Week. She’s wearing the Frida Beading Flutter Dress by Tibi and two Pono bangles. She’s carrying a blue patent leather fold-over clutch by GoldenBleu, which the Shop Tart happens to love. If you want to buy it for her, VanJean has her address and can send it to her, no problem. The sandals belonged to Christina, who was wearing them with a bright floral shift by Milly. Susan was wearing the Safari Cardigan by Tibi. Walking into that store is like getting a style tutorial; everyone who works there always looks so put together!
And take a look at the Mayle dresses in the window behind Kindall - très chic! The Shop Tart would love to rock that shift on the left at the beach this summer. Just so you know. Mwah!
Apr
22
In other news…
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The Shop Tart is working hard to figure out how to display her new logo, created by artist Heather LaHaise. Here’s the logo, which you can expect to see in the top banner very soon!
Hooray!
Apr
22
Lunch at Adriana’s and More Sales
Filed Under Beauty, Clothes, Eat and Drink, Sale | 1 Comment
Lunch is very important. It’s the biggest meal of the day, the meal that gives a weary shopper her second wind. The Shop Tart, at least once a week, craves her favorite salad at Adriana’s, M’s Spinach Salad. It’s everything a salad should be, colorful, crunchy and full of cheese and nuts, so the Shop Tart doesn’t feel deprived. After lunch, she wandered a few doors down to Mary, just to look of course.
But why just look when you can talk shop with someone as nice as Mary’s Bergen? She was just finishing a meeting with a representative from New Yawk City who had brought samples from 3J and Pete & Greta, among others. There were some super-cute cowgirl button downs in there that would be perfect for the Shop Tart’s sister, but that’s looking ahead a bit much.
And why look ahead when there are so many great things right now? Instant gratification is the best! Bergan raved about Mary’s denim selection, which might be the biggest in town. A few years ago, the Shop Tart spent no less than an hour and a half trying on no less than twenty pairs of jeans before finding the perfect (dark-rinse, boot cut, Citizens of Humanity) pair to wear with her beloved black Bass Weejuns (discontinued…grrrrr*). Throughout the entire, painstaking, process, the staff remained charming. Mary also has tables piled high with colorful knits, by Michael Stars (a Shop Tart favorite!), Velvet, Zooey and Ella Moss, among others. Don’t you think seven or eight cute knit tops would be the perfect thing to get through Spring?
Mary also carries the Shop Tart’s favorite underpants, by Hanky Panky. They are so comfortable she wore them throughout her entire last pregnancy. Seriously. And they’re cute. And they come in the greatest assortment of colors. They’re pricey, but so worth it! They also have a new brand, Commando. The Shop Tart is not so sure her mother would want to know that she plans to try out a pair of those…
There was also a brand new rack of Early Spring sale stuff, marked 25, 50 and 75 percent off. The Shop Tart had a moment of panic when she noticed a Plenty by Tracy Reese dress she bought two weeks ago, but was relieved to see it was only 25% off, because she bought it during the storewide 20% off sale. She wore it to (Tullulah owner) Kristy’s wedding, which was totally worth that five percent.
Speaking of sales, don’t miss these:
- Debbie of Sid and Nancy is offering 50% off all tags that look like these, Wednesday through Sunday. The Shop Tart will be popping in, because she needs an original baby present for a friend and Debbie has some super cool Punk onesies.
- Exotica, off the beaten path in Lexington, is closing its doors forever on May 31st. They’re marking everything down for final clearance. Definitely worth a look for formal wear and jeans by Hudson, Cambio and Yukon.
- The fabulous Emily at M Boutique is offering 20% off all Spring Merchandise this Thursday and Friday (April 24th and 25th). The Shop Tart discovered Gwen Stefani during a trip to M, which makes it awesome. Emily has a lot of great stuff by French Connection right now.
- Pout is having a Two-Day Tarte Prom Event. The Shop Tart is a bit old for prom, but loves to go out to dinner during prom season to see all the gorgeous kids (who incidentally look way better than the Shop Tart and her friends - who attended prom at the height of the Grunge era - ever did. ) Tarte cheekstain in “Flush” might be the best beauty product ever made. So, after your free make-up consultation and application, why don’t you buy a few of them, so you can get your free gift with a $50 purchase?
Have a great day, ladies!
*Weejuns might not be on at the moment, but the Shop Tart happens to think they’re pretty fashion-y. She’s been wearing them, in
different sizes, since the second grade. Several years ago, they were
discontinued, at great cost to her personal style. She has to find them
on EBay now which is a total pain. This was all explained in several hate-filled missives a charming
letter to Bass. They haven’t responded and the Shop Tart hates them.
Apr
21
Follow the Shop Tart!
Filed Under Clothes, Home, Sale, Sip and Shop | Leave a Comment
Every Monday, The Shop Tart will bring you a weekly roundup of sales, events and anything else exciting. So, if you’re a store owner or a savvy shopper and you have some news, please email her! “Follow the Shop Tart” will appear on Mondays, so try to get those emails in by Sunday evening. You’re a real sweetheart! Mwah!
This week, there is one sale, a sale so exciting that the Shop Tart dreams of it for months in advance:
Tuesday, April 22, you can enjoy 40% off all Spring and Summer clothing at VanJean. Not 10%, not 15%, not even the very generous 25%. Forty percent. Seriously! In case you can’t get there early, they’ll be open until 8 pm. And serving cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Can you imagine anything more lovely? See you there!
Also this week, don’t miss Artista Vista, a great way to see lots of art and have a delightful evening out. The weather’s supposed to be balmy, so enjoy! When the Shop Tart was younger and, let’s be frank, broker, she used to really enjoy Artista Vista for the free wine and snacks. And the art, of course. This week, she plans to pick out something at the VanJean sale to wear to the gallery crawl. Artista Vista is happening Thursday from 5-9 pm and Saturday from 11 am-3pm. You should check it out, if only to see what the Shop Tart is wearing!
Have a great week!
Apr
18
And it’s time to try on swimsuits! Don’t make the same mistake The Shop Tart did. She went to a bathing suit store in a huge mall with her sister-in-law. Her sister-in-law was charming, so the choice of company was not a mistake. The mistake was twofold:
- They chose a store with horrible lighting.
- They didn’t use self-tanner to make the first unveiling after Winter less startling.
The Shop Tart wept silently looking at the vast expanse of pastiness in the dressing room mirror and she could hear her sister-in-law in the next dressing room doing her own share of whimpering and cursing. The salesgirl twittered,
“Just come on out if there’s anything you want to show me!”
Um. No, thank you. The Shop Tart and her company in misery cut short their day of shopping and went for a drink, resolving to try again after a bit more preparation.
So, before shopping for a suit, make sure you are ready. Both Tonic and The Spa at H2 are running airbrush tan specials through the end of April. A mere $20 will buy you a nice even glow! Make sure to exfoliate in the shower before you go. If you’re in the mood for something a bit more luxurious and spendy, try Urban Nirvana’s “Buff and Bronze” for $70. It takes an hour, but you’ll get a full body exfoliation before the tan. For all of you Do-It-Yourselfers, head to Pout, where you can find the St. Tropez self tanning kit for $42.50. The kit includes four ounces each of Body Polisher, Body Moisturizer and Auto-Bronzant Lotion. The staff at Pout swears by it and they know their stuff!
Once you’re lightly bronzed, hit the shops. Do not choose a shop with horrible lighting and insensitive salespeople. Choosing a bathing suit can be a delicate process and you deserve to be treated like a princess! The Shop Tart started at VanJean*, where she found lots of suits by Milly Cabana and Eberjey. She also found gentle lighting and even gentler salespeople. The brightly colored Arriba halter bikini by Milly was a favorite, as was the brown and cream cheetah print bikini by Eberjey.
After VanJean, the Shop Tart tottered (in her tan patent leather Stuart Weitzman wedges) to Pink Sorbet, the new-ish Lilly Pulitzer shop in town. There was a whole rounder of gorgeous, brightly colored suits, one and two-piece, with matching cover-ups. Beth Baxley, mother of two very lucky daughters and owner of Pink Sorbet, pointed out a fabulous button down cover-up made from re-introduced vintage Lily fabric. It could also be worn with a gold belt and white jeans. She also had several long, hostess dresses. The Shop Tart is thrilled that the long hostess dress is back - très chic!
Both shops had great suits and great coverups, all styles. So slap on your fake tan and take a look tomorrow!
Stay tuned for news from Fortay: In years past, they’ve carried bathing suits by Shoshanna, notable because they come in a wide variety of bra sizes and offer support without making one look like one needs it. The Shop Tart sincerely hopes they’ll get some of those suits in soon, because she needs the support. Ahem.
Enjoy the beautiful weather and happy shopping!
* The Shop Tart has a soft spot in her heart for VanJean. After the birth of her third child, she badly needed something to wear to a wedding. Pressed for time and lacking a babysitter, she brought her baby to VanJean, where Mary held him and made goo-goo faces while his tired mother tried on dresses in peace. Heaven! The Shop Tart also has a soft spot in her heart for VanJean’s sales, which are legend.
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