Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Charlotte's Shopping Web

Well I found another shopping oasis this weekend with KH - Charlotte, NC! We were able to spend the night and it was a grand time indeed.

We dined in an establishment proudly boasting that they serve as much local produce as possible called Ratcliffe on the Green. It was quite good, our only complaint was that there were too many richy-rich items on the menu like fish stuffed with foie and wrapped in bacon! I ordered it and it was magical, but all those additions ruin the purpose of ordering fish, wouldn't you say?

The strolling and shopping scene is happening in the neighborhood called Chantilly (...Lace and a Purty Face...yes that song was on a tape loop in my head the entire time there). There are a handful of cute shops and a few restaurants - enough that you can spend a good hour, including eating lunch, toodling around.

Then we were off to Eastland Mall where our good friend Katie Spade was having a shoe sale - there were a number of styles for only $50! Good grief, lady - what are you doing to me?

The next day we drove out to Concord Mills which has an Off 5th (the Saks "outlet") which was running a "buy more than one item, get the second 50% off." Well shoot, more shoes here I come! If it wasn't officially official before that I had enough, it certainly should be at this point.

My current favorites are the KS lemon metallic flats (pictured below) - I mean, how could I resist?

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Trendspotting: Spoons

I was thinking today about the concept of saying something new about a piece of work, a movie, a program on TV, a play, a work of art - anything, really - that's already been overly reviewed. My pal EW seems to have hit the nail on the head when it comes to giving a fresh perspective on an aspect of culture that is fairly mainstream.

I don't necessarily have the knack for saying something new about what's out there, but as you know, I'll definitely say something! On that cheery note, I share with you the following.

- Prints of spoons are increasingly popular. When I visited KH in Boston in December, we went to Madewell, the new retail chain started by folks from JCrew. I bought a white Tshirt with a print of blue spoons (wore it today to a brunch with the book club girls). Futhermore, this tote bag is currently for sale at Target.



Need I say more about the spoons? Ok, I'll say just one thing more -- I think the reason the print is so popular right now is that it's becoming indie cool to be a foodie. There are a million books and memoirs about the culture of food in the US, people's travels and food, etc. Furthermore, the organic craze has come and gone and now the local food movement is gaining ground. Food is cool, hence eating utensils en vogue.

- I've been saying this to a lot of people here in Colatown, so I figured it's high time to share it via the blog: I believe that if Columbia, SC put as much effort into business and the economy as it does into politics, it would be thriving. It's very strange to me that Litchfield Beach seems to have better restaurants and shops than Columbia.