Vow Renwal at a Castle!

Today was a very special day for Eloise and I. Eloise and her hubby have had the idea to renew their vows on their anniversary this year. On that note, being the original maid of honor, I brought her to a special place that does events that would be perfect for an event such as this.

 

We took a trip to Charlevoix to a place called Castle Farms that has had a variety of different uses in the past, but now hosts special events! I thought it was the perfect place for Eloise and the husband to renew their vows...at an actual castle!  (You know Eloise has always thought of herself as a princess and her husband as her knight in shining armor!)  Vows, anniversary party...PERFECT!

 

To set up the event, I wanted to look poised and in style (like I would envision a successful wedding planner), so I wore a grey and black Ivy and Blue leather strap dress with a black chloe style Kendra Scott bracelet along with one of her fab necklaces.

 

Eloise looked ever the bride-(again)-to-be in her black and white Yoana Baraschi  dress and copper Blessings in Disguise bracelet. She put a little pop of color to her outfit with my necklace suggestion-  a burgundy, neck-baroque pearl necklace also by Blessings in Disguise.

 

Eloise absolutely loved the venue that we chose, the large white room in the very back of the castle, a gorgeous, marble tiled room with accents of blue. It will be a perfect fit for all of our friends and her family to come and participate in the festivities of this special day! Before we left, we even made sure to drop our pin on there touring Michigan board, where people from all over visit and drop a pin from where they are from!  
 
 

 
 
 
 

Frankenmuth meets the style icons Lola and Eloise

Today Lola and I took a road trip to Frankenmuth Michigan. Why Frankenmuth you may ask? Well Frankenmuth it a town that is full of tourist attractions and is often referred to as little Bavaria. Our fabulous intern Lindsay had made us aware of this hot spot and that it was on her bucket list to go see. We decided that it would be a fun girls’ day out to take a trip there!

 

We met some really cool people while we were visiting the Bavarian Inn Restaurant, known for their “World’s Best Chicken”. We met one of the family members and owner of this family run hotel resort, Dorothy Zhender. She has been working there since 1937! She is 90 years old and still works 6 days a week! Lola and I also met a new gentleman friend named Fritz! He really took a liking to Lola, strutting around in his lederhosen. (Now Lola has never met a man who wore lederhosen and let's just say she couldn't take her eyes off him.) The Inn is very large and yet still cozy and comforting. Our new friend Martha Zhender, took us to the restaurant to show us around and also went with us to the little shop down the road called the Cheese Haus.

The Cheese Haus is a well-known cheese shop in Frankenmuth. Tourists from all over Michigan come to this shop and buy cheese and take a picture with the Block of cheese and mouse that stands in front of it, so of course, we snapped some pictures of ourselves doing the same!  Some might say it's cheesy, but it was a great photo opt!

 

For our adventure, we tried to go with the theme of Little Bavaria and pick out outfits that matched the city. I wore a black and white heathered mélange Donna Morgan dress that was warm and comfortable while still looking feminine.

 

Lola wore a taupe knife pleated Muse dress that was more feminine on top and edgy on the bottom with the mix of a bit of gold sparkle and leather pleats. The design that embellished the top of the dress fit into the theme of the Inn and the town perfectly.  Poor Fritz, he's going to miss Lola dearly. I had to separate them during our pictures! They just could not stop talking to each other...Lola is so obvious when she's into a guy! I had to remind her that we were going home soon and that is a long way away from here!

We had a great time meeting new people in Frankenmuth. Everyone was so nice and loved talking to us. I know Lola will miss Fritz as much as he will miss her. Thank goodness they have social media so they can keep in touch. We hope to go back there someday soon!

Melting Pot of Style

Today seemed like a very nice day to go to an early dinner before going to a movie! Though spontaneous, it was a great idea we had to go to the Melting Pot in Grand Rapids for a sophisticated outing. The Melting Pot is an awesome place for family and friends to get together for a fun night of eating hot, melted cheese and chocolates, of course with a wide selection of entrees that you cook at your table.

 

Eloise wore a black silk back Vince dress that she put together with a blush colored RJ Granziano bracelet and a blue Kate Spade cheetah scarf. Usually, Eloise wouldn’t wear such a bright blue scarf, or a bold animal print as that, but I convinced her that it would be a pretty item to pull her outfit together.

 

I wore a teal leather and ponte Donna Morgan dress that I paired with a Marjorie Baer necklace and a black Kendra Scott bracelet. We wanted to go out on the town looking feminine and sophisticated.

 

This is a really great experience for people of all ages. It was so fun to pick out 2 of our favorite kinds of cheese to make fondue with and then pick out our own separate entrees to our liking and cook it right at the table! The waiter was amazing; he really was accommodating of all of our questions we asked him about the menu and the preparing of the entrees. He really knew his stuff! I gave him a big tip, that’s for sure! After the entrée portion, there were a multitude of choices for dessert. Melted chocolate for dipping yummy rice crispy treats, marshmallows, and fruit....I know I should have stopped at 1 of each, but you know, it seems I can eat whatever I want and never gain a pound....so I of course overindulged!

Style in the City

Eloise and I decided to go downtown to do a little site-seeing. We heard about a hotel that was in the middle of the city, called the CityFlatsHotel. We thought what better way to check out what city life in Grand Rapids is all about than staying a night at the CityFlatsHotel. CityFlats is located near Rosa Parks Circle and the Grand Rapids Art Museum and is centrally located next to restaurants, shopping and entertainment venues. CityFlats prides itself in being the only eco-friendly hotel in downtown Grand Rapids!

 

On the outside, this hotel looks very upscale modern and a bit austere making it attractive to the business community. When we walked inside, it was not at all what we expected! The colors on the inside were warm and inviting and well-lit. Some walls were pulled back to the original brick of the building.  This historic element mixed will with the modern and gave a very hip and charming feel to the space.

 

We stopped for a quick drink at the CitySen Lounge located in the lobby of the hotel before heading out to do some shopping and site-seeing.  They have a large lobby with a lounge and 24 hour coffee bar, included with many tables for guests to sit and enjoy the continental breakfast they have available each morning. The hotel also included a ballroom (available for events), as well as five stories of guestrooms.  The guestrooms were roomy with a modern feel while still paying tribute to the original materials of the building.

 

Eloise looked great in the camel, slit sheath Milly dress and black Marchesa Voyage pleated front jacket. She made touring in our own city look feminine, yet business chic. I wore a black Nanette Lepore dress and the petal colored Rebecca Minkoff moto jacket. Both of us fitting in with the city vibe and standing out with our own style.

 

If you are looking for a really cool place to stay in Grand Rapids, we highly recommend CityFlatsHotel as the place to stay!

Style is Power meets Knowledge is Power

When you come to Grand Rapids there are many things to do.  Especially if you want to learn about things like Lola and I did this past weekend. We wanted to go to the most famous and well-talked about Museum in Grand Rapids, the Van Andel, or Grand Rapids Public Museum. This museum is great for people of all ages to come and look around and learn! We had a great time walking around the “Old Grand Rapids” exhibit in the museum. We saw what it looked like to be in Grand Rapids in the 1800s. It is hard to imagine that that is really what life was like in that time.

 

The Grand Rapids Public Museum has many exhibits to look at; including special exhibits like the Titanic and Dinosaurs at one time. There is even a planetarium that they put on star shows and also a carousel that people can ride any time! When you look across the Grand River, the lights of the carousel are what you will see.

We wanted to keep it casual but still look feminine to come and look around the museum. Lola wore an AMS Pure sweater with a blurred floral pattern in camel and black that she put together with a silver Tribal jacket and a black Rayne styled Kendra Scott necklace. What really brought her look together was the Sacramento colored DL 1961 denim.

 

I wanted to brighten up the day a little bit my look with a Nanette Lepore interwoven jacket in orchid with a begonia colored  Michael Stars top. These I paired with a black 10 Crosby Derek Lam skirt with a leather pleat. The workers, especially in Old Grand Rapids really loved our outfits. They talked to us for a long time and one of the volunteers, Nancy, took a picture with us! Everyone here was very helpful and nice. This is a great place to come and learn about the history of our city!

Quality style meets quality Donuts at Marge's Donut Den

It was early morning on our tourism road trip. Eloise and I were STARVING. We knew then that we just had to go to Marge’s Donut Den! There is only one place that you can get a donut this amazing at this early in the morning! Breakfast of champions I might add.

 

 

Marge’s has been family owned and opened since 1975. This bakery has more than just great handmade donuts; they also have specialty cakes and other yummy baked goods. If you have a sweet tooth the size of Eloise and mine, it would be a good idea to come in here for some quality baked goods! Marge not only has great tasting bakery items, but she is very creative when it comes to the items she makes. When it comes to quality, Marge knows best.

We had decided to keep things casual with a pop when we left today. Eloise wore a Kate Spade Deco dot sweatshirt, with a black Skinny Tees cami underneath it to add some layer. She wore DL1961 Jeans to pull her look together. Marge even commented about how she looked really  cool and casual and loved the bow on the sweatshirt and how feminine it was!

 

I on the other hand wore black cat J Brand skinny jeans and a charcoal, Lola and Sophie top with a  Echo scarf. This kept me looking casual with a bit of edge. We fit in perfectly at the Donut Den.  There were many regulars in the store that we saw and Marge likes to talk to everyone and make them feel at home. Our intern, Lindsay has been going here for years with her grandfather. They went along with the large following that Marge’s has had since their opening. Marge wanted one of her friends that works for her to pose with us in the Marge's Uniform. It was nice to meet you Jeanne!

Marge really loved our outfits and enjoyed talking with us while we were in the donut shop. She even gave us free donuts of our choice! Marge says, "Leigh’s has quality clothing and style; and Marge’s has quality donuts…No wonder the girls wanted to go here."

Fashion Takes on Tourism and East town Eateries

Today Lola and I set off on our Tourism Campaign. Our intern, Lindsay, is going to be bringing us to really cool hospitality and tourism destinations around Michigan. We thought what better way to start a trip than to start local and eat some yummy food at the same time. Lola was in the mood for hot dogs, so we decided to start our adventures in East Town at the best hot dog place in town, Yesterdog! We always loved the vintage old school vibe in there.

 

To fit with the feel of East Town, Lola and I both chose to wear casual but still trendy. Lola wore a blue Elliot Lauren sweater that she paired with a Luisa Rab vest and Ted Baker Puma Crossbody, this all went well with her black 10 Crosby Derek Lam legging. The outfit she wore was brought together with the Kenneth Jay Lane gun-metal flat lobster clasp necklace. She definitely rocked the animal prints and edgy look she had been going for! Made it hard for the working men at Yesterdog to look away!

I on the other hand, kept it more low-key than a fur vest with leather leggings. Keep it classy is my motto. You all know that I love nude color schemes; just keeps things so simple, and yet classy and at times, a bit elegant. I wore an Elie Tahari blouse over little rock colored Emma 2368 style DL 1961 leggings, paring this with a copper gypsy cheetah Echo scarf and a vintage colored Tribal Jacket.

 

 

Yesterdog is just awesome. They specialize in their hot dogs; in fact, all they sell are hot dogs with any topping and condiment you could want. Everything there is really old school, with the wood floors and marble table tops. There are really interesting vintage Coca-Cola signs on all the walls and even had a toilet that flushed with a chain hanging from a box, like a real W.C. toilet. Times sure have changed since those were used!

 

No wonder this place gets so busy! The workers there know what they are doing and can give great, quick service. Many people come from all over Grand Rapids to eat these amazing hot dogs in such a cool restaurant. The booths and walls are covered with people signatures and names of people that have been there long before. They have since prohibited the signing of the walls, so Lola and I didn’t get a chance to write our name on the walls but it was still cool to see all the names written. this was definitely a worth-while first stop! Anyone in the area should really take some time and come in for a great experience and even better hot dogs!