Drinks at Founders

If you're familiar with Grand Rapids, then you know that it's a great place for a beer! After all, Grand Rapids is the Beer Capital! Eloise and I were thrilled to spend our Tuesday night celebrating our good friend, Becky's 21st birthday at Founder's Brewery. The drinks are so yummy and it was good to have a night getting a little loose! Especially for Eloise; she is so stiff all the time!


 

At Becky's request, we dressed up for the affaire and it was a blast! I personally loved turning the heads at the bar. You know me, flirting is one of my favorite hobbies!


 

I wore this adorable dress by Rachel Zoe and carried this clutch by Kate Spade. I chose not to wear any earrings because I didn't want to take away from my posh buttons. However, I did throw on my new favorite chunky bracelet by Bat-Ami Design.



Eloise rocked this gorgeous and vibrant dress by Bailey44 and also carried a handbag by Kate Spade.



That's Becky in the middle and she is holding her first legal drink! We just loved celebrating with her and it was good to get out and have a fun night on the town. Founder's is such an awesome atmosphere and the staff was incredibly helpful and nice.



The staff even helped Eloise and I pick out some tasty beer for Eloise to take home to her hubby. We will definitely be planning another trip to Founder's soon! If you see Becky around town don't forget to tell her Happy Birthday and make sure to check out Founder's if you get the chance!

Spring Break Shopping Trip

It's almost Spring Break so Eloise and I are preparing for our own fun in the sun getaway. Since we are the best of friends we again planned our Spring Break together this year! We are flying down in a week to swim in the bright blue waters of the Bahamas. Besides, Eloise needs a break from her hectic life. She is always running her kids around and keeping her home spotless! I am so excited; I could really go for a couple strawberry daiquiris on the beach.  You know us, we always need to look our best. So, what better way to prepare for our girls vacation than to go shopping in our favorite store, Leigh's?



Eloise decided to wear a very posh dress by 10 Crosby Derek Lam. The colors are just darling on her.  She accented the dress colors with dangly earrings by Theia and a gold and silver necklace by Pono. Both Eloise and I brought our Kate Spade handbags, because nothing gets us more in the mood for shopping than a handbag or clutch by Kate Spade.




I, myself, chose to wear this gorgeous top by One Grey Day with my favorite brown NYDJ denim. I wasn't quite in the mood for earrings, but I did throw on this chunky necklace by Escape From Paris.

           

Our first stop in the store was the Lilly Pulitzer collection. Look at all these darling, colorful shorts.
Eloise couldn't help herself; she fell in love with this striped pink and white Lilly Pulitzer dress. I wouldn't be surprised if she wore it on our first day of vacation! I ended up buying some blue and white Lilly shorts. I am hoping to catch the eye or two of some handsome men on the beach. While Eloise was busy trying on some shorts I browsed through all the other colorful spring clothes while I chatted with my favorite sales associates.



Once Eloise was done trying on shorts, she quickly headed over to the makeup counter. She told me she desperately needed more Laura Mercier. Julia, one of our favorite makeup artists helped her pick out the perfect shades. Eloise seemed a little stiff as she tried on a new shade of blush, but Julia helped her relax. We love Julia because she understands our love of makeup. She also pointed us to the Sun Bum table to buy some sun screen and after sun lotion. Eloise and I love to lay in the sun, but we always want to protect our skin to keep it's porcelain glow!




While Eloise finished up her purchases I picked up some of my favorite lipstick and headed to check out the jewelry. After all, it's very important that I keep my jewelry fashion up to date.

                  

I found some gorgeous dangly earrings and the most attractive gold ring that I just had to get. Overall it was a very eventful day. Hopefully everyone is as excited for Spring Break as we are! We hope everyone enjoys themselves. Definitely go check out all the new Spring and Summer collections at Leigh's. It will easily put you in the mood for some fun and sun!

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!