Hi Laura: Welcome to jlamore.com and a whole world of friends. I look forward to hearing about Philadelphia and all the hot spots and things you like to do. If you ever get to Los Angeles please let me know, I would be happy to let you know where to go and what to do. I've lived in LA for the past 12 years and I know where all the hot spots are.
Hi Laura!
I'm thrilled and excited to have you as one of our friends at jlamore.com! You're our first friend from Philadelphia! I'm really looking forward to hearing all about you and your life on the east coast.
Let us know if you have any questions about being a friend or need any help at all! My email is jennifer@jlamore.com!
Welcome aboard Laura!
Jennifer
The moment the shipment of Miss Me was opened on Friday, I knew I had to have the sequin tuxedo vest! I love the sparkle (which is a HUGE trend for fall) and the amazing fit!
I wore it on Saturday to work with a black t-shirt under it and my Sang Real Beatrice jeans! So cute!
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer and friends: This weekend Chloe Sevigny is introducing her brand new clothing line. If you remember, Chloe Sevigney is one of the star polygamist of the HBO show, Big Love. I don't watch the show but I know of it.
I've been reading the friends blog for years now and just recently, Clare from London and Kalyn from New York have been informing us about the grunge trend they see coming this fall. I thought the old grunge was awful but I would rather see grunge than unisex clothing. The picture on the left show that the blazer, shirts and trousers can be worn by either men or women! Hmmmm . . . !
If the new grunge is a "grown up" grunge I can handle it, but it's hard for me to wrap myself around a unisex look. (I also have an issue when movie stars become clothing designers or attach their name to a line just to sell it, but that's another issue.) Now I understand that you would not intentionally go out looking like the people in the picture but I like clothing that separates men from women. Why would I want to dress like my boyfriend and I definitely don't want my boyfriend dressing like me. Can you imagine?
Anyway, this should be interesting and I'll keep an eye on this look to see how popular it becomes. I hope everyone is having a great weekend.
Lynn
Los Angeles, CA
I agree! Grunge is back in a huge way and I’m actually kind of enjoying the look :) It’s a more grunge/rocker look in my opinion. If you open up any fashion magazine or look at what a lot of the younger celebrities are wearing you are definitely going to see this "new" look. 
Jennifer, I have to say that I'm a little nervous these days as I have a sneaking suspicion that grunge is coming back, . . . in a BIG way! All over London there are ads with the queen of grunge, Kate Moss, and she's wearing what looks like grunge clothing to me. I posted earlier about this and that was just the beginning of what I saw and then the barrage of ads came flying in all directions and in all places. She's on television, in magazines and in stores that carry her brand. She's everywhere.
Remember the old grunge days of the early 90's? Courtney Love and others dressing well, like she still does but she's no longer popular so it doesn't mean anything but when Kate Moss wears grunge, look out! Is this a trend that yo are seeing in New York or LA? I don't see anything like that on jlamore.com either.
Kate Moss is so striking and so hip and cool that she can revive a look like nobody can. She is the quintessential fashionista. I hate her! :) Moss said recently that grunge is coming back in a creative way that is different then before. It's more grown up. One of her favourite pieces is the pencil skirt - "The shape is really lady, but the leather gives it a real grungy, cool, rock’n’roll feel, especially if you wear it with shredded tights and lived-in leather army boots,” I have to say that I really like the pencil skirt but the shredded tights. I don't think so!
Anyway Jennifer, I see you have a pencil skirt from Miss Me on jlamore.com that I think is adorable. Love it! I'm going to keep my on on this grunge thing and will keep you posted.
Clare
London, England
A party dress, high heels, and a rocker inspired black leather jacket....sounds like the perfect Saturday night outfit to me :) During the weekdays this Miss Me "Ruched Leather" Jacket will also look great worn casual with jeans or leggings. You can't go wrong with this fall must have! Well, Fall is approaching. Besides the beautiful change of color and buying new fall fashions, there's one other thing that I look forward to. Yes. It's almost here.
Waking up on a crisp Saturday morning.
Putting on your favorite sweatshirt and a great pair of jeans.
Making bloody Marys.
Turning on college gameday.
Tailgating.
Losing your voice screaming at the referees.
Listening to college students shouting obscenities at the opposing team.
Coming home and watching games until it is time to go to bed.
Yes. I am talking about college football. Is anyone else excited?
Any one who knows me personally knows that I'm not huge on jewelry... but when I jumped on to jlamore.com today I was excited to see this new jewelry line by Jenny Designs. 
Hi Jennifer! Wow! Your lookbook is amazing and the new model is stunning! All the new Flavio Castellani designs are beautiful. Great job! You guys keep getting better and better every week.
Thanks again for the email back Jennifer. I hope you can get my size in the Flavio shirt. Let me know!
Lynn
Los Angeles, CA
Hi Jennifer & Friends! It seems that jeans aren't the only thing that have a ripped look to them these day. A big trend in London is ripped nylons and stockings! Hmmmm! I can handle the jeans as I have many pairs with shredded thighs and torn out knees and I think that look is hot!
But, I have to say that I immdiately think dirty nasty thoughts when I see ripped stockings and nylons. The images I conjure up in my head is not a pleasant one. I tend think of Courtney Love or Amy Winehouse in a drugged out five day binge on their way to rehab. That's just not a good look on anyone. It looks so trashy!
The top pic is Kate Moss promoting her designs for TopShop and she's in torn up stockings. The bottom pic is Scarlett Johansson posing for Mango designs in torn stockings laying on the floor in an obviously similar fashion. I guess stranger things have happened or maybe its just creative set design and photography.
I've been around long enough to know designers and their investors will try to create a "new look" for a product and then they get a star like Scarlett Johansson to advertise it to give it a jump start, but I struggle with this look and think it only fits into a small demographic. Kate Moss and Scarlett Johansson are certainly big enough stars to start a trend but you won't catch me wearing this look anytime soon.
Clare
London, England
Hi Jennifer and Friends! I am so happy to see Flavio Castellani back at jlamore.com. They have to be one of the best designers around and this ruffle cuff shirt is so stylish and fashionable that it's hard not to stare at it. (I love your new model by the way.)
Ashlee Simpson wears Linq....and so do I. Linq is such a great brand and I love it :) It's very comfortable and wearable and I can basically live in this "Purple Drape" Cardigan. 
Hi Jennifer: Recently in LA some of the biggest designers showed off their fall 2009 goods. On the runway was the ever present leggings. I happen to wear leggings a lot so I was glad to see them in various colors and patterns. This is really a trend that everyone loves and has been around longer then expected.
The other big influence for fall was black leather jackets with all kinds of embellished collars and detailing. It seemed as though every designer was adding a leather element to their collections. Long, short, cropped and even a gritty motorcycle jacket was showing well.
The show also seemed to have more of retail element as the fashions looked as though you could slip it off the model and wear it out the door. I really like that because some of those designers can really get crazy with their collections knowing that it would be impossible to wear.
Lynn Los Angeles, CA
Hey everyone! I'm Charlotte and I'm a new blogger on the site. I just graduated from Northwestern this past May, and now I'm working for a local magazine. I live in Lakeview in an apt with 5 other girls! It's a tight squeeze, but we're making it work. The best part? Our open closet policy. I always have something to wear (and lucky for me, a lot of the other girls shop at jlamore.com, too!)
I heard about J. LaMore from a friend, and once I was on the website I became an instant fan. I was lucky enough to have the chance to make a trip up to Madison one weekend. I was able to meet Jennifer and the whole staff of J. LaMore. I see that someone blogged about how great J. LaMore's customer service is, and I couldn't agree more! I've never felt so comfortable and had so much fun shopping in a large boutique.
As for my own style, my fashion idol is Leighton Meester. She always dresses so great and has on such different outfits than the other celebs. I definitely have the Chicago girls style (25 year old Chicago girls for sure have a specific style. You can pick them out anywhere in the crowd! Think skinny jeans and gladiator sandals.) I also have a sophisticated side. I'm very into collecting timeless dresses, like the Susana Monaco "Open Back" Dress. I got this dress right when it came to J. LaMore and I've already had 4 events to wear it to. Many more to come!
I'm excited to start blogging with all the friends on the site. I can't wait to share some of my own stories and talk about the great fashion at J. LaMore.
-Charlotte
I am a fashion magazine junkie.
I recently moved and very reluctantly had to toss a stack of mags that came up to my hip. This is because I eat up all of the articles, ads and editorials in each one I buy. I continually reference fashion magazines and rip out pages to save for later fashion and creative inspiration.
So when a magazine takes it upon themselves to do something fun and interesting with fashion, I love it. Harper's Bazaar did this for their September issue when they put model Agyness Deyn in looks inspired by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. MJ may have done a lot for the music world, but he also greatly influenced the fashion industry.
You can take a look at the whole editorial here. (They even have a chimp posing as Bubbles!)
[Source: Fashionista]
-Mandy
What is good customer service? I have been in customer service for ten years now, and I practice what I preach. Why is J. LaMore so successful? Yes. They have a great location, an artistic store, amazing clothing. But the reality is that the customer service is beyond anything that anyone would expect.
That doesn't mean that you're just nice to everyone that walks into a business, which J. LaMore does. They develop personal relationships with their clients, treat them as if they were friends, and they actually are. I have been shopping at J. LaMore for over ten years and continue to support their success because they deserve it. Madison, WI is not a fashion mecca. But Jennifer and Jim at J. LaMore have the purest hearts, treat me with respect, and are truly happy to see me walk in the door, even if I don't buy anything. That is a business that I want to support and the kind of relationship I want to have at a place that I frequent shopping. I do not go there just to "buy something." I have such a wonderful experience every single time. They are kid friendly, letting my two beautiful children play video games as I shop, and nothing is a burden. Check out J. LaMore. It is an experience, not just a place to spend your money. I love them dearly. Lila (a true friend)
These earrings are beyond amazing! I love the pearls, they are so classic and elegant. Every piece of jewelery that J.LaMore has by Jordan Alexander is flawless :)
I saw this adorable dog on Regis and Kelly and knew I'd have to share it! Here is a clip of Maggie the Counting dog from an Animal Planet show. Not only is the dog adorable, but I think she really is smart! I have a Jack Russell at home and you'd be surprised how intelligent those dogs are!
-Julie
Ok. So the topic at the pool today was eighties fashion. So much fun to talk about. Who had Jordache jeans?? I had several designs. Gloria Vanderbilt, Sasson, Calvins, Sergio Valente, and then Guess. Remember the main mall store to get your Guess jeans? One of my friends conveniently remembered "County Seat"!!!!
Ok. What's next? Of course, this was a conversation among thirty/forty somethings that still love fashion. Remember parachute pants? I still have mine. How about Benetton? I still have my rugby. Esprit, Generra. And, the best item to have in one's collection is a great pair of leggings (lace, if one chooses to emulate Madonna). Thank God leggings are back in style.
Let's see. Oh. Ocean Pacific. OP. They still make cute bathing suits. How many of you remember Jams????? I, of course, still have, and wear mine (around the house). Am I missing anything??? Does any other fashion fanatic remember anything else fun? It's so much fun to reminisce.
Leggings are probably the best thing that ever happened to me :) I love to wear them! I wear them with heels, boots, and flats! I own so much Susana Monaco because she uses the best fabric, it's unbelievably soft and machine washable! It only makes sense that these Susana Monaco "Ankle" Leggings are going to be a huge part of my life...I'm going to be wearing them daily!
Hi Jennifer: I know you're a huge fan of American Idol and it's being reported that Paula Abdul is quiting the show. That's amazing and good, I think?
I have to say that I was never a fan of Paula but I think the show won't be as good without her. She could barely speak or complete a sentence without sputtering or rambling on about nothing and her love fest feelings toward even the worst talent was rather annoying but, . . .that was why you either loved her or not.
Kara DioGuardi is coming back and I have to wonder if Fox just wanted Paula gone and didn't renew her contract. Or, they made a contract offer that was so ridiculous she had to leave. I think they had to pay Simon five times as much as anyone else and they couldn't afford Paula. Either way, Paula is done!
Talk to you later!
Lynn Los Angeles, CA
I've re-posted this video on our blog to share with everyone how one piece of clothing can act as many. This wrap can be your perfect every day sweater.... a halter to wear with jeans...a bolero to cover a strapless dress....a tunic to pair with leggings. Watch this short video to see all the simple ways to make this wrap into endless possibilites!
I forgot to add one of my favorite memories of the weekend. While the bridal party had time to spare between the rehearsal dinner and the welcome reception, we took old time photos. These pictures are priceless! I recommend every bridal party to do something fun like this!!
-Julie
132 guests flew/drove/boated up to Mackinac Island for my sister's wedding this past weekend. Not only was the wedding a success, but it was one of the most fabulous weddings I can imagine! Everything was perfect. The day started out rainy and cold, but by the time the bride and her bridesmaids were off to the church it was sunny and 70 degrees. The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was a BLAST! Congratulations to Dr. & Mrs McCallum!!
