In the mood for summer!

Hi "friends" ... I feel like I've been gone forever and I have so much to chat about!

First off, congrats Jennifer and to the whole J. LaMore team ... your hard work definitely paid off at Fashion Week — the ladies looked absolutely stunning in their tribal-inspired digs. Your segment was so memorable! And I love the partnership with Katy's American Indian Arts — it's definitely one of my favorite stores in Madison, especially for memorable trinkets and jewelry.

Recently, I've been buying into the whole, hippie-grunge look and I splurged on a pair of Frye "Engineer" boots (shown above) and I have to tell you all ... they're everything I imagined and more. I will forever stand by the brand because their craftsmanship is impeccable. Not only do they look great with skinny jeans tucked in, but I'm finding that they work with skirts and dresses as well. It's almost like a feminine twist on punk rock — and I love that! Bonus? They'll last forever.

Another thing I wanted to let everyone know is today on Fashionistaville (my blog), I put out a "Friends & Partners" offer from Kiehl's that I received via e-mail so that all my readers can take advantage of 20% off orders of $45 or more. For Kiehl's (one of my all time favorite brands), that's a GREAT deal. Below are a few of my favorite products ... also in my post today, I've described each products and why I love it.

Have a happy weekend — can't wait to see the new lookbook!

Wisconsin Fashion Week. . . .

Putting on a fashion show and keeping your surprise guest a secret is not an easy thing to do. There is plenty of room for error. But all of us managed to pull it off and keep the mistakes to a minimum. But as the show gets closer, the details quickly stack up and so does the frustration level. You can't stop that but if experience teaches you anythings its that you just have to roll with the punches.

There is far too many people out of your control to obtain perfection. Hair, makeup, stylist models, music, show coordinators, venue people, talent, photographers, prop people, security, special guests, honored guests, VIP guests. Not to mention technology problems, marketing issues and TIME! The worst of all is time. Those four little letters are a killer that has no friends. This is why you should always have experienced people around you. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

J. LaMore has put on many fashion shows in the past but this one was different because we wanted to put on a show first and use fashion to tell the audience who we are and what we can do. We wanted to change what you expected into the unexpected and turn an ordinary run of the mill show upside down on its ear. We wanted to lead the way to a new form of entertainment with fashion. It was a big challenge and a little risky but the results were incredible when it was over. Art Shegonee was incredible and a fantastic addition to our show.

Expectations have forever changed, the bar is raised pretty high, and once again, innovation has changed the way we play, and that's a great thing!

Jennifer