Another rainy day in May….going to work on a Sunday, perfectly dressed for the weather in my classic Burberry coat and bucket hat. The surroundings remind me of a traditional street in London, with the brick building and old-fashioned streetlight in the background, made complete standing under the Burberry moniker of our store. 
Plan a picnic!
Any event that says, and I quote, “Sparkly attire is beloved” is one you know your intrepid fashionista is going to attend, on or off-season! So, of course, I donned my most casual and appropriate for daytime black and white sequinned top, and dropped in at our local Aspen Kate Spade shop on Galena Street for what was billed as an Aspen Locals’ Brunch, since that’s the only people in town right now!
Lovely little pastries and orange juice was served, but the real draw was the gorgeous spring clothes that manager Karen Morian showed off beautifully in her up-to-the-minute black and white boldly striped cotton frock that summarized this season’s ‘it’ look. A discount of 15% was offered to entice locals to come in and shop for the latest spring fashions.
Karen summed up this season’s collection, which celebrates Kate Spade’s 20th anniversary, by having a different theme for each month. The dress that Karen was wearing was included in March’s Bold Blooms, while April’s sundresses was part of its Plan a Picnic theme, while June’s focus is the Element of Surprise with a golf theme a la Palm Springs, featuring a preppy collection with a twist, such as metallic jacquard prints and stylized golf balls….kinda like Lily Pulitzer meets Gwen Stefani.
This month’s concentration is Adventure, which Karen describes as clothes for a summer road trip, or a vacation down south. “The outfits are for everyday, very wearable and extremely versatile.” We agree! It makes me want to jump in my convertible and head on out to see where life takes me….with a trunk filled with colorful, Americana prints designed for a head-turning entrance no matter where I go.
Kate Spade manager, Karen Morian, in a dress from the Spring collection.
Pueblo tile sundress
Bold chevron linen
On a cold night in December, Chris Klug, former Olympic snowboarder medalist, sponsored a fundraiser event for organ donation, with hundreds of hikers and skiers marching up Aspen Mountain at twilight. Snow had been sparse at that point of the season, and something needed to be done. Yours truly and my friend, Katy Bartlet, put together an impromptu plea to the snow gods, to bring us what we craved for. And lo and behold, just as we finished our snow plow dance to Bruno Mars’ newly released “Locked Out of Heaven,” we received just what we needed and then some….15 inches of fluffy powder sent directly from heaven! The song became the biggest hit of the season, and so did the storm that accompanied the race. The evening was a huge success….in every way. It goes to show, the good Lord delivers even more than we could imagine, when your heart is in the right place! Thank you Chris, for all you do, and for a night that unlocked the gates of heaven to us who relish flying up and down our snowy mountains with unrestrained glee!
AIDS Benefit
AIDS Benefit
This is the second year I’ve attended the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities (CCAH) fundraiser fashion show, Green is the New Black, as well as the Aspen AIDS Benefit Fashion Show at Belly Up, and I can tell you, that I wouldn’t miss either of them. Both shows are much more than just fashion shows. They are a theatrical and thematic experience, choreographed with great energy and depth of feeling. We may not have had Aspen Fashion Week this year, but March certainly provided no shortage of fashion and style with a whole lot of soul right here in the Roaring Fork Valley. Read my article in this week’s Time Out
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/entertainment/157380
Green is the New Black
Green is the New Black
Green is the New Black
Green is the New Black
Green is the New Black
AIDS Benefit
AIDS Benefit – Katy Parnello
Ramona Bruland in Souchi cashmere at AIDS Benefit
AIDS Benefit
AIDS Benefit
AIDS Benefit
AIDS Benefit
AIDS Benefit Fashion Show – Ramona and Katy
AIDS Benefit
I had the pleasure of opening the festivities for Chris Klug’s fundraiser for his foundation promoting life-saving organ and tissue donation, with a much-needed Snow Dance choreographed to the just-released Bruno Mars’ hit, “Locked Out of Heaven.” The Summit for Life on Dec. 8, 2012, saw four hundred racers hike 3,267 vertical feet, 2.5 miles at night to the top of Aspen Mountain, where a party and dinner awaited them at the Sundeck restaurant. Guess what? It snowed 15″ right on cue! A successful evening from start to finish line! It’s heaven in Aspen!
Faboo – AIDS Benefit Fashion Show – Belly Up
Green is the New Black
Conscious Clothing – Green is the New Black
Green is the New Black
AIDS Benefit Fashion Show
Christie Interlante – Green is the New Black Fashion Show
There were two great fashion events in the Roaring Fork Valley this month, neither of which should be missed next year if you like fun fashion choreographed to driving music creating an energetic mood with a great beat all intertwined with a thematic story line. The Green is the New Black show, benefitting the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities, now in its fifth year took place in Carbondale on March 8th and 9th to a sold out crowd, followed two and a half weeks later by the second Aspen AIDS Benefit Fashion Show at Belly Up. Initiated in Telluride twenty years ago, in an effort to raise awareness and funds for beneficiaries in Colorado and Africa, this long running charity event has raised over $1,8 milliion in our two small but mighty mountain towns. Read my article in this Friday’s Aspen Daily News Time Out section for the complete review.
If you’re in town, you should not miss this year’s AIDS benefit Fashion Show at the Belly Up this Wednesday, March 27th. The Telluride-born event, an amazing mix of fashion and performance art, started 20 years ago, as a nonprofit that raises moey for five AIDS advocacy beneficiaries in Colorado and Africa. Since then, the organization has donated more than $1.8 million to the cause, with a focus on HIV/AIDS awareness, education, clinical care and NGOs.
Well beyond your standard runway show, this innovative presentation is truly an entertaining show with a plot, interpreted through modern dance style choregraphy and jam-packed full of emotion. Fifty designers from around the area, from Obermeyer, Heidi Hat to Autumn Teneyl in Carbondale donate to the show.
The show and party that follows is co-produced by Telluride’s Katy Parnello and Aspen television personality, Ramona Bruland, who will be returning from France, where she was hosting ESPN’s coverage of the European Winter X Games, to be at her event. Parnello, a designer herself, who has a background in acting and dance, describes the event perfectly. “…If we just did straight runway, it would bore people to tears. So we have a story line run through it and incorporate dance and music. It’s really theatrical fashion.”
I look forward to see what they have in store for us this year. Don’t miss it!
www.bellyupaspen.com or the Belly Up box office for tickets. Learn more at www.aidsbenefit.org Show starts at 8PM.
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