Indy Fashion Time Week launches today

Local fashion designer Dlang Gerguson launches her fourth annual Indy Fashion Time week today, but with a heightened sense of purpose. Now backed by national sponsor, sewing maching manufacturer BabyLock, the event aims at encouraging fashion design talent early. High school-aged students travel to Goodwill and select garments to re-design for the runway. The winner is announced after a fashion show on Saturday, and is awarded $1,000 toward pursuing their fashion design dreams.

It's awesome, because $1,000 seems like a large sum of money to me now, let alone back when I was a 16-year-old fashion enthusiast.

The events kick off this evening, with a canal-side fashion presentation. See you there!

For a full schedule of events, visit the Haute in the Heartland events calendar, or iftworld.com

Today is the LAST day to vote for Irvington craft workshop

You've been to the Indieana Handicraft Exchange, you've shopped at Homespun: Modern Handmade and now you can help crafty power couple Amanda and Neal Taflinger open a community workshop and teaching space for all of the city's creative types. All you have to do is click here and vote, so Pepsi will give them $50,000 to get started.

Right now their project is 13th in the race for $50K, and they have to be in the Top 10 to get the dough. Do them (and your awesome city) a favor and give them your vote by 11:59 p.m.

Wanna know more about the project? Click play above.

Shopper's lament: R.I.P. Nordstrom Indy downtown

Used with permission from IBJ

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking this post is going to be a written pout-fest about how I'll no longer be able to slip away on my lunch hour for a jaunt through the first floor shoe department.

OK, yes, that thought does make me want to stomp my feet and pout my bottom lip, but I'm afraid this morning's breaking news that Indy's downtown Nordstrom is closing is more than just a blow to we downtown gals with a taste for the finer things.

First of all, the 210,000 square-foot vacancy Nordstrom will leave behind on July 31 will only magnify the empty 22,000 square-foot former-Borders space just across the street. This means two of our downtown's most dominant retail spaces are empty and the third is occupied by the utterly poor excuse of a department store that is Carson Pirie Scott. So, when all those folks travel from around the country to visit Indianapolis for the Super Bowl, not only will Indianapolis appear unsophisticated in a retail sense but also rather desolate.

Nordstrom execs cite poor sales as the reason for closing the downtown store, explaining that sales halved with the opening of the Fashion Mall location. In other words, the north side is where the party is at, as far as shopping. Now, in what town is downtown such a fashion wasteland that anything more pricey than Forever 21 simply can't survive?

Surely, not ours. Fearing how the retreat of these important retailers reflects poorly on our fair city here are my official suggestions/fantasies: Zara? TopShop? Target? Can we get a gosh darn IKEA? Canton, Michigan has one for goodness sake. Never heard of Canton before? Most people haven't. Consider that.


Admittedly, as a downtown resident and employee my ambitions for downtown's greatness aren't entirely selfless. I'd love to spend my happy hour browsing a sidewalk sale on my way to the latest inspired cocktail spot (and we're getting there, as The Libertine is about to open across the street from IBJ's offices, yay!) but losing Nordstrom before Borders' corpse is cold is a step backward any way you slice it.

Come on, peeps, let's make a stink. The last thing we need is another Macy's.

Dossier Item: Get summer Chic at Saks

Wondering what to wear to the symphony gala? As usual, Saks has some suggestions. In fact, the lovely Indianapolis Saks staff has curated a presentation with the "Stars on Stage!" theme in mind.

Shop your outfit after the presentation (June 2, 6:30 p.m., Saks Third floor) and 10 percent of your purchase with be donated to the symphony.

Be sure to RSVP by Monday, May 30 to rsvpindianapolis@s5a.com. If this event is anywhere near as popular as the Zoobilation presentation, it'll be packed.

More about the Stars on Stage event:

Come party with DL Salon and Elle magazine tonight

It's not everyday a national fashion mag like Elle sends people on its payroll to Indianapolis for a party. In fact it's not even every 10 years that happens...unless I'm missing something. All the more reason to come and celebrate the opening of Broad Ripple's DL Salon (DL Lowry's David Lowry is at the helm) with the folks from Elle.

Goodies include: Complimentary blow outs, Patachou refreshments and hors d'oeuveres, VIP gift bags, live music and more.

The Deets:
Thursday, May 19
6-8 p.m.
4907 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, 46205

Read more about David and his hair design philosophy in my interview with him for Indianapolis fashion collective.

See you there!

Gap introduces strange name-your-price website

So The Gap has introduced a new website called gapmyprice.com, which allows browsers to make offers on 15 select items, and the site will either accept your deal or it won't. Sure, that sounds cool, why not? So I tried it. The U-Neck Stripe Tee pictured above retails for $19.95, so I offered $10. The site made a counter offer of $11. That's a pretty good deal I guess, except I don't really want any of the 15 items.

The odd nature of the site raises some other concerns, too, other than just toting bland--if not ugly--Gap castoffs. For example: Why these 15 items? Are they the ones that tanked in the real market? If so, why the heck should I want them? If this is Gap's attempt at making a few bucks on things they would normally be donating or destroying, I'm not sure if it reeks more of desperation or greediness. Just give it all to Goodwill Gap, geez.

Also, like in-person haggling, one can get hosed. Like Jessica Wakeman, who wrote this post for The Frisky. She offered $15 for the same T-shirt, ($5 more than my initial offer) and the lowest price the site would give her was $19, only $0.95 off the retail price. This example seems to imply that low-balling the Gap people pays off, but when I offered $5 on a different top with a $59.95 price tag, the lowest it would go was $50. I tried again, offering $20, and the site counter-offered with $30. Weird, and kind of useless. 

I would maybe pee my pants if I could name my own price on items from say, Anthropologie, but the promise of getting a $19 shirt for $11 that I didn't want in the first place isn't that exciting to me. What do you think?

There's a fashion show tomorrow at Sensu

Once again, there's a fashion show happening which I cannot attend. Boo on that. But you can go! That is, if you're willing for it to start at 9 p.m. My friend Maggie Conner, of The Haute Hoosier fame, is styling the show. Go and support her because I can't! See the above flyer for the deets!

Discount to TONIGHT's Cincinnati Fashion Week finale show

Unfortunately I am unable to attend, but if any of you feel like a last-minute mini-roadtrip, this should make it a little sweeter. If you go, send pictures!

Zang Toi's F/W 2011 collection is "wearable drama"

On Friday I stopped by Saks for the Zang Toi trunk show of his Fall/Winter 2011 collection.

Having only previously seen him in photos, I was taken aback by what a visual delight the designer is in person. He strode toward me, wearing a velvet Kinloch Anderson (kilt-maker for Prince Charles) mini-kilt, with the House of Toi Crest beaded on its front. His impeccably toned (and tanned) legs put my own pasty twigs to shame. His hair was precision-parted to the side, pinned back with a rhinestone bobby pin. "I'm Zang," he said to me with a broad smile, thrusting his hand into mine. "What do you think of my collection?"

"It's so elegant," I said, since I couldn't think of a better word for the dramatic-yet-wearable-and-timeless collection of camel, emerald, charcoal and black. "I would wear each and every piece."

Toi is known for attaching a theme to every collection but this season he was inspired by the recession. "Right now people are more selective about what they spend money on. I wanted to give women pieces that are truly worth it, an investment in timeless beauty," he said.

He's pictured above with his favorite piece; an emerald silk opera coat, which can be worn with a floor-length gown or with a mini dress. Toi revealed that his date to the CFDA Gala on June 6 will wear the emerald coat, but refused to tell me who the lucky lady is. However, he hinted she's a well-known socialite in New York (not an actress or musician) who was personally instructed by Anna Wintour to wear Alexander McQueen to the Met Gala. Who do you think it is? I've listed my best guesses in the poll below. Just for giggles, let's see if H in the H readers can get it right! Who do you think it will be?



Check out the collection below, and be sure to notice how the camel tweed pieces are paired with a silk printed with an image of the tweed. The extravagant neck pieces on the gowns are sold separately for mixing and matching.

Mother's Day Sap Fest 2011, I love you mom

Sure, she gave us a curfew when all the other girls were allowed to stay out late, she's embarrassed you in front of boyfriends and she's always accusing you of leaving crumbs on the furniture. But she's your mom, and Mother's Day is one Hallmark holiday with true meaning; it reminds you how much you love her.

So I bring you, 10 reasons why my mom is the bomb:

1. If she doesn't know the lyrics to a song she'll just make up her own
2. She'll talk on the phone for hours about nothing in particular
3. She'll spend an entire weekend making Easter Sunday hairbands for my little cousins because she likes making people smile that much
4. She once spent something like $50 to send me Ketchup and peanut butter when I was studying abroad in Spain because I complained I couldn't find them there
5. I never actually knew what decent formal wear costs until I moved to college, because until then she made me every fancy thing I ever wore  
6. She and I not only wear the same size, we have the same taste, and more than once have bought the same clothing item in our respective states of residence without knowing it
7. She's taught to be an extremely skilled gift giver
8. She insists on putting the dust ruffle (along with the matching sheet set) on the Aerobed that she and my dad sleep on in my living room when they come to visit
9. When I was young, she, my dad and my uncle stayed up until 3 a.m. putting together my Playmobile Victorian doll house, complete with furniture and townspeople.
10. She's my very best friend.

Love you mom
xo

Dossier Item and Give-away!

Jennifer Rubenstein, owner of especially-for-women coupon book, The Simply Well Book, brings you the first in a series of MePower events, a cupcake series for women.

The events, the first of which will take place on May 10 are focused on helping women find their "me" again. What better way to do that than to have cupcakes for breakfast?

Next week's event is nearly sold out but 1 lucky Haute in the Heartland reader will receive two tickets. Meet Terri L. Russ, author of "Bitchin' Bods," participate in an accessory drive for Dress for Success, network with fellow females, win prizes, nosh on cupcakes and take home a swag bag!

To win, "like" Haute in the Heartland and MePower Events on Facebook and comment below about what you do for "me time." I'll choose the winner on Sunday with a random number generator. Don't forget to include a way for me to reach you! (twitter handle, email, whatever)

The deets:
Where: Brand Photodesign Studio
11774 Technology Drive
Fishers, IN 46038
When: May 10: 8:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Full details here.

H in the H is having a party!

So once upon a time I mentioned that when I reached 100 Blogger followers I wanted to have a party. Why? Well, because it warms my heart to no end that when I toil over this little blog there are people out in the universe who actually read it. And also, I just really like parties.

Some of my dearest friends took this seriously and have helped to put together this little soiree. *Tear, sniffle sniffle .

Please join me for an evening of all of my favorite things; champagne, friends, fashion and LOTS of laughter.

Do come, as without you there would be no Haute in the Heartland, and there would definitely be no party. Don't feel like RSVP-ing? No prob! Join us for the after party at Buddha Lounge from 10 p.m.-12 a.m.

The Deets:

Haute Hearts
Haute in the Heartland Celebrates 100 Devoted Followers & Counting
When: May 12, 7-10 p.m. @ exclusive swanky swank location (see below)**
After Party: 10 p.m.-12 a.m. @ Buddha Lounge

**RSVP to hauteintheheartland@gmail.com and I'll reply with the location.

Invitation design by Nathan Zarse at Lodge.