precious, but not too precious

this week at valentine on the side we wanted to venture to places neither of us had ever gone before. as long as it didn't mean going to the suburbs, we were ready to head to any little neighborhood unexplored by us that denver had to offer. as per usual we only had one afternoon to come up with several fresh little boutiques so we didn't get to go everywhere we wanted. and sometimes the places we did want to go ended up being places we didn't care for. here was what we were looking for on our little adventure:

*locally owned *unique *off the beaten path *works with all budgets *good customer service *precious but not too precious

here's what we were not looking for:

*"cougar" wear *unfriendly staff *trend followers not trend setters *catered only to high end budgets *crowded with unfriendly hipster models waiting to get their hair done *bejeweled flip flops

out of the 5 neighborhoods we visited, here is the best of the best, along with their price range, location, and our favorite item we would have bought if either of us had any money.

OLD SOUTH GAYLORD

pome

locale: 1018 south gaylord denver, co 80209

the tiny pome boutique is nestled in between old south gaylord's little strip of restaurants, bakeries and shops. it has everything from amazing kid's section (which we both love--we tend to like kid stuff that translates well in the adult world) to bath and body and even cool paintings. the owner kate is super sweet and told us about how traveling to other cities and finding their hidden nooks inspires her to create incredible displays!

price range: good for everybody, spendier stuff and totally affordable

favorite item: kendall-circus kit for kids

el-large selection of amazing kids flash cards

UPTOWN

talulah jones

locale: 1122 east 17th denver, co 80218

this was cheating a little for el because she's been there before but kendall had not and el is always, always looking for reasons to go back. this store is amazing with just about everything adorable or awesome set up in creative displays. one half of the store is for kids (but just like pome, kids stuff that translates well into enjoyable gifts for grown ups) and one half is for adults--mostly adorable gifts and things for the home. talulah jones has some of the best paper and ribbons in denver--and good paper in denver is hard to find.

price range: kind of spendy but worth it. they had these tiny mushroom clips for $1.50 that were heart breaking, we don't know what you'd use them for but we're sure it's totally worth it.

favorite item: kendall-stuffed flying squirrel

el-tiny photo album with cross stitched cover

in closing we enjoyed spending time finding these tiny treasures in our beloved denver. however, i would like to say that there were 2 places we visited (that will remain nameless) that would probably be filed under LAME.

if we were to start ranking denver on a coolness scale of 1-10 (1 being warrensburg, missouri and 10 being paris) denver has so far, via the two outings this blog has documented, reached a 3. here's hoping for one day reaching a 10--you can do it denver!

cheers!

fourteen things to <3 this valentine's day

What better way to celebrate v-day than with things that warm the heart? For Valentine on the Side, that could only mean our very favorite fashions. We've put together fourteen of our all-time favorite styles, looks, and pieces. No matter where you live, Denver or beyond, THESE THINGS ARE FUCKING AWESOME.

Bustiers. Alot of designers are making dresses with fitted, feminine bodices. They look especially great, we think, if you have smaller boobs. Although if you are more busty, you will certainly be making a statement. Holla!

an amazing bustier by D&G

Black and white. Forever a powerful combo.

how classy is this Burburry number?

Eco-conscious fabrics. We love that green design is becoming more of a standard. Stella McCartney often uses organic fabric (like the jacket below), H&M recently came out with a whole organic cotton line, and bamboo is becoming quite popular as a fabric that is both amazingly soft and sustainable. Yay!

Huge Scarves. They give any outfit bonus points, in our opinion. 

The Modern Cowboy Boot. Kendall is not talking about your grandpa's dirty clunky cowboy boots---she's loving the ultra feminine cowboy boots that make any dress or skinny jeans look ultra modern and sexy. However El loves the cross between clunky and sexy found in the expensive but amazing Frye boot collection. Pick your poison.

Frye dream boot a la el
Jessica Simpson dream boot a la Kendall (don't judge J. Simp makes some rad shoes)

Cobalt Blue. This color is our new favorite and looks great with so many skin tones. 

Fingerless Gloves. Long or short, they add a certain femininity to an outfit, and leave your fingers free for things. 

chanel and valentino

Knee-high stockings and socks. You may remember these from their brief popularity circa Clueless. We love that they keep white, pasty legs looking great and slim, and you can pair them with flats, heels, or boots. 

SJP has the right idea

Mixed Prints. Anyone who is a bit of a Bohemian at heart will love this new trend.

from china's 2009 fashion week

Accessories in Primary Colors. There is no better way to make a drab outfit a hit than with a shockingly bright pair of shoes, chunky necklace or bracelets, earrings, bag or scarf. You can wear black every day of the year and always look unique if you have bold colors to highlight with.

Big collars. An old friend once told me that wearing a big collar is like putting your face on a shelf. Nothing could be more true. It highlights the most unique thing about you whilst being both stylish and cozy.

Beautiful high collar jackets by Anna Cohen

Tiny Vests. With a nod to style icon Annie Hall, these vests are both classic and totally unexpected. It takes a certain confidence to pull off a fashion piece that is this eccentric but if you can do it with confidence, you will turn the heads of everyone in the room.

Vest by Alexis Lamontanga

Clutches. Weather you are a lover of big, dramatic over sized bags or petite purses, a good clutch is a fashion staple. If you are going out for a night at the opera or just trying to jazz up your friday night post work get-up, a clutch is an elegant must have.

Clutch by local Denver designer Ollie Sang using recycled fabrics www.olliesang.com

High Style Jackets. Throwing away a good chunk of a pay check on a killer jacket is an occasional absolute. A truly great jacket can take jeans and a t-shirt and make it stunning, it also does every lady (and fella) good to have a unique piece that will follow you through many seasons and trends. Skip the price tag and listen to your heart if you find a truly great jacket, they pay for themselves (not to say you can't find amazing vintage and thrift jackets for less dough).

a few on the street examples of eye catching jackets

we hope your valentine's day was filled with love and if not that, then we hope this blog post gave you a few ideas about true fashion love in the near future. <3

cheers!

get to know us

To know us is to Love us.

Each month we're going to interview a local celeb, or a friend or stranger of a special fashionable status on their general opinions on the subject---and we'll always ask the same five questions. To kick things off, we're going to interview each other!

#1. Why do you think you're so fashionable?

EL: I think I'm fashionable because in my life I've had to be really versatile and accept change and not just stick with one style or look. A lot of things in my life have gone through flux; everything from location to body size to what I'm into and to stay stuck in a rigid fashion pattern would have been unfortunate---I would have missed so many fashion opps. And the times I completely fell off the fashion wagon were really indicative of times when I shut down because I thought I had to look a certain way. The best thing about fashion is that it allows you to express who you are in the moment, and that can be anything.

K: I think I'm fashionable because I don't get too obsessed with one current trend or style. Nothing's worse than locking yourself into one specific look or identity, only to have it kind of go out of style after awhile. I think knowing your own personal style--what you genuinely love wearing--allows you to have a sort of consistent undercurrent, and from that you're able to just keep updating your look. I'd say I'm neutral-fashionable. I wear what I really like and confidence is definitely a big part of being fashionable.

#2. What is the LEAST fashionable thing about you?

EL: The least fashionable thing abut me is that when I come home from work, I just live in these ratty old sweat pants with a wife-beater and ill-fitting hoodie. I usually throw my hair up in a half ponytail and just check out on fashion for the night, which is fine sometimes, but seriously, my poor husband.

K: The least fashionable thing about me is probably my weird fear of being overdressed, which means I usually end up looking way too casual. My closet is stacked full of dresses and heels that I never wear. Its a dumb fear because I always notice other people who are too dressed up and they usually look amazing and fun.

#3. What is a secret fashion vice of yours?

EL: My secret fashion vice is that I will be looking at my various nerd-related websites, like stuff about Harry Potter, or A Song of Ice and Fire, or the Joss Wheadon show Firefly, or Veronica Mars, and there will always be a t-shirt or sweatshirt with the logo for sale (or in the case of Harry Potter a series of scarves) and I will always have like a moment where I seriously think about buying it. And as cool as it is to support things you love with your cash, a Harry Potter t-shirt is never cool.

K: Mine is sequins. I'm forever drawn to things involving sequins---stilettos, dresses, jackets, clutches. I think it comes from when I was little and my mom had this amazing black sequin dress that she wore when she and my dad went to their high school reunion. I remember being so in love with that dress. She eventually gave it to me, but it has shoulder pads so I'm not sure what to do with it. I don't own any sequin items because even though I am secretly obsessed with sequins, I have no real idea if they are actually fashionable or its just some hideous, weird ugly thing only I think is cool.

#4. What current trend or trends do you hate the most right now?

EL: I absolutely hate those big glasses I keep seeing hipster kids wearing. HATE! I just want to rip them off their faces. I like big sunglasses because they give this old school Hollywood air of glamour but big prescription glasses just look you're a dork 9-year old whose mom picked out sale glasses for you at Lens Crafters. There is no reason to deliberately look that way. See-through frames are the worst of the worst. I know only one human on earth who can pull off crazy glasses like that and the trend really should have stopped with her. 

even with the giant scarf, the outfit is ruined by the glasses

K: The Mary-Kate Olson/Mischa Barton headband, lamé leggings, HAREM PANTS (ew! what?), and people with the wrong body type wearing really tight skinny jeans, i.e. girls that are too short and stocky (they look like little turtles) or boys with skinny chicken legs (they look like they would lose in a fight with the weakest person on Earth).

#5. Who or what is a fashion inspiration to you?

EL: This has remained the same for many years: Tank Girl and Audrey Hepburn. Tank Girl (though a comic book character) is the perfect example of just not giving a shit and still looking amazing. Also, she was an early trend-setter with all her crazy layers. Audrey Hepburn because she was just given the gift of absolute high style, even though she would have looked pretty and chic in a potato sack. She wore clothes that were both elegant and accessible. Even in her older years she was high fashion.

K: I always loved Diane Keaton's characters in Manhattan and Annie Hall--timeless and forever casual yet sexy in button down shirts, scarves, jeans, and high-heeled boots. Maybe I just like the 70's. As for celebs, I like Kate Hudson's style a lot. I like women who can consistently keep it ultra-classy while being a little bit of a free spirit. 

Kate in In-Style magazine.

Remember to watch out for our March fashion interview where we will ask these same five questions to a special Denver local in hopes of figuring out how fashionable people make it happen in the queen city of the plains.

Cheers!

the denver is in the details

at www.denver.org you are greeted with an insistence that denver is a "perfect blend of outdoor adventure and urban satisfaction", as is illustrated by a sprawling mountain meadow header and a charming snap shot of 16th street mall. there is also a clickable caption in cheerful green reading "denver is in the details". 

ignoring that this denver.org colloquialism makes no sense, what are these details in which you can find denver? according to the website, denver is "found" in a bunch of shockingly lame factoids such as:

"denver is one of the few cities in history that was not built on a road, railroad or lake, navigable river or body of water when it was founded. it just happened to be where the first few flakes of gold were found in 1858."

and as if to further illustrate the lack luster of a city with nothing to hold it in place but gold digger dreams comes this fact:

"one of the best sports towns in the country, denver is home to eight professional sports teams including the Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies and Avalanche. denver is the only city in the country to open three new stadiums in ten years."

shari caudron in her excellent article for the december 08 issue of 5280 appropriately titled "desperately seeking denver" was quoted as saying this about the city in which she's inhabited for 15 years:

"if i want to find places where denver asserts it's identity i should start with the things that make denver a leader. but i'm not sure what that is because the city doesn't sit on the cutting edge of anything--not art, not music, not politics. we possess few corporate headquarters, we're not a technology hub and by the time fashion trends work their way here from the coasts, the same clothes are found languishing on the clearance racks in new york and los angles." 

which brings us back to that chipper denver.org quote. if denver is in the details, what details are there (not counting sports stadium after sports stadium)? what can you find in denver if you don't just want a north face jacket, a husky named dakota and a season lift ticket? what about those of us denverites who want the queen city of the plains to have all that art, music, politics, technology and fashion we are so not on the cutting edge of? is it here to be found? 

will denver always be a highway attraction where you pick up flecks of fools gold and move on to bigger and better things?

k and i went out one saturday to explore what cool things might be going on in a city in which we constantly bemoan the lack of cool things. both of us being fashion nerds, we approached the project with a stylistic eye--namely, where are the people sans expensive outdoor apparel and where do they shop?

here's what we found:

the museum of contemporary art on 15th street, light, airy, luxurious black and white space filled with thoughtful curations and featuring high profile artists (like damien hirst)

MCA denver is also on it's way to becoming a LEED gold certified building which means it is clean and green to the max. high style and highly conscious of the good ol' enviro. 

the design of the building is stunning. this picture was taken up top by the rooftop cafe/bar (watch out for the $15 olive plate). it is very easy to forget you're in denver. it reminds me a lot of modern euopean architecture and was built by british architect david adjaye.

the first saturday of every month is "penny saturday" at MCA and they have events going on throughout the day to promote it. we had the fortune of catching the saturday where the denver chapter of hip hop congress preformed (www.hiphopcongress.com). MCA's basement became the sight of an awesome b-boy battle that made k and i both super sad we'd never undertaken break dancing.

off to the south broadway shops! now south broadway is the locale of many, many great shops and this blog will definitely be revisiting this gem of neighborhood. but this saturday we had time to go to three mutually adored shops that we knew would add panache to the high brow big city vibe of MCA.

decade, the charming boutique whose product spans the range from vintage furniture (they score some phenomenal pieces) to eberjey lingerie to free people sweaters and an actual cool maternity section, was our first stop. i cannot say enough good things about decade. with their beautiful merchandising and high attention to detail, it would be easy to lose a pay check to them. 

the coolness of decade is vast

just a great example of the color blocking in decade, something i (el) am a huge, huge dork about

next on the stop was fancy tiger (www.fancytiger.com), an all around great place with two locations, a clothing store on the east side of the street (with a really great selection of high quality letter press and paper craft) and a craft store on the south. run by husband and wife team matthew and jamie, the place could not be more sincere or unique. they love local designers and the locals love fancy tiger because of it. 

we only had time to stop in the boutique and snap a few quick shots because it was very busy in there. matthew was mending the loose buttons on a coat a customer was about to purchase (great customer service touch) and there were donuts and tea out for all to enjoy.

our last, but far from least, visit was boss unlimited vintage clothing. locally owned and operated for 25 years, the owners ron and cynthia could not be more willing to help you find what you need. and you may need help because their selection is so huge! 

k is the big vintage/thrift store shopper of us two and she was excited to show me their vintage fabric collection, which i had never seen (i usually get lost looking at the vintage shoes and hats). one of the owners, ron, came back to offer us refreshments and told us that off site they have a warehouse full of vintage fabric available for view by appointment only. here's k with a pattern she liked.

so, i guess as we come to the close of the post, the question is did we find "denver in the details"? and my reply to that is, no way, dude. it was only one saturday afternoon of looking, first of all. and we went to places we already knew were cool--which is kind of cheating--of which we visited 4. all the above mentioned places deserve tons of patronage but as cool as they are, they can't be held accountable for an entire city.

as this blog continues, we will continue to explore this concept (among others) in hopes of making our homes more than just a stopping point along the way.

cheers!