Showing posts with label josie natori. Show all posts
Showing posts with label josie natori. Show all posts

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Cindy ♥ NY

Zipping back from Paris to New York City just in time to see the sleepwear selection from Natori's fall/winter 2013 collection is pretty cool, I'm not gonna lie! For quite a few years, Jeanie, our buyers, and I flew to Las Vegas for this last part of the buying trip. This year was different since our cute rep Danielle is due in April and the Vegas show has had a lower turn out than in years past. So, off to The Big Apple! We found some fabulous nighties and PJs from Natori as well as enjoyed great dinners and shows.

Natori’s designers really stepped it up this season. I was so excited to see the same soft fabrics we have been loving in jewel tones. They have added chemises everywhere which is perfect for Sol because we sell more chemises than any other style of sleepwear. In years past, we would struggle with basic colors. Our Sol Girls love fun colors. I sat down with the design team two years ago and asked for this new direction. They listened and it will be great fun for all of us!
A sneak peak at what Mrs. Natori has in the works for fall/winter 2013!
Dinners included some of our favorites. Macelleria is a great Italian restaurant right in the heart of the Meatpacking District. They serve a Florentine bisteca that is out of this world. It is a porterhouse cut that they tout for two. We split it four ways with our friends from Empreinte, Kim and Paolo. 







The Meatpacking District has loads of choices. Sushi at Morimoto... 






 ...street tacos that are to die for at Dos Caminos...








...and the French bistro Pastis are all great choices if you are in the ‘hood. 






We ventured out to a neighborhood that is close and tried our luck with Indian. The Bombay Talkie has Indian we will be dreaming of until we go back to NYC in August. 



The grand finale of the excursion was having our daughters join us for the last few days of the trip. Done with work, Jeanie and I were ready to play! 

The Sleeping Beauty Ballet was simply magical. Our seats were close enough to see everything, but the opera glasses let us see the costumes even more clearly. It was a stunning display of beauty, strength, and grace. Another highlight was cruising around Soho with my 13 year old daughter. We had a blast checking out all the stores and the store windows. Our last big fun adventure was seeing the exhibit they had at the Met: Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity. It was about the impact fashion had on Impressionist paintings from the late 1800's. They had a vast display of gowns, fans, parasols, shoes, and corsets on display along with the painting of women wearing the garments. It was fantastic; I highly recommend checking it out if you're in New York. The exhibit runs through May 27th. 
We can't wait to go back to New York in August!
Xoxo,

Cindy

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Savvy SOL Shoppers: 20% OFF EVERYTHING you want



SOL’s Customer Appreciation Sale is FAST approaching! Don’t get me wrong – SOL appreciates its customers 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day but with this sale, we really get to show our SOL Girls (and their significant others!) how much we appreciate each of you.

2012 Customer Appreciation Sale
November 7th - November 17th
including Sunday, November 11th from 10-6pm - 

Our BEST sale of the year has been extended to 11 days. Yes, 11. Why is it our best sale? EVERYTHING is 20% off. Everything. That's right, everything is on sale!  During our Customer Appreciation Sale, your entire purchase is 20% off. And you could save on current, just-arrived gorgeous new merchandise, too.  
This is YOUR sale.  It's 20% OFF everything YOU want.

Daisy bras: 20% off. Every style. Every color – Including the new Majestic Purple Daisy. Bananas, right?
Andres Sarda. Straight from Spain and utterly irresistible. 20% off.
Aubade: 20% off. It’s so new the girls are unpacking it as I type!
 Even SOL’s famous Le Bourget Paris Tights: 20% off!

I could literally go on for pages.

Never been to a SOL Customer Appreciation Sale? Fear not!  I called a few of our professional SOL sale shoppers and asked them for some tips and tricks when it comes to shopping the big sale. 

So here they are: SOL Sale Secrets from our Savvy SOL Shoppers ...

Joy: Get on the waiting list! The wait is never super long but getting on the list for a fitter as soon as you get to SOL is a definite time saver. Even if I think I'm just going to pick up some PJs, I sign up just in case I find a little fancy fancy from Aubade!

Lauren: They always say this on their website, but it's true. I never pay for parking when I go to SOL! Besides having "the girls" taken care of, my car is too. Run in for a token, and you're set without worrying about parking tickets!

Marianne:  Take a friend. My BFF recommends things that I wouldn't choose for myself, but turn out to be my favorites!

Katie: Did you know you can place a phone order during the sale and still get your 20% off? I travel a lot for work and found this out last year. I just spent a few minutes on the phone with Anna, she packaged up everything I wanted and by the time I got home on the weekend, it was on my front porch. Like magic, I tell you.  (want the number to call:  1-800-466-1356).

Ali: Go more than once! I always see things the second time that I can't believe I missed on my first visit. 

Haley: I always plan ahead! I cruise the website first, then go to the store a couple of days before the sale, and then I make a list! I also make a separate list for my hubby –
that way, I know I'll get exactly what I want for Christmas and he'll save 20%.

And don't forget: keep an eye on our Facebook page for contests, info, and more during the sale!

xoxo,

Cindy

Friday, August 10, 2012

Even more Natori! We can't get enough!

Mrs. Natori, myself, and Jeanie at SOL, 2007
Have I told you lately how much I love Natori? The color! The prints! The fabrics! I could go on for hours. But what I love most about this company is its founder and namesake, Mrs. Josie Natori.

The first time Jeanie and I met her, it was a celebrity moment for us. Today, we're ecstatic to consider her one of our most inspiring mentors. What she has created is nothing short of amazing and we're so lucky to be able to work with her! Sitting at dinner last night, Jeanie and I discussed what we admire most about Mrs. Natori:

  1. She is an inspiring role model for women in business. She approaches every situation with a keen interest on how she can improve her brand. Her level of style and sophistication is unparalleled and she gets things done often after seeking input from SOL -- Very cool!
  2. She surrounds herself with young people and shares with us frequently that this is one of the keys to success. Stay innovative and creative and never be afraid to explore new things.
  3. She understands and embraces beauty in all she does: her gorgeous earrings, her stunning apartment, her ability to sit down at a grand piano and get everyone to sing show tunes, and, it goes without saying, her designs in which we all love to sleep and lounge. 
Yesterday we had the pleasure of viewing the "inspiration boards" at the Natori showroom. They were full of vibrant images of Mrs. Natori's home country, the Philippines. Beautiful patterns overflowing with color dominated the inspiration boards (Note to self: Plan a trip to the Philippines!). 

In studying the inspiration boards, we learned that a major influence for this collection is the  pintado --  the traditional Filipino style of tattoo.

The inspiration: 
One of many amazing photos on Natori's inspiration boards
The final product:
...coming soon!
I cannot wait for you to see these pieces in person. Mrs. Natori has truly outdone herself! Let's all raise our champagne glasses to 35 years of incomparable beauty from Natori!

Cheers!
Cindy and Jeanie

Thursday, August 9, 2012

The Lovely Land of Natori or Dylan's Candy Bar?!

Are we at Dylan's Candy Bar or Natori?

Wednesday we were lucky enough to visit the Natori showroom, home of the Natori, Josie, and Josie Natori brands.

The colors, prints, and fabrics for the upcoming season are beyond amazing. But, honestly, what else would you expect from Mrs. Natori?
A sneak peak at Mrs. Natori's new prints and fabrics!
We were floored when they showed us rack after rack of chemises, camis, robes, PJs, and soooooo much more. It looks like Natori is celebrating their 35th year with utter fabulocity.
Josie camies and chemises in every color imaginable!

This print in particular took our breath away. All we can say is WOW! (and how soon can we get something in this print for ourselves?!:
L.O.V.E.!
Cindy is in absolute heaven - bright colors and loads of dreamy Aphrodite fabric in tons of cool bodies. They've even added a printed Aphrodite. Yes, you read that right: the Aphrodite in a print!
 
We can't reveal too much more so we'll just leave you lovely SOL Girls with a few swatches from the Natori showroom: 
We've had such an amazing time we could just go home today perfectly pleased with the gorgeous collections we've seen -- But we're ready for more! But first? A trip to the actual Dylan's Candy Bar for some chocolate-covered deliciousness!

xoxo,
Cindy and Jeanie