www.shopflaire.com » House of Harlow

What the Boss doesn’t know….

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:55:03 +0000

Life is short, which is why I think Playing Hooky was invented. For all of us individuals who are all work and no play, this skipping-work-occasionally-snack is necessary for survival!
Working in retail is a seven-days-a-week job, (and I am sure there are others besides retail), so when others have their Saturdays and Sundays to sleep in, run errands, do laundry and have some fun, we are open and working, therefore Hooky Mondays have recently been incorporated into my life. Unfortunately, as the boss of the business, I can’t just call in “sick” so I want to thank Mollie for being the fabulous employee she is and covering the store.
So after a slight sleep in Monday morning, I pulled on my Fidelity Jeans, Textile Junkie Tee and House of Harlow Jewelry (just cause you are playing hooky doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care how you look!) and headed out to the Wicked Hop to meet some of my favorites for some of our favorite snacks – and of course I am talking about their bloody marys! Much to our pleasant surprise during snack time we were more than entertained by the eye candy in the Spain vs. Honduras World Cup Game. So entertained we almost missed our brewery tour at Lakefront! Always the entertaining experience, Lakefront was surprisingly busy and as we enjoyed our Wheat Monkey we followed around our hilarious tour guide, Curtsy. Best tour I have ever been on at Lakefront! I suggest you check it out. So after, we headed over to the Nomad to cash in our free Lakefront beer coupons and hopefully see some World Cup highlights – because after that Spain game we were hooked!
It was a fun filled day, that is for sure. We all need to take a little time to enjoy life. Hope you do the same in yours.
Up next for Hooky Monday – The Pedal Tavern!

I can almost feel it…

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:02:11 +0000

Spring! So this post is a little late as I was celebrating Spring in Las Vegas this past weekend. But the good news is – it is working its way into Wisconsin! Good thing I got a pedicure cause my sandals are coming out. And speaking of shoes…I am happy to announce Flaire will now be offering a small selection of women’s footwear. Shoes have always been a passion of mine and now I can share some of the brands I love with all of you. With that being said shoes will be arriving over the next few months as Spring comes full circle.

One of my favorite new brands is Pour la Victoire. Gorgeous and unusual shoes from Brazil that are a must have!
Pour La Victoire made its debut in 2007 as a footwear line for the 21st century Marie Antoinette. By blending unique heel shapes with rich materials and colors, Pour La Victoire has created a trendy line of women’s shoes inspired by French beauty. The collection offers fashionable, well-made shoes at great prices.
Check out some of their recent press in:

Here is a sampling of what they offer:

Don’t be fooled by the detailed heels, PLV also does some amazing flats. You can see the likes of this line on one of today’s hottest shows. XOXO.

The little sister brand to Pour La Victoire is Kelsi Dagger.
Kelsi Dagger shoes are confident, independent and slightly dangerous. Fresh and young, Kelsi Dagger shoes are designed to express freedom and passion. Here is a look at a couple styles they offer:

Big sister is not the only one getting attention. As seen in:

And last, but not least to kick off our introduction of footwear – House of Harlow shoes.
Nicole Richie’s much anticipated extension of her ever-popular jewelry line – her footwear arrives in April. From textured heels to accented flats, Nicole’s collection stands out with unusual details. Here are a couple style options – if you haven’t seen them already….

The line is selling out fast along with her Winter Kate Collection. Make sure you get some for your Spring wardrobe – both available at Flaire. Happy Shopping!

Winter Kate & House of Harlow

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:41:00 +0000

6 Weeks til Spring

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:58:57 +0000

So it’s official – 6 weeks until Spring! Six more weeks and this is what I am envisioning….

Now I realize we are in Wisconsin and a more realistic image would be this…..

However, I am going to remain optimistic that Spring is indeed only a short wait away. (Please insert your laughs here).

Any ways, whether or not the weather is planning on cooperating, Spring is indeed on its way to Flaire! I am really looking forward to this season because there is so much to be excited about. The trends are realistic, the silhouettes are flattering, the colors are bold and the prices are working too. All in all this season is uplifting and after the past few – I think we could use it!

Over the next 6 weeks as we await the “arrival” of Spring, I am going to be previewing six of the collections I am most excited about. Some of the lines are new collections, some of the lines are new to Milwaukee, some of the lines are extensions of what they are already known for and some we have so much faith in that we have expanded our buying to include all of the elements their collections have to offer.

Before I get ahead of myself I should probably tell you a little about what our designers have put together for Spring. So here we go…

Ladies – Listen up! As the weather gets warmer, your hemlines are getting shorter. Minis are in and they are here to stay. Skirts, Dresses, Shorts – start toning those legs now! I know I am!
In line with showing more skin, Cutouts can be found everywhere. Pants, Tops, Dresses, Skirts – I am talking the tasteful cutouts, sexy yet sophisticated – Don’t give it all away!
On another uplifting note, color is bold – no more dark and dreary, brighten up. Bold, abstract prints, soft, feminine florals – all are working for Spring.

Okay guys – we aren’t forgetting about you – but you are going to have to take some risks!

Color: Pastels and bold hues are ruling the men’s collections. Orange is huge. Not ready for it all? Try to look for some pieces that incorporate these colors as accents. It won’t be hard this season.
Denim: Get some white jeans – you can pull them off! Pair them with one of the season’s hottest, the Chambray Shirt. Easy, laid-back, cool.
Button-phobia? No worries. The snap front shirt will cure you. Not only easier to get in and out of, but the snap accents are a really cool touch to step your look up.
The track jacket – or some are calling it the baseball jacket. Dress it up and take it out – this requires you to remove your jeans, (unless they are white). Try it out, they all seem to come with accents of this season’s best color. Two birds, one stone.

Now with a little preview of what Spring is all about – I would like to introduce you to the Winter Kate Collection by Nicole Richie. Hot off the heels of her successful jewelry collection (which you can also find at Flaire) is the arrival of one of the most anticipated collections of the Spring Fashion scene; Nicole Richie’s first contemporary clothing collection, Winter Kate. Named after her daughter Harlow’s middle names the line embodies Nicole’s hippie-luxe style.

The collection, which includes kimono tops, dresses (both mini and maxi), tunics and leather jackets as well as bed jackets and vests, all reflect Nicole’s love of vintage and classic. Her silhouettes are timeless with vintage touches and soft, flowy fabrics. Her beautiful paisley and floral prints are all vintage washed for a classic feel and she enhances her pieces with vintage silk chiffon, handcrafted embroidery, cotton macrame and fringe details that make you look twice.
Richie says, “Fashion should be accessible,” and she succeeds in making Winter Kate easy to wear and simple – yet feminine and romantic all at the same time. “The pieces can be dressed up, made casual, but most importantly, they provide the wearer a means of self-expression and fun,” Nicole tells WWD.

Winter Kate will be hitting stores in February and Flaire will have a selection of her pieces right here in Milwaukee.

As Seen On.

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:30:38 +0000

When I first thought about opening my own store, one of the parts that made me most excited was being able to be one of the first people to view a new season’s collections. Before I started working in retail I was the type of person who always sought out the latest and greatest – and it would kill me if I missed out on something new. Having my own store was the perfect way to secured first-hand access to the collections!
Never being one who wanted to be wearing the same thing as the person standing next to me, my focus was on originality – and I use that same mentality when buying for the store today. I remember always reading the magazines from InStyle to Lucky to People to GQ, Details and even Time covered fashion in some light. Really almost every magazine has some aspect of fashion enclosed in it. I would inspect every outfit on the pages of these magazines and wonder where all the celebrities featured in the clothing would be getting these great outfits. (And not the ones who were just modeling – the ones who were photographed at events, parties, etc.) I wanted some of these outfits – I needed them – I just had to figure out where to find them.
Enter my friend, Laura, a former employee at the BOP in Madison. When I would visit – she would always show me what was new and what was recently featured. It was amazing. I mean, I had shopped at boutiques before, but never really was able to spot the pieces that I envied from the magazines. So thank you, Laura for helping me develop that eye.

Today, I still read all the magazines (and when I say ”read,” I really mean “scan”) to see what the celebrities are wearing – they really do drive the fashion industry. I have seen lines take off just because the right celebrity was seen wearing one of the styles.
Now, with the store, I am constantly checking to see if any of Flaire’s pieces are featured. It’s truly one of the exciting parts of owning a store – seeing the pieces you carry in the magazines you have read for years. What I have also been noticing lately is that quite of few of our collections at Flaire have been featured in some of the season’s hottest television shows – it may only be a quick glimpse - but it’s still exciting to see.

Check out who’s been seen in some of the collections we carry in store!

Cory Monteith in Five Four

Shenae Grimes in Isabel Lu

Katie Cassidy in House of Harlow

Zac Efron in Life/After/Denim

Adrian Grenier in Modern Amusement Eyewear

Lo Bosworth in Fifteen-Twenty