Seattle Sunday comes early: I went KitchenSurfing and so Should YOU

In all of our lives, there is a pivotal moment when we officially move up in the world. Well, officially to ourselves, anyway. When we graduate from generic ice cream to Dryers and then to Ben and Jerry's and beyond. Or when we buy our first items at full price from a boutique or perhaps our very first designer purchase (even if it is at the Rack).

Once you've crossed the threshold, everything changes. Suddenly, you wouldn't consider glancing at generic anymore. And shopping at a boutique becomes a regular occurrence. If you have yet to make any of these leaps (hello college), don't worry. You will. But, if you have moved beyond level one and even level two in the game of life, I have something for you: Kitchensurfing.

Just over a week ago, Kitchensurfing launched in Seattle. It's already established in larger cities and thank goodness it finally arrived at our foodie mecca. The concept is simple: a chef prepares a meal for you and your guests at your house AND cleans up afterward. Yes, that's what I said.

A few weeks ago, we hosted a Kitchensurfing dinner party. Our very generous friends, Steve and Lauren, offered to share their home with a group of friends to try it out. Our conclusion? Kitchensurfing: It's a must have.

Four Reasons Your Next Adventure MUST Include Kitchensurfing

Seattle Sunday: Live Simply By Annie Takes Organizing to Another Level

There are two extremes for the fashionista:

The stylish individual who has clothes strewn about her bedroom with extras shoved into her closet.
The stylish individual who has everything methodically organized by size and color with off season items stored away in the appropriate containers.

Most of us fall somewhere in between. And, like having your very own personal stylist, many of us have always secretly yearned for a professional organizer in our lives.

Enter Annie.

Happy Bike To Work Day. Time to Get Dressed.

Hello Dear Reader. Happy Bike To Work Day! I recently learned that Davis, CA has one of the highest percentage of cyclists per capita in the country at 19%. I must admit, I'm strangely proud of Davis as I'm originally from Vacaville, only 20 minutes from bicycle central. In fact, one of my sisters lives there and bikes everywhere with her daughter right behind. As you can imagine, I've always associated Davis with biking, (now defunct) Recycled Records and a strange law they used to have that stated you could only smoke on the street if you were moving. While I'm not a smoker nor much of a biker, I took note.

In honor of this special day and the thousands of people who bike to work each day in our city (Hello Dexter!), I thought you might enjoy some fashionable options for cyclists from your very own personal stylist.

Tips for the Stylish Cyclist

Seattle Sunday: Freeman Brings the Mountains to the City — in all the Right Ways

Seattle, of course, loves the outdoors. It's not hard to see why — drive a couple hours in any direction and you'll find one incredible natural landscape after another. We take our outdoor recreation seriously, and it's one of the great defining characteristics of our city.

We dress for it, too. It's no coincidence that our very own REI has become one of the biggest names in expedition outfitting. Ask a typical Seattlite the relative merits of wool, synthetic, or silk baselayers and chances are you'll find yourself in a longer conversation than you intended. And this is important stuff — if you're heading out to the backcountry, having the right technical gear can literally save your life.

But sometimes it's hard for us to leave the mountains, well, in the mountains. We come back to the city after a weekend exploring the wild places, and we just don't want to put away our fleece vests and softshell jackets and hiking boots. It's almost as if by wearing our technical gear into the city, we're bringing a bit of that elusive outdoor magic into our daily grind.

Finally, a Swimsuit that Flatters your Figure

Seriously, a swimsuit? It's February.

It certainly is. For many of us, that means an escape to warmer weather. For others, it could mean visiting a local indoor pool or an opportunity to sit in a hot tub despite the cold weather. Strangely, I've had occasion to wear a swimsuit several times in the last week or so and I'm definitely hyper aware of what flatters and what doesn't.

Current and flattering swimsuits for your body. Go!

Wait a minute. The blog looks different or is that differently?

Dear Reader, you are so perceptive. It's no wonder we get along so well.

It's true. The blog has, in fact, changed. As it turns out there are an abundance of posts and more to come! So, in an effort to make it easier for you to see previous posts that interest you, we've truncated the posts so that more posts will fit on one page.

Missed some earlier topics? Some of the most popular include: Don't be afraid to be pretty, Weight fluctuation got you down? & Menswear Essential: The structured overskirt.

UncategorizedmelliciaFebruary 17, 2014Kids fashion, Menswear, Personal stylist, Seattle, Updates to blog, Women's fashionComment

Zara Seattle: The Flagship that Exceeds your Expectations

Every once in a while, I like to try to see things as if I'm seeing them for the first time. It's fun to remember the wonder and excitement that accompanied my first meal in Seattle, for instance. We ate at the Triangle in Fremont. Built to Spill was playing and I had just seen the sign in Fremont claiming the neighborhood as the "Center of the Universe". Built to Spill on the speakers, reference to one of their songs on the sign, it was meant to be. So every once in a while when I drive through Fremont, I try to imagine that this is my very first time seeing the sign and the bridge once again. I can almost hear the music.

Where am I going with this? Zara, Dear Reader. I am going to Zara. Tomorrow, you'll be able to go on your own. But today, I'll do my best to take you with me and we can both experience Seattle's very first Zara — a flagship store, in fact — for the first time.

Three times my clothes changed my life. Really.

I strongly believe that your clothes should help you achieve your goals, not inhibit you from reaching them.

That means that if your heel is too high and you opt out of a great adventure simply because your feet are killing you, your clothes aren't doing you any favors. Conversely, if you are convinced that comfort is your paramount goal, opportunities may pass you by.

As a fan of empirical evidence, here are a few examples from my own life to help seal the deal:

Style Tips, Women's fashionmelliciaJanuary 7, 2014fashion, Functional fashion, Menswear, Personal stylist, Seattle, Spike Lee, womenComment

Feel like winning? You've got until Tuesday!

I do. An old friend of mine always says, "don't take away the joy of giving." Translation: Just say thank you and allow someone to do something nice for you. After all, giving feels good.

In the spirit of the season of giving, I'm going to do a little extra giving of my own.

One glorious reader (that means you!) will win one closet edit just by sharing this post on Facebook. Not on Facebook? Not to worry. Just shoot me an email and I'll enter you in the drawing.

What's a closet edit, you say?

Women's fashionmelliciaDecember 14, 2013Closet edit, Complimentary, contest, drawing, Enter to win, fashion, Free service, hip, Kids, Menswear, Personal stylist, Seattle, urban, womenComment