Celebrate Fashion's Night Out with me!

In just over a week thousands, millions of fashion enthusiasts in many countries will celebrate Fashion's Night Out.  I am so proud to be a part of this special evening on September 8th! If you are in the Seattle area you are invited to drop by SPUN in Capitol Hill to preview my Fall Collection*.  Hope to see you there!



*My Collections can also be viewed on line at http://www.joannamorgandesigns.com/

"M" Like Mandy

OK, so I'm in love with my dog, but why not?  She is the cutest, sweetest, and makes every day better just because she is.  No matter how hard my day is, her happy face, wet tongue on my nose, and the sheer joy with how she greets me, make me feel like I'm number one.  She reminds me that one cannot be too serious in life, napping is important, as well as getting a good meal, and trusting our instincts pays off.
So it's not exactly a fashion blog post, but possibly a reflection that everything is relative and we all need a good friend to believe in us, unconditionally.

Happy Birthday, Madame Chanel!

On August 18th Coco Chanel would have been 128 years old - or 118 depending which biography of Coco we read.  It's hard to believe that so many things that we take for granted in our wardrobes, like trousers, a little black dress, or jackets, we should thank her for.  She did us all a big favour of "stealing" from the boys and passing the goodies to us. One of many invaluable lessons we learned from her is not to be afraid to experiment in fashion - it leads to great discoveries and grooms our sense of style. We may not actually own anything with a "Chanel" label, but our wardrobe favorites echo hers. 
Her choices were brave for the times she lived in, and her courage to be a fashion trailblazer led her to be a fashion icon. It was her who said that luxury is a state of mind, and not a state of our bank account.  A century later after she opened her first boutique her brand stays strong and we continue to crave all things Chanel. What else can I say about Coco Chanel, that hasn't already been said? Merci!

Fall Cravings

August is here and summer is still here, but I'm impatiently awaiting September issues of Bazaar, Vogue, and Elle with their loadful of autumn and winter fashions - it's almost like getting new school books before a new school year starts.  When I was a kid the major thrill was shopping for new school stuff, books smelling of fresh print, pages crisp.  I loved choosing new pens, pencils, new colorful markers, everything was so new, fresh, and holding promise.
Many years later I still get that anticipatory flutter - looking forward to pouring over thick tomes of magazines.  Even in the age of internet, when fall collections are announced well in advance, the allure of glossy pages draws me in.  For me September issues are like Christmas gifts in summer, and a postman a Santa in a blue uniform.  Can't wait!