FNO in Review

Although I was holed up in the ER for 5+ hours the night before, I was able to be talked into following through with my FNO plans by my always-convincing husband (and the promise of his support in some light spending – I mean, economy encouragement).

He may now be regretting his encouragement – oops!

My goals for the night were to score some free cocktails, meet some fashiony-types in Milwaukee, and explore some of the boutiques that I haven’t been to/haven’t been to in a while, and FNO delivered in force!  It was refreshing to see that although advertising for the event and Milwaukee’s participation therein was overall sparse, the stores themselves had been doing their part,  drawing up signs, shirts, and info pamplets.

Since the camera on my (lame) phone sucked it up, my plans to tweet the night away with pics was a big ol’ FAIL; here’s how the night rounded out:

• Goldi (shorewood) – Bright and huge with super shabby-chic decor; offered clothes by Kenzi (better selection than Macy’s) and Mac & Jac, shoes by everyone from Nine West to Merril (gag).  I was disappointed that the staff seemed to be treating the night as business as usual; although they had special events (hair consultations, drinks, and a shoe trunk show), the employees provided no info on them and the overall energy level was low.
• Aala Reed (brady st) – Small, with a well-edited selection of high-end guys’ clothes.  The staff was extremely helpful and the specialty drinks (Paul had a great scotch on the rocks) definitely added to the light atmosphere.  Paul was drawn to several Gant shirts in unique prints, but the prices were too high for us so we moved on.
• Miss Groove (brady st) – Festive, but LOUD; the x-Rated/lemonade cocktail was great, but the scantily-clad and overbearing shot girls serving them would have been more appropriate on Water St than a women’s boutique/undie shop.  The clothing was on the young, too-bright side for me, but I’d definitely return the great, high-end intimates.
• Uncommon Items (brady st) – I was lured in by a funky cocktail dress displayed outside, but was disappointed to end up as the sole patron in a glorified head shop.  We didn’t stay long.
• Detour (brady st) – After a couple of not-so-great visits to the brookfield location, I’ve been avoiding Detour.  We decided to stop in only after I spotted an adorable salesperson in a witty little ‘fit, and had to talk to her.  (I have to describe the ensemble because it was so young, so perfect, and fit her personality to a T – blast my phone for its crap pic-ability!  She was wearing a slouchy dark grey heathered tee, with a slouchy tiny-floral print skirt/jumper thing (?-I know, it had a flouncy skirt and long, thin, suspender-esque straps – weird, but so chic and fresh!), black tights, and a great patent bootie).  All the hipsters were out, drinking free PBR and munching on candy, but my hunky husband couldn’t squeeze into the fun plaid shirt he liked, which, even in a Large, was cut more to fit a skinny emo kid than for Paul’s hotness.  I found a FAB Susana Monaco top (which I’m now actively stalking online), on sale, but sadly in a size 2.  Detour definitely won me back though, with the help of its fun staff, great finds – and the almond joys didn’t hurt either!
• Miss Ruby (water st) – The best stop to find bridesmaid dresses that your friends will actually *want* to wear, Miss Ruby is adorable – if your girls have the budgets to support it.  We went with more affordable options for my wedding, but I was pleased to have an excuse to return to the store in FNO, and was even more pleased to find a much larger selection of ready-to-wear cocktail dresses than in the past.  She had a trunk show for a local custom dress maker happening, and the designer was adorable.  Unfortunately, said designer had no cards available, and we didn’t have the time to spare to design a dress right then.
• Luscious (water st) – One of the few “plus-sized” boutiques the city has to offer, offering clothes for sizes 10 (which is NOT “plus”) to 22, it had already won points with me for replacing the horrid “Red Shoe” occupying the spot previously.  The adorable (and also not plus-sized) staffers were inviting and offered 10% discounts for the night, as well as coupons with any purchase for $10 off any future purchase.  I found a funky, long, printed chiffony vest that I couldn’t live without (it will be too cute over a tee and skinny jeans, belted, with boots!).
• Luci (water st) – was open later than all the others, with a 10 p.m. closing time, so we vowed to return, but forgot to do so
• Retique (broadway) – This “up-scale Goodwill” store promised a featuring of their “vintage collection,” which made it a must-see for me.  Unfortunately, the feature had concluded before our arrival, although no end time was mentioned; it also appears that it was kind of a hokey dress-up show in old costumey clothes and none of the items were available for sale.  The staff was pleasant, but we didn’t stay long.
• Factory (broadway) – This offshoot of Valentina marks the first in-city venture for the chic mainstay of the ‘burbs.  Some of the merchandise seemed out of place in the flashy, mod store – rough, vintagey items in drab shades of cream, mixed among amazing Vivienne Tam dresses, for instance.  The clientele was notably older than our other stops, although the wares were mostly young and hip.  I appreciated that they’d stocked current editions of the new 4PM Magazine, and really appreciated the delicious cocktails!
• Lela (broadway) – Lela is another of the shops that I had a weird experience in and have avoided since; however, like with Detour, my experience last night has definitely changed my perception.  The staff was bustling and helpful, and the mood was appropriately festive, with other patrons adding to the mood.  This is also where we broke the bank on the purchase of a gorgeous Eva Franco dress – sigh- it’s love, really.  I’m hunting for a picture, but the internets are failing me, so I’ll describe the lovely: rich navy Supplex-esque fabric, cut with a deep v-neck and slightly tulip skirt, and pyramid-studding embelishment as the waist.  I hate to toot my own horn, but toot toot!  I looked hot!  I may have also been hit on by a tipsy (female) customer in it, but I haven’t decided if that’s a pro or a con toward the dress?  She was cute, even though she blabbed endlessly about a pair of “PRADA BOOTS, I’VE ONLY EVER WORN THREE TIMES.”  slit.my.wrists.

WHEW!  What a busy night – what a great way to try out new shops – what a fabulous start to NYFW!!