DIFFA Party Is Da Bomb!

The party at the mansion was blast! In addition to it being a huge success for the UFN, (thank you so much to all the designers who participated as well as our wonderful volunteers), DIFFA raised a lot of money for a good cause. I had never attended this benefit before and I'm so glad I was a part of it.

Seriously people, beg, steal, do what you need to do and get yourself to this party next year. The ticket price may be a bit steep (it's $150 per person) BUT I guarantee you'll have a great time (and you've got a whole year to save for it). If you're still not convinced, here's my top 10 reasons why you should plan to attend:

1. The revenue from the tickets and silent auction goes to several local AIDS organizations, plus you can write it off on your taxes.

2. It's held at the exclusive and beautiful Rainier Club on 4th Ave., a place so swanky most of us wouldn't be able to step foot in there otherwise.

3. Lots of great items to bid on with ranges from $25 earrings to $8500 Tahiti vacations, so there really is something for everyone. There's also raffles for big ticket items like trips to NYC and other vacation spots.

4. Open bar ALL NIGHT LONG...yes, you read that right. You don't pay for a drink the entire evening. There's wine, top shelf liquor, whatever hooch your heart desires.

5. Yummy hors d'oeuvres and a tasty buffet.

6. It's like prom for grown-ups and a chance to get spiffied up and wear that little black dress you bought for last year's work Christmas party or it gives you an excuse to buy a new one. In casual Seattle, we don't have many opportunities to break out those formals and get our hair did.

7. For gay men: lots of half-naked hotties to ogle.

8. For the straight men : The women to men ratio is about 6 to 1, so your chances of hooking up are excellent.

9. For the ladies: lots of half-naked gay and straight men to ogle.

10. Gettin' down on the dance floor. These people know how to party and they get wild toward the end of the night...shirts come off, there's dancing on tables, it's just plain naughty fun! For photographic evidence, click here.

Next up...Portland Fashion Week.

Oh Hell No!

Get a look at the Halloween costume that is making headlines.

Miss Anna Rexia available in ultra thin and busty or plus size.

As if we women don't have enough body issues.

Green Guys Are Hot!

Tarah and I attended the Seattle Green Fashion Week's panel discussion on sustainability and making green choices. It was held in the elegant downstairs of El Gaucho and consisted of several green activists and spokespeople, including the two founders of Method eco-friendly cleaning products.

Both were funny and extremely passionate about the green revolution and their product, but truth be told I had a hard time paying attention because one of them, Adam Lowry, was stunningly beautiful (good god! look at him!). This guy was no frumpy, bespectacled hippie! He was tall, dark and handsome and environmentally friendly. What a guy!

I was smitten and apparently couldn't stop reiterating this to Tarah. After the third time of hearing "Method man is dreamy!" she said "I think someone's drunk!" It's true that I did have a mojito and some pink guava concoction within the span of an hour but I was completely lucid! (Okay, maybe I was a bit tipsy, 'cause who uses the word "dreamy" in this day and age?)

Overall it was a great night, with good food, good drinks and a meaningful discussion about the green movement and fashion's place in it. Oh, and I'll buy Method products now with a renewed appreciation.

Fall Fashion Finds For Under $50

Mossimo black satin trench coat - $39.99 at Target

This picture really doesn't do it justice. It's stylish and has some weight to it, so it'll be warm for winter. Perfect for wearing over your stapless dress to the office Christmas party.


Alice Temperly empire waist thermal knit dress - $24.99 at Target

Cute dress that can be worn alone or layered with a turtleneck or white button-down shirt.



Print wrap dress by Bisou Bisou - $39.99 at JC Penney

You can wear this slinky number to work or out on the town.




Boucle cowlneck sweater - $39 at Victoria's Secret

Sexy and warm!

Bargain Hunting

How much do I love Ross & TJ Maxx? Let me count the ways.

1. You can walk away with 6-10 items for under $100. Tarah and I recently spent three hours in the Northgate Ross. I got some comfy jeans, a cropped suede jacket, a sweater, a couple of long-sleeved shirts and belt for $96.
   
2. Designer names at half the prices. I saw a lot of Ralph Lauren, Baby Phat and Michael Kors pieces at TJ Maxx.
   
3. Soft, 400 count Egyptian cotten sheet sets at reasonable prices.
4. Fluffy towels that don't cost a fortune.
5. Cheap kitchen and housewares.
   
6. Name brand shoes at bargain prices. I saw some sassy Cole Haan pumps for $50, which were originally around $200 and some black patent leather Franco Sarto boots for $40.
   
7. Accessories half off. Found an awesome Anne Klein red patent leather belt for $9.
   

Now shopping at these discount stores isn't for everyone and I have to be in just the right mood to even walk into to Ross or TJ Maxx. First, there's usually lots of people there on the weekends, so the dressing rooms will be full and everything picked over. I recommend going there during the week sometime, like Thursdays, when they're getting in new stuff for the weekend.

Second, you have to be prepared to wade through a lot of crap to find a gem and sometimes even the good pieces are marred by a lipstick stain on the collar or a hole in the armpit. But if you're handy with a sewing machine or think you can get that stain out, it may be worth asking for an extra 20% off.

So if you're willing to put in the time and effort, bargain hunting at stores like TJ Maxx and Ross can be fun and rewarding.

Share with us your favorite bargain stores.

Buongiorno!

No, my friends, I am not dead, just trying to get back into a routine after two relaxing and eventful weeks in Croatia and Italy. In the spirit of Seattle Fashion Week, I've decided to highlight some fashion highs and lows from my trip.

Highs
Italian men! Not only are they incredibly hot and polite to boot, but they have fashion sense that isn't found anywhere in the States besides the gay community. They take pride in their appearance and wore nice denim, polished leather loafers or sporty athletic kicks, tailored shirts and sports coats. They all had nice haircuts and chic sunglasses as well. Even the street vendors were stylishly dressed.

Lows
Italian women - Very thin, sexy and fashionable, even the moms. Bitches! (Although I did see one store clerk in Venice with visible muffin top.)

Sloppy Americans - It became a game with my pal Melissa and me to play "Spot the American" because you could easily pick them out in a crowd. They were the ones wearing muu muus and carpenter shorts and Teevas (the most egregious thing I saw though was one man wearing shorts with a catheter bag strapped to his leg. That's a fashion NO, NO and NO!!) To be fair though, the English and German peeps were pretty slovenly too.

Red, red hair. The Croatian women for some reason love Ronald McDonald-colored hair. It reminded me of when I used to dye my hair with Kool-Aid back in junior high.

Rhinestones and glitter galore! Everything from T-shirts to shoes had some sort of faux jewel, metallic or glitter on it. And not in a good way. We saw one woman wearing some jeans with a gold metallic overlay, a glittery zebra-striped top and gold pumps in the bright light of day. Her Solid Gold outfit almost seared my corneas.

Overweight men in Speedos. Women in ill-fitting thongs. 'Nuff said.


General Observations
Italian men are very polite and will offer to help carry your bags up stairs. Croatian men will stand by and watch you struggle.

Public nosepicking - There wasn't even any discreetness about it. Most offenders were men and had no qualms about digging in wherever, whenever, no matter who was watching.

Public flatulence - Melissa and I were victims of walk-by farting quite a few times. We began to wonder if we had a sign on our foreheads that said "Please, come toot near us." One man at a bus station let one rip by us, then looked out of the corner of his eye and sneered as if to say "Yep, that one was for you!"

Italians are penis proud. There were many things on display that celebrated the peen from shorts and aprons to these horny pig figurines.

The Perils of Packing

I'm leaving for the lovely Adriatic seaside in a week and I'm feeling that requisite pre-trip stress because there's so much to do. Clean my apartment, find someone to look after my cat (Tarah? :-) pre-pay all my bills...the list goes on. But what I hate the most is deciding what to pack. I usually end up not deciding at all and packing too much of everything from toiletries to clothing. I need to avoid that this time around since I'll be hulking my pack everywhere (there's no wheels on this baby!). Thus, the packing predicament begins.

First off, there's always the weather issue, which entails a coat conundrum. Which cute little jacket should I bring for sunny and warm weather? And a chance of foul weather means bringing a raincoat and possibly some standard Seattle fleece, two types of clothing that don't really make a woman feel her most attractive.

Then there's the shorts, shirts, pants and skirts dilemma. How many do I bring? And theymust mix and match. Do I pack that cute sundress even though it is cotton and prone to wrinkling? Do I just go buy a new one made out of a polyester blend? I'm already overwhelmed just thinking about it. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not going there to impress people with my threads, but to experience a new culture and most of all relax. But I want to look good while I get my R& R!

It's the shoe decision that perplexes me the most. Rick Steves, the local travel guru, says you should bring just two pairs, a comfy walking shoe and a closed-toe shoe for more formal occasions. That's it? What if I want to hit a club? This petite girl needs her heels! So the search begins for a comfy shoe I can walk for miles in that can also be paired with a sassy sundress. Does such a wedge exist? I'll find out this weekend!