A HUGE thanks to all of you that came out for our Pearl Southern Couture trunk show on Saturday, the 28th of August! It was such a success and we truly loved seeing all of your smiling faces. The designer Amber Perley is such a doll and came all the way from Texas for the event, so I know she really appreciated your support and enthusiasm for the line. If you couldn’t join us, here’s a bit of what you missed!

The first customer of the day was someone who is near and dear to my  heart: my sister Elle! She choose the Ryder, with its adorable equestrian details, and the sultry stretch lace Grace with a low back.

Lauralee and Emme didn’t leave empty-handed either! Lauralee picked out a sassy one-shouldered number and Emme took home the India dress as an early birthday gift from Elizabeth (as you might be able to imagine, Elizabeth always gives the best presents!)

Throughout the day, so many fun friends stopped by to meet Amber and check out her fall collection. You may recognize one from the pictures on the invitation!

If you missed out on this great event, do not despair! We still have so many looks here in the store and we’re expecting a few more boxes soon. Pictured here are the best-selling Ryder dress and the stunning Havisham, which I’m hoping could be mine one day soon!

Thanks for reading and for checking out Pearl! We’re so excited to share this fun, flirty line with you. See you soon!

xo,

Perry

This week we have been mourning the passing of a precious friend and treasured Monkee’s Girl, Reiko Zealear.  THE skin guru of Nashville, she kept many of Nashville’s well-heeled women wrinkle-free and unclogged!  Reiko’s healing hands and gentle nature could transform your skin, but her nurturing words and genuine spiritual gifts would heal your heart.  Many times over the years I would leave her spa room renewed in spirit by her love and guidance.

This past Monday, as word of her death spread through our community, Reiko was fondly remembered by nearly every woman who walked through our doors.  I am forever grateful to Reiko as she was an avid shoe addict and the perfect spokesmodel for my store.  She has encouraged and supported me throughout the past two-and-a-half years that Monkee’s has been open.  Last year we featured Reiko as our Monkee’s Girl for May and she giggled her way through the photo shoot with stunning results.  Her joy for life and love radiated through those photographs.  This week, several of Reiko’s friends contacted me to see if I would reissue her MGOTM photo so that they could have a copy.  This simple gesture on our behalf had meant so much to hear as she had apparently shared that email with many near and dear to her.

It seemed only fitting that we dedicate our Monkee’s Girl of the Month for September to the memory of a loving wife, mother, and grandmother; a devoted member of our community; and a treasured friend.  What an honor to have been touched by her grace and beauty!

xo,

Elizabeth

We’re so excited to be hosting yet another fabulous trunk show this weekend! This time, it is brought to you by Pearl Southern Couture and Dallas-based designer Amber Perley. Her feminine and flattering designs were created with the unique tastes of Southern girls in mind! Lucky for you, her timing is perfect. Tailgating season is almost upon us, and these dresses couldn’t be better suited for an afternoon spent celebrating.

See what we mean? As promised, there will be plenty of drinks and snacks for everyone to munch on. See y’all there (actually, I won’t be working but I WILL be shopping!)

xo,

Perry

I hope you were keeping up with Lauralee and me while we were at the Atlanta Shoe Show on Friday!  Perry did a fantastic job of keeping you abreast of the fun finds and the hot shoes for Spring 2011 (can you believe we’re already looking that far ahead?)  We scoured market for the latest and greatest shoe trends and as you prepare your tootsies for the fabulous Fall boots you will be purchasing over the next few months at Monkee’s, we’ll have the BEST sandals, wedges, espadrilles, and stilettos in store for you come January!

Now, speaking of “The Best,” on to my request of you devoted readers!  Each year, the Nashville Scene puts out their Best of Nashville issue, which ranks their readers favorite local spots in Nashville.  We dream of being the #1 spot for Best Local Shoe Store and Best Local Women’s Clothing Boutique!  And we need your votes!  So, CLICK HERE to log onto The Nashville Scene’s Best of Nashville and vote for Monkee’s of Nashville for the following categories:

Best Local Shoe Store

Best Local Women’s Clothing Boutique

And if you’re feeling really frisky, Best Local Blog!

Now, here are the rules…  You can vote once a day but you must vote in 20 categories in order to submit your ballot.  So, just in case you need a little assistance coming up with the 20 other voting categories, here are the categories I’m keeping tabs on:

Best Cheese Dip – Oh honey, Tequila’s on Charlotte Pike.  Best dive Mexican ever!

Best Gelato – Hello?! Whole Foods!

Best Sushi – Zumi Sushi, a frequent caterer of Monkee’s!

Best Movie Theater – I adore Belcourt, they always play the chicest movies!

Best Place to Meet Single Women – Well, Monkee’s of course!  Lauralee, Laura and I are certainly happy to have that vote!  HA!

Best Local Blog – Of course, we’re partial to our own blog, however we love the girls at Style Blueprint!

Best Local Toy Store – Our neighbors PoPo Cool Kid Stuff has the most fun toys! I always bring an orange and green be-ribboned gift to the kiddy parties!

Best Hair Removal – Ok, this is TMI, but I go to Zap! and see Sarah Daddario, who is the only woman alive who can make you laugh hysterically while getting zapped in sensitive places with a hot laser!

Best Mani/Pedi – Given that we are shoe experts, we take pedicures very seriously around here!  We prefer Signature Nails with their super-charged massage chairs and free chardonnay!

Best Local Gym – Please, please vote for LEAN Personal Fitness, which is right above Monkee’s!  Jeff Howerton and his gang of trainers are tops!

Best Personal Trainer – Monkee’s Girl Brandi Binkley with her bubbly personality get our vote.  And conveniently, she’s just upstairs at LEAN!

Best Skin Care Center – Former Monkee’s Girl of the Month, Reiko Zealear is my skin guru at Reiko Ultimate Skincare.  And another past Monkee’s Girl of the Month, Christianne Hill is her latest skincare technician!

Best Yoga Studio – Emme Templeton keeps her body long and lean at Sanctuary and you should too!

Best Shopping Mall – Duh! The Hill Center, Green Hills!

Best Florist – I am always tickled pink to receive a fresh arrangement from The Tulip Tree!

Best Hair Stylist – Now, this is a toughie because we all love our hair gurus.  So it’s a three-way for me…  Lauralee & Emme are devoted clients of Kevin at Element Salon and he is a doll.  Brian Piper at Elan keeps my tresses perfectly highlighted, and Susanne Shepherd of Shine is one of our favorite Monkee’s Girls.  So you’ll just have to make that decision!

Best Local Printing Company – Printer’s Press handles all of our printing needs fast and fabulous!  And former Monkee’s Man of the Month Ali Frazmand is the proprietor of this fantastic spot!

Best Veterinarian – My babies, Hank & Millie are VIPs at Murphy Road Animal Hospital!

Best Smokin’ Hot Nashvillian – Hello?!  Our very own Lauralee Robey!

Best Titans Player – Of course, it’s former Monkee’s Man of the Month, Rob Bironas!  You can often find him kickin’ it (heehee) at Monkee’s!

Whew… there you go, 20 categories!  We would be very grateful for your votes!!

xo,

Elizabeth

If you’ve been keeping up with us on Twitter and Facebook today, you know that Elizabeth and Lauralee have been in Atlanta market looking at shoes for Spring 2011. If you haven’t been reading, this post is for you to catch up! Here’s a recap of all the fun things they spotted. Sorry for the low-quality pictures, but we wanted to make sure you got the visual!

Today’s most buzzed-about shoe also happened to be the first one we posted: this golden sandal from Isola (a line we don’t carry…yet!) With the braided strap and sweet toe ring design, this is sure to be the season’s hottest shoe if Facebook comments and “likes” are any indication. Get excited because you’ll hopefully be seeing this one again on our shelves in more than one color!

In a surprise twist, we received a picture of a sassy shoe from a line known as Rocawear. For those of you who aren’t “in the know,” Rocawear is headed up by none other than the rap/hip-hop sensation known as Jay-Z. It’s no secret that the girls of Monkee’s love jellies, so this pair was hard to resist! What do you think of us possibly carrying Rocawear? Are we hip enough? Let us know your thoughts! And congrats to Stacey Salow for correctly guessing that Jay-Z was indeed the designer (because, as Mr. Beyonce Knowles, he did “put a ring on it!”)

Those of you that can call yourselves the proud owners of a pair of “Must Stone” by Bernardo will see something familiar in this update of the same style. This less blinged-out version trades in crystal clear stones for an equally chic textured surface. Whether this shoe is studded with stones or left a little more minimal, we love it just the same. So don’t make us choose!

This flashy shoe by Bourne evoked images of flapper girls for Elizabeth—and I’m sure you can see why! A flamboyant heel like this one every once in a while is definitely what we’re all about here in the store. Since I can’t say it any better, I’ll leave you with this comment by one of our devoted Facebook friends: “That (expletive removed) is hot!” Sure is.

I love this image because it gives those of us who aren’t lucky enough to join Elizabeth and Lauralee at market a pretty good idea of what it’s like there. Shoes. Everywhere. These beauties are by Spanish line Pura Lopez, and all of them look to be stunning. I’m partial to the blue rose flat!

That’s all for today! Thank you again to everyone who tuned in and joined the conversation. Since we can’t take you all along when we do our buying, it’s nice to be able to share the excitement! Have a wonderful weekend!

xo,

Perry

Several months ago, The Shopping Diva Cathi Aycock introduced me to my latest obsession…The PurseN!

I was intrigued and dashed out to purchase my own PurseN purse organizer for a little field research.  I drew much skepticism from Lauralee in particular.  “How could something as nerdy as a purse organizer be worthy enough to be a potential Monkee’s purchase?” she wondered.  I waved her negative thought aside and organized the contents of my PurseN into the appropriate pockets.

After a four week trial I have concluded that the PurseN has revolutionized my life for the following reasons:

1 – I own quite an impressive collection of handbags, particularly from my former days at LVMH in New York.  But I get stuck carrying the same bag day in and day out because I just don’t have time to dump everything from one bag to the next as I’m dashing out the door.  Problem solved.

2 – I am that ding-dong you see flying down Hillsboro Pike with one hand on the wheel, peeking at the road with one eye ball as I’m leaning over my bag in the passenger seat digging for a pen, or a mint, or some lipgloss, or my phone.  Or, the girl at the check-out fumbling in my bottomless pit of a bag for my wallet.  Problem solved.

3 – I hate scraping pieces of melted gum from the bottom of my bag when it has escaped from the packet and rattled around for days getting smushed into the leather.  Or wiping up hand sanitizer that has smeared on the sides when the top has popped open and the bottle has gotten squeezed between a TootsiePop and my Blackberry.  Problem solved.

Here are snapshots of my Speedy pre- and then post-PurseN so that you can see the miraculous transformation!

The PurseN has these handy little handles that enable you to easily transition it from one bag to the next.  And either the medium or the small (mine is a medium) will fit in nearly every bag you own.

I have been converted to the church of PurseN, and I can promise, I would never have thought I would be a purse organizer kind of gal.  So many friends and Monkee’s Girls have peeked inside my purse and shrieked with delight at this handy (and chic I might add) invention that I overrode Lauralee and ordered them for our Monkee’s.  And 2 of them flew out the door within 30 minutes of arrival via Russell our handsome UPS man.  You can choose from the neutral palate of black, brown, or leopard (for a little kick) and it stays happily hidden inside your organized handbag.

Come in and try one.  If you aren’t a purse organizer convert I will eat my left foot!  But I can guarantee you will be kissing me for transforming your life after just one day with this nifty new gadget!

xo,

Elizabeth

The summer is slowly drawing to a close and we are excited to present our final featured Monkee’s Girl for Summer 2010!  The beautiful Margaret Kyser is a red ball of fire!  Recently I was huffing it up a steep incline on the looonnnnggg Percy Warner loop and she came breezing by at jaunty clip on her morning run.  That is the epitome of Margaret, calm, cool, and collected even for a jog on a hot summer day.  We are pleased to highlight her as our Monkee’s Girl for August in her fabulous Pura Lopez ribbon pumps!

xo,

Elizabeth

I hope you’ve been enjoying the Perry-licious updates that she’s been posting!  I thought you would enjoy hearing from our newest Monkee!  But, for fear you might have missed me I thought I would send you an update on my latest obsession!

“Alex and Ani’s mission is to design products that adorn the body, enlighten the mind, and empower the spirit. Alex and Ani’s collections reflect a design aesthetic that celebrates each wearer’s unique essence. Owner and designer Carolyn Rafaelian believes it is her life’s work to inspire her customers to relish what is unique and authentic about themselves. Alex and Ani’s artistry lies in drawing out the beauty that resides within.”

These expandable wire bracelets use a patented technology and fit any size wrist.  And these eco friendly designer finds are adorned with charms depicting sacred symbols and texts.  These of course can be worn individually, but look their best in a bundle.  And I am loving the little tinkling sound they are making on my wrists as I type!

Come to Monkee’s and design your own grouping to fit your spirit from the Bangle Bar that now resides on our front counter.  And don’t be afraid to mix the gold with the silver!  The more the merrier (literally) and who knows…  these plucky charms might just bring a little luck (or love—yes please!) into your life!

xo,

Hope everyone stayed safe and dry today. Here at the store we had a few lights flickering and feared we might blow away, but thankfully we made it through! The forecast looks pretty clear this weekend and it’s a good thing: it’s tax-free weekend here in Tennessee! The Hill Center is having a blow-out celebration with food, fun, and great savings starting Friday and continuing through Sunday.

Think of it as a back to school sale…but for the big girls too! Our gigantic sale section is continuing with some additional markdowns and you can also get the first look at our brand new arrivals. We’re talking Frye boots and flats, new Lilly Pulitzer dresses and activewear, and a sparkly Kate Spade heel that is already calling Elizabeth’s name. Of course, shoes and clothing (even sale items!) under $100 will be tax-free. See you then!

xo,

Perry