Dear Monkee’s Girls,

Whew! Monkee’s Girls, what a week it has been! I am so sorry for my delay in blogging, but it has been a whirl wind! And boy do I have so much to catch you up on!

So… the Symphony Fashion Show last Tuesday night was a smashing success! I saw Monique Lhuillier in the flesh and our friends at Gus Mayer presented her beautiful Fall 2009 collection with such elegance! I had the most handsome date… my brother James… and while I wasn’t in Monkee’s shoes (had to go with an old pair of Jimmy Choo’s) I had on the most gorgeous Kenneth Jay Lane necklace! It’s ropes of gold chain and pearls with a pink and blue lillies from his latest Garden Collection. I received many compliments! And the highlight of the evening was getting to meet ABC reporter (and Al Roker’s better half) Deborah Roberts! She was just as gorgeous in person as she is on the television! The party was beautiful and we saw several of you Monkee’s Girls in their Monkee’s shoes in attendance! See pictures below of the runway presentation…

Wednesday night I got a last minute invitation to Nashville4Africa and headed back to the Schermerhorn for an incredible evening benefitting and featuring the African Children’s Choir. Those amazing little singers performed with the best of them – Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Big Kenny, Damien Horne, and many more… And blew them away! It was one of the most memorable evenings!
Then on to Thursday… a gaggle of girls gathered at Cause for Paws fashion show and luncheon benefitting the Nashville Humane Association! We spotted several Monkee’s purchases and our wonderful Cassie was our photographer! We spotted Brande Thomas with her gorgeous white patent Lilly Pulitzer bag and Brooke Reusch in her pink Lilly Pulitzer flats, PaTouTou giraffe bag, and leaf earrings. It was Lilly all around as I was so excited to wear my new silk Lilly Pulitzer monkey dress and BCBG pleated nude heels! It was a fun ladies day honoring all of the wonderful animals in our lives with beautiful Spring fashion by JAMIE!
Finally, I rounded out the weekend at the Franklin Main Street Festival helping my sweet friend Lara Jarrell selling her hand-made soaps! These are a MUST and I keep the lavender bar in my shower at all times! You must see her website www.jollybeesoaps.com!

So, needless to say, come Monday morning, I was pooped! So I am just getting around to updating you! ‘Til next time…

Love,
Elizabeth

Dear Monkee’s Girls,

Last night I was so honored to participate in a little preview showing for Tuesday’s Symphony Fashion Show at the Patrons Party! This year, the Symphony Fashion Show will feature Monique Lhuillier’s Fall 2009 collection and is presented by our friends at Gus Mayer. Last night, Martha Ingram graciously (and gorgeously) hosted the Patrons event at her lovely home and Gus Mayer presented a small collection of Spring fashions (everything from Burberry trenches to Giambatista Valli sundresses to Monique Lhuillier gowns) for the crowd as a preview for the big event Tuesday! And I was SO honored to have been asked to provide the shoes from Monkee’s!

All of the party guests looked gorgeous… The event co-chairs, Leann Ingram and Lake Eakin (one of our Monkee’s Girls) were stunning! And the models were beautiful in the clothes! The ever talented and lovely Elizabeth James coordinated the party with ease (as usual) and a good time was had by all! See the photos below of the models fashions with details of the shoes. I tried to go a little edgier on some looks to really punch things up and show you that you can really mix some color into your shoe collection and add a richness to your look! My favorite was the finale – a deep teal Monique Lhuillier gown with a stunning metal flowered belt (very grecian) which I paired with the yummy red Delman slingback. The results were stunning – such a bold and rich look! See for yourself!

I’ll be sure to update you on the festivities Wednesday after the main event!

Love,
Elizabeth

Dear Monkee’s Girls,

Ode to my Michael Kors watch…

I worship, love and adore my new oversized gold Michael Kors watch.  I had been coveting this watch that fashion it-girls have been sporting in all of the publications.  Then finally, FINALLY they have arrived at Monkee’s.  Lauralee immediately texted me as UPS arrived before I had graced the store with my presence.  I immediately jumped in the car, swerved into the parking lot and (cue choir of angels) placed it on my wrist.  G0R-GE-OUS!!

Now, one might think that this oversized watch would be too much of a fashion statement.  But think again…  Honey, if you’re gonna do it, DO IT!  I hopped right on over to the Kenneth Jay Lane and piled on the bangles.  The more, the merrier with this fashion statement!  Now, the only thing I am lacking is a killer tan which will have to wait.  But in the mean time,  my beautiful watch just makes me happy!

Ok, so if the oversized gold watch just isn’t for you, we have several different styles of the Michael Kors watches to choose from.  Robert got the gorgeous bone-colored  ladies’ watch for his sweet mama for Mother’s Day (shhh, don’t tell her – it’s a surprise).  And the tortoise bands are flying off the shelves as well.  They are a great price point for a fun, summer watch and they are water resistant so you can still look fab on the beach!

Love,

Elizabeth

Dear Monkee’s Girls,

Just say NO to crunched up toes!

There is nothing worse than suffering through a day at work or an evening at an event in shoes that just simply hurt your feet!  And it used to be that we just didn’t have a choice.  Comfort = UGLY and it was better to limp from the valet to your seat, but do it in style!  And I cannot tell you how many customers come in and say right off the bat: “Don’t even show me anything that isn’t comfortable!”   Well, that just isn’t the case anymore my friends!  There are so many fabulous new ‘comfort’ lines of shoes on the market that are making stylish yet comfy shoes.  Cole Haan jumped on the trend and partnered with  NIKE to incorporate the air pockets into the inner-workings of their shoes.  And I kid-you-not, even their highest heels are easy to walk in!  We also carry Sofft which is an amazing line.  The shoes are functional and fashionable and while the quality is top-notch, the price point is affordable.  You can get a great fashion-forward look without feeling like you’re in orthopedic shoes!  Gentle Souls is another fantastic option for the comfortably fashionable.  This line embeds flaxseed memory pillows into the foot bed of the shoes and you literally feel like you are walking on air.  They are so cute!  Now, while they aren’t specifically a comfort brand, BCBG (which is one of my favorite brands) is so fashion forward but tremendously comfortable!  I can easily knock out an entire day at market and skip off to dinner in NYC in a pair of BCBG and not even flinch!

So, my point here is, don’t think you have to be a victim of fashionable foot pain!  We have plenty of brands that keep you skipping around in style!

Dear Monkee’s Girls,

It is my great pleasure to announce that my sweet friends Brooke Sevier & Meg White are our Monkee’s Girls of the Month for April!  Brooke & Meg are some of our favorite customers and they are always fun to work with due to their incredible eyes for color and embellishment.  Of course, this comes naturally as Brooke & Meg are partners in their interior design firm Sevier & White Interiors and they co-own Petit Chateaux, the gorgeous antiques and home furnishings store.  I always find inspiration in their beautiful shop and design studio on Highway 100!  Check out the MGOTM link from our home page to see where these pretty ladies find their personal style and visit their website at www.petitchateauantiques.com to see how their fashion sense translates into their home style!

Love,
Elizabeth