Lea Ann Belter trunk show

We have a wonderful Lea Ann Belter trunk show this weekend, as you may well know, and her 2010 collection is spectacular! One of our favorite models/brides and her sister Alexis stopped by and let us play dress up for a bit so we could show you a few new things, including this stunningly beaded gown by Lea Ann. Thank you, Erin and Alexis!



A few other things that Erin, along with her sister Alexis tried on for us were some of our fantastic holiday/party dresses and an Alyce bridal design.

Sneak a peek at new line of bridal gowns

Laura and I have decided to add a new line of bridal gowns from an old favorite designer of ours, Alyce Designs. Just launched, Claudine Bridal by Alyce encompasses fashions that so many of you are looking for at truly amazing prices - under $1000! They sent eight beautiful designs to us for just the weekend so that we could make certain that they were everything we thought they would be - and they are - and so that we could get a little immediate feedback from you - so far an A+ in that regard. Stop by on Saturday for your own sneak peek!

New holiday dresses, Penelope scarves and a sizzling customer

So much to share and there will be more tomorrow! Today we received amazing new holiday and party dresses from Donna Ricco that are fantastically timeless and stylish - like the proverbial little black dress but in rich jewel tones instead!

Plus we have received our "Penelope" scarves in three different (click on the photos for a larger view) yet equally appealing and soft fabrics that have already been a great success. We didn't really intend for them to accent our dresses but as I was trying to figure out how to best show them to you, I was struck by how great so many of them looked with a cocktail dress. Who knew?!


We received an awesome thank you note along with fabulous photos of one of our recent customers that decided against the little black dress in favor of a hot little red dress instead and she wasn't sorry! Photographed with Miss Wisconsin, I'm sure you'll agree that Mallory certainly holds her own. Her date certainly thought so. When she took off her coat his first word was "Wow!" No kidding.

Janet Nelson Kumar here this weekend!

As you may know, we are hosting a special event featuring the designs of Janet Nelson Kumar, with Janet herself in attendance. There are a couple available appointment times left if you haven't made yours yet and once you see her designs, you'll want to make sure you do!

Penelope - November's Movie of the Month

You may think that "Penelope" is a rather unusual choice for our Movie of the Month as it doesn't really have much to do with Thanksgiving - possibly Laura and my favorite holiday - but it is more fitting than you may think. When the little known movie, starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon, was playing here in Madison Janet Nelson Kumar, this weekend's guest designer, happened to visiting us. She had time to kill before her plane left for New York that Sunday so Laura, along with her daughter Anna, took Janet to see "Penelope". Besides that bit of trivia that makes it the perfect movie for Janet's trunk show, it also feels like the right time of year for this beautifully stylized modern day fairy tale of true love and self acceptance. Chances are you haven't seen this little movie - it only grossed around 11 million in the US - but both Laura and I think you should. We think that you'll love the characters, atmosphere and fantastic costume design. And if you want, you can watch it right in our shop as it will be playing all month long! Check out the trailer here.

Penelope begins her journey of self acceptance declaring her independence with the help of an absolutely fantastic scarf - first to hide behind then to emerge from behind. In honor of her voyage, we are offering a beautiful(and free!)scarf with the purchase of any dress all month long. So keep warm and stay true to yourself!

Masquerade!

Today is the final day of "Phantom of the Opera" and the perfect day for a masquerade! Just for fun, if you shop with us today and arrive in your own mask or costume, you may have 10% off all of day's purchases! But there's a catch: You have to allow us to snap your photo and post it online!

Today is also the last day for free chandelier earrings with each dress purchase - don't miss out!

Become our 100th Facebook Fan!

We are so close to 100 fans on Facebook that we would like to just get there! Our 100th fan will receive a special prize. Will it be you?

Lynn Lugo's Fall Promotion

Our favorite bridesmaid and mothers-of-the-day designer Lynn Lugo is again offering her fantastic *Fall Promotion! Through November 30 receive $20 off every dress ordered. This savings is in addition to her ever-popular $25 per dress discount with orders of three dresses or more. And better yet, if you are a Premiere Couture bride, you get an additional 10% off! It's dizzying, isn't it? This is always the best time of year to purchase your Lynn Lugo!

And don't forget that if you purchase during October's "Phantom of the Opera" month you'll also receive a free pair of beautiful chandelier earrings with each dress! Truly dizzying! See you soon!

**Update: Since October has passed, you can now receive November's "Penelope" gift with purchase - a beautiful and fun scarf! Stay as warm as you are fashionable!

414

New Milwaukee area fashion magazine, 414, chose our "Mathia" by Lea Ann Belter for their very first issue and it turned out beautifully. Thank you 414!!

New Fall/Winter Arrivals

Let the parties begin! We've got brand new party dresses that will win you over with their fashion, fit and affordability!

We've received an entire new collection of bridesmaid dresses from Alyce Designs, a company that we've worked with for years for prom and evening dresses, that we're excited about. They are made in the same meticulous fashion that we are accustomed to yet they are priced from just $135 to about $200 and the range of colors is fantastic!

And remember, during "Phantom of the Opera" month, you will receive an awesome pair of chandelier earrings with every dress!!



I have included some in-store snapshots as well as some of the photos provided by the designer. You may wonder why I don't just always use the designers' photos as they are so well done and professional and the truth is that I have always preferred the authenticity of showing our designs actually residing in the store. Also, designers don't always photograph their dresses in the same color as they sample them or as we choose to show them. If ever you see a picture of a dress in the store and wonder about a professional perspective, just let me know and I'll send it to you if it's available.