Getting ready to open Milly & Grace!

Spring has sprung.  That means it’s time to get the store ready to open! Over the winter we close up, clear everything out and freshen up the place. I also do all of the buying for the whole season. Every year April 1st rolls around and we start from scratch. Boxes upon boxes arrive daily and we fill the shop up with the goodies that I find over the winter. It feels like we are opening up a new store every year! It is so lovely to have the time to really think about the previous year – what worked and what didn’t and how can we make this next year better than last year.  Bring it on Year 5!  We have some fun new things in store for you!

We have a fresh coat of paint and brand new floors! season5 We are getting new fitting room curtains made – here is the fabric:season5aBlue and white is going to be HUGE this season. We are talking every shade of blue; navy to chambray! LoveShackFancy and Joie did blue & white in big way this spring.  season5c season5bBlack & White is also big for spring.  Digging this print from Joie.
season5d Tagging jewelry takes forever!!!!! season5e season5f I’ve been looking forward to these coming in! Might have to come up with a new cocktail inspired by this martini glass.season5g Karen Adams is coming out with some great new products! Here are some new designs:season5h Harry Barker, our new dog line arrived. We’ve done some product testing. Ivy approves.season5i Stay tuned! I’ll be posting more sneak peeks before we open on April 25th!

Fall ’14 Style Report & Top Picks!

The overall trend for Fall 2014 is pretty and feminine.  This Milly & Grace Girl is very happy.  The color palette is going to be soft and muted and the two colors we saw most were light pink & cool gray.  Could Fall 2014 get any more perfect?!
The Fall Color Palette: light pink, cool gray, powder blues, heather charcoals, rich creams, pretty browns, and tans. The pop of color is sangria and emerald.
Style Trends: Elegant high necklines, lace, solid clean sweaters, fur vests, lots of plaid, drop waist dresses and feminine florals.
Shopping recommendations: Make sure to have a plaid shirt, a thicker solid turtleneck sweater in a soft color (light pink or powder blue), a faux fur vest, a pretty floral silk top and a lace dress!

Here are my top picks from the designers we carry at Milly & Grace:
Joie faux fur vest (We are also getting this in black):joiefurvest
Free People deep purple fringe party dress:
freepeople
Rebecca Taylor high neck floral top:
RebeccaTaylortop
Rebecca Taylor floral dress:
RebeccaTaylor2
Splendid staples:
splendid

 Tracy Reese “Chanel inspired” long sweater coat:tracyreeseParker gray suede dress:parker

We are excited go announce that we are going to have a few new jewelry lines this coming season!
Shashi:shashiTheia:
fring

Another new addition to the line up are these water bottles made by Swell!  They keep beverages cold for 24 hours or hot 12 hours!!  Say What??!!Swell Water bottlesI know that Fall is so far away.  But don’t worry, stick with me and I’ll be sure to remind you about the upcoming trends!

Fall 2014 Market – New York

Day 1 – Travel Day: This trip Patty and I stayed at the Dream Hotel Downtown in the Meatpacking District.  We like to try out a different hotel every time we go to NYC so that we can get to know the different neighborhoods.  The jury is still out on my favorite area of the city.  I have to say, I’m really liking the Meatpacking/Chelsea area. The Dream

The hotel was great!!  (Just make sure your room isn’t near the elevators – it was a little loud). DreamroomPhotos from DreamHotel.comUSAflagdreamhotel

We had dinner at Tipsy Parson.  Southern meets the city – super cute decor and very filling food.  The warm kale salad and the mac & cheese are a must.  And the pork chop was very delicious as well! tipsyparsonPhotos from TipsyParson.com

Day 2 – 1st day of Market Outfit: Rebecca Taylor top (vintage Milly & Grace), Blank Denim jeans (available at Milly & Grace), Coach Madison Small Kelsey Bag in Cognac, Steve Madden booties, Chanel lipgloss in Seashell, & Dannijo bracelets (available at Milly & Grace).fmoutfit1StackingDannijo

After a long day on our feet we met up for dinner & drinks with the girls from The Lovely! Julie, Sarah, Emme, Patty & I headed to Soho to an excellent Thai restaurant called Kittichai.  We loved the ambiance here.  I recommend the lettuce wraps, the tuna tartare and the steak.  The steak was especially delicious!! KITTICHAIPhotos from kennected & kittichai.com.

Day 3 – 2nd day of marketOutfit: Nili Lotan turtleneck ruana (We will be carrying Nili Lotan at Milly & Grace and a version of this will be available this fall!!), Blank Denim gray jeans (available at Milly & Grace), Henri Bendel collection bag, Ralph Lauren boots, Gillian Julius bracelet (available at Milly & Grace), Chanel Sunglasses & Chanel Lipgloss in Wild Rose.FMoutfit2For dinner we met up with my friend Amanda at La Esquina.  (Amanda is getting married next weekend!! Remember I went to her bachelorette weekend in Mexico??) This place was too good – shh!  Don’t tell anyone!!  An authentic Mexican restaurant with the most outrageously delicious grilled Mexican corn (this is a must!).  Amanda knew what to order so we followed her lead – I recommend the tuna & chicken tostadas and the steak & chicken tacos.  The only negative was that their classic margarita wasn’t great but I will definitely be going back!laesquinaPhotos from LaEsquina.com

Day 4 – Last day of the market: Outfit: Ralph Lauren sweater & turquoise necklace, Blank Denim jeans, Steve Madden booties, Coach bag, Chanel sunglasses & Kevin Aucoin lipgloss in Hydraa (available at Beauty by the Sea on Nantucket!)FMoutfit3For our last night, we indulged ourselves and had dinner at L’Artusi in the West Village.  This Italian place knocked our socks off.  Everything about it.  The service, the ambiance, the decor, the drinks and especially the food.  This place was definitely my favorite of the lot.  I recommend the housemade ricotta, the mushroom salad, the orecchiette, and the chicken.

LArtusiPhoto from lartusi.coml'artusiricotta

Day 5 – Travel home:  Patty & I always have so much fun in NYC and it is always sad when the trip is over.  However, the exciting news is that the buying for 2014 is now complete!Emily&PattyWe can’t wait to open on April 25th and show you all the goodies we picked out for this season!!