I wish I could have been there for the Lafayette 148 NYC trunk show.  I love the names of the colors they used – cayenne! vermillion! coffee melange! I can’t wait to see what you bring into the store next fall.

The latest issue of Vogue got me excited about an event that will precede the fall styles-the summer Olympics. The magazine features spectacular photos of  America’s Olympic hopefuls (including Hope Solo -soccer, Ryan Lochte – swimming and Serena Williams – tennis):

In a series of brilliant photos by Annie Leibovitz, Karlie Kloss models designer clothing alongside several of the male Team USA contenders.

Gymnast Jonathan Horton

Doubles Partners Bob and Mike Bryan

And THE athlete to watch this summer, swimmer Ryan Lochte.

What I found, when perusing the article, was that the gorgeous Lanvin, Oscar de la Renta and Stella McCartney designs faded into the background, when paired with these driven, focused athletes.  You can feel their intensity, their desire to be the very best, almost lift off the page.

In Bruce Weber’s series of photos profiling the female athletes, several of them appear to be flying.

Gymnast Alexandra Raisman

Swimmer Missy Franklin (only 17-years-old!)

If they aren’t airborne, these women are at least powerful enough to outrun a train,

“Fastest Woman in the World” Carmelita Jeter

Or, hold the (soccer) world in their hands,

Soccer Players Hope Solo and Sydney Leroux

So, while I do love to read all about fashion in Vogue, I was more moved by the stories of these powerful men and women who desire to represent our country in front of the world this summer in London.  I wish I could be there to watch in person, but I’ll be glued to the t.v., cheering loudly, and wearing something fashionably red, white and blue.

Ann

All Images: Vogue

You’re not going to believe it — my little boutique is filled with Fall clothing. Yes, indeed – the entire Fall collection from Lafayette 148 New York arrived yesterday in several black trunks.  With my light and happy Spring dresses pushed up front, the back showroom is filled with cayenne, coffee melange, jade, dusk and vermillion cashmeres, fine wools and super knits.  With the air conditioning blasting, we are all walking around with our favorite pieces from the collection.  Ok, I’ll start with my favorite (which I must have):

The Vintage Lambskin Ochre Leather Jacket $848 at Julia Farr

As I may have mentioned in my last post on Lafayette 148, the designer Edward Wilkerson takes all inspiration for his designs from his global travels.  For Fall ’12, the impressions of his tour of Africa influenced his colors, fabrics, prints and designs.  The collection is punctuated with animal and reptile prints, a combination of bold colors and earth tones as well as textures that are so sensual.   You don’t need to travel to Africa to embrace the experience! (Although I’m completely open to a safari if you are!)  Photographed below are some of the lead colors, cuts and looks that we love here at Julia Farr.

Astute Crepe Weave Dress $548

Double Faced Twill Coat $1298

Etched Croc Lambskin Jacket $998

Primal Strokes Slim Skirt $398

All designs are available at Julia Farr. Our trunk show runs until June 4th.  Email julia@juliafarrdc.com for an appointment, call the boutique at 202-364-3277 or just stop in!

–Julie

Photographs courtesy of Lafayette 148 New York

DC jewelry designer Sissy Yates aglow in Ports 1961

Ann,

Happy One Year of You Look Pretty!  Think of all the letters we’ve exchanged — from my love of blazers to your love of bright colors!  And still SO much more to write about. I mentioned in a note to you a few weeks ago that I would get back in touch about the high fashion worn at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner 2012.  We (meaning all of us at Julia Farr) had the great chance to dress a few of Washington’s most spectacular women for the weekend events, including CNN’s Dana Bash, Fashion Editor of Washingtonian, Kate Bennett, Style Editor of the Washington Post, Katherine Boyle, and brilliant jewelry designer, Sissy Yates. All of them graced the festivities of the weekend wearing stunning designs from Ports 1961, coming this Fall 2012 to Julia Farr.

I visited the Ports 1961 showroom this past February to view their Fall ’12 Collection.  After being swept away with their beautifully fitted sheath dresses, cashmere pencil skirts with fur edging and a host of gorgeous knits and silks, I wholeheartedly committed myself, my boutique and all the women of Washington to welcoming Ports with open arms this Fall.  Their Director of Retail Support, Eddie Parsons, who knows the DC fashion scene inside-and-out after several spending years at the Chevy Chase Neiman Marcus, suggested that he bring some gowns to Julia Farr to kick off our association and introduce the designs in a very big way.  Our clients loved the gowns. Eddie loved our clients. Just look at how elegant these women looked that weekend!

CNN reporter and anchor Dana Bash (right) wearing Ports 1961

Katherine Boyle, Style, Washington Post, wearing  hot pink gown from Ports 1961

Kate Bennett (right), Fashion Editor, Washingtonian, in Ports 1961 silver metallic sheath

About Ports 1961

Ports 1961 is new to Julia Farr in DC, but not to fashion. Originally a Canadian fashion house, Ports arrived in New York in 2004 under the creative directorship of sisters Tia and Fiona Cibani. Tia departed after 5 years and now leaves the job to her sister Fiona. They describe themselves as women without boarders, drawing their design inspiration from passionate globetrotting.  Ports made a public splash in the  2006 in the movie THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and again in 2008 in SEX IN THE CITY.

For over 50 years the company has created elegant, clean designs with an international influence. Independent global minded women in the 1960’s called for freedom and as dynamic social changes swept the world, the face of fashion was forever revoluntionized. In 1961, Luke Tanabe created a business that embraced the jet set era and celebrated global travel. He introduced the No. 10 Blouse upon which the Ports empire was built. “I make clothes for a woman who is intelligent, a woman who doesn’t want to wear things that will distract from her.”

I’m with Mr. Tanabe, Ann!  And we can’t wait to introduce the Fall Collection of Ports 1961 in a few months. I’ll let you know when the collection hits the boutique.

– Julie

We have almost 600 followers, from Facebook, Twitter and through email subscriptions and we’ve had over 24,000 views of our blog this year. Wow!

We hope that, with each post, we provide you with a helpful tip or suggestion about fashion, focusing on current trends.  We know how busy you all are, so we try to keep our posts brief and to the point, and to include lots of photos and links, to help you satisfy your fashion desires immediately.

Writing You Look Pretty together has enabled the two of us to inspire one another’s creativity from a distance.  We’ve loved participating in an ongoing conversation about fashion, because we think it’s more fun when it’s a shared, creative experience.

We are so grateful to all of our friends for supporting our foray into the blogosphere and making this such a wonderful experience.  We love to hear from you, and hope that you will continue to comment on the blog, and add your own insights into what you think looks pretty!

Cheers to another year!

Ann and Julie

To our faithful readers:

We are thrilled to present to you our inaugural designs for the Julia Farr Collection.

When Julia opened her boutique two years ago, she knew that she wanted to design her own line of clothing that embodied her vision of providing essential pieces for her clients, with pieces that support and complement one another, with personal expression and flexibility woven throughout.

Last summer, Ann joined her as a partner in the Julia Farr Collection. We have built the collection around Julia’s vision to provide essential, classic designs, made from elegant, luxurious fabrics for an overall enlightened look for the busy, modern woman.

Since our connection began at Georgetown, we have named our designs after significant places in Washington, DC.

We began with the foundation for every woman’s wardrobe, the essential pencil skirt, named after the foundation building at Georgetown, Healy.

Healy Skirt in 100% wool, $220

shown here with a Tibi blouse and a Kara Ross belt

We know that there are many different body types out there (we are two examples of that – with a six-inch difference in height between the two of us!), so we developed another pencil skirt, with a higher waist and a defined waistband, and named it after our second favorite building at Georgetown, Copley.

Copley Skirt in 100% silk, $220

Prospect Blouse in stretch silk charmeuse, $250

The Copley skirt is paired with the Prospect blouse, named after the street in Georgetown, that leads away from campus and toward downtown.

Julie gave you a sneak peek at our Sheridan dress last Friday.  It is named for Sheridan circle, the area near Embassy Row.  We feel the Sheridan embodies the continental feel of this part of DC, and would look fabulous in Paris, Prague or Peshawar!

Sheridan Dress, $320

We are in the midst of setting up an online marketplace, so our readers all over the world (hello Laura in Doha, Qatar!) can purchase our designs.  In the meantime, if you’re interested in any of the styles you see here, please give Julie a call and she’ll be happy to talk to you!

Our spring collection is a “soft” launch of the line.  We are planning an official launch, with a BIG party, in the fall.  But, we wanted to share our inaugural spring designs with our blog readers first!

Family is an important part of both of our lives, so we were both so pleased to showcase the Sheridan dress on Mother’s Day(albeit, 1,000 miles apart from each other), accompanied by our darling children (who DID help plant flowers!).

Happy Mother’s Day!

Ann and Julie

Happy Almost Mother’s Day!  I hope your family is planning a fun and relaxing day for you.  I’m hoping my children will plant all the Spring flowers in the garden for me — too much to ask?!

This year, you and I have THE answer to the question “What to Wear”  on Mother’s Day for brunch or dinner. That’s right – you guessed it – our first dress design of the Julia Farr Collection.

The Sheridan Dress by Julia Farr and Ann Prochnow, $320 at Julia Farr

It’s a beautiful shade of pale coral and ivory with a silvery shimmer.  Made of viscose, it is lightweight with a fitted upper waist, a slide slit that is not too high and a beautiful neckline.  And to wear with it, a cute clutch and great jewelry from Kara Ross, of course!

Kara Ross Passion papaya python clutch ($955) & cuff ($290), Pink resin earrings ($145) and Pink sugarloaf ring ($170) at Julia Farr

Bravo, Ann, for being a great mother to your two fabulous children — and for designing a dress for all the other marvelous mothers to wear this Sunday!  (And if all your friends in town need the Sheridan dress by Saturday, call the boutique at 202-364-3277 and we will ship it out for Saturday delivery.)

–Julie

]]> http://youlookpretty.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/what-to-wear-for-mothers-day/feed/ 3 juliafarr JFMother'sDay KRaccessoriescoral http://youlookpretty.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/2518/ http://youlookpretty.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/2518/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 10:05:44 +0000 Ann http://youlookpretty.wordpress.com/?p=2518 Continue reading →]]> Julie,

Thank you for sharing the most recent issue of Capitol File with me, including the profile of our friend and Georgetown classmate, jewelry designer, Kara Ross.

Although we both know all about Kara’s exquisite fine jewelry collection, as well as her Kara by Kara Ross line of jewelry , belts and handbags (carried at Julia Farr),

I was thrilled to learn about her recent commission by the White House Office of Protocol.

The White House asked her to create a shirt cuff bracelet using the fallen limbs from a famous magnolia tree on the White House grounds that was planted by Andrew Jackson as a tribute to his wife.  Kara used this combination of history and nature to create an elegant, modern piece.

What a tribute it is to Kara, that the White House specifically sought her out, as an American jewelry artist to create unique gifts to give to heads of state and departing staff members.

Now, if I can just finagle a visit to the Oval Office, maybe I could snag one of those bracelets for myself!

Ann

All images from Capitol File, except handbag, which is from Kara Ross.

Thanks for your Derby Day Prep! How about those hats?  It seems bigger IS better at Churchill Downs.  I thought the grand hats were like works of art with frill on top. We celebrated the Kentucky Derby – as Farrs do – with the Dent family recipe Mint Juleps and a friendly family pool.  I continued my non-winning streak, while my sister, Stephanie, took home the money.  Here we are (Stephanie, Dad, me, George) kicking off the festivities:

And since we focus on fashion, I am wearing a Catherine Malandrino striped silk tunic ($275)

and Joe’s Honey Booty Cut White Jeans ($170). Both available at Julia Farr.

Today, I’m headed to New York for the Intermezzo market at the Piers to view Holiday 2012.  There seems to be a “market” every six weeks.  Just as soon as you finish submitting all your Fall orders, it begins again. Here’s my lineup for today:  Alice + Olivia, Milly, Kara Ross, R.U. Swanky Belts and Joe’s Jeans.  Tomorrow, I’ll see, among others, Milly Handbags and Halston Heritage.  I’ll visit a few other designers that I don’t currently carry to see if they are a good fit for Julia Farr.

The Halston showroom on Spring Street in SoHo is by far the coolest place we go.  The space has recently been remodeled to reflect the new creative direction of the company. It harkens back to the iconic Halston days of the 1970′s – yet the collection is current and chic.  My boutique will welcome several Halston Heritage styles this Fall that are both essential and elegant.  Some are even enlightened.

I’ll send photos from the Halston showroom and give the wrap up on Holiday ’12 later this week.  And don’t you know it, I’ll be back at market in June for Pre-Spring 2013!

–Julie

]]> http://youlookpretty.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/ill-have-another-back-to-market-we-go/feed/ 0 juliafarr photo-4 http://youlookpretty.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/off-and-running/ http://youlookpretty.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/off-and-running/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 10:00:44 +0000 Ann http://youlookpretty.wordpress.com/?p=2493 Continue reading →]]> Julie,

The greatest two minutes in sports, the Kentucky Derby, is on Saturday.

The first time I watched the Kentucky Derby was with you!  We were seniors in college and had gone down to your family beach house in Maryland with a group of friends.  Like a good Southern gal, you made us all get dressed up, and fixed everyone a mint julep before we sat down to watch the race.

Mint Julep Recipe

10 mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons superfine sugar
Seltzer water
Crushed ice
2 1/2 ounces Kentucky bourbon whiskey

Place the mint leaves in the bottom of an old-fashioned glass and top with the sugar. Muddle these together until the leaves begin to break down. Add a splash of seltzer water, fill the glass 3/4 full with crushed ice, and add the bourbon. Top with another splash of seltzer, stir, and garnish with a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

Although I love sports, and drinking cocktails, the big fun of the Kentucky Derby is seeing all the fabulous hats that Derby-goers are famous for.  Here a few snapshots of some stellar hats from Derby days gone by.

Obviously, bigger IS better at the Kentucky Derby.

We always have an informal bet (i.e. no cash passes hands) at our house.  This year, my money is on Bodemeister.  Is it because he won the Arkansas Derby and is being ridden by jockey Mike Smith, who won the Derby in 2005?  Nope.

It’s because he is named BODEmeister, after our own adorable Bode.

I always bet with my heart!

And they’re off!

Ann

You know how much I LOVE Kate Spade.  Not only are her designs elegant and ladylike, with a specific retro aesthetic, but she is from my hometown, Kansas City.

She has just debuted a line of fabulous swimwear.  Bikinis (love the high-waist bottom!),

One-piece,

And a pareo,

Her signature retro styling is evident here, as is her sunny, happy prints.  The swimwear line was developed with Malia Mills.  Mills, who has designed swimwear for over 25 years, is well-known for her flattering designs and fit.

You have to go to her blog and watch this video.

It’s an interactive experience, where you chose the action and the music. You’ll want to join the Kate Spade world after watching it.  It’ll make you excited for summer and thirsty for a Red Stripe beer (watch it and you’ll see…).

Ann