Renewal, jewels and reinvention

Last night's book party/jewelry trunk show at Bethesda's Ginger was a hit. The store filled up with friends and fans of jewelry designer Suzanne Somersall and writer Cathy Alter, who was signing paperback copies of Up For Renewal, her account of how she rose from the depths of post-divorce bourbon-and-bad-boy hell to ... I won't give away the ending.  Only to say she did it by following the advice of women's glossies. Silly? No; it worked. Obviously. Life coach Stuart Schneiderman's blog  praising Cathy's book basically says, when in trauma, "outsource decision-making." Eureka! When last night Jane Pennewell appeared as though out of the pages of a glossy in breezy silk trousers, a billowy linen blouse and chic haircut, she looked so sharp, I had to stop sipping chardonnay long enough to ask, "Who is she? And, how does she know how to dress like that?" Easy: she's an image consultant Cathy interviewed for her recent Washington Post story "The Minor Makeover." Again, when in doubt, outsource decision-making. As it turns out, that's what Pennewell did. She says after tragedy struck her family and she couldn't/didn't want to get out of bed, a friend got her up, dressed and out--every day. Pennewell ultimately decided to stay up, reinvent herself and dedicate herself to helping people do the same. Hence the warm smile. Everybody has a story. Each provides a peek behind the cover and a chance to find new means of survival, which sometimes requires a little reinvention. 

Image consultant (right) Jane Pennewell with friend and client Ann Tognetti

Cathy Alter signs books and shows off snazzy shoes from Ginger

Cathy with friend and Ginger owner Gretchen Hitchner 

Jewelry designer Suzanne Somersall 

Present to Myself

Ok, it's been one solid week on South Beach (no, not the sandy one in Miami) and I've been a superstar. No cocktailing it up at events, no wine on the deck (well, not much anyway), nary a slice of white bread, cracker or cookie :). So I treated myself (anyway) to a splashy bracelet (just like my friend Zena's, only mine is green) I found at Be You Fashion,  a fab kiosk on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda. The hats are fabulous; the purses unique and the jewelry is all about big chunky fun. This is Be You Fashion's first year at this location. Owner Marian Afia Ann says she's been at Eastern Market for three years, Montgomery Farm Women's Cooperative for two, and will be parked on Woodmont each April-October. Right now look for a huge array of big-brimmed, colorful hats some of which Ann designs and has handmade in Madagascar. 

My bracelet. It's like a small outfit.

I like this floral satin purse.

Hats range from $35-$45

Stiletto Strut 101

Impressed by Germans running foot races in high heels? (Click here for the video.) Humiliated by your Aunt Frieda, who at 80 can strut a heel much better than you with your undisciplined flip-flop-packing feet? Fret no more. Dr. Emily Splichal aka "Dr. Legs"  and the  Washington Sports Club have teamed up to save the day with "Catwalk Confidence," a fitness series to help show those high heels who's boss starting at the South Bethesda location July 29. No, I'm not kidding. The stiletto whisperer has created a workout incorporating balance and posture that helps you learn how not to do the ankle twist, the tilting forward but-jutt, the stutter step, the "arrghh, i'm in shoe hell and it shows" walks. Just put on your 4-inchers and learn to glide, baby glide. 

I Second That

As a subscriber to CityShopGirl I am privy to the site's deals and specials around town and want to share Friday's  "Deal of the Day." I checked out the "up and coming" designer Francoise Olivas' website and fell in love--gorgeous retro-y romance with a social conscience. The best news is that the up and coming designer is having a trunk show in Chevy Chase today from 11-5 at De La Ines Salon. Here's the scoop from CSG:

Up and coming NYC based designer Francoise Olivas, whose design resume includes a stint at Nanette Lepore, will showcase her whimsical designs.  Francoise seamlessly combines ‘traditional craft’ and ‘modern industry’ to create an innovative line of socially conscious and earth-friendly garments.  Her spring and summer collection will be 20-50% off, with prices ranging from $20-150.  She will also preview her fall collection and show one-of-a-kind pieces.  Trunk show hosted at De La Ines Salon in Chevy Chase on Sat. July 24 from 11-5.

De La Ines 5520 Connecticut Avenue, #3 Washington, D.C. 20015 202-362-4280 www.francoiseolivas.com www.de-la-ines.com

Asking Amy at Eileen Fisher

Fans of flowing Eileen Fisher clothing flocked to Wisconsin Place last night to welcome the new store to the hood and meet syndicated columnist "Ask Amy" Dickinson, who in addition to writing her daily syndicated column (not daily in the Post) just came out with a memoir, The Mighty Queens of Freeville. In addition to Freeville, Dickinson spent time in DC, where daughter Emily, now 20, attended the Maret school. (Amy's dress was a fun homemade find from Georgetown's Christ Church Thrift Shop.) Local ties established, she then read from the book and recounted some misadventures while on her book tour, including - the fan favorite - her adventures with the crew on "The View." I had to know, so I asked Amy, "How Do You Know Everything?" She said mostly life experience, suggesting the answer lies in the book... Natch. She knows a lot; she's also a regular on NPR's "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!" The crowd loved her: the store was filled with mostly Fisher-clad women who after enjoying crab cakes and white wine left with full shopping bags, a copy of the book and a New Yorker, where Amy worked as a receptionist after college.

Took Myself to the Ball Game

Last night I passed up a chance to see Stacy London of "What Not To Wear" (could've kept her busy for hours) and instead went to the old ball game in Bethesda to relive quieter times in my now-bustling B-Town and see Bethesda Magazine editor Steve Hull throw the first pitch. And why not? As I found out, I'd happily stumbled into Big Train's "Sports Journalist All-Star" night, and in Bethesda that means names like Tim Kurkjian of ESPN, Michael Jenkins of Comcast Sportsnet, Brett Haber of Channel 9 and many more. Though Hull isn't a sports journalist per se right now, he did spend some time writing about his son's hockey games for B-CC High School, and he is a hockey player and former hockey coach - not to mention a Big Train game sponsor. After his opening throw (which was followed by a few others) we were treated to the national anthem as belted out by the big voice of tot singer Kaitlyn Maher of "America's Got Talent." As the game played on, the crickets hummed, the sun set, the announcer, radio show host Andy Pollin, interviewed the guest journalists over the loudspeaker. The crowd filled up on pizza, Chick-fil-A and Gifford's as kids wearing baseball gloves tried to catch memento foul balls and homers. This is as close as it gets to the best of small-town living in Bethesda. And it still feels pretty authentic.

Kaitlyn lets 'er rip

Batter up!

Mascot Homer works the crowd

Up for Renewal Redux

On July 30 Gretchen Hitchner will turn her store Ginger over to her (and my) good friend Cathy Alter to celebrate the paperback launch of Cathy's book Up For Renewal. The book is Cathy's real-life (and very clever) portrayal of how she solved a definite lifestyle "slump" by following the advice of popular magazines, one mag at a time. The result is much more than a new life for Cathy--it's a hilarious, perceptive romp through a phase in Cathy's life that any of us who ever picked up a mag ISO of "a whole new life" or something/anything we could latch onto. I admit I'm one of those, and I loved the book (hardback version). We Bethesdans are very happy the party is right here at the fabulous Ginger on Bethesda Lane, where Cathy (who also teaches writing at Johns Hopkins) will be on hand to sign copies of  the book, hot off the presses with a brand new cover.  And if that's not enough, local jewelry designer Suzanne Sommersall will also be in the store to showcase her new "Barcelona" collection of fabulous fine jewelry.  RSVP@thepattongroupinc.com, 301-229-4883