Bon Jour! I have a personal story I would like to share because I find it absolutely fascinating. This most likely can be filed under the Lifestyle heading of Gladstone Lifestyle & Clothing although it involves clothes as well, actually just 1 very special dress. As a stylist, I am constantly observing and analyzing fashion. At every event I attend, I notice details. Every single detail of every single person at that event. You may say its a sickness, but I call it a talent. Having said that, at a recent very high profile event, as I was analyzing or dissecting the crowd to put it bluntly, I noticed a stand out, one of a kind, show stopping dress. I had to have it. First of all it was white sateen, and I longed all summer for the perfect white dress and my efforts to find one was to no avail. Yes, it was a bit late in the season for her to be wearing it, however, it was 90 degrees that day in Los Angeles and we all know southern California has its own dress code.I granted a fashion pardon. I followed her around the event to observe this fabulous dress. It seemed effortless, unconstructed yet flattering and exactly what I had been searching for all summer. Loosely tied at the waist, and deep V back making it sexy yet unassuming. She paired it with a lovely pair of grey suede booties, bringing it into the fall season. I had to ask. Every woman loves to be told she looks fabulous in a dress at an event as such. She graciously told me the designer was Acne. I know, horrible name! Leave it to the Swedes….it actually stands for Ambition to Create Novel Expressions, started in Stockholm in 1996. They since changed the name of the company to Acne Studios for more than obvious reasons. Note to self, learn a language better before starting a company in a a foreign language. I raced home that evening and immediately searched Google for an Acne dress. I found the name of the dress as the Acne Marnay Fluid Dress. The beauty of the Internet. Acne is carried in various specialty boutiques around the US and has a following of a few celebs such as Rihanna and Alexa Chung, otherwise a very specialty designer. Of course I did a specific Google search to find my fabulous dress and what did I find you may ask? Search and search and search again, I only find ONE place I can buy this dress. I am directed to farfetch.com. To say I am obsessed is an understatement. It is an online marketplace that involves a network of boutiques around the world. They are able to send me my favorite dress from a store in MONACO!!! Oh wait, it gets better. I am offered the dress yet there is only one piece available. Guess what? It happens to be MY size! Oh wait, then they tell me the dress is on sale for 40% off. Oh, Im sorry, did I not mention that the duties from Monaco are included in my ridiculous sale price and that they will pick it up and return it for a full refund if it doesnt work? Who doesnt want a dress from Monaco? In less than 4 days, the DHL man delivers me a package. The outside box says Farfetch.com. Inside is a tres chic paper bag with a dress inside. The coveted white dress with a postcard. The postcard is handwritten and reads, Dear Lori, Many thanks for shopping with us. Enjoy your amazing Acne dress! Regards from Monaco. the WIP team, standing for the boutique Work In Progress that it came from. The best part of the story is that I LOVE the dress. The fact that its from a land far away makes it that much better. Cant show you the dress because I must wear it at a future event and I want it to be a surprise. A story about a girl and a dress. Period.
