Farewell Fashion Folio, Hello Haleeb & Honey!

Hello friends!

I wanted to thank you all for reading my simple, little ole blog for the last four years!  Man, has it been that long?!  I started Fashion Folio back in 2009 as a creative outlet to write about something I love so much, fashion!  I felt at the time, as I still do, that you should never have to move somewhere else to do what you love to do.  As a Colorado native, I wanted to be here, in Denver.  After a semester of fashion merchandising school in San Francisco back in 2007, I decided I needed to move back home and take my chances.  I think I was home for a day or so when a girlfriend and I decided to go out for a girls’ night downtown.  I met my now husband!  I also landed a paid fashion editorial gig with the now defunct This Week in Denver website.  I have really enjoyed the opportunities that have come across my desk with Fashion Folio- tickets to local fashion shows, news about local designers, first dibs on sales, but a lot has changed singe 2009.  Now married, a homeowner, a college grad and a new momma, I really want to take my writing more seriously and open it up to cover ALL of my interests, which can all be boiled down to one main thing- sharing my love of Denver and all the things that make this place so great.

So, let me be the first to introduce you to my new labor of love, Haleeb & Honey!  Haleeb is milk in Arabic, my hubby is from Syria, and since becoming a momma I have realized that we all start off with the basics, milk.  It provides our bodies with all the complexities of nourishment needed to grow, and our momma’s make it!  Pretty incredible…So, Haleeb & Honey is meant to be a place to get your daily dose to help you continue to grow.  As a challenge to myself to continue to do what I love to do, explore my city, try new restaurants, visit new places, style a new trend, meet a new friend, read a book, discover an artist or musical talent, and you can fill in the blanks too, I wanted a place to share the highlights with you all too.  I love nothing more than to play tour guide around my dear Denver, so I hope you use this as your little pocket guide.  If you are ever in town, look me up or shoot me a line!

If you are anything like me, you can’t resist a little something sweet to round out your day.  Bring on the honey!  I am reserving plenty of blog space on the new site for sprinklings of sweetness!  I hope you will all follow along with me on the adventures about to unfold over on Haleeb & Honey!

I am so happy to launch just in time for the holidays!  We have some great things coming, including a few GREAT giveaways from some of my favorite local boutiques!

Thanks so much for reading, returning, and sharing Fashion Folio over the years, and I’ll see you over on the new site!

…Glo

Would You Call These “Mom” Jeans?

Since becoming a momma, I can now fully “get” what they mean when they say “things change.”  Yes, you can still stay true to your aesthetic in most ways, and still have a distinct style or look, but if you’re truly being honest with yourself, and hands on with your babe, I mean, literally on the floor playing super man with your babe, then you understnad that super low rise jeans just won’t work.  Well, let me rephrase, super low rise jeans will inevitably show your crack if you at Gymboree class on the mats.  Super low rise jeans will show your thong if you bend over to fold down that stroller to get it in the back of your car.  Drawing a picture in your head now?  So, I would say my life is MORE active now than ever, what with all the bending and crouching and lifting and scooching… So, new denim was in order.

In comes the line Poetic Justice by Kalia Kirby.  (Angel voices and bells ring.)  I received my pair of Maya Basic Blue Midrise Skinny Jeans, just $42, on Friday and I ended up wearing them all weekend long!  Yesterday, the little fam and I headed downtown for Denver Arts Week.  We visited the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, both FREE entry for their “Museum Night.”  We stopped at Pinches Tacos for an order of street tacos to go before heading home.  I wore this pair of jeans with a Madewell tee, naot shoes and a thrifted corduroy blazer.  Today I had a coffee date and I ended up wearing the jeans again, this time with a silky tank from Anthropologie, another brown corduroy jacket and heels this time.  The length is PERFECT for a taller gal like me, and the rise around the waist, well, it also sat perfectly.  Super stretchy and comfy, they really feel awesome on a curvier frame like mine.

So, call them what you might, speaking to you childless gals out there, but I felt stylish and sexy in these, but most importantly comfortable!  Definitely slowly replacing my denim with a higher rise and this was the perfect pair to get that transition started.  Did I mention they were less than $50?!  They have a HUGE selection of rinses and styles, and free returns.  Go ahead, try a pair!  or two or three at that price!  So what do you think?

Cheers to keeping the crack under wraps!

I was able to do an e-interview with the designer, Kalia Kirby, and here’s what she had to share with us about her denim!

Name/Age/Where were you born, the city you grew up in, and where do you live now?

Kalia Kirby /29/ Los Angeles/ Los Angeles

How/why/when did you decide to start a denim line?

The idea of Poetic Justice spawned from my struggle with denim that fit my shape as well as every other woman that  dealt with the same issue. I felt that there was a need for denim that fit well and that was comfortable as well as stylish.

What celebrity or famous person would you love to see rocking your line?

Oh my… so many… Alicia Keys, Jordan Sparks, Jennifer Hudson… this list goes on.

With so many denim lines already in the market place, you really must have had the desire to fill a niche you saw.  Talk to me a little bit about the nuts and bolts.  Where is your manufacturer?

Our Manufacturer is based in China but everything is styled in the states.

How many designers do you have working on the line or is it just you?

I take the lead on most of the designs but I work with one other designer.

Share with me about the quality…. Where is your fabric sourced?

The denim we use is light weight, soft to the touch, and has great recovery. It takes a lot of fabric sourcing to get the perfect denim so we look everywhere.

Talk to me about what your background is in.  What did you do before designing denim?

My background has always been in design.  I couldn’t get enough of design so I went and got a Masters of Fine Arts.  I started my career in Knits and Woven but I always knew I wanted to design denim.

Do you personally wear your own line?  If so, what styles?  What is your favorite pair and how do you wear it?

Oh yeah! I love the basic Maya Midrise, the Camo Skinny and the Tara Black/Gold Lizard Skinny.

If you aren’t in your own denim, what brand would we find you in?  What other designers of clothing, (dresses/tops/shoes) do you admire?

You would find me in Joes and Citizens, but when it comes to tops I’m open to all different styles, quality, and price.  When it comes to shoes I love Aldo, Pour La Victore, Lamb, and Sam Edelman.

If we were to peek into your closet, what would it look like?

I love to mix trends with classic pieces.  How many pairs of denim do you own? I own over 40 pairs of jeans. I have them organized by color : )

Are you a shoe or handbag collector?

It’s nothing like an amazing pair of shoes and a killer handbag so would most definitely say yes and yes.

Do you like prints or pattern or are you a monochromatic kind of girl?

I love color.  I try to wear colors that compliment my skin tone but monochromatic are classic so I dabble with both.

Do you plan to expand the line into other products?

We’ve actually started to produce jackets which should be available at the end of December.

How did you come up with the name for the line?

My team and I were just playing around with names for a few days.  We wanted something catchy and easy to remember.  From that process Poetic Justice was born.

Where can people purchase a pair?

Currently we are only being sold online at Poeticjusticejeans.com.

Thanks so much for reading!  Let me know if you end up getting a pair!

Shane Co., ‘One Block East’… You Know the Ads but Have You Been In?

Ann Taylor wool coat, thrifted cream blouse, thrifted Oscar de la Renta scarf, thrifted tan leather purse, Hudson jeans and Ninew West clogs.

I have to be honest, I am JUST now entering the territory of purchasing “nice” jewelry.  Could be the amount of birthdays I have accumulated, could be the birth of a daughter, marriage…but something is leading me to make wiser purchases when it comes to jewelry.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a walking billboard for costume jewelry, I LOVE the fast accessories by the cash wraps and it’s hard to pass the jewelry cases when I thrift, but REAL jewelry, REAL gold and gems are calling me lately.  When you see the prices of the fake stuff, you realize you can get an oz. of gold….So when I was invited to attend a fall event, Wine & Wishes at Shane Co. last Sunday, I stepped out of my comfort zone, staying in on a Sunday night and stepped up my jeans a notch with some glam vintage rhinestone earrings to get into the spirit of shopping “nice” jewelry.

FACT: I had not been in a Shane Co. before.  Will I be back after this event?  Definitely!  The staff was so incredibly warm and welcoming and happy to clean my rings and let me play dress up with diamond bangles they brought in especially for the event.  I had a glass of super tasty wine, if someone is reading this who went or worked, what is the name of it because the one with five grapes was SO GOOD!  The catering from Footers was also too good to pass.  Was I the only one walking around stuffing those shrimp and chicken skewers in my mouth?  I had such a great night, playing with jewelry.  That’s what jewelry should be about!  Icing on the cake, cherry on the top, the final touch…stop me… Yes, of course they have the one room with all the engagement rings and wedding bands, and right hand rings and push present type bling- they call it the “Bridal Jewelry,” but they also have a huge room, just as large all filled with “Fashion Jewelry.”  I divided my time between both rooms.  Looking for a belated push present…not to gift myself, but hubby could use some direction, and also looking at all the fun earrings and even REAL strands of pearls in the Fashion room.  EVERY girl should own a strand of REAL pearls.  Did you know you can get a set for $135?!  Might as well get the real ones that won’t chip and break!

I plan to make another trip back soon, next time with hubby.  They have two Colorado locations.  One in Westminster of I-25 and 104th, remember the radio commercials playing in your head now?  Or, one down south off Arapahoe Road in Centennial.  I didn’t realize they also have 22 locations nationwide!  I do know that whatever location  you visit, you won’t feel snubbed, or intimidated and you CAN and WILL find something in a multitude of price points.  I did ask about birthstone earrings possibly for my daughter and while they don’t have “baby jewelry” you can get stones in a very small cut and have the posts cut down.  I also learned that they do not carry semi precious stones, like her birth stone of Emerald, because they are too soft and can break.  Shane Co. offers a lifetime warranty on all of their pieces.

Here’s a few things that caught my eye at the party below.  Oh, and I was happily home and in my comfies just in time to catch my new fave show, The Good Wife.  How about you?  What’s your feelings on jewelry?  Ever visited a Shane Co.?

Every girl needs a pair of diamond studs, including moi!  On my wishlist!

Hmmm…which one is your fave?!

Sterling silver with gold plating.  These stunners are only $37!

Real pearls, $135 and square link necklace, (doubled up) $100

Rose quartz earrings, $110

Vintage looking band, $525