I’m feeling extremely fabulous right now, darlings…but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out why!
Xo, Alexis
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Don’t let this be you. Please.
Last week I took a teensy vacay to “get my life” but still managed to get in some connectivity offline. It was a blast sharing tips on personal style with the young fashionistas who attended the 3rd Annual Girls Inc. Teen Conference last Saturday! And special thanks to Belk for partnering with me to provide a $100 gift card to Tasia Wright!
One of the tidbits I shared with the ladies is, you don’t have to break the bank to look fabulous. One of the ways you can save money is to shop at outlet malls. And I should know, because I recently enjoyed a lovely day of shopping at the The Outlet Shops of Grand River. I spent a few hours networking with other Alabama bloggers and seeing all that the Shops had to offer, at stores including Polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, GAP, LOFT, the Nike Factory Store and Banana Republic. But my personal Shangri-La was the The Cosmetics Company Store, which had products from MAC, Clinique, and (be still my heart) Origins!
If you haven’t been, the outlet stores are a short drive away, and the layout is easy to navigate. I found the representative at Guest Services to be quite helpful (yes, I got lost) and there is a thriving food court, as well as a covered play area for kids (where they can rock out while you rest your feet).
Want to check it out? Get your shop on with a $50 gift card! SCDD is giving one away to a lucky reader, and all you have to do is post “Send me to The Outlet Shops of Grand River!” in the comment section. Gain up to two extra entries by sharing a link to this post via Facebook and/or Twitter (be sure to tag Alexis or @SameChicSouth so additional entries can be tracked). Use a valid email address, as that is how the winner will be contacted. Winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 20. All decisions final.
Special thanks to Rachel @ Grasping for Objectivity and the ladies at KC Projects!
The Junior League of Birmingham has had the tradition of changing the lives of women and children in our community since 1922. Now the organization is encouraging the residents of the Birmingham area to be a part of this mission!
Shoppers can give back by purchasing for themselves and others this week at The Market. The annual three-day shopping extravaganza will be held on Thursday, November 14 through Saturday, November 17 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center located off U.S. Highway 280.
All funds raised support the JLB’s community projects that address some of Birmingham’s most critical issues, including literacy, domestic violence prevention, health education, and life skills for families in transition. This three-day shopping event begins with The Market’s Sneak Peek Party on Wednesday, November 14 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Shoppers will not want to miss the opportunity to be the first to shop the great finds The Market vendors have to offer!
Whole Foods Market of Mountain Brook will offer fabulous wines and Good People Brewing Company will provide beer tastings. The evening will feature a Diamond Giveaway sponsored by Diamonds Direct where attendees will have the chance to win a one carat diamond with the purchase of a glass of champagne. Shoppers can conclude their evening by bidding on incredible silent auction items or trying the new “Market Mystery Boxes”, where everyone is a winner. Martie and the Market on November 15 will offer brunch with Alabama’s own “Food Network Star” finalist Martie Duncan. Martie will be sharing some of her best party tips while displaying Bromberg’s beautiful serving pieces.
And that’s not all; read about other events scheduled at The Market this week by clicking HERE! All general admission tickets are $12 and can be purchased in advance or at the door.
WANT TO WIN TICKETS TO THE MARKET? SCDD is giving away a pair to one lucky reader! Enter to win by posting “Send me to The Market!” in the comment section below. One winner will be selected on Wednesday, November 14th at noon. Enter with a valid email address, as that is how the winner will be notified. All decisions final.
***This giveaway is now closed; congrats to Sara, who won two general admission tickets to The Market!***
Special thanks to Holly Lollar!
FINALLY!
The Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry documentary was first mentioned here last November, and will show in Birmingham on November 3 at the Carver Theatre/Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Get your FREE TICKETS by clicking HERE. According to the invitation, Bill Duke will be featured at the screening, which begins at 7:30 PM.
Dark Girls “[explores] the deep-seated biases and attitudes about skin color particularly [experienced by] dark-skinned women, outside of and within the Black American culture.” As Berry notes, “The skin issue is a discussion we all need to have once and for all…so we can eradicate it.”
If you think we’ve progressed beyond the need to address the color complex, then you surely have missed the recent uproar over Zoe Saldana’s casting in the upcoming Nina Simone biopic. I will say upfront that the preview was painful for me to watch. It brought back some memories and brought up some serious questions. Not every person with a darker complexion has a negative self-image or confidence issues, and not everyone of a lighter complexion has been held up as a beauty ideal. But whatever your complexion, eye color or hair texture, Dark Girls a thought-provoking piece.
The Carver Theatre is located at 1631 4th Avenue North.
…to the Instagram party (or at least to using it frequently). Are you on? Let’s connect! I’ll be posting outfits, inspiration and more via @tongueinchic1.
And in other “news I meant to get around to posting”…Wait, what? Oprah’s hair is not REALLY natural?
Use of Instagram(tm) is not endorsed or certified by Instagram or Burbn, inc. All Instagram(tm) logoes and trademarks displayed on this blog are property of Burbn, inc.
It’s time to see and be seen! Mark your social calendars, fab ones: the ‘Ham has several haute events happening this week:
Sinbad – appearing June 28 through July 1 at the Comedy Club Stardome; tickets are $35 plus applicable fees
Magic City Live After 5 [**Free!!**] – June 28 in Linn Park. Will feature live 
entertainment, libations and treats from various food trucks (NOLA Ice will be on deck at the first event!). This week’s musical guest is Todd Simpson & Mojo Child; Just a Few Cats are scheduled to perform July 5.
Art on the Rocks – kicks off its 8th season this Friday, June 28 at the Birmingham Museum of Art. The event will celebrate the Museum’s new Warhol and Cars: American Icons exhibit (which opened June 22). Sip 
cocktails, nibble on treats from Oscar’s and enjoy a scavenger hunt, a photo booth and the musical stylings of Ponderosa. Tickets are $20 for non-members and $10 for members.
Don’t forget about the Summer Film Series at the Alabama Theatre, and Free Friday Flicks at Homewood Park!
Fab ones, it doesn’t get much “hauter” than H&M’s grand opening yesterday at Huntsville’s Bridge Street Town Centre. When I arrived at the store at 10:15 AM – nestled between Pinz Eat/Drink/Bowl and Chico’s – a line of patient shoppers trailed outside the store’s glass doors. First in line were Devin Luckie, of Madison (a rising senior at Sparkman High School), Katie Azzam and Chandler Waite, on summer break from school in Auburn and Vienna, Austria respectively. Having come Wednesday at 11 PM only to be turned away by security, they returned at 7 AM Thursday and met with success. Their plan of attack once the doors opened? To purchase an accessory to reveal their free gift, then to shop normally. The lucky trio lounged on lawn chairs while a nearby dj pumped hits into the open courtyard to help keep the crowd amped.
Dawn Abotsi, an H&M spokesperson, gave me a personal tour of the brand new digs as she explained H&M’s philosophy and plans for the 
area. So why doesn’t Birmingham have an H&M yet?
“We feel the South is an important market, and it comes down to finding the right location. We don’t have any plans we can announce, but this location is a focus. It’s entirely possible,” Dawn said. (And really, the drive is not that bad. Pleasant surroundings and a lack of traffic made the excursion worth the drive.) For those of you who are looking to shop via the interweb, Dawn mentioned online shopping will launch this fall.
As we made our way around the store, Dawn pointed out that there is something for everyone: whether you are male or female, a trendsetter or classic sophisticate, a woman with curves, an expectant mommy or a style-savvy kid, ‘tween or teen, H&M has something for you.
“We want you to dress your whole family here; you can wear H&M from childhood through adulthood,” Dawn said. Well-made accessories – including coordinating jewelry, eyewear, handbag, shoes, hats and scarves – for both sexes and all ages will complete a look. “We have 140 designers who design specifically for us,” Dawn revealed. “You really won’t find knockoffs of other designers here. We do everything in-house, 
which allows us to offer everything at a great price.”
And what prices! From denim starting at $9.95 to “Opening Offer” pieces marked down to $7 plus mix and match swimwear starting at $4.95, the pricing was unbelievable.
As we completed the tour, the crowd outside was showing off “moves like Jagger” and began an impromptu Cupid Shuffle. As the minutes wound down to the noon ribbon-cutting, I got to talk to Cantrice, a member of the H&M Crew who helped set up the store, who has worked with the company 9 years. What makes H&M special to her?
“I have a home store [in Baltimore], but I have the pleasure of going to store openings. H&M puts a lot into developing their employees. And they’re fashion-forward. I shopped at the H&M in NYC when it first opened in the US, and I still wear those clothes. They wash well, they wear well and most of H&M’s pieces are timeless,” she said.
The H&M crew lined the store’s main floor, and then the “running of the shoppers” commenced. What began as a dull 
roar and a frenzy of organized chaos eventually quieted to a jumble of steadily moving teens, young professionals, college students, employees shopping on their lunch breaks, and new moms several hours later. A few were heard at the store’s entry making hurried calls home for more capital, and others braved the long lines for the dressing rooms and cash registers.
I made it out alive at 3:30, with a chic caftan ($34.95) for my mom and a color-blocked clutch ($17.95) and pair of earrings ($7.95) for myself.
“We’ll be back tomorrow,” Devin promised.
Stay tuned for more photos!!!
And if you were a giveaway winner, please check your email!
It keeps getting better, fab ones!
Fashion Week Alabama-Huntsville is hosting a Top Model Walk-Off on June 13. To all you aspiriing models, download and complete an application from the FWAH website; the deadline is June 10! What’s at stake? The winner will become the offical Face of Fashion Week Alabama-Huntsville 2013 and will receive an “all-inclusive promotional photo shoot.”
Two very gracious promotional sponsoring partners of the upcoming event are Old Navy and Posh Mommy and Baby, Too of Madison, Alabama. Old Navy will promote the event in-store and to their Alabama customers via social media. They will also be showcasing fashion during the Finale Runway Shows on the evening of June 16.
Headed to Huntsville for fashion week? If you purchase finale runway show tickets for the evening show, request a special code by sending email to info@fashionweekalabamahsv.com, in the subject line SAMECHICDIFFERENTDAY.
Want more info? Click HERE.
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