Vegas. What was I thinking?!

I just attended the PPAI Expo at Mandalay Bay Convention Center - right in the middle of the glitzy wildness Las Vegas is known for. There were thousands of exhibitors but I was the best dressed(!) in my Red House blue stripe button down shirt and Insignia Blue fine gauge silk sweater. You didn’t expect me to wear sequins and feathers, did you? Well I would if Red House outfitted showgirls – but don’t get any ideas! For me, “What happens in Vegas…” started with handing out postcards and encouraging attendees to check out my blog. Not what comes to mind when you’re thinking “…stays in Vegas”. To those of you who missed me there, thanks for coming and seeing what Red House is all about. I’m proud of the level of quality and luxury my collection offers. Some of the other exhibitors had some imprintable items of a “different quality”. Like light-up sunglasses – for those dark winter days? And get this – the Candom! It’s well, like a glove to keep beer protected from unwanted temperature changes(!!!) Check it out: www.candom.com.

So here’s where the trip went awry. I figured since it “stays in Vegas” why not kick up my Jimmy Choos and try livin’ la vida Vegas? I expected to see the worst - a passed-out Grammy-winner in a tux or a celebutante who gambled away her fortune and fights me for my Red House pashima, but the only sordid incident was of my own doing. Caught up in the craziness, I had three martinis in an hour and insisted on wrapping my arms around Elvis. Oh, not just any Elvis, this Elvis was evolved! Better than the original in his prime - both flawlessly handsome and minimally-sequined. Inexplicably...tasteful! I discovered the urbane Elvis! And I could not resist – mind controlled by martinis I had to run across the casino and GRAB HIM! Imagine his surprise. Imagine his wife’s surprise. And his kids’. He had just finished his act and was leaving with his family when he was nearly molested by a loaded Maddie. He was a good sport about it, even when I grabbed the camera out of my bag, spilling $25 chips all over the floor. But when I put on his silk scarf I got the attention of the floor bosses who looked like they usually handled this sort of thing by breaking bones. Next PPAI I better skip that casino and stick to wine spritzers. Was the picture worth it all? I’ll never know - the floor bosses deleted it!

Outfitting the Last Hurrah...

Are you sitting down? I’m not. Well, I am but just barely – I’m so excited! I am going to be creating the groomsmen gifts for what can only be described as a high profile pre-wedding retreat. There will be golf. Wine. Cigars. A half day zooming around in classic cars at Infineon Raceway. And a spa day with grapeseed exfoliation scrubs. (Ok, I’m guessing about that last part.) Of course you would just love it if I dropped the name of this Most Eligible Bachelor/Winery Heir-Apparent to The Throne who will be getting married very soon in a most ostentatious occasion right here in Napa. No can do. All right – here’s a hint: he’s not that young. (Ouch!) Ok – THAT IS ENOUGH!

I just realized I’ve been spending a little too much time thinking about Mr. Groom this morning (only in a professional sense, Michael, really!) and I almost forgot what I was going to say about the groomsmen’s gifts. They are matching, v-neck fine-gauge sweaters in Azure, When Mr. Groom approached me about having Red House create this memorable gift for the guys I thought he’d maybe want tasteful embroidery of his and the bride’s initials. Or perhaps, “Last Retreat”. No. Get this: he simply wanted the date of the wedding. Uh, ok…. The customer is always right, but I was thinking it would look like an epitaph! And then it occurred to me that this event may well be an epitaph of sorts, because Mr. Groom’s life and times will never again be chronicled in the same way in the pages of Town & Country. (Another disclaimer: marriage is the best way to go through life, at least for Michael and I, but it’s a different kind of fun than racing around in classic cars. Quieter, anyway.) One more thing, I saw the embroidered sample today and it’s actually quite intriguing - certainly a conversation starter. I like it!

I will tell you more about this very interesting wedding-to-be in a future post. There’s more I’m not telling and some things I’m in the process of finding out – so don’t stray too far from your screen!

Good bye NYC... Hello Napa!

Hello everyone!
You found me! Today is my first time doing this, truly the first chance in over a year that I’ve had to catch my breath and express some thoughts. Some of you reading this know me well and others don’t. If not, you will soon enough as this rambling blog thing feels good after a year of insanely hard work. That’s what starting a new business takes, but it’s all good and I ended up in the perfect place. Follow me on this journey of reflection and fun, you’ll never know what I’m going to say - I sure don’t(!) This is where I should make a disclaimer. Just presume innocence when I infer otherwise, especially if your name comes up!

My 2007 was all about starting Red House. Some of you don’t know what a monumental decision Michael and I made a year ago. After much trepidation and lost sleep we decided to start our own clothing business. So it was good bye New York and hello Napa! You’re probably thinking that I could’ve done this in NY, and of course you’re right. However, there was an opportunity - and a climate - I couldn’t refuse. Never let it be said I missed an opportunity due to feet of clay (or snowboots!).

Michael, it turns out, needed no prodding. Was it the thought of watching the sun set every night with a different wine in hand? As a matter of fact - yes. What’s not to love?! He gets a job out of it too. He needed a career change, though I think he’d prefer I didn’t mention that. I needed to feel that my designs could be carried out with a strong commitment to service and using sumptuous materials. In NY, the pace was just too frenetic for the customer contact I wanted to build upon, and I also wanted to be able to negotiate with smaller vendors for the best quality fabrics. That’s just not how it’s done in NY.

A little more about why we escaped from NY - I worried that the kids were growing up...indoors. Despite the hassles of moving a family across the country, they love the sunshine and critters and everything being new.

To those of you who feel like they recently attended my baby showers (I hope I sent thank yous!) Delia (8) and Andrew (5) are growing like crazy and can’t believe their good fortune being able to wear shorts to school. Business-wise, it’s looking very good even with the crazy-busy aspects of getting Red House running. Michael is enormously helpful. I could in NO WAY do without his partnership at work and home. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Michael! I will share my thoughts (and maybe his - right now he says no) whenever I am able to break free for a few minutes.

I’m not even sure where to begin. There is just so much to share. So, here are a few things you can expect to read, soon (really).

Why I love my customers
I know my customers are going to read this first. You know who you are! Stay tuned!

What I learned about business
…would surprise my colleagues back in New York.