Looking for Annette

Why does the Napa Valley Wine Auction have to take place during my busiest time of year?! I am kicking myself because I haven’t found my place in that tornado of fun and business opportunity. This is THE event of the year here, and it supports critical Napa Valley charities, including Clinic Ole´ (clinicole.org), which serves our latino and other farming families with free or reduced cost health and dental care. The need for this clinic cannot be underestimated. The wine auction has raised more than $78 million dollars to date for the clinic and other local charities, including $10.35 million this year alone. Bravo! Another great reason to love Napa!

I do have an ulterior motive for wanting to be involved of course, as there are many opportunities for Red House apparel to be worn by event staff and volunteers. Everyone from catering people to auction runners would look professional and stylish in Red House polos. I’m thinking the Pima Tonal Stripe Polo (RH07) in coral for the men and the Double-Mercerized Polo (RH05) in turquoise for the women. Auction runners in particular really need to stand out so the auctioneer doesn’t miss calling any bids. It would be such excellent publicity for us to see those shirts literally running around, as the event is attended by so many business owners, growers, local and even not-so-local dignitaries.

Oprah herself recently attended a dinner hosted by Rich Frank in the historic barrel room at Frank Family Vineyards after a cask auction event, which was part of the larger party. Hmmm… I don’t think my house could hold a dinner party large enough to consume an entire cask, but it would be fun to try! I read that the 2004 Frank Family Cabernet won Best Cab AND Best of Class at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. No surprise there. The awards keep coming in for that wine and their 2006 Napa chardonnay too. Oh, and Frank Family wines were served at a dinner held by The American Film Institute honoring Warren Beatty for his lifetime of achievements. I wasn’t invited, but I sure would like to meet Annette Bening.

I’ve mentioned that Frank Family Vineyards is one of my favorites, and now they’re even more beloved. Would you believe that their “Lot 14” brought in a mind-boggling $480,000?! Auction items I bid on tend to be picnic baskets with a bottle of wine and maybe a cheese board, the occasional spa package, and once, a kids’ birthday party with clowns. But Lot 14, my friends, included a private dinner to be created by Mario Batali, a luxurious wine-tasting trip to New Zealand, a walk-on role in Grey’s Anatomy, as well as tickets to the exclusive AFI dinner. All this, plus some Frank wines for the cellar. Had I been able to attend the auction (and had $480,000 in my beaded evening bag) I would’ve had the chance to meet Annette Bening!

Next year I’ll have it all figured out. And I’m starting a bidding fund. I mean, the kids won’t need college money for years!

The Open Robe

The constant travel necessary to meet with vendors and manufacturers to finalize all the details for fall has made me TENSE. And not the kind of tense that goes away after a hot bath back home, even if “Towel Boy” Michael is there for…assistance. (!?) No, at this point I needed a real massage and for that, I learned I need Evelyn. And anyway, it was time for a spa retreat for the hardworking women of Red House. That would be Kerin and myself. So, with female bonding and off-site office problem-solving in mind we set off to try a new spa, Raindance, located at The Lodge at Sonoma, a Renaissance Resort about a mile from the square in Sonoma. It’s not over-the-top like the Fairmont or Auberge properties but it has a full-service menu and fluffy robes, so no complaint here. The first thing we noticed were the roses: they were everywhere on the hotel grounds. I hope I never get so jaded by life here that I fail to notice how much blooms here, and pretty much year-round.

We started the morning with a pedicure. A glass of wine was offered. Why not? It was 10:00! I thought about choosing one of the wilder nail colors. There was even black, which made me think of Natalie, who would be here if she were not the former first intern of Red House. Kerin chose a pale blue and I went with what appeared to be strawberry yogurt with a bit of sparkle to it. We then took a break (!) by the spa pools and used our cell phones to take and send pictures of our feet to our husband/boyfriend. We relaxed in the shade of a cabana. I had brought a small cooler, from which we mixed mimosas in pool-safe plastic flutes. And yes, I remember that alcohol is frowned upon as not conducive to the spa experience but we were not the only ones who brought in a cooler…

We spent a fun hour just talking and laughing - though not as loudly as the women in the adjacent cabana. I learned that Kerin has aspirations beyond answering the phones at Red House and checking dye lots. This is good to know, as there will be opportunity for her to expand. I’ve already started delegating more to her (a trick I learned from the How to Succeed…and Have a Life! book I told you about). We talked about her boyfriend and how Natalie’s amorous overtures nearly derailed their relationship. I had thought it was just the typical flirtation of a bored 19 year old but apparently it went quite a bit farther. Oh boy.

Next, we headed up to the aptly named Relaxation Room. This is where you wait in your fluffy robe to be called for your massage. There are health-related magazines, herb tea, aromatherapy candles and new age music. The recorded wind chimes can be annoying, and the sounds of waves lapping the shore were just phony. I mean, we are 40 miles from the beach! The lights were low but not low enough, however, to obscure some details now forever etched into my brainpan. A man awaiting his own massage was oblivious of others in the room. Well, I hope oblivious is the right word. Let’s just say he was sprawled on a settee with an unlit cigar in his mouth, and that that wasn’t the only visible accessory. Maybe he was so relaxed that his robe accidentally came undone, or he felt constrained by the robe and loosened it. OR, he liked the uncovered look and wanted to share his…enthusiasm!! Worst of all (in my way of thinking) Kerin missed it! Unlike me, she was not facing him and was intently reading an article on yoga. I tried to get her attention, but in doing so startled the man, causing him to shift position and cross his legs without some much as looking up from his Cigar Aficionado magazine. (The spa subscribes to that?) Why am I always the one to see…things?!

Evelyn called me in. She noticed that I was especially tense, but I mentioned only my horrendous travel schedule. And you know what? She was so good that after a few minutes I wasn’t even hearing the irritating wind chimes and waves anymore. By the time she was done I felt as if all my bones had dissolved. That is what a massage is all about. I’ll be back, but first I have to tell everyone I know about the man almost wearing the robe.

Bright Lights, Big City, Bigger Headache

The city that never sleeps is also the city that never calms down. If I ever questioned my choice to leave behind the familiar and supercharged world of NY design, I got a good reminder this trip. I AM SO DONE WITH THIS! Some people here would not even get it if I explained how a viable clothing business could be launched from Napa. Others are seeking exit, or would be amenable to the right escape plan. I am already keeping an eye out for talented seekers-of-a-life-beyond-all-this as potential Red House employees, should we expand in the near future. Might as well multi-task as I suffer my relapse into the cutthroat world!

What really annoys me is that NY’ers make things harder than they need to be simply because that’s how business is done here. For example, thread. A simple item, but a necessary one in the clothing business. I met with several distributors this trip to compare product – the color options, sizes, finishes, general quality and tensile strength - and importantly, to find out for myself what the customer service philosophy was. And you know what? None of them were in any way helpful or friendly or interested in the end-use of their product at Red House. And just getting a commitment on shipping dates that would work with our manufacturing schedule involves hair-pulling. I got to the point that I was ready to stop with my hair and start on the locks of Ms. X and Mr. Y! Nice-for-the-sake-of-nice is a concept that has yet to be embraced here. Hey, I just got an idea for a side business to embark on in my spare time (!): Maddie’s Napa Valley Happy Weekends - Seminars for the Reeducation of Angry Urban Apparel Business Professionals. It would be one of those intense brainwashing events. No Blackberries. No cell phones. And I wouldn’t let them go to the restrooms until they said something kind or helpful, or at least held an elevator door for someone. My fantasy!

Drawn by nostalgia, and because I had very little time to spare, I made a lunch stop at Gray’s Papaya for a hot dog with kraut and a faux piña colada. It’s a grab-and-go spot that’s been popular forever, mainly because it’s cheap. But the people-watching is good too. Restaurant workers, club-hoppers, assorted bus terminal patrons and other sort-of scary NYC people are in and out all night long. As students, Michael and I had many dinner dates/lessons in sociology here. I’m not recommending it exactly, but it’s fast fuel, so store that info in a back corner of your brain for the next time you are in NY and can’t get reservations at Per Se.

I made a last stop – back to Coach, for a pair of orange thong sandals with a flower on top. These are not NY footwear and I’ll wear them all summer. And if I had to justify additional shopping I’d say I needed to be sure I wouldn’t have to resort to the mint slippers to get home – like if I ended up leaving my other sandals in the cab or something. That does that sound logical, doesn’t it Michael?

Shoeless at 32,000 feet

The Natalie News: Well, she did it – got the tattoo! She and Stefan went into SF to meet with a concert promoter for their Skynyrd in the Vineyard idea, which surprised me, as it was their logical next step. There is apparently some interest and the pair was thrilled. They enjoyed testing the limits of the motorcycle’s brakes on the harrowing streets and bridges and finished out their day with pizza in the North Beach, and went from there to the establishment Nat heard about while on work detail. To show their great affection for each other, she and Stefan combined their names and now sport matching upper arm ornamentation: NASTE. Cute, huh? Do you think Michael and I should come up with something? Lots of possibilities with Mad, don’t you think? Uh, no.

This is the busiest time of year for me. I have a year’s worth of responsibilities to deal with right now. Quantities for next year - my toughest decisions! Colors, labels, buttons, taping and zipper pulls all have to be chosen and ordered too. And I’m happy to tell you I’ll be introducing two new styles this fall – more on that later!

The necessary travel is driving me nuts right now. Here’s a perfect example of a brain stretched too far. Last week I had to fly to New York. I was bleary that Tuesday morning, unprepared for consciousness, leaving the house before dark, laden with cases of stylebooks. I stepped out of the car at the short-term parking lot at SFO to find that I was still wearing my slippers! And not the kind of slippers that teen girls often wear to school and the mall. These were mint green scuffs, shearling-lined and with a dollop of dried pancake batter on the left instep. Yuck. The shoes I intended to wear had been smartly (ha) placed by the door to the garage. I couldn’t miss them, and yet I had. This was a 1.5-day trip and I hadn’t packed any other shoes. There are many shops at the airport, but none of them shoe shops. I would’ve settled for some touristy flip-flops adorned with little plastic sourdough baguettes. You can get the bread at the airport, but not the shoes. So it was off to NY, my city of origin, dressed in my sleek Jil Sander pantsuit and feet that said I’d just escaped from a hospital. One of the TSA staffers commented on how comfortable it must be to travel in slippers. (If she only knew my humiliation!) My only personal luggage was my never-leave-home-without-it Redhouse Microtwill/Leather tote (RH33), which held only my overnight essentials, my pashmina (RH29) and the qt.-size Ziploc of travel liquids. And snacks. There was still plenty of room in that bag for a pair of shoes, and I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again. I was pretty comfortable on the plane, though. Once in NY, I had the driver wait outside the Coach store on Madison Ave. while I dashed in for some appropriate footwear. If you consider 3” heel sandals with gold chains appropriate. I literally stepped into my New York persona. I was ready for business - with an edge, if necessary.