SFBayStyle

Santana Row's Fall Fashion in the Park

Santana Row hosted its fifth annual Fall Fashion in the Park event on Sept. 11-12.   The show, featuring such top labels as Anne Fontaine, Cole Haan, St Croix, Brooks Brothers, Lucy, Furla, among others, benefits four South Bay non-profits: Breathe California, Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, Junior League of San Jose and San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce. 

Patrons were treated to a night under the stars, with paper lanterns floating on the gentle breeze.  Fashion lovers mingled in the intimate courtyard, sipping wine and chatting with Santana Row retailers.   With warm summer days soon giving way to chilly winter, toasty coats and knits were the first order of business.  I visited a few of the boots to get the flavor of the season's hottest offerings.

A Vegan Visits Kitsho Sushi

Since becoming vegetarian 20 years ago, Japanese restaurants have mostly fallen off the radar for me. I'm used to going to restaurants and having few choices, but there was something particularly frustrating about going to a Japanese restaurant and seeing my dining companions choose from among literally dozens and dozens of menu options, and being stuck, myself, with Inari (if I was lucky) and Vegetable Tempura (if I was not).

And some Japanese restaurants are not particularly accommodating philosophically either. I've asked for dishes like Age Dashi Tofu to be made without the bonita flakes (which is a fish product) and been refused!

Now, when I have a special hankering, nothing beats Cha Ya Vegan Japanese in San Francisco and Berkeley, but when I'm down in my home base, the South Bay, I don't have such wonders available to me. 

Getting it Right with Hair - Atelier at Santana Row

Sometimes it's hard to find the right fit for a hair stylist that will allow for optimum "wow" factor in terms of the total outcome of an ensemble. I've been on the lookout for that salon where I can leave happy, knowing t hat will be true.

Recently, I was recommended to the Atelier Aveda SalonSpa located on the upscale, mixed-use shopping strip in San Jose known as Santana Row.  The great part about this location is you can take a little shopping detour at retailers like Burberry, Cole Haan or Footcandy.  Or even go for the many luxury restaurants like Amber India, BlowFish Sushi, or Straits Cafe.  Possibly, you might want to satisfy your sweet tooth and stop by Cocola Bakery (yum).

Seeking Sassy Women Biz Owners for CRAVE Guide 2009!

Girl Power indeed. Seems small businesses and mostly female entrepreneurs are going to be the ones to get us out of the economic crisis, by everything I've been reading. And what better way to not only promote small business but celebrate the sassiest, boldest and most innovative women biz owners in the Bay Area than with The CRAVE Guide 2009: An Urban Girl's Manifesto. This 2nd edition has been completely redesigned and it looks gorgeous. This book highlights the women you need to know across the Bay Area and their businesses: shops, boutiques, salons, online marketplaces, interior designers, stylists, photographers, graphic designers, B2B businesses, etc.  It's an amazing (and cost effective) way to invest in press and marketing so that you are ripe to take advantage when the economy recovers. And the book will be seen in all the most fashionable shops and businesses around town, as well as Barnes and Noble and Borders!

Here's a peek at the Seattle one that just came out - how lovely is that?!: http://craveparty.com/book/seattlepeek.htm

Pinkberry Comes to Santana Row

The Pinkberry craze has finally arrived in Northern California.  Did it launch in San Francisco first before making its way south?  No!  The much anticipated frozen yogurt establishment has decided to show the South Bay love and set up shop at Santana Row.  This is good news for all of us fans who live and work nearby.

To show even more love, Pinkberry threw a launch party to introduce their unique frozen dessert to the Row-burbanites.  The special tented event took place just outside the new store location.  As I entered the exclusive VIP event, M.I.A.'s "Bucky Done Gun' was blasting.  Guest DJ, Benji Madden, of the band Good Charlotte, was 'swirling' music and igniting the decks.  Wine was flowing.  Pinkberry tasting staff handed out unlimited cups of the tart, chilly yogurt to the attendees.  Toppings were for the taking.  Pinkberry bags with gift t-shirts inside were being toted around like badges of honor.  Photographers were snapping pictures of John Feldmann and Jason Evigan.  Pinkberry had arrived, and in L.A. style.     

   

StoneWear Jewelry Designs by June Sablan

I always love a good story about a high-tech girl who has escaped the sticky web of Silicon Valley.  So when I met June Sablan at her Santana Row trunk show, not only did she impress me with her beautiful hand crafted jewelry pieces but her story made me smile also. 

San Francisco Bay Area artist June Sablan designs timeless handcrafted StoneWear Jewelry.  June creates her entire collection by using natural semi-precious stones, Swarovski Crystals, freshwater pearls, and precious metals. 

An Unforgettable Evening to Benefit Ballet San Jose

Ballet San Jose recently hosted a new, intriguing event, "Unforgettable: An Evening of Glamorous Fashion and Exotic Collectible Automobiles" featuring local designer, Azadeh, including a runway show of her exquisite, custom gowns. Azadeh is a former designer for the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, who formerly served as the head designer for Bebe stores nationwide. She has run a successful and well-respected couturier salon in the Bay Area for over ten years.

Revelers arrived at Club Auto Sport, a "condominium" facility in San Jose designed to house high-end cars, and were encouraged to take photographs with the rare autos while nibbling on gourmet food and wine provided by local sponsors. After 'oohing' and 'aahing' over the custom cars -- my favorite was a vintage Mercedes Benz -- party-goers were seated for the beginning of the fashion show.

A Vegan Visits Vin Santo (Willow Glen)

Vin Santo in Willow Glen used to be one of our go-to restaurants for a nice meal back when I was only a vegetarian.  But two years ago a less than successful attempt at finding a vegan meal (and an unfortunate incident involving two melting down nephews and a really long wait for food for them) resulted in a long absence from the restaurant.

Recently I went back with a couple of girlfriends for dinner and found a whole new vegan-friendly Vin Santo waiting...

A Vegan Visits A Bellagio (Campbell)

Sometimes I walk into a place and feel certain they will never accommodate my vegan-ness, and that I’m bound to have a culinarily disappointing time. It’s not that I’m never right, but sometimes, restaurants can actually surprise you.

We were meeting friends for dinner last weekend in Campbell and I was the one who picked the restaurant, mostly based on location and figuring Italian food is often a safe bet. To be honest, once we walked in I didn’t have high hopes for A Bellagio.

Yogurt and Cupcake Invasion

I believe that yogurt shops and cup cake bakeries are taking over the Bay Area. Just in my neck of the woods alone, I have counted three cupcakes shops due to open this weekend and two more yogurt shops under construction. I have been a frozen yogurt addict since last summer when Fraiche opened their doors in downtown Palo Alto. I even have the T-shirt to prove my love for Fraiche!  Since Fraiche's success, many other shops have popped up around town.  Here is my latest yogurt shop update for my neighborhood:  Culture Frozen Yogurt is set to open in a few weeks on California Avenue. The shop will be run by two wonderful women, that happen to be local Moms.  The Stanford mall now has a Tutti Frutti being built where the old Palm store used to be. (What does that say about Silicon Valley?) 

Now on to cupcakes... Sprinkles is supposed to be opening in the Stanford mall as well.  They have already opened shops in San Francisco.  Local cupcake favorite, Kara's is supposedly opening this weekend in the Town and Country shopping center.  Bebe cakes is also due to open in Palo Alto this fall. Unlike the medfly invasion, this latest Bay Area invasion does not require spraying.  Let me know what is popping up in your neighborhood!

Lululemon Opens at Santana Row

Have you ever wished you could give your favorite designer feedback?  Well, now you can with your athletic wear.  Now that lululemon has opened its Santana Row store this past weekend, I am sure many women will be inspired to give their input.  Design Feedback forms are available in all of the stores.  Lululemon takes this feedback seriously.  Many of their products have been designed based on the feedback and suggestions of their clients. 

The morning I stopped by, Misha Patel of Club One was teaching a Cardio Dance class.  By the afternoon, the mood had changed.  A live DJ played tunes as patrons shopped and had refreshments.  Meena Shams, the Assistant manager graciously gave us a tour. Meena: Our founder, Chip Wilson, had a passion for technical athletic fabrics.  Many of our designs are made of a fabric called Luon.  This fabric wicks moisture away from the skin.  Our clothing is designed to last and retain their color.  Just make sure you do not wash with garments that have Velcro or zippers.  Personally, I let mine air dry.

Product Hosts Anastasia Beverly Hills at Santana Row

Santana Row's newest cosmetics retailer, PRODUCT, hosted an exclusive beauty event with Anastasia Beverly Hills.  Brow expert, Kelly Reed sat down with us to share secrets to shaping and maintaining our brows. 

SFBayStyle: So, what is the trend for brows this season?

Kelly Reed: On the runway and in fashion you are going to see a more skinny brow this season.  But for the everyday woman, less is not necessarily more.  Here at Anastasia we believe in a full youthful brow.  Our philosophy is not to mess with the integrity of the brow but enhance it's natural shape.  People generally like a high arch and a more glamorous look.

Shan Serves up Fabulous Pakistani Fare

Foodies would be wise to head down to the South Bay to stop in at Shan, a delicious groups of restaurants specializing in fine Indian and Pakistani cuisine. I’m not an expert, but I have eaten a lot of Indian food in my day, and I believe this has more of a Pakistani influence. These clean, no-frills eateries serve up incredible food at incredibly low prices. My husband and I routinely come in around $20 for a full spread—the priciest offering available comes in at a meager $9.99. Yelpers like it too.

The menu boasts a wide variety of meat choices including beef, chicken, lamb and goat dishes, while offering vegetarians plenty of options with veggie dishes, lentils, rice, and hearty breads. The food is aromatic and flavorful—the spices are always just right. Be sure to try the to-die-for kabobs with the green sauce and raw onions—trust me on this one. Great for families if you have adventurous eaters. They have 3 South Bay locations, and are open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Hot Mama - Nursing Bras now at Victoria's Secret

I was shopping on Bay Street in Emeryville on Mother's Day when I popped into Victoria's Secret to check out their selection of wireless bras. The girls, after nursing two kids for over two years each and now another pregnancy, are needing a little more TLC these days. As I was wandering around, trying to picture how useful that little bra and panty combo ala "french maid" might be, I came across a new selection of nursing bras. Apparently the line has just been released and is still being tested on it's marketability, according to a store manager.

This seems to be a Victoria's Secret bid to bridge the maternal gap for their customers as well as make lactating moms feel a little sexier. Not a bad idea, considering that up until recently, the choices for women looking for function and beauty in a nursing bra have been rather limited. VS has a nice variety of plain, modern, lacy, and even animal print bras to please almost everyone, and they all seem to be a top latch (rather than a snap in the middle, which I have to tell you in the past resulted in my engorged breast popping out as I bent over on more than one occasion). My one caveat: I have not used them yet. When I tried them on I found the coverage to be good and they were comfortable to wear. When my next baby comes, I will still start off with my favorite postpartum bras, from the Bravado line, but maybe an animal print or a black lace nursing bra is in order for this mom as well.

Wednesday is Denim Day in California - Wear Jeans to Support Victims of Sexual Violence

Everyone wears jeans in the Bay Area, and some people wear them every day. April 23rd is a day to remember because it commemorates the date in 1998 when the Italian Supreme Court overturned an earlier rape conviction, ruling that the 17 year-old victim had "invited the attack" from her and "because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help [the rapist] remove them... and by removing the jeans... it was no longer rape but consensual..." Within a matter of hours, the Women in the Italian Parliament began protesting by wearing jeans to work. On Denim Day this Wednesday, women in California will joining together to raise awareness for this important issue. No need to buy a special pin or dress - just wear your jeans.

The YWCA of Silicon Valley is encouraging participation on Wednesday and calling it "Wear Denim to Work Day Silicon Valley." For anyone willing to go to Sacramento, California leaders and the state Commission on the Status of Women will be joining together on the South Steps of the Capitol at 10am in jeans as a pledge to end sexual violence. For more about the issue, see CALCASA, the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. For anyone in LA, here's what they're doing for Denim Day.

Note: This is not to be confused with National Denim Day on October 3rd for breast cancer awareness.

H&M Spring Organic Line

A few weeks ago, my husband had a day to himself in San Francisco and he ended up, as we often do, at H&M shopping for our daughter. It's my fault - I sent him there in search of an inexpensive sparkly headband for her, since she had fallen in love with one her friend had. In addition to the headband, he came home with two darling dresses - one of which was organic cotton.

It turns out that not only does H&M now have an organic cotton children's line, but they have expanded their organic cotton spring line to using 1500 tons of organic cotton - more than the total amount of organic cotton they used during all of last year.

Ballet San Jose Pirouettes with Style: School Benefit Fashion Show a Sold-Out Success

Last week, the Silicon Valley Capital Club in downtown San Jose hosted arts supporters in a sold-out, dazzling display of couture by San Francisco based couture designer, Max Nugus, to benefit the Ballet San Jose School scholarship program which provides a means for young, talented dancers to follow their dreams.

The school teaches 350 students, ages 4 to 19 with an open and a professional track, 6 regular teachers and 4 accompanists, along with additional guest teachers. Students are given ample opportunities to dance in their own shows as well as in the Ballet San Jose performances, such as the Nutcracker and the upcoming production of The Firebird.

Ballet San Jose Fashion Show Photo Pictorial

This event was so fun, and I was lucky enough to snap some great images that show the flow of the day, so here is a pictorial representation of the cocktail reception, luncheon, fashion show and trunk show.

At left, models Penny Pogue Del Grande and Ballet San Jose principal ballerina, Karen Gabay prepare "back stage" for the hats section of the fashion show.

See the full article for more details and pictures.

Red Mango Is Coming To Town

Knowing that I am completely obsessed with Fraiche  frozen yogurt in Palo Alto, my friend alerted  me to the news that Red Mango was coming to town. I do not know much about Red Mango, except that they compete with Pinkberry, who allegedly copied them. I guess they have a cult following in Los Angeles, and now plan to invade Northern California. I am a Fraiche devotee; nothing can beat their soy home made organic yogurt. Looks like the yogurt wars are moving to the Bay Area. The Palo Alto shop will be located at 429 Univeristy Ave, and more shops are due to open in San Carlos and Santana Row.

Great Events Today in the Bay Area

We're lucky to have so many worthy organizations, fantastic arts and original entertainment here and since we can't list all of the great events every day, we have links to all of the other sites in the Bay Area that each have a few events listed for most days.

Today is just one example of what a Saturday in the Bay Area can offer and here are some of the great activities and events going on (note: we couldn't possibly include them all, especially all of the exhibits that are ending today) including chocolate tasting, a film festival, school auctions, a plethora of black tie bashes, a miniature dollhouse designer showcase, and fusion theatre.

Read on for the details...