Clothing for a Cause

As you can imagine, working for a clothing company certainly has some pretty nice perks. But last week, I learned two magic words that made me love my association with metrostyle and the Boston Apparel Group even more. Those two magic words: Sample Sale.

Last weekend, the Boston Apparel Group opened it’s warehouse to employees, friends and family and allowed us to purchase merchandise samples (i.e. items from photo shoots, production samples, etc.). Dresses, shoes, pants, blazers...you name it! All at insanely low prices.

I’d love to say that my favorite part of this event was that all the proceeds raised went to charity (over $10,000!). But I must be honest, my favorite part was getting a pair of the snake print pumps from the new 09 collection – for a steal!

Don’t get me wrong…I’m proud of my company for the huge chunk of change raised for charity. And I'm glad I was able to contribute. But I can't deny the thrill of finding the one thing I was craving most at a price even my husband can't complain about.

Splurge vs. Steal

Hey Recessionistas…..

Love the look of high fashion, but not the high prices that go with it? It seems like many of us are in the same boat. Not to worry! You can steal designer looks without having to drop the piles of cash that designer duds demand. Here is just one example...check out this jersey wrap dress from metrostyle that is just as figure flattering as the higher priced alternative from Diane Von Furstenberg.

By Sarah

A Little Politics…Michelle Obama’s Inaugural Gown!

The soft ivory gown worn by Michelle Obama to the 10 inaugural balls was artistic and sophisticated. The one shoulder goddess silhouette was a great selection for her physique. You’ve got to admit that our new first lady is in great shape and has the toned arms that can carry off this look! The glam gown was bedazzled in sequins and fluffy appliqués on chiffon. The curious fluffy appliqués are both amusing and very unexpected. She a serious woman, but her gown shows us she is also a fresh and fun fashionista!

If you love Michelle’s look you can get your own goddess gown for less at http://www.edressme.com/012209.html. Or you can see the real one of a kind dress by designer, Jason Wu, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History this summer.

If Michelle left you disappointed…I will have to argue with you that her dress is still way better than Laura Bush in 2001!

What do you think about Michelle Obama’s look for the inaugural balls?

By Jenny

Who wore it best: Suspender Pants

Slouchy long suspender pants are very hot right now. Celebs are sporting them everywhere and in every look; dressing them up, dressing them down...they actually are surprisingly versatile. This look is very fashion forward, but if done wrong could equal a disaster!!

So who do you think accomplished the look best? Victoria Beckham or Finola Hughes?

I like how Victoria kept the top simple and sleek. The pants themselves are so big that they need to be balanced with a tighter shirt.

Home Fashion.... Help!

My husband and I are purchasing our first home and I am having difficulties making décor decisions. Every room of the house needs to be painted and the bathroom floor needs to be replaced. Here are some pictures that I am using for inspiration. If anyone has any feed back I really need it. I have so much trouble making big decisions like this any advice would be great!

By Sara

In a Tough Economy, Accessories are the way to go!

It seems as though even when money is tight, people want to buy accessories. There is something about spending the money on a new handbag or belt for the season rather than spending the money on a new outfit. Also, accessories can be inexpensive depending on where you look, even the high end stores are carrying more inexpensive accessory gift items. Accessories can be worn with anything, whether it’s a belt that can be worn over a chunky sweater or a dress or even a necklace that can be worn with a suit or a top. Accessories are great for gift giving for any occasion! What’s your favorite accessory to buy in a tough economy?


By: Allie

5 Basic Rules to Remember When Shopping For Clothing

We all know that us ladies love to shop. Well here are some basic rules that we should all keep in mind when shopping for clothing.

1. First check to see what is in your closet. Buy items that will work with what you have.
2. Buy accessories for the clothes you have to spruce up your wardrobe.
3. Look for clothing that can be worn through out the season especially bottoms.
4. Buy classic design items. You don’t want to buy items that will be out of style within the year.
5. Always check the care label. Buy machine washable items.

So, the next time you go shopping remember these basic rules. Your shopping experience will be much easier.

By Diane

Employee Interview: Jeffrey

1. Who are you and what is your official job title?
Hi my name is Jeffrey. I have two degrees, Advertising, art and design and a digital media one as well. My job title is Image processor for both Chadwicks and Metrostyle.

2. Briefly describe what you do on a daily basis...
I process, crop and correct images that are uploaded onto the website. I do colorization of product so that our customer can see the variety of colors on a given item. I also work with linking the product from our on-line catalogs and when the opportunity comes, I work on an assortment of projects such as video production and print

3. What's your favorite part of your job?
I enjoy working with and in the web department. Very creative environment. There is a satisfaction knowing that the majority of images on the website are a result of the image processors job.

4. Least favorite?
Sometimes it gets very repetitious and it can be at times not very creative. Deadlines can be a challenge at times, as well.

5. What aspect of your job most directly affects our customers?
Cropping the images and swatches are clean and clear to ensure the customer is seeing the outfit in the most accurate way.

6. Do you shop on metrostyle.com?
I do not shop Metrostyle

7. Just one more...what's your favorite food?
I love pineapple, grapefruit, and French toast.

Interview by Jon

What is your favorite suit color?

The results are in and it seems dark (black/ gray/ navy) colored suits are the popular choice with 66% of the votes. Here are the final results of last week's poll:



We have a new question for you this week - What do you think of the new 2009 Spring Trend "Geometry Lessons"? are they hideous? or do you absolutely love them?

Be sure to let us know by voting in this week's poll.

Thank you to everyone that voted!

Scared the Cat!

Just a quick one today from me! I was watching "The Insider," you know celebrities, fashion and all those fun things. They have a segment called Looks for Less that I like to watch. I always wonder what brands they are going to mention.

They showed a really pretty dress which was a few hundred dollars and then showed a very similar looking dress for $39.99 and were enthusiastic about finding it at metrostyle.com.....I SHRIEKED! I was so excited I scared my cat! I love it when other people recognize our fabulous clothes.

I was totally bummed that I couldn't find the original clip, but I was thrilled to find another clip from a different Insider episode that also mentioned metrostyle.com

Let us know if you hear about us on TV or in magazines. Clearly, I get very excited about it.


-Kyndall

Behind Every Well Dressed Man...

This morning I was woken up by my husband to the question "hey... does this tie match this shirt?" He never seems to know how to put together his outfits but he actually cares about his appearance quite a bit...thus the regular fashion emergency wake up call. Unfortunately for me... he isn't able to resolve any of my fashion questions!

I really don't understand why he has such a hard time matching his tie to his shirt, shoes and belt. After all men have so many less options than woman do. Almost all of his ties match all of his shirts (which are mostly white and blue) and as long as his belt and shoes (black or brown) match each other he can practically wear any dress shoes he owns with any suit he owns. Do men's shoes even come in colors? It is not like he is trying to decide "do these red shoes go with my purple pinstripe suit and yellow briefcase?"

I just bought my husband some new shirts and ties. He had been complaining that he did not have enough clothes. Since he detests the mall I end up shopping for almost all of his clothes on my own and he tries them on at home. When I show them to him, I try pair the shirts up with matching ties so that he knows what looks good together. Slowly he is starting to get the hang of things.

Luckily for him he wears suits to work every day. They are a uniform of sorts. I can't imagine what he would do if he didn't have a dress code to adhere to. He would probably need me to lay his clothes out for him the night before.

Do any of you buy most of your husbands clothes? Do you pick out their outfits? How about the laundry and dry cleaning... how many of you handle those chores for them? I am sure that many woman are helping their husbands get dressed. I would bet that behind every well dressed man there is a woman!

by Gabby

metrostyle featured on TV!

If you tune in to New England Cable News (NECN), you may have seen metrostyle’s CEO, Chas Hepler, featured in their weekly CEO Corner segment.

In this segment, our fearless leader talked about what sets metrostyle and our sister company, Chadwick’s, apart in this economy. The answer (of course) was a dedication to bringing customers high style at low prices!

Chas also touched on fashion trends for the coming year while several metrostyle images flashed on the screen…including our metrostyle bloggers’ top pick for the new Spring Catalog cover!

If you haven’t seen it…check it out:

He Doesn't Get It

When getting ready for a night out, men have it pretty easy. They shower, run a comb or their fingers through their hair, toss on a pair of pants and a nice shirt or sweater and that's it. No Stresses They're good to go. What did that take; 5, 10 minutes maybe?

Don't know about you, but it's never that easy and always last minute with me. I begin rummaging through my closet and drawers. I find nothing or at least nothing that I feel like wearing anyway. Sometimes it's just a mood thing. Sure, I have plenty of clothes but truly not anything to wear at this moment in time. With at least 13 pairs of slacks, 6 pairs of jeans in every color imaginable; and tops, too numerous to mention, I still have this problem. Nothing is working for me. I have nothing to wear. SERIOUSLY!

As I begin the arduous task of trying on many outfits, none of them right, my husband, rolling his eyes, has decided to sit it out and read a few chapters of his book. He is totally perplexed at the number of costume changes I have made. He states rather matter of fact that what I had on 5 minutes ago was perfectly fine. I am just not satisfied. It's a number of things. The look is wrong, the color is wrong, the sweater it too baggy, the pants too tight. Am I too dressed up or not enough? Nothing is working for me tonight. I have been making this too hard on myself but just can't seem to help it...... and finally, the end result is that I usually walk out of the house with what I had on in the first place.

How about you? Am I alone here? I can't be just me.

Thank goodness my husband is a patient man, but he'll never understand. He just doesn't get it.

Goldie

The New Spring Collection Is Here

Wow, have you seen the new metrostyle catalog? I have to say, we look great and I’m not saying that just cause I work for them - it’s true. The product and creative look fabulous! The models look better than ever, especially Dani Evans – love the new hair – she’s so metrostyle!

There are lots of wear now styles in this new catalog, and also trendy looks for the spring like fun bright colored charmeuse and color blocked dresses and tops. There are also some great tropical prints and ruffle detail tops – both must haves for this spring. There’s something for everyone!

One of my favorite looks is the denim bell bottom jumpsuit – so hot! Right now it’s one of our top sellers – seems to be everyone else’s favorite too. What do you think – could you rock a jumpsuit? If head to toe denim is not your thing, how about a colored twill jumpsuit like the red one below? My only objection to the jumpsuit – it makes it a little harder when you really have to go -- ladies, you know what I mean.

by EM

Hair Style

I know I mention my wife a lot in these posts, and today will be no different. She got back from the hair dresser yesterday after having spent over $100 on what she referred to as a "cut, dye, and blow out". $100 bucks for a hair cut! As a man, I pay Jerry, my local barber, $10 to cut my hair and I don't even think the guy owns a hair dryer so even in the dead of winter I leave with wet hair. And it doesn't bother me in the slightest. My wife on the other hand claims that going to the hair dresser every 6 weeks and paying obscene amounts of money on it is necessary for her style. I just don't get it. Does hair have anything to do with your personal style? Do you ladies out there feel that a great hair cut is necessary to how fashionable or well dressed you are? Is there some sort of correlation between hair and dressing? I'm clueless and am really interested in hearing about whether your hair style or lack thereof effects the way you dress..

By Mr. Y

What's your Fashion Resolution?

I have committed many fashion faux pas in 2008. I am a new mother and I just don’t have the time to devote to my appearance the way I used to. I favor practical instead of pretty these days. But of the long, long list I have compiled, I would say my biggest offense would be keeping my Uggs on all day at work.

My intent is always to change into heels or pretty flats once I get to my desk, but life at home and work is so busy, I always forget! Sometimes I don’t even bring any shoes to change into, forcing me to keep “ugging” it all day! This needs to stop. If any of you catch me committing this fashion crime in 2009, you will need to call me out!

By Sarah

Who's that girl?

Ever seen someone that is so beautiful, you just have to say

“Bless Your Mama” and “Bless your mama’s mama!”

Yes that’s how I feel about Denise Vasi. She’s made her model debut with metrostyle in Spring 09.
But we all know her as Randi Morgan from All My Children.

Oh my! Oh my! She’s reminds a little of Stacey Dash, don’t you think?

It’s official I have a girl crush.

I can't decide

I can’t believe it, but we’re already in full swing of designing the catalogs for the spring season! As part of the creative team for metrostyle, we always try to design front covers that are fun, colorful and hopefully dramatic. We have three covers we just love and what we hope you’ll love too. But we can't decide which one is the best. Care to give us your vote? As one of the Asst. Art Directors, I'm looking for your feedback on what you like (or don’t like) about the covers we’ve designed for the catalogs you’ll receive in a month or so. Share your thoughts - which one is your favorite and more importantly, why?!

#1:

#2:

#3:

The Secret Life of Spandex

Let’s face it…when someone says “spandex” you can’t help but have horrible flashbacks of neon-colored, 1980s style bike shorts. Ugh!

But the truth of the matter is that spandex has been secretly working its way into lots of our favorite fabrics (even the high-end ones), making even the trendiest styles down right…comfortable. Check it out:

knit dresses – the fast favorites of designers and everyday women alike, knit dresses are so darn comfortable, it’s not even funny.

charmeuse – once a forbidden fabric, silky charmeuse used to show every body flaw. Now with a hint of spandex, this shimmery sensation is a whole lot more forgiving.

denim – a touch of stretch has given denim a new life…it hugs curves, flattens tummies and just feels good.

In a world of real women, with real curves and a real need to look AND feel good…something’s gotta give. And that, my friends, is why spandex is my favorite fabric for 2009!



By Bren B

Employee Interview: Elizabeth

1. Who are you and what is your official job title?
Elizabeth, Assistant Catalog Developer

2. Briefly describe what you do on a daily basis...
Everyday is different. I work as a liaison in a sense between the product, the merchants, and creative so no day or task is ever the same.

3. What's your favorite part of your job?
Seeing the finished product. To watch ideas change from a worksheet to a catalog is an amazing process.

4. Least favorite?
On some days I don't get to eat lunch because I am too busy and cant stop, even for a minute!!

5. What aspect of your job most directly affects our customers?
What the customer sees in the catalog would probably be something I occasionally affect. My opinion on a shot or a layout can sometimes change what the customer will see in print.

6. Do you shop on metrostyle.com?
Yes, sometimes.

7. Just one more...what's your favorite food?
My homemade tacos, and anything spicy!!!!

Interview by Jon