Peplum Perfect!

With so many different ways to wear it, this seasons must-have strapless peplum dress is the perfect versatile piece for your wardrobe!

 - Pair with a leather jacket, statement necklace and a pair of knee high boots or gold heeled boots and your ready to rock!

- Look super chic at the office by throwing on a light grey blazer over, adding some pumps and a chunky pair of earrings!

 

- Look stylish AND comfy by pairing a neutral color cardigan and beanie with a few long necklaces,  a ring or two, a pair of booties!


.....And of course our strapless peplum looks fabulous by itself too!

So come grab this wardrobe essential for yourself:

Cerato Boutique 

3451 N Southport Ave

Chicago, IL 60657

781.749.1219

ceratoboutique.com

 

LIT on Newbury

223 Newbury St.

Boston, MA 02116

617.421.8637

litboutique.com

LIT Boutique

236 Hanover St.

Boston, MA 02113

617.391.0086

litboutique.com

Twilight Boutique

12 Fleet St

Boston, MA 02114

617.523.8008

twilightboutique.com 

(suggested retail of  $198)

And for personal orders contact us directly at lilyandmigs@yahoo.com

Happy Holidays!!!

XX

Trunk Shows & Holiday Sales!!

Tis’ the season to shop local!

Avoid all the holiday lines and overworked employees by popping into local boutiques! Not only can you find more original and unique pieces this way, you are also helping support the designers behind them! 

Plus Lily & Migs has a few upcoming trunk shows, a perfect opportunity to snag trendy versatile pieces for your wardrobe! 

The LA event will be at the Joken Style Showroom in the Cal. Mart's Holiday Sample Sale starting on Friday Nov. 29^th and continuing EVERY Friday through the month of December. The showroom's address is: Cal. Mart. Ctr. 110 E. 9Th st. Ste #A514 Los Angeles, CA. 90079

The Chicago show with Supreme Novelty Fabrics will be on Black Friday Nov. 23rd from 4-10pm located at 2156 West Fulton, Chicago, IL 60612 where we will also be collecting toys for the Toys for Tots charity!!

So get out there and show your local shops & designers some holiday love!!

XOX

Lily & Migs Luncheon with Marilyn Riseman

http://blog.bostondesign.com/featured/bostons-first-lady-of-style-marilyn-riseman/

 
Here at Lily & Migs we are anxiously awaiting the luncheon with the iconic fashionista Marilyn Riseman. Lily & Migs has the amazing opportunity to be the designers at one of her Luncheons on November 30 at the Brassiere Jo in the Colonnade Hotel.

http://blog.wickedpeacock.com/2012/10/09/luncheon-with-marilyn-riseman/

This eccentric 85 year old Boston socialite has been pursuing nothing but success from event and fundraiser planning to owning several boutiques, and of course, she has accumulated quite the impressive closet! Riseman's acclaimed Luncheons have been a tradition for a few years now and serve as a backboard off which to spring local emerging designers, upping their prestige and publicity.

Having been dubbed with titles like "Boston's Ultimate Fashion Maven" Stuff Magazine, and "Boston's First Lady of Style"(blog.bostondesign.com) it comes to no surprise as as why we are so excited! We will be showing pieces from our Fall 2012 collection with Wicked Peacock accessorizing the event!

http://www.lilyandmigs.com/

XO

White: Facts. Fallacies. Fashion.

The first Monday in September is almost upon us which brings about the ever popular annual fashion question, “Can you wear white after Labor Day?”.  The answer is YES.  Yes you can.  Here is a guide of do’s, don’ts & exceptions:

1.   DO wear oversized chunky knits in all shades of white whenever your heart desires.  Sometimes throwing a great sweater on and some great boots is the perfect way to look chic and be cozy, comfy during the cooler months.

2.    DO wear wide leg, winter white trousers year round.  They look great with a cropped winter jacket in the winter, lighter weight cashmere in the fall and a chiffon sleeveless top in the summer.

3.   DO own a tailored white or crème pantsuit.  It is one of the most elegant alternatives to wearing a gown if donned as evening wear and can be taken from season to season as well as dressed up or slightly more casual with accessories and separates. 

4.   DON’T continue to wear white jeans, especially capris.  Leave these for any warm weather vacations or dust them off around Memorial Day.

5.   DON’T let your white linen jackets remain an option after the holiday.  Those are meant for summer weddings or to create a casual “Hampton” look for summer brunches eaten outside in the sun.  Unless you’re attending a destination wedding those can go on a winter hiatus as well.

6.  DO wear a tailored, modern winter white coat.  Whether paired with jeans, office attire or a night-on-the-town look it creates a classic, elegant look to any outfit.  Or wear a white down fur trimmed jacket to head down the slopes or run day-to-day errands.

7.  DO stay warm with any color (including various shades of white) scarf.  Not only will this accessory keep you toasty it also adds interest to your outfit in the same way a necklace would.

8.  DON’T keep those drawstring linen pants on the shelf.  Simply made to only be worn with flip-flops or summer sneaks, unless you are headed to the beach or live in a Caribbean-like climate, bid farewell to these until next summer rolls around.

9.  And…NEVER, EVER, EVER wear too tight white dresses or separates that are not properly lined or that show off all your “ass”ets.  White is not a very forgiving color to begin with.  Fit and construction are very important and can be the fine line between classy and trashy.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday and hope that your summer has been as fabulous as ours!

XO J & L 

Summer Faves: The Chitown to Beantown picks from the ladies of Lily & Migs

Jenn’s Chitown Summer Faves

Outdoor Dining:  Handle Bar for great beer selection and a sweet garden patio setting!

Must Have-At-All-Times Item:  Sunscreen.  80 SPF preferred…I’m pale.

Refreshing Libation:  Currently, it’s dark rum and ginger beer topped with lime…yum!

Fan Favorite:  The Cubs of course!

Ice Cream Flavor:  Black Dog Gelato’s goat cheese-cashew caramel gelato.

Go-To Outfit:  Always a fan of a maxi skirt, tank & a cool necklace and pair of shades.

Vacation Spot:  Three Lakes-Northern Wisco

Chi Adventure:  Street fests!  There’s a half dozen going on any given summer weekend.

Adventurous Kid-friendly Activity:  St. Helen’s School Annual Carnival.  My daughter’s favorite!

2012 Fashion Trend:  High or natural waisted shorts as well as colored skinny jeans paired with relaxed tanks.

Lauren’s Beantown “Summah” Faves

Outdoor Dining:  Tia’s on the Waterfront for amazing fish tacos, a house made Stoli Doli & a beautiful marina view!

Must Have-At-All-Times Item:  Fresh Sugar lip treatment with SPF in rose.  Nothing says “ewww” like dry, chapped lips.  A bonus is the “I just ate a cherry popsicle” stain it leaves as well.

Refreshing Libation:  Guava & fresh strawberry Asti champagne cocktails.  The perfect girlie brunch drink!

Fan Favorite:  Boston Cannons lacrosse games, especially on Family Day!

Ice Cream Flavor:  J.P. Lick’s low fat oatmeal cookie yogurt.  So good.  Tastes just like a cookie fresh out of the oven.

Go-To Outfit:  Smocked strapless maxi dresses that can double as skirts as well.  Such an easy dress-up, dress-down item and super comfy too.

Vacation Spot:  Anywhere on Cape Cod.  Drivable, relaxing and crazy fresh seafood.

Beantown Adventure:  Hiking the trails at Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, MA.  You can see an amazing city view of all of Boston from the peak.

Adventurous Kid-friendly Activity:  Codzilla.  A high speed boat ride that will get you refreshingly soaked on a humid day as well as an elevated heart rate and great pictures of the city from the water!

2012 Fashion Trend:  Obsessing with the edgy feminine look of the “mullet” skirt & dress in light airy fabrics and pleats.

We hope everyone has as much fun this summer as we plan to!  Here’s to a happy, sunny, adventurous, safe one!

xo J & L

Adventures in Betseyland

It was a cold Monday in February 2008 when a tall redhead and a short blonde crossed paths in the Betsey Johnson showroom located in NYC’s fashion district.  Blondie was a retail intern from Boston and the strawberry blonde was a design intern from Chi-town.  This was the start of “Jenn & Lauren”.  The start of a beautiful friendship which blossomed into what is best described as a sisterhood which lead to the women’s line Lily & Migs.

In doing some research for this piece, we actually came across mixed reviews for our particular internships and were surprised as we feel we couldn’t have asked for a more educational, insightful, fun look into the fashion industry on such an elevated level.  We think everything in life is what you make of it.  You can choose to be bored and not take advantage of something wonderful you are being given or you open your eyes, learn and grow.

Jenn always recalls our first interaction as a conversation that was had on that first day in the kitchen of the showroom over our love/addiction of coffee.  I told her I was on my 4^th cup of the morning and that until I’m shaking it’s not enough.  She thought to herself, “Yup.  My kinda girl.”.  Between the errands, projects and NJ warehouse runs pulling us in different directions, we managed to become very close while hitting up happy hour after work, exploring the city, jamming to shows at The Bowery Ballroom, shopping or relaxing in Central Park.  These were and will always remain some of the best times in our lives.

Naz, Nobu, Jenn & Laur. St. Patty's Day 2008 in NYC.

A “typical” Betsey day would start with caffeine with a side of caffeine.  Then it was on to the fun stuff.  I  might be doing an excel or best seller’s project, running a personal errand for Betsey or heading to the warehouse for store set-ups, pick tickets or (a personal favorite) vintage inspirational digging in Betsey’s GIGANTIC and AMAZING collection.  Jenn might be sourcing fabric, taking over swatch card organization, sketching flats or running for samples and notions.  Even though we each were interns in different offices, it was like a family.  If someone was free you help out when you can in another department and vice-versa.  This definitely helped broaden each of our knowledge of the entire operation.

Then there was the opportunity to work Mercedes Benz NYC Fashion Week in the late summer-early fall of 2008.  We managed to land a sublet in Brooklyn for a bit and headed back to the showroom for the “madness”.  This experience was the once in a lifetime kind.  I took on the role of Betsey’s second personal assistant which included sitting in and recording notes for design meetings, running personal errands, preparing things at her apartment, for family & out of town guests; I was her shadow and definitely had a few interns understandably giving me the “evil eye” intermittently.  Jenn was welcomed back with open arms by the design team and went straight to work on sketches, sewing various showpieces, running errands as well as helping PR prep.  Showtime came and we both went to work as dressers backstage…then after a looooooong nap… we hit the after party!

Jenn, Laur, Naz & Carissa-Ann.  BJ NYCFW rooftop after party in Soho.

What is ironic is that when deciding to write this blog entry, Betsey Johnson announced she was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Although it is always sad to see your mentor close their doors, we know Betsey Johnson’s spunky, creative spirit will never die.  Some people think she’s crazy and coo-coo, but she was always super sweet, complemented our outfit & styling choices, asked our opinions and would even hold conversations about my kids with me as she was already a grandma at the time.  Our time spent at the 7^th Ave NYC showroom was priceless.  We made lasting memories, friendships & gained tremendous knowledge in regards to life and this competitive industry.  Without the cartwheeling, hot pink lipstick wearing, bleach blonde dread-like extensioned Betsey, Lily & Migs would never have been born.

Laur, Jenn & Betsey; NYC showroom.

Much love always and forever Betsey…

xo Jenn & Lauren   

Before the After Party...

One of the most frequent questions we get asked is “What’s it like to work with a designer during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC?”.  The answer is pretty blunt; exhausting. The week is long, tiring, exciting, fun, thrilling and highly educational.  What we took away from working the Betsey Johnson show in the tents was pretty priceless; how to prep for a runway show.  (That and how many cups of coffee it takes to get the shakes, almost pass out and yet remain alert and highly functional for an almost straight 24 hours. This info can also be considered priceless knowledge as well.)

First and foremost, one can never be too prepared when it comes to prepping for producing a runway fashion show.  We generally begin our process with our concept board and end things with an after party, but here is a look at what comes in between.

ONE MONTH BEFORE SHOW:

-Initial concept meeting
-Concept board construction
-Model casting
-PR Push; flyers, social media, invites, emails, etc.
-After party planned

Initial Concept Board

TWO WEEKS BEFORE SHOW:

-Initial model fitting
-DJ meeting and music selection
-Printed items such as swag bag gift certificates designed and send to PR.
-Meetings and/or trial runs with hair stylists and MUA’s

MUA concept board for BFW2011 by Mariolga Pantazopoulos; owner of Define:Beauty

 ONE WEEK BEFORE SHOW:

Thursday Morning: “911” Kits in place (these contain items such as double sided tape, static guard, safety pins, sharpies, hairspray, bobby pins, small sewing kit, steamer, iron & board, glue gun & sticks as well as several other various items)


Thursday Afternoon: Final model fittings


Friday Lunch: Initial runway order decided. Models designated to garments

Model Fitting Pics on Order Board

Friday Afternoon: Styling pieces decided.


Saturday All Day: Pick up all styling items including jewelry, shoes and accessories.


Sunday Morning: Individual model boards constructed (These show what each model is wearing as well as which number each look is in the lineup.  They are placed in front of her 2-3 designated hangers and make life much easier for a dresser.) 

DAY BEFORE SHOW (LATEEEEE NIGHT):

Monday
7:00AM- (directly after a pow-wow and 3 cups of coffee)
Clothes get steamed and hung on racks


10:30AM- Initial packing, phone calls, last minute buyer printouts, and answer the endless amounts of emails.


1:22PM- Lunch, as in a power bar or  a bag of pretzels (This is usually in the car driving around town for the 15 various last minute stops we need to make) and of course... a cup of coffee.


2:49PM- Organizing the accessories with individual model ziplocks (These contain any jewelry, socks, tights etc. that the model will be wearing and are place right behind the model board.)


8:00PM- Last minute “stuff” (and there is always about 9 hours of this…) i.e. more packing, finalizing the lineup, styling items and model boards. This process also includes several large doses of caffeine.

Behind-the-Scenes @ BFW2011. Photo by Tracy Aiguier via Exposure

DAY OF SHOW:

Tuesday
6:15AM- (3 snooze button hits and a vat of caffeine later) Showers


7:02AM- Double check all packing… Get all garments in garment bags. Triple check to make sure nothing gets left behind!


11:00AM- Early call time and arrive at the venue


11:30AM-1:15PM: Unpacking…


12:00PM- Models Arrive. A few last minute fittings. There are always last minute changes to the lineup. 


1:42PM- Meeting with DJ, production team & models for pow-wow and run through of runway show (Of course this never happens "ontime")


3:00PM- Models head to Hair & make-up. Here there is lots of eating candy and drinking coffee to keep the eyelids open from lack of sleep and then… 

Almost time... Photo by Tracy Aiguier via Exposure

7:00PM- SHOWTIME.

9:00PM- AfTeR PaRtY!(We trade our coffee for a cocktail)

1:00AM- zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...


                                                                            xo j+l