Read about the Detroit Garment Guild at Detroit Opportunity.
This Motown nonprofit provides education and networking for Detroit’s fashion industry.
The board of directors are passionate about the city and fashion.
Shinola and John Varvatos are just the beginning. . .
Linda Dresner is a fashion icon in Motown and in New York. Although she closed her NY boutique, her Birmingham, Mich. store is still a destination for fashion mavens. Wall Street Journal featured her dramatic home designed by architect Steven Sivak. 
Photography by Adrian Gaut
I know Linda, and she is as beautiful as the fashion she wears and sells. Here are some photos of her from my Style magazine editor days. Special thanks to my friend Lisa Brody, news editor at Downtown Publications, for sharing the article on her Facebook page and alerting me to this story.
The other day I was walking down the street in Birmingham, Mich. and this black and gold-trimmed doorway was bedecked with flowers. I peeked in, and to my surprise, I was greeted by Lama Tayeb (below), the owner of the new boutique Coqueta.
The colorful boutique was filled with clothing from Milan and Paris. “I have a passion for fashion,” says Tayeb, who travels throughout Europe selecting beautiful clothing, shoes and handbags for Coqueta.
Enter the equisite doorway of Coqueta and you, too, will see beautiful fashion!
Motown fashionistas celebrated the 20th anniversary of the boutique Tender in Birmingham, Mich. Sisters Cheryl and Karen Daskas have an eye for style in shoes, handbags, jewelry and women’s apparel. They introduce emerging and established designers with panache. The story carries all the exclusive designers like Miu Miu, Lanvin and Jason Wu. But, I love it when they introduce an upcoming young designer who is featured the very next month in Vogue magazine. Here are some snapshots from their anniversary party held on Nov. 20th at the store.
Top left: Joan Epstein, me and Karen Daskas of Tender
Top right: Richard and Debbie Astrein of Astrein Jewelers and Joe Bauman, executive director of the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce
Lower left: Cindy Kahn of Sotheby’s International Realty
Lower right: Samar Ajluni and Karen Buscemi, editor of Styleline magazine
Below: The shoe salon at Tender.
For more party photos of this event go to http://www.dbusiness.com/DBusiness/November-December-2013/Birmingham-Tender/
Motown fashion combines talents when Lolly Ella Jewelry in West Bloomfield partners with Detroit milliner Luke Song. Song gained international attention when he designed the hat for Detroit’s Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Franklin wore his hat to the inauguration of President Barak Obama. Lolly Ella Jewelry and Luke Song will pair an exotic hat with a statement piece of jewelry perfect for the holiday celebrations. This event takes place Thursday, Nov. 21 beginning at 4 p.m., but internet shopping is available at both stores.
At the Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, Mich., I stumbled upon an elegant store — Carlo Pazolini. There is a wide variety of shoes for men and women as well as handbags and accessories. The leather is soft and sumptuous, and the styles are exquisite. The store will be expanding in the U.S., but has more than 150 locations in Europe. According to the Carlo Pazolini website the company began in 1990 when the Carlo Pazolini trademark was registered in Italy. Check out the website design at Carlo Pazolini — that’s beautiful too!
Have you been to Shinola to see the fabulous watches and bicycles? I have not been there yet, but the buzz is extraordinary. The products look fantastic. In today’s New York Times, the advertisement is eye catching with the tag line “Someday they’ll call Geneva the Detroit of Switzerland.”
Let me know if have a Shinola watch yet or have seen the stores in either New York or Detroit?
I might have found the perfect sun hat. It’s cute, packable and provides sun protection. It’s called the bucket with a hide-away neck-flap. I purchased it at Dunham’s in metro Detroit. To my delight, it’s from a Motown-based company — Broner Hat & Glove. This fourth-generation family business began in Detroit and is now located in Auburn Hills. Check out their catalog for more sun hats that will keep you cool and sunburn free.
Here are some other fun sun hats!
Treat your new bundle of joy to some hand made clothing created by Jessica Brandt. Jessica (shown in photo) has created a collection of hand made clothing, bibs, blankets, burp cloths, dresses, shorts and other baby accessories. She even makes sheets and takes custom orders! You can find these adorable one-of-a kind items on Etsy. Her company is called Little Bundlez, and she sews all of her items in her home workshop in metro Detroit. As a mother of a toddler and one on the way, she chooses cozy fabrics and delightful prints.
Visit her site on Etsy or e-mail her at jessica.bbrandt@yahoo.com
I asked Jessica which baby blog and site she prefers, and she suggested prudentbaby.com
I’m enjoying the Martha Stewart site for tips from clothing to food to decor.
Dominic Pangborn designs are dynamic, bold and original. Wear a scarf or a necktie, and you will be stopped on the street with compliments from strangers — even in New York. I know because I have a few scarves. Dominic is a talented and passionate Detroit designer with an international flair. The swirl of colors or geometric patterns are dazzling. You’ll find his designs at the Detroit Metro Airport and now in the Michigan Design Center in Troy, which is open to the public. In his latest interview on Fox2, he says he will expand his accessories and home products. His personal journey as a Korean adoptee is just as fascinating as his artistry.
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Interesting stories about everyday moments.
Fun, Fashion, Frivolity: An insider guide to Metro Detroit and beyond
Fun, Fashion, Frivolity: An insider guide to Metro Detroit and beyond
Motown Savvy 