“Painting little pictures”

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Diana

On Saturday, I went to the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts in downtown Tampa. I always love to go every year. It’s a great place to meet up with family and friends, enjoy the fresh air and see some art. This year, it was held at the recently renovated Curtis Hixon Park. There were so many fantastic places to take pictures, but somehow I got distracted and this was the only shoot I got of my outfit. I decided to dress lightly and comfortably. The weather has started to turn warm, and my cashmere cardigan was actually a bit too hot at times. Still, I was comfy overall, and it was great to finally wear my Keen sandals again.

La Gran Arepa

One of the things I really look forward to at the Gasparilla Art show is the food. I always get the same two things every year. I start with an arepa, pictured above. These amazingly delicious things are essentially fried corn bread pancakes with mozzarella. So. fantastically. yummy. After I walk around for a bit, I always get some ice cream. They have a booth that takes a frozen ice cream bar (I chose cappuchino yogurt), dips it in melted chocolate, and then covers it with sprinkles, peanuts, or crushed oreos (I chose the later). I didn’t manage to get a picture of the ice cream, because I started eating it immediately.

I honestly wasn’t that impressed with most of the art at the festival this year, but there were several booths that caught my eye. One was a local artist, Nested Yellow. They sell gorgeous, nature-inspired jewelry on Etsy and at Tampa Street Market locally. I definitely plan on buying from them soon. There was also The Piper Sandal Company, which is a family owned small business that has been hand-crafting leather sandals since 1971. The sandals are gorgeous and made of high quality leather, and they will replace the leather straps for free when they wear out. At $119, they’re a pretty good deal. I also loved Marie Pierre Collection jewelry, which had some stunning silver cuffs.

Do you like to go to local arts festivals? What is your favorite aspect?

Cardigan: J Crew (via eBay)
Tee: Gap (via Revolve)
Jeans: Express (altered by me)
Sandals: Keen
Bag: Angry, Young and Poor
Necklace: Garage Sale
Bangles: Jill Popowich

Quote: Anatole over Paris., by Eve Titus

Shop Local: My Mosh Posh

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Diana

(This is the first in a new, once-a-month series of posts called “Shop Local”. In these posts, I will be interviewing the owners of local stores in my city, Tampa, FL, and the surrounding areas. I want to bring more attention to the awesomeness that is shopping local. While these stores are specific to the Tampa area, the insights from the interviews and the philosophy of shopping local apply to all places. Just as an additional note, I will only be reviewing stores that I have shopped at and had positive experiences with. I make sure I know what I’m recommending before I post about it.)

My Mosh Posh is pretty new to the Tampa scene, but it has quickly become one of my favorite consignment boutiques. The store is clean and well-lit, and the staff is very friendly and willing to go the extra mile to help you find what you’re looking for. I bought my beloved Ella Moss dress at this store. I interviewed the owner, Lauren Basil, to find out more about what makes My Mosh Posh unique.

Tell me about your store. What sets it apart from other consignment stores?

“Mosh Posh is a High End Consignment Boutique which offers contemporary styles and current trends. We often receive items from local consignors which you would still find currently in full price retail stores. Mosh Posh is less of a thrift store and more of a boutique that carries unique and designer items for much less than retail. We offer online tracking for consignors and soon will have an online store for people to purchase items through our website www.mymoshposh.com.”

What inspired you to open your store?

“There are many consignment stores locally that I have consigned at but none that I desired to really shop at. With the economy turning, I wanted a place where I could continue to get my favorite designers but wasn’t really into shopping at thrift stores or other local consignment stores. With Mosh Posh, I wanted to create a place that didn’t carry the typical consignment stigma. The goal was to create a store that you knew what you were going to get at a great price in a boutique like setting. No more scrounging through racks to find one great item just a wide assortment of designer items.”

What is your favorite thing about running a consignment boutique?

“I enjoy it when customers get great deals and are really excited about their purchase because they wouldn’t have been able to afford it at full retail price. We have several customers that come in daily to see what is new and you really develop personal relationships with our shoppers which is always great. One of the coolest things about owning a consignment store is we receive really unique items from all over the world that you wouldn’t be able to find at your typical retail store.”

What are the advantages of shopping at consignment stores?

“Deals, assortment of brands, unique items, great service.”

What was your favorite item out of everything you’ve sold? What is your favorite item from your personal collection?

“Gucci Patent Pumps..never worn! They retail for $695 today at a high end dept store and a customer was able to purchase them for $295. That’s a $400 savings just for buying them at our store and they are new! All items sold at Mosh Posh are hand selected on consignment as we don’t own any inventory. I can tell you my favorite item currently in our store are these over-the-knee Christian Dior Biker Boots. They are beautiful and very new York but it is so much fun when people try them on because they are so high.”

Who would you consider your style icons?

“My style is very simple yet elegant. Since I had a baby recently, I’ve also discovered that comfort and being practical are two very important aspects of my clothing choices. I would say Reese Witherspoon or Katie Holmes would be a couple of celebrities that I would consider to be my style icons. I enjoy their fashionable yet classic looks.”

What else would you like to tell us about the store?

“Mosh Posh is changing shopping habits for a lot of people. You would be amazed at the amount of people that shop at our store that are driving Mercedes, Jaguars and other high end cars. These people could probably afford to go to high end department stores and pay full price but because of the economy they are trying to save a penny here and there when possible. Mosh Posh offers a venue for our clientele to shop without feeling as if they are shopping a thrift store. So I think one of the biggest things that sets Mosh Posh apart from other consignment stores is the atmosphere which we have created for our customers. You would not believe the amount of people that have come into our store scour the racks and purchase something without ever knowing we were a consignment store. Because we hand select each item for quality control we are able to put only the best quality/condition and most current product on the floor. We probably turn more clothes away then we take on a daily basis.”

www.mymoshposh.com

500 South Howard Ave., Suite D
Tampa, FL 33606
Phone: 813.258.8800

Monday: 11am-6pm
Tuesday: 11am-6pm
Wednesday: 11am-6pm
Thursday: 11am-6pm
Friday: 11am-6pm
Saturday: 10am-6pm
Sunday: Closed

Daily Outfit: Monochromatic Blue

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Diana

Going with Kim’s wonderful inspiration calendar again, I went with monochromatic blue for Monday. This challenge surprised me – I figured it would be easy, since I have lots of blue in my wardrobe, but when trying to put something together, I realized that many of the shades don’t work well together. I finally went with blue jeans (which were fine indoors, but oppressively hot outdoors), a tank and a cardigan (which was indoors only). I added some contrast by wearing a navy scarf as a headband, carrying a navy tote, and throwing in some brown sandals so it wasn’t too monochromatic. Neutral silver jewelry topped it all off.

head to toe

That cardigan was a recent Anthropologie sale purchase. I adore it, but I hadn’t worn it yet because of the ridiculous heat wave we’ve been experiencing in Florida lately. It was just right for my nice, chilly office though. What I love most about this cardigan is the gorgeous details, like the fabric covered buttons, the matching placket lining,the adorable pockets, and the contrasting bands. The texture is also very unique, as it’s a reverse stockinette in fair isle. This will be getting tons of wear in the fall.

cardi

details

This outfit also lets me debut my new Born Savory sandals. I got these a few weeks ago, while looking for a comfortable, strappy sandal. They took a few days to break in, but now they’re relatively comfortable, only giving me blisters if I do lots of walking. I love them so much, I’m thinking about buying a second pair in orange or blue, since they’re on sale right now at 6pm.

savory

In the afternoon, I ditched the cardigan, traded the sandals for Chucks, and played tourist with my boyfriend and some friends of ours. We went to Ybor City and Channelside, which are essentially the touristy districts of Tampa. We had some delicious fish tacos at Memas Alaskan Tacos, a very popular spot with the locals that I’d never actually been to. Then we took the trolley (which is sadly inefficient and impractical) and took it to Channelside, where we went bowling at Splitsville. There’s several pictures over on my Flickr, so I won’t inundate you with all of them here. I’ll just leave you with a picture of me bowling, so you can imagine my crazy happy dance when I got a strike.

bowling

Cardigan: Anthropologie
Tank: Old Navy
Jeans: Express Stella
Sandals: Born Savory
Scarf (worn as headband): Vintage
Earrings: June Designs
Necklace: June Designs
Bangles: Jill Popowich
Tote: Thrifted and re-conned
Cheesy bowling shoes: Splitsville

Places to shop in Tampa

Posted on April 18, 2009 by Diana

3421782713_5ac80f7e10

(photo by me)

This post is a list of places (mainly thrift, consignment, and vintage) that I either enjoy shopping at in Tampa, or would like to check out. If you’re headed down to Tampa, FL, this can be a good resource for you when trying to figure out where to spend your non-Busch Gardens and sporting events time.

Vintage

Sherry’s Yesterdaze: Not only does the amazing Sherry’s Yesterdaze have affordably priced accessories, clothes, furniture and household items, but they’re also within biking distance of where I live, and located just across the street from the delicious Bungalow Bistro and the Forever Beautiful salon and day spa. Buy some cool vintage duds, get a pedicure and then have some lunch.

La France: Located in historic Ybor City (and within walking distance of Revolve Clothing Exchange and Urban Outfitters) this is the place to go in Tampa when you want high end vintage clothing. The store is beautiful, and they have a great selection of vintage jewelry.

Squaresville: I haven’t actually been to this vintage store yet, but everyone I have talked to says that it’s fantastic. Their focus is more on retro vintage, such as 50s, 60s and 70s duds. Located within driving distance of Anthropologie in Hyde Park and Second Image. And not too far from Tribeca, my favorite hair salon.

Consignment, etc

Revolve Clothing Exchange: Revolve is not technically a consignment shop, but that’s the closest category I could think of. The way it works is that you bring in your old clothes that you no longer wear to Revolve. They decide which items they would like to take, and then you get store credit for them. Plus, they will donate the clothes they don’t want to charity, if you ask them too. Otherwise you can have them back. They have a great selection of stylish used clothes, as well as new items by indie designers. And since they’re in Ybor, La France and Urban Outfitters are close by.

Triage: I haven’t been to Triage since they moved to their new location, but I found lots of great stuff there before.

Thrift:

Second Image: My favorite Tampa thrift store. Excellent, large selection. A separate boutique area for better brands. The prices are closer to consignment level than thrift level, but the quality (and cleanliness) is great, and they often have fantastic sales. Only downside is the very small parking lot, which is often full.

Sunshine Thrift: Another store that I haven’t hit yet, but have heard lots of great things about.

Malls:

International Plaza: This is where you go in Tampa when you want quality name brands. The Clarks store is here, as well as J. Crew, Zara and Express.

Westshore Plaza: Not the high end names, but still a pleasent place to shop. Stores include Ann Taylor, LOFT, White House Black Market, etc.

Outlet Malls:

Prime Outlets: Unfortunately, there are no outlet malls in Tampa. But if you’re willing to drive a few hours (or are headed to Sarasota), the Prime Outlets at Ellenton is one of my favorite shopping destinations.

Local Review: Revolve Clothing Exchange

Posted on November 22, 2008 by Diana

Tampa may not be a shopping mecca, but there are some pretty cool places to score used, vintage and indie clothes. One of my favorites is Revolve Clothing Exchange in Ybor (quick warning: the link is their myspace page and plays music automatically).

If you happen to visit Tampa, you will probably end up in Ybor City at some point. It’s our historic cigar making district which in the past ten years evolved into our night club district. (Revolve takes advantage of this by being open late on the weekends).

The store has been in Ybor for awhile now (on 7th Ave), and from the first day that I set foot in the shop, it has been my favorite place to shop in Tampa. They have a fabulous mix of used, vintage and indie designer clothing at great prices. I’ve often found name brand items (such as Lucky Brand jeans) at a fraction of the original price.

The best part about Revolve is that you can bring in clothes you don’t wear anymore (men’s and women’s) and if they decide to accept any of it, you get store credit. I did that this weekend and had a min-shopping spree with my $68 store credit! (Pics of what I bought will be coming soon).

The atmosphere of the store is great, the staff are friendly, the clothes are cool and hip. What more could a girl ask for?

(image from Revolve’s website)