El Paso: The Garden

A month of so ago I posted about a great restaurant in EP called Crave. An EP friend of mine, Marcelle Purdy, told me about a new-ish place opened by the same owners of Crave called The Garden. Now, I've not been there yet so I can't vouch for it myself, but because Crave left such a good impression on me and Purdy runs with a very fashionable crowd, I can't imagine that anything else opened by the same group of folks wouldn't also wow.

The Garden is downtown (right around the corner from The Plaza Theatre) and from what I've been told its covered outdoor patio brims with a pretty crowd of 30-somethings sipping cocktails and puffing away on Montecristo Churchills from the in-house cigar humidor. The menu sounds classic American with items like pan-roasted chicken, grilled trout, and baby back ribs, dishes that will always satisfy, but not blow your socks off. Anyone have a first-person account of The Garden?

Austin, Houston, Dallas: Shipley & Halmos

Attention Houston, Austin, and Dallas: Shipley & Halmos is coming to a CO-OP near you. Not just the line, but the designers behind the line, Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos. This month they are traveling to Barneys CO-OP locations around the country to meet their customers and snap a few shots of their favorite folks, in a photo booth no less, for inclusion in a book they are to publish later this year. Each person will also have a questionnaire to fill out that will accompany their photo if they make it into the limited edition book. Can you imagine? You in a book. What could be better?

Click here for dates.

Marfa: Marfa Brands Soap

I discovered Marfa Brand Soaps about a year and a half ago while I was in West Texas on assignment for Texas Monthly. I walked into super-cool boutique, JM Dry Goods, and my nose led me to a stack of these handmade, all-natural soaps that smelled so strongly of earth, campfire, and rosemary.

I still have a smidge of the bar - they last forever - and now I need to email Ginger Griffice, the founder of Marfa Brands, to order some more. Ginger makes the soaps using avocado and sweet almond oils, mango and cocoa butters, and then adds a touch of oatmeal or cornmeal to smooth skin.
The soap I have is called Campfire in the Woods and it's just heavenly; part burning wood and earth, saddle soap, and rosemary all mashed into something familiar that evokes childhood, the joy of being outside, and horseback riding.

Plano: Legacy Books

So sad to learn that Legacy Books is closing. Last day is August 14.

Photos from DMagazine.com

Shreveport: On the Road with NorthPark

My day began at 5 am. By 6 I was on a bus with three models, one stylist, a fabulous make-up artist, and one marketing director. Destination: Shreveport. Why you may ask? To promote NorthPark Center and some very special happenings there the weekend of August 20. First: On the Runway. This is a 3-day celebration of fall fashion where several almost-hourly runway shows will take place in the north court. Second: Saturday, Aug 21 from noon to 4 pm is the annual Kim Dawson Model Search, which launched the careers of Erin Wasson, Ali Michael, and Jessica Cline. Third: Aug 20, 21, 22 is Texas' Tax-Free weekend. No sales tax on clothing and shoes under $100. Today was the first part of our media television tour to tout this triple threat weekend at NPC.

My chariot awaits

Getting settled for a three-hour drive
Make up man, LB Rosser, doesn't mess around when it comes to bus travel. He brought his own pillow and blanket. Sorry the shot is blurry. Bouncy bus.
Models need beauty rest, too
LB's arsenal of good stuff. Everything he needed to make us pretty for the camera.
Marni blouse, J. Crew skirt, Alexander Wang wedges. Ready to go on air.
LB's works his magic
5 minutes 'til air time

This is what looped on my iPod to and fro. For me it's the perfect mix for an early morning on the road.

Shreveport Road Trip Playlist:

"Only Living Boy in NY" - Simon & Garfunkel

"Two" - Ryan Adams

"Last Goodbye" - Jeff Buckley

"Sara" - Fleetwood Mac

"Fix It" - Ryan Adams

"California" - Joni Mitchell

"Digest" - Ben Taylor

"Hey Nineteen" - Steely Dan

"Help Me" - Joni Mitchell

"When The Stars Go Blue" - Ryan Adams - Seriously, the harmonies on this song kill. Kill.