Built By Wendy is a NYC-based line of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories. Founder, Wendy Mullin grew up in Chicago where she learned to sew from her mother and her grandmother. I first learned about Wendy from her Sew U books. I definitely looking forward to seeing more of the Fall ‘08 Collection, which according to a review in the New York Post, is inspired by Stockholm and the Alps — think “The Sound of Music.” According to Ms. Mullin, “the vibe is about family, the cozy feeling you have when you see your family during the holidays.”

Angie Hearts Boutique is saying goodbye. This week only – get an additional 20% off entire list of sale items by entering the code lastweek2 .

This Khaki shirt will take you right into the fall and the price is right at $24. Take off an additional 20% and you can’t go wrong!

I was just reading about the fashion influence of Mad Men - particularly the popular Wiggle Dress style and I was reminded of this cute Pop Dress from Desira Pesta which I came across yesterday over at Etsy.

Desira Pesta uses top quality fabrics sourced from the best NYC designer fabric stores in the Garment District, including bamboo, organic cotton, satins, and beautiful cottons. She also uses materials acquired from estate sales and antique shops. Each piece has been professionally-constructed using industrial machines and perfect sewing, ensuring longlastingness and beautiful craftswomanship.

Visit her website and online shop and I dare you not to be inspired by this woman’s creativity!

I found Romanian designer Alina Cosma’s Party Noire line of black dresses over at FashionDerek. Her styles remind me of my mother’s Vogue Patterns that I recently found in the basement. My sewing machine sits idle in the dining room right now, but I intend to fire it up once the kids start back to school with these dresses as inspiration.

One highlight of my recent visit to NYC was a stop at the GreenFlea Market on West 76th Street adn Columbus Ave.  Susie Chen’s bags caught my eye especially because she was wearing one almost identical to the one I was wearing at the time. Hers was smaller and the flap was cut on the diagonal which was a nice touch.  You can see more of Chen’s bag’s here.

Money generated by the operation of the flea market is used by the parents to provide needed enrichment opportunities for the children of the two schools. Since 1985, GreenFlea has provided the schools with more than $4,000,000 in additional funds.  

While Cathy is taking a well deserved break from blogging, here to keep All Chic active and in tip-top shape is her (much talked about) Hippie Daughter.

A trip to Georgetown last weekend brought us to this great clothing store called Annie Creamcheese. This store has vintage clothing and accessories in psychedelic, retro, and modern styles. They buy and sell designer vintage clothing for 30% in cash or 50% in store credit. Annie Lee and Garrett Bauman, the owners of Annie Creamcheese, also have a location in Las Vegas.

Definitely one of the most unique, exciting, and colorful stores I’ve been in! I knew I would love it when, walking in, I saw a “Janis Joplin Ave.” street sign, Jimi Hendrix portrait, and Jim Morrison photograph on the walls. Groovy!

Check it out at anniecreamcheese.com.

My hippie daughter was watching Festival Express on NetFlix “Watch Instantly” this afternoon and I had her grab this shot of Janis Joplin wearing a puffy shirt. I don’t care what anyone says… I LIKE the puffy shirt. Ever since the Seinfeld episode it’s gotten a bad rap like the time Oprah was caught wearing one.

Check out this one from Holly Stalder, a designer from Portland, who has a shop over at Etsy. For more of Holly’s beautiful stylings visit hollystalder.com.

I love my new shoes from Solestruck.com.  I’m wearing The Jester from Irregular Choice. The black/white/gray argyle satin print is perfect for brightening up the long black skirts that are the uniform for piano accompanists, but I doubt I’ll be able to save these for special occasions. They’re too much fun to keep in the closet.

Check out the design on the sole and the wiry ribbon with the curling ends at the toe!

Solestruck.com has many Irregular Choice shoes to choose from and from what I could tell they pretty much run true to size which is nice to know when you order online.

Here’s a bit about The Jester’s designer – Danny Sullivan.

Danny Sullivan, founder and designer, is the creative energy behind Irregular Choice. It will surprise most to learn that he has no formal training yet solely designs all aspects of the collections. His innovative approach to design is thanks in part to his footwear industry pedigree – Danny’s parents were at the forefront of the fashion scene in and around London’s Kings Road at its heyday in the ’70s and ’80s with their infamous Transport store.