Customer of the Week

Our Customer of the Week Akiva looking AMAZING red Marchesa Notte.

PARKING ON COLLEGE AVE. MADE EASIER!

We all have our pet peeves, right?  Right!  My ongoing one is the  parking system in Oakland.  I’m out running an errand that should take 5 minutes, but the time is more than doubled because of all the hoops that I  have to jump through just to pay for parking.  The easiest part of this journey is finding  a parking place.  Barely one trip around the block and voila – a space!  Don’t have quarters for the 5 minutes planned?  Out comes the credit card.  Could I have parked any further from the pay station?  Which one is closer, do I go to my right or my left?  To  the left  I go.  ARRRGGH, it’s broken!  Cross the street or go back to the original one to my right?  How much  time have I spent so far, just to run in and pick up my dress?  Back  down  the street I go and now I’m waiting behind someone who is unfamiliar with the system and who is not eager for my help.  Wait.  Wait.  Wait.  Insert card,  retrieve parking receipt,  go back to car and insert on dash.  I have now spent 7 minutes and I have not gotten anything accomplished.  Oh, and by the way, at least double all this time spent if you are dealing with a child in a car seat.  I will save you the description of that whole process.  You know the drill.

Well, my friends, life just got a bit easier in the paying for parking world in Oakland.  It’s 2012 and you can now do all  this with a simple App!  That’s right,  download a free app on your phone and paying for parking is now a breeze.

You will now notice the lime green signs attached to all the parking pay stations that instruct you how this is done.  Register your car (and any others you want) and credit card at http://us.parkmobile.com/, or call 1-877-727-5718. You can also just download the green parkmobile app and register on it.   If you are tall enough, there is also a QR on the sign you can access.  No shortage of ways to succeed at this, for sure.

Now when you come to visit us, or any other fine establishment in Oakland you click on your app, note which zone you are in, select how much time you want and you’re done. It really is that easy.  No more running out to your car in the middle of an appointment or lunch to buy more time.  You can do it all from your phone.

I don’t know about you, but this has really made my day.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I just discovered there is a 35 cent transaction fee).

Prom Hair Ideas…

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

A change in season always seems to bring about new fashion trends so why should this season be any different?  What I like about one of the trends, color blocking, is that you can put it together from things you already own.  Color blocking isn’t exactly new, but it is making a real statement now.  It  means just what it sounds like, putting together two or more (don’t do more than three) bold colors in your outfit.  It is your time to shine and be as creative as you’d like.  If you’ve always wanted to put that pink top  with that red sweater, go for it.  If you don’t want to mix and match your clothes, how about accessories?  Spruce up that neutral outfit with bold shoes and purse and/or a scarf.  Dare you make your eye shadow contrast with your top?  The possibilities are endless.  Try putting together 1 bold, 1 neon and 1 neutral.  The color wheel on top can be used as a guide.  Colors opposite one another tend to compliment each other; choose colors next to each other for a bit more of a harmonious look.  Another little trick is to draw a triangle between colors and chances are two of the three colors you touch will work well together. Keep the colors solid and use your imagination!  Wear the trend, don’t let it wear you.

Another trend is mixing prints and plaids.  Once again you can use items already in your closet to pull this off and it allows you to look at your wardrobe in a whole new light.  There are so many rules out there for mixing and matching that they practically cancel  each other out, making for “anything goes!”  Here are a few rules  beginners ought to stick with.  Try and keep the base color in both prints in the same family.  By the way, animal prints can act as a neutral and if one of your patterns is in a more neutral color the other can be more  bold.  Don’t mix similar type patterns, for example trying to mix polka dots with polka dots may put your more in the sad clown category.  The smaller the pattern the easier it is to mix, but do try and vary the scale to add interest.  What I like about this trend is the varied possibilities of mixing black and whites, two colors I seem to have in ample supply.

One more way to keep your look current – nail polish.  Those dark winter colors should be giving way to a lighter look.  Although a classic red never seems to go out of  style, with all the bold colors and neons out there, try balancing with a quieter nail.  If you’re tired of the basic french manicure, try a reverse french.  There are a number of beige, honey, milky whites out there to choose from and a light pink seems to go with  a lot too.

Let us know which trends and colors work best for you.

Welcome  to Spring.  This means that summer is not far away!!