HOP SING VIBES with M'Lynn

I just love a girl with Salt water in her veins and willing to rock my fav-o-rite clothing item ever... OVERALLS and worn in the funky-cool not farm-y way they should be worn!  M'Lynn is that girl! She arrived at Hop Sing for her photoshoot in vibrant living color, with fun pastel pink ombré curls ready to play dress up! What a great time we had, and the images speak for the warm season ahead...  Hello Summer! Hello Road-trips! Hello Sand! Hello Music Festivals!!! 

NAME: M'Lynn
PLACE OF BIRTH: Sierra Vista, AZ
OCCUPATION: Neurophysiologic Intraoperative Monitoring (I monitor nerves during brain and spine surgery)
AGE (if you'd like to share): 23

Describe your "signature look"... 

"Boho chic, relaxed, practical. I want to look fabulous but also be ready to ride my bicycle wherever or go hike in the woods with my dogs."

Who or what inspires you? 

Any woman who takes a new trend or fashion, makes it all her own and rocks it.  Confidence makes or breaks every outfit.

What makes you feel beautiful? 
"When I get to lounge with my dogs and loved ones after a long day of saltwater, sand, and waves. Sun-kissed skin and salty hair will always make me feel gorgeous."

Name an item of clothing you can't live without... 

My black fringe Minnetonka moccasin boots. Amazingly versatile.

    

                         

The biggest splurge in your closet...
Let's not talk about it...(looking at you, thigh-high black leather boots)

The biggest waste of money in your closet... 

Crappy flats and cheap blazers. Contrary to what your parents tell you, business wear does NOT have to be conformist or boring.

What's the most memorable piece of clothing you've worn, and what made it special? 

My father gave me a stunning black lace dress for Christmas one year. I wore it to ring in my 21st birthday and many times afterwards and I always feel completely gorgeous yet ridiculously comfortable in it. I haven't yet found a dress that classy and that much fun to dance in.                            

        
What's your guilty pleasure/something you can't resist?
"Sea salt dark chocolate, lavender biscuits, and a perfect cappuccino. Decadent, simple, perfect."

Do you have a style icon? Please describe: 

My mother. Our styles are radically different but she taught me how to love clothes and to love the game of putting them together unexpectedly to look fabulous. I know no woman with better style.

What is your beauty/skincare routine?
Wash twice a day with organic face wash, moisturize with rose hip seed oil,  apply mascara, maybe some eyeshadow, swipe my lips with some hazelnut oil and boogie out the door!    

                                      

                                  

     

What has been the biggest surprise about the age you are now? 

How young I feel, but how mature everyone seems to perceive me. I'm an adult! What?!

The best advice you've ever received? 

"Letting emotions guide your decisions for love, work, clothes, anything, is not weak, but the only way to love and live authentically."

Do you believe in destiny? 

I don't. I believe each person carves their own path and can change it as they please.

What's next for you? 

Getting out of the country as soon as possible and getting under the waves! 

Thank you M'Lynn! You inspire us! ❤️

"These Boots are made for Walking" (written for: Prescott Kudos music & entertainment publication 10/03/14)

Can I tell you a secret?

I happen to love the one-hit-wonder, "These Boots are made for Walking," by Nancy Sinatra.

In fact, standing here in my closet deciding which pair will march with me through my day - I hear it ... dadadum - dadadum - dadadum - dadadum. The famous opening beat of that iconic ode to boots plays in my head while I vacillate between tall pull-ons, distressed lace-ups, granny ankle boots, stacked heels, low wedges, or moccasin-style boots. 

And yes ... I LOVE them all! 

The truth is that while we Prescottonians keep up with all things trend and style, we don't follow them religiously. We tend to borrow new ideas, tweak them a bit, and adapt a look to suit our local culture. In short, we make it OUR OWN. Most of you ladies might agree with me that the Prescott look, much like the Prescott lifestyle, is founded on a mix of casual comfort and relaxed styles. 

While the big cities of Los Angeles and New York may be the fashion capitals of the United States, most often the styles that break into the fashion forefronts rarely originated from within the concrete jungles - especially when it comes to my favorite fall footwear: Boots!  

Consider the origins of equestrian, cowboy-inspired, moto, military, Victorian. The list goes on and on ...  Regardless of what works for the urban fashion world, in a small boutique town like Prescott, many of the latest and most haute-damn styles may not practically translate to the lifestyle of those living in a less than "Sex and the City" locale. Let's face it, while the sexy look of sky high or spiked heels may look classy on the catwalks, they may look downright classless on Whiskey Row.  

Prescott's look is urban classic-meets-rustic chic. Translation: We wear a lot of denim.  We might take really feminine tops and dresses and dress them down with denim and boots. Or, my personal favorite, pair a T-shirt, and cardigan with flattering jeans, and dress them up with a pretty statement necklace and boots. You get the idea ... everything goes with boots! 

And boots are not the place to skimp. Invest in a quality pair; they'll last much longer and only get better with wear and age. Plus, in the light of consuming less and repurposing, they also can be re-soled to extend their life (and your investment).  I have boots purchased 15 years ago that still satisfy my "sole"!  They take me comfortably and fashionably wherever my heart desires ... season to season, year after year. 

*cue music* Dadadum - dadadum - dadadum - dadadum (snap your fingers now) ... 

"These boots are made for walkin' and that's just what they'll do ..." 

Lauren Woltman can be found at Hop Sing Trading Co. in the Bashford Courts, 130 W. Gurley St.

Caution:: written under the influence of a Christmas Hangover...

Caution:: This may possibly be written under the influence of a Christmas Hangover... 

You know the feeling,  like an L-tryptophan high. 

Here we are, December 26th, possibly the least celebrated day of the year... A day of sluggish delight.  If not for contractual obligations, I'd never leave my den today. So,  I'm en-route to the Hop for a possibly feverish day of post holiday shopping, but also prepared for the opposite effect.  After all isn't preparation key to being positively good at anything? I plan to be sluggish - all day if at all possible!  I packed up holiday goodies, and brought a book, a great book! Yes, all the afore mentioned items I received for Christmas, and I feel its my holiday obligation to consume them all, including the book!... How else do you spell holiday hangover - other then in weights and measures!

The Christmas season came and went in a flash this year. We celebrated the season of Abundance the last Thursday instead of the fourth Thursday of November adding to time warp confusion and thrusting us into the Christmas Season... making this the Christmas that came and went  like a Green Flash upon the sea's horizon... in my opinion.

It was a beautiful season, and we enjoyed it thoroughly. Hop Sing, our Home away from home, provides us a venue to host holiday events, and kick'um off we did! The Hop celebrated it's 4th anniversary (Yay!!!) in early November, we had so much fun, I actually forgot to take pictures! Then came our next event... and may I announce,  we have a new tradition! A Black Friday - Food Drive! It felt right, was a great success and of course  compassion for those in need is always in fashion!

Then came the Festivities of the Courthouse Lighting and Holiday Light Parades & Acker Musical Showcase... Festivities and Music aside, these events have taken my holiday spirits down in years past, with hordes of heads arguing with me about why I should allow selfies in my expensive handmade hats all night! I mean seriously!!! Doesn't every man, woman & child possess a cell phone now! Can you imagine how used and gross the hats would be if everyone and their cousin put it on for just one picture! Yuck! I refuse to change my policy about hats and photos! And to prevent altercations this year we hired a security guard to sit in the hat section! Problem solved, and we sold more pretty hats then ever, and I managed to smile through the highest traffic days of the year! 

And finally came the -back to back- shopping days leading up to Christmas Eve. We put a DJ on the payroll and the store took on an exciting new facet, cuz, really... do we need a reason to have a DJ? Life's short, just dance! You can certainly expect to find the party happening at the Hop well beyond New Years Eve! 

One thing is for certain...

The girls have been having fun and so have we!

Till later!

Happy New Year Lovelies!

Punk: 'Chaos to Couture' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!

Punk: Chaos to Couture'

Punk is going on display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art!
The show is curated by Andrew Bolton of the Costume Institute and celebrates the looks inspired by the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, the Clash and their fans. In that spirit, the exhibits unveiling on May 9th, will examine punk's impact on high fashion from the movement's birth in the early 1970s through its continuing influence today.

This comes on the heels of recent exhibits honoring highly dignified designers such as Miucca Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli. Not this time! Get the safety-pinned fashions out of the dark hiding places of your fashion-past! 'Met' visitors will experience extreme punk fashions worn by musicians and fans as well as, the high-end wild fashions they've inspired. From looks raw to refined, over 100 pieces will be on display, including items from designers Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Dior, Stephen Sprouse, John Galliano, Nicolas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga, Rei Kawakubo, Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. (Wait?... What?... No Jean Paul Gaultier?... hmmm, I guess we'll just have to wait and see on May 9th...)

Presented as an immersive multimedia, multisensory experience, the clothes will be animated with period music videos and soundscaping audio techniques. Focusing on the relationship between the punk concept of "do-it-yourself" and the couture concept of "made-to-measure," the galleries will be organized around the materials, techniques, and embellishments associated with the anti-establishment style. Themes will include New York and London, which will tell of punk's origin as a tale of two cities, followed by Clothes for Heroes and four manifestations of the D.I.Y. aesthetic—Hardware, Bricolage, Graffiti and Agitprop, and Destroy.

I'm excited to see this!