Oh, internets! I’ve missed you! It has been a crazy, crazy week for me…lots of fun, but maybe a bit too much. Thursday and Friday were spent in Dallas at Market with Pam, the owner of Plume. Friday night was my birthday dinner (I’ll fill you in on that soon), and since then, I’ve been working, working, working. I’m exhausted. I went to bed at 8:00 last night! That’s insane!

So maybe there are a few of you out there who are fashion junkies, and if there are, please excuse my novice attempt to describe that wonderful, tiring experience called Market. We visited both the Fig and the World Trade Center, where clothing vendors set up shop to show their designs for the upcoming months. There were big names like Betsy Johnson and Calvin Klein as well as small, independent designers (which we gravitated toward). This is the drill: You see a piece (a top, a skirt, a dress) from the window, and you step into the showroom to take a closer look. You know what you like and what you want…you want just that piece. But to get to it, you have to get through…the Sales Rep. The Sales Rep will ask you if you’d like to take a look; this means you sit down in a comfy chair with paper, pencil, and various snacks and watch the Sales Rep go through every piece in their line…just in case you see something else you might like (even though you KNOW you just want the one piece). It’s a lot of, “Feel this fabric” and “It comes in three colorways” and “Just look at the detail here.” And you nod and “hmmmm” and smile until you make it to the end.

Still, it’s a lot of fun to see all the different designs, and wish that you could pay wholesale prices for all your clothing, and eat the snacks. Pam is amazing at spotting “special” pieces…those that will be new, different, beautiful. I see them on the hanger, and think, “That’s too big, it’s unflattering, it’s just a sweater.” Then she asks me to put it on (there is a short period of me naked in the corner, shimmying into dresses or skirts), and I see it…that perfect drape, that wonderful detail, that amazing shape. She’s so talented, it’s fun just watch her work.

We found a few designers that don’t currently sell to anyone in Austin, which is a good thing…only Plume will have these great designs.

We had a few mishaps…we locked our keys in the car and had to call someone to come break into the car, then I left the lights on and our battery died, so we had to call someone to give us a boost. We locked ourselves out of our room, we got a parking ticket, and we lost one of our exhibit badges. Pam said something about Mercury being in retrograde, and that seemed to explain it all. I have to say, though, that even our bad experiences were good experiences. The locksmith and the security patrol came within five minutes of our calling them, and everyone was friendly and helpful.

Thursday night we were able to watch the last part of the fashion show, which was a lot of fun.

A few of the designs were a bit funky, but for the most part, they were gorgeous.

On the way home, we stopped in Waxahachie to have lunch, and we found the cutest little cafe on the town square called the Dove’s Nest Restaurant. It was a beautiful little dining room, with plenty of sunlight and a lunchtime kind of feel, and they served up the most amazing chicken salad sandwich I’ve ever eaten. I bought their cookbook so I could try it at home (though I’ll most likely use eggs or tofu instead of the chicken).

I had a great time, and learned a lot about the lingo and traditions of the fashion-buying world. It’s a completely new world for me, and I’m so glad I’ve been able to experience it. Next post: Birthday goodies!