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April 18th, 2008
Dear Mom and Dad, You’ll never know how scarred we are from the red lace stockings, Dallas Cowboy t-shirt and white Sunday school Mary Janes you dressed us in as a toddler. What were you thinking as you posed us in front of the camera dressed like that? Thanks to you, we’ve spent one-third of a lifetime making one fashion faux pas after another (including wearing underwear as outwear). And we won’t even discuss the therapy we need from the years you sent us to high school wearing puffy paint sweatshirts (with jingle bells and teddy bears) and stirrup leggings to match our generic Keds. This issue is for you, Dad, who finally confessed to reading each Phoenix Picks from beginning to end. We love making you proud, almost as much as we loved dragging you to New Kids on the Block concerts. And BTW, thanks for accepting us back into your heart when we decided to run away with a hippie and/or nest with a gorilla. And as always thank you, dear readers, for still liking us as we sort through our humiliating youth. |
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| Phoenix Picks: | |||
| 1 | Your Bliss is on my List Back in high school, our idea of perfect bedroom décor consisted of a coat of lime-green paint, the plaid thrift-store armchair we just had to have, and the collage our bestie made us from scraps of last month’s Seventeen magazine. Making no apologies for our former tastes, we like to think we’ve kicked our style palate up a notch since then. We’re still down for the boho, thrifted-score look, but our appetite for vintage flair has become a bit more refined. These days, we salivate over the gorgeous fabrics in Domino magazine and have been caught gazing longingly at the breezy designs in Sunset. So we found a great spot to indulge our vintage sensibilities in Domestic Bliss, a downtown Mesa sanctuary of style with offerings enough to make all our domestic design fantasies come true. We challenge you to stop in and not “bliss and tell” to everyone you know! Domestic Bliss |
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| 2 | Gone with the Wind So we have a secret to tell you: We're not native Phoenicians. GASP! Yes, we're ashamed to admit it, we grew up in good ol' Pennsylvania. We grew up with trees (trēs), flowers (flou-ers) and general greenery (gree-nuh-ree). We also grew up with animals (raccoons, squirrels, deer, possums, cows) that wouldn't kill our kitty, Sticky Head, when we let him outside, unlike the fauna here (rattlesnakes, coyotes, Gila monsters, scorpions). Most importantly, we grew up with weather that, albeit humid, didn't cause us to wilt like Scarlett smothered with the burning kisses of Rhett. Needless to say, there are certain things about good ol' PA that we miss. That's why we fell in lurve with the Farm at South Mountain. Home to the Morning Glory Café and shaded in overgrown pecan trees overlooking fields of flora and fauna, we immediately felt an instant, Calgon-take-me-away moment. The breakfast at the café is definitely worth crawling out of your post-margarita coma for, with incredibly delicious, whopping portions of food—and everything’s grown on the farm or sourced from the local farmer's market. We suggest you enjoy this oldie but goodie before this lovely spring breeze is replaced by a scorching fire torch. |
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| 3 | Who Needs Prince Charming? Watching Cinderella as children, we fell in love with her glass slippers. We watched in anticipation as Prince Charming tried the shoe on dozens of young ladies’ extra-large feet, wishing we were there for our chance at those five-inch glass heels. Our shoe history, unfortunately, is far less glamorous. We began with Mary Janes, then Converse, clomped through high school in Doc Martens and went for our first job interview in a pair of heels that were too high. Lately our shoe tastes are more refined: Coach, Christian Louboutin, Marc Jacobs, Manolo Blahnik, and Jimmy Choo. And thankfully there is a store that serves them up on a satin pillow just like our dreamy Prince Charming—The Glass Slipper in Scottsdale’s Waterfront. Owner Danielle Pinot meticulously selects and stages an intense array of beautiful shoes (we were salivating with desire), and we were tempted to forgo food (and eat only ramen) just so we could have a pair or three of our very own. And while we can't promise Prince Charming is hiding in the back room, we do firmly believe that a new pair of shoes from The Glass Slipper will definitely fill that cold spot in our bed. The Glass Slipper |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | Joe Lies When He Cries "Diane Court is a show pony. You need a stallion my friend. Walk with us and you walk tall." ~ Say Anything If Lloyd Dobler was your junior high boy-crush then you can understand why we were literally prancing in our office cubicle when we stumbled across this gem. Luckily there were no Roger Rabbit dance moves involved—just an hour of IMing Say Anything quotes to our favorite cubie mate. |
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| 2 | Ants in Your Pants? We hate diets. Unfortunately, Bridezilla has dictated that we fit in our size 12 bridesmaid dress by July. For those in the same predicament, we have a found a new, tasty snack! High in protein, low in carbs, and maybe a tiny bit dangerous, we love their "nutty, bacon-like taste." And only one Weight Watchers point per serving! And just in case giant ants aren’t to your taste, maybe something a little more sweet like Thai green crocodile curry might be up your alley? |
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| 3 | Buns are Chic We're always on the lookout for new crafts, as well as ways to spice things up in the boudoir with our gorilla-nerd. Enter the Princess Leia knit hat pattern. A challenge? Yes. Too effing hot for AZ? Absolutely. A way to mollify our inner geek that squealed in joy when we saw this? Priceless. We think you’ll be a hit of all Halloween parties when you rock out to these DIY Leia hair buns! |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Jean Genie We recently tried on last summer's jeans. Guess what? Muffin top. So instead of wallowing in our extra five pounds we headed over to Therapy's $85 jean sale! Scores of Antik, Anlo, Taverniti, Tag, 18th Amendment, Dittos and more. You'll be happy you stopped in! What: Therapy's Jean Sale |
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| 2 | What's your Vice? Ours is definitely Vice magazine's do's and don'ts section. It's tacky, wrong, pokes fun at bad haircuts and idolizes gals with gold teeth. You can get your copy at Red Hot Robot, free with purchase. It's the only place in AZ that has it! What: Pick up Vice Magazine at Red Hot Robot |
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| 3 | Hollywood High Are you tired of your Netflix list? How about a 1970s T&A comedy about a quartet of horny high school honeys who look for love in the backs of vans, pizza parlors and all the other usual wrong places ... on the big screen with movie popcorn and a sexy mullet date? What: Grindhouse Redux |
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| 4 | Got the Fever? We definitely do, and that's why we're heading over to the Fashion Group International's Fall 2008 Fashion Fever to check out the latest offerings from the NYC, London, Milan and Paris runways. Can anyone say awesome swag bag? What: FGI Fashion Fever Runway Collection |
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Did you know that you can advertise on Phoenix Picks? We can help promote your services, store, restaurant, fine art pieces, DIY projects, and your Sunday yard sale (only if we can rummage through everything before everyone else arrives)! Visit www.PhoenixPicks.com/advertise.php for more information, or email Somlynn@PhoenixPicks.com. |
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