Springtime in Detroit means one thing - Detroit Tigers baseball. On the heels of opening day at Comerica Park, New Balance “The Miggy,” will be available April 8, 2013, exclusively at Burn Rubber boutique in Royal Oak, MI.

New Balance and Burn Rubber collaborated to create the “The Miggy,” in honor of Detroit Tigers’ third baseman Miguel “Miggy” Cabrera’s 2012 Triple Crown victory. The limited custom 574 is created in the team’s colors, with three crowns on the outer woven tongue and Miggy’s winning statistics on the inside.

If you have any designs on owning a pair, you better move fast - only 44 pairs will be released, as homage to Miggy’s 44 home runs in 2012. ”The Miggy” is expected to retail at $150.

~Jessica R. Simmons

The Somerset Collection is located at 2800 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, MI 48084.

mybrownboxblog:

1. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon into a bowl.
2.  Soak a cotton ball in the lemon juice and apply to face (dilute as necessary if lemon juice causes irritation.
   
3. Using your hands apply honey to face avoiding your eyes and hair.
   
4. Leave on for 15-20 min and rinse off.

The Somerset Collection is located at 2800 W. Big Beaver Rd. Troy, MI.

Who says men’s fashion has to be boring?  SWIMS proves with its latest men’s footwear collection that men’s fashion can be interesting and functional.  SWIMS footwear is constructed of high-density nylon and rubber and treated with Scotchgard to keep your feet dry, which is perfect for this time of year in Michigan.  SWIMS are available online at a number of retailers.  Men, would you try these bold styles?

1. Fabio High Top in Gray/Yellow

2. Helmut in Gunsmoke Gray

3. Charles in Orange

4. Charles High Top in Green and Brown 

Modalyst Co-Founders Jill Sherman (l) and Alain Miguel (r)

Modalyst, set to launch on November 26, 2012, is an online business-to-business market place, bringing together emerging designers and independent boutiques.

According to Jill Sherman, co-founder of Modalyst, “The idea is to reach far and beyond LA and New York – the very epicenters of fashion, and reach boutique owners throughout the country and give them more access to designers and vise versa because it’s very hard for these two markets to find each other,” said Sherman in a recent interview with Detroit Style Review. 

With Modalyst, participating boutiques have the opportunity to join together in “buying circles” to collectively increase their buying power.  “We’re grouping together the boutiques that collectively have purchasing power and by collaborating, they’re either able to reach minimum order requirements or receive wholesale discounts together.  If a boutique in Detroit, San Francisco, Boston and San Antonio are servicing a similar demographic and have a similar customer base and selling similar brands, they’re pretty much like minded boutiques and they can not only help reach wholesale discounts together, but pretty much streamline the discovery process together.  We create these buying circles on the site – and it’s a reciprocal relationship – you can agree to be in a buying circle with other boutiques and once you’re in a circle, if one of the boutiques should find something that [it] thinks is interesting, [it] can share it with the rest of the circle and if they think it’s interesting, the others can agree to participate in a collective buy,” said Sherman.

Sherman predicts that the Modalyst platform will essentially do away with the traditional selling seasons and create a more continuous selling season.  “It also allows for buyers to buy after they’ve already seen the trends for the season.  Right now, they buy in advance – they go to a trade show, they buy six months worth of inventory and hope they’ve guessed the trends for the season correctly.  This way, [they] can buy closer to the seasonal trend; this way [they] can buy three weeks in advance as opposed to three to four months.”     

“Modalyst,” said Sherman, “is a much more targeted way of shopping from the comfort of your home.  Buyers can buy less – if it goes well, they can buy more later.  This means less stock and less inventory to sell at a discount later.”

Modalyst will launch with accessories, then incorporate shoes and apparel down the line.

Modalyst seems to be a clear win-win for emerging designers and independent boutiques, but how does the consumer benefit in all of this?  Here are two ways:

More Access: The Modalyst platform exposes participating independent boutiques to a broader range of emerging designers, without the limitations and expense of trade shows.  A broader range of designers to choose from means a wider range of options boutiques can offer their customers.

More Exclusivity: Part of the charm of shopping at a boutique is the sense of exclusivity it lends by carrying only a few pieces of any one item.  The Modalyst platform allows independent boutiques to participate in buying circles and collectively reach order minimums.  With fewer pieces to buy, boutiques can offer an even more exclusive experience to their customers.    

~Jessica R. Simmons

Last night, I had the pleasure of hearing Lisa Immordino speak at MOCAD about her documentary and book Diana Vreeland The Eye Has To Travel.  

Many already know Vreeland’s accomplished and storied fashion career - from her 26 years as a fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar then as editor in chief at Vogue and finally ending her career as a consultant to the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Along the way, she collaborated with iconic fashion photographer Richard Avedon, “discovered” Lauren Bacall, served as a fashion advisor to First Lady Jackie Kennedy and helped launch the careers of several models, including Anjelica Huston, Lauren Hutton and Penelope Tree.  Not only did Vreeland revolutionize the face of fashion, she lived a full and exciting life.

The Eye Has To Travel opened September 21, 2012 in several cities, but has finally opened here in Michigan today at the Birmingham 8.  If you’re a fashion lover, you really should go see the movie.  

~Jessica R. Simmons

It’s been a few weeks since Hurricane Sandy ripped through the eastern seaboard, leaving behind destruction and devastation.  While Hurricane Sandy may no longer be the lead story on the national news, people are still suffering from the hurricane’s aftermath and need our help. 

Jewelry company, the FFS designed a “Hearts are With You” bracelet to benefit those suffering from Hurricane Sandy’s destruction.  There are three versions of the bracelet - New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.  What I like most about this effort is that ALL of the profits raised will be donated to the Red Cross disaster relief fund.  That’s pretty awesome.       

~Jessica R. Simmons