You’re Welcome in Laney’s Closet – Upscale Clothing Swap in Agoura Hills

October 21, 2013 by 2 Comments

There is a magical place tucked behind Agoura Road that is filled with frocks and trinkets and purses and shoes! It reminds me of the closet in “Heaven on 5th” in the Sex and the City movie.

Except it’s not Sarah Jessica Parker, it’s Laney Vivo, and this is her closet.

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laneys closet wide 3

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Actually, it’s your closet too, if you become a member. Laney’s Closet is a members-only upscale clothing swap club. Laney herself welcomes you into the space by appointment. You bring your gently used fabulous clothing and accessories. She evaluates your pieces and then gives you credit based on their retail value if she thinks that another member would like to wear them.

I met Laney at the Closet’s debut event over the summer, and she invited me to come play dress-up and learn more about her business. It just so happened that I was available on my birthday, so we made it into a special, fun event. I brought my pal Michelle with me, and Michelle brought bags full of clothing and shoes to swap. She signed up for the service, got a bunch of credit, and left that day with one pair of designer jeans and a few other new-to-her pieces.

Michelle and the shoes that allow her to look 50 feet tall.

Michelle and the shoes that allow her to look 50 feet tall.

So essentially, for the price of a monthly membership ($69.95), Michelle walked away with hundreds of dollars worth of designer clothing.

I didn’t do so badly either.

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These are the outtakes. I had a hard time taking myself serious. The above left pose is my "style blogger" pose.

These are the outtakes. I had a hard time taking myself seriously. The above right pose is my “style blogger” pose.

The best part of the club membership is that Laney, who is a fashion consultant and stylist, can take one look and you and pull things out of her inventory (that she knows inside and out) that she thinks would fit and look good on you. Things that you would never even pull off the rack, or dream in a million years would flatter your body type. At all. Right before we wrapped up our visit I said “Okay, give me something crazy that I would never even try on” and she pulled out a hot little red dress.

Who knew?

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It was my birthday present. How perfect! I wore this to the Wendy Bellissimo for JCPenney sneak peek event later that week, where a professional photographer was snapping photos, and some shots wound up on the media database at Getty Images, so I’m really glad I had a lovely dress on!

Laney’s Closet
28351 Agoura Road, Suite B
Agoura Hills CA 91301
laneyscloset.com
805-390-6277

Filed Under: Around Town, Local Businesses Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

A Worthy Excursion: Manhattan Beach for Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk

October 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The Friendship Circle is a wonderful organization that pairs students with their peers with special needs, to offer camaraderie and support, at school, at home, and in the community. There are chapters in 80 cities and in other countries too. We have one here in Agoura Hills. In the South Bay, the local chapter of the Friendship Circle together with Skechers, which is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, is holding their annual Friendship Walk on Sunday, October 27 with a goal to raise money to benefit their organization and give back to the local schools where they meet.

Kids in the Friendship Circle meet for lunchtime clubs so that kids with special needs can have a trusted community of friends at school. They also meet up at home, with the volunteers helping them to form connections and make friends. The South Bay chapter also holds many special events and even a special camp on Catalina Island in the summer that seems like the highlight of the year for everyone involved.

I attended a blogger luncheon at Skechers headquarters with members of the Friendship Circle, the Skechers corporation, and another sponsor, Fresh Brothers Pizza.  We watched a video and a presentation from a buddy pair of kids who met through the Friendship Circle. The connection between these teens – a volunteer and a boy who has autism and communicates by writing instead of speaking – was obvious and incredibly heartwarming. The boy’s parents were in attendance as well and they spoke about how The Friendship Circle has been instrumental in their son’s positive development over the years.

The Friendship Walk is in its 5th year and has grown to become a celebrated community event drawing participants from all over the region. Participants take off and walk from 9AM to noon, but there are many special events and activities in the area throughout the day, emceed by my pal, TV host and online personality Jill Simonian. A funky pumpkin race, that you can enter, will take place after the walk! All who are registered will get their own Walk T-Shirt, gift bag and medal – you can register online for yourself and your kids too! Registration is $25 and you can even add to that by raising funds to donate, too. Like their page on Facebook to keep track of all the new and exciting things they add almost daily, including giveaways!

This event has win stamped all over it. I mean, you’re helping people, having fun, and you’re spending the day here:

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Filed Under: Events, Excursions, Fun Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Doomsday Kitchen: “Meals in a Jar” Cookbook

October 11, 2013 by 5 Comments

meals in a jar cover

I’ll admit first off that I thought Meals in a Jar sounded like a FANTASTIC idea, sort of along the lines of Dream Dinners. I imagined a book of step-by-step recipes that would end up in a jar, only to be brought out sometime later when I run out of fresh ingredients and I want to prepare a quick meal that was home-prepared without all those pesky chemical preservatives.

That’s what I got. Sort of. And so much more.

I’ll admit also that this book is not for me. But since I’m not the only person who reads this site, I had to share it with you because a) you might be interested and b) I thought it was fascinating that there are people who do these things in real life.

Meals in a Jar by Julie Languille is not just a cookbook. Oh no. It is also a very lovingly prepared instruction manual for how to feed yourself and all of your nearby survivors in the event of an apocalypse. It’s impressive – Languille teaches you how to can and dehydrate food and how much to prepare and how long it will last. She includes recipes like Cream of Asparagus Soup and Braised Chicken and Mushrooms and White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies.

I was disappointed, actually, because I kind of want to make Tamarind-Braised Pork Ribs, but I don’t want to make it for 8 people three weeks after a massive zombie attack. I would rather travel to Languille’s house on Whidbey Island in Washington state with what’s left of my family’s canned goods as a peace offering and hope she invites us to stay for dinner. I suppose that after the power goes out we will need a sailboat. My husband will come in handy there.

Okay, I suppose I shouldn’t be so flippant about it – next year is the 20th anniversary of The Big One – the Northridge Earthquake that turned the power off for much of Los Angeles for quite a while. If I had a bunch of meals in a jar, a stash of propane, and a full 50-gallon water drum, we would be just fine.

And Languille does publish the meal planning website DinnersinaFlash.com, where “normal” recipes like Healthy Apple Chicken can be found for free and a lot more is available to members.

If you live in a place that is at risk of hurricanes, floods, and blackouts, AND you are not afraid of phrases like “retort pouches,” then this is the cookbook for you!

Filed Under: Books, Food, Things Tagged With: , , , , ,