A Few of My Favorite Things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes...and now jewelry by BO J.C.

I tried to find an accurate photograph to display the beauty of this jewelry line but none do it justice. The jewels are gorgeous, understated, and sophisticated (kind of like the owner of iniam, Lisa Raja).* The gemstones are rich (tourmaline, opal, peridot, etc) but delicately strung, with some on braided gold thread. That's right...tiny braids in gold around your neck. Check out these earrings (we received some similar, but better I think)...just in time for stocking stuffers.

* I was not paid extra to write this.

Feed the World...or at least Alameda County

This year, food shortages are more prevalent than ever. To that end, iniam is collecting non-perishable donations for the Alameda County Food Bank in order to help those out in need. We've already filled one barrel of generous donations from our customers, filled with lots of healthy vittles...with Trader Joe's nearby, we figure this is a no-brainer. Donate today; it's the right thing to do.

Party time

It's party time in the Bay area. With all the holidays and the festivities surrounding them...one can never have enough dresses, can one? Especially when they (the parties) overlap (as do the party goers themselves) and who wants to be caught dead in the same dress worn thrice? In order not to, check out the new frocks from Trina Turk... long and silky...what's not to love? And the peacock dress hardly says "birds of a feather dress."

CHANGE you can believe in.

I'm not talking about political candidates,I'm talking about something equally important however: your wardrobe. Yes, change your wardrobe at iniam as well as save some change by coming to our historic event:

30% off everything sale TODAY AND TOMORROW only.

And we too believe in a more perfect union -- Bring a friend and if your friend makes a purchase, you both receive 35% off. That gets my vote.

Left on Houston

New in our Fall line-up is a reasonably-priced sweater line "Left on Houston" - yes, that's right, so reasonable in fact they are almost sold out! Take a look at this soft sweater in blues and grays and buttons up the back and the toffee- colored bell sleeve cardigan. Cute as the buttons on the sweaters themselves. Don't wait - they'll be gone faster than you can say "thank god the election is over"

Riotous

So my mother called yesterday afternoon, to ask me if I voted yet (I like voting on Election Day) and then said CNN reported that if Obama doesn't win, there will be riots in the street of Oakland. Hmmmm...I think a way to prevent this from happening, is to VOTE. I've yet to see a McCain sign anywhere in Oakland, though I did see some chocolates with the GOP on them, and if all the supporters of Obama vote, then the issue will be moot. So VOTE VOTE VOTE. Besides, don't believe everything you hear on the news, especially CNN

Tis the season...

No, it's not Christmas time yet; we at iniam usually wait until the pumpkins are long gone from windows and stoops before we start worrying about Santa and tinsel. It is the season in the Bay area however, to pick up a few turtlenecks from James Perse (navy, black, charcoal, heather gray). These tops have the earmarks of a classic turtleneck without you ending up looking like a turtle. You see, the necks are snuggly, but not TIGHT, and definitely not so loose you would loose a graham cracker down the front. And James Perse softness, quality, and ease. These are the perfect foil to these rainy blustery days of late.

Airtight Theory

With goosebumps on your legs, there is no better solution than a pair of tights, and who better but iniam (and Theory) to provide them? With designs and colors that reflect the current season and styles, these tights winter-fy your dresses and skirts and those long tunics you were wondering what to do with after summer yawns its way to sleep.

Theory tights: in chocolate, pine, plum, black, charcoal, and black diamond pattern (ooo...sounds dangerous!)

James Perse tees

A boxload of tops from James Perse recently arrived in jellybean-ish colors; 180 degrees from their usual subdued color palette. Long-sleeved v-necks, just in time for the cooler nights in evergreen, azaela, charcoal, lakeshore blue, and of course white and black. Same color palette, different style, the contrast panel button up shirt with rolled up sleeves, is a little dressier, albeit still the same comfort you find in all James Perse tops. I'll be darned if I can find a photo of any of the colors, but you can at least see the style in the one posted here.

Furry Friend

Having a pet on a cold winter day is nice; you can nuzzle up with them to watch the newest episode of Mad Men or Dexter, sipping a glass of red wine or eating a warm bowl of soup. But now you can get that same warm fuzzy feeling in the new Gryphon coats that just arrived last week. Fur trimmed (faux fur) at the wrist and knee mine hanging woefully in my closet waiting the first cold snap. In the meantime, I 've got a my cat.

Better late than never!

For those of you following along this Blog, you may have noticed no blogging for a few, er, weeks. There's good reason, but none of which I claim to confess right now. Onward...

We've got so many great new things in the store, it's hard to choose which to write about, but I'll start with our newest addition to the denim family, Earnest Sewn.

We've got three styles and three colors on the racks: "Decca" is Earnest Sewn's popular straight leg jean, and we have it in a dark, even wash. Then there is the Keaton, a medium wash easy going boot cut. Finally, look for the Ali, a little wider than a boot cut and slightly slimmer than a flare- in the best wash - reminds me of my favorite pair of Levi's after hundreds of washings.

Quick and dirty

No, the title of this post is not about pillow talk, it's a list of upcoming deliveries at iniam. Expect in the next week or so; the earlier the better:

- Trina Turk - dresses, dresses, dresses - see photo at left - (and a great pair of pants)
- Theory - cashmere sweaters, turtlenecks, dresses, and more great basics in a fall palette
- Vince - cashmere hoodies, belted sweaters, riding pants - giddy-up!
- Paul & Joe's Sister - trendy short sleeve dress in grey
- James Perse - v-neck long sleeve comfy cotton tops

It's a Wrap

Am I greedy or is there another compelling reason I want every color in these new Chan Luu wrap bracelets? Leather with faceted gold vermeil and silver beads, these very wearable bracelets are just the pick me up I need after the toils of Labor Day weekend (I worked, what about you?). At iniam we received brown, white, and red leather with gold beads, and gray, nude, and black with silver beads, as well as black leather with both silver and gold beads... you can't have just one!

Enchanted? By All Means.

For literati set who also happen to be obsessed with fashion, grab yourself this newest edition of the New Yorker, where the entire mag is devoted to style; and none other than Marc Jacobs is featured in the wonderful profile, "Enchanted; The transformation of Marc Jacobs" by Ariel Levy.

Read how Jacobs, despite being snarked by fashion critic Suzy Menkes, (among others) for his runway antics, he has parlayed his personality into his product and the two have become inseparable. Jacobs's cheeky renditions of contemporary fashion have made him a force in the industry and he is one of the most watched designers this side of the Atlantic. He injects and reflects American culture into everything he creates; provocative, but wearable, and cool without being aristocratic, his designs mirror America and Americans both on and off the runway.

iniam is deep into Marc by Marc Jacobs and the fun began in June and continues throughout upcoming chilly October evenings. Look for a flurry of flirty dresses, luxe sweaters, lively and colorful silk tops, well-fitted pants, and a bevy of fall and winter coats. Oh, and look for them at iniam.