Shop like it's 1929

I read an article today in the New York Daily News about a boutique in SoHo that was inspired by the Great Depression. It opened on black Friday and is now serving its customers soup and coffee during the day. The idea might sound cheeky, but there was a feeling of optimism in the article. The store manager talked about people getting together and making things better on a local level, which then creates a domino effect improving the spirit of the whole country.

Here's to a better 2009.

Grey Ant Holiday 2008 at Josef

My holiday delivery from Grey Ant arrived yesterday. I knew I liked the pieces when I bought them last summer, but boy was I impressed to see the details and clean construction. I brought in 3 holiday dresses. The blue dress pictured above is my favorite. It's 100% silk and is lined in the skirt. Along with the blue dress, I also have a mint green and tinsel sleeveless tunic/dress and a black halter super mini dress that can also be worn with bottoms.

Grey Ant was launched in Los Angeles in 1998 by designer Grant Krajecki. His designs were heavily inspired by eighties fashion and a West Coast favorite among the sun-loving young on Rodeo Drive. In 2007 Krajecki moved the line to New York creating the beginnings of a strong East Coast following. Krajecki's introduction to fashion came with his job designing costumes for porn films in L.A. After that he designed for the Ice Capades. It wasn't until a stint at a coffehouse that he was able to save enough money to launch his label.

The dresses I have in the shop are not for the faint of fashion heart. Calling all confident edgy girls, get your Grey Ant here!

Josef Boutique on Google

The Google Reader Team has made updates to reader today, and to illustrate the visual differences guess who's blog they chose for the screenshots? Yep, that's right... Josef's blog. When I found out about the news I was shocked and extremely happy. The crazy thing about it is I almost didn't post yesterday. As my biggest fan and supporter always says, keep writing, people will find it.
Kudos to the Reader Team on your improvements to performance and usability.

Check it, Katie and Keira are with it

Just within the last few weeks, Katie Holmes and Keira Knightley have been spotted around town wearing Wren clothing. Katie's been pictured wearing a black sweater dress and grey coat, while Keira was pictured wearing a shruken blazer in navy. All are pieces from Wren's AW 08 collection. We carry 5 pieces from the same collection here at Josef. I'd have to say all pieces are superb in fit and fabric. I endearingly refer to them as my sleepers because once you try them on, you're hooked. My first post was about Vanessa Hudgens wearing Wren. The metallic coat, silk blouse and skirt in black pictured above are all available at the shop. The secret was too good to keep to myself. See you soon!

Don't leave home without it

As of today we now accept American Express credit cards. Although it seems like a trivial detail to write about, having gone through the extra steps to make this happen qualifies this as a victory for the small business owner. Have a great evening.

Shenae grimes from 90210 in yoana baraschi

Over the Thanksgiving weekend Shenae Grimes who plays Annie Wilson on TV's 90210 was pictured wearing Yoana Baraschi's 70's Abstract Rose Kimono. This dress/tunic is a cutie. Shenae wears it with black opaque tights and thigh-high boots. Not as much as a fashion risk-taker as Shenae? Try it with dark skinny jeans and booties instead, or in the summer sans belt with flat black strappy sandals. The dress is available at Josef in the black/oyster colorway and comes with a silk sash belt ($394).

Small space big style

Most of you have seen the wall of clothes in the shop through pictures on the site and such, however, the other side of it is my desk and dresser for storage. The shop is only a little over 200 sq ft. So far, there's enough room for the clothes, and the jewelry even has it's only little wall alcove at the end of the shop. The flowers were gifts from the opening. The white ones are still going strong. Once they're wilted, what should I replace them with?

More pictures, clothes and holiday cheer

In the coming days I'll be posting better pictures of the newest Anna Sui clothes offered here at the shop. Since opening I've steadily been getting new shipments of the remaining holiday season, and resort 09 clothing is slowly creeping in. I've also been thinking about painting the back wall of the shop an accent color. So far my choices are kelly green and dark charcoal. I was thinking of a strong yellow like my shop sign, but decided not to go in that direction.

To spruce up the space for the holidays, I've been thinking about a holiday display for the front window. I'd love to do jewel tone colors, but will have to see what's available. Check back soon for a picture of the holiday decorations, aiming to get that done this week.