"The British are coming!" Screamed Diana Vreeland, editor of American Vogue, when she first saw Jean Shrimpton and David Bailey. She reacted to this new kind of 70's glamour, this glorious irreverence, this modern style steeped in tradition, ballgowns and hunting apparel, military garb and English roses. For our time we have, of course, Kate Moss and Sienna Miller, but also the new crop of Brits. To inspire us we can now look to Alexa Chung and her uncanny ability to pair a Lanvin dress with an old pair of boots, or Agyness Deyn and her crazy hats with absolutely everything... both looking chic in their own individual way. We also love Daphne Guinness who makes a shock of silver grey hair look as young and fresh as a tulle skirt. Well, what goes around comes around... everywhere we see the military influence, army green is the new black, the yummy pale rose chiffon dresses, think Demi at the Oscars, wild tribal prints a la Marimeko. I feel this Brit influence everywhere in new and wonderful ways to inspire us. Tease that hair up and throw on some eyeliner and please buy just one tribal inspired piece!

Dresses for EVERY occasion!

I know it doesn't feel like we need to think about dresses with a blizzard outside, but soon the time will come. We have dresses for graduation, dresses for Easter, dresses for that next wedding your attending, a pretty outdoor baby shower, or an end of year formal. We have long, short, flowy, sexy, proper, silk, satin, leather, beaded.
I'm actually wearing an Alice and Olivia beaded, 60's inspired little number to my niece's rehearsal dinner. The wedding is in Lucca, Italy! Ahhhh to get married in the middle of an olive grove in the mountains in Tuscany. To the actual wedding, I splurged and went to Barneys and of course bought the most beautiful dress I have ever seen, flowers all over, by Rochas, a dream dress that I saw in French Vogue and I just had to have it. The next quest was for the perfect shoes, they are arriving from all over for an official try on. In the running, a purple Proenza Schoeler, a yellow satin Stella and navy bag, and a grey, suede YSL. I will let you know which wins!
Alice, the Queen and the Mad Hatter are waiting for you to pick a card from the deck, will it be 10, 15, or 20% off. Sorry... the Queen of Hearts card has been pulled by Keely Barr and she was entitled to a $250 gift certificate. Keely walked out with a pair of J Brand skinnys and an adorable Paul and Joe sweater. Our Mad Hatter crew will be here until the end of March so stop by and see what you win from Wonderland!! We might even put another Queen of Hearts in the deck....

It always a party at GAVIN

We're back from market and boy did we have a blast! As usual I will have to tell you all about the most important part of any trip to New York....where we ate, drank, slept, and partied! We stayed at the Gramercy Park, I absolutely love this hotel and Michaela and Jodi did too. Michaela, store manager and Jodi, chic friend, Sunday shopgirl, and new addition to our list of buyers, along with Gavin, my daughter completes the rooster of "fashion athletes" who picked the perfect fall for all of our fans.
First night we took it slow and headed to Pastis, great meal as always and home to bed to gear up for another day. As always my french BFF Babeth was at market and so we got to spend the nights out with her. Second night we ate at Frank's, great Italian food around the corner form Gavin's apartment. It is sort of a cult restaurant, one tiny room, communal farm tables, cool little bar, absolutely packed. Of course Gavin got us right in with very little notice because she orders out there 3 times a week. Is she the only well fed NYU student? Only the best for my kids, SHHHEEESE!! Afterward, we headed home fat and exhausted, but ducked into the Rose Bar right in the hotel and off to our beautiful room. Third night we ate at a fabulous french restaurant, Bagatelle. The restaurant was gorgeous and so were the french waiters. The food delicious, drinks exotic, company...the best. If I neglected to mention, my son Will flew in with us because one of the guys he is promoting, Mike Posner was performing (Will had just taken Posner on a 5 city tour and is organizing 13 more dates all across America). Also at the dinner, my niece Allegra, 30 year old Goldman wunderkind, and Gab's model buddies Laura Harrier (with Wilhemina) and Kat who did the last Pencey look book. After dinner, we headed to Five Ninths, a charming little bar in the Meat Packing district, one last nightcap at the Rose Bar and off to get some shut eye to face a long day of showroom appointments.
Now for the preview! I will dispense this info in little installments so as to not overwhelm you with the amazingly beautiful pieces that you will see in the store. I have to start with just a few of the new lines we are bringing in... Rag and Bone, Helmut Lang, Haute Hippie, Rebecca Minkoff, Twelfth Street, Sword leather, Jeffrey Campbell, Fallon jewelry, DUB, Adrienne Landau, House of Harlow, Grai, to name a few. Photos below!







Finally, we are now working with Zapwater PR and will be introducing some great new promotions for spring as well as an addition to our website, ONLINE SHOPPING!!! We are so excited to be able to offer Gavin shoppers the ability to shop online.
We are working feverishly to get it up... hopefully in the next month.
That's all for now. Sorry for the long tome but we always want to keep our GAVIN Girls updated on our next move!!
Kiss Kiss both cheeks!

We've Got Graham and Spencer!!!

Hi girls!
Just in today, the chicest from Graham and Spencer. This should be the beginning of a beautiful relationship...we are obsessed with this vest. Wear it with distressed jeans, a great pair of cargo's, (army green's the new black), over a Missoni bikini, some white skinnies, a tiny mini dress, it goes with everything in my closet. I just love, love , love it! Come in to see the other pieces in the line, a great ruched, navy dress in an amazing jersey, an unbelievable black tee with the most surprising detail, just a few of the things in. You'll have to come in to see.
Plus we are going to market this week-end just in time to catch a few shows. We are planning on picking up some new lines and can't wait to report back.
Love,
Lauren

Graham and Spencer beige suede vest S-M-L $570.00
Call us for inquiries 847-328-7407

obsession of the day.

Just got in an amazing trench in, the Gryphon is too die for, gold grommets laced through, we're obsessed. Plus we love the Paul and Joe Sister dress if you have the legs for it. Boy is it gorgeous!Tune in tomorrow for what's up next.
Gryphon black canvas trench $615.00
Paul and Joe Sister tunic $154
Jenni Kayne pleat bootie was $490.00 now at 1/2 off $245.00
Call us for inquiries at 847-328-7407

mike posner show at enclave

Hi Guys,
I just love my birthday, the celebrations have been going on all week, starting with an amazing trip to Puerto Rico last week-end, and culminating with a concert tonight. My son William has produced a 5 city tour with Mike Posner. The kid is amazing, check him out on utube! He is playing tonight at Enclave Nightclub and I will be front and center to celebrate my birthday once again. Hope to see you there!
As to the store, GAVIN is happy to have had a month long sale to make room for the new arrivals that are coming every day. Dresses to die for, great pieces to add to your wardrobe, jeans and tees that I am obsessed with, and some amazing new bags by our girl Meg....Mcguinness that is!! We have also added some new lines, one of them is WREN, I am in clothing heaven. Wait 'til you see.
love and kisses,
lauren

Happy New Year!!!

I just wanted to wish all of you a Happy New Year from GAVIN! The boutique is almost a year old and what a year it has been. I have some special things planned for the coming season. Our pics for this spring and summer will start arriving this month.
I feel a wild, crazy, English girl spring coming. We all know that those English girls have a way with fashion. Young British women have an instinctive ability to mix and match denim, streetwear, and formal wear with a typical blase attitude. This look is all over the shows as a preview to what we will see for spring...a "Pirates of the Caribbean" feel in blouses, fringed boots and bags, and hair worn long and flowing.
The ripped and shredded look is still very strong seen in collections as diverse as D & G to our very own Ralph Lauren. Everyone loves a rumpled cowgirl!
Shorts are very "it" so let's get those legs in order. (I am now a hot yoga convert, doing hot yoga at Bikram Evanston. I love what it is doing to my waistline as well.)
Also seen are sheer silks, with the pre-requiset black bra worn underneath. If that's not your thing a nude cami works as well.
Can't wait to break out the neon in very small doses, a tee, or a ballet flat works well. I always feel if something is trendy it works in a classic form, I have a neon yellow, one button, notched collar blaser, that fits the bill. Cropped leather, motorcycle unspired anything, is very strong. All of the editors have navigated right back to their black costume, having endured a bit of color, but can no longer be disloyal to their black one more minute. The New York Times style expert and on- the-run photographer, Bill Cunningham caught this trend at the Bryant Park tents in New York as well as the tents near the I.M Pei exhibit at the Louvre...
So to conclude, anything goes...fringed, ripped, colorful, see through, somber black, motorcycle leather, safari (always at YSL), army surplus. What I have seen absolutely disappear is a "lady who lunches" look. The suit and matching bag and shoes thing is definitely not in for this season. You can put those demure little suits and dresses awway for a few seasons. As Carinne Roitfeld, editor of French Vogue says, (loosely translated) "the bourgeois look is over for now, unless of course you are talking a Catherine Deneuve feeling...all teased hair, conservative trench and spike heels, otherwise break out the black Demeulemeester lace-up combat army boots and that Ferretti see through nude blouse!!"
That's all for now.
See you at GAVIN

party time!!!!!

Don't forget our little champagne and ribbon sale tonight! Stop by and have some light hors d'oeuvres and a little bubbly. We have added a bunch of new items to our ribbon sale to make room for the gorgeous new clothes that are on the way. The rep from Elizabeth and James was here yesterday and you won't believe the cool new stuff we have on order! I think we will have a great crowd tonight and if you know somebody that wants to share some Veuve with us, bring 'em. The more the merrier!!!! Plus a little bird told me there may be some press here tonight.....we all like to pose for the camera, Non?

glamour puss!

Hi to all of you glamourous girls out there. Continuing with the theme (from our last e-mail blast) of what glamour means. It means many different things to different people, but most people agree that when they see it, they know it. Seeing Jackie O,(like I once did) on the terrace of the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc, after a day of shopping probably waiting for Onassis' yacht, well, anyone would know she was glamourous. I even knew that and I was probably 13 years old. I distinctly remember her white jeans, huge black sunglasses, and black, simple, tee. She was the epitome of glamour!! Her sister Lee Radziwill was with her and the two of them made quite a commotion on la Croisette. My mother was glamourous in quite the same way. She would wear gorgeous cocktail rings with her white jeans and YSL sandals . I remember it like yesterday, vacationing at the Marbella Club with my mother and my sister, Susan. My mother was in her early fifties and boy did she turn heads. She was asked by the English actor/comedien, Terry Thomas for a drink on the terrace and my sister and I peaked over from the pool, giggling! Those were glamourous times. But,there I go digressing again.....
Anyway, all week-end we will have party attire on sale 30% off at Gavin so you can be all ready for the holidays or that special New Year's Eve party. We absolutely have something for everyone, short skimpy cocktail dresses or a very special piece you will have forever to grab whenever you want to look really glamourous. Tracy Reese has some gorgeous ones!
Bises,
Lauren

Thanksgiving is coming and we are starting to plan for the beginning of the holiday shopping season. We have some great events planned for that big, first, week-end after Thanksgiving that marks the coming of an always very exciting time. The streets twinkle with lights, the trees with those first signs of snow, and a great big chill fills the air. Our hearts however are warm with the expectation of the wonderful gifts we will offer the ones we love. Let the girls at Gavin help you find just the right thing. We have cashmere from FEEL THE PIECE that is so lightweight and wonderful you will want to sleep in it! Great little, sparkly, earrings to fit any budget, and some absolutely gorgeous bags. Scarfs galore, wallets, and the most wonderful tees by TORN. Plus, a special shopping event planed for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Come by and see us, we sure would love to be part of your very, merry holiday season.
Love from all of us!