bunny business

dear easter bunny,

after last year's sad little display (we love peeps, but one package with a bow tied around it does not constitute a proper easter present), we've made the work easy for you this year. please choose from the following--priced low, middle and high--to fill our day with easter joy.low: dylan's candy bar in new york city is one of our favorite places on earth. lucky for us (or you), their talented team of candy wranglers has put together pre-fab easter baskets which you can purchase directly from their website. we're especially thrilled about the chocolate-covered peeps and exclusive chocolate and vanilla pez dispensers.

middle: we just found another reason to love tucker. this bright splash of springtime arrived at poole shop just in time for easter weekend. with temperatures expected around the 80-degree mark, you'll make a sunny entrance at sunday brunch.

high: when candy-colored baubles come together in an unexpected twist, it must be the work of tom binns. we love the bold creativity of his anti-conformist approach to jewelry design, and we're dying to own a piece of our own. thanks, easter bunny!

show some skin

this time of year always causes young fashionistas to show off some skin, and after all the technicolor snakeskin shoes we've seen eclipsing the pages of our favorite magazines, we were dying to get in on the action. just when we thought the styles couldn't get any cuter, this little number from botkier arrived at poole shop:

this flat has everything you need in a spring shoe: comfort, style and affordability (only $225!). we can't wait to wear ours with white jeans or to dress up a simple tee shirt dress. it's the perfect dose of color to make your feet sing.

spring forward

photos from denimblog.com

tomorrow marks the official beginning of spring, so it's time to slather on the l'oreal sublime and free your legs from the prison of winter. just in time to welcome the new season, poole shop received it's first jean short today from current/elliott. just like the boyfriend jean we couldn't live without, the current/elliott rolled short is slouchy yet sophisticated and the perfect entree into spring.

while gwyneth paltrow (above) takes dressing down to a new a level with the boyfriend short, we recommend pairing yours with a simple button-down and cardigan similar to the look we see from katie holmes--her taste in men may be questionable, but the girl knows how to dress. when it's time to shed the sweater, opt for a flirty, feminine top from tucker or calypso to keep the style from going too casual.current/elliott rolled short, $202 available now at poole shop

march madness

it's that time of year again. your boyfriend/husband/fiance is all pumped up about the number of basketball games to be aired on television over the ensuing weekend and has left a tornado of brackets lying around the house in his wake. while you're not as interested in how 64 becomes 16, you don't mind tuning in to the big games to see which of your favorite celebrities have scored seats this year. and, thanks to kimberly ovitz, you'd even be up to attending a final four party with a shirt that appears tailor-made for the occasion:

wear this with skinny black jeans, and you'll be calling all the shots. who knows? kimberly ovitz is a favorite in hollywood, so you may even see some of your celebrity friends sporting the same look courtside.

the tribe has spoken

photos from style.com

the problem with forecasting fashion trends six months in advance of the actual season is that we sometimes forget why something appeared cool in september when it finally arrives in our store the following march. thankfully, that is not the case with the current tribal trend. in september 2009 designers sent a host of tribal images down the runway at spring fashion week, and poole shop is finally on board with the look. the beaded bracelets (below) that arrived in store yesterday are one part summer camp one part haute couture, and we can't wait to dress up all our white summer tees with a splash of native color:

beaded bracelets, $88 each at poole shop

seeing red

first we saw rachel... then we saw katie...

and today these little beauties from rag & bone arrived at poole shop:

there's something about a red jean for spring that puts a little spring in our step. we love the fit of these rag & bone skinnies and the effortlessly cool look of pairing them with a simple alexander wang tee shirt. stick to a basic color palette of black and white like the ladies above, or add a nautical vibe with a navy and white striped tee. we love rachel's vampy leopard flats that compliment the inherent sexiness of red...go wild with this one!

and the winner is...

you don't need us to tell you who was a hottie and who was a nottie at last night's oscar awards, but we would like to give a shout out to the following gowns that deserve awards of their own (photos from style.com):

most likely to be confused with the actual oscar statue: marchesa for sandra bullock

best use of kitchen utensils (look closely at the paillettes): prada for carey mulligan

most likely to be stuffed later and used as a pinata: givenchy haute couture for zoe saldana

best re-interpretation of the classic hawaiian shirt: dries van noten for maggie gyllenhaal

most sophisticated and worthy of a 16-time oscar nominee: chris march for meryl streep

best attached sidecar: armani prive for jennifer lopez

best recycled silhouette (see penelope cruz 2007): atelier versace for demi moore

most likely to draw attention to the "girls:" christian dior for charlize theron

yeehaw!

in fashion it's inevitable that what's old is new again. lately we've found ourselves bored with the skinny jeans look and tired of cramming them into our boots for a "chic" daytime look. a recent drive to work past a school bus stop clued us in that this style is on its way out when we saw a six year-old mimicking our look. on our search for the next "great" jean, we came across a style that's an old favorite and as classic as a worn-in levi 501: the current/elliott western jean. we love the soft, broken-in denim that hugs your body in all the right places yet leaves room for a taco or two (see yesterday's blog!). the slight bootcut has just the right leg opening so you won't feel like you're stuck in a time warp wearing the same bootcut style as when "designer" jeans (remember seven, citizens of humanity) took the world by storm in the early 2000's. and we love that current/elliott tells you exactly how to wear the jean as the inside label states: this jean is to be worn fitted with a bootcut opening, yeehaw!

taco tuesday

snow...seriously? something about snow in charlotte (on march 2nd!) makes us dream of sunny days on a remote beach in the mexican riviera. the next best thing to a taco stand in tulum is our new favorite favorite mexican joint in plaza midwood--loco lime. we love the variety of vegetarian entrees (like the veggie tacos, pictured above) and can't wait for the snow to melt so we can be seated in the outdoor patio. start things off right with a spicy jalapeno margarita to add a little kick to your happy hour, or opt for the beer rita if you're having trouble deciding between a chilled corona and a tangy margarita. bonus: the guacamole is prepared table-side and adjusted to your liking--smooth, chunky, hot or mild.

loco lime, 1101 central avenue (next to common house)

french dressing

bonjour, etoile! poole shop is happy to welcome etoile by isabel marant back into our lives. last year the designer created quite a stir around here when her mexican dress (above) sold out in record time. if you spotted it around town in several different colorways, you now know who to blame. this year, the spring collection continues to be fit for the sophisticated editor set as well as plain janes like ourselves who fancy a little parisian skip in their step. look for spring plaids that bring a fresh look to the overworked tunic and a denim day dress that's just too cool for any cowgirl we know.