T oo busy to shop? There's another new personal shopping duo in the area to help out.
Two Raleigh moms -- Paige Crowther and Lisa Marie Ferrell -- have teamed up to be Polished, a personal shopping and wardrobe consulting company that will do anything from helping to clean out your closet and consigning the unwanted goods to planning a couple's special night out on the town.
The two started kicking around the business idea this summer after they both realized they shared a passion for clothes and, more important, how to style them.
Their target customer is an easy find these days. They say they want to help not just those who are too busy to shop, but also those who have too much going on to keep up with trends but still want a fresh, updated look. "Whatever it is, we'll shop for you, we'll shop with you," Crowther says.
Their services list covers plenty of ground. They'll shop for you, delivering items from boutiques, department stores or discounters to your home or office to try on. They'll also "pre-shop," going to a store and picking out anything you might like and putting it in a dressing room for you to try once you arrive. They'll go shopping with you, helping guide you to the pieces that meet your budget and your personal style. They'll also help you evaluate your current wardrobe, eliminating the bad and helping you replenish it with styles that fit better.
They've also got a few atypical services tacked on, such as a handbag rental program. They're in the process of stocking their inventory with designer handbags to offer to customers for as little as $10 a night.
They'll also help you show off your latest look by planning everything for a night on the town. They'll hire a baby sitter, make dinner reservations -- they'll even pick out what you should wear.
Prices start at $75 an hour, depending on the services you want.
Read more about them and Polished services at www.polishedraleigh.com. Or meet the two in person Thursday, when they'll be talking fashion at an open house at Fleur boutique in Cameron Village.
Oui, oui to Ceci
If you happen to find yourself shopping in Paris any time soon, make your way to Colette. You'll find yourself at home with several other North Carolinians.
Ceci Davis, the founder of Ceci Cela lip balms, is now among the vendors on shelves at Colette, the high-end boutique on rue Saint-Honoré known for its designer labels.
It's quite a coup for the former Raleigh company (Davis moved to Winston-Salem last year). Davis says that Colette contacted her about selling in the store after a buyer saw the lip balm on an e-magazine.
She's not the first North Carolinian to sell at Colette. Davis joins Louisburg jewelry maker Elizabeth Yarborough in the store. Colette was the first account for Yarborough after she started making her jewelry last year.
Davis also has expanded the company to include a new almond-scented moisturizing body bar with natural vegetable glycerin, oatmeal, shea butter and vitamin E. It retails for $8 and will be sold at spas and boutiques through the country.
Locally, you can find Davis' products at stores such as Nofo in Raleigh and Caju in Chapel Hill and spas such as Synergy in Raleigh and The Umstead in Cary.
No, no to leather
Interested in learning more about vegan fashion? You might want to attend "Becoming the Change," an all-vegan conference this weekend at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center in Durham. During the Friday night opening presentation, there will be a "vegan-chic showcase" showing how mainstream some vegan fashion and food have become. The event will be hosted by Rory Freedman, co-author of the book "Skinny Bitch" and Josh Hooten, editor of Herbivore magazine and co-founder of the Herbivore Clothing Co. Find out more at www.animalsandsociety.org/conference07.htm
