City Chic New Orleans: The Best Spots for Your Weekend Getaway

Planning a trip this summer? We turned to our Rolodex of fashion insiders to give you tips on their cities’ high points. Stay tuned for a new destination each week.

The expert: Mimi Bowen, owner and buyer of Mimi.

What is your favorite part about living in NOLA? The amazing cultural opportunities and diversity, and believe it or not, the weather! Hot and humid is great for the skin (stay out of sun, of course!) or carry the quintessential parasol!

In your opinion, who are your city’s most stylish inhabitants? The Mardi Gras Indians, Olivia Manning, Julia Reed and my daughter, CeCe… Not necessarily in that order!

What are the essential places to go if you only have a weekend to visit? Tipitina’s for music, the whole French Quarter for the heartbeat of New Orleans, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the National World War II Museum for culture, Mother’s Restaurant for the best PoBoy sandwiches and Felix’s for the best raw oysters… Don’t leave N.O. without trying them!

Besides your own store, what are your favorite shopping spots? mac Maison for the most fab antiques, Hazelnut for amazing gifts and just about any little shop on Magazine Street — the most interesting shopping street in America!

What’s your favorite place to go for a quiet meal? A boisterous one? Quiet: Gautreau’s on Soniat Street, an uptown hideaway in a stylish, but unpretentious setting. One of New Orleans’ best kept secrets! Boisterous: Galatoire’s, a New Orleans institution. And if they know it’s your birthday, beware — the WHOLE restaurant will sing “Happy Birthday” to you, led by one of their great waitstaff!

What’s one thing you can only get in New Orleans? Mardi Gras

What is your favorite historical site? Lakefront Airport — an Art Deco gem that has just been redone after Katrina!

Where can you find the best…

Burger: La Petite Grocery. And don’t miss the truffle fries — to die for!

Cocktail: Cure. Imagine your own cocktail or let them entice you into something you never dreamed of!

Vintage clothes/Flea market: The French Market in the Quarter. You’ll never see the same thing twice!

Haircut/color/blowout: Jesse de Leon at the salon at Mimi. He’s a master of cut and color, an addiction that is impossible to break!

All-night dance party: F & M Patio Bar. Nothing like it on earth and the clientele runs the gamut from debs to truck drivers. Another example of the cultural diversity of N.O…

Outdoor activity Any activity at the Audubon Zoo and Park.

Spa treatment: The new Guerlain Spa at the newly refurbished Roosevelt Hotel… Not to miss!

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/bazaar-blog/weekend-getaways-new-orleans-062811?src=soc_fcbk

It’s Springtime and besides Spring Cleaning, there’s something a lot more fun to do … and that’s renewing your wardrobe.

Taigan offers you tips on how to get fresh new clothes in that lovely closet (or two) of yours. Summer clothes are slowly going to make their way into your dressers and closets while Winter clothing will be stored away until next season, so you’ll have all the space in the world that you must fill up with this season’ must-haves as well as some of your own articles clothing that define your style.

To make room for this season’s fashion you can recycle some of your old clothes. Look at everything you have and make sure everything still fits well. Because even with timely style, it’s all about fit and silhouette. Remember that a lot of your clothing can be matched up with newer pieces that you’ll eventually get, especially the designer duds and accessories you’ll find online on Taigan. With Taigan’s growing collection of specialty boutiques, you’ll find great structured classics as well as the latest trends.

A tip when re-visiting/re-fitting your closet is to keep the basics. A black tank top, a navy blue jersey dress, a great pair of jean shorts, a clean white fitted tee, gray slacks, those are all great basics that can be matched up with any of the designer wear you’ll find in Taigan’s boutiques from the H. Audrey shop to Mimi to Sabot and others that make up our fantastic collection of shops online. Make sure all your recycled clothes are washed after being in storage for a few months. And remember to iron some of them for a clean and fresh look.

Don’t forget you can always make some adjustments to your clothes. If last season you really took advantage of a great skirt, feel free to give it a new look by shortening it or jazz it up with a few rhinestones here and there. A Spring wardrobe can definitely be a lot of fun and can unleash your creative side too. Look on Taigan.com for some inspiring looks. You can swap buttons, you can add shoulder pads, add patches, just as long as you don’t overdo it. Sometimes even pulling up your sleeves or adding a belt to an outfit can make a world of difference. Enjoy your new Spring wardrobe.

I had a great experience on this new fashion Website my friend told me about. I was looking for days and days for a dress to wear to a close friend’s wedding. It was going to be in a huge reception hall with so many people, including old friends from high school so I really wanted to look good. Plus, I recently lost some weight and wanted to treat myself to a fashionable something special. But I looked around in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida and couldn’t find anything that I really liked.

My friend told me about Taigan’s collection of boutique stores online. She told me that they had clothing stores from all over including Dallas, Nashville, New York and a few more places. So I decided it was worth looking into. So on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I became a Taigan member and browsed around the specialty clothing stores online. Kind of like window shopping, except on the Internet.

I visited a few of the different couture boutiques. I started with H. Audrey because my friend told me celebrities shop there. I also checked out the clothing on Gavin Evanston, but those outfits were more casual like skinny jeans, tees and blouses. I was looking more for a dress, something that will make a statement but still comfortable. The Mimi boutique on Taigan had more of what I was looking for. More upscale dresses, with nice silhouettes and quality materials. Plus, Mimi also carries designers so I browsed around the Michael Kors jersey dresses, the Kevan Hall dresses, the Marc Bouwer gowns until I landed on a must-have Herve Leger red band-aid stunner of a dress. It was more than I expected to pay, but it was gorgeous and I had to have it. So I pulled all my savings together and ordered it. Let me tell you, it fit perfectly, totally showed off my new figure and was a success at the wedding. I felt comfortable in my own skin and that was totally worth it.

I recommend visiting Taigan’s Website and becoming a Taigan member. You’ll find so many unique finds and fashionable items to replenish your closet. All online, all the time. Enjoy the shopping spree via the comforts of your home. This testimonial was by Gia C., Jacksonville, Florida.

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