7 Tips for a Stylish and Cool Memorial Day Weekend

With Memorial Day Weekend the unofficial launch of summer, we've come up with some tips to make it cool and stylish and possibly somewhat unexpected. Cheers to Summer Days ahead!

7. Listen to music underneath the stars. The Omaha Symphony will be giving a free concert at Playland Park in Council Bluffs on Sunday, May 24th at 7pm.
6. Stop and smell the roses. If pruning these fragrant beauties isn't your thing, then we recommend you get Diptyque's Rose Geranium candle at Trocadero and bring its heady scent into your home.
5. Break out the whites. We love wearing our white jeans year-round. If you don't have a pair we suggest you head out to Delure at Rockbrook Village to see their assortment from Joe's and J Brand. Just don't wear them with white shoes or you just might be mistaken for an 80s tribute band member.
4. Go topless. By that we mean schedule a test drive of a Mini Cooper Convertible. What's more fun than cruising around with the top down? The Mini Cooper is not only cute as a button but you'll get amazing mileage and that's something to consider now that gas prices seem to be going up-up-up again!

3. Add some hummus and kebabs to your BBQ weekend. Recently we ate at Juba, a Sudanese restaurant around Nicholas and NW Radial Hwy. Bare-bones but serving flavorful dishes (goat, anyone?) including a delicious tilapia as well as a refreshing spiced iced tea.

2. Open the windows. With nighttime temperatures hovering around 60 degrees, it's the perfect, natural air-conditioning for a delightful night's rest.

1. Get your shoe on! It's definitely sandal season and at Trocadero we have a great selection of fun, casual flat sandals. Mention this Troc Talk post and receive 20% off any spring sandal. Buy 2 or more pairs and we'll also give you 40% off the lower-priced pair. But hurry as

this special is only valid this Mem

orial Day weekend!  (And please note we are closed on Memorial Day Monday and our usual Tuesdays.) This offer cannot be combined with any other special promotion.

(Botkier sandal available at Trocadero)

Jet Set

Cover Up in the Desert by shoptrocadero featuring Giuseppe Zanotti shoes

I am currently packing for the experience of a lifetime. I'm leaving my comfort zone in the Midwest for the desert of Doha, Qatar. The hardest part about packing for the trip is that I have to pack clothes that will cover me up, even though it will be extremely hot. Middle Eastern women are supposed to dress conservatively, and as a foreign guest, I need to respect the culture. I'm not a suit person, so I'll be packing mostly long dresses, skirts, sandals, and TONS OF SUNSCREEN. Who knows, I might arrive and decide I need completely different clothes. As I see it now, my day to day style is going to be based around a solid colored dress and sandals with colored accessories (I still have to be Kathleen). But I'm still looking for a mid-priced lightweight blazer. Any ideas?

Celeb update...

So after my earlier post was done, I went to dinner at News Cafe, one of my favorite places in Miami, and then I walked around South Beach a bit more. I went into Intermix and the salesgirl told me that one of her co-workers was excited to have helped Kim Kardashian earlier in the day. She's who was amid the mass of paparazzi I saw earlier today. For the super curious, click here.

I'm back to Omaha tomorrow afternoon!

Miami Nice

I've been in Miami since Monday. I'm here for a huge international travel and tourism conference that I go to every year. It's always in the biggest and best cities, and this year is no exception. Today I had some time off work in the afternoon, and I decided to do a bit of shopping around South Beach, where I'm staying, and also to check out one of Miami's most amazing vintage spots.

I've been to the city once before, but I didn't do much shopping then - mostly clubbing and beach lounging - so I decided to take advantage of being a solo traveler and spend some time walking around. Barney's Co-Op was having a sale on some great pieces. I loved an amazing skirt by Alexander Wang, $but 700 is a bit out of my price range. Some great Marc Jacobs pieces caught my eye, and so did one bag, a little Malababa gathered-top pouch on a long strap that came in fluorescent pink and yellow. Super cute. I was also excited to see Malin+Goetz products in the store, and was happy to know that we are lucky enough to have access to such goodies at Trocadero in little old Omaha.

I hadn't been in a Diesel store in years, but strolled in the South Beach location. I loved a pair of black patent flat sandals, but sadly, the 7 was too small, the 8 was too big and there wasn't a half size available. I used to go absolutely nuts over Diesel; I had quite the collection of their jeans, tops and jackets back in the day. Last week I took my final pair of Diesels I had left to my local consignment shop; I think I might have finally outgrown their funky pieces and graduated to a more classic style. As I walked out of Diesel, I ran into a slobbering crowd of paparazzi outside a store next door; some celebrity was shopping inside. I couldn't see who it was, though I did take in a pair of fabulous shoes and a pair of tattered jean shorts on whomever she was. Maybe Lindsay Lohan? I didn't hang around to find out.

South Beach is a mish-mash of high and low stores: for every Barney's there's a surf shop selling knockoffs of what's in the windows of the fancier store. I skipped most of these outposts and instead headed into my standby, American Apparel, where I got a black viscose "sexualitee" and another "sexualitee," this one navy with a vintagey dolmen sleeve. I'd never seen these pieces in Omaha, so I figured I'd snag them while I could.

After lunch, I hopped in a cab and my very chatty driver took me to C. Madeline's, a store that I'd frequented enough online to know that it was going to be absolutely awesome in person. And it was. The store's tag line is "One of the Fashion Wonders of the World" and it lives up to it. The store is 10,000 square feet and the clothes are separated by decade - the 1940s to the 1980s - and in some cases, style - there's one area called "bohemian." At the front of the store are racks and racks devoted to vintage Chanel, and there's handbags to match. A gated off area in the back of the store is devoted to couture and otherwise amazing pieces, it was here that I found my purchase: a big silk vintage Yves Saint Laurent scarf that even the beautiful sales girl said looked good around my neck. Many of the items in the store are available on C. Madeline's Web site, where you can buy them online. I fondled lots of things: vintage bags, a quilted Chanel and a Fendi Spy bag, some Hermes scarves (of course the one I wanted was $400) and some amazing Herve Leger bandage dresses.

If I lived in Miami, a place like C. Madeline's would be hard to resist. Its a beautifully curated store where each piece is perfect for someone. I brought my camera and captured some images of the view from my hotel (amazing) and some of my finds, but I forgot my camera cord. I'll post them when I get home tomorrow.

Word of the day: tromp l'oeil!

I didn't realize how many fashionable terms have French origins until I opened up Trocadero. I guess it makes sense since the French are so known for their certain "je ne sais quois" when it comes to looking effortlessly chic and so put together. When we got this Harajuku Lovers Tromp L'Oeil "Honey" Tote in Natural (but also available in Black), I remember a few Team Troc members not knowing the word "tromp l'oeil." In French, it literally means "trick the eye" and what makes it tromp l'oeil is that the illustrations on the bag make it look like it's three dimensional (that the button is a realbutton, that the zipper is real). Other examples of tromp l'oeil include this photo of Paris Hilton in a tromp l'oeil sweater where the buttons and belt are sketched onto the fabric.

It is definitely a trend that comes and goes in fashion and one design house that often uses a lot of tromp l'oeil is Moschino. Gwen Stefani isn't alone in recent seasons to use this effect. Some others that have used tromp l'oeil include Sonia Rykiel, Martin Margiela, Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Westwood. 

And I recently purchased a very kick ass black t-shirt from Target that has a wonderful silvery-white tromp l'oeil multi-layered necklace (very old school Tom Binns-looking). As I always say, it's not difficult to mix high with your low. I like to wear my tee with my Marc Jacobs voluminous cuffed shorts from S/S 2006 and my Louis Vuitton silver buckle belt in black.

source Paris Hilton: Glamour

source Marc Jacobs runway: style.com

source Louis Vuitton belt: Louis Vuitton

Five hold-overs

We've talked about shopping your own closet a lot here on Troc Talk and in our weekly Trocadero Tidbits newsletter, so I've had it on my mind. As I go through my purchases from the previous summer in my own closet, I've found a few things that I know I'll be rocking all summer long (as well as a few things I plan to donate to my local consignment shop.) It just so happens that a lot of the items on my list are things we carry at Trocadero, so if you didn't pick up an ec0-chic tote or a pair of gladiator sandals last summer, you're still in luck. 

Here's my list of the top five holdover looks for the impending Omaha heat. 

1. Strappy Gladiator Sandals. Whether you opt for a comfortable flat style for everyday wear or a sexier high heeled number, last summer's Greek-inspired sandals are my top pick for what to hold on to or to invest in now. At Trocadero, we have lots to choose from: Matt Bernson's studded red "Barracuda," L.A.M.B.'s "Fuji" with its fetching triangular heel (pictured at left) or a metallic gladiator by Bettye Muller or DV Dolce Vita. I tried the "Fuji" on last weekend and can't get it out of my head. 

2. Oversized Clutches. For day or night, or day-to-night style, an oversized clutch is both chic and sensible. 

I have a number of vintage numbers at home, but if I were going to invest in a new one, my number one choice would be Anya Hindmarch's "Large Pipkin" clutch, pictured at right. It's perfect for day or night, neutral enough to be worn with everything but has gorgeous detail on the front clasp. It's an investment piece, to be sure, but one that you'd pass down to your daughters or neices without fail. I also love Kara Ross clutches, in both gold and burlap with python details, and the L.A.M.B "Ahndra Bala" clutch that Gwen herself recently carried. 

3. Eco-chic gear. We all know how important it is to be friendly to Mother Earth, and Trocadero helps us do it stylishly. I'm still planning to rock my Anya "I'm not a Plastic Bag" tote this summer, but if you missed out on that trend, you can check out her latest foray into eco-chic with the much-blogged about Fruit and Veg, Meat or Dairy totes. You can also pick up a canvas tote screened right here in Omaha by artist Miss Cake; we have a few in stock. New this summer is BC Footwear's "Danke" sandal, pictured above, which boldly advertises what it used to be: a rice bag. These comfy flip flops are not only eco-friendly, they're super cute. What's more is that beacuse they're made of old rice bags, each pair is singular, with subtle details that differ from pair to pair. Alice also carries a super cute phone or mp3 player case, also made from colorful recycled rice bags. 

4. Cross body bags (for day or night). Though I usually carry an

oversized bag stuffed to the gills with odds and ends, I'm totally into the idea of downsizing for the summer. I'd love to do it with Botkier's soft green "Moto" clutch, which is a petite sister to my white Botkier "Trigger" bag (that, coincidentally, Alice has too!) I prefer this beauty in green, though Trocadero also has it in black. If you're looking for a vegan style, we have a number of cross body bags in canvas and nylon by Harajuku Lovers. Botkier's "Marcel" is made for hot city nights with its long chain strap and woven gold detail on its sides. 

5. Wearing SPF every day. What's more important than our skin? I've long been a devotee of strong sunscreen, and I think its become more than a trend. It's a necessity. Luckily, lots of skin care lines are aware of the importance of skin protection, and Alice, is too: all of the face creams at Trocadero include an SPF. Korres makes both a lightweight pomegranate moisturizer and a wild rose moisturizer (at left) with SPF 6, as well as a watermelon moisturizer with SPF 30 (for pale girls like me.) Ole Henriksen has two SPF 15 moisturizers, one for normal skin and one for dry/sensitive skin. Malin+Goetz makes a SPF 30 moisturizer that we have in the store, and finally, for your little ones, pick up a tube of Susan Brown's Baby SPF 30.

Now that I've reviewed my list of summer hold-overs, tell us, what do you plan to hold on to or purchase before it gets hot in Omaha?