Hollywood....

After being in Southern California for over a week now, I have come to find that there actually is a handful of normal people down here! Beyond Beverly Hills, and my favorite strip of must-see shopping on Rodeo Drive, there are people like us going on with their regular lives. But, who wants to talk about that? Hollywood is fun and Los Angeles is fabulous.

If you can look beyond the bumper to bumper traffic that continues from dusk until dawn, Los Angeles is an amazing place to be.  Despite the fact that we got lost more than a handful of times, we did find quite a few tucked-away shopping areas that I would have never come across, otherwise.

Unlike Portland, where there is a Starbucks on every corner, if you come across one down here you can almost bet you are in the right area for a premium shopping experience.

These are some of the great shops I feel Belladonna Marie will be in next Spring - Kitson, Tanya B. Madison, Ben Sherman and Stella, to name a few.  These boutiques are modern, yet classic - a perfect fit for the Belladonna Marie line.

There is so much more to talk about, but I will save that for the next blog - the beach and all the great places to shop (plus pics)!

Eco-PunK'd

Have you been Punk'd?

Did you know that you can really find eco-friendly garments in places like Target and Wal-mart? Yes, you can. It seems like everyone is jumping on the 'eco' bandwagon to get a piece of the hottest trend of the 21st century. Although many companies have veered away from this, due to recent, economic hardships, it continues to be the way to one-up the competition.



Watch out for labels, companies and garments that are not 100% sustainable (eco-friendly). Sustainable is all about taking it back to the virgin state garments come in. It's expensive and extremely challenging for those who really are sustainable, to compete with those who are 'faking it' to make the next buck.

Some of my favorite sustainable designers/labels are: Toms Shoes, Melissa Baswell (Mountains of the Moon), Lara Miller, Sofada, Loyale Clothing and of course my own label - BELLADONNA MARIE. Apart from providing great sustainable products, many of these companies go the extra mile to help. Loyale donates portions of proceeds to the environmental organization Green Corps. BELLADONNA MARIE supports Share our Strength (a non-profit organization designed to help feed starving children across the U.S.).

Don't get Punk'd! If you decided to go eco-friendly, make sure it's real. Happy Shopping!!