June 5, 2008

It...

Some people just have it. Don’t ask me what “it” is because it is different for everyone. I believe people are born with “it” even though it takes them awhile to recognize. For me, finding my “it” took awhile. But here I am feeling like I finally arrived to fill my own fancy shoes. It has been a busy week and a half and smashing parties…

We went to the pre- opening of the new restaurant Graham Elliot last Sunday night. Graham has “it” in a major way. I am positive he knows and is well aware of his talent in the kitchen. Hearing it from me isn’t going to make or break his day but I will tell all anyhow. The space is clean leaving the diner to concentrate on the food. Prince Charming and I did just that…I was completely focused on the cheddar cheese risotto! So much so that I was not inclined to share it with the rest of our table. Every course was fantastic. I typically don’t order dessert but since it was part of the experience I decided to indulge. Yummy factor ranks high in the dessert category at Graham Elliot. If I had to guess, Graham is going to be a hard reservation to snag this summer. I will be back as soon as it fully opens…I need to test out the rest of the menu as well as what’s shakin’ at the bar with the mixologist.

Now I am not one to pat myself on the back but the much anticipated opening of the showhouse I worked on opened last week. For one, I feel like I can sleep easy now. Over 600 people showed up to the opening…can anyone say “gridlock in the gallery”. I decided not to wear a name tag for the first hour to hear what people were saying. Thankfully, it all sounded positive. We have had a great response already and hopefully many more people will take the time to visit the house. You can see the products I used on our site under The Scottish Manor link.

As a reward to myself, I went to see Sex in the City on Saturday night with some of my girlies. LOVED it. I don’t think there is a woman on earth that doesn’t identify with at least one of those women. Need I say anything about who I relate to most as I sit here typing in my strappy shoes? I was hilarious to see all these women decked out with hats, shoes and outfits – completely over the top. I admit, I too was more dressed up than most movie openings. I only wish I had taken pictures of some of the crazy stuff I saw people wearing. My favorite was a woman with her hair slicked back and some dead vine looking head piece wrapped all around her head. Ok – I fully support creative expression but the dead vine was a bit much.

Art shows are getting ready to start in the city…my favorite time of year. I plan to attend as many as I can drag my little guy to this weekend and next.Art shows with a four year old...should be interesting. Check in for the latest art news over the next couple of weeks.

May 20, 2008

Hungry Like the Wolf…


Been awhile but here I am out on the town with bells on. I figure it might be beneficial to get back into blogging before the spring party season begins. I do have some good stuff coming up and I have been out recently but too lazy, old and tired to write. At the urging of friends who like to create more work for KikiLu, my blogging begins again…NOW.

Uh, did we not love the 80’s? I mean the clothes, the hair and those British bands. When I found out Duran Duran was coming, I needed a blast from the past. Little did I know how old I would feel once I showed up and women in their forties were piling out of their mini-vans – very scary for me. I was feeling slightly sorry for Kiki but kept reminding myself that I just had my hair blown out and I was wearing sexy Prada shoes. Somehow, the shoes make me feel better when I am surrounded by mini-vans.

Prince Charming and I decided to head to the concert early and have drinks before hand, along with the other 100 people who had that same novel idea. Needless to say, I landed two seats in the crowded bar at Gibson’s with two guys “working” over a beer. It’s funny how Prince Charming shakes his head at me as I squirm my way in almost anywhere…it didn’t stop him from copping a squat with two strangers.

Finally at the venue, we hunkered down for a good 30 minutes of people watching. Whew what the burbs drag out – again, very scary for me. There is a point that you get too old for mid-drift baring tops. Hello, when did the love handles hanging over the sides of your jeans come in style? On the way back from a pit stop, I ran into Eric from Eric and Kathy morning show (my favorite radio show of course!) I guess you shouldn’t judge a person by their billboard because I was expecting a guy at least 6’4”. He is a cute guy but he probably thought I was a freak that I even recognized him.

A few nights before Duran Duran I surprised Prince Charming for his birthday with tickets to the symphony. See, I do it all – from the symphony to Duran Duran, I am so well rounded. Anyhow, I decided to go all out on a fashion limb. I wore a swanky metallic low cut dress with some strappy VERY HIGH black Calvin Klein shoes (all the rage). Before leaving my daughter asked “what’s with the stripper look” and my reply was “I must look good”. I knew I had done something right when I pulled up at the valet of the W Hotel downtown for dinner when four guys were falling all over themselves to help me get out of the car. They then paid for my little Prius to stay out front. It wasn’t until I was inside that I realized they most likely thought I was a hooker! OMG…how awesome is that outfit. I got my parking paid for and Prince Charming once again was left shaking his head. I need not describe the look on every 80 year old at the symphony when I showed up!

And a few nights before that, Dennis and I decided to do the “Gold Coast Crawl”. If you ever want the perfect evening for KikiLu it would have to be the “GCC”. We started at NoMi’s in the Park Hyatt - my very favorite terrace. The terrace is absolutely the best place for cocktails. We then paced ourselves down to Le Coloniel for the next shaker full of yummy beverages. When the scene started to get too cramped for my liking we headed down to pay a visit to Art Smith at Table 52. Seeing as I have gotten chummy with my friend Art Smith, one would assume that I have eaten at the restaurant…but NO I had not. Leave it to Dennis to order half the menu. Don’t get me started with the biscuits. Since we sat at the bar, I was able to beg for a second helping. I had a hankering for the pork chop and it was the best chop I have ever eaten. FABUOULS CHOPS Art…KikiLu will be back for more. Oh, and that Hummingbird Cake that Lady O loves…Kiki loves it too.

Coming up this weekend is the much awaited opening of Graham Elliot. Graham was the executive chef at the Peninsula in Chicago. Seeing as my fourth child should be named after the hotel (too much sake at Avenues = Number Four)…I am looking forward to dining at his first solo venture. Make sure to check back for the details.
http://grahamelliot.com/

January 23, 2008

Dancing queens and Marc on the block…

Yes, it has been awhile since the last blog…last year in fact. Whew, 2008 started off with a bigger bang than I expected. Those black eyed peas Little Mama makes us eat every year may really have something going for them. I am very excited about the new project I am working on with Pickell Builders. I was asked to do all of the interiors on a monster showhouse…The Scottish Manor. It’s big, it’s beautiful and I am bouncing around the office with deadlines and other ongoing projects. Keep checking the website for Manor News and the grand opening. Yet another reason to shop for shoes! Prince Charming will need to support the Opening Shoe night purchase.

Last week has to be top on my list of things I have seen. Big D tended to my hair before our night out at the ballet. This wasn’t any ballet. We attended Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo– an all male ensemble in DRAG! I was thoroughly amused while my date was over it in 45 minutes. At least, I knew there would be no line for the ladies room. These dancers are amazing at their craft and find a way to parody a serious ballet in full tutus and plumes in their rendition of The Dying Swan. As a fan of the original Swan Lake, it was incredible to see these men on pointe yet hysterical because of their flamboyant stage presence. I guess when you are gay and not into drag queens, sitting through The Dying Swan is droll. Either that or it doesn’t take much to entertain me! Anyhow, we left at intermission for our typical late night feast at Custom House.

The next night I was totally geared up for another type of feast…The Fashion Feast. Thanks to my good friends at Common Threads I snagged an invite to the Marc Jacobs party. What a surprise, he showed up with 200 employees from his New York entourage. Really, not too over the top. And everyone gives me a hard time that I can’t go anywhere alone? The party was in honor of the much awaited opening of his new boutique in Bucktown, Chicago. Not a chance I was missing this event. I knew it was going to be a scene beyond all others. What I didn’t know is that it was basically an import party from New York which made the people watching even more interesting. There is no ceiling on fashion faux pas with New Yorkers…anything goes. They seated Marc in the center of this huge loft and all of the tables around him were his peeps. The outer rim of tables was the scraggly few from Chicago including me and Little Mama. I think our small representation from the Windy City cleaned up pretty darn nice. I attempted to talk to Marc but it was clear I was invading his east coast space. I decided to hit the bathroom which is where you always find the most interesting people at a party. While in the stall, I was listening to a gaggle of young girls checking out someone’s leather tights. I yanked my tights up quickly to make sure I got to cop a feel of the leather legs as well. I must admit, they were trashy but daring, not sure I could pull off the superhero look.

For the most part, attending these swanky parties it is not uncommon to feel like the outsider. But I have the experience to write about. And Marc was not jumping at the chance to hang with KikiLu…so made it home early.

December 7, 2007

Holiday Cheer for me and the queer…

While the title of this blog may offend some, I say it with love. And it couldn’t be more fitting after the two holiday parties I attended last night. Again, only love from my words.

With Mr. Scissors (Dennis) by my side and the perfect holiday dress we started the evening at The Merchandise Mart for the Chicago Magazine party at The Chopping Block. First let me say, brilliant to host a small event there…hello, it’s a cooking school so the food had to be yummy! Both Dennis and I made a b-line for the food table. However, I made sure to follow the rules of how to nibble without eating 10,000 calories-advice I read in a fashion magazine somewhere along the line. Every fashionista needs to know how to nibble – a skill I learned at a very young age. I did, of course, indulge in one peanut butter cookie dough ball dipped into chocolate fondue. After chatting for a few we had to move on to the next party.

We zipped over in my Prius (the little speed demon) to the Museum of Contemporary Art’s warehouse on the west side of the city. Maybe I watch too much TV but I certainly felt like I had just walked into a reality show with every guest hoping to be the center of attention, KikiLu included. Every black clad hipster was lined up to get in. However, the space itself got me all jazzed. A large section of the building houses different art collections for the MCA. Who do I need to talk to for a private tour of that place? Attached to it is a huge loft where CS Interiors Magazine hosted their launch party for their premiere issue. So, here is where we arrive at the queer part of my story. There are two components to this crowd…young trendy women & gay men. Yup, that’s it. The shocking part here is not that I write about gay men but that I still consider myself young and trendy, right? This mix usually equals a fabulous party and last night I can’t imagine that anyone was disappointed. It sure makes for great people watching until you realize that people are watching right back at ya. Not such a good thing when you are shoving one more meatball with spicy mustard sauce in! Back to the rules of nibbling…

The décor was done in small vignettes with furniture donated by stores and vendors from around the city. The most inventive of rooms was done with a bunch of toilets and a bathtub with glass on top as a coffee table. While a little shocking, every toilet was taken and I couldn’t snag a seat. Dennis had no interest in copping a squat on a toilet for a cocktail so we moved on to standard seating. After standing around for quite awhile trying to figure out if every good looking guy there was gay, I desperately needed to visit the ladies room to hike up my leggings that were pretty close to my knees at this point. Word to the wise when navigating through a crowded loft party, you may want to pay attention to the floor as there are many surprise dips and bumps. Not saying I fell but it was pretty darn close. After a good yank on the leggings I was over the scene and ready to move on again. The Speed Demon was pulled up and we zipped over to the new Brasserie Ruhlmann. Gee, what a surprise another city scene. Now that we were alone at a table tucked away in a corner, I could toss out the nibbling rules and truly nosh on a plate of food.

November 26, 2007

Vacation Nation

Whose idea was it to call a vacation a vacation? There should be rules in order to use that word. Taking four kids to Mexico does not qualify! A trip, yes…a vacation NO. Like any loving mother, I ADORE my babies but let’s face it a week confined to one resort with my four monkeys might bring on a little stress.

Family friends of ours, The Burkett Bunch, had the courage to go away with us. They are smart, healthy, loving, organized and mild mannered. What the heck were they thinking, right? In our family, we are some of those qualities but definitely not all of them and most definitely not at the same time. They made me want to tame my children but I hoped for the best for their sake. I honestly pitied them most nights at dinner. By the time we got our luggage and buckled into the van to head to the resort, the Burkett Bunch bet how long it would take before everyone knew our rambunctious three year old Mr. T. Suffice to say most knew him within 24 hours including the bartender at the pool.

Here is what the Burkett Bunch had to put up with: we had one sick five year old for the entire week who dressed in full clothing on a lounge chair…major drama. The teen was worried her tan would disappear if the sun didn’t shine for like, omg like five minutes…like what the heck, I thought this was like Mexico and the sun like always shines. No, really she talks that way. Believe me, we heard it for like 24/7. I remind myself when responding to her that I too do not need to use the word ‘like” for every other word. Prince Charming found it quite interesting how one person could use the same word in one sentence as many times as she did. Clearly he doesn’t get being a 13 year old girl and how much stress it like causes.

This was just the female half of our posse. The boys can only be described with one word – ENERGY. Something I thought I genuinely had until I chased around the three year old by the pool with his wanky hanging out. It was hot out so why wouldn’t he want it hanging out to get air. It made sense to him. Prince Charming and I were like a bad version of tag team with this little guy. Not even a margarita made it seem appealing. Our second oldest child actually found joy in the waves which was our saving grace of the week.

During certain points of the trip, I would realize that the two Burkett Bunch kids were sitting with their mouths hanging open watching my kids. There were probably times when I also had my mouth hanging open looking at my own kids. What is that saying…jumping in with your feet first? That is kinda what our vacations are like…feet first and everything else just follows. Nothing disastrous just a lot of chasing down and keeping up. Well, I take part of that back, Mr. T did completely flood a restaurant bathroom the last night. We had to pay and get out quick because the amigos didn’t look so happy when Mr. T exited the men’s room. For the record, we left a better tip.

In the end, Prince Charming and I are always glad we provide our children with worldly experiences. I traveled all over growing up and I want my kids to feel like they go into their adult life not too surprised by what is out there. The teen got her tan, the adventure boy got to swim in a sink hole, the wise five year old stayed under her thatch umbrella and then there is Mr. T… Mr. T did it all and enjoyed every minute. And now I am back at work to relax and chill out.

October 19, 2007

Not the last laugh…

Good days and bad days…we all have them. But some of the busy days are so hectic I lose track of just about everything. For me, that is a good problem to have. I honestly stress when there is a lull in my life. Pathetic right? Even the blog is behind but not for lack of material to write about. It just happens to be busy season at K-Haus and event season for practically everyone. Parties, dinners and holidays are all upon us. Here is the KikiLu lowdown for some recent outings.

This past weekend I attended a business trip for Prince Charming up at Kohler, Wisconsin. We were treated to a weekend of relaxation and whatever activities we desired. A very extravagant gesture for the spouses and one I was happy to indulge in. I thought it would work out best if I just camped out in the spa while Prince Charming had to work. Saturday I spent a good part of the day doing just that. I adore lounging in a bathrobe and plastic flip flops while sipping lemon water. While I am not the best at sitting still a spa is the one place I can waste the day away doing pretty much nothing. I would, however, like to offer my services to the Kohler family in order to get the rooms and suites up to snuff in the design world. I think the 80’s went out, well, in ’89. Time for a facelift.

A few days ago Prince Charming and I attended a pig roast at DelaCosta on behalf of Common Threads (see blog: six degrees of oprah). DelaCosta is one of those places that just can’t help being cool. Adam the chef oozes cool with all his tattoos and charming personality. But I have blogged about him before and won’t carry on again. Great event and always a fun crowd. Of all the chefs’ tables, Art Smith gets my award for top nosh that evening. I am just a sucker for good pork tenderloin. FYI: We are gearing up for our event on November 12 here at K-Haus benefitting Common Threads. Make sure to check out the site next week where info will be posted. I am always a stressaholic when planning an event.

And finally, I popped into an event last night at the Bloomingdales home store for Thomas O’Brien. It always helps to stop at Dennis’ salon before an event and get the hair snipped and blowed out. Having fabulous hair for any event is so important, just as important as the shoes. I thought for sure I would get my picture snapped for the new magazine CS Interiors. But no such luck…not a photographer in site. And I had such great props…two dates. Dennis and Stevie G, one of his stylists at the salon, were out on the town with me. I didn’t know ahead of time the hilarity that would ensue. At one point, the caterer was serving us these clever little bites…a tray full of mini forks with a small piece of scallop pierced on the end. I tasted one and politely asked if I could snag one more only to realize that Stevie G was shoving as many as he could while balancing his drink and gathering quite the collection of silver. I wanted to remind him that we were not playing a card game of forks this early in the evening. The caterer realized she was going to need to head back to the kitchen and replenish her tray after leaving our hungry little circle. Together we decided it was probably time to move onto to Joe’s Stone Crab. I truly laughed so hard all evening that I convinced myself I was burning calories as we ate dinner. I think it is what they call…LAUGHING YOUR ASS OFF. This, I have decided, is the benefit of having such great company. Laughing should be considered medicinal because it just works for me.

October 4, 2007

This little piggy goes to market…

I haven’t been to furniture market in High Point, North Carolina in awhile. But I am here now and feeling very much on the edge of a trend. What trend you ask? I haven’t decided just yet. Let’s see, there is red in all variations, matte brass and a lot of driftwood looking items. Hang on…we should start from the beginning.

I was supposed to arrive early Tuesday. But thanks to the reliable airlines, I arrived 12 hours later than planned. But at least I got to people watch in O’Hare twice! And boy does the second time around and a stop at Berghoff’s bar make a big difference.

I thought for a second that maybe I missed the memo on costume day at the airport. There I was under dressed in jeans and a cute shirt. I passed “little house on the prairie” as well as “Dalai Lama” all in one concourse. I was completely fascinated with little house on the prairie. She was in full garb including the bonnet that my mother made me wear when I was four. Little Mama, I know you remember that one. I thought the Amish didn’t indulge in modern technology…unless of course the plane was being pulled by horse which in my case the time frame of when I arrived seemed to make sense. I am not sure that she was Amish, I assumed. And I have since gone online to google “Amish” only to find no pictures probably because they don’t allow their photos to be taken. They do however, fly United.

Something all you bloggers should know about KikiLu. I HATE traveling alone and this trip…I was flying solo. The flying part I am fine. It’s the going out to dinner and hanging out part that I require a full posse. But the K-Haus gang was unavailable to indulge my every whim.

Market itself has been interesting. I always enjoy finding new products to bring back to K-Haus, and that I did. I also enjoy all the Southern Belles walking around in 3” heels like it doesn’t hurt. My favorite part of market, however, is the B&B that we stay in. It is my hidden gem of Greensboro. Thus, I don’t risk giving out the location and not being able to get a room in the future! The Inn keeper cooks breakfast every morning loaded with carbs and all the good fat! My nutritionist Barb would probably not agree but I keep trying to convince her that all fat is good on some level. Having to travel alone, the inn is my saving grace. It’s kind of like getting the honeymoon suite without the honey.

Dinners aren’t so much fun when you have to pretend to read the paper while listening to the table next to you. It would make it a heck of a lot easier if people would just speak up. I now have a few regular places I like to dine in Greensboro. I was totally bummed when I went to one of my favorite Vietnamese places and the waiter was a punk Asian guy with absolutely no manners. Who the heck is rude to a single diner ordering a whole bottle of wine? I mean that is just pathetic…the whole bottle of wine of course. Anyhow, all was better when I dined out this evening and was carded by my waiter “the dude”. He said “like can I see your id or something”. Seriously, I said. “Well, yeah cuz they are crackin’ down and I even carded that guy over there” as he pointed to a 65 year old man. I was quick to tell him he would have secured a bigger tip had he not pointed out grandpa he carded for a beer. He did seem to convince me he thought I was 28. I will take that even if he was lying to make up for his mistake.

September 10, 2007

Mind your manners at the Manor…

I wasn’t about to pass up a party in the country at The Manor of Bill Kurtis and his significant other Donna. The charity event was held for the Green City Market along with 11 chefs providing tasting tables. Chef had a table so, I didn’t want to miss anything.

Panic set in when Javie phoned before the party saying we might need to attend in boots with our dresses because the property might be messy like last year. She didn’t want me upset that my little paws got dirty. Javie was trying to sell me on this whole boots and baubles look. How very Ralph Lauren but not so en vogue for me. Thankfully, the property was dry and proper shoes were worn by all. I left my hot pink wellies tucked away for a rainy day.

The drive back to the property was beautiful and pulling up to the home was even more stunning. This was a “town & country” scene like no other. The graveled circular entrance was impressive enough for me. The entire place has an old English feel and the crowd fit right in.

I found Javie and Chef right away. I hate going to a party and trying to sift through the crowd to find your posse. He greeted me with a tasty from his table. Then, I insisted I get a full portion of the grilled cheese he was serving along side heirloom tomatoes. Always happy to satisfy my every whim, Chef had the boys whip us up a whole grilled cheese laden in butter. YUM- Butter, fancy cheese and crusty bread…hungry just thinking about it.

Javie and I walked the close perimeter of the property and took some glam shots sitting by the Zen pond. Bill even waved to us from his touring cart as we sipped our cocktails pretending to own the place. We decided to give up our prime spot and get the scoop on the interiors. As we stood in the foyer, we heard some guests as they descended from their visit upstairs. They were ooohing over “her” library since Bill’s is downstairs. So, basically, they each have their own library which we clearly needed to check out. We moseyed on up as though we belonged dropping Bill's name like a good ole buddy of ours. And my oh my was her library worth sneaking up. It had two sets of spiral stairs up to a third level with lord knows what. I tried to convince Javie to be more daring and tiptoe up but that didn’t fly. We did, however, venture down the hall to check out the open doors. When we found a bathroom I, of course, needed to make sure it worked! But serves me right because it wasn’t until another guest came into the bedroom did I realize that my dress was tucked in to my undies. NO,I am not making this up. Luckily, my back was to the wall. Javie needed to pull out the tulle all tucked in around my tushy before we made our exit. Right then her cell phone rang with Chef on the other end wondering where we were…we skedaddled downstairs for the auction.

We hung out with all of the chefs in the entrance while the live auction was held in the living room. Carrie Nahabedian tried to convince me to bid on the Alaskan Cruise she donated. Unless she wanted to take me in as a wayward child, I was not going home to Prince Charming to tell him I spent thousands to eat king crab legs fresh out of the Alaskan waters with Miss Carrie. I tried to rationalize the spending but knew I would be in divorce court had I handed over a check!

Sadly, we had to get our cars from the valet and find our way back to reality.
I will dream of grilled cheese and the gravel driveway for the entire year…

August 15, 2007

Around the country in 20 days…

Traveling sure takes its toll on the body…along with getting old of course. I have been back and forth from the west coast to the east coast over the last 3 weeks. I couldn’t actually tell you what day of the month it is, just somewhere in the middle of August. Whew, does my Pilates instructor have her work cut out for her when I return.

I convinced Javie to go with me to check out the Vegas market for a few days. It is safe to say, we won’t be going back to Vegas for that show. We did, however, manage to find all the boutiques and their fabulous sales. Remember Jimmy Whoo? I vowed not to buy any until we happened upon the 50% off sale and I caved in. What can I say, I am easily swayed and they go perfectly with my clutch they gave me. We also met up with a friend from Chicago who is commuting to work in Vegas during the week. Rough job for Davey Vegas. Javie and I caught up with him for two nights and Davey Vegas proved to be quite entertaining with his animated stories…something about honey, butter and how to snag a date. All I know is we attracted a lot of attention from the other patrons. Laughing the loudest can do that. He brought us to Tangerine in Treasure Island where the show isn’t quite so kid-friendly anymore. We were seated in the VIP area - that is until we got booted because someone more important showed up. This must be a reoccurring theme for me…I am so over the “guest list”. But we certainly chuckled the whole way out of the roped off area.

I then left for our yearly dysfunctional family vacation at the beach in South Carolina. Did I say vacation? Why does anyone consider going away with your entire family and staying in the same house with nine kids a VACATION??? We need to fine tune that one or KikiLu may have plans next year.

If that wasn’t enough, I flew into O’Hare on Sunday where Prince Charming met me with another suitcase packed for New York. I swapped him four kids for my other baggage and off I went to NY for a buying trip. The notion of being jet set and glamorous ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. I am positive Davey Vegas would agree with me on that one.

But here I am, making the best of it and being productive. Besides, how much can I really complain when my hairdresser, Big D, came with me to eat our way through the week? My Hollywood hair is in top notch condition and we have dined from uptown to downtown like professional foodies. Everyday is like our last meal and Big D needs his nap every afternoon to prepare for his next feeding.

I have met with editors, old bosses and my long lost friend Patty. It has been a busy few weeks and well worth it. But I am more than ready to get home to Prince Charming and my four monkeys!

July 10, 2007

Choo the fat…

Remember when you were a kid and you would count down the days until you would go to the amusement park? So maybe it’s a stretch but hey, as a full grown girlie girl the “Jimmy Choo Experience” is somewhat close to that notion. The day finally arrived. Javie and I arrived with gusto. Me in my Prada and Javie in her Valentino – we were pulling it all out for Jimmy. And why wouldn’t we? What if we were tossed out on our labeled tushie’s in the middle of Oak Street again? I would need to stomp off in designer heels. But that didn’t happen. This is a short but sweet story.

The land of Whooville was welcoming and gracious that we accepted their belated invitation. And just like the major sucking up scene from Pretty Woman, we too were treated like the upper crust of the gold coast. Everyone happy, everyone smiling… lunching ladies trying on the latest collection. We swapped pleasantries for a mere ten minutes before thanking them and announcing our departure. I mean, I wasn’t ready to drop some change on fall shoes just yet. As we were headed out, I heard those magic words…”oh, just a minute, we have a gift for you both.” But you shouldn’t have Ms. Jimmy Choo.

We made sure to turn the corner of Oak Street before we ripped into our precious little goodie bags. I could not resist, Javie and I made a bet who could guess the goodie! I, of course, won the bet and she had to buy the Starbucks. We each received a lovely mini patent leather clutch with a gold buckle on the front. I was so hoping for the gold buckle! Next time, I pray we get kicked out of a Manolo party and have to experience him a few weeks later.

June 17, 2007

Jimmy Whoo?

I am a shoe girl, yes I am.
I like them here
I like them there
I do like them anywhere.
I do like them in a box.
I do like them without socks.
I like no names
I like a label
Now let me tell you
A little fable…

Once upon a time, I received a much awaited invitation in the mail. It arrived in a big oversized silver square envelope (ya know, the ones that require extra postage). There on the return address was JIMMY CHOO. Jimmy Whoo you ask?

I carefully slit open the shiny silver envelope and slid out the invite. There on a clean soft sheet I was being invited to THE opening party at Jimmy Choo on Oak Street in Chicago to benefit a charity I support. Sheer Joy for my little world. Everyone at K-Haus was excited for me. But what would I wear?

Immediately, I phoned Javie. I felt like Cinderella getting invited to the ball. But Javie was quick to remind me to leave my Manolo’s at home…or else she wouldn’t walk in with me. It should be obvious that Manolo and Jimmy don’t get along.

Monday before the event, I realized I hadn’t RSVPed. I called right away to the Oak Street Store and spoke to the friendliest little Whoo Elf there. He assured me there would be no problems when I arrived. Just let the bruisers at the door know that I spoke to the special Whoo Elf and I would be let right in. Ok Whoo Elf, thanks for all of your help.

There we were, waiting outside on Oak Street. I knew this didn’t look good for me when I saw the crowd and the camera crew. And quite honestly, I am not accustomed to getting turned away at the door. But I got the hang of it pretty darn quick that night. The Black Clad Bruisers were more than pleased to turn away anyone not on the “List”. If I had to hear the word LIST one more time, I was going to poke someone in the eye with my silver heel. “I am sorry, you are not on the LIST”… “I am sorry, you only RSVPed for one on the LIST”. The whole list thing creeps me out. K-Haus is not allowed to have any list for any parties ever. I put it down on my “how not to throw a party” list.

As I walked to the front, I didn’t even bother to give them my name. I immediately asked for the Whoo Elf I had talked to the day before. I explained that I was definitely not on the list but he assured me it was not going to be a problem. How could he forget KikiLu? Word to the wise, when the Elf tells you it will be fine…IT WON’T. As a grown woman, I am not inclined to beg my way into any party. I didn’t do it in college and I wasn’t staring now. But these Bruisers were asking for it. They had no interest in any conversation from the day before. Our next attempt was to send Javie in to find the Elf which she promptly did. HiHo, HiHo, it’s off to work she goes… She lured him to the door to try and help our cause. Did he not realize that Cinderella was at the door ready to try on every freakin’ glass slipper Jimmy Whoo makes? Surely that would make a difference. At this point, Chef had showed up and the evening was looking grim. The Elf didn’t even make it out past the door to see who needed his approval. Javie was flustered and hot. How fitting for the shoe salon to be the size of a shoe box. Apparently, it was a little hot inside.

Chef noticed someone from the charity that he thought could work some magic. She too encouraged the Whoo Elf to allow us into the party. The poor fairy was mortified that Chef, Javie and Kiki were being banished from the event. Even this little fairy couldn’t spin it in our direction. The Whoo Elf, like any evil villain, wasn’t going to let us into the celebration.

By the next morning, the little fairy had spread word all over the kingdom that KikiLu had been exiled from the Jimmy Whoo party. Beautiful flowers arrived at my house along with emails and phone calls from the charity. A couple of months went by and Jimmy Whoo finally called to apologize for the “confusion”. Confusion? Who is confused other than the evil Elf? I had an invite. He told me to come to the bash. I did. He refused me. I left. Doesn’t sound all that confusing to me.

Yet now, they have requested my presence at the boutique to present me and Javie with the official Jimmy Choo experience. Jimmy Whoo I say? Do I get a pair of glass slippers or what???

Let’s hope Marc Jacobs arrives in better style. And how could I pass up the Jimmy Choo experience…only better to blog about later.


June 11, 2007

The Funeral Crashers…

I will show up anywhere for gourmet food. And Prince Charming is so easy going, he obliges my every whim when it comes to fine dining. So when Chef called last week to see if we would accompany him to a luncheon on Sunday, it didn’t occur to me to get the details. I figured lunch with a bunch of chef’s cooking was… well…lunch with a bunch of chefs and I was lucky to get invited. Prince Charming attempted to get more info out of me prior to leaving but I didn’t have much to offer. Lunch at a French bistro in the city with eight very well known chefs cooking, what more did we need to know.

Apparently, it would have been appropriate to know the deceased who was being honored that day. We showed up just after the first course and waited to dash to our seats between eulogies. When we sat, we were quickly introduced to the rest of the table and briefed on the life of a well respected chef in Chicago. Prince Charming looked at me with that look of “now what did you get us into?” As I shoveled in pate and foie gras, I learned the impact this French soul made on many of our top chefs in Chicago. And believe me- I didn’t miss a mouthful during any of the tearful speeches.

Halfway through the lunch, Prince Charming and I realized that we were the official funeral crashers at the party. We had an unspoken agreement that we were in this together and just go with it. Since we only knew our Chef and one other, we had to explain our connection a few times. Our response was always met with a look of bewilderment. It was a stretch that we were even invited and that was evident.

The main course was prepared by the Queen of Cooks in Chicago, Carrie Nahabedian. Chef happens to be a close friend of the Queen and we were seated with her family for lunch. I find her career to be one of the most fascinating in the food industry. She spoke yesterday with emotion and passion for not only the gentleman who died, but for an industry she lives for. As a food lover, it was an amazing experience to hear such great tales of how their careers evolved.

Every few minutes the microphone was passed to another diner to share stories of the French soul. At one point, the host with a very thick French accent said, “and now, Kiki will say a few words”. I almost fell off my chair while spreading a wonderfully buttery cheese on my multi grain bread. But thankfully, The Kiki of Kiki’s Bistro was seated in the corner. Even Prince Charming had a look of horror for a split second. I was just grateful I could finish my cheese plate and move onto dessert uninterrupted.

As any good funeral crashers go, I think we did a fine job of fitting in. Chef had to exit before we did, at least forty five minutes. At that point, I was holding out for dessert. We made it that far; we were parked for the Tarte tatin. When I asked Prince Charming if he wanted to sneak out, he looked at me like I had lost my mind. “But the tarte tatin hasn’t come out yet”. Well, how silly of me. The French soul would have insisted we stay for dessert, so we did.

May 24, 2007

KikiLu in the Cayman…

Whew the ABC segment on Tuesday is over. I enjoy doing the TV segments quite a bit but they take a lot of work. You know those “behind the scenes” shows? You wouldn’t believe what goes into a four minute segment, at least from my end of it. Just a couple hours prior to the show, I got a phone call that the sofa I was using for the segment hadn’t been delivered. It was one of the main focal points of the segment. Needless to say, panic set in. Kind of like in college when I thought my term paper was due on Friday only to find out it was due in a couple of hours…something like that. Anyhow, Restoration Hardware went into overdrive to get me a sofa just in time for the segment. Poor guys had to run across the street from the North Ave. location to rent a van and bring me the floor sample to use. By the time 11.45 am rolled around, I was sitting pretty on that sofa for live TV. All is well that ends well, right? Load it up, move it out and on our way back to the burbs. The next morning I had a 4 AM wake up call for my ride to the airport.

My long awaited trip of total rest and relaxation with Prince Charming was finally here. Rest and relaxation, do I know how to do that? Honestly, I was stressing at the airport that I would not be able to slow down. Who the heck stresses about distressing! Prince Charming decided it would be best to find me a Starbucks and a good gossip magazine. It helped but I wasn’t there yet. Texting on my blackberry doesn’t help letting go either.

Later that afternoon we arrived at the resort. All I wanted to do was go sit on the beach and do NOTHING. Doing just that, I thought I saw a funnel cloud over the ocean. Nah, it couldn’t be. Oh, but it was. Obviously, this was going to threaten my attempt at relaxing. The lady next to us jumped up realizing that this funnel cloud was swelling and coming closer. It is just my luck I get to an island and a damn tornado follows me from the Midwest. Do you know how many tornado watches and warnings I have been through and not once seen an actual funnel cloud? After a few minutes the funnel got thinner and went off into the distance. I am quite sure my heart rate got to proper cardio level thus qualifying as my workout for the day.

We started to chat with the couple next to us since she was up in a panic like many on the beach. I quietly tried to convince Prince Charming that he looked familiar and had to be a race car driver considering the Ferrari shirt he was wearing. Prince Charming (PC) thought he looked familiar too but didn’t think it was from racing. PC asked if he raced and pointed at the horse on his shirt. In a very modest reply, he said no but he does drive one. Oh, you have no idea how that hurts Prince Charming…someone else gets to drive his Ferrari. I kept insisting he looked familiar. Normally, I am pretty good at picking up body language. Maybe it was that darn tornado that had me off kilter but I didn’t see them fidgeting as I taunted like I knew him. I even asked if he had ever been to Chicago, maybe I had met him there. Finally, he asked if we ever watched figure skating. Ding Dong. He was an Olympic figure skater on a belated honeymoon. I admitted what idiots we were and Prince Charming went right back to the Ferrari thing which I was very much over. It’s all about the car for him. They chatted for a few minutes and couldn’t have been nicer. Judging by the people wathcing, they seem to be the only normal couple around this compound. Funny how I consider myself to be the small fraction of normal!

May 2, 2007

Bloggers beware…and the SuperBro Surprise

There is one thing I have realized about blogging, you have no control of who visits the site. Not only that, but I have no control over these programs that are set up to put SPAM on my blog. It is a computer generated SPAM that registers as a user and posts awful information looking like K-Haus approves of it. While I am all for freedom of speech, I don’t approve of these programs. With any new technology, it takes awhile to suppress the negative issues that come along with it.

The moral of the story is I do not support any of the appalling messages that often appear on our blog. We are doing our best to maintain the site and remove such material as soon as possible. The blog is meant to be fun and lighthearted, much like KikiLu socialite!

Speaking of which, this past weekend was like the never ending 40th celebration for my brother-the SuperBro! We actually threw a small family surprise party to throw him off guard for the real surprise party on Saturday night. But how stupid were we. Friday night, SuperBro showed up blindfolded to the restaurant to be surprised by his immediate family…as if we don’t see each other every freakin’ weekend! I kept asking, is this really supposed to be a surprise…us all standing here eating and drinking again? By the next night, his wife gave him a few cocktails and POOF the surprise worked all over again.

Dr. M-2smart (his wife) planned the big event for Saturday night at a ho-dunk bar in a Western suburb. Did I say ho-dunk? I knew better than to wear Manolo’s to this shindig. You should have seen the locals as they arrived on their Harley’s at their favorite hole in the wall. One hundred of Dr. M-2smart and SuperBro’s closest friends were not what they had in mind for that evening. I soon realized that the Harley’s were sitting at the bar with their stools turned around like they had front row seats to a well dressed and augmented circus. That was entertaining all by itself.

I was happy that he was surprised and that the Harley’s allowed us to party on their turf. I called it an early evening since Prince Charming was out of town.

Another big weekend coming up. Make sure to check the blog for a weekend update.

April 24, 2007

Weekend festivities…

It’s Tuesday evening and I am still tired from this past weekend. I didn’t think I would ever complain about getting invited to too many parties but what’s a busy girl to do?

To start the weekend off, I went to the opening party at my hairdressers’ new salon, Dennis Bartolomei on Pearson. Not only is he the most fabulous but the salon is absolutely stunning. It really should be in Architectural Digest.

We decided to head over to DelaCosta since my brother, I mean sister, no my brother had never been there. I made sure to say hello to Chef Adam who absolutely gets away with all those tattoos. Yes, I think it makes him sexier. Javie is right about all that body art on Chef Adam. It’s working for him.

I put my two-sense in on what we needed to order and dined away. Dennis was expected to meet us that evening and was able to arrive shortly after dinner. He and the “uglydoll” came to join us in the bar. “Uglydoll” is closely related to the Statue of David in living color. He couldn’t be any cuter with a perfectly chiseled body. And just as any heterosexual should wonder…WHY is he gay? Life is so unfair. But hey, I have Prince Charming whom I LOVE AND ADORE. And to prevent my very happy marriage turning unhappy, Prince Charming is an exceptional contribution to the male species.

All the friendly yet politically incorrect banter almost put me over the edge. My brother, no sister, no brother obviously felt the need to get some issues off his chest. As to not dredge it all up, suffice to say I was over served to numb the sting of such lively conversation. It is a good thing that you don’t feel the affects of DelaCosta’s outstanding margaritas until you stand up to leave for the night. And well, we were there for six hours. Go figure.

The next morning I was expected at the church as a confirmation sponsor for a very special young man who now goes by Paul. For the next two and half hours I had my own religious experience as I prayed as hard as I could that the aftermath of margaritas would soon go away…far away. I most definitely did not want to breathe on the Bishop. But all went well and I am grateful to Paul and his family for including all of us in such a special occasion. And as I told Paul before, he may not want to follow in my footsteps per se.

We raced from there to soccer then back home to get changed yet again. We then headed back to the city for an event at House of Blues. The only good news for Prince Charming was that I was going to be a cheap date as I was not drinking anything but water for the rest of my life or at least until next weekend. I was auctioned off in some home decorated package that evening. I was in the package as the decorating “elf”. Being vertically challenged, (5’4” in 3” Prada’s) I wasn’t all that thrilled at being on the big screen as an elf! For charity I went with it.

To top that same evening off, we hopped in a cab and headed to Bucktown for the “I hate Marc Jacobs” party. Considering I want to attend the opening for Marc Jacobs, I felt it best I experience both sides not to mention it was just too damn good to pass up. The icon of Hip & Trendy is headed to the windy city to open a boutique in Bucktown. However, in a not so welcoming fashion everyone in the building is getting booted and we aren’t talking leather ones. On the top floor is this amazing loft that was part art studio part home. The couple residing there has decided to move where the grass is greener. They are packing up and moving to a farm…big change from their trendy loft. We chatted with Chef and Javie mostly. Chef did introduce us to our very own Willy Wonka although I can’t tell ya what he puts in his chocolates because someone might get arrested. While most of the party tasted I decided it would be wise to not indulge in such treasures. I did ask Mr. Willy if he wore big glasses and a top hat when he worked. With a small chuckle he promptly returned to the cool side of the room where we were not!

By Sunday, I needed to nest. And what better place to nest but at the soccer field for two back to back games. At least it was sunny.