Model doctors and lawyers

 Area doctors and lawyers will walk the runway to raise money for the nonprofit Safe Alliance and its Clyde and Ethel Dickson Domestic Violence Shelter during Fighting For Women With Fashion.

Over the past three years, the event has raised more than $80,000. This is the first year fashions for both men and women will be modeled. Funds from this year's event go to help launch a healthcare clinic at the shelter.

It’s from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Foundation for the Carolinas uptown. Tickets: $85; www.safealliance.org.

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An evening with Retro Charlotte

Maria David, the Charlotte Observer's archivist and research librarian, has always had access to the thousands of images that make up our photo archives. When they were digitized recently, she started the Retro Charlotte blog and Twitter account to share some of the most fun and interesting photos. It's such a hit, it has become one of the Observer's most-read blogs and her @ObserverArchives Twitter account quickly picked up more than 2,000 followers and the number increases daily.

Here's the link to the blog:
http://retroclt.blogspot.com/2014/09/hurricane-hugo-aftermath.html

Three times a week, she comes up with a different theme for the photo-driven blog. Recent examples are a look back at the first Festival in the Park and the hoopla around the Monkees 1967 Charlotte concert.

Historian Tom Hanchett of the Levine Museum of the New South asked her to be part of the museum's "New South for the New Southerner" on Sept. 23 starting at 5:30 p.m.

Guests will gather for wine and a chicken dinner catered by Merts Heart & Soul restaurant. Then Maria will show photos from Charlotte in the 1970s and talk about that time in our city's history followed by a Q&A session.

Wilson from WCCB did a fantastic piece on the event that aired this morning. Here's the link:

http://www.wccbcharlotte.com/rising/wilsons-world/Going-Back-to-the-70s-with-Wilson-at-the-Levine-Museum-of-the-New-South-275982571.html

If you're interested in attending, here's how to register:
http://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/calendar/detail/?ProgramId=551&OccurrenceId=686

Expect to see a lot of Observer staff there because if the newsroom was high school, Maria would be voted Most Popular.

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A wine slushie recipe

As I was doing my style presentation last weekend at the Charlotte Observer’s booth at the fun Southern Women show, I met so many interesting people who ended up teaching me some new things.

One of them was Jamey Goodman, a very good husband from Vale who accompanied his wife to the show. When I told him I covered parties for the paper, he filled me in on his favorite beverage to serve: wine slushies. I couldn’t whip out my pen quick enough to take notes.


He takes a bag of frozen fruit (he changes up the fruit depending on his mood and the season), throws it in a food processor (or blender) with wine (any kind will work; add as much as suits you), and mixes it together with a few ice cubes if needed. He makes big batches and freezes them in plastic bags.

When it’s party time, he lets the bags sit out for a while until the mixture is slushy, puts it in glasses and adds another splash of wine on top to help thaw it out a little. Jamey, I like the way you think!

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Did this influence you, too?

Music has been on my mind this week because I just finished a story about "The Boombox Project," a series of photographs of 1970s and 1980s era boomboxes by New York City-based photographer Lyle Owerko. It's on view Sept. 19-Oct. 19 in Chandra Johnson's pop-up SOCO Gallery at the Mint Museum Uptown.

Here's the story: http://bit.ly/1pjWZDM

Almost everyone who grew up during the boombox craze has a story about how the freedom of a boombox transformed them because as long as they had batteries, they could listen to any music they wanted anywhere.

U2 is also on my mind this week because they are definitely a part of my boombox memories, and they're in the news for setting a music industry record because of the 33 million people who accessed the Irish band's new "Songs of Innocence" album that was released for free and by surprise to iTunes account holders.

In 1981 when MTV began, the company that owned it did something similar by putting MTV on cable channels for free, including the little TV in my family's home. U2's "Gloria" video became my obsession. I even took a pair of jeans, distressed them and drew all over them with paints and pens so they resembled the jeans band member The Edge wore in the video.

Now I understand that "Gloria" is a modern hymn, and it's still one of my all-time favorite songs. I have not seen the video in ages, but thanks to You Tube, here's U2 in all their youthful glory in case the song and the band was a major influence on you, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybYgP48X2DY

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Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/09/16/5178591/correction-music-u2-itunes-story.html#.VBn_3_ldXbw#storylink=cpy

"Today" show fashion expert Jill Martin visits Belk at SouthPark mall

Whether it's through books, magazines or TV, Jill Martin is used to sharing her expert advice.

The lifestyle and fashion expert who is also a TV personality and best-selling author will be in the Nautica department of Belk at SouthPark mall on Sept. 17 from noon to 2 p.m. to meet and shop with customers interested in the Nautica brand.

Customers who buy any Nautica sportswear item receive a free striped tote bag. The first 15 shoppers who purchase more than $50 from the brand receive a copy of her book "The Weekend Makeover," which she co-authored with Dana Ravich.

Jill is also the co-author of the New York Times bestseller "I Have Nothing to Wear" and "Fashion for Dummies." Based in New York City, she's also a "Today" show personality and contributor of Us Weekly.

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Jane Weitzman shares her "Art & Sole"

The Mint Museum Auxiliary has such a great program planned for its annual Fall Membership Meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 23 at Mint Museum Randolph that the group is making it accessible for the public to attend. Why all the excitement?

Jane Gershon Weitzman, who helped build the Stuart Weitzman brand with her husband (their photo is above), is the speaker, and her book, “Art & Sole,” will be showcased. The gorgeous book features 150 photos she curated from more than 1,000 artistic versions of shoes that she discovered or commissioned from artists to display in the 1990s at the first Stuart Weitzman retail shop on Madison Avenue in New York.

Philanthropy is another one of her passions, so she’ll also talk about how she created projects for the company to generate funds for breast and ovarian cancer research and awareness.


Admission is $25 and you must RSVP: http://bit.ly/1qHHESJ.

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I'll see you at the Southern Women's Show

I'll be introducing celebrity colorist Rita Hazan on Sept. 12 when she makes an appearance at the Southern Women’s Show from 1 to 2 p.m. on the Fashion Stage at the Convention Center uptown.

I’ll also be at the Charlotte Observer booth at the show from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 14 to help guests pinpoint their personal style, so if you’re there please drop by and say hello! (Here's the link to the page on the Southern Women's Show web site that details all the appearances at the show from Observer writers: http://bit.ly/1xPuBUp)

Sept. 11, Hazan will also meet her fans from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Ulta at Rivergate Shopping Center, 13540 Hoover Creek Blvd.

Hazan has a namesake salon on Fifth Avenue in her native New York, and her celebrity clients include Katy Perry, Jessica Simpson, Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez.

When I interviewed Hazan by phone recently, she told me she jets all over the globe to take care of her clients’ hair. Because she travels so much, when she entertains she prefers to invite friends over for a casual dinner to just hang out and catch up. “I’m too busy to cook, so I either hire someone to come over and cook, or I ask my mother to help,” Hazan said. “My mother loves to cook!”

Here's the link to the full Q&A with Hazan where you can read more about how she built her brand, that includes an incredible line of products I'm obsessed with that are made for color treated hair:

http://bit.ly/1qNOYLf

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Pointe the Way

The Corps de Ballet is hosting “Pointe the Way,” an evening of cocktails, food, live music, dancing and auction items with proceeds going to support Reach, Charlotte Ballet’s nationally recognized outreach dance scholarship program for children.

It’s 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Patricia McBride & Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance. The event is inspired by Charlotte Ballet’s upcoming performance of “Dangerous Liaisons.”

The Cross/McMullen/Williams Trio featuring Gena Chambers will perform and there’s a sneak peek of Sasha Janes’ “Dangerous Liaisons,” which opens Oct. 9. Tickets: $60 per person through Sept. 19; $75 after Sept. 19 or at the door. Details: www.ncdance.org/pointetheway; 704-372-0101, ext. 2773.

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