For the love of Dirty Martinis!

Well I am sure most of you can tell or have guessed from the "about me" section, my favorite cocktail is a Dirty Martini (extra dirty, extra olives). My family pretty much knew I would be a Dirty drinker from a young age...my mom would find me drinking the olive juice from the jar from age 5!

Well in NYC you can get great Dirty Martinis all over the city, but it is a hard drink to make at home. Until I discovered Dirty Sue, such an amazing brand! You can now make a tres fab dirty at home (and your guests will think you're bartending skills are something out of Cocktail)! Dirty Sue has come up with the cutest bottles to keep in your home, they also make a wonderful gift!
If you are a Dirty Martini drinker, you need to check out Dirty Sue! This product is the best thing to hit the bar scene in a very long time!

I will be giving away a bottle of Dirty Sue, so exciting! To enter this giveaway, please leave your email in a comment on this post by Sunday (2-1-09) by 8 pm.

xoxo
KAG

And I'm back in NYC!

So I  know much to everyones disappointment, I was not able to take pictures in the showrooms, I pretty much knew that would happen as we do not let people take pictures in our showroom. But I was trying to think positive! 

Another sad note, most lines were still showing Spring '09 which was a bummer, but I always love to get a first look at the brands I love. 

Lilly was amazing! I am sure some of you have already been to your local signature Lilly store and have seen the spring line, but it's truly fab! Be sure to check it out.

Another gift line that I fell in love with was Dogeared! It's amazing, I talked with the owner who is awesome and bought enough to have birthday gifts for my friends and family for the whole year (it doesn't hurt that she gave me wholesale pricing!) All of her necklaces or charms come on this cute card with a quote about making a wish, very touching. 

The Friends Necklace I bought!

Keep posted, I am going to being giving a Dogeared product away for my next giveaway!

Until tomorrow...

xoxo KAG

ATL!

Hey Y'all (I'm getting into it, I am in the south after all!)

Greetings from ATL! I am down here for work, so exciting this weekend is the Apparel Market, so fun - I get to see what all the brands are offering for Fall '09. And to all you Lilly fanatics, there showroom is just down the hall - how exciting?! Even though I am working through the weekend, I will have lots to report on about fall fashion!

Hope everyone has a tres fab weekend!

xoxo,
KAG

Good Gals Inc Giveway!

Head over to Good Gals Inc to enter a fun giveaway!

xoxo KAG

Only Me...

Well last night turned out to be a little bit of scary adventure.

I went out to dinner with my sister MKG (we had a tres fab time) at Cinema Cafe (very good!). The night ended and I jumped in a cab to head back to the UES, when I arrived home I unlocked my 2 locks (this is NYC!), yet the door would not open! I could hear little Lulu Vuitton meowing because she thought I was about to come thru the door. Well this is the point where I started to freak out...

I have a deadbolt on the inside of door that has no key (it is the same idea as having a chain on the inside on your front door). So you get the idea...somebody would have to be inside the apartment to be able to lock the deadbolt! Before I started freaking out, I knocked and began to rack my brain on who could possibly be in my apartment, I finally came to the conclusion that it wasn't anyone that should be in there! So I called my Mom, and she said to walk outside the apartment building and call the police.

So I called 911 and explained my situation and they said officers would be over asap! My two best friends LES and LAB came over to wait with me as well (they are the best)! Once the police arrived we headed into the building again and they both tried to open my door and agreed that the deadbolt must be locked from the inside. One officer went thru a neighbor's apartment and onto the fire escape to look into my place and see if they could see anyone! The other officer stayed with the girls and I, and stood by the door. He was listening to something and all of a sudden got on his radio and said "I hear someone inside, BACK UP NEEDED"! He then put his hand on his gun, and told us girls to head downstairs away from the apartment. At this point you can imagine I was in hysterics and just couldn't believe this was happening, I felt like I was on Law & Order!

As LES and LAB and I waited downstairs, two more police officers ran into the building and up towards my apartment. It was so scary! After about 5 more minutes, the police came down and said they had the door open and it was safe! Thank god...

Turns out it was a fluke with a screw missing from my door knob and they were able to fix it! The police were great and walked thru my apartment with me and made sure everything was okay and no one was hiding under the bed!

I was still so upset when the police left that LAB was nice enough to spend the night and make sure I was okay...

I'm glad everything turned out to be okay but I'm still a little spooked! Just another night in NYC!

xoxo KAG

PS - Some safety tips to remember, it never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in:

1. The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM Toss it away from you.... chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet or purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women and men sometimes have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, stopping quick at the drive-through, working, etc., and just sit (talking-if with friends, doing their checkbook, eating, making a list, etc. ) DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go.AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR , LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

5. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

6. If you are home and hear noises outside, even if it sounds like a child or infant, never open the door. Predators are very cunning. They will use the kind of tricks that draw on the instincts of the intended

A. Tierney Bangles...

Our Bangles were in Parenting Magazine! How cute are they?!

Let us know what kind of pattern you would like to see next!!!

xoxo KAG

A. Tierney's VDay SALE!

Come visit us over at A. Tierney for our Valentine's Day SALE!

xoxo KAG

The Boyf & Castaway...

So I guess it won't surprise most of you that the boyf, MMB, is involved in the "preppy" world also. He and his brother actually own Castaway Clothing!

I couldn't have scored a preppier boyf, his great-grandfather started Murray's Toggery Shop on Nantucket back in 1945 and his grandfather named and trademarked the shop's signature red sailcloth pants also know as Nantucket Reds!

Matt and his brother have taken their preppy backgrounds and started this tres fab company (I know I am biased, but everyone else loves them too!). Resort season is upon us, make sure you head over and check out Castaway Clothing.

MMB and I at a Christmas Party (he is rocking his dancing santa pants by Castaway)

Close up of his Dancing Santa pants...

I know I will be wearing my blue seersucker cocktail skirt with the embroidered cosmopolitans next month in Costa Rica!

Until tomorrow!

xoxo KAG

History is MADE!

Change can happen...

What an exciting day it is. I just watched our 44th President, Barack Obama, take charge of these United States. I personally think Obama becoming president is notable for reasons other than his race, I think he will be an undeniably successful president and will bring the change this country so needs!

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, " he said, "who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."

-barack obama during his victory speech on nov. 4th

Theme Party Ideas NEEDED!

Hey Everyone!

Hope you are all enjoying your day off from work!

I need your help! This year I am turning 25 (blahhh) and the boyf (MMB) is turning 30 (woah), anyway, we are planning a joint bday soiree at the summer house, should be sooo fun!

I really want it to be a theme party, I think it could be tres fab. However, I am totally stumped on themes. My main idea was Couples in Time (think Fred & Ginger, Bonnie & Clyde, Hepburn & Tracy...). Another idea was an Easter Egg theme, sounds weird I know but I thought everyone could wear there preppy pastels (it is the Hamptons after all). But all in all nothing is jumping out at me!

I would love it if you all could leave your ideas!

Happy Monday!
xoxo KAG

And the WINNERS Are...

Sorry for the delayed posts, LuLu Vuitton knocked a water bottle over on my computer!

Two of my best friends, LES and KGD, were kind enough to help me pick the winners of my giveaways!

Picking the winners out of my fav MacBeth Vase!

Winners waiting to be picked!

And the winners are:
LES picking the A. Tierney Watch winner!

KGD picking the Laundress winner!


Good Gals Inc. won the A. Tierney watch!

AND

Lou Lou in Lilly won the Laundress Laundry Detergant!

Congrats to both of you, I hope you enjoy these treats. Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaways!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

xoxo KAG

Calling Cards...A Stationery Must-Have!

The "calling card" is back and has become a sophisticated social tool...calling cards have lately become a big trend, rather than fumbling for a scrap of paper, present a sleek, pre-printed card!

Calling Cards from Crane & Co.

Calling cards can be used by anyone. They are perfect for stay-at-home parents who network at school and on the playground to young adults who network.

Even professionals can use calling cards, there are times when business cards are not always appropriate. For example, before I started dating the boyf, when I was out for drinks and a boy asked for my number, I would never have hand over my business card with all my work info on it! The answer, my sleek, perfectly preppy calling card...

Things to remember about calling cards:

• Print your name only on the front, leaving the back empty (extra room for handwritten notes!)
• Name & Contact Info on the front
• Next include the best way to get a hold of you (not every possibility) - this will keep your card easy to use and it will have a clean look...
• Choose from: cell or home phone numbers, email, blog address or web site
• Choose one icon to reflect your personality
• And remember unless your info has been requested, do not pass out your calling cards!

Have a great Friday!

xoxo KAG

PS! I will be posting the winners from my giveaways late tonight or tomorrow morning...stay tuned!

J. Crew Sample Sale!

Have you heard?
J.Crew is having a Sample Sale.

WHAT
J.Crew will be hosting an exclusive sample sale featuring a hand-picked selection
of our favorite Spring & Summer styles, including one-of-a-kind styles you won’t find
anywhere else. There will be an amazing selection of our famous Italian cashmere,
as well as an assortment of our classic styles for the warmer months.
The sale will feature women’s, men’s and crewcuts—with some Madewell styles
included, too—there will truly be something for everyone. And at up to 70% off retail
prices, these deals are not-to-be-missed.

WHEN
The sale will run from Tuesday, January 20 through Sunday, January 25.
Tuesday 10am–7pm
Wednesday 10am–6pm
Thursday 10am–7pm
Friday 10am–6pm
Saturday & Sunday 11am–5pm

WHERE
Clothingline/SSS Sample Sales
261 W 36th Street (Between 7th & 8th Avenues)
Second Floor
New York, NY 10018
http://www.clothingline.com/

xoxo,

KAG

Caring for your clothes...

My mom always has great advice and she made sure I knew some top tips when I left home on how to care for my clothes...So here is caring for your clothes according to Mama G (as my friends all lovingly call her):

• Store sweaters with mothballs
  
• To clean your clothes, hand-washing with a mild soap is the safest route.


• Special clothing with beading, sequins or closures, are "wisely"
  sent to a dry cleaner.


• Avoid hanging garments on wire hangers


• The safest way to dry your clothes is to lay them flat


• Bleach is not your friend...


• To keep your blue jeans blue, wash them inside out
  

And remember leave your cat or dog at home when you go out, use a lint roller to remove pet hair!

You also have to check out The Laundress if you haven't yet! These girls have amazing products for luxury fabric care. The sweater stone is one of my fav products -the stone removes pilling and makes your sweaters look brand new!

Leave your email in a comment on this post by 8pm on Friday (1-16-09) and I will draw a winner for 3 travel packs of The Laundress Signature Detergent!

xoxo KAG

Dahl House Discount...

The Dahl House is offering 20% off all "Heart" products for Valentine's Day! How Cute?! I LOVE the Dahl House - I always use Whit's (owner of The Dahl House) frames for engagement presents! Enter code val2009 at checkout and receive 20% off. YAY! *offer valid now until Feb. 14th...

xoxo KAG

A. Tierney Giveaway...

I am so excited to announce that I am holding my first giveaway!

Alyssa Tierney, owner of A. Tierney and my boss, was kind enough to agree to a fun giveaway...

One Reader will win the Geary Red Watch below:

A. Tierney Geary Red Watch

To enter the giveaway please leave a comment on this post by 12am EST on Friday, January, 16th, 2009. To be a valid entry you must leave your email address. The winner will receive a classic Geary Red watch from A. Tierney!

In my opinion, a ribbon watch is a staple in any prepsters collection...they let you coordinate your outfits or add a splash of color.

I hope the winner will truly enjoy this fashionable yet practical must-have accessory!

xoxo KAG

Precious Papers…

I am obsessed with Stationery. There is nothing better than a handwritten note. Cassie Adams Designs is one of my fav go-to girls in the Stationery world. She designed my Christmas Card this year, and everyone LOVED it. Be sure to check her out!

My 2008 Christmas Card...

Lily Pulitzer Stationery is here...

Lilly Pulitzer unveiled their enormous stationery line at the America's Mart in Atlanta this past weekend (I am in the biz), they will have 7 categories in this "couture" stationery line:

· Custom invitations, with engraving, letter press or foil stamping
· Offerings like pencil sets, clipboards, file folders and notebooks
· Stationery: correspondence cards and notecards
· Sticky Notes, pad notes, dry erase and magnetic boards, frames, coasters, & more
· Children’s products such as night lights and diaries
· Giftwrap
· Partyware with napkins, plates, tumblers, drink umbrellas, party crowns and more!

So very exciting! Until tomorrow...

xoxo KAG

I've been tagged...

Lou Lou from Lou Lou in Lilly was kind enough to tag me in this fun game! Here are the rules....

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences, along with these rules.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual book. Pick the CLOSEST!
6. Tag five other people to do the same!

Okay well here goes...



The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, is on my desk right now. My boss passed it along and said it was a great read. Haven't read it yet, but it's up next! Below are a few lines from page 56:

"My Dad is on his way to Oakland, probably clad in his Radnor lacrosse sweats. I am due for my first chemo on Monday morning. With life driven by sports, sales and Catholicism, my dad's MO will doubtlessly invlove attacking it, staying positive, and having faith."

The five people I tag are:

A Preppy Girl Meets World

Just Moi

Park Avenue Princess

The Fabulous Life of a Southern Belle

Sweet Bea

Off to Starbucks for an afternoon pick me up...see you tomorrow!

xoxo KAG

Love Quotes...

I received a “Love Quotes” scarf for Christmas and am truly obsessed! You can throw on a long sleeve white tee and jeans plus the scarf and look totally stylish and preppy when you scarf is pink or green :)
Love Quotes scarves are made of Italian linen which drapes beautifully as a scarf, wrap, or belt. Each scarf comes with an inspiring quote about love.

Love Quote Scarves

Celebs Love Them Also...

Recently, I have been buying Pashminas off the street (a perk to living in NYC) for about $5 a pop and monogramming them, super cute preppy look or gift!

Have a great Monday!

xoxo,

KAG

PS! I want to give a huge thank you to Preppy101, she has been such a big help. I am giving her the "nice matters" award! If you haven't checked out her blog, make sure you do!

Super 25ths & Irish Exits…

Well Saturday night turned out to be tres fab! We celebrated LM’s (one of my best friends/roomie from ‘Nova) Super 25^th bday! Her boyf, truly pulled out all the stops, he contacted us all about a month ago and set up everything. He planned a fabulous dinner for us girls at, Aroma, an adorable lower east side restaurant. He even preordered (& paid…CAN WE SAY GENTLEMAN?!) bottles of LM’s fav wine, apps and dessert! How amazing?! Us nova girls were truly impressed, LM it is safe to say you have a keeper :)

LM totally suprised at her Super 25th Bday Dinner!

Hysterical/inappropriate stories were told throughout the dinner, our waitress even commented that we were lucky we didn’t have a male waiter, woops!, once the wine gets flowing our tongues definitely start rolling.

One story I have to share is about SM. I don’t really know how to describe her except to say she truly one of a kind…She won’t even eat anything but “plain” bread, chicken fingers and ice cream! A story that all of us ‘Nova girls love to hear over and over again is the “Sign Here if you Hate SM” story, so sad/disturbing yet if you knew SM, you would understand why it is so hysterical…Basically poor little SM who was in 2^nd grade at the time, was dropped off to school late (her parents were chronically late according to her, poor thing) and there was a sign in sheet. Well a mean little girl in her class (Kathleen Foley we will find you!) changed the sign in sheet to say “Sign Here if You Hate SM”, and well SM being SM, signed her own name on the list! The teacher was so disturbed, she was called to the principal’s office to explain why is obviously hated herself? Well S…this explains a lot…we all love you anyways!

After our dinner party/night of storytelling we headed over to Swift (a fun bar on the lower east side), where some of us started to fade and proceeded to make “Irish exits”. The Irish exit refers to the departure from any event without telling any friends, associates or acquaintances that one is leaving. It is almost always the result of being very inebriated/intoxicated. LAB is almost always greeted the morning after a night out with “nice Irish exit, nobody knew you even left”…Well needless to say after a few more cocktails at Swift, my boyf agreed it was time to call it a night, and with LAB as an accomplice we def pulled an Irish Exit…

Happy 25^th LM!

Xoxo,
KAG

PS!
I tried out "the city" hairstyle - see pics below! What do you think?

The City...

So as a “city” girl myself I am obviously following, "The City", it's a fun show to watch but so not “reality”! For those of you who have been following the show, you would have noticed that Whitney Port, Olivia Palermo, and Erin Lucas are all rocking the same hairstyle…hmm could they poss all have the same on-set stylist, weird?!

Well, I must confess that I totally loving the luscious bohemian-inspired locks look! I am planning on trying out the look tonight, check back for pics! I'm running out now to pick up some of these mini claw clips from Goody...

Have a tres fab Saturday night!

xoxo KAG

les bons temps...

Thurday night happy hours can sometimes be the best night of the week. Last night was one of them, of course being that HH was at Jack Russell’s my fav UES bar was an added plus :)

JM the IV, LAB, KAG, MMB, LES, KF @ Jacks!

Nothing is better than good laugh, better/embarrassing stories and amazing friends all squeezed into a not so big booth! Of course as the drinks kept coming, and JMO shots thanks to JM the IV, the stories out of LAB’s mouth got more X-rated….I’ll leave those for another time.

One story that I can share with you is the “enterprise cargo van”...

For New Years, the boyf (MMB) and I went to the keys (so fun), however, we got off to a rough start. MMB got food poisoning the night before we left (foul), and we had to cancel a day of our trip (tear). It gets better…We flew into Fort Lauderdale and the plan was to drive down to the keys…sounds simple enough – not so much. When we arrived at the lovely Enterprise in Fort Lauderdale, we were kindly informed that they were “all out of cars”! How does that even happen?! Those of you who know me all to well can guess what came out of my mouth…the PG version is “what’s the point of even making a rezzer than?!” Ughh – so frustrating, I thought our vacay was totally doomed. And then I looked out the window. Tadaaa – no cars but definitely an Enterprise cargo van. Well after MMB did some smooth talking, we were on our way to the keys…in a cargo van. It must be love for this preppy princess, because Bentley or Cargo Van, it’s always an adventure with the boyf!

MMB with the "cargo van"

On another note…

As I was heading to work today in my slightly hung-over state, dreaming of egg sandwiches and Gatorade, I walked passed a dude wearing those weird ear muff things? WHY – they are so foul. Please – note to all boys, suck up the cold, be a man or least wear a cute beanie!

SAY NO TO WEIRD EAR MUFFS!

CUTE BEANIE = YES
Vineyard Vine Beanie

Hope you all have a tres fab weekend...

xoxo KAG

Guilty Pleasure...

So I was out for a quick bite and drinks with the boyf, MMB and one of my long time best friends, LAB, last night and my guilty pleasure was totally exposed. Lucky for me, LAB, seems to be more obsessed than me!

What is this guilty pleasure you might be wondering?! SUMMER HEIGHTS HIGH, totally embarrassing, yet highly addictive. SHH is a show on HBO, it focuses on three totally bizarre/hysterical characters at a high school, some might even call it a satire on "reality" shows.

Chris Lilley, an Australian, writes "Summer Heights,"and plays all three lead characters: Jonah, a foul-mouthed, disruptive and seriously disturbed bully; Mr. G, a "performing arts" teacher blithely unaware of what a precious fool he has become, and Ja'mie, a 16-year-old student who previously attended private school and sees her time at Summer Heights as slumming.

Some Highlights:

Ja'mie:

In a speech introducing herself to her fellow classmates, Ja'mie explains that "a lot of public school students are dumb ... but it's not their fault." Private school students are simply better, she says. "Rapists and wife-beaters are almost always from public schools. That's just a fact."

Mr. G:

Mr. G is always complaining that his true creative genius is being stifled because he's forced to help put on a school production of that boring musical "Anything Goes." What he really needs to do, he feels, is produce the shows he writes himself. Like "Ikea: The Musical."

Jonah:

Jonah and his friends are foul-mouthed "island kids". Instead of studying in class, Jonah makes vulgar remarks to fellow students and teachers...His most classic term: "PUCK YOU MISS". He was kicked out of his last two schools for defacing the Principal's car and setting fire to a fellow student's locker.

Needless to say MMB, LAB and myself were all in hysterics last night, while imitating our favorite scenes from the show. I have to say, LAB, does a spot on imitation of Ja'mie, it was somewhat disturbing haha. Her favorite lines to repeat are:

"I think what happens is, like, out in the outer suburbs, like, ugly people breed with other ugly people, right. So you end with really fugly kids. So that’s why you look around a public school and on average, like no offence, but people are more fugly. Whereas in a private school area, in a rich school area, like, hotter people breed with hot people and have hotter kids."

Until tomorrow...PUCK OFF MISS!

xoxo,

KAG

PS - you all have to post comments letting me know your favorite lines or if I am a total freak for watching this show!

Rainy Day in the city...

It's such a rainy horrible day in "the city"!
I make the best of ugly days by brightening them up with my bright monogrammed umbrella from A. Tierney (of course)!

A. Tierney Umbrella

I thought I would leave you with a few of my favorite things...

Stadium blankets, white tennis balls, button-down shirts, The Graduate, hula hoops, martinis, Bermuda shorts, patio dinners, Cather in the Rye, jazz, Hershey's Kisses, hammocks, Shetland sweaters, cold beer, the bikini, blue jeans, barbecues, navy blue Keds, the seesaw, and of course monograms!

Until tomorrow...

xoxo,

KAG

Always gracious, Sometimes irreverent...

Well I am a first time blogger and have to say, I NEVER thought I would be doing this! But over the past few months I have become addicted to a few blogs and they have become daily reads. I have loved reading them so much, I decided to trying writing one myself!

A little bit about myself, I grew up on the North Shore of Long Island and summer in the Hampton's, which explains my slight obsession with all things preppy and monogrammed.

Our Summer Home

I attended Villanova University and loved every minute of it! I graduated with a B.A. in communication and English. I then came back to New York and moved into "the city". I was lucky enough to snag a job at A. Tierney, a preppy accessory company. What more could I ask for than to be surrounded by grosgrain ribbon and monograms all day! I am still here 3 years later and feel truly blessed to be leading a wonderful life.

Lulu Vuitton

I have an amazing family, wonderful friends, a loving boyf, and of course my furry companion, Lulu Vuitton! I hope you'll join me as I figure out this thing called life...

The Boyf, MMB


See you tomorrow!

xoxo, KAG