A Very Different World

One of the fun things about being married to a designer is that I sometimes get to go to trade shows as unpaid labor. I do, of course, go to big veterinary conferences, which have exhibit halls and vendors, but it's just not quite the same vibe as the apparel industry. Especially not like the Outdoor Retailer show, which is where we are right now.

When one thinks of party destinations, I'm pretty sure that Salt Lake City doesn't rank very highly on anyone's list. This show, though, is quite the party atmosphere. The last hour every evening is happy hour, which means beer for most vendors. We went upscale, though, and stocked up on wine, which has actually gotten us a bit of attention from the non-beer-drinker crowd and just may have helped us get some sales.

And in case you don't believe me about the whole party thing, here's a short video from tonight's fashion show. This was the collection for Woolrich, of all things. Who knew they were so hip-hop-happening? And the male dancer who ends up on the right? Totally cute and a really talented dancer. Over the course of the show, he threw out hip hop, ballroom, salsa, and ballet moves - just plain beautiful to watch.




The best part for me, though, is the deals on stuff. A lot of the vendors will sell at wholesale prices to other vendors, and I absolutely needed that this morning. The boots I wore here were absolutely killing my feet by the time we finished setting up yesterday, and that pain just radiates right up my back and into my neck and head. The thought of spending another day on a hard concrete floor in them was nearly enough to reduce me to tears, so I headed over to see the folks at the Dansko booth and scored these:



I cannot begin to say how much I love these. First day, not even broken in yet, and I felt so much better - and at wholesale, no less! Still, though, I decided I really needed to go to one of the yoga classes offered by the folks at Prana. It's been years since I've done yoga regularly, and I was reminded of how much I loved it and how good it feels for my poor, aching body to stretch out and move. The best part of that? Prana provides clothing for people to wear, then sells it all on the cheap at the end of the show. I am so there. And I expect they're not the only ones I'll be visiting.

And just so you don't think all I'm doing is getting likkered up and buying stuff, this is my travel knitting project:



It's the first of a pair of wristwarmers for my grandmother in Alpaca with a Twist's Mojito. She really liked the ones I made for myself back last October, so I told her I'd make her a pair that would fit her a bit better. Since it's mostly 1x1 rib, I figured it'd be a perfect mindless project to do on the plane. I also brought along the yarn and charts for the second Selbu glove, but since that requires a bit more attention, I haven't done anything with that so far. Here, though, is the finished first glove, palm and back:



There are a couple of minor mistakes, which I'll now have to try to duplicate intentionally in the second glove. On the whole, though, I'm quite pleased with it, and I'm hoping my sister will be, too. Just in case, I may try to snag her some stuff at the show, too.