Hey! It's a newsletter about SUMMER! Summer is a season that I never used to believe could happen in San Francisco, but I decided to give some summer clothes a try, and my theory has been proven wrong.....I don't know if it is all of the company that we have been getting from places that really do have summer or if all of you who live here are going away to warmer climates for the experience, but we have reordered summer things to come in all the way through July!

First we took all we could get in summer reorders from Cynthia Ashby of her wonderful cotton voiles and silk puckers that were in our last newsletter. They are here and not quite gone, so you can still get a taste of something lighter-than-air. OR....there is the new Cynthia group that includes our FAVORITE—the lotus dress—in cool summer shades of ocean, earth, and rock.

Krista Larson finally got back on track with shipping reorders, as well as summer, after some frustrating fabric and production problems, and her summer things are flying out our door so fast that we are reordering them almost daily! I have finally been informed that May 31 was my last reorder day because they need to get started on their fall production, especially because we would like to have the first part of ours a month early! We have beautiful cottons and linens and silks and are expecting more, as well as a nice big order of her "work horse" acetate slips. The acetate slips are such a versatile and necessary layering piece that we are getting them in the tsunami as well as the long wavy style!!!

I will probably never be able to get a handle on what we could really sell if we had enough Blanque...but...I keep on trying. Now we have reorders in of three wonderful matte crepe pant styles—the bell, the slit, and the zipper pocket—in black, of course. Because Blanque styles are often changed, it is a good idea to get the ones you like while we have them because they sometimes will stop making our favorite styles. (You know—like our favorite lipstick shades or our best bra!)

For a little fun and novelty, we have cool crushed rayon from Coco and Juan in a dramatically shaped black skirt with a whimsically detailed top that is trimmed in chocolate and red.

Our favorite casual clothes for any time of the year come from Noblu and Breakfast in Tokyo . These collections, which are made right here in San Francisco , are great looking, easy fitting, packable, washable, often reversible, and reasonably priced. What could be better??? I was marking the tags with prices the other day and stopped to read the label.....a percentage of the company's profits are donated to the fight against breast cancer. I love to support people who try to make a difference!!!

The Noblu collection is made of heather stripes that reverse to solids in combinations of grey/butterscotch or grey/pesto. We have repeated our best styles from the earlier grey/creme collection and added a long pant style for those of you who do not love the fact that most of our pants are cropped! This fabric is great for summer in San Francisco or cooler climates.....or for wearing during the autumn cool-down later.

Breakfast in Tokyo can be worn anywhere and is great for travel. Cotton knits in black and shitake can be worn as solids or in combination to create a sophisticated casual look.

Anya is sewing her flower-trimmed and printed shirts as fast as she and her sewing machine can go! We always have them in stock, always changing with new color stitching trim and new combinations of fun novelty fabrics!!!

.....and because, heaven forbid, I wouldn't want to lose my reputation for crazy (someone actually called the store the other day, and when I answered the phone asked if I happened to be "the koo koo who runs the store"!) we have gotten in our entire collection of Giselle Shepatin's velvet separates and scarves and a beautiful group of her wool melton jackets. Since we had no place to display them, they were hanging in the office, and when people started shopping in there, we had to make room for them on the selling floor! These pieces are always beautiful, as those of you who receive this on e-mail can see. The extraordinary trimmed velvet pillows (pictured below) are hers as well.

The first time that we had them, when Sandy and I had to rearrange the gallery, we only had them for a day! They are the stuff of romance novels.....

On to accessories.....

Valerie Guignon called me a couple of weeks ago as we had missed seeing her when we were back East, and she sent us a wonderful "care package" of her silk scarves with net enclosed charms. Her new one, "mostly mesh", is just that: a narrow strip of black silk charmeuse only in the back, with geometric mesh with charms and stones and fabric snips.

Our friend Joan Sills, a former CEO turned novelist waiting for her first publisher, has turned her imagination to creating scarves and jewelry with a twist, her "scarves" being made of beads with magical combinations of ribbons and yarns giving them the whimsy or the drama of a boa, depending on the color combinations!

Petrushka one-of-a-kind accessories that are lovingly created of European and vintage materials have become a collectible of sorts.....once we have one, we want to collect (and wear and display) more, more, more...! Patty was nice enough to come over on her way out of town for the holiday to let us choose our favorite necklaces and pins from her tray of goodies. Now you can choose too.....

Susan Riedweg's bags have become a sort of addiction for me (I now own two!) and we are getting more of them every couple of weeks.....

Our Ozone summer socks include sheers with stripes or dots as well as a great selection of florals and other novelty designs.

Our accessory selection is...GREAT...!!!!! Lots of wonderful jewelry now and always coming, scarves, bags, a few hats.....but no belts (I just don't ever "get" belts!)

I want to thank you all for giving us a truly wonderful Spring season. A lot of you are headed out on some pretty spectacular vacations, and we wish you the best of times. We also like hearing about them when you get back. We are going places too....Doriena is just getting back from several weeks in Holland , and then Sandy is taking off, and then I am joining Siga for a week in our other home and then

.....it's time for the Krista Larson parties! These are for Krista Larson fans who just can't get enough!!!!! We will be introducing Fall Part 1 on July 20 with the cocoa brown and sienna orange collection and Fall Part 2 on August 17 with the barn red and black collection. We are accepting reservations NOW for both parties, each of which is limited to the number of guests we can handle in our limited space. Please plan and call early if you want to attend!!!!!

Hope your summer will be a great one and that we will get to see you soon!

Love to you all...

kati

P.S. Some other GREAT STUFF!!!!!

A couple of great-looking jackets have come in to visit worn by those of you whom I have accosted to find their source.... Well, we are now lucky to have the first of a continuously developing collection of jackets from artist Barbara de Jounge. They are colorful and fanciful and sometimes just not-too-plain whacky! We have acid green and hot pink and yellow and black.....and who knows what next!!!!!

Rena Luxx's wonderful rock and wire and silver necklaces are BAAAAAACK!

.....and totally irresistible are our fancy, glittery, vintagey wedding cake toppers!!! Why? You'll just have to see …..