behind the seams: catchin' a buzz

first, combine two of my all-time favorite things: fishing and fashion. then add in another element that i can't deny i like, alcohol, and what do you get? catchin' a buzz fishing co.

my friend chris therien and his brother rick started the clothing company almost two years ago with a passion for fishing...and maybe drinking too. from west palm, to sebastian, to jacksonville, the florida natives were practically born and raised to live on the water, and in 2008 translated their lifestyle into a line of fishing apparel with options for both casual fishermen (and women!) and more avid anglers.

chris does all the printing out of his house, but the guys are still able to push out a good amount of creative merchandise. you'll find tattoo-inspired and more traditional fishing shirts, tanks, sweatshirts, stickers, tote bags, koozies and more, all reasonably priced and in original designs. i personally love the girls' heart-shaped hook tanks, along with the men's scripted tees, (plus the pinup girl hoodies...so much good stuff that i guess it's hard to pick my faves), but what i really love are the bottle opener hats. they're perfect for a day offshore fishing, inshore at the cove or peanut island, or really inshore when you're tailgating and remembered everything but a way to open your corona. i'm sure my dad will appreciate not having to use a fillet knife or the back of the boat anymore.

check it all out online at www.catchinabuzz.com, where you can do more than just shopping - and keep checking because more designs pop up all the time. find out about the latest in the jax fishing scene, or e-mail them a pic of your catch of the day with you in your catchin' a buzz gear and they'll add it to the site. you'll also find select pieces at crazy fish in jax beach, the conch house marina in st. augustine, or even at a few boat shows and fishing tournaments around the state.

though catchin' a buzz didn't have a booth, chris and a group of his friends were sporting the shirts at the stuart boat show a couple weeks back and practically stole the show. i haven't seen someone's outfit receive so much attention since lady gaga wore her red lace dress and face mask at the mtv music video awards.

so next time you're looking for a good catch, put on a catchin' a buzz shirt and drink up.

behind the seams: house of lavande

whoever said "out with the old, in with the new" must have never worn house of lavande. from sweetheart bracelets and victorian lockets, to cocktail rings and museum pieces, house of lavande's vintage costume jewelry collection is not only "in," it's all over the red carpet and covering the pages of the world's top fashion mags.

kristen bell wearing house of lavand at the 2009 mtv movie awards

so when a few weeks ago i had the chance to stop in hol and pick the brain of director of operations vanessa nedvins, i jumped on it to learn more about the collection...

...it all began about three and a half years ago when jewelry connoisseur and palm beach native tracy smith took a look at her personal collection and realized she possessed so much that she needed to buy a display case just to view her own jewelry. since then she has scoured tons of antique fairs, flea markets and estate sales across europe and visited private dealers all over the united states and abroad to create a curated collection of more than 9,000 pieces priced between about $300 to several thousand dollars. the collection is currently housed in four locations - including harrod's, henri bendel, on pedder and, of course, palm beach - with still more stockists coming soon. the first and main hol spot located on royal poinciana way in palm beach resembles a lavish paris boudoir...just look at the shot of the gorgeous shop below.

i felt as though i could spend hours and even days browsing the shop, which mind you, is not all that big, and still not view every piece. it is easy to see how one could get (joyfully) lost while shopping. the staff is more than knowledgeable though, and happy to help navigate through the thousands of vintage treasures. though there are no set standards for vintage, the individual pieces are chosen based on a "wow" factor - those that bring out some kind of emotion. each piece is tried on and checked for how it sits, who it's by, when it was made, etc. before it's added to the collection. hol was designed to take the labor out of finding something special.

czech purple bracelet~ $1,800

there are exciting rarities from huge names like yves saint laurent and chanel included in the collection, as well as unsigned masterpieces from the early 20s through 70s. there is czech jewelry composed of faceted crystals, the remants line made from several necklaces clasped together creating one piece, and contemporary pieces that use vintage stones, clasps and other findings from the 50s, 60s and 70s. i even found some 80s pucci sunglasses in the mix! most are statement pieces, but there are finds across all spectrums.

middle eastern unsigned ring ~ $348

not only are the pieces stunning to view, some have pretty amazing histories. hol once visited the estate of a boca woman who had begun performing at the age 14. every piece she owned had a story - there were plumes from when she was 16 performing as a lounge singer, display boxes from her great aunt, and even jewelry from the estate of old hollywood star ann miller from the 1940s. it's accessories with stories like this that make the outfit all the more thrilling to wear.

now that you have heard the initial story behind house of lavande, be sure to check back in the next couple days to get my inside scoop from vanessa on who's wearing it, how you can wear it, and what trends you should capitalize on in the upcoming months.

behind the seams: peace, love & locally grown

with the 40th anniversary of woodstock coming up this year, everyone could use a little peace, love and music in their lives.

from its classic concert art t-shirts and organic cotton onesies, to the original 33lp record coasters and album jacket magnets, the tunes co. can certainly bring all three. the booth caught my eye a few weeks ago at the local palm beach gardens green market and rather than inspecting the fruit of the week or deciding whether i really needed chocolate pasta, i spent most of my time with this vendor picking out my burnout british invasion tee and "le pirate musique" tank.

week after week i found myself going back to see what they had in store and this past weekend i was interested in the background rather than just the designs...

now living in the era of the ipod, the owner of the tunes co. couldn't stand the thought of his albums - and memories - being tossed out the door. after collecting thousands of albums and much trial and error, he found a way to keep the rock alive by using colorful, recycled album labels to make coasters and clocks, authentic album jackets to create magnets, and original concert artwork to inspire t-shirt design.

though most of the products are recycled art and therefore already fit into the "green" category, the tunes co. also offers organic cotton onesies for the kiddies and keeps it home-grown by producing its designs on clothing by american apparel and next level apparel. 

the tunes co., which is based out of south florida, can be found locally at boutiques and the rest of this season at the abacoa green market in jupiter apr. 11, at the delray affair apr. 17-19 and back at the palm beach gardens green market apr. 26. for everyone not lucky enough to see the merch in person, you can check it out on www.tunescompany.com, and urban outfitters also sells the coasters.