Wear It's At: Thanksgiving Day Parade in Detroit

The Thanksgiving Day Parade is an iconic Thanksgiving Day tradition in Detroit, but one must always prepare for the early-morning chill of the holiday if in attendence. You never know how the weather is going to act, so it's best to dress in layers, wear the right accessories and make sure to get downtown early to find the best spot along Woodward Avenue. Below are outfits that can accommodate many different cold temperatures, and are great to transition to Thanksgiving Day dinner.

1. Wool Double String Hat $45, Nordstom

2. Wool Blend Cape $76, H&M

3. Crystal Embroidery Sweater $1,486, Gucci

4. Levi's Womens 529 Boot Cut Jeans $50, Macy's

5. Ribbed Texting Gloves $35, Madewell 

6. Bette Large Satchel $780, Michael Kors

7. Muk Luk Eggplant Laney Boot $63, Willy's Detroit

1. Puffer Coat with Faux Fur $400, J. Crew 

2. Alexander Wang Long Sleeve Stripe Shirt $166, Tender

3. Cognac Audette Short Boot $46, DSW

4. Shinola x Kordal Knit Scarf $160, Shinola

5. Vince Camuto Joni Crossbody $228, Carson's 

6. Rag & Bone Stone Wash skinny jeans $300, Nordstorm

1. Wool Blend Coat $149, H&M 

2. PINK Long Sleeve Drapy Tee $25, Victoria's Secret

3. Slimming Super Stretch $90, Lucky Brand

4. Plaid Trapper Hat $20, Forever 21

5. Unlined Tote $81, Steve Madden

6. Bandolino Carlow Wide Calf Boot $75, Carson's

Do It: This Weekend’s Fashion, Beauty and Style Events that Are Not To Be Missed

This weekend is chock-full of fun and fashionable things to do, so if you’re itching to hit the town, these events will keep you busy!

Stylish Scarves DIY Demo | Thursday, December 11 & Saturday, December 13

Instead of buying loved ones gifts for the holidays, how about making them? Learn how to make a variety of styles of beautiful scarves at the Stylish Scarves DIY Demo at Haberman Fabrics. The classes run at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 11 and at noon on Saturday, December 13. Enjoy 20% off silk- or polyester-printed fabrics and enter to win a $20 gift card. For more information visit www.habermanfabrics.com.

Haberman Fabrics is located at 905 S. Main St., in Royal Oak.

Willys x Mason Shaker Holiday Cocktail Party | Thursday, December 11

Sip a holiday cocktail and shop for gifts at Willys Detroit from 6 to 8 p.m. Don’t miss the Rosemary Maple Bourbon Sour by Eric Prum from Brooklyn-based W + P Designs. For more information, visit www.willysdetroit.com.

Willy’s Detroit is located at 441 W. Canfield, in Detroit.

NEIdeas People’s Choice SOUP | Thursday, December 11

Want to help make two business owners’ ideas a reality? Stop by Detroit SOUP: NEIdeas Edition to take part in the People’s Choice Awards. Businesses will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas for growth, the live audience will cast the final paper votes and the two winners will be revealed, winning $10,000. Doors for the event open at 6 p.m., proposals are at 7 p.m. and dinner will be served around 8 p.m. To view the ideas, visit www.neideasdetroit.org.

Detroit SOUP is located at 2900 E. Grand Blvd., in Detroit.

Holiday Merriment & Makers Market | Friday, December 12

Eat, drink and be merry from 5 to 10 p.m. at Ponyride’s Holiday Merriment & Makers Market that will showcase more than 60 vendors selling jewelry, art, glass, mixed media and more. Anthology Coffee, Slows BBQ, Sister Pie and other local eateries will be onsite to fuel the holiday shoppers. Don’t miss out on shopping local brands such as Detroit Denim, Smith Shop, Branded by Detroit, The Dirt Label, Beard Balm and many others. More information can be found at www.ponyride.org.

Ponyride is located at 1401 Vermont St., in Detroit.

SantaCon Royal Oak| Saturday, December 13

The 2nd Annual Santa Pub Crawl is back from 1 to 6 p.m. in downtown Royal Oak. Holiday-themed attire is encouraged but not required, so pull out those ugly sweaters and jingle bells to really celebrate the season. Tickets are available at all participating bars on the day of the event for $15 and include a Santa hat, a lanyard that allows you $3 drink and shot specials, and then three entries into the drawing for prizes. Don’t forget to enter to win Resolution Ball Tickets at Red Fox, $50 Uber.com credit at Pronto and Motor City Gala Tickets at Andiamo. Toy collections and a portion of the proceeds will benefit The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland and Macomb Counties. More information and the list of participating bars can be found at www.santaconroyaloak.com.

Be Merry in Motown | Saturday, December 13

Ann Arbor residents, this is for you! Take the Shinola shuttle to the Midtown Detroit shopping district and visit neighborhood shops, including Shinola, Willys Detroit, Run Detroit, Nest, City Bird, Hugh, Nora, Cass Corridog, Source Booksellers and many more. Grab a bite to eat at Traffic Jam, La Feria, Motor City Brewery and other local restaurants. The shuttle runs to and from the Pioneer High School Park & Ride lot (on the corner of Stadium Blvd. and Main St.) and the Midtown Detroit Shinola store. Departures from Ann Arbor and Detroit are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Rub Down Grand Opening Celebration | Saturday, December 13

RUBBED is celebrating the grand opening of its sandwich shop from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Saturday. This quick-service sandwich and charcuterie shop will stuff you full of the finest meats and cheeses. Tickets are $20 available at www.rubbedindetroit.com. If you can’t make it to the grand opening event, make sure to attend RUBBED After Dark, the restaurant’s monthly dinner series.

RUBBED is located at 2015 Michigan Ave., in Detroit

Big Holiday Biergarten @ the Fisher | Saturday, December 13

Stop by the Big Holiday Biergarten from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Fisher Building in support of the restoration of historic Big Head floats from The Parade Company’s Thanksgiving Parade, which are on display now through January. This family-friendly celebration will feature local beer, music, snacks, activities for kids of all ages, holiday shopping and tours of the Fisher.

The Fisher is located at 3011 W. Grand Blvd., in Detroit

Tour at the Guardian Building | Saturday, December 13

Tour Detroit’s 1929 Wirt Rowland-designed architectural masterpiece from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The tour begins inside Pure Detroit (located inside the building), and tourists will learn about the building and see first hand design and detail. Conducted by Historic Preservationist and Urban Planner Michael Boettcher, this tour is free and open to the public and photography is allowed.

Guardian Building is located at 500 Griswold St., in Detroit.

Metro Times Detroit Mercantile Company Merry Market | Saturday, December 13 & Sunday, December 14

Join The Detroit Mercantile Company and 40 local crafters, artists and specialty vendors for the Metro Times Detroit Mercantile Company Merry Market. Holiday beverages will be available for purchase in addition to local food trucks and vendors. Admission is free and market hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Detroit Mercantile Company is located at 3434 Russell St., in Detroit.

Local Designer Series: The Ladies of the VK Collection Share How They Got Into Willys Detroit (and More about Their Line)

Valentina and Krista of the VK Collection met as interns in the corporate world with many similarities – they both immigrated to the United States when they were younger and they had a serious passion for jewelry, for starters – and their friendship blossomed from there into a business partnership. Their jewelry has landed at Willys Detroit only months after launching their very first collection, and we got a chance to talk to them about their line and get their story.

DG3: What’s the VK Collection’s story?

Valentina + Krista: We both have loved jewelry since childhood, made jewelry as a hobby growing up, and at the time were guilty of spending our savings on the finer pieces our intern salaries really could not afford. Every woman has that one thing she doesn’t leave the house without, whether it’s mascara, lipstick, watch – you name it. For us, it’s jewelry – it’s our channel for self-expression, a way to complete a look and tell a story. With our collection we aim to have pieces you can put on while wearing jeans and a t-shirt, or complete an evening look. 

We officially launched VK in December 2012, and at the time we wanted to be a destination boutique for women looking for unique, chic jewelry. We carried different brands of jewelry, as well as pieces we found at jewelry shows, etc. Several months into it, we realized that what we wouldn’t be fulfilled until we designed and made our own jewelry, so we started focusing on our next collection. We designed the collection combining Swarovski crystals and different brass chains, as we wanted our pieces to be unique and versatile, timeless yet edgy.

Our designs were near being final, and we were faced with our biggest obstacle yet – we couldn’t find a way to bring our pieces to life: no one to manufacture them, and in addition, we were continuously told that what we wanted to do wasn’t feasible. This was a hard reality for us to swallow, so we did what we do best – refused to take "no" for an answer and started our research on doing it ourselves! We had some experience in metalsmithing, but once we embarked on this, we realized there was a lot more to learn. We sought advice, looked for professional help, researched online information – really did anything and everything we could to make our collection a reality. We ended up purchasing all the tools and equipment we needed and learned the techniques of our entire process: making molds, soldering, oxidizing and stone setting. In March of 2014, we realized our biggest dream yet  – we launched our new collection that we designed and made ourselves. 

DG3: Congratulations on getting your collection into Willys Detroit! How did that come about and where else do you sell your products?

V+K: Thank you! We couldn't be more excited about having our collection at Willys Detroit! We were actually at Willys the other weekend, and it was surreal to see our jewelry on display. The way that this came about was as close to a dream as you can get. We went to an event at Willys, and the first person we spoke to compliment us on our jewelry. We proudly proceeded to tell her that it was our brand, to which she replied, "I’m a buyer for Willys, and we should talk." The rest was history. It has been a great pleasure working with the team there. In addition to Willys, you can also find our jewelry at Complex in Birmingham. In terms of advice that we would give - take chances and don't be afraid of being told "no."  You will get many of those and that’s ok; it is just a part of the process! 

DG3: What has been the most important business lesson you have learned during the process of creating your business and establishing your brand?

V+K: Great question, one that we could probably dedicate an entire blog post to, as we learn something new every day. Most importantly, you can't give up or lose hope when things get tough (and they do periodically), believing in yourself is very important and that THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY. We have learned that everything takes time; things don’t just happen overnight so you have to be patient and continue to work hard.  

DG3: What materials and techniques do you favor?

V+K: In terms of materials, there is nothing like Swarovski crystals - they are perfect in every way, from the sparkle, to variety of decadent colors and shapes. Currently, we weld our jewelry so by default it's our most favored technique. 

DG3: Do you wear other jewelry or strictly the VK Collection?

V+K: Always at least one VK piece - we both own quite a few pieces of jewelry and refer to them as our "archives," so if we are not covered in VK from head to toe, we mix VK with our archives. It very much benefits our company – it shows that our pieces are versatile and can be mixed and layered with other jewelry brands, and if asked, it gives us a chance to share the story behind our brand. 

DG3: Right now, what does your workspace look like?

V+K: Definitely scattered, scattered all over the place (insert embarrassed faces). We try to keep things neat when we can, but during high production times - everything is everywhere. 

DG3: If you could have any movie character's jewelry collection, whose would it be and why?

V+K: Hmmm… Daisy from The Great Gatsby comes to mind - the decadence from that era is incredible!

DG3: How do you take your coffee? 

V+K: With milk (and sugar for V) and often. (We don't sleep)

DG3: Cartier or Harry Winston?

V+K: Cartier, although we would never say “no” to a Harry Winston piece.

DG3: Brigitte Bardot or Jane Birkin?

V+K: Brigitte Bardot.

Model: Francina Juncaj, Photo: Mioara Dragan photography

Willys Detroit: Meet the Designers of Edith A. Miller

On September 17, Willys Detroit held a Meet the Designer event with designers Nancy Gibson and Jenn Murray of the classic Americana brand Edith A. Miller. This American-made clothing line is a super laid-back collection comprised of casual tanks, striped crewneck t-shirts with contrast banding that trims the neckline, and cool-girl t-shirt dresses with different types of stripes in two different places on the dress. It’s a J. Crew lovers dream – as is the rest of Willys.

Nancy, a former Wall Street maven, and Jenn, a former designer rep at The News showroom in New York, ran into each other at a party in 2009 wearing the same vintage striped Robert P. Miller t-shirt. They immediately bonded, began to research Robert P. Miller and found that their favorite shirts were made at an old knitting mill in Pennsylvania. The two decided to start their own line and produce it in the same mill. Their t-shirts are vintage inspired, made of 100% American cotton and can be worn with anything.

Willys Detroit is located at 441 W. Canfield St. in Midtown Detroit near their sister store Shinola. For more information about this brand or any other brands at Willys Detroit, go to www.willydetroit.com.