Asheville: Marquee // French Broad Chocolate // Rhubarb // Ashley Gavin

Dress: Zola Velvet Maxi Dress by Hutch via Nuuly

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Chie Mihara 

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: Green Goddess Vintage

Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I adore these Hutch velvet wrap dresses...I've had several of them in both same & different styles & they are always so luscious. I seem to have this boob problem every time though, I'm always busting out of the top even after I pin it & I'm only a C cup...otherwise the fit is fantastic. And could the colors be more perfect for me?! It was difficult not to buy this one.

I love how the seam in back is framing my butt. Also, I realized I never mentioned it here...but right before leaving for Asheville, I had to have 3 drains put in...one in my abdomen & the other 2 in each thigh. I had a lot of excess fluid building up & I absolutely did NOT want to go on vacation with drains...but my friend & lymphatic massage person, Courtney, convinced me that if I didn't, it would dehisce...& drains would be preferable to my thighs bursting open. I agreed. But it is difficult to feel pretty while lugging around drains...but I think most of the time they didn't show too badly...but I see a slight bulge in the photo below. 

My first time wearing these Chie Mihara shoes I found on Poshmark...

Also my first time wearing this bracelet that we bought on this day at Marquee...

I wore this outfit for our first full day in Asheville. Every morning started with delicious coffee from various amazing places that David went out to get while I got ready. We began this day with a trip to Marquee which is in the River Arts District where we were staying...out of all the places, it looked most like us...& we were right. Check out the front desk that greeted us...

This huge space was filled with art, clothing, & antiques...it was just a feast for the eyes. 

It's not the clothing, but the colorful chippy door I'm taking a picture of here...& predictably...we were drawn to light fixtures. 

There was a rather large NA section in the middle of the store that made me think of Kate. 

Fun chairs! And my favorite booth, The 3 Graces...so many vintage clothing pieces reimagined in a maximalist way.

I was especially smitten with this coat...

There is a snake on the shoulder of this dress...so many pretties. 

This whole booth was just marvelously magnificent...it is a collaboration of 3 Asheville artists. Alligator lady with an alligator purse bench...don't you just want to sit down next to her?!

The Marquee was fabulous...I bought the vintage bracelet I'm wearing in these outfit shots...& David sneakily bought me a rhinestone bird bracelet. 

We checked out some other artist's studios in the area...I really liked these stained glass pieces attached to these old window frames with lights behind them...I might get around to copying that idea some day. Then we headed back downtown to the area we'd been in the night before...we saw so many cute closed shops we wanted to check out. We started at Hazel Twenty...they also had a men's boutique in the basement. Everyone in Asheville was SO nice to us...except in this store. There were several dresses I would have tried on & bought...but they couldn't be bothered. They offered all the other shoppers champagne, but barely acknowledged us...not sure why.

They did have an adorable dog though. After so much browsing around...we needed lunch. We wandered into the first place that looked appealing...Farm Burger. We had andouille corn pups & burgers. 

It was fine, but nothing special. I should have consulted my list of places to try. After lunch...we walked over to French Broad Chocolate Lounge. The line was ridiculous, but we waited. 

David got a cup of Liquid Truffle & a Truffle Torte...while I nommed on a Triple Chocolate Mousse & we bought a box of dark chocolate bonbons (which I just now learned were vegan while looking at their website). It was very nice, but we are spoiled in Madison with extremely talented chocolatiers (Gail Ambrosius & Madison Chocolate Co). 

After this, we took outfit photos & wandered around some more before heading back to our Airbnb for a bit. Later that evening, we parked in the same area & on our stroll to the restaurant, popped into a few places. Just look at these spectacular...aquariums? Not sure what to call them, but they bubbled away in the window of this closed gallery. They were dazzling & delightfully calming. We meant to go back when they were open, but it never happened. We guessed they were $4-5,000, but in looking it up online, I see my favorite one (green) has a price of $40,000. They are by the artist Alison Sigethy & she calls them Sea Cores (which I never would have known had I not looked it up to write about here). If our art budget were that high, Deep Sea Garden would be in our living room right now. I am happy knowing these exist. 

Since we were passing by, we darted into Fine Arts Theatre to inquire about tickets to Napoleon, which we wanted to see when it came out in a few days. Olive This! A charming store filled with olive oils & vinegars...we walked out with several bottles, including the one I enjoyed most, Blackberry Ginger. 

Dinner at Rhubarb. As always, cocktails first...David had a Fig Gold (dark rum, Carolina Gold horchata, fig, ginger, cranberry bitters) & I had to have a Ginger Rodgers (The Chemist (local) gin, pomegranate-ginger molasses, lemon, ginger beer, candied ginger). I loved this drink so much. 

Lovely mood lighting leads to terribly dark food photos. Our parade of food begins with Chicken Liver Mousse (persimmon, house pickles, lavash), Pimiento Cheese Hushpuppies with Comeback Sauce, & Carolina Bison Short Rib (field pea & peanut cassoulet, Alabama white BBQ sauce, collard green kimchi, crispy onions). 

Our second round...David, Rye Not? (toasted pecan rye whiskey, mulled port wine, cherry, allspice dram, chocolate bitters, smoke) & for me, R-Bar Collins (Social House vodka (local), draft strawberry-rhubarb soda, lemon). 

Our mains: Seared Sunburst Farms Trout Fillet (Gaining Ground pumpkin purée, Kilt hearty greens, Appalachian blue barley, brown butter roasted pumpkin seeds) & Apple Brandy Brisket Bourguignon (peanut whipped Gaining Ground potatoes, feta-caper relish, Bordelaise sauce, GG baby beets & their greens). All the food was delicious & our server was friendly & charming. Dessert...I can never pass up a Carrot Cake (Chai ice cream, salted caramel, cream cheese, nut & seed dukkah).

We took an after dinner jaunt over to The Orange Peel where we had tickets to the late show of comedian Ashley Gavin. Lots of great shows have taken place here...

We lined up early to get a good seat, but when we sat front row center...we were told that was the VIP section...so David went & exchanged our tickets which turned out to be an excellent call. Ashley is a lesbian & the majority of the audience was women...so her thing is to pick a token straight man & use him to talk to all night...which made it even funnier for us. She couldn't figure out our relationship...she asked him, is this your queer daughter?! At the end of the show, she asked him to come up on stage & video her while she did crowd work with the audience. She asked David what he did & when he replied pyschotherapist, the crowd cheered loudly. Ashley then went looking for some funny clips to put up on TikTok...but this audience didn't have it in them. So she asked if anyone had any questions for her...the first person she picked said, I have a question for David...will you be my therapist? To which David had to say no since we are only licensed in Wisconsin. We had an excellent day & completely fell in love with Asheville.

 

Mint Mark // Clyde's // Fireside Collective

Deep Water Paisley Velvet Dress by Coldwater Creek, thrifted

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Chie Mihara 

Purse: Mohop

Glasses: Francis Klein

Necklace & Earrings: Heidi Daus via Ebay

Bracelets: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

The colors, pattern, & fabric of this dress are just gorgeous. The fit is a bit relaxed, I would like it better in a size down...perhaps I can take it in a bit. Velvet is my favorite thing about the cold months. 

I found this frock at Vinny's in Waunakee a few months back...I nearly didn't get it because it was a medium & I need a small in this brand...but I couldn't leave without this beauty. Coldwater Creek was not on my clothing radar...aren't they a mall store? Both dresses I've gotten while thrifting are quite pretty.

This is what I actually looked like while wearing this dress. I take off my glasses for photos so my make-up is more visible & glare off glasses happens quite frequently. 

Aren't these shoes spectacular?! I found them last year on Poshmark & this is my first time wearing them.

I think this also might by my first time wearing this necklace...maybe second? 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mildew & Loaded; Big Sky, Double Life, & Blaze eyeshadow from UD; MAC lipliner in Chicory; Gothica lipstick by KVD; & China Glaze nail polish in Agro. 

The first time I wore this dress was to a doctor's appointment & work...not too exciting...however...I met David after work for dinner & drinks at Mint Mark. We began with cocktails...for David, Chai Standards (Plantation 3 star rum, Vecchio Amaro del Capo, vanilla chai tea, sarsaparilla syrup, lime, orange, pebble ice) & he ordered & had waiting for me a Pumpkin Spice Barbie (Death's Door gin, Apologue saffron liqueur, toasted pepita orgeat, sage syrup, lemon, egg white). Then the food started rolling in...SEX BISQUITS! All that butter & honey garlic *swoon*, followed by Rillettes (pork confit, portwine grape jelly, pickled pearl onion). 

Brussels Sprouts (Epice des Levres, bleu cheese, pickled red onion, Sam's hot sauce) & Smoked Pork Ragu (creamy polenta, Sarvecchio, sunny side egg). For our second round of cocktails, David chose Suze Storm (Banhez mezcal, Suze aperitif, grapefruit, fennel syrup, lime, sparkling rosé float) & I picked When Are You Moving? (MMSB Limousin rye, Laird's applejack, house-made apple lemongrass cordial, honey, lemon, five spice sugar rim).

And more food...Pate Maison (Berkshire hog, chicken liver, rum, bacon, toast, mustard, pickles), Ravioli (local carrot, ricotta, brown butter, pistachio, sage pistu), & Deviled Eggs (gochujang, creme fraiche, chili crisp). And for dessert...we shared an on draft nitro Espresso Martini (State Line vodka & Kin-Kin coffee liqueur, nardini, Giffard orgeat, espresso, Regan's orange bitters). 

& a Skillet Cookie (rye chocolate chip, brown sugar bourbon ice cream, butterscotch)...this comes to the table bubbling & is ridiculously delicious. We had just enough time to drop one of our vehicles off at home & head downtown to see Clyde's at Forward Theatre. 

Look who sat right next to us!!! Sarah Day, one of the core actors at APT...she was just as nice as she seems. She thanked us for supporting the arts & we talked about restaurants in Madison & Greek tragedies. I wore this dress again the next day. Getting testosterone pellets inserted in my backside, followed by these pictures, & home to make dinner. I never get tired of this meal...pan fried salmon with toasted garlic & charred salt & vinegar cabbage (which includes a bunch of roasted garlic). 

After dinner...I drove off to Stoughton to try clothes on at Vinny's...

before heading over to the Opera House to see Fireside Collective. Sharin' Barrels was playing in the lounge before the show...they always book great bands there. 

Front row...I just saw these guys back in February...they're fantastic live...note: no drums, all strings. At intermission I bought vinyl & since they're from Asheville, I asked what should be on our must see/do list on our vacation the following week. They told me their favorite breweries...which does me no good at all...but, nice guys. 

My Stoughton Vinny's haul, including 2 really nice shirts for David from London, which I looked up...$10 for a $160 shirt...I love getting deals. Our Burlap & Barrel Spice Club box...& 2 cheese vaults. 

Fireside Collective vinyl & 2 pairs of shoes from Poshmark...Fluevog & Chie. I also got a package from the NYC Fluevog store with some socks as an apology for not sending me the right label to exchange some shoes...so sweet. 

 

APT: Picnic & Once Upon A Bridge

Dress: Brandy Cut Out Maxi Dress by ASTR The Label (size M) via Nuuly

Sandals: Chie Mihara via Poshmark

Earrings & Bracelet: Wendy Baker

Necklace: bel monili

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I was SO excited to wear this dress...it's beautiful with all my favorite colors...orange, yellow, & green. I suspected I'd have to buy it. Sadly, even though I was the first person to receive this, the zipper was broken before I even got it on. I was already prepared to wear this maxi...make-up done...so David pinned me up. I felt like the Goddess of summer with the ties up the front, revealing top, & light flowy skirt that prettily fluttered around me. The fit was perfection with the smocking in back, elastic at the waist, & adjustable ties. I considered contacting Nuuly to see if I could buy it at a discount & fix the zipper, but I was afraid they'd think I broke it for that reason. I'll rent this again. LOVE. 

It is SO freeing not to have to wear a bra...& obviously, you just couldn't with this dress.

These glasses make me so happy...I'm so glad David surprised me with them.

My first wearing of these Chie Mihara sandals I found on Poshmark for $40...it just amazes me I can find these shoes so cheap. I wonder why they don't have the following that Fluevog does? 

Look! It's a different pose...

I'm not sure if I've ever worn this necklace before...it was waiting for this frock.

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mildew, Candles & Lime Crime eyeshadow by Lime Crime, Nars Mediteranee eyeshadow palette, Sugarpill Cosmetics lipstick in Clockwork & Nectar, & OPI nail polish in Orange You Going to the Game?

I'm too sexy for my dress...sad broken zipper. 

Cuties at American Players Theatre. 

I was determined to wear these sandals...even though I had to walk through gravel & netting over grass seed to get to these tables. Beauty before practicality. 

It was a lovely day for a picnic...& I made us something new, Creamy Coconutty Shrimp Salad (with a few tweaks...I added fresh ginger, red curry paste, & crunchy veggies) atop roasted zoodles. This is definitely going into regular picnic rotation. 

All the fruit from farmers' market...

Once Upon A Bridge...