Fashion Roundtable with Cate Adair of Desperate Housewives

Two weeks ago I spent a lovely afternoon at a Blogger's Roundtable with the stylist and costume designer for Desperate Housewives. Her name is Cate Adair and she has wonderful ideas and a gorgeous collection of handbags. Plus, she was super down-to-earth — especially for someone who dresses six of the most glamorous women on TV. I've been meaning and meaning to post about the event and today's the day.

This was my first Blogger's Roundtable and in case you're curious, this is what went down:

1) Yummy lunch — fresh fruit, salads and sandwiches — at Dream Hotel. (My first visit to Dream Hotel, by the way, and it is gorgeous and in fact dreamy.)



2) Chatting with the loveliest group of fashion & celebrity bloggers ever. I met mother-of-two Vera from I'm Not Obsessed, newlywed Lauren from Second City Style, Bryn from She Finds — recently upgraded from mere writer to full-fledged editor — she is adorable and friendly, and new-to-blogging Felissa from About This.

3) After the food, Cate told us about herself, answered our fashion questions and told us what to look for while we watched the Oscar's — and what to expect in stores this Spring (like stacked bracelets). A bit of Cate's wisdom: when shopping for a big event, try on the dress while wearing the "undies" you plan to wear — it makes a big difference to the fit.



4) As we talked, Cate had a model come into the room wearing some of her favorite lines. She introduced us to: Rare Vintage (a clothing store in Manhattan). John Hardy Jewelry. Jeanne Jarvaise Shoes. Rich & Skinny Jeans. Parajumpers Coats.

5) The whole thing was sponsored by Febreeze and Cate said her favorite time to use Febreeze is when she's working with vintage clothing — which invariably comes with a scent because a) it's old, b) it's used, and c) if it's been stored correctly, it probably smells like mothballs or cedar or both. She said Febreeze freshens her vintage collection in a snap. We were sent home with Febreeze samples — I've never tried it before and I'm pretty curious to see what kind of uses I find for it.

It really was a lovely afternoon. If you're dying for more details, you're in luck — we were videoed the entire time. Check it (2 minutes, 42 seconds):


photos from I'm Not Obsessed