November 21st, 2008 by Lori Houlihan

Cameos, Japanese cabochons, and Czech glass, all vintage and worked into delicate brass and silver settings, are now at Isle of You. The aforementioned are just a few of the materials that make up the charming “That Winsome Girl” collection by jewelry artist Amy Kelly.

Her earrings, necklaces and brooches evoke an era redolant of silk cheongsams, coiffed hair, and red nail varnish. Picture just how right any one of Ms. Kelly’s cabochon earrings pair with a Maxine Doillon forties-inspired frock. Likewise, Ms. Kelly’s leaf and branch charms work well with Weston Wear’s nature-themed motif.

“That Winsome Girl” is currently at the Isle for your Christmas perusal.

October 6th, 2008 by Lori Houlihan

We here at the Isle are longtime listeners and fans of WRFL, Radio Free Lexington. WRFL got the go-ahead from the FCC to upgrade their broadcast signal from 250 watts to 7900 watts, an improvement that will allow the station to bring their eclectic, commercial-free programming to a much wider slice of the Bluegrass. What does that mean? You'll be able to listen to WRFL in your car during that trip to Frankfort, for example.

To help WRFL boost the power, Isle of You is selling an assortment of WRFL t-shirts, with all proceeds going to the tower fund.

Tune into WRFL at 88.1 FM. Don't have a radio near your computer? Listen on the web at WRFL.fm.

August 24th, 2008 by Lori Houlihan

This afternoon was the Signature Sale, held at the Signature Ballroom at Landsdowne Club. Isle of You joined other chic Lexington boutiques for a 5-hour extravaganza.

OK, maybe extravaganza is too strong a word. But there was a sale! With prices slashed! And lots of people!

About two hours before the sale started, I helped pack and move the clothing from Isle of You to Landsdowne. So far, so good. Half an hour before showtime, I went out for snacks and change. (Two important things when you’re selling things to people: sustenance and small bills.) I rolled back into the Landsdowne parking lot two minutes before sale time.

Except.

Except there were already a number of women fingering the fabrics. It was barely noon, but the sale was on! And the women, they kept coming.

I got busy writing the final markdown on the price tags. Lolli was busy ringing people up — or should I say writing people up, as we were using receipt pads and calculators — and the time went by so fast that when Lucille arrived at one, I was surprised to see her.

Lucy took over the markdowns and Lori and I took turns waiting on customers and bringing more clothes in.

By the time things slowed down, it was after two, but there was still a steady stream. I "clocked out" and went shopping myself. On the Isle of You racks I found two great dresses: one a Custo Barcelona dolman  sleeve dress, and the other a Curtsey V-neck dress. Both will look great with my Anarchic Kitty Shoes. The best thing? They were 75% off!

It was a good day for the Isle at the Signature Sale, but the sale is not over. There are plenty of items still marked down. Just head for the corner of Short and Jefferson. You know, on the sunny side of the street.