Images: Paula Bartosiewicz
Meet your new favorite pair of jeans, AGOLDE. AGOLDE is our newest denim collection in the store and we are already in love. This brand is an extension of the Citizens of Humanity family, created by the denim genius, Jerome Dahan. AGOLDE is inspired by the youth culture and designed for the young, creative individualist. It’s price point is a notch down from Citizen's jeans, but just as sturdy and comfortable. We call it "Citizens of Humanity little sister" in the store! We picked up the Sophie High Rise skinny in a few different washes. Girls from the store all took turns trying them on and gave them their approval, Kelsey and Sammi purchased them right after trying them on! The jean pictured above is $148.00. AGOLDE is quickly growing into a celebrity and blogger favorite. Bella Hadid and Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What have been spotted rocking this cutting edge brand. AGOLDE is currently working on launching their second collaboration with rapper A$AP Ferg. Come and try these jeans on for yourself, make sure you let us know what you think :) Jean picture above is $158.00.
Images: Paula Bartosiewicz For this pre- fall photo shoot, we used the stylish Rebecca Minkoff as our muse. Minkoff’s theme for her designs is “The Downtown Romantic.” The Downtown Romantic aesthetic can be taken from day to night, filled with elements as girly as ruffles and as rugged as studs. Once again, we used Paula Bartosiewicz as our photographer. She continuously wows us with her incredible talent. Did you know that before she became a photographer she was working in fashion PR? Must be why she has such an incredible eye when it comes to shooting clothes. Our beautiful model is Dani, you can visit her at Rockwell Brewery! We spent the day galavanting around downtown, take a look.... Mini dress mania! Free People switched up their bohemian style and designed this adorable little number. This is the perfect dress to slowly start the transition to fall; summer is going to be leaving us before we know it :( We paired it with black ankle booties and a cream Minkoff cross body. Free People Dress: $128.00 Steve Madden Booties: Now on SALE at $76.30 Minkoff: $245.00 Yes, that is an embroidered bumble bee on those jeans! Is there anything cuter than a little bumble bee on your butt? We think not. We only got a few pairs of these AG jeans so make sure to stop in the store before they are all gone! During the last buying trip to New York, April and Erycka noticed that everyone in the show rooms were wearing low block heels with all of their jeans, dresses, and pretty much everything. Double thumbs up for this trend because it surpasses the double C test…. Meaning it’s cute AND it’s comfortable. Oh and P.S. that brick colored Minkoff can be cross body and has room for all your stuff. AG Jeans: $298.00 Steve Madden Heels: Now on SALE at $39.50 Minkoff: $345.00 Bella Dahl Top: $98.00 There is a 100% chance of ruffles this fall season, so you better embrace it now. We know ruffles can be a bit daunting because it adds more shape, but this ruffled Splendid tee has an asymmetrical design which creates a slimming figure. FYI – we also have this tee in gray. We liked the white for this shoot because it made the Minkoff guitar strap pop. This strap is sold separately and is great when you are getting a little tired of your current purse but don’t want to buy a whole new one. Switching up your cross body strap gives you the ability to hit the refresh button on your current bag. Look out for this trend coming in beading, embroidery and more! We are livin' the loafer life hard for summer and early fall, especially in these blush, studded Dolve Vita ones. They are great to rock with your high-low jeans like the AG ones above and summer dresses. Splendid Top: $58.00 AG Hi Low Jeans: $255.00 Dolve Vita Loafers: $140.00 Minkoff: $195.00 Guitar Strap: $95.00 Did you really think miniskirts were going to stay in the early 2000's? If you did, I’m sorry but you were wrong. This Sanctuary skirt is another great seasonal transition piece. It's an item that makes people hesitant when they see it on the rack but we urge you to try it on! As you can see, it’s the cutest thing ever. We rocked it with Steve Madden platform slip ons, Free People turtle neck (also available in black) and the Minkoff suede cross body. Perfect outfit for The Downtown (Frederick) Romantic......
Free People Turtle Neck: $68.00 Sanctuary Skirt: $81.00 Steve Madden Slip Ons: $79.00 Minkoff: $195.00 Melissa is the reason you walk into Velvet Lounge “just to look” and walk out wearing a whole new outfit. She has worked retail in the fashion and beauty industry for many years, and is our most experienced sales woman. Not only can she put an outfit together in under ten minutes, but she knows all of the secret ways to get stains out (hint: baby wipes.) A retail queen! Melissa has lived in many different states over the years and has enough stories to keep you entertained for a while. We love the picture above because it shows her with one of her favorite brands in the store, {made} jewelry! Melissa introduced {made} to Velvet Lounge, we call her the {made} ambassador. In addition to knowing the {made} creators personally, she almost always is wearing a {made} piece with her outfit. Sadly, Melissa will be leaving us to move to Alabama in the fall. Although we will miss her, we are wishing her the best on her new journey. We still have a few more months to enjoy her and her crazy boots though! See how she answered our funny questionnaire below. You started at the Velvet Lounge as a customer, what first drew you into the store? All the Free People clothing! If your house was on fire and you only had time to grab one item from your closet what would it be? My favorite pair of cowboy boots. If you could meet one musical artist (alive or dead) who would it be and why? Cher. Over five decades she’s had the most amazing fashion. What would you say to women of your age who are afraid to wear our clothes because they say “they’re too old”? Age is only a number. Wear what you feel like wearing, there is never a right or wrong. Who is your celebrity style icon? Rachel Zoe. What is a Velvet Lounge memory that can always make you laugh? So many! It's a running joke that everyone that works here somehow spills things on my clothes. Let's just say I'm a salad dressing free zone from now on! If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life what would it be? The Way We Were. If you were able to work in another industry what would it be? Reality T.V. What are you going to miss most about Frederick when you move to Alabama? All the #VLgirls, co-workers and customers! What’s your go to take out order for a cold, rainy day? Chinese. What’s the first social media channel that you check when you wake up in the morning? Facebook. What do you think makes or breaks an outfit most? Shoes or jewelry?
Shoes. If you were to win the lottery where is the first place you would go? Paris. After 45+ years in the fashion and retail industry what advice can you offer women who are trying to break in? Wherever you start you need to absorb as much as you can and always value the on the job training. We are gonna miss this #VLgirl! Make sure to stop in the shop and get your Melissa fix these next few months! Photography: The talented, Brad Barnwell. Hooray holiday weekend! We can all agree that celebrating the Fourth of July is a Frederick favorite. Whether you will be posted up at Baker Park waiting for the fireworks, or have a mini getaway planned, we’ve got your red, white and blues covered. Velvet Lounge is graphic tee heaven right now! Seriously, so many to choose from. We are loving this Chaser one for this weekend’s festivities. Nothing more American than a red, white and blue cattle skull, right? It’s also a good shirt to show off those toned arms you’ve been working so hard for! We paired it with the Hudson Zoey Mid Rise Crop. This Hudson wash is a true American blue jean! It’s that time of year and the Free Bird styles are rolling in…. These sapphire ones are the cutest EVER. Plus, who else is gonna be rockin blue Free Birds at the cook out? Wear them with your shorts or a crop pant like above in the summer, then wear them with your skinnies in the winter. It’s a win win as always! Our photographer ( Paula Bartosiewicz ) continuously blows us away with her talent. And it doesn’t hurt that Kelsey is such a babe! This Rebecca Minkoff bracelet is the perfect arm candy for the summer. It takes boho glam to a new level with its beaded design and touch of sparkle. It’s one of those things where you don’t need it, but you kinda NEED it. We hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend! We will be open all weekend and open 10-4 on July 4th. Stay tuned for a special sale that day…….
We started using the hashtag #VLgirls because we began to notice that people would just call us "the Velvet Lounge girls" or "those Velvet Lounge girls." You know, "the Velvet Lounge girls are at Tasting Room happy hour again" or "Yeah I know her, she's friends with all those Velvet Lounge girls." We would like to think that Velvet Lounge, and being a #VLgirl is more than just a shop/working downtown, but a lifestyle. A lifestyle that has been cultivated by all the bad ass babes that are a part of VL. Since we've been rolling hard with our #VLgirl hashtag, we figured we might as well introduce you to all the #VLgirls. Starting with Madison...... Fierce is an understatement when it comes to our girl Madison. Madison has been with the Velvet Lounge for almost 10 years now, we like to hang on to the good ones! She started as a high school intern and continued working with us throughout her academic career at LIM College where she majored in fashion merchandising. During her time in New York, Madison was the product development and design intern for Colette Malouf. She even had two of her pieces published in Vogue....No biggie..... ;) Not only does she have a LIM degree under her belt but she is also a graduate from the Paul Mitchell School and is now a hair stylist at DNa Lab. She still works at the Velvet Lounge (visit her on Tuesday nights) and is an accessories buyer for the store. Buyer, hair stylists, Vogue published.... If it's one thing #VLgirls know how to do it's hustle! We had Madison fill out a quirky questionnaire for you guys, read her awesome answers below! P.S. Thanks Brad Barnwell for all the beautiful pics! What’s your favorite thing about working at the Velvet Lounge? The super laid back vibe that April has cultivated over the years! And the dope clothing that keeps us VL girls lookin' fly! What’s all-time favorite piece of clothing/ must have for your closet? I have a Free People dress I got about a month into my internship at the VL and I've had it for almost 10 years now! It's a super cool black lace dress with crochet and beading and it's so unique!! Who is your favorite woman from history? My mom :) If you could have any super power what would it be and why? The ability to transport from one place to another really quick. What is your go to drink order at the bar? A super nice craft IPA. Would you rather have to wear crocs for your whole life or give up wearing Free People bralettes forever? Ahhh!! Ummm that's so hard! Probably give up the FP bralettes because I cannot wear crocs and feel cute lol. Late night Taco Bell or late night Pizza Pretzel? TACO BELL!! Favorite memory at the Velvet Lounge? Way too many to just pick one but all the events we have ever done because they're all so killer! The fashion shows too! What’s your favorite song to listen to before you go out on the town? Kashmir by Led Zeppelin. Favorite Disney Princess and why? Mulan I think, she's just such a bad ass! She don't take no shit from no man! Are you the type of person to drop more money on shoes or on bags? Bags probably, you can wear it every day and usually it goes with most outfits. What is one thing most VL customers probably don’t know about you? I'm a vegan and have been for 9 years! What show are you staying in to binge watch?
GAME OF THRONES!! Duh! What’s one beauty product that you can’t live without? Mascara but my dip brow is a super close second! What is one piece of advice/wisdom that has always stuck with you? Nobody can make you feel a certain way without your consent! The Garden Party is as fun and whimsical as it sounds. It’s our biggest and most anticipated event of the year and we couldn’t be happier with how 2017’s Garden Party turned out. The Garden Party featured a Free People trunk show, select {made} pieces, florals from Wildflower Weddings @ Bend in the River Farm, yummy food + signature cocktail and 20% off your entire purchase. This awesome sign was made by our good friend Erin at Chalkedelic, check her out on IG @chalkedelic. We hosted this year’s Garden Party at Reina’s Restaurant & Bar. Their courtyard is absolutely GORGEOUS. Major selling point when we were choosing this year's location. Plus, the food was delicious and our signature cocktail was a Gin & Juice (we like to keep it gangsta) garnished with a grapefruit. We had so many beautiful ladies attend The Garden Party! Pictured above is blogger Maree from alittlebitetc with VL owner April, as well as some wonderful ladies who showed up with their very own flower crowns. That beautiful arch they are standing under was made by April who also owns Wildflower Weddings @ Bend in the River Farm. Wish we always had that beautiful creation to stand under for our IG shots! April also handmade these summer wreaths which are now in store for purchase. They are made with silk flowers so you are easily able to be store and reuse! We think they are perfect for indoor or outdoor use. We got the gadget thats hanging from the arch during one of our inspo trips at Terrain. If you haven't gotten a chance to head out there yet then you must check it off the list this summer! So many great things that you can use to decorate and better your home design. Huge thanks to everyone who came to The Garden Party! We are already excited for next years!
xo The #VLgirls Meet the makers! To get ready for our {made} & merlot happy hour, we want to introduce you to the wonderful ladies #behindthebeads at the {made} community headquarters. Rach and Tiff are the two #girlbosses that we have to thank for our favorite jewelry line in the store. To get a little more info about them, we had them fill out a little Velvet Lounge questionnaire..... When and why did you decide to leave wall street behind for a life of jewelry making? Tiff + Rach: We've always been collectors and makers. Tiffany and I used to garage sale together in highschool and make things out of what we found. Professionally, I reached a point where my hands were calling me to make something tangible. What is your go to outfit? Tiff: Black v-neck, boot cut jeans. Big earrings and a {made} necklace stack. Rach: Long top, leggings and boots. Long pendant. Favorite stone or jewelry piece to work with? Tiff: Turquoise Rach: No real favorites. Some days one stone just feels better than the other. If you could drop everything and take a week vacation right now, where would you go? Tiff: A beach in Central America. Rach: Maybe Oaxaca or Guatemala. Some place they make beautiful textiles. I’d like to learn to weave. Where do you find creativity?
Tiff: Its just always been there. Rach: Textures. I like to feel things and imagine how they’d combine. Your stressed out and need an emergency dance party – what song are you putting on? Tiff: Roots Reggae by Rebelution. Rach: I’m a sucker for a latin beat. Maybe Mi Vida by Marc Antony? What is the best thing about owning your own business? Tiff: The flexibility. Rach: Getting to pick who you work with. In this case, my best friend! What is the worst thing about owning your own business? Tiff: The pressure you put on yourself. Rach: Sales. We think of our clients as our partners in making, so calling to get someone to buy something feels really unnatural. Are you more prompt to put on earrings with an outfit or a necklace? Tiff: Earrings. The bigger the better. Rach: Necklace. I’m top tall. So I always feel like I need a necklace to break it up. After knowing the Velvet Lounge for two years how would you describe the #VLgirl? Tiff + Rach: They are fun. If we make something that feels like a party to go, we know to put it in the #VL box You got that right! Don't miss our {made} trunk show and happy hour happening this Thursday @ 5 PM! SO many great pieces, plus 20% off entire purchase! See you there! To gear up for our California Dreamin’ Event we did another crazy photoshoot with Paula Bartosiewicz-Reese. Some of our shoot elements included soda pop, big league chew bubble gum, west coast rap, and swapping embarrassing high school stories. We were so happy to find a flamingo soda at the Pop Shop (we will get into our love for flamingos below.) We will be serving lots of awesome old school pop at the event, so better come thirsty! To us, west coast style is the ultimate cool girl style. The perfectly balanced mix of effortless and bad ass. To accomplish this, you need some key pieces, bad ass hater shades, the ultimate graphic tee and awesome kicks. Going from bottom to top, the first look we shot featured these crazy camo Dolve Vita sneakers ($116.00.) At this point camo is basically a neutral to us, meaning that it looks good with almost every color. Yepp, even neon pink. These neon pink glasses are a must have for any Cali girl, plus they are only $19.99! Also, can we talk about the fact that flamingos are a trend right now? How freaking awesome is that!? Wildfox is known for their fun graphics and this flamingo tee is no different ($98.00.) Not a lot of people would think to pair pink flamingos with camo, but we did and there’s no going back now. Laces on our shoes and shirts! This Trunk tee is so great for Spring ($60.00), and before anyone says it……..No, you’re not too old for this style! Another inspiration for our California Dreamin' event is that festival season is right around the corner. These Trunk band tees are perfect for all your summer festivals and concerts. What we love most about this shirt is that it is SO colorful, will look extra amazing with a tan. Speaking of….have you made your free spray tan appointment yet? April 1st – April 7th Structure’s Salon & Spa is offering a free spray tan with any shellac manicure so that everyone can get Californicated before the event! More pops of color! We paired these BRIGHT mint Dolce Vita sneakers ($100.00) with the lace up Trunk tee. We have these sneakers in three colors, the mint shown above, the blush shown below, as well as a light blue. They are cute + comfy, an easy no brainer spring purchase. Which color are you going to be purchasing Friday!? Paula never ceases to amaze us with her photoshoot locations! This time we ended up in South Street’s laundry mat, and once again this unpredictable place turned out to be awesome for photos. Specially to shoot this valley girl meets grunge look. Another destroyed band tee from Trunk LTD ($56.00) paired with the embroidered Hudson’s ($265.00), and the blush Dolce Vita sneakers ($100.00.) Shop all graphics, sneakers and sunglasses from these looks at 20% off during our California Dreamin’ event!
See you Friday! xx #VLgirls Earlier this week was the first day of spring, and we are SO happy about it. We recently paired up with Paula Bartosiewicz Photography to shoot a quick look at an awesome photo spot in Frederick. When we say awesome photo spot in Frederick, we mean the remains of some building that no one but the talented Paula would look at realize it’s killer for a shoot. This was pretty spontaneous, so we let her run with picking out the clothes, and she killed it! From the rose gold sunnies, to the clogs, this look is everything you need for transitioning into the new season. Sorry, but the rose gold trend is never going out of style for the #VLgirls. We are all about these Tom’s sunglasses. Only one pair of these babies in store, get them before they’re gone! (Shop in store, $139.00) The rose gold was the perfect shade to match this light pink Sanctuary bomber jacket. A floral jacket is a no brainer for spring, obviously. This is one of our favorites in the store right now, so scoop it up for all of your spring outfits (Shop in store, $129.00) We paired it over this easy Splendid tank (Shop in store, $58.00) that we are convinced looks good on everybody. Seriously, it’s so slimming! To make sure this look wasn’t too, too girly (is that even a thing?) we paired it with these olive Hudsons (Shop in store, $195.00) Judging from our last post, you should know that we love olive for all seasons and occasions. These jeans are super versatile because you can rock them in the fall/winter with a darker color up top, or contrast them with something light in the spring. YUPP. Clogs are back and cuter than ever. These Free People ones are the perfect combination of sexy and stylish. They will give you legs for daaays! Not only are they great with rolled up jeans like above, but they are going to look good with all of your spring and summer sundresses. We highly recommend putting your winter boots in the back of closet and purchasing a pair of these (Shop in store, $168.00.) This is just the first of many awesome photo shoots with Paula, so stay tuned! xx
Finally, a chance to wear all the olive and green tones that we have been collecting all fall and winter season. If you’re anything like us, then you have already been planning out what you’re going to wear for St. Patty’s Day. We’re here to help…..Your go to bar hopping outfit doesn’t have to be tacky and overly kelly green, check out our favorite subtle St. Patty’s Day looks below. Shop these looks in store, and don’t forget Thursday – Sunday is DOUBLE GET LUCKY SALE! Take 20% off all Obey & Volcom + an additional 50% off all SALE items! All photos by @nardcam Olive + Maroon is the perfect combo. We are loving this military Obey jacket (FYI it comes with the cutest pin!) Throw on some black jeans, a choker and you’re done. Shop this jacket in store now, $98.00 Happy Go Lucky! This graphic tee speaks for itself and is the perfect top for St. Patty’s Day festivities. We tucked it in to some high rise jeans and threw on a denim shirt over it. Only a few of these tees left, get them before Friday! Shop in store, $62.00 Yupp…We are STILL crazy for all things camo. This camo Obey Jacket is the perfect piece to wear out, PLUS it’s rain jacket material, so your good no matter what the crazy, Maryland weather does. Get this jacket in store now, $58.00
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