WOMEN IN THE KNOW!

On June 9th, THE CLOSET COACH will complete the last in a series of three Merrill Lynch sponsored WOMEN IN THE KNOW seminars. Created to empower, inform and instruct women in wealth-building techniques, this Complimentary Luncheon Seminar is for busy San Francisco Bay Area female executives and business owners able to steal away for 90 minutes around the noon hour. Discover simple, yet powerful tools for financial planning presented in a format easy to wrap one's mind around. Merrill Lynch's Joy Boatwright draws valuable information for all women as first introduced in the book, "Smart Women Finish Rich." Her colleague Martha Crawford further provides premier financial planning tools to make this a wake- up call offering simple changes we can all implement to assure a secure future.

COLOR, PATTERNS, CLOTHING AND YOU!

Discover the unique partnership of Sue Ross and Naomi Tickle, internationally renowned Colorist and Face Reader, at their first private home workshops! Together they will demonstrate how the powerful, combined application of color, pattern, Closet Archaeology 101 and ALTERNATIVE SHOPPING techniques combine to freshen your look without doing injury to your budget.

(Seating is limited, so please register early to ensure your place.)

Having attended the weddings of two gorgeous nieces (Lisa Bellotti of San Francisco, pictured here) and Amanda Chilcher (a Second-Grade teacher in Scottsdale, Arizona), as well as a couple of friends this past year, I was shocked to learn the price tags associated with gowns!

After her wedding, when a friend asked me for assistance in selling her gown on e-Bay (yes . . . you can find AMAZING deals there), I literally fell off my chair when she revealed what she had paid for a dress she planned to wear only once. Whether the Blushing Bride, proud mother, or honored guest . . . those times we most wish to dazzle are also the times which can most challenge our budgets.

SHOP: 899 Mission Street, Ground Floor of the Yerba Buena Garage (Corner 5th & Mission), San Francisco, CA (415) 217-7230. Open W & Th 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM.

Run, do not walk to SHOP! Not only is it a shopping playground, but this wonderful store's profits benefit A MINER MIRACLE (the non-profit that serves homeless and low-income people in San Francisco). Here is a place where you can dress yourselves and your families knowing your purchases also help dress others who can't afford quality clothes.

All the items sold in SHOP are brand new, first run merchandise. They are purchased at drastically reduced prices from manufacturers and designers in L.A., New York and San Francisco. SHOP's retail buying team is constantly adding new lines of the latest season's fashions. You can pick and choose from a dazzling array of over 6,000 items on the floor. There are current-season, brand-name apparel and accessories for women . . . and (wonder of wonders) men, and children as well! SHOP stocks a complete range of sizes and actually specializes in Plus and Petite sizes for those of us who often find it difficult to fit our gorgeous selves. Sizes XS Petite to 24 for women and sizes S-XXL for men (after all . . . as you look fabulous, you might wish to dress up your fella as well). This is the place for you big, beautiful woman to find Women's Plus Sizes Smart suits in light fabrics, blazers, slacks and long skirts, novelty blazers and skirts. BEST OF ALL . . . the proceeds from your purchases go towards the extraordinary programs of A MINER MIRACLE. This one is a win-win . . . buying wonderful new clothes at discount prices and helping others less fortunate . . . . DO put SHOP on your list of "San Francisco Treats!"

DESIGNERS' CONSIGNER'S: 1033 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL 33705 (727) 894- 3326. Open M - F 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM; S 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM. DESIGNER EXCHANGE: 7038 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL 33707 (727) 345- 1400. Open M - F 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM; S 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Ladies, it doesn't get much better than this! Owned and operated by Julie Karikas and Michele Bahen, their two stores: DESIGNER EXCHANGE (3200 square feet of fabulous clothing, shoes and accessories) near the beach . . . and the newer, 3600 square foot DESIGNER'S CONSIGNER (a bit closer to the heart of booming St. Petersburg) speaks to this woman's shopping fantasies. The carefully selected quality items and gracious shopping environment thrills the soul without breaking the bank. Both shops are fantastic and the new store is quickly becoming the area's premier place to find tremendous price savings! Buyers and sellers come to find or consign top name designers at an average of 1/3 their retail value. This is the place to find top labels, including brand-new Peggy Jennings' items (a favorite designer of The First Lady) straight off the runways of Paris and New York. Gracefully appointed, both stores are decorated like the finest boutiques.

Don't forget to visit the website for many more tips (and much more talk)! I will be introducing new features and working to make THE CLOSET COACH the missing smile in your day. For those of you busy people who have little time to break away for shopping . . . if you are available to shop on-line, please check out the LINKS page on the website. It's my way of providing you with an extended "virtual ALTERNATIVE SHOPPING MALL!"

REMEMBER . . . LIFE IS A PARTY AND WE'RE ALL INVITED . . . WE JUST NEED TO DECIDE WHAT TO WEAR!