jetsetbrunette

My name is Angela Morabito, but I go by the alias JetSetBrunette. This is the place where I can share what inspires me (other than via text messages or 140 characters).

[jetsetbrunette]

Calistoga Inn

If you want to get equal doses of relaxation and wine in Napa Valley, California, drive no further North of the Golden Gate Bridge than Calistoga Inn. Rooms, in the form of private casitas, start around $300. Just be sure to pack all the white linen clothing you own. 

[jetsetbrunette]

Missoni for Target: My Story

Don't get me wrong, I didn't have the in-store debut of Italian designer, Missoni, and their line of made-for-Target clothes marked with a big red X somewhere on a calendar. I don't own a physical calendar at all in fact.

This is just a twentysomethings account of Missoni for Target's Tuesday debut and it starts at...

1:00 am MST

So the night before Tuesday, the Missoni for Target's debut, I casually read a tweet that brought it back to front of mind.

Still, I didn't set an alarm. I woke up Tuesday morning at around 7:00 am and got ready for work. I put on a black skirt and white shirt like it was any other weekday. When, "oh hey," I said outloud to my boyfriend, "today's the Missoni for Target launch." "Oh really", he responded (his default response to anything fashion related). "I'll try to remember to head over after work," I ended.

I went on to push new tweets to my Twitter feed. My substitute to brewing coffee or watching the morning news.

And there was Missoni, in the form of one 140 character tweet from local PR guru Melissa Rein, who was giving a tweet-by-tweet account of camping out of, um, Target.

With one plug of "Missoni" and "Target" into Twitter's search, my results exploded. Holy insert expletive. Headlines ranged from "Missoni brings down Target.com" to "Collection gone within seconds from NYC."

7:55 am MST

"I should probably go to Target," I told my boyfriend. So with shoes half on and keys in hand, I was off.

I arrived at Target at 8:03 and the parking lot was packed, but nobody was running in. Nobody even drove up with me. A good sign. Embarrassing when I walk in and there's nobody in there but employees, though, I thought.

And then. 10 buff blondes squeaked past me, each with a cart more substantial then themselves. Each cart filled above the brim. Each pushing by me in the direction of a salesman's finger while he said "over there's some more." Are you kidding me?

I walked towards womenswear. I started grabbing things that only resembled zig zags, the trademark pattern of Missoni. Size XL this, size XL that. Not because that was my size. But because that's what was left.

One scarf. One pair of boots a size too small. One size of children's flats I could squeeze into. It was horrible.

8:20 am MST

I went to the checkout and paid $200 for a hodgepodge of items that frankly, mostly didn't fit and looked awful together. I felt somewhere between disappointed and fortunate I had gotten anything at all as women continued to stream in to the Target only to find empty clothing racks where zig zags formerly hung.

12:00 pm MST

By now I had full blown Missoni fever. In between eBay searches of items I had just paid $34 now selling for well over $100, and desperate calls to my mother in North Carolina to "just please see" what was left at her local store.

5:00 pm MST

I'm frankly not sure how I made it to 5:00 pm, but when I did, I went to Target.com and did what they told me not to do: refresh their already down page. When it finally came back up at around 5:10 pm it was one "out of stock" after another.

And from what I have picked up, once it's gone online, it's gone. And today, Missoni herself fueled rumors that the line wouldn't be restocked in stores. So much for October 22nd.

6:00 pm MST

Here I am writing this blog post, looking back nearly a month ago at an optimistic twentysomething with a Vogue in hand, ooing and ahhing over the 10-page Missoni for Target ad that ran in the September issue.

This wasn't the way it was suppose to be. This is fashion at it's lowest. Consumerism rampant. A case of not enough servers. eBay prospectors out to make a quick buck. Clothes that aren't the right size. Or in the right patterns.

I don't think that anyone who shopped Missoni for Target today, and was lucky enough to walk away with a candle, was afforded the opportunity to be picky. Excitement gave way to anger, anger to disappointment, and disappointment to, well, blogging.

6:43 pm MST

End

[jetsetbrunette]

Jetsetter.com Launches Jetsetter Homes

Today Jetsetter.com, a site that I fell in love with for its hard-to-beat flash sales (think: a classier version of Livingsocial Escapes), added a new offering to its repertoire: home rentals. Upscale, of course.

To stand out in the already crowded home rental space, Jetsetter Homes does a few things to distinguish themselves. They... 

Offer the ability to book online instead of the per usual "contact us" text and vague per-season rates. 

Mix high-end homes with those below four figures per night. Some even boasting a budget $350 per night. (This seems to be a telltale sign that Jettsetter plans to expand their selection to capture multiple demographics). 

Let you be a celebrity, if only for a few nights, with houses frequented by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and Kate Moss. 

A site to keep your eye on for sure. 

[jetsetbrunette]

The Best Cheese Shop in France

I'd like to say I discovered Bernard Antony and his fabulous cheese shop (shown above right) in Alsace, a region almost equal parts German as French, but that would be far from true. In fact, it wasn't hard to find Mr. Antony at all. His name seems to be synonymous with cheese when "best" is paired alongside it.

Bernard has adopted the humble title of eleveur de fromage or "elevator of cheeses", but the titles others have bestowed upon him aren't nearly as conservative.

Bernard has been dubbed the "cheese Pope of southern Alsace" and "master cheese maker" - and with good cause. He has 38 years of experience making cheese under his ceinture, or belt. But don't take my word. Bernard has been featured in The New York Times, Food and Wine, and France Today.

So in a country where cheese is art, here's a taste of Bernard's work...

If your tastebuds aren't enticed enough, you can browse information on the fromagerie in Alsace owned and run by Bernard and son Jean-Francois, here.

Photos above courtesy of Fiona Beckett and Pille.

[jetsetbrunette]

For the discerning traveler, here are a few of my favorite things for Fall, in two of-the-moment colors: burgundy and gold.

From top: Sarah Noeud wallet and Pegase luggage in Aramante from Louis Vuitton. Wool trench in from JCrew in golden mustard, calfskin pump by Jimmy Choo and Butter London's "La Moss".  

[jetsetbrunette]

Here's to a Good...

...sunset. (Above taken August 22, 2011, iPhone 4, Instagram Hefe filter)

I've found that there are really only three types of people in the world. Those who prefer sunrises to sunsets, and those who prefer sunsets to sunrises. The third? Those who are indifferent. 

I prefer sunrises to sunsets, but on days like today, I'm only up to catch the latter. What's your preference?

[jetsetbrunette]

A Great Site for Villa Rentals

The quality of a site says a lot. And when it's a travel site, that can mean security in where your money is going, or just time saved that the list of places you're scrolling through have been vetted by some higher power that be. Because lets face it, there's a lot of crap out there for vetting.

Take VRBO, which stands for Vacation Rentals by Owner. Adding your house to their database is as easy as registering for an account. And then there is Beautiful Places, the Tablet Hotels of villa rentals, who specializes exclusively in luxury properties.

Beautiful Places specializes in rentals in California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Bahamas, France, Italy and Mexico. The kicker? Many you can even save $457 - $8,000 per week on through Costco Travel. Here are some standouts. 

Exterior of Moonstone villa in Napa County

Outdoor eating at Moonstone villa

Bedroom

"Indoor" eating

Villa Mas De St Jacques in Provence, France

Courtyard of villa Mas De St Jacques

A kitchen that embodies "French"

[jetsetbrunette]

Now Reading

September issue of Vogue.

[jetsetbrunette]

The Best Hotel in Tuscany

Last night I stayed up, and by staying up I mean surfed on my iphone in bed, curious as to what would be the best hotel in Tuscany. Just, you know, if I woke up the next morning and, gosh forbid, had a few thousand dollars burning a hole in my pocket.

But looking at hotels in Tuscany is hard. That's because each one is better than the next. Just when you've found a villa converted into a 5-person hotel on a secluded hill with an infinity pool, you find another villa converted into a 4-person hotel on an even more secluded hill with an infinity pool--but this time overlooking a vineyard. I mean really, this is how searching for hotels in Tuscany goes. And by the time you're done, you have 50 "definatelys" in your bookmark bar. 

On this night however, I was determined to beat the system. And I think I did. I think I found "the hotel". Its name? Castel Monastero. 

Although quaint, Castel Monastero is actually part of Italian-owned luxury boutique hotel chain, Eleganzia Hotels & Spas. Their other properties include La Maddalena Hotel & Yacht Club and Fort Village Resort, both in Sardinia.

Rates start at approximately $544 USD. Hey, I said it was the best, not the cheapest.

[jetsetbrunette]

JetSetBrunette Gets a Facelift

If you haven't noticed, in the wee hours of the morning, I gave jetsetbrunette.tumblr.com a facelift of sorts. Originally a clutter of product development ramblings and tweets that spilled over 140 characters, I decided to move all of my posts with "mobile technology" as a keyword here and give jetsetbrunette a new direction. 

From here on out, I'll dedicate this blog to things that inspire me--and even those that don't.

Here's to JetSetBrunette 2.0. Hope you enjoy.