Theme Idea 2: The Princess Wears Prada
Gather the girls for a hot-pink celebration of the new arrival in celebrity style. Indulge the little girl in all your guests with a shower theme geared to big girls, too! "The Princess Wears Prada" is a fun, contemporary tribute to the wiles of womanhood with a touch of shopping. This theme will flip your imagination head-over-heels (Manolos, of course!) with charm and sophistication.
Choosing a location is easy! Do what the celebrities do — rent out a boutique or salon! Since the mom-to-be won’t be wearing maternity clothes for long, but may not be ready for pre-pregnancy wear, consider hair or makeup salons, or fashion accessory boutiques — from jewelry to handbags.
The Purse Party
One idea that’s gained popularity around the nation is the purse party. These gatherings can be set up in your home or at an alternate location and combine two purposes; celebrating the impending motherhood and shopping.
The premise is simple — a purse vendor sets up fashionable handbags, which are for sale, and your gathered friends are the customers. Wine, cheese, and Mocktail Cosmopolitans put shoppers in the mood. It’s lively, not to mention full of great gift-giving potential — a purse-a-month for the mom-to-be.
If Mom Loves Makeup
A variation on this theme is Pucker and Pout Till Baby Is Out. For the mommy who loves makeup, this one will keep her in lipstick! Who wouldn’t love some instruction for this year’s smoky eyes, crimson lips, and shim-mery nail? Hire a makeup artist (through the yellow pages or from your local upscale department store) to come and demonstrate to guests what’s hot, what’s not, and how to paint the perfect pucker.
Regardless of whether you choose to purse or pucker, invite your guests to wear something pink. It’s a great way to unify the group, and it will look great in the photos.
Menu Ideas and Options
Treat your guests to sips and samples of tasty perfection served entirely in barwear. Soup shots in three refreshing flavors whet the appetite without smudging their lipstick. A fragrant garden pea and couscous salad with roasted chicken is served in a margarita glass. Demitasse cups take a shot at dessert in the form of a coffee almond float served with chocolate shortbread. Champagne may be the drink of choice for celebrities, but mom-to-be will be in the pink with Rose-Petal Lemonade served in champagne flutes.
The Princess Wears Prada Menu and Barwear
- A Trio of Soup Shots (served in shot glasses): Minted Pea, Carrot and Parsnip with Ginger, and Chilled Tomato with Guacamole
- Garden Pea Couscous Salad with Roasted Chicken and Parmesan Crisps (served in margarita glasses)
- Coffee Almond Floats with Chocolate Shortbread (served in Demitasse Cups)
- Rose-Petal Lemonade (served in champagne flutes)
Color Palette and Decor
Pink is the obvious color choice for this party, although any fashion-forward color trends can be mixed in or substituted and will create the desired designer effect. Chocolate is the new black, as they say, and it is gorgeous in combination with pink, turquoise, or pale blue. Hot lemon and lime are being paired with pink for spring. Polka dots have made a comeback and are abundantly evident on party goods as well as in fashion.
Fact
The perfect pout starts with red lips, that timeless fashion statement. Although skin and hair coloring are the determining factors when selecting the perfect red, these three brands are among the top sellers, year in and out: Chanel’s Infrarouge in Scarlet or Rouge Noir, Dior’s Diorific in Roulette Red or Dolce Vita Red, and YSL’s Rouge Pur #48 or #24.
Pretty in pink and decked out is the decorating idea for this theme. Before the blessed event, collect shopping bags emblazoned with designer names or trendy boutique stores and enlist fashionista friends to do the same. Then use the bags as table décor — hide a vase chock full of pink peonies or fill a bag with a swath of tulle and tissue in two colors: For example, a small black DKNY bag (typically black and white) stuffed with hot pink tulle and pink polka-dot tissue.
Think window dressing — a stack of designer shoeboxes, slightly askew and surrounded by shopping bags in varying heights. Intersperse multilevel pedestal cake plates with hors d’oeuvres. Glass-slipper vases and containers can be found online. Order several and fill with pink jelly beans or M&M’s, then use as centerpieces, place cards, or favors. A variation on this idea is to decorate using baby shoes; which can also be used as part of the gifts to mommy.
Invitation Ideas and Script
Local craft stores carry a range of shoe-shaped items that will work for this invitation. In addition, ready-to-use die-cut invitations can be found in a variety of shoe shapes and themes and are available at card and party stores as well as at online outlets.
Our friend Missy Houghton is having a child, So wear something pink and prepare to go wild!
The Princess Wears Prada: A Celebration to Welcome a New Style Star, Tuesday, January 30th at 2 o’clock on the Loggia
The Perfect Game or Activity
Fashionistas and Prada wearers don’t “do” traditional party games. Encourage some silly, but enlightening, conversation with Girlfriend Table Topic Cards, available in stationery stores and online. Dozens of questions like, “If you had to gain ten pounds what would you eat to gain the weight?” “What would the ‘perfect’ man be like?” and “What was the worst hairstyle you ever had?” will keep everybody laughing.
Gifts That Work with This Theme
Many fashion houses are designing for babies. From Ralph Lauren to Versace, you can find baby fashions like bibs, layettes, and blankets with designer labels. Diaper bags and other baby gear have also gone haute couture, with très chic handbag makers Coach, Burberry, and Gucci now offering diaper bags, baby carriers, and all-purpose messenger bags, even cashmere blankets for new moms and babies.
Fact
Many celebrities have written children’s books. Among these titles are The English Roses by Madonna, The Blue Ribbon Day by Katie Couric, Marsupial Sue by John Lithgow, Today I Feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis, and I Already Know I Love You by Billy Crystal.
In addition, you may want to purchase a copy of This Little Piggy Went to Prada by Amy Allen, a book of modern-shopper nursery rhymes, or one of the many celebrity-authored story books.
Favors
Give your guests a practical gift they will use every day — a lipstick mirror and mints. Little I makes a hot-pink tin filled with breath-freshening mints and a mirror for reapplying the all-important lipstick. For the shoe-crazed, pick out a collectible shoe tchotchke that matches her personality. There are so many to choose from that whether she’s a boot-wearing cowgirl or a stiletto-heeled supermodel, you’ll know when the shoe fits.
