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If you've been a customer of ours for a while, you may remember when we introduced you to our team about a year ago. Since then, our business has undergone many changes including our big rebranding and new additions to our team. Because of this, we thought we'd introduce you to the faces behind Ooh La Luxe so you can meet the women (and man!) behind our small business!Cristina is a Co-Owner of Ooh La Luxe. She loves doing crafts like making dream catchers, and also enjoys home decor/decorating. She goes to antique stores for unique finds and likes to travel to get inspired!
"My favorite piece right now is the Kennedy Floral Maxi. It is beautiful and perfect for any event. Plus, I love a good floral print."
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Michelle is a Co-Owner of Ooh La Luxe, in her spare time she loves to travel. One of her favorite destinations was Morocco where she brought pieces back for the stores. She also decorates some of the skulls that are displayed in the stores. Michelle is also an identical twin with co-owner Cristina.
"I love the Mirabelle Maxi--it's the perfect combination of a little black dress and a breezy summer maxi."*
Natalie is our Floor Manager and lead stylist in Petaluma. She was a classically trained ballerina for 22 years and danced in the Nutcracker for 11 years, where she performed everything from minor rolls to the Sugar Plum Fairy.
"My current favorite is also my most recent purchase, the Spell Lolita Halter. I am so stoked Ooh La Luxe is one of the only boutiques in Northern California to carry Spell and the Gypsy Collective, one of my favorite brands from Byron Bay, Australia. The 70s inspired print and super low back are amazing and perfectly pair with boho inspired wedges"
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Michaela is a stylist at both stores. When asked to share something interesting about her, she simply said "Warning: I'm a Gemini"
"My favorite right now is the Jordan Jumpsuit. I love the flirty lace accents."
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Stasia is a stylist at the Petaluma store. She was born in Moscow, Russia.
"I'm really into the Le Salty Samsara Kimono Mini. I'm obsessed with the Australian lines we carry--Le Salty, Spell, Auguste. This was one of my recent purchases and I love this piece for summer with high boots."
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Siena is a stylist in the Petaluma store. She has a passion for experiencing new places and cultures, and has traveled to over 16 countries so far!
"I love the Tori Floral Top. It's a great fit on any body type and the bell sleeves and floral print make it super trendy."
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Serena is a writer for the website. She used to work in the Petaluma store but recently moved to LA to pursue a career in film and TV. However, she just couldn't leave Ooh La Luxe so she became our first remote employee.
"I'm obsessed with the Le Salty Rhapsody Sundress. I'm a sucker for prints, lace up, and a touch of ruffle so this dress screams my name."
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Brandi is our Operations Manager for the website. She's a big reader and hasn't stop reading consistently since she was 10. Now, she tries to read at least two books a month!
"I'm loving the Romy Floral Maxi right now. It's the perfect for dressing up on a summer day!"
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Marina does Website Operations for our online store. Despite her friendly and unthreatening demeanor, Marina is a black belt in karate!
"My favorite piece right now is the Robyn Romper, it's so cute and great for any daytime event."
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Andrea is the Santa Rosa Store Manager. When she's not busy styling our Santa Rosa customers, she loves to cook at home in her free time!
"I'm into the Averie Romper right now. The crisp white is just begging to be worn all summer long."
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Alex does packing operations at our warehouse commerce location. Don't let the fact that he's a guy fool you--he wraps your online orders beautifully. Alex has a great sense of humor that always keeps us laughing, and he's training to be a pilot!
"Well, although Ooh La Luxe clearly has awesome women's clothing, I think I'm gonna sit this one out..."
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Chantelle is a stylist in our Petaluma Location, and she also assists with our re-sell and trade system on Monday's. She loves succulents, pizza, and wine, although not necessarily in that order.
"I adore the Etienne Bodysuit Noir from Spell because it's both a bodysuit and a swimsuit. It's definitely my go-to piece right now."
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Kayla is a stylist in our Santa Rosa location. She's currently studying Radiology and specializing in Ultrasound!
"I also love the Jordan Jumpsuit. There's just something so feminine and fun about white lace."
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Olivia is our Store Liaison. She adores pandas and collects anything that has a panda on it.
"I'm so into the Gwen Jumpsuit. Jumpsuits are so fun for summer, and this one gives off some seriously retro vibes."
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Check back in a few weeks to meet more of our amazing team!
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With nontraditional remedies on the rise, you may have already heard about the many wonderful health benefits of turmeric. Turmeric is the golden root spice that gives yellow curries their color, and has been used by Indian and East Asian cultures for its medicinal benefits for over one thousand years. This herb has a range of healing properties, from being a natural anti-inflammatory to aiding with digestion to mitigating side effects of allergies or the common cold.Recently, many health conscious individuals and establishments have been making what they call “Golden Milk,” which is a turmeric based milk beverage. It bears striking resemblance to an ancient Indian remedy called “Haldi Doodh.” Haldi Doodh is traditionally prepared with milk, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne, ginger, cardamom, and honey, though ingredients can be omitted or swapped out depending on the health benefits you’re attempting to reap (for instance, turmeric in combination with honey aids with digestion).As a half-Indian woman, I’m delighted to see home remedies I grew up with gaining popularity, so I created my own spin off of Haldi Doodh. To do this, I combined one of my Auntie’s recipes for Haldi Doodh with some inspiration I pulled from a few different restaurants and blogs embracing the “Golden Milk” trend. Note that I use almond milk for mine (and if you take out the honey it’s totally vegan friendly!) but traditional Haldi Doodh calls for regular milk because fat helps the body process turmeric’s many wonderful benefits. Feel free to use whatever milk you like best, I just picked almond because I like the way the nuttiness combines with the spices.
To make my Turmeric Milk you will need:Almond Milk – 1¼ cup: I use Califia brand because I think it’s the creamiest! I prefer unsweetened, but I bet vanilla would taste amazingTurmeric – 1 TSP or 1 inch piece of root: Turmeric root works best, but if you only have Turmeric powder, that’s great too!Black Pepper, fresh ground – pinch : It sounds odd, but this is important as black pepper helps your body and bloodstream absorb the turmericGreen Cardamom - 1 pod: I use this in place of ginger because I don’t care for the taste of ginger, but it has similar perks in that it aids with digestion, heartburn, and nausea.Cinnamon – pinch: This isn’t used in traditional Haldi Doodh, but I love the way it tastes and it’s good for your blood sugar.Honey – 1 TBSP or to taste: This also aids with digestion, though I’ve seen some bloggers swap it out for blackstrap molasses for its iron and magnesium content.Cayenne Pepper - pinch: Another anti irritant, you can skip this if you want a milder version*Ginger – ½ TSP or ½ inch piece of root: traditional Haldi Doodh contains ginger, but I don’t care for ginger so I use more cardamom and cinnamon. If you like ginger, feel free to add some in! This also works best in root form.Combine all your ingredients but the honey and the cinnamon in a small saucepan. If you are using turmeric and/or ginger roots for your recipe, you will need to grate them and strain the milk. If, like me, you are just using powders, you do not need to strain.
Heat the mixture over medium heat, making sure to stir or whisk it regularly, until it starts to bubble. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, and stir in your honey until it dissolves completely. Let the mixture sit over low heat for about three minutes. When you’re ready, pour it into a mug and top with cinnamon. Remove the cardamom pod before drinking, if you used one.
Depending on the day, you can adjust the recipe to taste or for health benefits, but I tend to work off of this basic recipe and modify the amounts at will.So there you have it, the best parts of chai and hot chocolate all rolled into one nutrient packed drink. Try making this to ease you through the end of the chilly seasons—not only will it keep you healthy, but also it’s the perfect drink to cozy up with.
xo,
~Serena -
If we've been friends for a while, you might have heard about our newest in house collection to celebrate our big rebranding. If we're newer acquaintances, we're here to give you all the details.
The long and short of it is that when we opened almost ten years ago (!!!) we chose our name to fit the adorable 400 sq. foot loft in which we launched the business. We never could have anticipated that less than a decade later, we'd outgrow not only the loft, but also our name. Now that Ooh La Luxe includes two stores and a thriving online business, it only seems fitting to update our brand to reflect not only our growth, but also our aesthetic.
Now comes the fun part: in honor of this momentous change, we decided to celebrate in style (duh) by launching a whole new collection for you to fall in love with. These ten pieces were handpicked by our stylists with you in mind, and we can't wait to see what you think! Preview our LUXE collection below, and get your hands on it in stores/online on February 14th:As you can see, we cultivated this collection to be stylish and versatile--our Luxe collection pairs perfectly with itself, and with your other favorite wardrobe staples! Stay tuned for more handpicked pieces to come.
Happy Styling Ladies!
~Serena -
Over the knee boots have made a major comeback this season. While this super cute style can be a wardrobe staple, it can be tricky to figure out just how to nail the trend. When customers try on OTK boots in store, the number one response I get is "they look really cute...but how do I wear them?" So, if you've ever thought OTK boots just aren't for you, or you have a pair but you've struggled to find the right outfit, or even if you just want some outfit inspo for other ways to rock your boots, this post is for you. Here's just a few of the ways to wear over the knee boots:
1. With a mini dress
For a casual daytime look, pair your boots with a printed dress--I love offsetting the edginess of a bold OTK boot with the softness of a floral dress.
For more of a going out look, OTK boots look phenomenal with a sexy, solid colored dress and a choker.
2. With leggings and a chunky sweater
You know those days when you reallllyyy don't wanna try, but you have to look like you tried? Put on leggings, your favorite oversized sweater, and over the knee boots for a look that says "I'm trendy, but I'm too cool to care." Tousled hair and a matte lip ties the whole look together.
3. With jeans and a casual top
Over the knee boots are also a perfect option for class, business casual, or an afternoon out. Skinnies in any color look great with OTK boots. On top, wear a thermal or a v neck (add a vest if it's chilly!) and you'll look polished and put together in no time. To switch seamlessly from day to night, trade your t shirt or thermal out for a cold shoulder top.
4. With shorts, a well fitting top, and a long jacket or flannel
This look is bold, flirty, and just the right amount of sexy. It may seem like a lot going on, but the function of the flannel or jacket is to balance out the look. Try this for an evening out in a big city and you'll be sure to turn heads on the streets.
5. With a tunic/sweater dress and tights (or not)
You know those tunics and sweater dresses that are just on the borderline of being too short to be a dress? Pair it with opaque tights and your OTK boots and you're good to go!
For a slightly more daring look, swap out the tights for shorts. The boots going over your knees will balance out the amount of leg showing.
6. With an oversized sweatshirt and virtually nothing else, apparently...
I mean, the Kardashians/Jenners are doing it...
Happy Styling Ladies!
~Serena
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If you're reading this, you're probably familiar with Ooh La Loft as a women's clothing boutique whether it be through in store purchases or our online store. But how much do you really know about your favorite store?
Did You Know...
Ooh La Loft was founded in 2008 in Petaluma, California: Twin sisters Cristina and Michelle Wilson started Ooh La Loft immediately after graduating from Sonoma State University. But Ooh La Loft wasn't the first business endeavor for the Wilson twins--they were able to open Ooh La Loft with the profits from a successful drive through coffee business they owned and ran in college.
Our original space was a 400 square foot loft--hence the name: We originally opened in downtown Petaluma in a loft on top of another business, but it only took a year for us to outgrow that space and move into our roomy location on Petaluma Blvd. North.
We have a location in the Santa Rosa Plaza Mall: In 2013, we expanded to a second store in Santa Rosa. Our Santa Rosa location is downstairs in the Plaza Mall across from Starbucks and next to Lush, so grab a coffee and some all natural beauty products and swing by to check us out.
Your online orders are hand fulfilled by our team: The only computerized part of our online store is the actual system you order on. After that, your order is reviewed, processed, packaged, and shipped by human hands. That way, we can offer each customer more individual care than if our entire system were automated.
We are launching a new brand called Ooh La Luxe: For our longtime shoppers, you may be familiar with our clothing lines Ooh La Loft brand and Olympia Elizabeth. We are planning to add a third brand to our family of original clothing lines called Ooh La Luxe! Keep your eyes peeled for updates in the next few months.
We carry approximately 70% American made brands: As a small business, supporting the local economy is important to us! We proudly carry mostly American made clothing, in addition to carrying pieces from Sonoma County and Bay Area based artists and designers. Whether it's the county, state, or national economy, keeping it close to home is a staple of our business.
Our Petaluma location buys your gently used clothes: On Mondays from 11-5:30, our Petaluma store does buy backs of previously loved clothing that fits our store aesthetic. We buy outright for 35% in cash or 50% in store credit. Personally, I love the store credit option because it feels like trading out my clothes and having a constantly rotating wardrobe!
We offer free wardrobe styling--with a discount!: Have a special event coming up and wanna look fabulous? Or maybe you just need a fresh update to your look? Both of our locations happily offer wardrobe styling free of charge, by appointment. Plus, anything you buy as a result of your styling appointment will be discounted at 20% off. Need we say more?
We are all women owned, run, and operated: Ooh La Loft has an all female team, down to our awesome accountant, Tiffany. Business has been a male dominated field as long as it has existed, but we have proudly had a business run entirely by women, for women, since our inception almost 10 years ago.
While Ooh La Loft has grown and expanded over the past few years, we still very much identify as a small business and want to continue to offer our customers the boutique feel no matter how big we get! Whether you're shopping in store, online, or by phone, remember that when you're shopping with Ooh La Loft, you're supporting a local business.
Happy Styling Ladies!
~Serena
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