Fashion Week El Paseo With Chico’s

When Chico’s calls … YOU ANSWER!

SO very glad that I did because that’s when I learned that Chico’s was inviting me (along with 4 fabulous influencers) to join them for Fashion Week El Paseo in Palm Springs, California and LOTS of other fun.   It started with Chico’s sending a driver to take me to the airport (at 4:00 AM, BTW, and I was ready to roll!) and off I flew to Palm Springs. 

Another driver then picked me up and took me to the FABULOUS, Oh-So-Instagramable Sands Hotel & Spa where I dropped my bags and immediately posted this to IG. 

Once I got settled in my room, I met up with Alison from Wardrobe Oxygen, Dawn from Fashion Should Be Fun, Tonya from The Real Chic Life, SheShe from SheSheShow & the awesome Chico’s team. Since we all had arrived at different times, we grabbed a quick lunch before cleaning up to head out for a weekend of serious fun!

Our first stop was to the Palm Desert Chico’s located on El Paseo and it is the largest store in the chain. If you’ve never strolled along El Paseo before, it’s essentially known as the Rodeo Drive of the Desert.  We were treated to a tour of the grand store …

fabulous munchies and beverages … 

and a gift card which I, of course, immediately got to work on spending. 

We were then off to a sushi dinner at The Venue before heading to Fashion Week El Paseo, the largest fashion week on the West Coast. Chico’s was a sponsor and had a fun pop-up shop there where you could view their new Spring Collection. 

We stopped to take a group photo at the Step and Repeat and then found our seats ….

… and watched diverse collections from three Golden State designers come down the runway.  My favorite collection was from Emil Gampe which was over-the-top fabulous. 

The next day we were treated to a super cool Jeep tour of the San Andreas fault area with Desert Adventures. 

We experienced the landscape of an active earthquake fault system, learned about the culture & lifestyle of the Cahuilla Indians and all about the animals, plants and wildflowers of the desert.  This is a definite MUST EXPERIENCE if you’re ever in this part of the country. 

You will, however, get a bit dirty. 

After a satisfying lunch, we had a bit of down time at the hotel. (PSST ~ this is when we all spied Brad Goreski and Ellen Pompeo each vacationing with their respective families. We did our best not to gawk & point.)  “Down time” for a influencer/blogger usually means posting everything you just did on your IG stories and so we all prepared for our last night together at Fashion Week El Paseo.  

We had V.I.P. tickets, and access to the V.I.P. Lounge, before watching the best “Pet-Fluencer” doggie fashion show I’ve ever seen; Le Chien.  

The beneficiary of this fab show was the Animal Samaritans, a no-kill shelter for dogs and cats.  It was the perfect way to wrap up this whirlwind weekend! 

As I write my recap of this trip, I can’t believe how much we did in one weekend and even though it was just 10 days ago … it seems like eons.  Since I’ve been back, I’ve sported the Chico’s cardigan, sweater tank, beaded earrings & adorable purse I scored at the El Paseo store … 

these Cool Nights PJ top and bottoms from Soma that were sent to me to enjoy on the trip, and   

these embellished-hem girlfriend jeans that have caused quite a stir on my IG feed. 

So, CHICO’S ~ you have been the most fabulous gift that continues to keep on giving! Not just to me ~  but to your customers, your employees and to all the communities that you serve.  THANK YOU so much for all that you do!  XOXO  ~  Jamie

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