News Taffy

Getting locked inside a department store could be torture for some people. But for me, it was a dream come true recently when I was locked in Barney’s on Madison Avenue for a night cocktails, dining and shopping!

I spent dinner sitting across from Barney’s Chief Creative Officer Simon Doonan. He is known as the wizard behind the magnificent window displays at the flagship location. He was very charming and easy to talk to. We covered everything from working women, lesbian sisters and European travel. A lively conversation to say the least. Theevent was hosted by my friends at Exclusive Resorts so travel was the hot topic of ev-eryone’s conversations. As was curating the perfect travel waardrobe. It doesn’t matter if you are traveling to Fayetteville for a Razorback game or to Grand Cayman for a dive trip, looking good is always key.

After dinner, we were paired up with a personal shopper and hit the store for some one on one shopping. Marc Piatek and I talked briefly about what I wanted to add to my wardrobe and we hit the first floor and perused the handbags. Simon caught up with us and helped me decided between two options. Afterwards, Marc and I headed up stairs to my favorite department in the entire store...shoes!

In need of a new pair of boots, my focus was narrowed quickly. Although I kept gravitat-ing to the Manolo Blahnik’s and Christian Louboutin’s. I will forever be drawn toward mega high heels. I just can’t help it! But, seriously, I live in a city where I have to walk every where so heels aren’t practical AT ALL! And again, I ended up with two boots that I could not decide between when Simon appeared. He made the final call on a classic pair of black flat boots. You can’t go wrong with classic - ever.

If you are heading to Barney’s soon and want to work with a personal shopper, call ahead and make an appointment with Marc. He is a genius when it comes to keeping you focused and on track. Those are two things that I don’t manage well when I walk through that revolving door on Madison Avenue. Just sayin’!

Keep up with D.J.’s adventures by following her on Twitter @mrsdjduckworth and on Facebook at I Am DJ Duckworth. She’s loses hours of her life on Pinterest so check outher boards. You can also see her amazing and sometimes just seriously mundane pho-tos and selfies on Instagram. DJ lives in Manhattan with her two boys and the world’s most amazing wiener dog, Leo - woof, woof.