Amy Winehouse Found Dead at 27 & Locally, Britton's celebrates "Christmas in July" with a Fish Fry!

You'd have to be living under one heavy rock to not hear about the sudden death of R&B crooner Amy Winehouse. It is being speculated that the songstress, who was no stranger to publicly battling substance abuse, rehabing and relapsing, overdosed on a combination of drugs - cocaine, ecstacy and ketamine, allegedly. Just hours before being found in her Camden home by her bodyguard, Winehouse spoke with both her security and record label.

Well before her death, her addictions withered away the curvy body of a healthier looking Winehouse

Metropolis Music, Amy's management company, released a statement Sunday saying: "We are trying to come to terms with the death of a dear friend and colleague, the most amazing artist and talent. We will always remember Amy as a vibrant, funny, caring young woman who made everyone around her feel welcome. We have lost a very special person, part of our family."

Her soulful sound was compared to some of the legends of Jazz and Blues that Amy herself admired: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Shirley Horn, but to name a few. Winehouse was also credited as spearheading the British wave of female talent to wash upon American soil of late: most notably Duffy, Corrine Bailey Rae and Adele.

Many of her fans flocked to her home to see if the news was true, turning her home into a memorial ground littered with flowers, photos, cigarettes and alcoholic paraphernalia.

Her debut album "Frank" was a large success in the UK, but it wasn't till the release of her "Back to Black" album that her talent "hopped the pond" and became recognized in a large and rather fickle music market like the U.S.

In a recent strange twist, Winehouses death has sent fans into a second frenzy for the album released in 2006 that garnered her five out of six Grammy nominated wins in 2007. Sales increased a staggering 37-fold between Friday and Saturday, propelling the album onto the U.K. official charts at 59.

Amy joins another group of artists known as the "27 Club". The group includes artists Janice Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Brian Jones who all died at the age of 27.

Russell Brand and many of Amy's closest friends have shared what this experience has done to them and the lessons it should teach us all about addiction. Amy may be gone but her memory will never fade to black.

Her funeral will be held on Tuesday, July 26.

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In local news:

"‘Twas the night before Fish Fry, and all through the store,

Not a person was stirring, no one stood at the door.

All the clothes were out, displayed with great care,

No wall could be spotted, no mannequin was bare.

There were Skipjacks and Whales everywhere one looked,

You could smell the aroma of fish being cooked..."

This past Saturday, Britton's of Columbia held its 3rd Annual "Christmas in July Fish Fry ".

This event was a fundraiser for Harvest Hope Food Bank from 10:00AM – 6:00PM. Every customer who donated 5 canned goods or made a $10 donation to Harvest Hope was given 10% off their purchase.

If you were lucky, you got a discount card from St. Nick himself.

As promised, fried fish was served, along with hors d'oeuvres and beverages.

A "Charlie Brown Christmas" inspired tree

The event not only seemed to be a success in sales but also for donations. We hope to see you - and Santa! - this same time next year for another Christmas in July Fish Fry!

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Southern Tide washes ashore for Brittons Beach Blast Party

Columbia, SC - This past Saturday Brittons of Columbia held a Beach Blast Party with Southern Tide. The fundraiser for ETV/ETV Radio was held at the store from 11am - 6 pm with food, beverages, prizes and giveaways.

Founded in 2006, Southern Tide is the brainchild of Allen Stephenson, a Greenville, SC native who came up with the idea for the company while studying abroad in Italy. According to the company's bio, Stephenson was inspired by the countries common threads - exceptional craftsmanship, clean lines, fine quality, and classic design - that he married with his southern upbringing and aesthetic, to create Southern Tide. The first item produced by the company was the men's Skipjack Polo. Using True-Vent Micro Pique™, it was Stephenson's desire to create a high-quality, well-designed and assembled polo.

And, as if needs to be said, he obviously succeeded in creating a product that consumers were drawn to. From the humble beginnings of one polo and using his parent's house as a warehouse, the company has expanded to select retailers in over 35 states and offers a complete line of menswear, select items for women including polo's, and various accessories. The company's attention to detail and quality as well as its blend of southern tradition and comfort with Italian style and quality are attributes consumers can appreciate.

Camille Wingate, Inside Sales Rep for Southern Tide

Lachlan Medley, Britton's college ambassador of Southern Tide, with Wingate

As the company bio boasts: "Our way may not be the most conventional, and may take a little longer, but we want our clothing to make you look and feel your best. Superior fit, classic design and comfort are key elements of our effortless style."

USC Fashion Week Fashion Show

On Thursday, April 14^th, the USC Fashion Board put on their third annual fashion show, utilizing local retailers from the downtown area.

Just the Thing

Van Jean

Van Jean

Brittons

Aside from the great fashions that were graciously loaned from the local retailers, the fashion show featured a local up-and-coming designer, Laura McCall. McCall, a sophomore attending USC as a Fashion Merchandising major, learned how to sew her junior year in high school from her grandmother. She started sewing with her grandmother’s old draperies and has been designing with those fabrics ever since.

McCall in self-designed shorts

"I'm very inspired by interior design," began McCall. "I'm mostly attracted to upholstery and drapery fabrics. Places like the Biltimore Estate, Versailles and various other European castles and chateaus etc. have the most beautiful fabrics in their extravagantly designed interior rooms on everything from chairs, to beds, to walls. I find these fabrics intriguing and challenging."

Dress designed by McCall

Her designs give off a sophisticated, hobo-inspired chicness, which she hopes consumers can relate to and even draw a sense of pride and confidence from when wearing her pieces. "I know it sounds silly not to be confident and prideful in your sense of style and selection of clothing, but so many people aren't," said McCall. "Having a classic silhouette but with a knockout bold, different, yet tastefully standout fabric print speaks volumes about confidence and pride."

Top designed by McCall

"I want to eventually have my own line," McCall said in regards to her future plans. "I realize that takes a lot of work so I'm focusing on starting small and working my way up. Ultimately I'm all about the garment construction and what fabric goes with what silhouette, with what bag, shoe, etc. I enjoy making clothing so much and want to make a career out of that to the best of my abilities!"

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High Cotton Trunk Show

On March 26, 2011, Judy Hill of High Cotton Ties brought an assortment of bow ties and cummerbunds from her spring collection for a trunk show at Brittons hosted from 11-6. High Cotton Ties offers washable, 100% cotton bow ties and cummerbunds hand-made in North Carolina. Hill celebrated her 1 year anniversary that same day, marking a momentous year for the bright, new company that supports the revival of North Carolina’s textile industry by choosing to hand-cut and hand-sew their products locally.

The idea for the business came to Hill after she made her eldest son four bow ties to take back with him to school. Unable to find a suitable silk, Hill, a seamstress since childhood, opted to use cotton. After the bow ties' debut, Hill received feedback that led her to believe she was on to something, and she was right.

Hill is pictured here with Todd Young, a sophomore at USC and member of Beta Theta Phi, in search of a bow tie and cummerbund for upcoming fraternity functions.

The company focuses on "classic southern mainstays" like tattersalls, ginghams, and madras plaids. Judy stands true to the company mission that, “Now more so than ever, consumers require more out of their products, which is why we offer washable products produced from some of the finest cotton fabrics available, as we feel it speaks to our cost-effectiveness and durability. Simply put, we not only trust that you will fall in love with our bow ties and cummerbunds, but we also expect them to become a long standing member of your wardrobe.”

High Cotton Ties works with a motto of C’s – ‘cotton, comfortable, clean, classic, and custom-made’. The easy-to-wear and easy-to-wash ties, as they've been tested many times through home-based stain washing, have customers raving about the wearability of the products, as they maintain professionalism without pretentiousness.

"Bow ties should be a regular part of a gentleman’s wardrobe, not simply reserved for formal events," said Hill in a press release. "By avoiding novelties and embracing traditional patterns, we create our bow ties with the expectation that they will be worn often and be admired just as frequently."

High Cotton Ties has already been picked up by a number of the South’s finest men’s stores and has launched campus campaigns at universities in the southeast who are setting up trunk shows and making regular appearances at football games and campus wide events.

Hill works with her son, James, a recent graduate of UNC’s entrepreneurship program who has always wanted the opportunity to help a start-up business grow. High Cotton Ties represents a greater social mission he believes all businesses must have in order to succeed. “Too often business seemed to be ‘all talk’ to me. I kept hearing that it was difficult for business owners to sleep at night, and knowing that I wanted to be a part of a start-up down the road, I knew the value of delivering a genuine product through a genuine process. If nothing else, when I do get a chance to sleep, I plan on doing so comfortably knowing that we've done everything in our power to stay true to the mission we've set out to accomplish.”

With High Cotton Ties, a family feel resonates when you hear their story. Maybe it is because of the way their company grew straight from the traditions their household kept, or perhaps it is from the way they have decided to do business, but either way, every customer seems to become a part of the High Cotton Ties family the moment they tie one around their neck. Customers are encouraged to post pictures where they ‘have been spotted wearing a HCT tie!’ and when you contact High Cotton Ties, you can rest easy knowing that you will be talking directly to Judy or James, the way they believe customer service should be handled.

Products are always available for custom order, including the option to monogram the material for an even more personal touch. Another unique service High Cotton Ties provides is the conversion of vintage pieces. If a customer has a special cotton shirt or pair of shorts that they cannot bear to part with, High Cotton Ties will use the fabric to make a new tie or cummerbund to reinvent the beloved piece.

High Cotton Ties leaves their customers with this thought: “We understand that when you choose a bow tie to wear, it will end up saying a lot about your character. It is our hope that High Cotton Ties will be able to extend itself to our customers as a helping hand to properly reflect their individuality, in good conscience and in good style. Knowing that all of our products represent the revival of a southern tradition, we are more than happy to welcome you as a part of our mission.”

"Carolina Cup Presents: Young Money" - Undressed

Nadia stripe dress, Lilly Pulitzer, available at Pink Sorbet

Take a behind the scenes "undressed" look at Carolina Cup Presents: Young Money

Franco hot to trot dress and white cable knit sweater, Lilly Pulitzer, all available at Pink Sorbet

Eye wear available at Brittons; Sunglasses by Lilly Pulitzer, available at Pink Sorbet

Wool and Silk Jacket, Mattarazi Uomo; Atlantic Skies Twill Newport Shirt, Southern Tide;

Bow Tie, High Cotton; Eye wear; all available at Brittons.

Eye wear available at Brittons; Sunglasses by Lilly Pulitzer, available at Pink Sorbet

Vineyard Vines Stickers

Sunglasses by Lilly Pulitzer, available at Pink Sorbet

Vineyard Vines Sticker

Jewelry by Stella & Dot

Bow Tie, High Cotton

Picnic setting and culinary items provided by The Gourmet Shop

T-Shirt available at Brittons; Koozie, Southern Tide

Koozie, La Roque

T-Shirt, Brittons; Brecher Pant, Vineyard Vines; all available at Brittons

A very special thank you to:

Teri Leigh Teed, Assistant Director for Springdale Race Course, home of Carolina Cup, for allowing us to shoot on location.

Brittons, Pink Sorbet, Lark, La Roque, High Cotton, Vineyard Vines and Charleston Laffin of Stella & Dot jewelry for providing the clothing and accessories.

The Gourmet Shop for providing the picnic setting.

Models: Laura, Lauren, Chuck and Matt

Makeup: J Renee

Photographs taken exclusively for Shopping Savage by: Willie C Mullins of JWE Photography