Thursday, September 3, 2009 — article>

Recently, when walking by the Wearhouse boutique, we couldn't help but notice Will Wexley — Cause Tour Bus guide — staring out from inside the display window, wearing a crazy-checkered sweater and chunky reading glasses! We waved, but he didn't wave back. Instead, he just stood there: staring into the distance, not blinking an eye.

And standing next to him was Carla Robbins — owner of Bookends bookstore! She was wearing a pair of baggy genie pants and a ruffle-sleeved shirt, and she didn't wave back or blink either. Worried that they'd been frozen in time, we went inside to talk to owner Loretta Rivers — where we were headed anyway, to check out the new fall fashions.

When we asked Loretta why Carla and Will were frozen in the window, she laughed and said, "Well, they agreed to be live mannequins, to model pieces from my new fall line! The challenge is to see who can stand still the longest. Then, after about 20 minutes, they'll switch out to let other people have a go.

"Mrs. Grubbly, Millsberry Academy lunch lady; and Keith Umai, Millsberry Museum curator, are up next. Mrs. Grubbly will be wearing a one-shouldered dress and Keith will be sporting a plaid blazer, with a plaid shirt and tweed pants."

And sure enough there they were: Mrs. Grubbly and Keith, practicing in the back, holding poses for several minutes at a time. Mrs. Grubbly was the first one to break into laughter and fall — but at least she was laughing!

"It's not easy," said Loretta, "but you wouldn't believe how many citizens wanted to help out! It takes a lot of focus and balance. I could never do it!"

We guessed that the eager Millsberrians were simply excited by the prospect of getting to try on Loretta's fresh fall fashions. Not surprising, given that the line is extra special—inspired by Loretta's trip to London, and the theme it inspired: Function Meets Flair.

Loretta agreed to bring out some of the new pieces, explaining, "If you start with the basics, it's easy to embellish. Take this simple turtleneck, snazzed-up with bold stripes. Or these tall riding boots, with a decorative extra buckle. Or the big collar on my dramatic-collared, brightly colored coat. Or play with the color of a basic denim jacket."

As for the rest of her line, there was a lot of color—like in the selection of funky, chunky ties for men. And plaid! Like the long, plaid shirts—paired with url=/shop.phtml?shop_id=1]lleggings[/url] for girls. And, for a little extra elegance—a tuxedo suit for women, too!

So be sure to stop into the Wearhouse Boutique to check out these vibrant new pieces for fall. Just be careful not to distract the mannequins!