I remember my high school junior prom. I wore a lavender dress whose skirt puffed out Cinderella-ballgown-like with a sweetheart neckline and thin straps. Add silver heels, glitter adorning my shoulders, my hair done up in a French twist (which took hours, by the way, as a friend did it) and a French manicure, and I felt glamorous. And even though during dinner I would have to stick my cloth napkin under my legs because the netting beneath the skirt was itchy and annoying, it was a good night. (PS: I considered including a photo from that night in this post, but I just looked at one, and this was before I discovered the art of eyebrow waxing. Eeek!)

Ladies, if a touch of good nostalgia hits you when you think about your prom, then here's an organization you can get behind. Girl Talk Foundation is currently taking donations for Prom Project, a local endeavor to give Charlotte-area high school girls the chance to feel like a princess for one night.

On Saturday, April 2, girls will gather at ImaginOn from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. to choose their prom dress, shoes and accessories, free of charge. In order to make that happen, though, donations are needed.

“With the average prom dress costing $300-$500 (that doesn’t include hair, nails, accessories, dinner, prom ticket), purchasing a prom dress in these economic times is a luxury,” Janine Davis, Founder and Executive Director of Girl Talk Foundation, Inc., said in a press release. “Girl Talk wants to help parents and empower girls through our Prom Project.”

The types of items needed include:

Gently worn dresses (prom, bridesmaids, cocktail and after five) All sizes (00 - 26)

Gently worn shoes (strappy sandals, pumps, mid to high heels)

Jewelry

Purses

Unused make-up and perfume

For more information, or to find out where to drop off donations, click here.

One of my most favorite locally owned shops, The Boulevard, announced on their Twitter stream today that they will be closing at the end of April.

I'm quite sad that this great shop — full of cute clothes, jewelry, art, hats and so much more — will no longer be within a block's walk of my home. The Boulevard has always been a staple retailer in NoDa (well, for me, anyway, since I've only lived in Charlotte for five years), and its presence will be greatly missed.

And considering the tweets I'm noticing from other folks reaching out to The Boulevard folks after they announced their closing, I'm not the only one who'll miss 'em.

Last weekend I was in the mall, looking for a cocktail dress amidst a sea of formal dresses — sequins, floor-length, satiny, fitted, ball-room, you name it and it was on the racks. Yep. It's officially prom season.

To commemorate the time of year when high schools girls get to doll it up Cinderella-style, local boutique Elle VJ is giving away a prom package, which includes a dress, shoes, jewelry and makeup.

Girls, simply pen a 300 to 500 word essay explaining the importance of self-esteem and self-empowerment — and make sure your grades are on point and you have a 3.0 GPA.

Deadline: 3/31

Winner Announced: 4/8

E-mail entries to: promgiveaway@att.net.

Oh, what a night! Thursday evening, Lotus boutique hosted a ladies night that was feelin' right. Laughter, champagne and strawberries filled the air while girlfriends went crazy for the brand-new and very enticing spring collection. New arrivals to check out include fun tunics, flirty dresses and ruffle waist shorts cute enough to buy for the cruise you haven't booked yet.

Lotus added a special twist to the event— the fabulous evening of shopping wasn't just to benefit our closets. Proceeds went to Care Ring, a nonprofit organization which "provides access to preventive health services to the uninsured and underinsured, serving annually 10,000 people in Mecklenburg County." An evening to celebrate a new wardrobe season and to give recognition to a wonderful organization — a fashion-forward success in my book.

Mark your calendar, another great benefit for Care Ring is happening this Saturday, Feb. 5 at Extravaganza Depot. The organization's annual Casino Night promises to be a fun-filled night of gambling, h'ors d'oeuvres, young professionals and more.

Strange but true, Forbes has released its first ever ranking of the best U.S. cities for shopping. And beating out places like New York City, San Francisco and Atlanta, Charlotte ranked #11.

According to Forbes, the top 10 cities for shopping are Houston; Dallas; Baltimore; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis; Philadelphia; Phoenix; San Antonio; Jacksonville, Fla.; and San Diego.

And what was the method to their madness?

When it comes to shopping, everyone has their own style. Some of us are in-and-out. We know what we want, we know where to find it and we’d like to be on our way, thank-you-very-much. Others are in heaven strolling through well-lit retail centers, window shopping to our heart’s delight, even if there’s nothing we “need.” And some of us are on the hunt for a bargain—if it isn’t on sale, it’s not on our list.

In compiling our list of America’s best cities for shopping, we took the interests of all types to heart to find the urban centers with the best combination of options, ease and affordability.

So what does that mean? Ultimately, rather than considering the kinds of shops available or selection of consumer products, Forbes looked at the numbers. See for yourself in the below screenshot from Forbes what Charlotte has to offer.

So, what do you think? Is Charlotte a shopping destination?

Certainly, you've heard by now that Verizon is finally getting the iPhone next month. (Yeah, I would have blogged about it yesterday, but I was trapped at home because of the snow and ice. Also, who really wants to work on a "snow day"?)

As a devoted iPhone user/AT&T customer, how do I feel about this? Well, I'm pretty excited. But not because I plan to make the switch to Verizon.

I know people have complained about AT&T's bad cell phone service since the beginning of iPhone time. But let's consider the sheer number of iPhone users tying up AT&T's network. If, say, 25 percent of them jump the gun (and pay that outrageous fee to break their contract) and switch to Verizon, that's more space for the rest of us to do our data business. In other words, a major win for tthose who will stay with AT&T.

So, current iPhone users, what do you need to do? Convince every friend, foe, and family member who loves the iPhone or wants one to GO WITH VERIZON next month. This way, we can clear out the clutter that is our network.

(Important side note that I don't want to mention but will anyway: Current iPhone users, you can't take your phone and simply switch carriers. You've got to buy a brand-new iPhone WITH Verizon, if you want to use their service.)

Business must be good at Target. (Eh, who am I kidding. I fight for parking every time I go to the Target at Midtown.)

The super retail giant announced yesterday that it will be opening 21 new stores in 13 states next year.

For North Carolina, we'll be seeing two new stores open up in Gastonia and Morrisville (where the heck is Morrisville?).

Monarch (1222 East Blvd.), a new inspired collaborative boutique has opened in Dilworth. This is your go-to store for (more affordable) designer clothing, shoes, jewelry, accessories. From jeans and jackets to shoes and purses ... you'll be tempted to bring everything home. The metamorphosis of Monarch, which we've been watching from their Facebook page, is certainly a wonderful addition to Charlotte.

Ruby’s Gift now has a second location in Selwyn. Just like in NoDa, this one will carry European and vintage finds, artisan jewelry from about 14 different artists, paintings and pottery. The new store has beautiful scarves and wraps and wonderful “Glow Green” candles, too (just in time for holiday shopping). While you entertain your shopping interests, let your kids discover their artistic side in the kids' art and play area — a perfect solution to the “You Break It, You Buy It” conundrum.

If you’re feeling festive, join Ruby’s for its “house warming” Holiday Happy Hour which will be held on Dec. 16 and 23 from 4-7 p.m.

2910 Selwyn Ave; www.rubysgift.com

Just discovered Queen City Gifts, a beta website for the savvy shopper who wants to get his or her holiday gifts from the local market.

They've also got a page for local deals. It's pretty sparse right now, but seeing as it's a pretty new site, I'm sure it'll be no time before the deals will be aplenty. (In fact, in the time I first started writing this post, another deal has been uploaded!)

Wondering who's behind the new site? The bottom of the site claims, "Brought to you by the Ghost of Christmas Local."