Gilly Kicks Off Back-to-School With the Hottest Parties in Town!

You are invited to the hottest party in town, Gilly Girl! | Email promotional image, Gilly Hicks

WE LOVE GILLY!

To all you Gilly Girls out there...if you haven't heard, then you'll know now! What the koala am I talking about? The Gilly Hicks Private Party Tour!

That's right. Back-to-School 2011 is in session and Gilly is on a tour - she's throwing party after party in honor of her amazing Gilly Girls! And take note: there will be abs, abs ABS! Only the sexiest guys to make the festivities even better...take a picture with them to complete the experience and capture memories you won't want to forget!

Are you in? Who isn't! You can "reserve" your invite on the Gilly Hicks Girls page on Facebook - that or just show up, babe! Make sure that you're among the first 100 gals lined up at the door though so that you can receive a limited-edition Gilly Hicks Girls tee! Um, I'd be there way before hand if I were you. (Check store hours at your nearest Gilly Hicks store participating in the event). Here's when things are going Down Undie!...

Will this have you lined-up?! Private Party at Woodfield
Mall Shopping Center at Schaumburn, IL in May 2011
(image source)

July 24

• Roseville, California
• Houston, Texas
• Aurora, Illinois
• Farmington, Connecticut

July 31

• Tukwila, Washington
• Arcardia, California
• Natick, Massachussetts
• Schaumburg, Illinois

August 7

• West Nyack, New York
• San Antonio, Texas
• Glendale, California
• Orland Park, Illinois

August 14

• Lake Grove, New York
• Plano, Texas

August 25

• London, England (I have a suspicion that this Private Party is going to be HUGE!)

Parties, hotties, goodies, and more...Hey mates! Are things heating up in the Land of Down Undies or what?! Stay FIERCE, my friends!

Check out our Gilly Gets Private Down Under! post to read up on the first ever Private Party and to get an idea on how hot the upcoming ones will be!

Damn it feels good to be a Lannister

Hilarious!!!

New Canadian cover art for the trade paperback edition of Guy Gavriel Kay's UNDER HEAVEN

I love it!

This new trade edition of Under Heaven sports a Tang Dynasty painting on the cover and will also contain a Book Club readers guide. It will be released in September 2011.

Sam Sykes contest winner

This lucky winner will receive autographed copies of Tome of the Undergates (Canada, USA, Europe) and Black Halo (Canada, USA, Europe), compliments of Sam Sykes himself!

The winner is:

- Justin Landon, from Washington D. C., USA

Many thanks to all the participants! =)

Quote of the Day

One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.

- UNKNOWN

Words to live by.

Win a copy of Mark Lawrence's PRINCE OF THORNS

I have three copies of Mark Lawrence's fantasy debut, Prince of Thorns, up for grabs, compliments of the folks at Ace. For more info about this title: Canada, USA, Europe

Here's the blurb:

Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother's tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse. They say these are violent times, the end of days when the dead roam and monsters haunt the night. All that's true enough, but there's something worse out there, in the dark. Much worse.

Once a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg's bleak past has set him beyond fear of any man, living or dead, but there is still one thing that puts a chill in him. Returning to his father's castle Jorg must confront horrors from his childhood and carve himself a future with all hands turned against him.

The rules are the same as usual. You need to send an email at reviews@(no-spam)gryphonwood.net with the header "THORNS." Remember to remove the "no spam" thingy.

Second, your email must contain your full mailing address (that's snail mail!), otherwise your message will be deleted.

Lastly, multiple entries will disqualify whoever sends them. And please include your screen name and the message boards that you frequent using it, if you do hang out on a particular MB.

Good luck to all the participants!

After A&F Paris...the FIERCE Party Moves to Madrid!

Under cosntruction, yet still looking FIERCE! | (image source)

After its awesome opening in Paris last May, Abercrombie & Fitch is now gearing up to open its Madrid flagship store! Soon to be a new addition to the awesome line-up of A&F international locations, A&F Madrid has Spain head over heals. The company has not been very expressive on when it will open doors to A&F Madrid. Everyone is certain the the flagship will open before the summer is over...sometime in August was very likely. However, I have talked to some Madrilenians and it seems that A&F Madrid will open in November! Spaniard Abercrombie & Fitch fans are completely mad with the anticipation, but they all realize that the killer wait is worth it. "It is good to order the products online...But finally we'll have this store on our streets and we'll be able to enjoy the latest styles firsthand," so states Top Madrid, an online guide to Madrid...

Practically snack in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula, Madrid is the center of everything culture and cool! It is the ground of fantastic museums (art, art, ART!), restaurants, history, NIGHTLIFE!, and shopping, of course! Considering all this (and its zest and life), the city ranks as 10th in the world for the Most livable city as according to Monocle; it ranks as the 12th greenest city in Europe, if you care. Oh, and Madrid is a major European financial hub. With a populace of more than 3.2 million residents, it is the third largest city (behind London and Berlin) in the European Union; it remains the third city in Europe (behind London and Paris) when including its metropolitan area of 6.2 million people! There is no doubt about it: Madrid is a global city worthy of Abercrombie & Fitch!

It is within this global city that the Company has acquire the perfect location for its next great flagship. A&F Madrid is to be housed inside the beautiful No.5 structure located on exclusive Plaza del Marqués Salamanca at the corner of Salamanca and Calle de Ortega y Gasset. And let me tell you: A&F loves strategically placing its flagship stores on street corners. The position provides the perfect spot to showcase the brand by allowing it to prominently stand out in all its FIERCE glory. Oh, and stand out it does! For months now, the entire building has been hidden from public eyes by a towering construction wall plastered with imagery of half-naked males. (The photography is from Christmas 2009). Architectural renovations have been underway behind the wall "top-to-bottom." Abercrombie & Fitch has a penchant for high detail and design, and it strives to preserve the architectural heritage of every location is acquires for its flagships. There is a focus on restoring the original, significant aesthetics, all the while implementing the prototype for the iconic A&F flagships. Mike Jeffries (chairman and CEO, the man who made A&F what it is today) has called A&F Madrid "fantastic," so says CincoDias.

When complete, A&F Madrid will be a marvel to FIERCE shopping. The flagship is estimated (as of what we know so far) to offer up to 14,000 square feet. And while we are on the topic of figures, the leasing price is expected to be very high. Plaza del Marqués de Salamanca is one of the most exclusive slabs of pavement in all of Madrid; it is located in the upscale and historic Salamanca district, after all. Factor in the costs for the renovations and the expenses needed to operate the flagship store...yeah, a lot of €€€! That Abercrombie & Fitch will be in good company among such high-end retailers - Chanel and Louis Vuitton to give you an idea - is utterly priceless. After your shopping at A&F Madrid, maybe a drink at the nearby Moët & Chandon champagne bar will make the perfect rest after a day inside the hottest store in town...

P.S. If you just happen to be living in Madrid, Abercrombie & Fitch is currently still holding available positions for A&F Madrid.

The cream-colored structure on the right is the future home of A&F Madrid as seen before A&F acquired the location and began renovations | Screenshot from Google Maps used here for illustrative purposes only, Google logo and imagery copyrighted by Google Inc.