TODAY'S UPDATES!

Good afternoon!
I have a few 'quick & dirty'  fashion 'bites' to share with you today!  

In Sample Sale news....

Get ready for the  crème de le crème of all Sample Sales: HERMES.....

On Wednesday, March 23rd in NYC, you won't find any Birkin bags but you may surely come away with some other beautiful purses, wallets, enamel bracelets, belts, ties, scarves, and other accessories....Sure, the line will be long but hey, it's Hermes so it's worth it!

Here are the details:

Location: Soiffer Haskin, 317 W. 33rd Street near 8th Avenue
Hours: Wednesday, March 23rd, 9am—6pm
Thursday, March 24th, 9am𔃐pm
Friday, March 25th, 9am—6pm
Saturday, March 26th., 9am—6pm
Sunday, March 27th, 1pm—5pm

Likewise, check out the flier for the Barneys Warehouse sale.  The LA sale is underway and the NYC sale starts tomorrow! Remember, prices are slashed as the sale comes to a close....happy shopping!

Let's get down to business on today's 'hi/lo' picks.....

Nikki Minaj's 2011 Grammy 'ensemble' aside, it does seem like leopard print is hitting the runway hot & heavy these days....  Look at these brand new leopard print sheath dresses in a variety of price ranges....

Lanvin stretch nylon sheath- $1,125.00

Norma Kamali stretch jersey sheath- $20.00

Alice & Olivia cotton sheath-$300.00

Now, if any of you know me personally, you know that I'm a total fool for embellished necklines, dramatic sleeves, and detailed cuts that shape and 'move'.  

These cape dresses definitely 'move' with you and will cause heads to turn.

I do, however, want you to know that even though these dresses appear to be the same exact dress, can you guess which of these cape dresses is a $20 ASOS brand frock and which is a $1,595 Alexander McQueen piece? Hmmm.....

Last but not least, remember the FLY leather-sleeved Burberry trench coat that Emma Watson wore a few months back? Well TOPSHOP has its own 3/4 sleeve version for $260!!!! We're all educated so I think we can safely assume that the Burberry trench is AT LEAST ten times as much!  So honey, you go ahead and rock that TopShop trench like Emma did because I guarantee that NO ONE will ever know the difference! Till next time...xoxo ME!

Pt. II of "I'm Baaaaack!" Feb. 10,2011

Lastly on the fashion front, you know I can't help but troll the Internet to see what's new and what wets my whistle..... Here is a small sampling of both my 'hi' and 'lo' obsessions of the week!

Ok, so Victoria Beckham aka 'Posh Spice' isn't marketing to the masses with these $800 sunglasses but when I tell you that these 18K gold & rose tinted aviators are THE BUSINESS, I mean it! Ughh...maybe they'll go on sale??? ;-)



In furtherance of my 'nude' obsession, these Dolce Vita suede wedges with the tassel back zip are a no brainer! For $179 on the www.shopdolcevita.com website (or $190 on www.shopbop.com) you can get in one two Spring trends for one: platform wedges PLUS the nude palette.



If you want to go 'luxe' with the combined nude/platform wedge trend, these Lanvin (no-not Lanvin for H&M but LANVIN straight up!) patent leather wooden wedge heels are DI-VINE PERIOD! I love the blush (there I go again ;-)) satin ankle ribbon....so "Ballerina Girl"!

This Elizabeth and James skirt (retailing for $465) really caught my eye! I love the corset-like high waisted, perforated leather band against the twill A-line bottom.  This one is definitely a "Closet Classic"!





In the same $500 for a leather skirt vein, $495 for this Alice & Olivia butter leather skirt is not really in my budget right now but I thought it was so cute for spring and very 'different' in cut & color for a leather skirt.  I love how the 'hardness' of the leather is 'softened' by the color and pleating.  Definitely a good look on a nice spring day!



You know no blog of mine would be complete without a 'TopShop' pick! Check out this olive colored military jacket! Speaking of 'hardness' being 'softened', look at how the chiffon overlay not only updates but sophisticates this take on a classic khaki military jacket! For $178, I would say this is a very sound investment.  I envision it being worn with shorts to jeans to skirt to trousers and back again.... from the street to the office- very versatile!





Last, but not least, I had to add these very giuseppe zanotti looking Rhinestone 'camo' shoe booties by Report Signature for $395.   These are HAUTE! And seriously, you couldn't tell that you didn't pay a penny less than $1,500 for these!  Rock on with your bad self!

  

Well, I think that's all I have time to report today but in the spirit of being a bit more well-rounded and giving just as much attention to the 'inside' as the outside, I want to let you know that our favorite juice cleanse- BLUEPRINT CLEANSE is partnering with Whole Foods in Tribeca NYC to provide their BLUEPRINT juices to the masses.  You can buy them 'a la carte' from the produce section and devise your own cleansing program at your own pace and according to your own pocket!

If that doesn't work to slim you down, Commando underwear is giving Spanx a run for their money by offering these nylon/spandex tights that suck you in and sleek you up in all the right places. Even the models at fashion week are wearing them on the runway! Find these tights at Saks Fifth Avenue from $20-$30 a pop!

I'm signing off now! Be back soon with some Fashion Week updates!
xoxo
me

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!

OMG- I HAVE SOOO MUCH TO SHARE WITH YOU!!!!
It's Fashion Week in NYC so LOTS of fashion/lifestyle news is floating in the air.....
Unfortunately, a cold prevented me from taking advantage of front row seats to the Tadashi Shoji show this afternoon (I couldn't bear to sit though a show with a snot rag and watery eyes...) but I'm definitely all about keeping up with the 'goings ons' for us all!  
Let's get down to business...

First order of business is to let you know that even if you missed Manolo's huge blowout bi-annual sale at the Warwick Hotel in NYC this past November like I did, you may still have a chance to grab a pair for a few hundred bucks (discounts are around 75% off!).    The sale at the NYC boutique began earlier this week with prices from $195-$350 but if you're willing to wait it out and risk not having a  wide selection to choose from OR if you have an 'unconventional shoe size' ( i.e. 5/6 or 10/11) where you're pretty much guaranteed a wider selection, you can probably get them discounted further as the week winds down (the sale should run though this week/weekend at least). 
Manolo Blahnik
31 West 54th Street
Abby: 212-582-3007
Monday-Friday 10:30AM-6PM
The boutique will close from 2pm to 3pm to restock when necessary


50% off of Lanvin/H&M Collection!!!
You heard it right....
All of those returns are now HALF OFF- IF you can find them!   In NYC, some of the collection on sale were found in the Soho store and in LA, some of the 50% off Lanvin pieces  were spotted at the Americana, Westside Pav, Century City, and Topanga stores.

In other H&M News, did you know that FLOTUS wore a $34.95 polka dot H&M dress on the Today show yesterday morning?!?  See...she knows what's up!!!! See her in the dress above.... She's rocking it!!!  Watch and mark my words that she will be seen in more H&M as time goes on.... Maybe she'll rock something from their new 'Glamour' collection?!? Check out some of my picks from that collection below:

Of course I can't give H&M all of this attention without shouting out my other 'low brow price with high brow functionality' store....Forever 21.   Following the likes of  H&M, Target, Kohls, Walmart, etc, Forever 21 has entered into the "Collabo" zone .  Last year they commissioned a collection from designer Brian Lichtenberg and now they are currently debuting their line with Petro Zillia.  Designer Rory Beca's line follows on March 4th.  These lines will be priced from under $6 to less than $35  (compared to the $100 plus price tag that each of these designers normally command).    I'll post some photos of my picks as soon as possible (I haven't yet fallen in love with any of the pieces I've seen so far....).

I do recommend the following Forever21 pieces from their regular line as compliments to your spring wardrobe (and to take advantage of the 'coral'/'turquoise'/'maxi dress' trends without breaking the bank):

the 'gold' may  eventually 'turn' green on you but for $8.80, you can certainly afford to rock this at least once!

You might get more longevity out of this 'silver' version ;-)





This dress combines both the floral and maxi trends for spring- all for one low price of $27.80! I love that it looks so Vintage!  Soooo cute with a wide-brim, floppy hat & flats!

Rounding out my 'collabo' convo from above, do you know that David's Bridals has snagged VERA WANG???? Yes- you heard me! Vera has completed a line of Vera Wang wedding gowns exclusive to David's Bridal debuting this Spring!!! All of the dresses are under $1500 (and I have to tell you that some of her gowns from her regular line sell for upwards of $12,000!) and are being offered in sizes 0- 30 so as Oprah would say, "Vera for EVERY BRIDE!"!   I really love a few of these pieces  and I TOTALLY would have snagged that strapless blush one for my wedding- HANDS DOWN - and saved about $3000 in the process (esp. since my dress did have a blush bottom...but I do  love my dress!).

Here are some photos but I suggest you visit the link to get a better view (these pix don't do the dresses justice):

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Browse_White-by-Vera-Wang?cm_mmc_o=7BBTkwCjCKPj8tbfw+PY+ewyz+8zETCjC8e8+PyzEpCjCMwyz+czET+pzMbp%27l+_ybpzk&gclid=CLTV4ILa3aYCFQkf4Qod0AvU0w

 In other designer news,
Brian Atwood will soon be launching a lower priced line that will sell between $100 and $600.  This makes me sooo happy because I LOVE  his shoes but can't bring myself to buy them at their full price of $600-$800 (note that I did snag a pair on sale at Saks before so it's not impossible to get a pair from the signature main line for less than $500).  The line is called "B Brian Atwood" and will be sold at Saks, Barneys Co-Op, Fred Segal, and Shopbop.com.  According to Atwood, the line was specifically designed "to be more downtown, and less red carpet, but of course you’ll have high heels because that’s what people associate with me".  Check out a couple
of the shoes here... LOVE LOVE LOVE!



For those of you who follow stylist Rachel Zoe, you'd know that Brian Atwood is one of her FAVORITE- if not THE favorite- shoe designers.  He actually designed a boot for her- made to her specific specifications!

Well, Zoe now has her own fashion line and the initial collection didn't move me but I must say that a few of her Spring 2011 designs caught my eye.... I love the 70s 'YSL' look to her suits (with the wide legged pants that Celeb Stylist Pam Watson recommended to us a few weeks back and the 'Le Smoking' type jackets that  Mr. Yves Saint Laurent himself made so famous ).  Zoe describes her line as  "uptown chic and downtown cool infused with Parisian elegance and London street style,"    Check out my picks here:

Lastly on the fashion front, you know I can't help but troll the Internet to see what's new and what wets my whistle..... Here is a small sampling of both my 'hi' and 'lo' obsessions of the week!

TGIF!!!

Hello all!!! I have been playing a bit of 'hookie' due to the weather/traveling/etc. but i couldn't close out the week without sharing some news with you.....

As you are well aware, H&M is one of  my 'go to' places along with TopShop, ASOS, etc for inexpensive but cute, functional, and innovative pieces that can make you look like a million bucks without spending it-especially when you pair it with something that does cost close to that million (a la 'hi/lo' effect ;-)).

So, in the latest H&M news, I recently found out that on April 14th, they will be launching their "Conscious Collection" in various shades of romantic and flowy 'white' for women and men where they use 'green' and eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton, organic linen, and recycled polyester to construct  high impact fashion with low impact environmental consequences.   Check out some of my favs here:

 

 






As I mentioned above, TopShop is def in my 'fav' list and there is no way I can blog about fashion 'steals' without adding a few of my picks from TopShop.  Today's submissions have a 'twist' theme ;-).


'Cherry Twist Blouse' $90

 

'Tangerine Twist Dress $110'



Last but not least, for my west-coast girls, Rachel Pally is having a sample sale this weekend.  Go cop something for me!

Gotta run- its 'date night' ;-).  Talk to you next week!
xoxo
me

P.S. Before I go, I had to share... check out this Winter Kate (by Nicole Ritchie) dress on sale at Shopbop for from almost $300 to $157 and its ASOS comparison for $77.... can you tell the difference??? Hmmmm....  I'll let you guess. ;-)