Sales, Sales, Sales

"[to Katinka] By the way, you were wrong about my outfit. It's the Cheryl Ladd collection and I got it at JC Penney's. On sale!"--Christine Taylor as Matilda in Zoolander

Guys and Gals there are tons of Columbus Day Sales going on!

www.Bluefly.com, an online store that has deeply discounted designer clothes:



Has 15% off designer jeans, dresses, and jackets.



At Kenneth Cole enjoy an extra 30% off sale items:



Visit Saks.com or Saks Fifth Avenue stores for 30%-40% off selections:



J.Crew (www.jcrew.com) has a few fall items on sale online (though I'm not too impressed with the selection);



And finally, my gift to you, since everyone reading is a friend or just like family: a 20% off coupon at Lacoste. Given how expensive Lacoste is, I don't know how much 20% will help...but at least you can feel a little better about buying that $150 cotton sweater (with the cute crocodile):





Just copy, paste, and print. Get your shop on!

Smootches!

Vesting Matters

"See... my... Vest. See my vest. / Made from real gorilla chest. / See this sweater, there's no better, than authentic Irish Setter."--Mr. Burns from the Simpsons

Vests like these...



and this $98 one from J.Crew...



have made a comeback.

I don't really know how I feel about this trend...the masculine look doesn't really work for me. Still, ever the fashion/shopping addict, I decided to do a small search/investigation for feminine and flirty versions.

I popped into Anthropologie, a store that has great, French-inspired, well made clothes, but very very high prices:



I didn't even bother looking at the full priced $200+ offerings..I made a bee-line for the Sales section:





At first glance it seemed as if everything down there were leftovers from the summer, but I did manage to find and quickly fall in love with this wool, cashmere, and lycra blend green vest by Velvet:



Here's a picture from the Anthro website:



This is how it looked on:



It was $70 marked down from $158.

This vest is great for so many reasons: It's different and fashionable, the color is rich...and the shape of it is absolutely perfect. The vertical lines the vest makes down the middle are apparently slimming (according to many experts I've spoken to), and the draping by the tummy would be a perfect pudge concealer after a big meal. You can wear it over anything, but I think it'd look best over a simple long sleeved top or turtleneck; the website suggests wearing it over a collared shirt, but I'd have to see it on.

I left my credit card at home, so I couldn't run to the cashier and scream 'Charge it!' as I normally would. But, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go back in there when I have some extra cash and pick it up...and maybe it'll be on sale for less!

Check out Anthro's items on their website www.anthropologie.com, and pop in their stores in the next few weeks for first dibs on fall sale items.

Smootches!

The Virtues of Virtual Shopping

"Paulette, I taught Bruiser to shop online, I think I can handle congress"--Reese Witherspoon as Elle in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde

My friends and I decided to drop into Urban Outfitters this weekend.



Sure it's a national chain, but they have affordable, edgy clothes that tend to scream 'look at me!' rather than look past me.

I'm feeling the whole trendy 'plaid' theme going on, and I decided to find one piece for my fall wardrobe.

I came across this bubble skirt by Lux.



It doesn't look that great in that picture, but trust me, it's cute. I can imagine that this skirt would look AMAZING with some knee high brown, black or wine colored boots (like the ones I got for $15 at the thrift store!!!) and any solid colored top...I'm thinking a black, purple, or cream turtleneck would tame the colors down but would still make the skirt stand out. It's so colorful that you could do tons with it.

The skirt was $68 in the store, which isn't bad, but my friend told me that she wouldn't pay more than $35 for it. She was right. The thing about trendy items is that you don't want to spend a ton because you might not be wearing that trucker hat/poncho/rhinestoned jean next season. You want to be in style, but you also don't want to regret any purchases by overspending.

I left Urban skirtless...I was sad, but also pretty sure I wouldn't pay full price. Well today I went online and found the same skirt on sale for $40 (plus $5 shipping!). Turns out the sale is a www.urbanoutfitters.com exclusive.

I couldn't click 'check out' fast enough. It should arrive in 5 days.

Bottom line, ladies: there are deals to be found online. If you want something and it's too expensive, walk away. But check back at the store's website or do a froogle search to see if you can find it for cheaper.

Smootches!