Sample Sales This Week

You should check these out:

Tibi and Hollywould - May 16-18 at 336 West 37th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues on the 15th floor

Delman Shoes - I believe this is also between May 16-18 at the Metropolitan Pavilion (enter on 19th Street)

Victoria Keen - I love this funky designer! Sale is from May 17-31 in her store on Lafayette between Bleecker and Bond Streets.

Super Size Me

I love this too much not to share it. Remember my posting about Forever 21? It's probably the only thing I've written thus far that's stirred up some controversy. Well check out the latest from the NYTimes > "Faster Fashion, Cheaper Chic."

Button Button, Who's Got the Button?

We all do, apparently. Buttons are hot right now. Remember how Reminisence, Canal Jean Co., Unique and Antique Boutique used to give away buttons and we in turn used to collect them and pin them on the straps of our book bags?

That was the 80s and as we all know, the 80s are back, baby. Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of FRESH CROP - the exhibit of final projects of the SVA graduates of the MFA Design Department. I will blog more about the hands-down coolest concept there, but tonight I just need to share the trend spotted: the button.

A couple of graduates had made buttons part of the giveaways presented in their exhibit. Additionally, there were two buttons created to represent the exhibit itself.

Interestingly, two weeks ago at work we launched a new employee newsletter and we produced a button to go along with the inaugural issue.

I guess the trend will officially be big when the likes of Starbucks and GAP/Banana/Old Navy pick it up (consider that one on the house, big brands).

Internet Museum

Just as I have been able to put my shopping addiction to good use creatively (um, hello, this blog), my friend and former manager has - among MANY other things - been able to put the inordinate amount of Internet industry swag to good creative use. I introduce you to The Internet Museum.

Class is in Session

Knowing that I'm leaving New York soon, I've reverted back to my old self circa 2005. Picture me single, with Monkey the dawg, living in the 10th Street apartment, late nights, late mornings, dog run, cawfee, bla!

All that glamour aside, I've also become someone worse than a tourist in the way I am analyzing and scruitinizing New York. I'm a hyper-absorber/observer because at this point anything I do could be the last time I do it, so it's got to be done to the fullest.

Lesson One: New York, last weekend in April 2007

• Marie Belle in SoHo serves a chocolate and lavender butter sammich that is divine
  
• Jewelry, jewelry, jewelry!
• Todd's 9th Street Market is an East Village institution
• Some people are intentionally obtuse (ML)
• There's nothing like your college friends
• There's nothing like the East Village crew
  
• Anthropologie may support anti-abortion groups, but it has a lot of great clothes
• MUD is the strongest coffee in Manhattan so take that, Starbucks!
• Holy Basil is another East Village institution - apparently we'll still wait an hour to be seated there
  
• The only way to stay out at night until 4 am and then function the next morning is to eat something before going to bed (I recommend pizza or soy sauce/ginger fried chicken drumsticks)
• Only 25 year-olds can really get away with the above mentioned formula
  
• Handbags with serious hardware are heavy even when completely empty
• Bloomingdale's SoHo has great public bathrooms (the best are in the basement in the men's department)
• Graffiti can be art
  

Straight Off the Streets

Well, Girlshop is closing so I'm going to have to come up with a new list of quality online shopping locales. But today was an unusually warm Spring day so phooey on the internet - let's take a trip outside and see what's in store for Summer fashion, shall we?

Of note:

• Mini dress are everywhere
• Flats, flats and more flats
• The Spring jacket is the short sleeved, empire waisted, big-buttoned number
• Skinny jeans (please only wear these if you have the appropriate rear end)
• Biggie big sunglasses

Yawn! I'm no editor at Vogue but truth be told, I am bored. The only style that is catching my eye is being worn by the super-Urban. And yes people, it's reminiscent of the 80s Hip Hop styles so I am loving it something fierce. The look is this - for men and women:

• Relatively slimming jeans, but not necessarily skinny
• Classic hightop kicks
• A crisp, well-fitted solid color Tshirt
• A kaffiyeh scarf around the neck (check out this 1988 article from Time Magazine - is this article really that old? I guess so; seems the pub's archives are free)
• If you're a man, a new baseball hat, brim off to the side

I Reminisce For A Spell

Things I'll Miss about NYC

• That band that plays in the 14th Street Union Square subway station in the evenings
• Prune
• Ciao for Now

Things I Won't Miss about NYC

• Shuffling off the subway while everyone moves at a sheep/cow herd pace
  
• Cellphone culture
• Rude kids
  

Flip Flops

Yesterday I purchased Teva flip flops because we're going to a wedding in Atlanta this weekend and I think I left my stash of flips at my Dad's place in FL.

Hello?! Teva flips? Am I ready for South Carolina or what?! Are Duck Head pants still around? I'm living out a dream, people.

Caroline Goes to the Carolinas

By now you may have heard, I'm moving to South Carolina. That's right, y'all, Caroline is going to the Carolinas and she is ready to drink some sweet tea!

When I shared the news with JK, we inevitably brought the conversation around to what the heck Imma do in order to get my shopping on. Let me tell you, dear friends, as soon as my man and I made the decision to get down South, I was shopping in a total and complete panic. Two weeks ago I bought a purple leather Katrin Leiber handbag as if my life depended on it. This past weekend I strolled into Filene's Basement in Union Square with absolutely no focus and strolled out with two dresses and a skirt.

When the decision was official, I initially stressed about how many items of clothing I own in the color black; this week I've convinced myself (with some help from KH) I'll start a trend down there.

As JK put it, I'm like No Impact Man's family preparing for a year of making no impact on the environment. Mind you, I mean this as no disrespect to No Impact Man because I think he's righteous (read his blog, check out his experience, unplug your cellphone and other chargers when you're not using them. Al Gore knows what he's talking about: if we closed the hole in the ozone we can definitely do our part to conserve energy and not completely F-up the global environs). My only point is, I am in a shopping frenzy - it feels kind of like stockpiling.

Oh and for the record, it's not just me. Seems me man had a touch of the shop in him all along. Consider the following: Two days ago EJ asked me to buy him 3 packages of MOP pomade "just in case." And as I blogged last week, home slice dragged me into every store in the Chelsea Mall looking for new outfits for his new job.

The result of all this moving hysteria? I have settled down slightly as the reality has set in. I am now very patiently scoping an over-the-shoulder off-white Marc Jacobs handbag on sale at Loehmann's (new location opening soon on the Upper West Side - holla!), but I am also scoping cardboard boxes because the gear has to be packed in something.

Mariachi Express

Hop on the 5 train, sit down, lean back, plug the iPod headphones into your ears and relax. Let a couple of stops go by and realize there's a richer sound coming from inside the subway car. A trio of accordion, guitar and stand up base with pleasant, harmonized singing. Turn the iPod off, slip them a buck when they're through. Smile. Thank you.

Good Bread, Good Meat, Good God, Let's Shop

Just when I thought last weekend presented me with the best eating and shopping day, in came this weekend.

Last Sunday was Blue Hill at Stone Barns with R & S C. We drove up there in Vanilla, stomped around the mud in our fancy shoes, ate lovely greens and beef and fish, then headed home. What happened next really couldn't have without the Cs...we went to Target! Oh joy - I got a $25 Isaac Mizrahi pencil skirt and the Olay eye derma pods (sorry, mother earth).

Fast forward to this morning. EJ and I head out to MUD where we get the usual: two Italian breakfasts and granola/yogurt/fruit to share. Jacked up on their crazy-caffeinated coffee we head over to Zara to "look for" shirts for EJ. Five hours later we've gone into about every store in the area I like to call the Chelsea Mall. Mark it in the history books, people: the man bought considerably more than I did today. At 3 pm we were famished so we popped into the new tapas place on 19th Street, Boqueria. Que autentico! En serio, yo - this place knows what it's doing when it comes to a tortilla, datiles con bacon and its selections of wine and cheeses.

So what do you say, this coming weekend?

Go Go Gadget Shopper

Gadgets - I hate to love them. For the most part, I am intimidated by gadgets because I don't know them; they are not my forte from a shopping perspective. Buying a gadget involves serious research that I'm just not that into - Consumer Reports, CNET, yadda yadda. If you told me to spend a day perusing all the fashion mags to determine what's hot, I would gladly waste away the hours, but to cozy up with the latest issue of PC World, all I have to say is yipes.

It is for this reason that it has taken me this long to actually own a digital camera. Well, the best part about it is that I didn't need to buy it myself -- it was the best birthday gift ever from my man.

Of course now the next stage is to actually learn how to use it, how to keep my hand steady enough to take a good photo, etc. But to christen my new-digital-camera-meets-blog experience, here is a photo for my girl AM. She recently gave me these magnets (shoes!) and as you can see, they are being used most efficiently to hold up a post card of the wonderful City Bakery, where we used to spend a lot of money when our office was directly across the street (Hello, $15 lunch).

Subway Musings

It's true, I used the word "musings" - I must really be a blogger now, boy oh boy. In all seriousness, the NYC subway is where I get most of my inspiration. While riding uptown to work the other day I started thinking about how beautiful women are maybe the only people who can get away with not being the most stylish people. The same does not hold true for beautiful men - men who are extremely good looking can't dress like slobs. I noticed a very beautiful woman the other day but would not have said her coat, pants, shoes and bag worked together. Thoughts?

The other topic I wanted to explore is the converse low-tops that slip on with no laces, but still have loops for laces. Everyone under the age of 30 is wearing these shoes right now. I recently purchase a pair of black low-top cons but the traditional, with-laces style. I prefer the with-laces look, but some people can pull off the no laces version.

What's In a Commercial?

Somehow, our TV is programmed right now to display the words that are being recited when the "mute" function is turned on. I'm not sure if this is called Closed-Captioned or subtitled, but I think you know what I'm referring to.

The point that has me so fascinated is that apparently only certain corporations opt to have their commercials (or "spots" as my husband in the ad industry likes to say) display the words if they're on mute. Please note that I am referring to the television you receive for free here in NYC when you plug your box into the wall, not TiVo or some DVRness - just plain old network television (ah, Network - see that movie, please).

Here are the companies I've noticed tonight that pay extra - I assume - to have you read exactly what they're saying to you, Y-O-U.

McDonald's
Subway (ie: the sanwiches)
Dunkin Donuts
Target.

It's the last one on the list that has me writing this posting ce nuit. As you know, I love me some Target. But I was able to read the "lyrics" to the "song" in the most recent Target commercial and I was taken aback. Forget subliminal, it might as well be saying, "buy, buy, buy now, spend."
Does the Target have some bewitching power over me that I simply do not realize? And here I was thinking I just chose the Target on my own, that the powerful red and the bullseye logo and the recruiting of the designers had nothing to do with it.

You Work Hard for the Money, So You Better Shop Online Right

When you've worked all weekend and have pulled some pretty late nights in the office, the only sensible thing to do once you finally get home is curl up with your laptop, slap a clay mask on that tired face, sip on a glass of cheapo Sauvignon Blanc and shop online!

My online shopping routine involves perusing and purchasing from the following:

• Bluefly.com. I know, I can't stop referring to this website, but I really am hooked. I got a fabulous Marc Jacobs jacket on this site for $40 and ever since, I love.
  
  
• Zappos.com. This is another one of my faves. It's easy to lose a good two hours here - and it is always selling that pair of shoes you found at some retail shop that wasn't carrying your size.
  
  
• Girlshop.com. I don't know why I'm so drawn to this site, I have really only ever bought something at its offline sample sales, but I like feel of the navigation (even though it doesn't make too much sense) and the photos are done very well. Most importantly, I like to keep my finger on the pulse of what the kids are wearing these days.
  
  
• Target.com. This is an offline powerhouse, indeed. But if you live in Manhattan the only options for the retail store experience are Bklyn (full picked through) and Riverdale and Queens, I think but am not even sure. The point is, the site is excellent for affordable work dresses.

What are your favorite online shopping destinations? Share, people, share.

Shoes, Glorious Shoes

When my man is out of town for the weekend, the first order of business is to head downtown to Century 21 - not the real estate company, folks, the discount department store!

I was first introduced to "Century's" by ACT back when we worked at the bank on Wall Street. El Century Veintouno opens at 7 am on weekdays so it was a great place to pick up those second pairs of stockings when we discovered runs on the subway rides to work...it was also a great place to blow paychecks every two weeks.

Oh Century, you sold me my first and only pair of Prada shoes, my sparkley Costume National pants (speaking of which, check out the CoSTUME NATIONAL website: it's hot), my Moschino Cheap & Chic miniskirt and the Milly dress I wore to the rehearsal dinner for my wedding. Unfortunately today you really didn't have what I was looking for, still I purchased two pairs of shoes from you.
And then I headed home, but on the way I remembered Anbar Shoes, which you may recall I highlight in a previous posting. Hello! All Winter shoes at Anbar were either $20 or $25. Well I bought three pairs at Anbar and then went right back to Century and returned the one pair that cost more than half of the three pairs at Anbar.

Top that day off with a visit to the Barney's Warehouse Sale (black wool Theory pants) with JK followed by a dinner at Caracas Arepas and you have yourself one perfect day.

Saleabration

This just in from the trenches - I went to the Rafe sale this weekend and picked up this little number which in addition to a cute wallet in the same style was under $200. If my previous posting didn't pique your interest in this sale then hopefully that information will!

Also, thanks to MS for reminding me about the upcoming Barney's Warehouse Sale - don't forget to check it out between February 15 and March 4. I owe a lot to that sale - some fabulous shoes, a great camel-colored coat. Oh the memories...I once tried something on, put it back on the rack and Amy Poehler asked me if I was taking it. Fabulous!

So I was thinking about the process of shopping and the whole concept of "retail therapy." That's a pretty cheesy way of describing an aspect of shopping I think is very real. There's something so relaxing about strolling around and trying things on at your favorite places - maybe you buy something, maybe you don't - but in the meantime you're mentally stepping outside yourself, while physically you're scrutinizing yourself very closely.

Of course when you're shopping with a friend it's very different, but also very comforting. You can talk through a number of topics with your friend from a number of angles while going from store to store and trying things on. You stroll around, have a good ol' chat, encourage each other - if that isn't therapeutic, I don't know what is.

Ok, before I get too "Deep Thoughts" on something that can also be very shallow and consumerism-focused, let me sign off and get back to another type of scrutiny - the review of Grammy Award outfits (love you, Mary J)!

Hot or Not?

Hot

Rafe New York - source of the world's hottest handbags, is moving from its Bowery Street shop to a soon-to-be-announced new location (the woman working the store when I stopped in said they were deciding between two different locations). Their moving sale means 70% off. This is a crazy, nutso deal so get yourselves over there if you've ever coveted anything by Rafe. Apparently the sale will be going on through February until the inventory is gone, and it was a limited selection this past weekend so consider yourselves informed.

Not

Proenza Schouler for Target. All I can say here is "boo!" I was one of the truly desperate who stood in line for 1/2 hour on Saturday for a glimpse of this line at a preview sale at the store Opening Ceremony on Howard Street. I bought three items - a jean skirt, a blazer and a dress and I had to return the jean skirt (button popped off) and the dress the very next day. At least they allowed me to easily make the return, but the point is this line isn't as cool as others like Tara Jarmon, Paul and Joe (or - hey - Rafe!) for Target.

Big Bubang Theory

The most important accessory for winter? It's not a hat, not gloves, not a sweater or an overcoat. It's not a body exfoliant, not a facial exfoliant; not a body moisturizer or a facial moisturizer. It's not cozy warm socks and it's not a nice fluffy Patagonia fleece.

No my friends, it is this one simple device: the humidifier.

In New York, the humidifier is a standby to the old radiator-heated apartments. This heating I'm talking about renders you bone dry. For the past few years we have therefore been rocking the $25 drugstore special - the Vicks humidifier without the Vaporub (even the word evokes memories of a toilet paper scarf worn to bed at night, but that is a subject for another posting). After last season, however, we decided the filtration system in the cheap-o model just wasn't cutting it, so my gallant husband upped the ante to the $40 model.

His attraction to the new device was that it had an option for hot humidity dispension, and by hot humidity dispension I mean it boiled water. Back to PC Richards it went and we invested in the $100 Air-O-Swiss option with a back-up ionic silver filter thingy from Bed, Bath and Bayond. We spent the night soaking the filter, filling up the device and switching it on and off every so often just to finally determine that it was defective. Back to B,B and B it went and we spent the next day viewing the city's finest (read: most miserable) appliance stores - PC Richards (both the East Village and Chelsea locations), Home Depot, Best Buy, Circuit City (they do not sell humidifiers..."Who?" "Humidifiers - they're not a band, they're household appliances").

We were nearly at our wit's end when EJ's initial suggestion - a joke at first - sounded so much more appealing. m2m on 11th Street and 3rd Avenue calls itself the Asian Convenient Store. Well three cheers to convenient-ness because the Bubang humidifier was less than $100 and that included a free humidifier cleaning product.

Considering the headline of this posting, is it absolutely horrible if I tell you the moral of this story is that when shopping for a humidifier, always go out with a Bubang?

Genius Blog about, Yes, Lip Balm

This is amazing - I am adding this blog to my list of faves over to the side but I had to also devote a post to it. The name says it all:

Chaptastic

I myself have been slightly obsessed recently over various lip stuff options with my newest favorite being L'Occitane en Provence's Creamy Honey Lip Balm (yes, that is actually the full name of that retailer). Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream is a classic favorite that always works.