Confessions of a Savvy Shopper!

Savvy shopping is a real thing! No matter the price point or designs you desire, there is always a way to be a frugal fashionista...

My fave fashion victories have come from various places, but no matter what, it’s about knowing what your searching for and making it your shopping mission to find it for less. Always be realistic and you’ll never be disappointed, you might even be pleasantly surprised! 

Let’s start with brick-and-mortar stores. My personal favorites will always be the outlets and off-price stores. With the economy shaken over the past year, stores have had to clear out their inventory at sometimes bargain basement prices. You see the savings when you head to the outlets of places like Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein, White House Black Market, even Saks (Off Fifth). Retailers have to make projections and buy their merchandise almost a year in advance, which means there exists a potential for miscalculation. It could be that an item didn’t sell because they marked it up too much. It could also be that they bought too many pieces and they couldn’t move the units they had predicted. Either way it’s always a bank error in your favor and also is reason to never assume that outlet merchandise is of lesser quality. 

~My Cole Haan boots from Saks (Off 5th) Orig: $500, I paid: $130!!!~

 

(I would just like to note however that some larger stores do create lower price point items specifically for outlets, especially bigger names like Gap for example.)

My new favorite outlet is the Tanger Outlet in Long Island. It is GORGEOUS and happens to also be brand new and one of the largest outlets I have ever seen! Other great places to go on style safari are Marshall’s, T.J. Maxx, or Century 21 but they can be hit or miss and you have to be willing to dig a little. I recommend going to these stores early when everything is still in some semblance of order.

My 2 online shopping sanctuaries are Gilt Groupe and believe it or not, E-Bay. Gilt started as an invite-only shopping community (now you can sign yourself up) with limited time deals on designer clothes; we are talking off the runway here people! Once you get a referral to join you can invite other friends. When a friend makes their first purchase, you get a $25 credit. I’ve been able to snag a Chloe dress and Kate Spade bag for almost 1/4 of the retail price! Again this is the real deal guys- buyers for the company negotiate to take remaining product off designers hands at super low prices because the inventory needs to be cleared. Timing is everything and there are different designer sales daily.

 E-bay is great if you know what you’re doing when sleuthing for designer finds. I’ve had success with vintage designer bags and clothing and my latest conquest was a nearly $450 Kate Spade bag I got for $180. Buyers beware though because there are TONS of knock-offs out there. Always look at the fine print on a description and check out the seller’s ratings. You can always ask questions and some people have lenient return policies if the items isn’t as they described it.

~My new Kate Spade bag!~

 So be an educated shopper and go forth for savings!

For all of you DIY folks- check out this gals consignment conquests, A-MAZING
 

Pink Tiara’s and Challenge #5:

          So over the Labor Day weekend I was a busy girl! My cousin Kelly is getting married in a few weeks and I made it my mission to plan her bachelorette party. She wanted something low key so I got the rest of the bridal party to tell her a fib that we were all just going to a restaurant on the Connecticut shoreline and to meet at my house to carpool.

What Kelly didn’t know was that instead, we were going have a girls night starting with pizza and make your own sundaes and ending with some serious girl dance time! Using the powers of the internet and the Party City web site, I was able to find some sassy party decorations and set the mood. My favorite was the pin the lips on the hunk game. We of course pasted Jared Leto’s head on the hunky body because that’s Kelly’s favorite. 

~Frilly decorations~

~Immature novelties~

~Dreamy Jarrod Leto~

Each girl signed up to bring a tasty drink and I provided the pizza and sundae creating supplies and before I knew it, it was time to get dressed. 

It was the perfect time to bust out Challenge #5, a gold tank top with ruffle details from White House Black Market. What I love about the top is the fit and the fact that the ruffle detail adds a feminine touch so that it’s not ‘just a tank top’. There is also gold threading throughout which gives it a nice evening look. I paired it with dark jeggings (my new favorite) and some gold and turquoise statement jewelry (which went well with the pink tiaras I got for everyone). 

~The bride-to-be and her bridal party~

 

Not only did we pull off a great surprise on Kelly, but we got to take her out to shoot some pool and dance a bit. For me, I felt confident and comfortable in my outfit and was able to dominate at the pool table (just kidding) and bust a move on the dance floor (not kidding). Because of all the fun we had, I spared this top from a trip to Good Will and I have some great pictures to remember the evening by.

Challenge #4-

Well, the heat is back on and Labor Day hasn’t arrived yet, so that leaves me time for my seersucker dress- challenge item #4. I bought this dress about 5 years ago at H&M in Ireland because to me, it epitomized the perfect summer dress.

There are several features that make this dress great. First, it has vertical stripes, a no-brainer for anyone. Vertical stripes have the power to elongate your figure and create a nice line for the eyes to follow i.e. they make you look a little taller and a little thinner.

The second flattering feature is the smocked waist. Smocking is a method of stitching or embroidering that is used to gather material. It gives fabric a stretch or elastic quality and is probably most widely seen on those terry-cloth bathing suit cover-ups. On this dress though, it is done with a contrast stitch and gives the waist a perfect fit. Also, because it starts under the bust, it creates a wonderful hourglass shape and helps those of us who are less busty than others. The bust is further enhanced by the square neckline. Lastly, this dress is 100% cotton and you just can’t beat that when the mercury starts to climb. A special detail that has nothing to do with function but I still love, is the funky print on the skirt that gives it a modern edge.

I paired the dress with some cognac colored peep-toe pumps from Zara and a chunky contrasting Lia Sophia necklace. Throw in some big sunglasses by Vogue and I was ready to bounce around the city. (Yes I bounce around the city in heels.)

Incase you can’t tell by my rave review, this dress was saved from the Good Will pile. I even had my friend Stacy ask why I hadn’t worn this dress more often? When cleaning out your closet, ask your friends for their opinion! Great friends will always be honest with you and they are a set of eyes that see you in a different light. They might even have styling suggestions that you didn’t even think of!

On to the next two...

So I’ve been rockin’ and rollin’ lately and I have done challenge pieces #2 and #3 already!

My second item of choice was a printed cotton bustier from White House Black Market. I remember going on a bit of a bustier kick at one point about two years ago and this was the just one of the pieces I purchased.

What I love about a bustier is that it is just E-A-S-Y! Slip it on and you can wear it with jeans, dress slacks, a skirt- doesn’t matter and this little number is no exception! It has a beautiful rouching detail on the bust and a great print that comes up from the hem.

I chose to make it part of my outfit for a time-square stroll/dessert with my friend Victoria and I paired it with cropped black skinnys and a great blazer. (Remember what we said about a great blazer?!)

Outfit- White House Black Market

           

So my thought on the outfit was that it was a winner. I loved the way it showed an open neckline and I intentionally wore no necklace and my hair pinned up. However, what I realized was that the blazer was doing all of the work. Because I am a pear shape and I have a small natural waist, the tailoring of the blazer was very chic and pulled me in at the right places to show my curves.

However without the blazer, the empire waist and A-line body were doing me no favors. The hem hit at the widest part of my hips and drew an unflattering line making me look even thicker. Although I would recommend this top for a woman who is thicker in the mid-section as it would nip her in at the correct spot and help give a more hour glass shape but for me, it wound up making it to the Good Will bin. 

Outfit #3 brought me back down to basics as I was trying to make a sassy outfit out of a classic cotton cami from Banana Republic (Yes I actually have clothes from other stores).

I bought this tank a few years ago when I was in Boca Raton, Florida and on a serious color kick! I LOVE the coral pink color and the lace detail, which really elevates a look even if you’re just pairing it with jeans.  

Jeans and Sweater- White House Black Market; Leather Flip-Flops- Eliza B; Ring- Forever 21

I was definitely happy with this look when I stepped out to go to a friends backyard barbeque in Brooklyn but I realized that this top, for me, really couldn’t stand alone. Let’s face it ladies, no one really enjoys wearing a strapless bra and I am not one to try and sport an elevated look with bra straps showing; not even clear ones. This cami was great to me but it is just time to let it go.

3 items down and 6 more to go!

Challenge #1

Here it is- Challenge #1.

It has finally cooled down here in New York after a maddeningly hot Summer so my first item of choice was a cascade collar jacket that I bought from White House Black Market. (I used to work there, hence nearly my whole wardrobe is from there.)

What I loved about the jacket when I bought it was the color, the texture and the fact that it is a knit material. Blazers and jackets are a staple item in any wardrobe and for someone like me, with broad shoulders and a small waist, something knit is key for getting the fit and function you want without having to go to a tailor.

I decided to wear it out to dinner with a friend at a Thai restaurant with some jeans and a white lace cami and my favorite wedges and this was the result…

Cami, Shoes, Ring- White House Black Market; Jeans- Agave Nectar

What I love about this outfit is the casual-chic appeal. I was totally comfortable and the sweater breathed enough for me to go from the cool, rainy street, to the stuffy subway and back.

To style this jacket in other ways for the future I would do it up with some black skinny pants bring out the fierce-ness with some high boots. The nude color of the jacket makes it perfect to pair with some fierce leopard heels as well. (All the rage this season!)

Another fab combo would be to wear it open with a long drapey tank, jeggings and some layered chain necklaces.

Needless to say this jacket saved itself from the Good Will pile and is safely back in my closet!

Operation: Closet Cleanout!

We have all done it before: let our closets get out of control! Having worked in retail, I can say that it has happened to me several times in the past few years because I just plain shop too much!
We have all heard the rule- 'if you don't wear something in a year, it's time to get rid of it' and I have actually become pretty good at letting pieces go. (The tax deduction at the end of the year is A-MAZING!) However more often that not I find myself SWEARING that I will wear these pieces again soon only to see another year go by. So here is my test...

 These clothes are part of my 'Challenge' pieces as I come to call them. I'm going to give myself 30 days to wear these clothes and see how I really feel about them and chronicle the results. I have a total of 9 pieces and I would like to test their versatility and truly see if I can make some great things happen. At the end we will see what ends up at Good Will and why. What's waiting in your closet?

Family Jewels

I was going through my jewelry box the other day trying to clean up shop and I came across a piece that holds a lot of sentimental value for me. It is a gold tie-pin that belonged to my great-grandfather. Set in the pin are the birthstones of his grandchildren but we were confused to find an empty slot. No one could remember what was there especially since my Nonna really only had 5 grandchildren....

The empty hole gave me an idea that I’ve always wanted to do, edit a piece of jewelry and turn it into something else. I took the pin to my friends at Dante’s Jewelers in Middletown, Connecticut (when you have a jeweler you trust, you’ll travel) and we discussed removing the post on the pin and making it into a charm for my bracelet (also a family piece). $20 and about a week later this is the result…

My next idea is to melt and bend a pendant into a ring and I can’t wait!