Love these earrings from Ross-Simons.com . . .

Janelle — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:01:16 +0000

I love this pair of cushion cut citrine & 14 kt. gold earrings. They remind me of the “moonlight” earrings from H. Stern, but they cost $146.25 instead of $4400!

Some cute Summer Wedges

Janelle — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 02:46:24 +0000

Did you admire the Yves Saint Laurent Deauville sandals last Spring like I did?

I didn’t want to pay $970 either. Check out these similar sandals at the Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth outlet for $139.99. Right now, Saks Off Fifth is running a 40% off sale on shoes so they would be $84.

Saks Off Fifth

Talbots has a similar sandal called the “Kimmie.” These retail for $129, though Talbots too is running a sale. Take a 25% off discount and the Talbots sandals are $96.75. I like them all.

The truth about T.V.’s “Fashion Star”

Janelle — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:31:29 +0000

Have you been watching “Fashion Star” on NBC? This is a show where “buyers” – more on why I have this in quotes later – bid against each other to buy looks for their stores, Saks, Macy’s and H&M. The way they hook T.V. viewers is that the clothes bought by the buyers on the evening episode can be purchased online that same night and are available in stores the next day.

I’m not interested in watching because I know the show isn’t all that real. First, the “buyers” are not buyers after all. The Saks buyer Terron Schaefer is an Executive V.P. and Chief Creative Officer at Saks. I used to be a buyer at Saks. Trust me, the real buyers are slaving away in their offices looking over their inventory turn figures and open-to-buy dollars, not advertising Saks in a T.V. studio. Macy’s buyer, Caprice Willard is a V.P. for regional planning, meaning she is a numbers person, not a merchant. H&M’s buyer, Nicole Christie is a Communications Manager for the chain.

The other slight of hand that the show pulls off is the immediate availability of the styles. It would be impossible to have merchandise available for sale online the night of the show if the show were not taped, which it is. “Fashion Star” was taped over the summer in order to give the stores time to produce the merchandise.

Now you know.

Looking for a great Italian bag under $1000?

Janelle — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Check out the great looking bags from Furla at Saks Fifth Avenue. Most of the designs are exclusive to Saks. The bag pictured below is called the “Atelier” bag and it retails for $895. I think they are all great looking, they are all made in Italy, and they are all priced under $1000. Take a peak at www.saks.com

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New Resort Deliveries at the Outlets

Janelle — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:43:44 +0000

Neiman Marcus Last Call Jack Rogers $89

Now is a good time to check out the new deliveries at your local outlet mall. Specifically, Neiman Marcus’ Last Call and Saks Fifth Avenue’s Off Fifth both have a good assortment of Jack Rogers sandals. The well known Navajo sandals are $89 at Last Call and $79.99 at Off Fifth. These stores are always running promotions however. When I was at Off Fifth, the entire shoe department was an extra 40% off. At Last Call, you can get 25% to 35% off your entire purchase starting March 7th. I am also including a photo of a cute pair of Tory Burch sandals I spotted at Last Call. Don’t wait until June. Make a trip to the outlets soon!

Neiman Marcus Last Call Jack Rogers $110 & $129

Saks Off Fifth Jack Rogers $79.99

Saks Off Fifth Jack Rogers $109.99

Neiman Marcus Last Call Tory Burch $120

Rent the Runway.com

Janelle — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:54:04 +0000

I was stunned to read recently that www.renttherunway.com had shipped almost 12,600 (12,600!!!!) dresses to clients for New Year’s Eve this past December. Surprised, I had to take a peak at this website. Rent the Runway.com is a site where members (it’s free to join) can rent dresses for special occasions. Designers include Diane von Furstenberg, Elie Tahari, Tibi, Trina Turk, Milly, Carmen Marc Valvo and other contemporary designers. There are a few premier designers on the site such as Herve Leger, Missoni, Nina Ricci etc. I checked out the black dress section. Rental prices for a week range from about $65 for a Nanette Lepore dress that retails for $328 to a $350 rental for a Narciso Rodriguez gown that retails for $3000. Members can choose to keep the dress (and accessories if you rent them as well) for either 4 or 8 days. Rent the Runway.com sends you two sizes to better the odds that the dress will fit. If neither dress fits, you are only responsible for the shipping charge. Bottom line? It looks like Rent the Runway.com has some fashion muscle on their executive team (Lucy Sykes Rellie), a good selection and friendly service options, but I still think that it is more economical to shop the sales, buy a dress at 50% off and plan to wear it more than once. If you decide to rent a dress, I would love to hear what you think . . .

Worth a trip to Neiman Marcus this weekend

Janelle — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:16:56 +0000

Neiman Marcus is currently running their Last Call Sale at most stores. Sale merchandise is 55% to 65% off. The reason Last Call is so appealing for discerning discount shoppers is that Neiman Marcus runs their Last Call sales at their Texas and California stores first. They then ship the leftover sale merchandise to East Coast stores. So, not only is the merchandise marked down to its lowest level, but the stores are full of a fresh assortment of sale merchandise that you may not have already seen! Don’t expect to find a great handbag, but the shoe assortment I saw today was inspiring. You never know what treasure you may discover . . .

Belle&Clive.com – the latest Flash Sale site

Janelle — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:46:54 +0000

Another year, another Flash Sale site. Bluefly.com has entered the flash sale space with www.belleandclive.com. The site looks promising. Today they have Gucci shoes and accessories; tomorrow Chloe handbags, Elie Tahari apparel and Loro Piana! The Gucci is around 30% off; I’m hoping the Loro Piana will be more! If you already subscribe to bluefly.com emails, you can just use your email address and existing password on the Belle & Clive site. Wondering what other sites you might be interested in? Check out my list of favorite shopping sites including flash sale sites on my “Great Sites” page at www.thefashionfind.com. Happy Shopping in this Happy New Year!

A Louboutin New Year’s Resolution?

Janelle — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:52:28 +0000

If your list of New Year’s resolutions includes trying harder to find a great pair of Christian Louboutin heals on sale, buyer beware. The signature red sole that so easily distinguishes Louboutins from other designer shoes is at risk. This story begins with an avant garde pair of red Yves Saint Laurent pumps for Resort 2011 – they were red all over – including the sole. Christian Louboutin got wind of the YSL all red shoes and sued to stop YSL from infringing on Christian Louboutin’s trademark protected red soles. This may not have been a good move. Many in the fashion industry questioned whether Christian Louboutin should ever have been able to trademark a red sole and now the case was heading for the courts. Well, the case did go to court and Christian Louboutin lost. There is an appeal in the works, but just keep this thought in mind: even on sale Christian Louboutins will set you back $400 or so. They can be stunning and they really are well crafted, but everyone from Nine West to Jessica Simpson may be able to start selling shoes with red soles. Ouch. Maybe I’ll just stick to my 2012 resolutions to lose 5 pounds and organize my closet . . .

Barneys.com 60% off starts now

Janelle — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:37:26 +0000

The designer sale, up to 60% off, starts today in stores and online at Barneys. Check out the handbags and accessories first! There is a good selection.