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 . . .

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 . . .

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!

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 . . .

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.

If you like Ippolita jewelry, check out www.lastcall.com today.  Great gold styles are on sale for around 47 % off (for the styles I calculated!). Christmas and Hanukkah are coming . . .

Just a friendly reminder to wait until after Christmas to buy you or your loved ones anything and everything cashmere.  Stores ranging from Macy’s to Neiman’s buy their cashmere with markdowns in mind.  They use historical sales data to estimate many sweaters they will sell full price, how many they will sell at 20% off and how many they will sell at 50% off.  They price their cashmere so they can still make money – even after they discount it. It is a holiday commodity. Bottom line: Wait for the 50% off (or more!) markdown.  It always comes.

Saks chairman, Stephen Sadove is leading an initiative to encourage the U.S. government to relax visa requirements for Chinese tourists.  Currently, Chinese tourists who make the in person trip to one of 5 visa offices in all of China, and then wait 2 months to visit the U.S., spend over $6000 per person in our stores. In Europe, where Chinese tourists need only wait 10 days to visit, the sales numbers are much higher.  This explains why BOTH Hermes stores I visited this past summer in Paris were sold out of entry level priced scarves and small accessories.  According to a Printemps (French luxury department store) spokesperson, over 30% of the stores sales can be attributed to tourists – mostly Chinese. He added, “they come for the international luxury brands (Chanel, Hermes, Cartier, Louis Vuitton) especially accessories and high-end time pieces.

So what does this mean for you and me? Yes, Mr. Sadove, other retailers and hotel executives are correct in their position that relaxing Visa requirements for the Chinese and Brazilians (currently the highest number of tourists with a $4000 spend per visit) will boost our economy and create American jobs, but I can’t help but to think that this could mean fewer and smaller mark-downs for you and me.  Of course, Chanel, Hermes, Cartier and Louis Vuitton don’t mark down anyways.  Let’s just hope the Chinese don’t develop an appetite for Loro Piana, Bottega Veneta and other brands I love . . .

Just got an email from www.ruelala.com. Ippolita jewelry is one of todays featured sales.  50% off. Many great styles.  Sign up and check it out.

Now thru Sunday Oct. 23rd, take 25% off any J. Crew order of $150 or more.  Online only. Free shipping too.  Use code LOVEFALL.

They have some great items in their “Collection.”

Let me know if you find something!