Threadless and Havaianas Limited Edition Collection

Out of all of the products I've reviewed lately, these must be the cutest and most adorable ones! Matching t-shirt and flip-flops. Who wouldn't like that?

Two companies that share a passion for creativity and fresh new designs, Threadless and Havaianas have joined forces for a limited edition of 6 t-shirts and flip flops designed by the Threadless community.

Before Summer ends, hurry up and pick up a matching set: Threadless & Havaianas
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Fall Lookbook

Let's print and save this picture.

I can totally see myself wearing this outfit this coming fall season.

What do you think about these new Louboutins?

Back in March I posted about these white caged Louboutin shoes, and wrote two lines to express my usual admiration for Mr. Louboutin's work.

But not everybody shared my positive opinion, on the contrary, many people wondered why Saks chose this specific pair to send out in an email-blast, calling them ugly and hideous, because of the net and because of the color, and an article in the New York Magazine even collected some of these polarizing blogging opinions (putting me as the only one that liked them! lol).

Poor shoes! I personally don't mind white shoes, and depending on the occasion and the season, I think there is always room for a white pair of shoes, heck, there is always room for a pair of shoes in ANY color. Yellow? Yes. Aqua? Sure! Burgundy? Why not?

So when a few days ago Barneys sent an email out with this pair of Louboutins:

I couldn't help but wonder what those people thought about it.  ;)  I mean it's got the jelly and the spikes (and to me that's worse than the net and the white)!

I actually have to say that I don't like this pair, and considering my opinion is usually not mainstream, watch how everyone else is going to love them!
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Fashion Mistake: What not to wear if you are petite

I wouldn't say this is a fashion disaster, but there are definitely a few no-nos for a petite woman like her in her ensemble:

1 - The mid-calf-length skirt. It makes her legs look very stumpy.

2 - Flat sandals coupled with the mid-calf skirt. Ouch!

3 - Oversized handbag. Another bad choice that makes her look like a little girl wearing her (still too big for her) mother's clothes.

What do you think?

And where are my reader submitted fashion disaster pictures???

Saving for that big ticket item

There are a couple of "big ticket items" that I would like to own, like another Louis Vuitton bag, a first Gucci bag, maybe a nice pair of Manolo shoes, an elegant gold necklace... all things that cost at least $500 and up.

In the old days I would have probably dropped the cash and not thought about it twice. Or, even worse, I would have put it on my credit card.

As I've grown more mature, and more financially responsible, I understand that I shouldn't just drop $1,000 on something "unnecessary" and using a credit card for "fashion" reasons, is out of the question.

So what do I do now? Do I forget about spending so much money on just one item? Or do I try to find a compromise with my ever vigilant conscience?

But, of course... I look for that compromise! :)

I find that one way to feel less guilty about such expenditures is to set up a saving plan for them. If I put aside $10 or $20 every so often, I won't feel the impact of the cost, but also, at the end, I will feel more "deserving" of the item, because I worked hard and saved for it.

Additionally, there are online tools that help me save and keep track of my goal:

- Bankrate.com has a saving goal calculator that can help you determine how long it will take you to save for a specific goal and how much money you need to put aside every day or week.

- ING Direct is a great online saving bank, that lets you create as many accounts as you need to, and label them as needed. So you can have your Louis Vuitton Fund account right after your Main Savings account (it's always a good idea to keep the sacred and the profane separate). You can choose to have money deposited automatically every month in whichever account you prefer, so that you don't even have to worry about it. Finally, if you are a new customer and you are ready to open a new account with more than $250, email me for a referral link, and you will get $25 extra dollars in your account (I'll get a $10 referral fee, and everybody wins!). I've been using ING since 2004 and I am a satisfied customer.

- Smarty Pig. Now, if you have a great big family, tons of friends that care, and a big network of people around you, the Smarty Pig website is something you should look into for saving. It will let you set up a saving account for a specific goal, and then it will let you share it, say on Facebook, to have people help you reach your goal faster! People can contribute to your fund, and in the end you can even redeem gift cards from one of the Smarty Pig sponsors, and get more value out of your money.

The tools are out there, now it's up to you to start saving for your special goal, don't wait any longer!
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