and the winner is...

Congratulations Zoe!!!

You are the winner of the JCPenney giveaway!!!

:)

We've opened up shop!!!

NY Spender has a Christmas Store with all her gift picks for everyone on your list.

Please stop by and if you like it, tell a friend!

NY Spender's Christmas Store

Thank you! :)

the coziest shirt of all

When I was 15 years old, back in Italy, I owned a beautiful red and white plaid flannel shirt. Oh, how I loved that shirt! It fit just right, and the colors looked great on me. I used to get compliments all the time, and I always wore it with pride.

Now, there was this frenemy of mine, this girl that always wanted to know where I bought this and where I bought that so that she could go and get those things for herself, that kept asking me where I got my gorgeous plaid shirt.

One thing I like to be is original, and with the exception of my little baby girl, I never liked to wear matching clothes with anyone else. So I couldn't tell her where I got the shirt.

Unfortunately, she scoured every store in town until she found it. And the day came when we both wore the shirt at the same time: she was happy that we matched; I never wore the shirt again.

It's been 20 years or so now and I occasionally think about that shirt, so this year, since a lot of my favorite stores are carrying plaid shirts, I know I'll end up buying one.

The funniest thing is, I've re-met my frenemy on Facebook, and while looking through her pictures I almost fell off my chair! There is one picture where she is wearing what looks like our old beloved red plaid shirt! I can't believe she still has it and wears it! That was a great shirt...

black friday deals

If you are anything like me (you love shopping but hate the crowds) Black Friday always leaves you with mixed feelings: "I wish I could, but I there is no way I will."

Put a small baby in the equation, and the only thing I want to be doing at 4 AM the day after Thanksgiving is sleeping! If she lets me, that is.

Fortunately, most stores are expanding their sales online, and actually online the sales sometimes start days before Black Friday. All you need to do is keep an eye out for the stores of your choice and check their websites for any deals.

This year I shopped at NY & Company online, since they have everything at 50% off, which is a great deal. Also, at checkout enter code 3856 and you get free shipping on orders of $50 or more. Better than going to the store, no?

I might take a look at Kohls.com for a shower curtain that I love, but that usually costs $55, hopefully I can find it greatly discounted.

I'll also browse Macy's.com for shoes and stuff.

You can check out BFADS for the official listing of all the sales going on. Have fun! And don't spend all your money! ;)
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jcpenney helps you get out of the doghouse: win $100 gift certificate

This post is directed mostly at guys, since us girls really go out of our way to find the right present for our special someone, don't we?

Unfortunately, even if we are not the ones making the mistake of giving a bad present, we are still penalized, because we are the ones receiving the bad present!

So if you are familiar with poor gifting choices, one way or the other, this giveaway is for you!

To enter for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to spend in JCPenney jewelry, share your doghouse story here in the comments.

I'll share mine right here:

It was my birthday, and I had been going out with my boyfriend for about 7 months by then. He came over that night and showed up with this big and heavy gift that looked exactly like this cookbook I had been raving about a few days before. Sure enough I opened it and it was that cookbook (great cookbook, don't get me wrong, but not a first-birthday-together kind of present)!

At first, I wasn't sure how to react. And then I reacted! I pretty much had a tantrum! I was walking back and forth in front of him, holding the huge book in my hands and yelling at him: "Is this how much you love me?!?" and also "How am I supposed to feel about this?" and "You got me a cookbook?!?!?!"

So he spent about 10 minutes in the doghouse, sitting on my armchair, looking at me pacing back and forth. The only thing I heard him say was: "But I thought you wanted this cookbook" which only made me pace even faster.

When I got tired of pacing (and yelling), I fell on his lap and hugged him, still upset, of course, but now I needed answers: "Was I only worth a cookbook to him?"

At that point a little box fell in my lap. A gift box. A jewelry box. Beautiful diamond earrings.

I looked up at him, and he had this grin on his face, and I suddenly felt sooooooo little for what I had done and how I had reacted.

So he got out of the doghouse before even going in. I, on the other hand, will never live this one down...

Your turn. Tell us your story.

Giveaway ends Sunday, November 29th at midnight EST. I'll pick a random winner on Monday, November 30th.

Visit BewareOfTheDoghouse for more doghouse stories.

$100 gift certificate courtesy of JCPenney.

Good Luck!!!
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fashion disaster - camo pants

If Boy George would be asked to recruit for the Army, I imagine this is what it would look like.

ann taylor should be on your wishlist this year

This year I'm really loving Ann Taylor, and specifically the jewelry and the Tiffany colored cashmere collection. As a matter of fact, the whole store has me lusting for things... but let me show you, so that you can share in the beauty.

Every time Christmas comes around I always like to look more polished, and for me this is easier to do with winter clothes (I guess in the summer I like to be more of a free spirit). Ann Taylor is perfect to achieve this polished style:

One look I like this year is the belt on top of a cardigan. Add black skirt. Add black tights. Perfect.



An easy way to look polished is by keeping it simple. And black and white.


Finally, polished means "taking care of all your details". That means you accessorize with style, you use the right belt for the pants, the right amount of sparkle on your wrists and neck, so that everything comes together in an harmonious picture.


Now, if you really want to look polished, come take a look at Ann Taylor's jewelry line...

How can you wear this and not feel instantly more polished??? It is so pretty, but also a little intimidating because you really need to know how to pull it off.


Here is another pretty necklace. At first you might think you can only wear something like this for a party, but if you keep the rest of the outfit simple, you could wear this every day. With a crew neck black cashmere sweater, for example.

Plenty of pearls to choose from!

Gorgeous bangles to stack up

or wear alone

And last but not least, cashmere in the prettiest color!

And until November 22nd, enter code FRIENDS at checkout to receive 30% off your entire purchase!

Don't forget to add Ann Taylor to your wishlist this year! But only if you want to look more polished, of course!

(I promise I won't use the word "polished" for at least 10 future posts)
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win a pair of louboutins!

Since the chance of going out and buying a pair of Louboutin shoes is slim, I am very excited about the possibility of winning a pair from Shop It To Me!

If you would like to try your luck too, you need to sign up at Shop It To Me, which is a great shopping service that looks for fashion deals and sends them to your email according to you preferences.

Here is a referral link: Sign Up To Win! Hurry because contest ends tomorrow.

Let's hope one of us will get to show off some red soles pretty soon!!!
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reader's question: wrist watch

Dear NY Spender,
I was putting together my Christmas wish list this afternoon for the hubby and realized that I needed your guidance. It has been about five years since I've owned a wrist watch and believe most individuals rely on their hand held devices to inform them of the time. So, is a wrist watch a do or don't for an office type setting job? If it is a do, any suggestions under $100?
Thanks,
Your #1 CA Fan

Yes, yes, yes!
Sure, a wrist watch is definitely a do! Why would it be a don't, especially in an office environment? You need to make sure you know when five o'clock comes around so that you can get out of there not a minute too late! ;)

For under $100 I immediately think about Swatch watches: the selection is huge, and the different styles should be able to accommodate your taste. But let me show you some examples:


This is BE FOUND, it has a very classic look and it only costs $90!






















For a more modern twist you can try ENTANGLED SHINE, for $110.





















For a more whimsical look, you can wear something like NIGHT-BLOOM at $110.





















And finally, for something more heavy metal, you can go with what's on my wrist right now, the CIEL CLAIR VIOLET for $110.

But don't let me spoil the surprise for you, here is a link to the Swatch store

Have fun and let me know if you find something you like.

weekend links

For this week’s best of Sass, Style & Substance beauty & fashion news!

• Beauty Match
  Free Trial Offer: Idol White Teeth Whitening used by the Kardashian sisters for whiter teeth.


• A Touch of Blusher
  A Touch of Blusher is three years old!

• eye4style
  eye4style revels in the beauty of Chanel skincare.


• Splendicity Accessories
  Kristen Stewart upped her glamor factor for the French premier of the latest Twilight movie, New Moon.

tory burch eye wear preview

Yesterday I had the pleasure to preview Tory Burch's new sunglasses collection directly in her store in the Meat Packing District here in New York.

If you read my previous post, I had promised myself to accessorize more, so window shopping for some sunglasses was the perfect way to spend my Wednesday evening!

Her collection includes oversized square models in brown but also in the more colorful teal/grey:

which looked great with my blue coat!

Oversized round in different colors and styles, and I loved the tortoise ones.

which were gracefully modeled for NY Spender's readers by one of Tory's exquisite sales representative.

The classic cat eye, which is probably my favorite Tory model of all, because of its simple shape, and the fact that the "cat" part is not overly accentuated. And I love the placement of the logo on the hinges.

The universally-flattering aviators in many different colors and styles.

And the more glamorous shield sunglasses!

Which looked pretty interesting on me...

You can check out the complete eye wear line at toryburch.com

I also got to meet Tory Burch (such a nice person!!!) and chat with her a little, which was the highlight of the evening for me!

NY Spender: Tory, I would like to start with a question/request from one of my readers, Christiane: "I love Tory's handbags, but I need more color options! When looking for a neutral colored handbag, black seems the only choice since the browns have more of an orange tint, and the purple, well, it's purple! How about a gray handbag?"

Tory Burch: The handbags are our current focus point. We are planning on expanding the line and we have finally hired a professional "handbag designer". As for the gray, it is usually not a great seller when it comes to handbags, but you will definitely see more choices in the near future.

NYS: Thank you! As for your line in general, what I love about it, it's the fact that it is luxurious yet still attainable (read affordable). My blog likes to focus on such collections, the ones my readers and I can dream about but that we can also eventually own. Will you keep it that way?

TB: Absolutely! I completely understand and identify because I don't like to spend thousands of dollars on an item that you will only wear a few times and that might go out of style next year! Every so often my line will have a one-of-a-kind piece that will feature more expensive materials and that will obviously cost more, but as for the overall collection, the prices will always stay in this range.

NYS: That's good to hear! Before one last question, one compliment: I love your flats! I never used to look at flats before, but after your flats came out, I now find myself wanting them in every color!

TB: Thank you! I wear flats too now!

NYS: Your logo is so interesting, I have blogged about how I think there must be a spell associated with it, because the more I look at it the more I want it. How did you come up with it?

TB: I didn't design the logo. I had a professional logo designer submit about 30 different designs to me, and this was the first and only one I looked at.

NYS: But I've also noticed that a lot of new shoes don't have the logo on them but different buckles and sometimes nothing at all. Is there are particular reason for that?

TB: Yes. Not everyone likes to display logos on their shoes or clothes, so I wanted to have different options for different people. As we move forward, you will see the logo a little less, for example, we'll have something similar to this cardigan I am wearing but with logo-less buttons.

If you are wondering about the cardigan Tory is talking about, it's the one she is wearing in this picture below, the one with the Spender in it!!! ;)



And as I was getting ready to leave the event, I was told that I could pick a pair of sunglasses as a gift from Tory (I picked the oversized round)! A great night overall! :)
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book review: closet confidential

Title: Closet Confidential (Style Secrets Learned the Hard Way)

Author: Winona Dimeo-Ediger

Price: $18.95 (on sale at Amazon for $12.89)


When I first started reading Closet Confidential I was a little skeptical about the content, because there are about a million books about fashion and closets, and it's always the same information recycled over and over again.

What usually makes one book stand out from the crowd is the narrator's voice, and fortunately, Ms. Winona here has a great and funny one!

So while I started this book thinking "this gal can't possibly teach me anything new" (I know, I'm horrible!), by the end of the book I felt the author and I had a lot in common, I was cracking up at her silly adventures, and most importantly, I felt a renewed passion for my clothes (imagine that!)

If you don't know anything about fashion, mixing and matching separates, different body shapes and the clothes that flatter each of them, or the difference between an Oxford and a Polo collar, this book is definitely for you!

It's a 101 guide that will teach you how to find your perfect pair of jeans, how to layer tops, when it's ok to wear a T-Shirt, when it's not ok to wear a T-Shirt, how to pick a bra, how to pick a coat... you get the point.

And as I said before, all this advice is not written in the common and sterile "guide-format", but every tip usually comes with a story and every story has the author either having to wear a garbage bag, or choosing to wear a pink and a purple sneaker, or casually displaying bracelets that gave out, unknowingly to her, unusual sexual messages... because as the subtitles specifies, most of these style lessons were learned the hard way.

I certainly don't agree with everything she writes - I am, after all, a fashion expert as well ;) - for example, she hates sneakers worn outside an exercise environment, while I sometimes wear sneakers to pretty much everything 'except' to exercise!

And she hates "lounging around the house robes" because she feels nothing gets accomplished while wearing one, while I love them for exactly the same reason: "sorry honey, I couldn't iron your shirts, I had my robe on, you know?"

But I do agree with a lot of what she writes, especially when it comes to handbags: "... a purse is so much more than a black hole in which to lose your keys... is laden with deep emotional and personal implications... to take a peek inside a woman's purse is to see an intimate snapshot of her world..." Words well written!

But the most important point to me was what kind of, if any, style lessons was I going to walk away with, and to my surprise the answer was "many"!

Here are the main three:

1) I should go to bed feeling beautiful.
This is the lesson I really hope to put in place. Having a little baby is easy to use as an excuse to wear my biggest XL T-Shirt to bed (I need to be comfy), but I certainly don't feel beautiful wearing it (and I like feeling beautiful). What makes this lesson appealing is the fact that the author doesn't suggest always wearing sexy lingerie or impractical silky gowns to bed every night. She keeps it attainable by suggesting a pretty little nightgown in a soft fabric, or a cute tank top, or a matching flannel pajama set. Basically, anything other than the ugly XL T-Shirt...

2) Pretty shoes don't always have to have crazy high heels
It's hard for me to love shoes other than high heels (and sneakers), but they are pretty much always uncomfortable for me. The thing is I always thought that the problem were my feet, not the shoes: I thought I had pansy feet that couldn't handle the high demands of fashion. Reading about someone else's opinion, and how she firmly believes that anybody that says that 4 inches heels are comfortable is lying, felt good. It made me reconsider the madness that are high heels, and I've promised myself to start paying more attention to 2 inches heels (and below).

3) I need to accessorize more.
Her love for stacking up necklaces, big and small, her creativity in using belts and her philosophy behind sunglasses is so contagious, and it has made me realize that I do not accessorize enough! And you can be sure I will fix that with a few weeks of focused shopping!

This was a fun book to read, and since I've had my baby, probably one of the few I've been able to finish!

So if you like fashion and you need help with the contents of your closet, and if you are looking for a simple to follow how-to guide, this book is definitely for you.

To get a sneak peek at her writing style, you can check out Winona's blog: Daddy Likey

want to win a designer swimsuit?

Swim Couture's 2010 Swimsuit Giveaway

The nice people over at The Orchid Boutique are giving away one of their designer smiwsuit (you pick which one) to the top commenter (between now and November 16th) on their Swim Couture blog.

So if you love typing and have a lot to say, you definitely have a shot at this giveaway!

Hurry and head on over, because they have already started commenting, and the top commenter already has 268 comments!!!

Good Luck!
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kaitlin went as a duckie :)

Great costume! Everybody loved her! :)