top ten affordable luxury stores

I'm sure we would all love to afford every Louis Vuitton bag and every Louboutin shoe on the market, but when it comes down to it, most of us really can't.

And not just because we're not that rich, but because we understand the value of money and the fact that investing (throwing) so much of it in just one bag or just one pair of shoes it just doesn't seem right.

This said, we do love the quality and attention to detail of these big ticket items, and it is a challenge finding that same luxury at a much lower price.

But don't fret. After much research and enough spending, I am confident I have found the right stores at the right prices, so without further ado, I give you

NY Spender's

"Top Ten Affordable Luxury Stores"

10. Diane von Furstenberg
Diane von Furstenberg in at number ten because it is the most expensive of these affordable stores, But not expensive enough to be prohibitive. At $300 anybody can afford one of her beautiful signature wrap dresses if they really wanted to. And if you wait, they always go on sale.

9. Tory Burch
Tory can be quite expensive too, but if you are dedicated and keep an eye on the sales, you will be able to walk away with great pieces. Plus, her signature flats are quite affordable.

8. Clinique
Skin care can be ridiculously expensive, just look at the price tags of brands like LaMer, La Prairie, Kinestase and Sisley. I wouldn't mind paying $200 for a cream that erased all my wrinkles, but the obvious issue here is that NONE of these creams do more than moisturize you. Really.
So why spend $200 when with less than $30 you can find a nurturizing cream at Clinique. There is plenty to choose from. And the pretty green packaging always feels familiar and comforting instead of cold and intimidating (like some of the more expensive brands).

7. Juicy Couture
Juicy is not all about velour track suits. Actually, for the intent of this post, it is not at all about the track suits. We like that Juicy is cute and pink and made well. I've owned a Juicy t-shirt for at least 7 years now, and it still is in perfect conditions! Quality like this, to me, is priceless. And their perfumes smell great.

6. Abercrombie & Fitch
For soft luxurious sweats, nobody beats Abercrombie. Maybe you don't wear sweats, but if you do, you know that winter calls for warm and cozy Abercrombie sweaters and pants.

5. GAP
Why spend a fortune on jeans? In the past 10 years or so, jeans company have pushed the price of denim to crazy heights! $300 for a pair of jeans? I once was stupid enough to buy a pair of Seven jeans, just to see what all the fuss was about. I spent $150 on them and they ended up ripped to the point I couldn't wear them anymore (lesson number one in jeans: don't buy already ripped jeans, they will undoubtedly rip even more and even faster).
GAP jeans cost around $50 or even less if they are on sale. The quality is great and they always have enough styles for you to find the pair that fits best.

4. Swarovski
We all love Tiffany and Cartier, but when it boils down to it, one of their rings or necklaces can cost you more than a house! Swarovski is a lot more down to earth, and understands people priorities. They'll give us the sparkly without taking away the mortgage.

3. Coach
You need an affordable, gorgeous and well made handbag that will last you for years? Coach is your answer. Period.

2. Benetton
I grew up with Benetton. I love Benetton. Almost every coat I own is by Benetton, and I've never spent more than $160 on it. And every single one of them keeps me nice and toasty. For great style and quality at affordable prices, you can't go wrong with Benetton!

1. Ann Taylor
Do you want to look beautiful but don't want to spend a fortune? Are you looking for feminine and pretty clothes? Do you want to be able to walk in a store and find everything from skirts to dresses to shoes? This year the winner of "Top Ten Affordable Luxury Stores" is Ann Taylor! More than ever, Ann Taylor has stepped up its game, and for the past two seasons has presented incredibly tasteful collections in the best colors and styles.
.

it's time to buy another bag, or is it?

Here we go again...

I remember writing, not too long ago, that I was ok as far as new handbags, that I didn't need a new one, that I had plenty of handbags in my closet.

This still holds true, yet lately I've found myself lusting after this bag or that tote and I'm convinced that I must suffer from some kind of "handbag obsession" disease. Because every so often, no matter what, I start craving a new bag, and I won't find "shopping peace" until I buy it!

For example, yesterday I went to Bloomingdale's and while I was there to look at dresses and shoes, I couldn't help myself, so I had to stop and check out the handbags (Tory Burch has some pretty handbags in light colors, perfect for the coming warm seasons)!

One of the bags I'm thinking about maybe buying, is a Louis Vuitton. I don't want to spend a fortune on the bag, and some of the real interesting ones can cost in the $2,000 range, like the Boetie.



So if you actually look at the cheaper ones, under $1,000 this is what you find: the Neverfull PM for only $650.

A very pretty tote, but there is a "stigma" that comes with it. Since it's the cheapest one, it's like an entry level bag. It sends the message that "I really wanted a Louis Vuitton, but this is all I could afford". Not to mention the fact that since I've had my eyes on it, pretty much every other Louis Vuitton I see out there it's a Neverfull.

So I still need to do some thinking about it.

In the meantime, I browse the Coach store, which, worse comes to worse, always has the right bag at the right price for me. Like the Signature Ottoman Brooke, and it only costs $298.


I'll keep you posted...

shop w style this saturday

40 OF THE BEST MEATPACKING DISTRICT RETAIL SHOPS WILL PLAY HOST TO SHOP W STYLE IN NEW YORK CITY

SATURDAY, MARCH 27TH

WHO: W magazine and the Meatpacking District Initiative (MPDI)

www.wdesires.com/shopwstyle

WHAT: Shop W Style is a retail celebration of W’s first-ever shopping issue. It is a free event open to the public and will feature special appearances by editors & fashion experts, in-store events and special offers at over 40 retail destinations throughout the Meatpacking District.

The Shop W Style Lounge
W’s headquarters for the day will be in the Shop W Style Lounge at The Standard, New York. Be sure to visit the Lounge first for:

* A detailed event map and W shopping bag
* Make-up applications by Shiseido expert Renato Almeido and his team of talented make-up artists
* Appointments for a stylist-on-demand
* Exclusive opportunity to shop Tacori’s new 18k926 line
* Private Style Sessions at Hugo Boss with celebrity stylist, Sarah Gore Reeves

Click here for a map and event list

.

should you rent your next dress - part 2

Last week I wrote about having to go to a wedding and renting a dress from Rent the Runway, and I promised to write a follow-up once I received the dresses and went to the wedding, so here it is.

The package arrived on time on Thursday as I had scheduled and the dresses came neatly packed inside a garment bag.

On my first post I had commented how some of the dresses seemed a bit on the plain side, but after I took out the blue dress, the first thing I noticed was the quality of it.

So even if it might have looked plain in the picture, once I had it in my hands, the beautiful royal blue color, the intricacy of the folds and the weight of the material, all changed my mind pretty quickly: I loved this dress.

Unfortunately the size 2 I had ordered was too small for me.

Here is where I want to make sure this point comes across: Rent the Runway lets you pick a dress in two sizes to make sure it will fit you, and this is so important for you to take advantage of, since you won't know how the dress will fit you until you receive it in the mail.

What I did instead was gambling: I picked two different dresses, in two different sizes.

The second dress I had picked was the leopard print one.

This dress already looked adorable in the picture, there was something about it that I really liked even though I am not one to wear exotic animal prints.

When I took this dress out I was praying. Praying that it would fit me. It was even more beautiful in person (in dress?), silky and with ruffled straps and the cutest skirt. It really looked and felt luxurious.

I had ordered this one in size 4, so I should have no problems fitting in it, right? Wrong.

This dress was a bit tight, to the point that a size 6 would have worked better for me, but the wedding was two days away and there was no time to return it and get a new one.

So I decided to eat less and a little different for the next two days, and I wore my leopard print dress to the wedding!

The dress felt great on, of course it looks a little better on the model, but I am sure she didn't just have a baby eight months ago! ;)

I will definitely look into Rent the Runway for special occasions in the future, and if they add more "gowns" to their inventory, I might not have to buy any more dresses, ever!
.

covet and shop it to me are my two favorite online personal shoppers

I've already mentioned these two websites in the past, but I wanted to dedicate a full post to both of them, because they deserve it. :)

The concept is similar for both sites: they scour the web to bring you the best online deals based on your likes/dislikes, absolutely free of charge.

What I love about Covet are the initial style questions (with pictures) that it asks.

It gets an idea of the stuff you love and it gives you a style profile. It defined me as a Classic Minimalist, with the occasional jump into the Classic Glam or Classic Modern look, and I think it pretty much nailed it!

After asking for brands and prices preferences it sends you regular emails with pieces that match those preferences. Sign Up for Covet here.

The concept of Shop it to Me is very similar to Covet's: you tell them what you like and they go find it for you and deliver it to your email.

One great extra that Shop it to Me offers is that it also shops for men. You'll be surprised at how many men would love something like this, if they only knew it existed! So go ahead, spread the joy and let your sweet honey in on the secret. ;) Sign Up for Shop it to Me here

With both services you get targeted emails that will only show you things you like (because you've told them what you like), so there is no waste of time in reading something you are not interested in. On the opposite, it will be hard to resist the urge to buy! If I had money to throw out the window, I can tell you that I could always buy something off the emails I get from both these websites.

.

would you buy these pants?

the first ever lauren online fashion show

Lauren by Ralph Lauren is pleased to announce that they will host their first-ever online fashion show for their Spring 2010 collection bringing high-fashion to everyone at http://www.ralphlauren.com/Lauren.

What’s even better is that you can shop your favorite looks instantly by selecting and purchasing the styles directly as the models walk the runway.

The show will feature commentary (simulating the real-life chatter that comes from the front rows) from the industry’s most-seasoned fashion editors including Marie Claire’s fashion director Nina Garcia, Harper’s Bazaar’s executive fashion and beauty editor Avril Graham, Cosmopolitan’s fashion director Michelle McCool and O, The Oprah Magazine’s creative director Adam Glassman.

Enjoy!

should you rent your next dress?

I have a wedding coming up this Saturday and as of right now I have no dress for it (and no shoes!), but I am not worried, and actually I'm pretty confident I'll be ok. And this is why:

A) I've been in touch with the folks at Rent the Runway, and I was able to obtain a free rental in exchange for a review of their service.

So far these are my first observations:

1) The idea behind Rent the Runway is great: renting a beautiful designer dress for only $50-$200 and feel like a princess for a day, without having to spend a lot more money only to have that dress rot in the closet (let's be honest, we love to wear a new dress for every new occasion).

2) RtR lets you rent the same dress in two different sizes for no additional cost, to make sure you get the size that will fit just right. This is an excellent idea, but unfortunately based on my experience it doesn't always work out since a lot of the dresses I liked didn't have both a size 0 and a size 2 (they had one or the other, sometimes neither).

And this is the one of the two issues I've found with Rent the Runway, not enough sizes, and what makes the issue more annoying is the fact that at times it waits for you to have the dress in the shopping cart to let you know that the size you had picked is no longer available, which can be a bit of a waste of time.

But I do understand that RtR is a new business and they might be still working out the kinks.

The other issue I had, which I believe can be easily fixed, was not enough "winter wedding" choices.

The website let's you narrow down the choices of dresses by selecting the occasion which can be a "date night", a "beach vacation", or a "corporate chic", or "prom", or "black tie affair" and a few others, but in reality, so far, the choices are mostly "short dresses" not formal enough for weddings nor black tie affairs.

Again, this can easily be fixed by adding fancier dresses in different lengths.

After much thinking, sorting and debating I was able to pick a few dresses that would be appropriate for the occasion:

One of the first dresses I liked was this one from DvF. It was the right color and the right length. Unfortunately, they didn't have it in my size. :(


I also loved this dress from Christian Siriano except the color would have made me look too pale.


I finally settled on these two dresses:

I am not one to wear leopard prints, and maybe that is why (for a change of pace) I picked this one from Tuleh. There is something about the cut of this dress that is just adorable.

But I also picked a safer choice in case I don't like how the leopard will look: this royal blue dress from Nicole Miller.

The dresses are scheduled to arrive on Thursday March 18th, and I will write another post to complete the review on RtR. Update: Here is that post.

B) As in back-up plan.

Yestarday I stopped by Ann Taylor and found a dress I loved online and even more at the store. I couldn't buy it because I forgot my credit card at home (age and a little baby will do that to you!), but I asked the sales girl to put it aside for me. I also bought the shoes from this picture, which are simply gorgeous and comfortable, so I think I am set no matter what. :)


.

lauren merkin sample sale

book review: deluxe - how luxury lost its luster

I was finally able to read "Deluxe - How Luxury Lost its Luster", after the poor book had been sitting in my bookshelf for more than a year, waiting for me to find some time for it. And boy am I glad I finally found the time: I loved it!

Deluxe is a book about fashion, about logos, about designer stuff and all the ugly secrets behind the pretty handbags. See, the author, Dana Thomas is first of all a great writer, but for the intent of this book she also traveled around the world, to listen to stories first hand and then report them back faithfully. She sat down and talked to the Vuittons, Prada, the Hermes people, and big business men like Bernard Arnault.

This book, in fact, is not about how gorgeous is that Luis Vuitton bag, but more about how people like Bernard Arnault have taken that bag and made it a luxury business and a very profitable one for themselves. Unfortunately for us, the middle class buyers, all we have become is a target, and most time at the cost of quality and of our pockets.

There are many fascinating facts in the book, like the story behind Luis Vuitton canvas colors, how it was originally red and beige and later changed to the signature brown and beige. Also, did you know that it was Georges Vuitton, Luis' son, that designed both the Damier pattern and came up with the monogram pattern of interlocking LVs and diamond, stars and flowers in response to counterfeiting?

But there are also many other stories about money and big business men taking over fashion brands and collecting them for their portfolios, uncaring about the original values of those fashion houses, like Mr. Arnault, who brutally renovated, among others, Dior and Givenchy (firing people that had been working with those brands forever).

One of the stories that upset me was about Coco Chanel and how she got pushed out of her own business profits by unscrupulous people like the Wertheimers. I mean how do you cut a deal to produce Chanel No.5 and only give Coco 10% (while Pierre Wertheimer got 70% and the person that introduced them got 20%)? And after many lawsuits Chanel got a "better" deal: 2% of world sales. After so much animosity, when No.5 sales started to lag, Pierre Wertheimer visited Chanel, then 70 years old, to help her launch her couture collection. Today the Wertheimers are still the sole owners of Chanel. This makes me not want to buy anything Chanel ever again.

An interesting chapter is the one about handbags and "Made in China" labels. Hundreds of thousands of luxury handbags are produced in China every day, but very few brands admit to doing it.

"Few bags actually carry the "Made in China" label. If they do, is well hidden. For one bag, the tag was sewn into the bottom seam of the inside pocket. For another, it was stamped on the reverse side of a postage-stamp-size leather flap that bears the brand's logo. You need a magnifying glass to read it."

One of the toughest chapters to read was the one about knock-offs. While on the surface it seems that there is really nothing wrong about buying a fake Gucci bag, the market behind these knock-offs is downright scary. Usually the people involved in making these fakes are not exclusively involved in the knock-off business but they also deal with drugs, firearms, child prostitution, human trafficking and terrorism.

"Investigators even believe that there may be a link between counterfeiting and the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. The week after the attacks, fifteen hundred counterfeit vendor stalls at the Tri-Border Market in South America, where $70 million of business is done in cash every day, closed shop."

And the most painful paragraph to read:

"The children who work in counterfeit factories are usually housed by the owners. I remember walking into an assembly plant in Thailand a couple of years ago and seeing six or seven little children, all under ten years old, sitting on the floor assembling counterfeit leather handbags," the investigator told me as we drove away from the raid. "The owner had broken the children's legs and tied the lower leg to the thigh so the bones wouldn't mend. He did it because the children said they wanted to go outside and play." How horrible!

In the book you will also read about:

• How Duty-Free Shops started out and how profitable they are.
• How Coach was one of the first luxury brands to move production to China.
• How Bernard Arnault hand-picked green new designers like Marc Jacobs, Galliano and Gaultier before they were big.
• How an Hermes bag is hand made and why the company still makes it that way.
• How Japanese are the biggest luxury buyers (spenders).
• You'll find out who the "parasite singles" are.
  
• How Las Vegas turned into a luxury shopping mecca.
• The business contracts between celebrities and designers, especially on the red carpet.
• How the Chinese are moving into ownership: Lanvin, Guy Laroche and sportswear Michael Kors are all owned by Chinese magnates.
• The amazing Daslu, the luxury fashion emporium in Brazil.
  

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I've learned so many little facts about the luxury business that I almost never want to buy another designer piece again. "Almost".

If you want to buy the book, a must read for anybody interested in fashion, here is a link to Amazon: Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster for only $5.69!
.

my only oscar prediction was correct!

I didn't watch most of the Oscars this year, but as soon as I caught a glimpse of Sandra Bullock I knew she was going to win the Oscar (witness is my tweet-prediction about it)!

And my theory that "fashion designers know in advance the content of the envelope" is once again proven right (last year I had some doubts...)

Man, I love being right! ;)
.

it's spa deal days! go get pampered!

Between March 8th and March 14th each participant SPA is offering $50 treatments! Just enter your email and your zip code and book your next appointment! :)

SpaFinder Deal Days

.

jcpenney spring fashion show

Earlier this week I was invited to attend JCPenney's Spring Fashion Show.

To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect, since I don't really shop for clothes at JCPenney, and that's what made the experience that more interesting, because I went in with an open mind and ready to be impressed.

The event was held at the Lincoln Center, which was a very sophisticated choice, and right away set the mood for an elegant evening and raised the bar of my expectations.

After about an hour of guest mingling and celebrities appearances, the show finally started.

Mike Ullman III, JCPenney's CEO, opened the ceremony, and illustrated how the company was going to be more fashion conscious and fashion forward, thanks to a few good designers on board. He introduced the Olsen twins as the newest addition to the family. He announced that Liz Claiborne was going to become a JCPenney exclusive soon and that Cindy Crawford was going to expand her presence with her jewelry collection (in addition to her home line).

Then the show started, and while not too long, it did give you an idea of where JCPenney is trying to go: to the younger crowd.

By younger I mean from tweens and teenagers thanks to the Olsen twins and their "Olsenboye" and Charlotte Ronson and her "I Heart Ronson" brands; to fashionable 20 and 30 something with brands like Bisou Bisou, Nicole Miller and Allen B.

I personally liked Bisou Bisou, and wisely, the designer Michele Bohbot had one of the celebrity guests, Greidys Gil, wear one of her pieces.

For only $49.99 she looked stunning!

All in all, it's refreshing to see old established department stores wanting to keep their image fresh and evolving with the times, and after seeing this show, I think JCPenney is on the right track to better clothes at great prices.
.

and speaking of shoes...

Yesterday I went to the JCPenney 2010 Spring Fashion Show, held at the Lincoln Center here in New York (very fancy venue) and I was surprised how most of the girls were wearing the same shoe style, one that I didn't think was going to last long.

This one, with the cone-shaped heel.

And after seeing so much of it last night, I almost started to like it...

But the style that I'm really loving right now is these open-toe "mummy" booties:

Do you own a pair of either one? You like?

.

new shoes from christian louboutin

Shoes like these make me realize two things:

1) Christian Louboutin is a shoe genius.

2) My shoes are boring.
.