Rebecca Minkoff is my latest Designer Crush

I've always heard of Rebecca Minkoff, but for some reason I've never paid too much attention to the collection.

Bad Spender, bad!

I think I have quickly grown to love her style and her accessories, I just wished she was a tad bit more affordable. And while she does have an edgy and "metal" accent, I am more drawn to her softer side:

Of course, let's not forget the handbags!

Love all of the mini MAC (morning after clutch)!

The classic Morning After Bag!

One little turn-off: I wish Rebecca wouldn't use alligator nor python in her collection (what can I say, I'm becoming a softie!)

Win Pink Socks from Sock it To Me in Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and every year I like to pick a few retailers that give a portion of their proceeds to the Pink Cause.

CafePress has tons of pretty pink t-shirts that support the cause.

I like this one.  :)

But they have tons more!

Buy one and they will donate 10% to Breastcancer.org.

I've featured Sock It to Me on this blog before, and I love that they have reached out to us again, this time to promote their collaboration with the National Breast Cancer Coalition, with eleven pink socks designs, and 50% of their sale will benefit the NBCC.

They have also offered 3 special pink pairs to give away to a lucky NY Spender's reader!

Please visit them at Sock It to Me and pick a pretty pink pair for yourself or enter the giveaway by leaving a comment below (random winner selected next Monday).

Ugallery.com, a curated online gallery of original art, is featuring a very special collection of pink art, in recognition of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

20% of the proceeds from art sold out of this collection will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Visit the collection here.

Demi Moore is Ann Taylor's New Face. Why?

It started out great, my love affair with Ann Taylor.

I had Naomi Watts to model for me and inspire me to wear all those pretty satin clothes and fancy necklaces.

She was beautiful and made me want to be beautiful.

She looked confident and sexy, but in a very subtle way, just the way I like it.

She was a famous actress with many great movies under her skinny Ann Taylor's belt, from Mulholland Drive (David Lynch fan here), to 21 Grams.

She went home to handsome Liev Schreiber and their two boys.

I was in love (in a fashionable platonic way) with her.

Then came Katie Holmes.

She had a bit more of a boyish figure, and she was skinny and tall. I couldn't really identify.

I could be inspired to be sexier (by Naomi), but I couldn't be inspired to be taller, I mean, how do you do that?

Katie did have nice hair, though. So I focused on the hair. I wanted to have her beautiful dark mane.

Oh yes, and her money. I mean Tom's money. And that was the other turn off: she had to go home to Tom. If this was 1988, yeah, but this is 2011 and Tom and Oprah and... you know?

Lastly, they throw Demi Moore in my face.

Demi is a beautiful woman without a doubt, but there is something about this campaign that is creepy.

She looks so much older. Photoshopped by someone that either a) doesn't like her or b) has never used Photoshop before.

And she is wearing all these unflattering clothes.

And with that hair she looks like a mix between Courtney Cox and Cher!

Oh, and let's not forget who she goes home to... only not to find him and then tweet "almost naked pictures of herself" to prove to the world that she still has it!

Yeah... I've definitely fallen out of love with Ann Taylor's ladies...

Timberland Earthkeepers and my New Rudston Pull-On Boots

I grew up loving and wearing Timberland shoes!


As a teenager, I used to decorate my notebooks with drawings of their tree and I would wear my boots with pride.

Actually my very first pair of Timberland shoes weren't boots but a pair of boat shoes just like these:

They were such a prized possession that everybody in my neighborhood "knew" about my Timberlands and some of my friends even came over to check them out the first day I brought them home from the store.  :)

Since that first pair, I've owned many different pairs and different models, but I've always found that there are some constants no matter which pair I had on my feet: comfort, durability and the fact that I could literally dunk my feet in water and never get wet!

So when I was asked if I wanted to review a product from Timberland's latest eco-conscious brand, Earthkeepers®, I couldn't say yes fast enough!

And a few days later I received a beautiful pair of Rudston Pull-on Boots! :)

My first reaction was "Wow! Are these really Timberland boots?"

I wasn't expecting them to look so, so... stylish! I especially wasn't expecting a heel. A nice sturdy heel.

The leather is soft (no breaking in needed) and the pull-on feature is a welcomed alternative to all the zippers in my closet.

What Timberland is trying to do with the Earthkeepers® collection is to give nature something back, by using recycled materials in the making of each product, and by using at least one plastic bottle and a half in each pair of shoes or boots (and coffee grounds in their odor-resistant jackets!)

But they are also trying to be fashion conscious, by making the shoes appealing to a broader share of the consumer market. So here is a boot that can be worn with jeans, pants but also with skirts. And you can accidentally step in water and your outfit will not get ruined (at least not the boots).

Well done, Timberland (you never disappoint me)!
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Timberland® Go out and be you™ Click here to shop now!


“Disclosure: Compensation and free Timberland product were provided by Timberland® via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Timberland®”

Halloween Costume Ideas 2011

It's time to dress up again! Yay!

I love Halloween, because I've always loved dressing up and growing up in Italy where we had Carnevale instead, was perfect, because that Carnevale lasts 5 days! Which meant 5 different costumes if you wanted to!

This must be the reason why even if I have already bought a costume for my daughter, I will still look at more costumes in various stores, until I remind myself that the baby will only have time to wear one costume. Unless I start dressing her up on regular days too.

Each year I try to find or come up with cool costumes ideas, but lately I feel I'm losing my touch. Maybe because I like to focus on the baby, because that's what gives me joy, and so my costume becomes of secondary importance. But let's look at what's available this year:

Ghosts are always cool on Halloween!

Ghost Lady Elite Collection Adult Costume - Medium

Ghost Gent Elite Collection Adult Costume - X-Large

If you prefer more of a living couple:

Enchanting Princess Elite Collection Adult Costume - Medium

Prince Charming Elite Collection Adult Costume - X-Large

If you feel like super heroes:

Batman Dark Knight Grand Heritage Collection Adult Costume - X-Large

Wonder Woman Corset Adult Costume - Medium

Non-conventional fairy tale couple:

Red Riding Hood Elite Collection Adult Costume - Medium

Big Bad Wolf Elite Collection Adult Costume - X-Large

If you like TV shows:

Star Trek Classic Deluxe Blue Dress Adult Costume - Medium

Star Trek Classic Deluxe Gold Shirt Adult Costume - X-Large

Or the movies:

Star Wars Secret Wishes Amidala Adult Costume - Medium

Star Wars Anakin Skywalker Adult Costume

If you want to confuse people:

Iron Man 2 (2010) Movie - X-Large (42-46)

Green Lantern Movie - Green Lantern Uniform Adult Costume - Medium

Or:

Happy Days - The Fonz Adult Costume - One Size Fits Most Adults

Grease Sandy Adult Costume - Medium

This couple is too cute (cute movie, watch it if you haven't):

Kick-Ass Movie - Adult Costume - Large

Kick-Ass Movie - Hit-Girl Deluxe Adult Costume - Medium

And if you are single, or your man (just like mine) WON'T wear a costume, these are some of my favorite costumes this year:

Heinz Ketchup Tank Dress Adult Costume

I have a feeling this Hello Kitty costume is going to be big this year:

Hello Kitty Blue Romper Adult Costume - Medium

The 80's are cool again:

80's Party Girl Adult Costume - Small/Medium

You can even splatter some ketchup on the suit and make it a "after the accident" costume:

Fashionable First Lady Adult Costume - One Size Fits Most Adults

And I'll include one "sassy" costume:

Strawberry Shortcake Adult Costume - Medium

Have fun!  :)

Versace Atelier F/W 2011

To stay within the Italian theme here are some pictures I've been meaning to share with you from the Versace Atelier F/W 2011. I wanted to share them back when we were looking at the different designers from New York Fashion Week, except these from Versace weren't S/S 2012, but from this current season. In any case, please take a moment to savor the beauty in each picture. These are real designer clothes (not most of the stuff they had on FW S/S 2011!)

Braccialini Handbags

Every so often, here on NY Spender, I like to review new or interesting Italian brands for my English speaking readers. While big Italian fashion names like Versace, Prada and Gucci don't need any introduction, there are many other names that don't really spill over the Italian borders, or if they do, they don't do it with a loud bang.

Take a look at this bag:

How perfect for a fashion addict! Wait, you're not impressed? Ok, how about these bags?

These are Braccialini handbags and they are simply gorgeous. Their craftsmanship is something I've never seen applied to handbags before. These whimsical bags carry their "Made in Italy" badge with pride. 

Founded in 1954 by Carla Braccialini and her husband, today the brand is managed by her three sons with headquarters in Florence. 

They have a store in New York, in Soho, but I still feel not many people here in America know about Braccialini. At least not the way they know about Louis Vuitton.

Prices for a bag from their "TEMI" collection can very well cost over $1,000. This collection is their most prized one and is composed of masterpieces of fantasy and leather works. 

They also have a few different lower priced collections, with regular every day bags that are still a bit different than what you have right now in your closet. I'm really considering taking a closer look at any of their jacquard squirrel collection:

How adorable is this bag? The little squirrels, a few mushrooms... better than a bunch of Ls and Vs, Cs and Cs, Fs and Fs, Gs and Gs scattered around, or at least, a refreshing alternative, don't you agree?

That's what I like about Braccialini: they fill a void in the current handbag industry, a void caused by too much caution and too little fantasy.