slacker!!!

I was a slacker today...just crazy busy with the kids and no ME time which means no time to write... tomorrow I will tell you why I am obsessed with HALSTON HERITAGE.... its my thing for spring... have a great night xoP

Spring Fever

With over a foot of snow on the ground, I can't help but daydream about spring. My FAVORITE season... jeans, a t shirt a cute scarf and a pair of chunky clogs... love the look, love the feel and in 51 short days I can wear it and not freeze!

Time to think about updating the spring wardrobe... as I said a few days ago, the trends are all ready in place but staple pieces are a must. Trends aside, you need to update the wardrobe and its not to soon to start preparing! Get a couple cute new t shirts... Express is a good place to get these if your looking for a trendy twist on the your everyday t shirt. If you like timeless plain t shirt than I recommend Banana Rebublic. They make the best every day t's and tanks. My favorite "wife beater" type tanks are american apparel.. again you will pay a little more but

snowed in!

Its literally a blizzard where I live, and since I have everything I need, I don't really mind being snowed in. It gives me time to go through my email on my laptop, rather than my usual quick look on my blackberry. Needless to say other than the couple of personal emails I get daily, most of my emails have something to do with shopping. I belong to blogs, shopping websites and every store out there. I want to make sure all of you know about all of the members only websites that can save you lots of money on great designer clothes, shoes, housewares and even vacations.
Some of my favorites are Hautelook, Ideeli, Gilt Groupe and Beyond the Rack...These are members only type sites that send emails daily with sales...Hautelook is a personal favorite of mine, its easy, they have amazing prices, the only negative is they ship a little slow...so if your in a rush, its not your place. Gilt Groupe also has great deals, the shipping is much faster and the deals are AMAZING! Check these out... if there are any that you need invitations to join, let me know and I will send you one.
There is another website that I just heard about. This one is bittersweet for me because this is kind of what I do. Its called "Shop it to me". This is a website that you put in the brands you like and it finds you the deals. I have to tell you, I find better deals... I'm not just saying it, I do!! So join them, try them and if you still don't find what your looking for, let me know! I'm always up for a challenge!!! Stay warm tonight...the best thing is you don't have to leave your house to shop!! ENJOY!! xoP

buyers remorse???

Today I got some much needed time to myself. I truly believe that shopping is my job, you will hear me say it all the time. To the point that if I'm on my laptop, my 4 year old thinks I'm working. I went to Saks today...I had to do a return from Christmas... yes I still month old returns sitting around my house. I was on the fence about a pair of boots I got as a gift and finally decided that if I hadn't worn them by now, they needed to go back. I planned my attack perfectly, I would return the shoes first then walk around the store and either get another pair of shoes, an outfit or a bag. As soon as I walked into the shoe department a pair of Chanel Boots caught my eye...AND they were on a sale rack... hmmmmm I picked them up to check the size and they were a half size too big... this could work. The price was literally IRRESISTABLE. One of those situations that whether I like them or not, I had to buy them. I tried them on, wasn't really into them, but they were CHANEL and they were well, CHANEL!!! LOL!... Like I said last night, 5 years ago I would have bought them and never looked back... Today as the mature shopper that I've become, I put them on hold and walked around the store, I browsed scarves, handbags, tryed on sunglasses, clothes and about 40 minutes later I went back to "Mark" in the shoe department and asked to try them on again. It always cracks me up... the sales people in the higher end stores look at you like your crazy for not jumping on the deal... really?? They were a great deal but considering the regular price was average Americas monthly mortgage payment, the sale price was probably most peoples car payment, so although it was a good price for Chanel, it was still a small fortune and I was looking at sacrificing Valentines day if I went for it. I tried them on and they weren't flattering...they were a bulky tweed and fur boot... gorgeous but a little big and just not a must.... I walked away... I left them for someone else... and I have no regrets... like I told you

Retail therapy...

So I've made it a point not to talk much about my kids on my blog...this is ME, not Mommy...just me, BUT its been a rough week as Mommy (oh my its only Monday!)... Tonight when hubby got home, I needed to escape. My plan was to hit Old Navy for some long sleeve staples since it FREEZING on the east coast. Old Navy isn't a happy place for me. Its messy and a lot of the merchandise isn't good quality, all that I wanted was long sleeved T's and the piles weren't sized...just annoying...NOT what I needed. After texting hubby to see if the kids were asleep, I drove slowly toward home and when I got no answer I pulled into TJ Maxx which was on the way home. I always start in the home section. Its what I do...and tonight, nothing. Its rare that I look in the women's section but tonight since I basically was killing time, I decided to not only look, but to dig. My husband laughs at me because I feel like I have a gift, I can find a deal like no other...I feel like its actually a talent! I really believe this and reading it back, I guess it is a little funny!
So here goes... I first found a round rack of all "designer" clothes. The top of the rack boasted a sign with several brand names on the sign... I decided to look through and much to my surprise a beautiful Halston Heritage blouse, hmmm I keep looking then I find a Joie dress. Now I'm feeling a buzz...it was better than 2 Cosmos for me. I was so excited. This is when I should tell you that neither of the things I found were my size but they were super cute and priced even cuter :-) ... Then I start through the clearance rack ...this is a first for me, but ...I wanted to see what I could find! This is when the fun started....a Theory blouse with a scarf attached for $30, Juicy Couture sweatpants for $20, Halston Heritage blouse in 2 colors $34 and a couple of tops that I recognized the brands from Nordstrom and Anthropologie. These were $10 and $12... I bought one of these tops and another shirt also $10~ $20 total spent for over $100 worth of shirts....SCORE!!!! 5 years ago I would have bought every single piece just because of the names but I've matured as a shopper.. I know its about quality not quantity! The moral of this story is if you enjoy digging through the racks, give TJ Maxx a try...I thought it was a blast... I was in my happy place!! Like I said, better than 2 cosmos...and that's saying a lot...I'm a girl that loves a cocktail!! Give it a try for me its therapy... Enjoy the night xo P

You get what you pay for....

Being in the fashion industry half my life (almost literally!) winter for me literally starts in august and spring/summer (resort) right after Christmas... one of my little secrets is to check out what will be in for the next season then hit the sale racks to see what can stretch into the next season. I've learned over the past few years that higher end brands can work into a few of seasons for a couple of reasons. One being the quality is usually a little better, mainly the fabric, and also they are ahead of the game trend wise. I've had a few instances where I've gotten a great shirt 1/2 off because I love it, not because it trendy or "in"...sure enough within next year or so the style is all over the place.
A couple of patterns in particular that are timeless are... leopard (my fave!!!) and polka dots... both go in and out of stores but they are TIMELESS!! Anytime your spending on a higher end label...consider it an investment. The little trick I told you about yesterday, LADIES its January...get shopping those sales!!! Oh and PS... i will be giving lots of tips about shopping at Forever 21 and Target too...stay tuned..
A few big trends for Spring 2011....
coral everything coral from jewels to shoes to tops and dresses...springs RED...get on it!,
floral prints, this is something that's been in for a couple of summers so pull out something in your closet and make it new with an new long necklace (another spring fave) or a last years flat sandals...they are back huge for spring!! White wardrobe which is something I stock up on every year at the end of the summer... its a huge staple and timeless...
Warm weather is just around the corner...if you don't believe me, go shopping, the stores are full of beautiful spring merchandise!!!! Enjoy the day...smile xoP

You Gotta Start Somewhere....

I remember cutting out a picture of a pair of Burberry pink plaid open toe slides... I was OBSESSED with these shoes... It was about 8 years ago I think... I was a Nine West and BCBG girl. I always loved shoes but these Burberry shoes seemed so far out of my league. Needless to say, my boyfriend at the time (now my husband) gave in and bought them for me! They still have a special place in my heart and in my closet. Girls love shoes... its a fact.

Now my wish list is full of Christian Louboutins, Brian Atwoods and an occasional Manolo Blahnik and my closet is full of the same. I call it my jewelry since I LOVE shoes than Jewels! The moral of this story is to share a HUGE secret... If you want to start a fabulous designer shoe collection but aren't ready to pay those designer prices read further!!

January and July are the best times to buy designer anything.... all of the upscale retailers have HUGE sales... With Christmas in December and a June birthday, every year I say a gift card to use the following months would be the best gift ever... Barneys, Saks, Neiman Marcus to name a few all are in major sale mode! I check them every day... remember its my "work"... I say it all the time, anyone can pay full price... Its so much more rewarding not to!! There is nothing better than a "score"...

Did My Jeans Shrink???

How many of you get new shoes and think of what jeans you have that are long or short enough to wear them? With sky high heels in style and not only going no where but getting higher by the season(thank goodness :-)...Denim lengths can be tricky....
I did all of the work for you to let you know lengths (long and short) of my favorite brands....
I'm a jeans girl...always have been and always will....here you go:

Most Regular length jeans are 34-34 1/2 inch inseam... back when 7 for all mankind came out, I remember regular was 32"... somehow in the past 10 years 2 inches has been added on to regular length jeans...Good for some not so much for us short gals....thankfully several premium denim companies are putting out a petite length jean. They fit just like the regular jeans but with a shorter inseam anywhere from 30-31 1/2. Paige, Joe's jeans, True Religion, 7 for all mankind, Citizens of Humanity all have recently added petite jeans .... look at the inseam before you buy online... and remember if you are wearing a great platform, you still may be better off buying the regular length jeans and getting them tailored... ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have them replace the ORIGINAL hem. Nothing is worse then paying all that $$$ for jeans and having them look hemmed.... I STILL say it to my tailor... you never know... even if you get them shortened at Nordstrom or Saks...SAY IT... regular hems are easier and if they can get away with it, why wouldn't they?!

For you talk drinks of water, ugh i secretly am so jealous of tall girls... anyway...for you girls...I, YES, the short girl did some research... mostly because my sister in law keeps telling me she needs longer jeans, so she inspired me! Here goes... Paige, True Religion and Rock and Republic all come in a 36" inseam... IN my shopping experience, Rock and Republic are the longest jeans out there... I'm almost positive that their regular length is 36" but if your not a fan then get online and hit up Paige and True Religion.

Hope this helps... I have to admit...both of my kids are screaming right now so I really have no idea if any of this makes sense! I'm gonna post it anyway...after all this is just me being ME~ Enjoy and happy Saturday! xo P

Lets Try This Again...

My whole purpose in starting this blog is because I have such an itch to work... its hard going from having a career to being a stay at home mom.... Don't get me wrong, I love staying home with my children, but my brain is always working.
My dream is to own a boutique... I can't give away all of my secrets but this blog is to share a few of them... From being a bit of a shopaholic, I've educated myself on brands, prices, trends etc... I've been helping girlfriends find things on their wish list and drive my sister in law nuts with too many texts and emails of things she should buy! I have an eye... I can fit you in jeans by just looking at your butt!
I'm really going to try to take an hour a day to share with YOU my findings... I have a routine... I call it "my work"... This morning... I emailed my gf a pair of Prada boots I knew she needed...the price was 65% off... I loved her response and YES she bought them... Husbands hate me and that's ok... mine doesn't and that's all that matters... anyone can pay full price...follow this blog and you never will again! xo P

Happy New Year!

I keep saying that 2011 is my year..... not sure what I have in store for myself but apparently I have high hopes! What I will say for sure is that this is my year to downsize... I am a bit of a pack rat... sometimes it does come in handy, for instance... everything comes back in style and since I save everything, I'm always ahead of the game!