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    Alessi’s Annual Summer Sale

    Sometimes we get a bit obsessed with clothing and accessories. We don’t, however, live in a cardboard box. On occasion. we need to take the time to nourish our surroundings with beautiful and inspiring design. Alessi’s designs are the perfect intersection between whimsy and functionality.

    Until September 4, both Manhattan’s Alessi stores are moving out overstock, discontinued items and floor samples at up to 70% off. The online sale has discounts up to 60% off. The last time we attended the sale we came home with a huge haul that included an a tempo citrus basket for $20 from %50, the Philippe Starck Joe Cactus ashtray was $30 from $90 and a Michael Graves water pitcher for $90 from over $300.

    Online there is a  Anna G corkscrew on sale $66 from $110. We love giving these “gals” as hostess gifts. It’s always a great conversation piece. Popular tea kettles are not on sale. We suggest calling ahead if you have something specific in mind.

    Alessi
    30 E. 60th St. @ Madison Ave.
    212-317-9880

    130 Greene St. @ Prince St.
    212-941-7300

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    Travel: The Best Deal in the Caribbean

    Summer is moving so fast that, some would say, it deserves a speeding ticket. It’s hard not to get a bit sad as August turns to September and beach bags are swapped out for backpacks. For this reason, I always like to start planning getaways before I even come back from my current vacation.

    One of my favorite places to travel with the family (or just a few girlfriends) is the Gansevoort in the Dominican Republic. I love that the flight is fast. JetBlue flies to Puerto Plata in just a bit over 3.5 hours, which means you can leave the Upper East side at 7am and have your feet in the sand and a cocktail in your hand by lunchtime. It’s incredible.

    I have a specially fondness for this Gansevoort because it’s small, the pool is gorgeous and the food is delicious. The intimate size means you don’t need to wait for a biggie to drive you out to the beach. As a matter of fact, the beach is your front yard– if you take a ground floor, ocean front room. The hotel also offers many three and four bedroom suits, which are difficult to find at many properties in the Caribbean.

    The best part is the prices are not astronomical. e might go as far as to call the Gansvoort Dominican Republic, the best deal in the Caribbean.

    Lets take a closer look. A five-day stay, in mid-November, in a three bedroom suite is just $500-per-night (plus taxes and resort fees). Most Caribbean suits of this caliber and size (2200sq ft.) are priced at over $1000-a-night. Prices for Christmas and New Years are higher but they are still less than most of the big suits at other luxury properties.

    Make no mistake, this is not a second tier hotel. The service is exceptional and the food is incredibly fresh. As a matter of fact, every afternoon you can witness a parade of fresh fish being carried directly from the ocean into the kitchen. It’s no wonder why Gansvoort Dominican Republic has been voted by Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler as a favorite beach escape.

    Outside the property is Encuentro Beach, which boasts one of the world’s best beaches to kitebaord. Along the beach, you’ll also find lots of authentic Dominican shops and little restaurants, which don’t feel overly touristy. It reminds us of Tulum — when it was charming.

    Needless to say, I’m sad Summer is over but I’m counting down the days until November. You can click here to see some personal pictures from the last time I traveled to Gansvoort Dominican Republic,

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    Almost Sold Out: Saint Laurent $10,000 Boots

    We’ve seen plenty of fashion crazes over the years but this is the first time we’ve seen mass production of $10,000 boots that are practically sold out. If you have any type of social media account it would be hard to miss the slow-mo video’s of Saint Laurent’s crystal boots making their way down the runway. The way they catch the light is pretty specular.

    We knew right away that they would be expensive. The $10,000 price tag was hardly surprising. It was only a matter of time until a designer  shoe hit the five-figure price tag. What’s most surprising is that the boots are practically sold out.

    Over at Saks Fifth Avenue there is only a size 36 available. At Barneys you can preorder a size 39. Net-A-Porter is completely sold out but you can put your name on the waiting list for when they are restocked. Fwrd has the biggest size range, with 37, 38 and 40s still available.

    It’s hard to believe anyone can rationalize $10,000 boots but they aren’t the most absurd items we’ve seen for sale. It just seems like it would make more sense to buy a disco ball or a nice diamond– for that matter.

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    The IT-It: Crushing on Crushed Velvet

    It was only a year ago that we started falling in love with anything plush and velvety. It started with soft and luxurious pointy-toe heels and moved along to luscious velvet bags. The velvet variety of luxury is here for another round but this time we are crushing it.

    Crushed velvet is a little less polished and formal than it’s twin sister but has lots of layers and texture to add to your everyday ensemble. Checkout this vibrant blue draped crushed velvet top from Maison Margiela ($1865). We love the color and movement and it pairs so perfectly with wide leg pants. Oscar Tiye ($720) has these sensuous crushed velvet heels, which pair perfectly with cropped jeans. Right this way are… crushed velvet socks ($13). Imagine these worn with these Saint Laurent platform sandals. It would be insane!????????????

    Just take note of a few styling tips. Nobody wants to look like a 90s reenactment. First, never, ever, ever wear crushed velvet leggings. It’s a rule you can’t break no matter how good it looks on so-and-so celebrity. Velvet dresses are heavy and hard to pull off. Crushed velvet dresses are almost alway a disaster. Lastly, if you wear one item of crushed velvet you should keep the rest of your outfit basic.

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    The IT-it: A Tweak to Tweed

    As much as we hate to see Summer go, it’s always smart to stay ahead of fashion’s biggest trends. We are excited to bring on the browns, the layering sweaters, boots and tweed. Yes, tweed. It’s not just for grannies any more.

    As a matter of fact, tweed happens to look wonderful on women of most any age. Take this beautifully tailored tweed jacket from Alexander Wang. We love everything about it: the unfinished edges,  the leather accents and peplum waist. Over this way is a tweed asymmetrical jacket from Proenza Schouler that is anything but old and stayed. One might go as far as to call it avant-garde. I can practically smell fall just from looking at this cropped tweed jacket from Jason Wu.

    Tweed is very tactile and it usually pairs together with other items that have texture. (You just have to be sure not to go overboard.) We would love to see blue tweeds matched with these crystal embellished pumps or something fuzzy and furry like this Fendi slides. (Too much? Nah!) You might want to even take it as far to pair your tweed with cousin plaid. We love these Lauren Lorraine plaid pumps that are just $98.

    As always, online shoppers should take advantage of Nordstrom’s great customer service, which features free shipping and free returns. If only all stores were as easy to shop as Nordstrom.

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    TheOutnet Extra 50% Off

    Last month, we though TheOutnet was offering great discounts during their annual clearance event. little did we know that the site would slash prices even more. Right now, the online discount store  is offering an EXTRA 50% off already discounted merchandise.

    We should warn you that you will need to spend some time digging and sorting. Surprisingly, there are lots of size ranges available, but remember, this is the clearance of the clearance. Below is a section of our top picks, from $100 Tibi dress to an $800 Valentino bag. The sale ends Thursday, August 24.

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    Farfetch Discounts Top 75% Off

    Farfetch is known for bringing the world’s most popular fashion boutiques, local and emerging designers and brands to a single website. It almost makes us sad that we can shop our favorite Italian boutiques right here in New York. Some might say it takes away the adventure but it’s realistic to think that anyone can hop on a plane several times a year.

    One of the other great things about Farfetch is that it makes markdowns available globally. Right now, the site is offering discounts of up to 75% off. We are told this is the last week to take advantage of these steep discounts.

    Here’s a Thomas Wylde top that’s that’s 75% off and comes to $172 from $685. Then there is this Delpozo dress that’s $525 from $1750. Here’s a Givenchy Rick Owens shirt dress that’s $260 from $865.

    Shoes and bags are on the pricey side and could be found for less in many other destinations. Another thing that we’ve noticed is that many American brands are more expensive when sold from foreign stores. We suppose that’s what happens when you pay duty twice. Speaking of which, all prices include duty and returns are free for 14 days after your purchase is received.

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    Moda Operandi Final Markdown & Extra Discounts

    Moda Operandi is ready to close out the last of its Summer inventory. Starting Wednesday, the online fashion boutique will begin it’s final clearance sale and offer an extra 30% off. Use the code EXTRA30OFF to engage the extra savings.

    When all the math is said and done, you can find many pieces discounted nearly 90% off the original price. Some of the highlights include, these adorable espadrilles that come to just $70, a Lenny Niemeyer strapless one-piece swimsuit is also just $70 and an embroidered skirt from Alexis is about $170. Some of the more extravagant items include, this Naeem Khan dress that’s $700 from $3000, a Dice Kayek jeweled dress is $625 from $2625 and a Marni flower print maxi-dress $600 from $2900.

    The four day sale will run through Saturday and then the sale merchandise will be removed from the site. We can assure you this is M’O’s rock bottom markdown. It’s not going to get any better than this. Fashion week is less than a month away and the site will begin to promote off-the-runway trunk shows.

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