X
X


    DSW’s Gucci Sale Strikes Again

    It appears as if DSW’s Gucci sale is becoming an annual tradition. According to Racked, DSW is slated to receive a healthy shipment of Gucci merchandise starting Thursday.

    If you’re not interested in waiting until Thursday or navigating through Gucci hungry crowds, you might want to click over to DSW.com right now. There is already a nice selection of shoes priced at just $199. And while you are clicking through the Gucci assortment, don’t miss the Sergio Rossi selection. We actually like the Rossi’s better than the Gucci’s and they are less expansive.

    Serious DSW shoppers should be on the look-out for coupons an promotions. Earlier this month, the store offered $50 off purchases of $199. If you’re wavering on a particular purchase, buy it anyway. DSW has a very accommodating return policy and is quite lenient on price adjustments.

    Click here to see past DSW stories.

    1 Comment on DSW’s Gucci Sale Strikes Again

    Christie’s Auctions 28-Designer Handbags

    A very wily reader directed our attention to a Christie’s home interiors auction, which contains various home furnishings. Buried between hundreds of tapestries and antique vases is lot #318, “A Group of 28 Assorted Leather Handbags.!

    The purse collection includes, Chanel, Hermes, Bottega Veneta, Salvatore Ferragamo and various other designer bags. The estimate value is between $1000 and $1500 but we all know that even one Hermes Kelly is worth more than that even if the condition is questionable.

    The handbag loot appears to be from a woman’s estate and she obviously had amazing taste. The following lot, #812 is from the same estate and consists of 43 Judith Lieber bags. It’s a wonder that that this woman’s daughters or daughters-in-law didn’t pounce on this pile.

    The auction, Sale 2335, is scheduled to take place from August 31st to September 1st, in New York. (Just keep in mind that there is a 25% buyer’s premium plus tax.) You can be sure we will be watching the gavel closely!

    4 Comments on Christie’s Auctions 28-Designer Handbags

    Coming Soon: Vacheron Constantin

    Luxury Swiss watch maker, Vacheron Constantine has signed a deal to take over David Yurman’s old space at 729 Madison Avenue. The store will be approximately 1500-square-feet and will likely include a private viewing room upstairs.This will be the company’s first boutique in the United States.

    Founded in 1755, Vacheron Constantin is the world’s oldest manufacturer of fine watches. Prices start at about $8000 and go up to $1.5 million for a Tour de l’Ile, which is considered the world’s most expensive and complicated watch movement. Needless to say, a VC is a serious watch at any price.

    Leave a comment on Coming Soon: Vacheron Constantin

    Following Fall Markdowns

    Stores are practically fully stocked with fall merchandise, September issues are hitting news stands and there are more than a couple of items that have caught our eye. We’re dying to snatch the perfect pair of high boots, a great fall bag and key wardrobe pieces but all these items are likely to sit in our closet until the weather gets cool. By then, there’s likely to be a markdown… or two.

    So, this is what you are going to do: email us the item you want most this fall and we will follow ten of our favorites and track their prices throughout the season.

    Before you start flooding our email box , please don’t suggest items that are unlikely to be found discounted, like a Louis Vuitton trunk, an Hermes Kelly bag or that Miu Miu dress, which was used on at least four Magazine covers this month.

    Be bold, be chic, be stylish, be trendy, be unique and be in LOVE!

    10 Comments on Following Fall Markdowns

    Retail Therapy: Alexandra Wilkis Wilson

    Once upon a time you needed to live in the New York area to be able to get great prices one top designer items. But then came the Internet and online discount stores.

    The most famous, of course, is Gilt Groupe. The site offers access to some of the most coveted designer fashion and lifestyle brands at up to 70% off retail. You’ve got to be quick because each sale only lasts 36-hours.

    Today, Gilt founder, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson shares some of her shopping secrets. And you better read carefully because Alexandra is the queen of shopping for online deals. After all, she practically invented them.

    What’s your most prized deal?
    I bought a fabulous black Valentino suede and fur coat with a Swarovski crystal belt on Gilt for $500, original retail $10,000! (Editorial note: How did we miss that?)

    Biggest regret that you didn’t purchase?
    Like Edith Piaf, je ne regrette rien.

    This season you are looking for…
    Platform heels that are elegant, versatile and yet comfortable.

    What’s your number one shopping tip?
    Ask yourself honestly if you will truly wear something before you buy it!

    What’s your biggest weakness?
    Shoes and handbags

    Is there an item for which a shopper should never mind paying full price?
    Lingerie

    Leave a comment on Retail Therapy: Alexandra Wilkis Wilson

    ShopBop 70% Off Sale

    ShopBop.com is hosting an end-of-season sale where many items are 70% off.

    A Rachel Roy cocktail dress was $595 and is now $178, a Thakoon romper is $597 from $1,990, Dannijo earrings are $74 from $282. Mrs. Obama wore a similar Thakoon dress at to a White House event. It’s now $387 from $1290.

    Poke around. It’s fun, even if you don’t find anything. Just keep in mind that there are no backsies– all sales are final.

    Leave a comment on ShopBop 70% Off Sale

    The New IT Bag: The Manbag

    As we look to Fall you can expect to see a new it bag emerge. This year, however, the Givenchy nightingale, the Proenza Schouler PS11 and Gaga personalized Birkins are going to have to share the spotlight with the strongest growing segment of the accessory market: The Manbag.

    According to Euromonitor, men’s luxury bags in the U.S. are projected to grow 23% through 2013. Retailers like Saks and Barneys are said to be adding a full range of competitively priced private-label men’s satchels, purses and messenger bags for spring 2011. A general manager for a local Neiman Marcus said, “We do not call them man bags, however, there is a focus on more messenger and backpack styles as seen on the runway this season.”

    Okay, so your man isn’t going to be carrying a jeweled clutch any time soon, but you can count on him needing to load his iPad and gadgets into something other than a geek bag. Murses are more likely to come in the shape of a messenger bag, duffel or briefcase, according to Pete Lafferty, one of the founders of Libero Ferrero, a line of artisan men’s accessories that will be available in stores starting in Spring 2011 and range in price from $700 to $2,500.

    Men seem to shy away from logos more than a woman in recession-mode, according to Pete. Understated bags from Ferragamo, Zenga, Prada and Gucci are current favorites, but Pete says we should keep an eye on companies like Billy Kirk and London-based Jas M.B.

    Oh, you know, we are just dreaming of the day when we can handoff our keys and wallet so that we can downsize our bags.

    2 Comments on The New IT Bag: The Manbag

    Lila Dishes for NY Times Sunday Business

    Of all the purchases you have made in the past year, what really makes you happy? In the New York Times Sunday Business section, Stephanie Rosenbloom argues that maybe all the stuff we have isn’t what makes us happy but rather it’s the experiences.


    New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses…

    One major finding is that spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco — produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff.

    That may be but we’re going to think twice before trading in our penthouse for a studio or forgoing a Cartier Watch for a trip to St. Tropez.

    Of course, some fashion lovers beg to differ. For many people, clothes will never be more than utilitarian. But for a certain segment of the population, clothes are an art form, a means of self-expression, a way for families to pass down memories through generations. For them, studies concluding that people eventually stop deriving pleasure from material things don’t ring true.

    “No way,” says Lila Delilah, who writes the popular fashion blog Madison Avenue Spy. “I could pull out things from my closet that I bought when I was 17 that I still love.”

    She rejects the idea that happiness has to be an either-or proposition. Some days, you want a trip, she says; other days, you want a Tom Ford handbag.

    So, fashion sista, what items do you have that make you happy?

    2 Comments on Lila Dishes for NY Times Sunday Business