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    Dueling Beauty Promotions

    Saks and Neiman Marcus are running beauty promotions at almost exactly the same time. The Saks event runs from Feb. 25 to March 6th and shoppers who spend more than $75 receive a tote bag with several samples.

    The Neiman Marcus promotion also starts Feb. 25th and continues until Mar 7th. Shoppers who purchase $100 worth of cosmetics or fragrance products will get a Neiman Marcus tote filled with, you guess it, several samples.

    So how does a shopper determine the best value? Don’t worry we’ve done the hard work. Here’s a tête à tête comparison of Saks -vs -Neiman Marcus. Who do you think is offering the better deal?

               
            
           Neiman Marcus   Saks Fifth Avenue        
      
       Main Gift   Choose from two tote bag designs   Choose from three tote bag colors        
      
       Delux Samples    Cleau de Peau's cotton pads, Dior foundation, Le   Metier tinted moisturizer, Chantecaille eye cream, La Mer serum, Sisley face   cream packette, Atelier fragrance , Van Cleef's Oriens, Glowelle drink mix   and Balanciaga fragrance   Fekkai shampoo, conditioner and serum packets,   Lancome full-sized lipstick and Narciso Rodriguez fragrance.         
      
       Dior   Spend $125 and you get: a white pouch with L'Or De   Vie deluxe, deluxe bronzer, jadore deluxe and dior show mascara deluxe   Spend $125 and receive a travel size mascara, travel   size eye shadow and samples of cream         
      
       Nars   Spend $100 and get a full sized nail polish and a   multiple    Receive a mini-lipgloss trio with $75 purchase        
      
       La Mar   Spend $300  and get deluxe cream, eye concentrate,   body cream and cleansing foam   With any La Mar purchase you get travel size eye   concentrate        
      
       Jo Malone   Spend $150 and get a travel case and a colonge spray   N/A        
      
       Chanel   Spend $200 and get a shopping bag with lip color   Face cream and body lotion.   Receive a mini-shipping bag, samples of Allure and   Chance, lip color and eye cream with a $150 prucahse        
      
       Additional Stuff   N/A   The tote bag comes with additional incentives   including, a certificate for $50 off any sunglasses ($250, or more), a   certificate for $20 off any Spanx ($100, or more) and a 
       certificate for 6-week supply of Neulash with $150 Neulash purchase

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    Sonia Rykiel Pour H&M

    The Sonia Rykiel line for H&M only hit racks on Saturday but most New York stores are almost sold out. Today we stopped by H&M’s 86th Street location to see what knits were left in the wake of this weekend’s madness.

    We were surprised to find that there was very little inventory considering how long the Sonia Rykiel lingerie line hung around. A man dismantling one of the Sonia Rykiel displays told us that all the children’s clothing was sold out within hours and he thinks this may be the best selling collaboration H&M has ever done. (Yes, that would make it better than Jimmy Choo.)

    So what can you still buy from the Queen of Knits? We found three horizontal striped dresses, two pink rhinestone sweaters, about a dozen jumpsuits, several black asymmetrical knit dresses and a couple hot pink knit dresses. In the accessories department there are still lots of bangles, belts, scarves, barrets and shoes. We were even able to find a few Sonia Rykiel dolls behind the counter. Click here to go through a full set of pictures.

    Stake out the cashier if you have a hankering to get your hands on Coco Rykiel’s designs. Those who overbought over the weekend are coming back in full force to get their money back. Also, the second inside display (shown above) is coming down at 2:15pm today and the window’s merchandise is being swapped out at 10:00am tomorrow. The display sizes are small and extra small and the kid’s are wearing two to four-year sizes.

    You know what you have to do!

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    Robert Marc Eyewear Sale

    The Robert Marc eyewear boutique is hosting a winter sale where select optical and sunglasses will be half-off. The biggest discount is on the house brand of the same name but Lunor, Blinde and Oakley glasses will also be included in the sale.

    The above glasses were designed by Robert Marc and worn by Calista Flockhart’s character, in Brother’s & Sisters. The frame usually retails for $445 but is now half off.

    The sale runs from Monday, Feb. 22nd until Sunday, March 14th. Robert Marc has five stores along Madison between 48th Street and 92nd Street, in addition to a boutique on the West Side and two downtown locations. Click here to find the store closest to you.

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    Where’s Aldo?

    Fashion week is over and we undoubtedly had a blast. Above all, the Tents were a wonderful place to get inspired but not everything comes with a mortgage-worthy price tag.

    As unbelievable as it sounds, fashion designers are always a fantastic source for budget-friendly fashion ideas. After all, much of their money goes into manufacturing their designs. For many designers, buying shoes is a necessary nuisance. (Remember season one of Project Runway.)

    After hanging back stage at numerous fashion shows, we couldn’t help but notice how many designers filled in their standard Manolo, Choo, Louboutin, Prada and YSL shoes with Aldo. Yes, Aldo shoes were as easy to find as a 6-foot toothpick.

    .

    Where did we find Aldo? Christian Cota, Gar-de, Mandy Coon, Pamella Roland and threeASFOUR.

    Following our Fashion Week inspiration, we stopped by our local Aldo. (The winter collection is up to 70% off.) Unsurprisingly, shoes made of faux-leather were as fine as a non-flamable nightgown, but we found lots of spring/summer styles made of genuine leather uppers.

    We especially loved the Louboutin-looking patent leather sandle booties ($80), McQueen-like high collered ankle boots ($100), Chanel-ish wedge-heeled clogs ($90) and Gusseppi-style jeweled flats ($45). Go ahead, take a browse for yourself. You can even wait it out for a sale because we all love a cheap thrill.

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    McQueen Frenzy

    Since the untimely death of Alexander McQueen, fans have been paying tribute to the designer the best way shoppers know how– buying his designs. We’ve noticed that inventory of his current collection has been selling out quickly. This is quite a contrast from last season, when his pricey merchandise was aggressively discounted.

    Even before Christmas, his Meatpacking boutique discounted the winter collection 60%. It’s not even March and inventory is running low. On Net-a-Porter, McQueen merchandise is also selling out fast. A yellow lace satin embroidered silk dress, a signature item from the collection, is sold out except for one size. Cropped paint splashed jeans, one size left. An eagle print sift dress, one size. Knitted asymmetric spiral dress, one size. Are you following?

    A spokesperson for Net-a-Porter wouldn’t comment about the renewed desire for McQueen merchandise. Though the UK Times reports that McQueen sales have soared 1400%. This is quite a turn for a company that has reported losses every year from 2001 to 2008, when a small profit was made. Economic turmoil sent the McQueen brand back into the red in 2008.

    A sales person for Decades Two, the LA designer consignment shop, told us that they are almost sold out of everything McQueen. (They have two pair of men’s shoes if you’re interested.) Prior to the designer’s death, the store had a few items, including blazers and scarves. They receive several calls a day inquiring about the designer’s legacy merchandise. In general, the demand is for clothing and not scarves or accessories she said.

    If only we went with our instincts and invested in our favorite dress from last season rather than saving up for a Kandinsky. At least PPR, which holds a controlling stake in Alexander McQueen (and Gucci), announced that they will “continue to build the brand” and “The Alexander McQueen trademark will live on.”

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    Fashion Week: Oscar de la Renta

    Anyone would be hard pressed to find a piece from any Oscar de la Renta collection that wasn’t beautiful. Although the same could be said about his most recent runway show, we must say that we weren’t very surprised. Glamour, beauty and quality are expected of a master designer, such as Oscar but we missed a special magic that existed in prior seasons. Maybe it was the styling or the economic realities of retail but sometimes need over-the-top glamour and dazzle is necessary.

    Oscar de la Renta Fall 2010

    Who is the customer: Fifth Avenue

    Why buy: Classic beauty is always in style.

    What to buy: Color. We loved the reds, greens and purples in the collection but our favorite piece is this plumb cashmere coat with dyed fox collar.

    Bypass: Outdated hats. A good rule of thumb is that if an item ages a model it will send you straight to Miami.

    Overall contribution to fashion: Always perfect for the woman of a certain age.

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    Fashion Week: Norma Kamali

    Norma Kamali has never been known to maintain the status quo. She has a long track record in changing the retail environment: Customers are encouraged to take home clothing and review it at their leisure for a 48-hour duration, sales experts consult customers over Skype and her Fall 2010 collection can be purchased immediately.

    This season, Norma partnered with SkanLife, a mobile technology that allows customers to scan bar codes with their iPhone or Blackberry to get detailed information about a product. In the case of Norma Kamali’s new eye wear collection. browsers that scanned the accompanying sign were shown a short video about the sunglasses collection.

    For Norma’s presentation she displayed all her collections, which include her collaboration with Walmart, an eBay collection that all retails for under $350 and her signature OMO designs. We love how her fashion is always iconic regardless of price.

    Norma Kamali Fall 2010

    Who is the customer: Walmart utilitarian to uptown eccentric

    Why buy: You appreciate the creativity of an all-in-one and value a personal sense of style

    What to buy: The high-tech fabric is as warm as a sleeping bag but oh so stylish. We are also going to pick up an all-in-one striped tunic on our next shopping trip.

    Bypass: A parachute ball gown may be a bit too eccentric.

    Overall contribution to fashion: Staying true to your core roots while embracing change is a true talent.

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    Fashion Week: Tory Burch

    This season, Tory Burch deviated from her signature iconic caftan and shifted into a much more fashion forward and bold collection. Of course there were classic pieces but they were all shown with a twist of young artful sophistication: slouchy sailor trousers were shown with a sparkly mesh top, tweed jackets were paired with contrasting tweed pants and a hooded sweater became dazzling with sequined sleeves.

    Tory Burch is proving to be as talented of a fashion designer as she is a mass merchandiser. Lets hope she keeps continues. Girls, get ready to trade in your ballet flats for high-heel hiking boots.

    Tory Burch Fall 2010

    Why buy: You know you can rock it.

    What to buy: Bold red print dress with lively embellished sleeves

    Bypass: Winter shorts with tights is always a hard sell.

    Overall contribution to fashion: We love watching a fashion designer evolve.

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