Winter Wonderland

Is it just me or has it been winter FOREVER??

For the last two months the San Franciscan weather monster has had an insatiable appetite for the cold, the dreary and the downright dismal. Never have I experienced such bitter conditions in the city before and what’s worse, this frosty feeling seems to be permeating its way through our bodies and souls. Pedestrians are bustling through the streets with their heads down and bulldozing through anything that crosses their paths, cyclists are even less likely to stop at a red light and as sale prices hurtle towards the ‘70% off’ world fellow shoppers are becoming even more ruthless. Somebody actually kicked me in Macy’s the other day. True story.

But fear not, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We are starting to see the first sprinkles of Spring collection colors in stores. My gym is attempting to lure me back with promises of a ‘beach body’ and America’s favorite fame-whoring family are already promoting their new swimwear line (yes, the Kardashians for Beach Bunny Swimwear’s new 2011 collection is now available and yes, I’m just jealous cos I want their lives). Ah, summer is nigh and thoughts of flirty dresses and colorful tanks are tantalizing my sartorial senses.

But do not be fooled. Do not allow yourself to be seduced by BCBGs sassy summer window displays. Ignore the Victoria’s Secret swimsuit catalogue that is winging its way to you as we speak. For Recessionistas like us, now is not the time to start thinking about shorts and tees. Get your crystal balls out girls, cos we need to start thinking about NEXT winter.

Don’t you raise your eyebrows like that at me! I speak the truth. Just yesterday I was perusing through Betsey Johnson’s store admiring an array of stunning winter coats that were 60% off. Piperlime has an insane sale on their boots collection and Neiman Marcus is finally talking to me in a language that I can speak.  Right now, stores nationwide are a virtul winter wonderland of accoutrement delights at rock bottom prices.  Indeed, sometimes in life you need to take a step backwards in order to move forward. Well, as a Recessionista, sometimes you need to shop for this season after the fact. Just think about it, is there anything more priceless than finding a jacket or pair of boots that you have coveted for months on the 'Clearance' rack?? Doesn’t it just give you that extra swagger in your step when you really find a bargain? And think about it, as this season is (hopefully) winding down and the opportunities to wear winter clothes will dwindle you’ll find that come next winter you’ll have an array of virtually unworn garments adorning your closet walls.

And that’s when you start investing in swimwear…………see where I’m going with all this??! Tread carefully though – you don’t want to complicate your seasonal shopping too much and end up looking like Kim Cattrell below……

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Louboutins For Lunch.....

You’ve got the dress. You’ve perfected the smoky eye trend. Your vintage purse is simply divine but those clumpy old black pumps with the heels wore down just do not complete the look. So where does a recessionista turn to when you’re a shoe-aholic working off bad credit?? The Italians (and Claire Bear) say that you should always match your shoes with your bag. Indeed, this has been a simple fashion rule that I have followed for years. I always remember, many moons ago, marveling at this hot blonde wearing an LBD and rainbow striped pumps. I’m not joking – they were genuinely rainbow striped pumps of the Castro variety. I, in all of my nineteen year old wisdom, thought they were AMAZING but I was assured by my slightly more mature and infinitely fashion wiser friend that she looked cheap and nasty. It wasn’t much long after this that I learned this to be a fashion faux pas of catastrophic proportions on the streets of Milan. Indeed, sadly as one gets that little bit more mature and softer in the hot bod department you come to realize that less truly is more. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve never followed the advice of taking one thing off before I leave the house (were I to do this I’d probably join the ranks of P Hilton and Britney Spears in the unfortunate and unflattering angle-photo department). Nonetheless, I have realized that garish colors and mis-matching pieces can often look just that – garish and mis-matching.

A great dress is one thing. But there are few feelings that parallel donning a really sexy pair of heels. I HATE flat shoes. The best they can ever be is cute. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no stranger to strutting my stuff in them in a work environment or on a leisurely Sunday stroll but truth be told, us women all feel much sexier and stronger in a pair of killer heels. And men feel it too. There are certain shoes that evoke in men that ‘leave them on’ lust and trust me honey, that doesn’t come with a kitten heel.

So what I am about to disclose to you goes against the very ethos of this blog but here it goes – you need to spend money on shoes. There. I said it. Ladies, I do hate to admit it but it’s true. Now, I absolutely do not believe in spending money on fad shoes. A flowery espadrille or purple pump might go well with your specific look du jour but they’re not going to last you a lifetime. Think of Manolo Blahnik’s ‘Mary Jane’. Now that is a perfect shoe – sexy but still conservative, and above all insanely versatile. The only thing a shoe like that may not work with is a summer dress and let’s face it – there are a million $30 –a-pair of shoes at Marshalls or Target that will complete that look. Now if I were to pick a favorite shoe I’d have to go for the slick red-soled Louboutin. These shoes are simply – divine. I’ve been lucky enough to add a few of these babies to my wardrobe and wearing them is a guilty pleasure (I sometimes just wear them around the house). Now, I know – they are obscenely expensive but trust me, I get so much wear out of mine that it truly is worth it. One of the most sacreligious crimes a fashionista can commit is to not wear your more expensive items. Come on, we’re all guilty of it. You spend money on a pair of shoes and because they were so damn expensive you feel the need to only wear them on ‘special’ occasions. Au contraire, my friend, the reason why you bid adieu to your hard-earned American dollars is solely so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. It’s not often that I truly splurge but the biggest pleasure that comes with splurging is of course to enjoy the item (or items in some cases) - even if it means wearing your Louboutins while doing the dishes.

My darling Recessionitas, if Carrie could live off Vogue for dinner, we can have Louboutins for lunch….

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Shoes Glorious Shoes.....

Forget mood rings, the easiest way to tell how a woman is feeling is to look down.....waaaay down.  If she's donning a pair of killer heels chances are she's in a sexy kind of mood, flip flops and she's carefree all the way, slippers - take cover cos she's not in a good one!

One of my most favorite shoe websites is ShopTheShoeBox.  From Badgley Mischka to BCBG, Steve Madden to Stuart Weitzman this website is a haven for shoe lovers!  And what's even better is In Style magazine has teamed up with them to offer their readers a special discount.  Lucky for you guys I'm an avid In Style-ee and am only delighted to share the promo code with y'all.  Simply type in INSTYLE20 and you will receive a 20% discount off ALL of the shoes on their website (except existing sale items!).  Yes, my friends - get shopping!  This offer is only valid until October 31 so get your shop on!!  Maybe your shoe closet will start to resemble Mariah's below (c'mon, a girl can dream, right?!).

Also my little Recessionista friends, In Style are doing a promotion right now where it's only $19.50 to subscribe to their magazine for an entire year - do it!!

Don't forget to let me know what you buy........

WEBSITES              http://www.shoptheshoebox.com/

                                 http://www.instyle.com/

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Break-up or Bankrupt??

Can you ever forget the first time you truly had your heart broken? I will never forget that fateful day back in ’98 when a three minute phone conversation literally DEVESTATED my world. I was sixteen at the time and the focus of my affection and attention was a much older man (he had a solid three years on me). When he called me on that Sunday morning to tell me that he didn’t like me anymore (a sensitive soul he was not) I genuinely thought my world had ended. While I threw myself in a heap on the floor sobbing my father did what every man’s gut instinct is to stop a girl from crying – he threw money at the situation. ‘Are you ok, pet’, he said to me, ‘would you like to go shopping?’ Five hours later and with a “stylish” faux fur trimmed winter coat resting in my bag it seemed that life was once again worth living. Now one can obviously ascertain that my heart’s ability to mend itself in such a short space of time was clearly indicative of my age but have I ever really changed?

Let’s think about it, how did I get over my last break up?? Well, I got my hair cut and colored, hit up Ambience for a new cocktail dress and my two wonderful girlfriends came with me for an obnoxiously expensive dinner and cocktail extravaganza at Le Colonial. No joke. Last year, when I stopped dating whats-his-name all of a sudden my AMEX did the talking and a few days later parcels from Victoria’s Secret, Macy’s and BCBG magically started to appear on my office desk. How strange! And it would seem that I am not alone. No sooner have us girls uttered the words ‘so long, sucker’ we are busy getting to the task of washing that man right out of our hair. Literally. Back in 2006, after all-American sweetheart Reese Witherspoon bid adieu to her beau Ryan Philippe she was soon seen sporting a much sexier and edgier hairdo. Similarly, not long after Anne Hathaway left Raffaello Follieri she reemerged on to the Hollywood scene with a modern bob and a sophisticated new wardrobe to match. Indeed, break ups seem to be synonymous with major style makeovers which have everybody else saying ‘ooh la la’ but on our D-List dimes ends up being more ‘oh Christ, why did I not pay for that overdraft protection plan?!’. Nonetheless, clothes might be a safer option than cuts - before you go doing anything dramatic with your hair please spare a thought for poor old Felicity actress, Keri Russell, who dramatically cut her luscious locks after a traumatic break-up in 1999 (see below). Truly tragic.

But you know, it’s not just the break-upèe (made up word, yes, you now have permission to use this) who starts dolling out the dollar bills like it’s going out of fashion. When a good friend of mine broke up with her ex only a few months ago and she admitted to me how he always hated her wearing short skirts, well of course the only rational thing for her to do was to go out and buy twenty mini-dresses. Makes sense for her – she was trying to mend a broken heart. What did not necessarily make sense was the sympathy shopping that I myself partook in. Just how was it that my purchase of a pair of Badley Mischka pumps (duh, Nordstrom Rack ladies – I’d never pay full price obviously) somehow an act of sisterly loyalty? Why did my retail therapy in any way help her? I’ll never know the answer to this (anyway, from what I’m told us women are meant to be loved not understood) but ultimately I guess it did….and as she admitted to me that day, ‘I know I’ve spent a lot of money – but in the long run it’s probably cheaper than a psychiatrist’! Too true but, it doesn’t just end with sympathy ‘shopping’. There are also the sympathy drinks and the sympathy trips to the movie theater and the sympathy manicures and the sympathy pedicures…. Breaking-up has become a multi-million dollar business and all at our expense! Hasn’t the movie industry taught us that all we need is a big bucket of ice cream to get over him? And while we women start weeping into our wallets most men just need a beer and a shot to get back into the groove. How rude!

I’m a fervent believer that it is better to love and have lost than to never love at all but seriously girls, when it comes to your next break-up try not to end up bankrupt. It may seem like a good idea at the time but the high of indulging in that $200 pixie-cut hairdo and pair of Louboutain pumps will not last. Stick to cups of tea and chats with your girls.

This too shall pass……

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One For The Boys......Kinda...!

Despite the fact that the girlie-ness of this site verges towards being almost vulgar at times it would appear that I do in fact have some male readers. I was asked by some to maybe consider writing a couple of guy-friendly articles. Fervent to please as I am, I immediately got to thinking about how I could impress the boys with a witty, charming article that would solve all their sartorial grievances. My mind works at a million miles an hour yet despite the multitude of ideas that popped into my head I ultimately could not get away from one undeniable fact – I just love my girls! I love my single and fabuless girls and I’m not sure that I’ll ever be able to write for any other reader. Sorry boys!

Throughout my life I have surrounded myself by fiery females. When I was younger, I identified these girls as fun. Indeed, ten years ago, it was all about the boys and the booze – and not necessarily in that order. Our weeks were filled with desperately planning for the weekend, laboriously plotting outfits in minute detail and having the luxury to spend all day Saturday getting ready. The greatest irony in the latter, of course, was that we ultimately looked like we’d quickly wrapped a hair band around our waists, draped some chain mail across our chests and applied our make-up in the dark. The glory years. Indeed, these did not necessarily come across as high fashion, carefully crafted looks that say the likes of Rachel Zoe would put her name to (LOVED the premier of the new season of her show the other night by the way – I ‘literally’ died!) but you can’t argue with this – we tried. Since then the skirts have gotten a little longer but in truth not much has changed – these girls are still a hell of a lot of fun (although I think it’s fair to say that thankfully we no longer have a penchant to drink ten Jagerbombs on a random Tuesday night!).

Nonetheless, where would we be without a little male lovin’ every now and then. Yes, despite what those bra-burning b*tches would have you think - we all need a hero. No, no I’m not telling you to start hawking yourself out on Craigslist’s ‘casual encounters’ or take any saucy pictures for Match.com. But seriously girls, what does a single lady do when things start getting a little less Dior and a little more DIY around the house? Just as I saw Kimora Lee Simmons say, I too like to think of myself as ‘every woman’ and I’m not afraid to get my hands a little dirty every now and again. I can cook (even my fire alarm cheers me on), I can clean and I am excellent at art directing where pictures should be hung. Having said that – you are high off your mind if you think that I am ever going to waste some of my hard earned dollar dollar bills on buying a drill when Piperlime has a sale on boots. The fact that there is a hammer in my home is shocking to me – it must have been left there by a past tenant. If I only own one eye shadow brush you cannot seriously expect me to own an iron. So what does a single sista do when Bob the Builder type operations start popping up around your house but without the obvious person to help you – Bob. Let me introduce you to your new crush – http://www.neighborgoods.net/. What Jesse Metcalfe was to Eva Longoria in Desperate Housewives this website will be to you (minus of course the hotness that was Jesse Metcalfe in Desperate Housewives – dammit). It’s such a simple concept. Sharing. You heard me – share. The idea is that as a community we pool our resources so we don’t all have to waste money on things we only use once or twice. Genius! So if I have a ladder (which I obviously don’t) I can post this online and show that it is available to a safe network of users and then when you’re hanging that chandelier that you just bought at a bargainous price from the Alameda Flea Market you can borrow it. Love it! Of course the area of this website that I would like to see develop further is indeed the ‘apparel’ section. As of yet, I can only find a couple of pairs of running shoes (boo) and a mink coat (random) but I have that tingling feeling of anticipation that this is going to be a good thing for us girls. Watch this space!

So remember ladies, I’m all about Kimora’s concept of being ‘every woman’ but sometimes we still need a man around the house…….boys, I may have failed in my quest to write an article for you but hopefully your girl will come home a little more appreciative of you this evening…..And of course – let me know what you think of http://www.neighborgoods.net/!

WHERE TO GO??    http://www.neighborgoods.net/
                                   http://www.piperlime.com/
                                   The Rachel Zoe Project (just because!)
                                  

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Not So Zapp-y....

I see the boxes file into my office on a regular basis, I’ve heard the buzz about the amazing return policy so I knew ultimately that one day I was going to have to check out Zappos for myself. I gotta tell you – not so impressed. I found a great pair of boots in Nine West last week for the princely sum of $129 – not too shabby, some might say, but as the industrious shopper and fervent bargain hunter that I am I figured I’d least give it a shot at trying to find them cheaper elsewhere. A friend recently recommended I read ‘Delivering Happiness’, Tony Hsieh’s tale of how his idea became a multi-million dollar worldwide machine. I’ve yet to get to that book (The Omnivore’s Dilemma is my current nighttime indulgence) but it certainly sounds like an inspirational story. With that recent conversation in mind, I figured this project was the perfect opportunity for me to test out Zappos.

Now I’m a straight-talking kind of girl. I don’t beat around the bush. I know exactly what I want and exactly how I want to get it and I expect a website to respect that so I definitely felt dissed by the search engine in Zappos. At first, I was going for a leisurely stroll through their boot collection when I casually noticed the interesting dichotomy of having a $1,250 Ralph Lauren over the knee boot alongside a $60 gum boot. A gum boot.  Seriously!  Don’t believe me?? Check it out here !!

Let’s just say that the little wellington girl was no match for the beauty that was her older (and more expensive) sister. What’s more, it further highlighted to me the limitations of my spending power. The Ralph Lauren boot said ‘sexy senorita’ while the plastic dud just said ‘sad’ – and at the end of the day, that’s all I could afford. Double sad. Bemused (and if I’m to be honest - slightly irritated) by this, I realized that with 4,003 options of boots to choose from I needed to knuckle down to the task at hand and find what I was looking for. I selected ‘demi boots’ as this was ultimately the style of boot I was interested in. Now Zappos, let me ask you this, in the streamlined search for a ‘demi boot’ what kind of a crack head would throw a snake-skin pump into the mix??! I kid you not – on page 1 of my search for a ‘demi boot’ I was presented with a black & white, open toed, snake-skin pump! On page 2, the first item was a gold and brown version of the same shoe. Even stranger again, the item alongside this snake skin delight was an army style camouflage boot – a big, clumpy ass boot that in no way corresponded to this sexy, albeit slightly obnoxious, badly positioned peep-toe treat. I have to admit, at this point my frustration was teetering towards fever pitch so I decided to abandon the Zappos dream and stick to what I know best – Piperlime (I have a Rachel Zoe girl crush).

Now I don’t want to be a hater but one would expect when you search for a specific type of shoe on a website that sells shoes that you would be offered - and only offered - shoes of that style. If I was looking for peep-toe sandals and I was presented with a ‘demi boot’ I would be similarly offended. I decided to take my irritation to the next level and b@tch on the phone to my best friend about it. And thank the Lord that I did cos she introduced me to my new BFF – Shop Style! How the hell did I not know that this website existed before?? It is simply GENIUS. You merely type into the search box what it is you are looking for (demi boot) and it cross-shops hundreds of thousands of online stores and brands to give you all the different options and price ranges of what it is that you are looking for. Once you find a style that you like and click on it you are taken directly to the seller’s website. I’ll say it again – GENIUS!!! Better still - I did manage to find a nicer pair of boots than the initial Nine West option and at a better price (somebody seriously needs to hide my debit card from me)! At the end of the day, us online shoppers are LAZY. Yeah, come on – you know it. We all work hard and our time off is valuable blah, blah. I doth protest that my time off is “too valuable” to be spent trawling through a million different stores on a Saturday afternoon trying to determine whether the boot that I want to buy is the best boot in the world at the best possible price but in truth – I just can’t be bothered. This is now why I am in L-O-V-E LOVE with Shop Style as it does it for me!

D-Listers – DEFINITELY click on this link and add Shop Style as one of your online shopping favorites!

PS: Has anybody tried the recently Kim Kardashian-endorsed site Shoe Dazzle?? I’m intrigued but a little suspicious……let me know what you think of it!

WHERE TO GO??  http://www.piperlime.com/

                                   http://www.shopstyle.com/

                                   http://www.shoedazzle.com/

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Pretty Provocative Prices

If you're like me, then you love expensive underwear.  However, my budget is a little more JC Penney than Agent Provocateur.  So imagine my delight when I saw that the latter is having a three day online sale with up to 75% off!  I repeat - 75% off!!!

Check it out here!!

Now if only there was 75% off the number I saw on my weighing scales this morning so I might actually look like one of the girls on that website in my new underwear.  One day.  Sigh!

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Check It Out!

There are many things you could call me - but shy is not one of them!  If I see somebody on the street wearing say a dress or pair of shoes that I like I have no problem approaching them to find out where they made said purchase.  Like last week, I was thrilled to hear that the fabulous sandals a fellow pedicure customer was donning were a recent purchase at Neiman Marcus.  Much to my chagrin however, they turned out to be available for the princely sum of $495.  No sale!  So imagine my delight when the cute pair of flats I spied yesterday turned out to be from none other than Target - now I didn't even need the girl to tell me how much they cost, I know that's within my price range!

Even more exciting is the fact that Target has formely announced it's plans to take over the entire 4th floor at The Metreon AND the vacant space that used to be Mervyns on Geary Boulevard (at Masonic Avenue).  Woohoo!

For more information, check out this article in The Examiner. 

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Check it out!!

Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian are both tweeting today about great Gucci deals on http://www.beyondtherack.com/.  Looks good but if you still need a little more bang for your buck, I just spotted these great online sales and I had to share!!  Need a new pair of jeans or some plain white tees to go under your black blazer  (infact, Banana Republic has some blazers on sale for as little as $49.99)??  There's 30% of EVERYTHING at Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic plus free shipping if you're purchases are over $100.  But hurry!  This offer ends tomorrow.

Click here!!

Looking for some new shoes??  There's up to 70% off on Stuart Weitzman shoes on Bluefly today only (note to self - bookmark http://www.bluefly.com/.  It's a great website!!).  I'm not sure how much I'm loving the selection they are showing but if you need some new flats they do have some nice choices.

Check it out here :)

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Saving Sunday

When it comes to shopping, depending on where you go $100 can feel like $10 and sometimes $10 can feel like $100. I can walk into BCBG (one of my favorite designer labels. There’s an understated coolness to their clothes and I love the fact that you don’t need to be stick thin to fit into their pants!) and barely find a sweater for under a hundred bucks. If I’m lucky I might walk away with a necklace and the ensuing empty feeling you get in your stomach after having a salad for lunch when you really wanted the pasta. I feel one of two ways when I leave that store – sorry for myself, that there was so much I wanted but couldn’t afford or dumbfounded that my credit card wasn’t declined and resigned to the fact that I now can’t go out for the next two weeks.

However, when it comes to H&M, I can spend my money with a swagger. $12.95 for a cute black t-shirt dress? I’ll take TWO! Spend a hundred bucks in this store and you literally walk out with an entire new wardrobe. No joke. The trick with high street fashion is that you need to know where and when to save or splurge. And despite what Lady Gaga protests (love her btw, she kissed me backstage at a show two years ago!!), for most of us fashion needs to be functional. When you’re a babe on a budget it just doesn’t make economical sense to spend on cutting edge items which will be out of fashion in a mere month. Moreover, if on a day to day basis, like me, you spend most of your time in skinny jeans and flats then why would you splurge on stilettos?? That signature black satin D&G bustier might flatter your curves in all the right places but, come one – how often are you actually going to wear it? Silly little fashionistas…..;)

I love it when People magazine, US Weekly et al show you how to get a star’s look for less however most of the time they are critiquing red carpet looks. Reality bites. While my naturally nosey nature loves to know where to find a more affordable Valentino style dress my average Saturday night is a little more grabbing a bite to eat than bottle service. We need to know how to emulate star’s day to day looks. Lucky for you, I have decided to DEDICATE myself to finding fabuless fashions so every week I am going to bring you ‘Saving Sunday’. I will show you how to spend a hundred bucks (or less) and still sizzle like a celeb in fashions not just fit for Hollywood. And this week I will be spotlighting Zara and their beautiful black blazers.

There’s one thing that Zara does damn well – tailored jackets (and this is not a common thing for a relatively inexpensive high street store). Throughout the years I have bought numerous black blazers at Zara (and promptly left them in bars all over the city – hence the ‘numerous’) and that is a wardrobe staple that never goes out of fashion. San Francisco is not a city where you tend to need a coat but in the evening time a light jacket or cardigan will always end up being your savior. Whether it be a boyfriend cut or more fitted style that suits your individual look I can guarantee that Zara will have the answer for you. $79.99 will cover you for one of their blazers and you can get allotta looks out of this. Sexy-secretary it up with a high-waisted pencil skirt and fitted shirt; smarten up your skinny jeans and white tank look; wear it over a soft and flirty summer dress for a more vintage feel or drape it over your cocktail dress and team it with a pair of Gladiator sandals for a high fashion look. I promise you – it will be eighty dollars you will NEVER regret spending.

Some of my favorite celebs who know how to rock a black blazer include Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Sienna Miller, Rachel Bilson, Jennifer Aniston and Kate Moss. Whether it be teamed with a pair of leather pants or cut-off denim shorts the black blazer has remained a celeb staple and is showing no signs of stopping. So what are you waiting for?? Grab that fake Coach purse, slip on your new black blazer, sizzle in your A-List look and put your $20 change in your piggy bank. See – we’re already saving, sistas!

(PS.  Happy Birthday to my sister, Sara!!)

WHERE TO GO??  Find your nearest Zara store at http://www.zara.com/

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Chow Couture

Now let’s be honest, when you think of your local Chinatown, fabulous fashion finds are not something that instantly spring to mind. In truth, I have avoided Chinatown like the PLAGUE since my first flirtation with it three years ago. Before even stepping foot on its actual soil I had the misfortune to ride the bus through there. Now I don’t really care if some 60 year old woman, who has beaten herself into a purple velour tracksuit, thinks she’s Beyonce. In fact, I say more power to you sista! However, I’m still somewhat traumatized by the woman who sat next to me with some sort of live animal in her shopping bag. I think it was a chicken….. it could have been a rat……I’m probably better off not actually knowing the truth…..but this bad boy was going CRAZY in her plastic bag and I mean CRAAAZZY! She just sat there completely expressionless, unfazed and unperturbed by the fear permeating through the back of the bus. That was enough for me. I decided there and then that anything I needed from Chinatown I could order off a menu from the comfort of my couch……

Of course, I felt this way until that fateful day a few weeks ago when I had the misfortune to find myself alone, magazineless and with an hour to kill in none other than – Chinatown. I lasted as long as I possibly could in a restaurant where nobody spoke English and I brought the median age down by about fifty years before I realized I was outstaying my welcome and was going to have to just start trawling the streets.

Lucky I did, as I had what could only be described as a Sex & The City ‘forbidden experience’ but unlike Carrie and the girls, I truly embraced it. I was aimlessly browsing through a store offering fake Guess bags and ugly faux-Hermes scarves when the owner approached me and suggested I might like to take a look in their ‘back room’. Cue angels singing ‘aaahhhhhhh’.

Oh my GOD, the bags in this tiny little back room were AMAZING. I’m talking about perfect Coach bags, chic Chanel, Prada clutches, Tory Burch totes…..the works! I literally stood dumbfounded for minutes before I got to work touching….feeling….checking the interior of the purses….now I’ll be honest, I’ve a good eye for the fake and phony (and I’m not just talking about bags) but these items were perfect, they were treasures to be owned and loved and tucked into bed at night. After whiling away the best of an hour (I was now late for the appointment I had been killing time for in the first instance) my spidey senses honed in on the most beautiful Coach tote in a soft, supple yellow leather. Mmmmm delicioso!! And what was even more sumptuous was the price tag - $40?? Doth my eyes betray me?? Yes it’s true, my little recessionistas, this Neiman Marcus delicacy was mine for a mere forty bucks. I couldn’t believe my luck!

Now I have genuinely no idea if these bags were fake or had perhaps ‘fallen off the back of a truck’. All I do know is that they certainly fulfilled my A-List living aspirations on my D-List dimes. The trick with making fake look fabulous is not to look like every designer label that ever existed vomited all over you. Nothing says fake more than a girl wearing Gucci loafers with a D&G t-shirt with a Louis Vuitton tote, a Burberry scarf adorning her neck and Chanel logo studs in her ears. If you have to emblazon a designer’s logo across your chest chances are it’s cos you can’t afford the real deal. I vowed only ever to use my Chinatown find casually during the day – cos let’s face it, a Coach purse is an everyday essential for an A-List lady – not a luxury. If you want to emulate the look you need to also embrace the lifestyle. Don’t save your few fabulous finds for special occasions – flaunt them as if you have fifty.

But beware! Most fakes are betrayed by inaccurate logos. If you’re a novice when it comes to deciphering which is Chanel fact or fiction, take a minute to check out this great website www.six-star-replicas.com. Not only does this site specialize in selling fake purses for less but it also gives you tips on how to tell a good fake from a bad fake. Genius!

And you know the best thing about getting a great deal on a great bag? Unlike trying to beat your ass into a pair of J Brand skinny jeans on a menstrual Monday one size truly does fit all! Hurray for all us pear-shaped people in the world! Now go and get your Guci, I mean, Gucci on…….;)

UPDATE!!  I just made a believer out of one of my closest friends!  Inspired after reading this posting she actually succeeded in dragging my hungover ass down to Chinatown and we had an even better 'forbidden experience' than I had before!  Just as we were walking out of this store that had sub-standard fakes the saleswoman said she could show us more if we were interested.  There was an awkward pregnant pause.  She knew what we were looking for.  We knew what she meant.  But like a first date.....nobody wanted to make the first move.  The next thing we know we're following this little Asian man out of the shop, up a hill, through an alley, into another store, behind a curtain, past a doorway and into, what can only be described as, fake purse heaven!!  There were literally hundreds and hundreds of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Coach, D&G, Prada.....I could go on and on!  I scored a beautiful red leather Jimmy Choo bag that normally retails at $1,225.  My price?  Forty of my hard earned American dollars.  Loves it!  And my friend got a fabuless white Gucci number for $45.  The sense of satisfaction just eminated from the two of us.  We were positively BEAMING leaving the store.  And the best thing of all......we even had change for a nice glass of wine afterwards.  Cheers!

WHERE TO GO??  Hollywood Kool, 904 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94108

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To Vintage Shop or Not To Vintage Shop......That Is The Question.....

As an Irish lass, the thought of buying clothes in a second hand/vintage store was always to me – abhorrent. As the eldest of three girls, I never had to endure the embarrassing hand me downs as I was always the one, well, handing down so the prospect of wearing some stranger’s clothes was not just foreign to me but downright disgusting. You mean to tell me you expect my delicate porcelain skin to be laminated to somebody else’s underarm sweat patch?? No spank you!

However, as with my waistline, my hardened outlook on this has softened throughout the years. I guess Ireland just doesn’t do vintage stores like America does…..or more specifically, like Haight Street does! Forget the hippies and the overwhelming cacophony of aromas that pervade the area the thing that Haight Street has to offer is the shops……oh my God, the shops!

The first time I was introduced to Haight Street shopping was after I went to see Vivienne Westwood’s exhibition at the de Young Museum. The clothes on display were fabulous – literally, faaaabbbbbuuuullllooouuuusssss. I just wanted, wanted, wanted but of course like Amy Winehouse said to rehab my bank balance told me nooo, nooo, nooo. I was still a relative virgin to the city at the time so when my friend suggested we rub our two pennies together on Haight Street I stared at her blankly. Little did I know…….

My two favorite stores on Haight Street are Wasteland and Ambience (yes, yes I know Ambience is not actually a vintage store but you literally feel like you have stepped into somebody’s closet. There is just an abundance of merchandise in their store ranging from $10 tanks to $250 cocktail dresses. Ambience gives you the option to both splurge and save and for this, I will love it forever). But I’m not here to talk to you about normal retail stores I want to make believers out of all you non-vintage shopping shoppers!

Wasteland is a serious Mecca for all you wannabe fashionistas out there. Angelina Jolie famously bought an LBD at a Wasteland in LA for the princely sum of $26 and wore it to an Hollywood movie premiere! They are super picky about the clothes that they actual accept there (let’s just say my two garbage bags of garments I thought would end up adorning their shop walls ended up at the Goodwill store a half block down the street) and it shows. I found a pink satin YSL cocktail dress there only three weeks ago for a mere $65. YSL at $65! Hello, I just saw Khloe Kardashian tweeting about the great savings on YSL bags on www.beyondtherack.com two days ago. My curiosity was piqued but to my dismay the cheapest bags featured on the site were a whopping $565 – now if that’s with an alleged ‘up to 70% off’ can you even begin to imagine how much the clothing line actually starts at?!

Wasteland seems to acquire a prolific amount of stock by designers including Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, BCBG, Calvin Klein, Versace, and Christian Louboutain. You truly can live the champagne lifestyle on beer money at this store as you would be hard pressed to break the $70 mark on any one single of their vintage items.

But let me tell you, when it comes to vintage shopping PATIENCE my fabulous friends truly is the only virtue. Not all of us are lucky enough to have a Wasteland on our doorstep. What I soon realized is that not only do you need to painstakingly browse through numerous shop rails to find what you’re looking for you need to painstakingly browse through numerous actual shops themselves to find the one or ones that work for you. You kind of need to interview a bunch of them before you decide on your prime candidate. And when you choose the ONE remember that loyalty isn’t just a quality you need to look for in a friend…..if you are loyal to your vintage store it will be sooo good to you baby! Trust me.

I introduced two friends recently – one a rock n roll dude, the other my favorite little vintage shopping vixen (way more die hard than myself) – and afterwards I was surprised when the rock n roll boy turned around to me and said ‘wow, she looks expensive’. I swear, I don’t think my friend has EVER paid over $40 for an item of clothing in her life. The perception of vintage shopping is that it’s for hairy-legged hippies and here was my darling friend not only donning some cutting edge looks but moreover doing it on the d-list dime way that I love!

So get off your butts and start trawling through those dodgy looking second hand stores – you never know what you might find! And psssst………just cos it retails at $200 but you got it for only $20 doesn’t mean you have to tell anybody….. ;)

http://www.stylehive.com/blog/shopper-stalker-angelina-jolie-wasteland

WHERE TO GO?? Wasteland, 1660 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
                                  Buffalo Exchange, 1555 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
                                  Static, 1764 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117

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For A-list living on D-list dimes......

So it's 2010, I'm teetering close to the edge of 30-dom, even size 6 is a distant memory and I'm nowhere near to making my first million dollars.....what's a gal to do when you have A-List aspirations but only D-List dimes??

Like most 20-something year old ladies, I love fashion....but fashion doesn't really seem to return the favor. I guess it seems that my proportions are just all wrong - I have a skinny little wallet and a big fat ass and from what I can deduce these two are supposed to be in the opposite order!

Now I'll be honest with you, my fashion aspirations are a little less Conde Naste and a little more US Weekly, more JLo than Gisele. In fact, I think it's probably more appropriate to say that I love clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery and make-up than actually 'fashion' itself. I do not believe that fashion is art. The idea that Joan Rivers can compare a red carpet dress to archictecture is hysterical to me. And if I have to look at one more Victoria's Secret cellulite-free model I may be sick.

My dirty little secret is that I am OBSESSED with celebrities and fashion and the idea of combining these two little delicacies into one blog that I could write was too delectable an option for me to resist ;) I LOVE reading about celebs, I LOVE knowing who or what they are wearing but in all the hours I have whiled away online reading other people's blogs I realized that nobody seems to take into account that the vast majority of us are a) not size 0 and b) on a budget!

These fashion blogs taunt my ever dwindling bank account with their $700 shoes and their $300 purses that six months later (at which point I might be able to muster up the few shingles to afford them) are oh so last season. Let's get real for a minute - people are losing their jobs, unemployment is at an all time high, even those of us whose income has not been directly compromised by the economy have learned to be a little more conservative with our cash (last serious moment - I promise!).

We need a forum that reveals not only what fashions are a-la-mode but more importantly, a-la-cheap! Forget Oprah's Favorite Things ($50 for cookie dough - hello?!), as a fashionista come recessionista I will reveal to you my tricks of the trade, the back alley websites the fashion industry don't want you to know about, where Chanel bags tend to 'fall off the back of a truck'....come on girls, let's start living the A-List life on our D-List dimes........

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