This post is going to embarrass me for a multitude of reasons. Not the least of which involves a reference to an obscure quote from, of all things, The O.C..
If you were a fan of the show, and are a die-hard fashionista (god, how I hate that term), you may remember the scene where Kiki's ne'er do well sister comes back into her life to wreak a little havoc. There's a point where she goes through big sis' closet and pulls out a very plain looking piece and says, "Talbots? Really Kirstin?" to which K responds, "It was a gift."
Most folks would've missed this subtle jab, but fashion insiders heard loud and clear: the words Talbots and style didn't belong in the same sentence, much less some rich Orange County housewife's wardrobe.
After stumbling upon Talbots newly redesigned website I was surprised to find that the purveyor of classic, sensible ladylike clothing has gone all hip. Well, maybe not in the Williamsburg or Newport Beach sense of the word, but the upgrade is pretty stylish:
Which brings me to embarrassing admission #2: I want it. All.
As an eBay seller with perfect feedback, and a rabid buyer of designer goods on the site it always gets my panties in a wad whenever I stumble upon raging fakes.
Per esempio:
Being touted by the seller as a "Rare, 100% Authentic, and As Seen in Sex And The City"
Um...I don't think so.
I could be wrong, and I won't link to the auction because I don't want to smear an innocent person until proven guilty, but do please chime in: fab or faux?!
If you've been reading for a while you know that I've been craving the cooler weather and related style accoutrement since about the Fourth of July. I've spent most of my clothing budget since then on fall/winter merchandise and counting the days until I could wear my new found goodness.
Fast forward to October and what did I just buy?
These adorable Loeffler Randall Dorrit flats. I've been crushing on these foreva; the rose gold metallic, ruffles, ankle straps, peep toe, flat heels -- it's all there, and totally ME.
Almost.
They originally retailed for $395, and my wallet's not so $400-friendly. My can't-pass-it-up price? $79.
Hurry on over to Blue Bee and take advantage of their 80% Shoe Mania sale before they're all gone!
I received this info courtesy of the good folks at Consumer Reports - if you haven't already subscribed to their Shop Smart magazine you probably should. There's nothing more valuable than honest advise to make shopping smarter -- they don't accept advertising which means you get unbiased info -- brilliant!
Following is a reprint from their November issue. To learn more about them click here.
You’re willing to scrimp on some things to save money, but not your makeup. So how can you save without giving up your favorite brands? Go online.
ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, checked out more than two dozen beauty sites to find the best ones, screening out sites with bad Better Business Bureau records, no contact information, poor return policies, or high shipping fees and ones where items were bundled (Amazon’s best cosmetic deals were in multipacks). Here are the results:
Return policy 30 days on unopened products or, for certain items, if you don’t like the color. Returns cost $4.99 unless a product is damaged or incorrect or the color is wrong.
Shipping Free on orders over $75; otherwise $5.95 to $8.95.
Return policy 30 days. You pay for return shipping unless the product was damaged. All returns are for exchange or store credit only. There are no refunds or returns on color cosmetics.
Shipping Free on orders of $35 or more; $4.95 on orders of less than $35.
Return policy 30 days. Products must be unused and unopened, unless they are defective. You have to call or e-mail before returning products; you will also have to pay the costs of return shipping.
Shipping Free on your first nonprescription order of $25 or more; free on orders of $49 or more after that.
Return policy 30 days. Returns are free if a product is damaged, defective, or incorrect. Returns are free on certain products if you don’t like the color. Otherwise, products must be unopened and unused.
Return policy 30 days. Product must be at least 75 percent full. You have to pay return shipping fees, and no returns are allowed of an opened product if you received a sample of it with your order.
Best Online Version of a Walk-In Store:Walgreens.com
Shipping Many items qualify for free shipping of purchases of $50 or more; otherwise $5.49 for 10 pounds or less.
This site didn’t have a wide selection of products. You have to buy $99 worth of stuff to get free shipping; otherwise you could end up paying $7.95 or more for UPS ground. Cosmetics (and many other products) were not returnable, and there’s no toll-free customer-service number.
We all want to look and feel good. To wear clothing that expresses who we are and make us look our personal best. But where do you begin to find what is right for you? Always(In Style)® understands that style is not about following fashion or trends – it’s about what works for you.
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