Cyber Monday

I hope everyone is having a great 'Cyber Monday'. This is the busiest online shopping day of the year as people return to their desk jobs and "do work" while simultaneously starting their holiday shopping online. I'm not at work but am watching Love Actually instead to get into the Christmas spirit! This movie will probably run in a loop until New Years because it's perfect.

Ok - here are some great coupon codes to get you started on Cyber Monday!

Kohls - Save an Extra 15% off any order with code CYBER15
Home Depot - Save $5 off $50+ order: BFRIDAY
The Limited - 20% off code: 276
Amazon.com - Cyber Monday Deals
Borders - Buy 1 get one 60% off code BCM1219B
Sears - Cyber Monday Promotions
L.L. Bean - All sweaters 20% off

Happy Shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Our tree is up and we are out. Fleeing the Cleve for a Kansas City, MO Thanksgiving with the Mulligan clan. See you Monday!

A Tip for your Tuesday

How to wear a silk scarf:

Cuffs, Chagrin Falls

Holiday shopping for someone who doesn't include a Macy's one day sale item on their wish list? Shop luxe, locally, at Cuffs, Chagrin Falls. Appropriately sitting on Orange street, this boutique carries labels from all over the world including my favorite orange logo - Hermes! Cuffs, 18 E Orange St Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 www.cuffsclothing.com 

Cleveland Barbies

This was sent to me in a chain letter from my mom so I don't know who to credit but this is one of the funniest things I've ever read. It comes with an introduction about Crocker Park making a line of Cleveland Barbies. See highlights below:

'Bay Village Barbie'
The modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Windstar Minivan and matching gym outfit.  She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately.

'Lakewood Barbie' 
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She prefers that you call her Willow.  She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase two  NoDa Barbies and the optional Subaru wagon, you get a rainbow flag bumper sticker for free. 

 

‘Rocky River Barbie' 
This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbucks cup & platinum card. Also available for this set are Yuppie Ken and privately-schooled doggie & kitty. You won't be able to afford any of them. 

 

 'Westlake  Barbie' 
This princess Barbie is sold only at the Crocker Park. She comes with an assortment of Coach Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a cookie-cutter house.  Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.

Tuleste Market

This is my friend Fabrizio and me at a Valentino party last fall in New York (we were faking being serious and important!) On that night we were lucky enough to meet the sisters behind Tuleste Market. Doesn't all that bling look glam? One of the girls had been an Elle Accessories editor and both have a great sense of style. Satu and Celeste reside in an apartment in the Gramercy Park area of Manhattan where they work on their jewelry and collect vintage clothing. Check out their website to see a full range of their baubles: http://www.tulestemarket.com/

Lift & Seperate

I've decided to supplement my shopping habits this holiday season by working in the Nordstrom Beachwood lingerie department. I love a discount and I have a supreme love of lingerie after working for Elle Macpherson Intimates in New York. If you haven't had a fitting lately, here are some tips I'm picking up:

1. Measure the width underneath your bust. Add 2 - 3 based on the category you fall under. Say you are 29" around, add 3 to get a band size of 32, if you are 30" you can add 2 and wear a 32 band as well. If you are 31", 34... until you fit into a category of band 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, etc.
2. You have to get your band right first. All of your support comes from the band and if it's too loose you will depend on the straps. If you think it's too tight, it will stretch a bit.
3. Cup runneth over? If you are going down in the band you might have to go up in your cup size. Try on several styles as the size can vary based on molding, contouring, etc.
4. The cup fits well when, it lays flat against the breast tissue (look out for quadra-boob it's too tight!) You don't want any puckering, you should fill it comfortably. The wire should be able to lay flat where it meets in the middle so that you are adequately separated.
5. Measure C cup or above? Skip the molded cups (t-shirt bras) and try a 3 piece cup. These offer you a more rounded shape and a "side sling" to project you forward. (See Fayreform below for example)
6. Once you get your new fancies make sure to handwash or put on a delicate cycle and NEVER put in the dryer!!

Ones to try on for size:

1. Full Cup: Fayreform Vitality, goes up to a G cup, other styles go to a J, note 3 piece cup.

2. Push Up: Elle Macpherson Intimates, Dentelle, You don't know until you try it on...the new "wonder bra"

3. T-Shirt - if you must, but I prefer pretty. Natori makes a great smooth bra and has lace straps so it's not so boring:

4. Nursing - Elle designed Maternelle when she had her children:

Good luck ladies!

Dawg Day

It's kind of a sad morning after staying up to watch Monday Night Football. Poor Browns, what are we going to do? The most exciting thing that happened during the game was a great Dodge Ram commercial that made me want a truck (what? weird.) I don't know if it was the guy in the Browns jersey with both thumbs down, or the posters saying "At least one Ohio team can beat Pittsburgh, Who Dey" horrible... horrible. Time to motivate with retail therapy.

Marc by Marc bags

I saw these this weekend at Saks - how cute! At $328 it's not a bad price for a great everyday bag and the long strap makes it easy to tote, hands free. They also have "grape juice" colourway.  Go Marc!

Interview with Cosmopolitan

Lauren Finney is one stylish lady, she's on the editing team at Cosmopolitan magazine, she has her blog "Where the Style Things Are" and she is a thrifty vintage shopper (note this pic of us over a year ago where she is already rocking a bib necklace long before Anthropologie and chain stores picked up the trend! She gives us the inside scoop on fashion below:

Name: Lauren Finney
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
1. What made you decide you wanted a career in the fashion industry?
I actually wanted to be a "serious journalist" and write - I applied to the editorial internship programs at most major magazines and ended up getting a call back from Cosmo fashion. I took an internship in the fashion department on a whim, loved it so much, and went back and changed my major to Fashion Journalism.
2. What does a day in the life at Cosmo look like?
A day at Cosmo could go any which way, depending on what we have going on. I could be preparing for a shoot, cleaning up and organizing the closet, doing still life styling in the digital studio for our shopping pages, or casting and booking features models. That's the one great thing about working at a magazine -a  typical day is full of all kinds of interesting things! I never sit at my desk for more than 20 minutes at a time.

3. Who are your favorite designers for your personal wardrobe?

I absolutely love what I call the Parisienne Trifecta: Barbara Bui, Isabel Marant, and Vanessa Bruno. I have a lot of little pieces from each of these designers that I try to mix in with my usual staples from places like H&M, Zara, and Uniqlo. For accessories I love Valentino - it's so chic and feminine, and I love bows!
4. What's the one item you are going to splurge on this season?
This season I have splurged on fur. I "recycle" by buying vintage furs, and have stocked up on cheap fur vests. They can be thrown over almost anything as a layering option.
5. Everytime I see you, you are rocking some amazing accessories - what are your favorite online shopping sites for jewelry?
A great place to get accessories is www.charmandchain.com for anything current and in season. They have designers ranging from Sequin to Dori Csengeri to Lizzie Fortunato to Dannijo. There is something for everyone - they have an amazingly edited collection. I want everything there! I also do a lot of random eBay searching, such as "vintage fish belt" or "vintage quilted bag." I collect accessories from completely random places, which makes them so special.

6. What is the best perk of a fashion editor?

The best perk is definitely being exposed to everything. I get to see and do so much, from parties to fashion shows, to the occasional gift. I love being able to be right in the middle of everything. I love being able to edit for the Cosmo girl and for myself personally.
7. Favorite celeb siting on the job?
Leighton Meester, for sure. I saw her in the office when Gossip Girl had just started and I was obsessed with Blair Waldorf. I am a little jaded in that I see a lot of famous people, but when I saw her I freaked. She is so gracious and pretty and I couldn't believe she was in our office. Alicia Keys was also amazing - so nice. An editor's sister was a huge fan so Alicia got on the phone with her and said hello! It's so nice to see there are normal celebrities out there.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy birthday mom! She's a very stylish Cleveland lady and founder/president of Winnen Interiors Inc. I will be spending the day making a fancy dinner in her honor :)

Cleveland Restaurant Week: L'Albatros

Last night we decided to celebrate restaurant week in Cleveland by hitting up L'Albatros Brasserie in University Circle. What cuisine! We actually didn't order off the special menu because prices were reasonable on their own and everything looked delicious. A highlight was French toast topped with wild mushrooms. I also loved how it was a Tuesday night and everyone was dressed in their swankiest. Reason enough to go for me.
http://www.albatrosbrasserie.com/

Terminal State of Mind

Have you guys heard this song? It's to the tune of Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind" but "Terminal State of Mind" after our Terminal tower and it is a tribute to the Imperial Massacre. East Cleveland has a long way to go but after some of the renovations in other Cleveland neighborhoods maybe we can see this change as well.  Artists HusMoney's Cj & Skent Dukes, MGK, and Bravo

Mad End

I'm so sad that Mad Men Season 3 has come to a close - and what an ending last night! The best part of the show is that each scene looks like a beautiful photograph. Below are the highlight images of the season. Visit the full photo gallery on amc.com.

'

Cleveland Man of Style

Last night was my first Cavs game of the season. We lost by one (totally unfair call at the end) but I had such a great time. I love how the biggest super star in sports is right here in Cleveland. Jeremy Piven was even in the audience watching (random?) Below is a pic of Lebron at a Gucci party in NYC and on the cover of Vogue last year. What a dream boat!

Gucci Party

With Giselle in Vogue

Online Shopping

For some reason a lot of my friends and family were born in November and then all of December is holiday time. For these two months I feel like I'm even more dependent on some very special bargain hunting sites either for presents or a treat to myself for being generous! Here's the line up:

#1. Gilt Group. This is an online sample sale, it begins at 12:00 everyday and the designers are all posted. (Christian Louboutin sample sale I couldn't get on until 12:30 but for most it's instant) if you like it and it's in your size, put it in "your cart" and it will be held for 10 minutes while you think about it. Use my invitation to get started: Gilt

Fall '09 Catherine Malandrino - Her Gilt sale starts today at noon

#2. Rue-la-la. Similar to Gilt not quite as good but still has high end designers. Seems to be more accessories driven. Another invite for you: Rue la la 

Tibi Sale Today on Rue la la

#3. Shop it to me. You enter your sizes and favorite brands and it delivers the cutest pieces to you inbox daily from every online site that has what you're looking for in the best price. Click here to start

Shop-it-to-me found me this great Nanette Lepore top on sale at Saks

#4. Ebay. If not to buy then to re-sell your old things so you can get more spending money!

 

A Good Sole

Last week I was bargain hunting at Nordstrom Rack and a helpful sales associate told me some great news - a Cole Haan truck had delivered a giant box of a variety of regular and Nike Air collection shoes - "it's amazing" she said, "they made us mark all of them $49.90 no matter what their original price was and most were around $200-$300" (in my head) this is the best sales associate ever "I bought all of the size 8's that came in because it was such a great price" size 8 me, this is the worst sales associate ever!! As each aisle was filled with cute shoes minus my lucky number I stumbled upon a pair of 7 1/2 perfect flat black boots - still full price at the main store in chocolate shown. I went for it but made a stop at Coventry Shoe and Leather and had them stretched out to be like a custom boot for me for only $7! My sole is at peace :) Check out the sale and visit Coventry Shoe & Leather 2806 Mayfield Rd (216) 932-1836


Sale Note: Nordstrom Half Yearly sale starts on line and in stores today too!

Shop Talk: Audrey's Sweet Threads, Eton Place

Every time I read the style section in the Plain Dealer there is something listed from Audrey's Sweet Threads. I wanted to find out their secret for myself so I interviewed the Audrey Bergrin about this trendy shop:

1. Tell me about your store and how you decided to open the boutique?

About 15 years ago Sweet Threads started as a store geared for junior girls.  As time went by our customers grew up and had new needs that weren't being satisfied.  As women saw style magazines and couldn't express their own styles with some of the stores in the area, Sweet Threads became "Audrey's Sweet Threads"  (We didn't want to lose our good name and reputation but because we were catering to a new customer we had to tweek it a little).


2. Do you look to any celebrities or style icons for inspiration on the clothing you carry or the trends in fashion magazines?

"Audrey's", even though the owner is Audrey, was mostly inspired by the style and grace of the woman she was named after, Audrey Hepburn.

3. Who is the Sweet Threads customer?

The Sweet Threads customer is any woman between the sizes of  0 and 14 that wants someone to broaden her fashion range.  She is more comfortable in a smaller, more manageable venue with associates that can not only suggest selections that would be perfect for any time but will be happy to fit and tailor these items to the customers' satisfaction.  We definitely aim to please!

4. What do you like about the style in Cleveland?
Women in Cleveland will take the dominant styles they see in the media and make them livable for a midwest lifestyle.  They are realistically fashion-saavy and we hope to provide the way for them to express themselves.


5. Which trends did you skip this season and which are you loving? (Ie. Balmain inspired jackets, Balenciaga draping, acid wash denim)

Our customers do not like puff sleeves and too many ruffles.  We listen.  We still offer some, since the trends can be represented in a very subtle way but we skip most of the fussier styles that don't fly in Cleveland!

Keep checking their website for upcoming events at: www.audreyssweetthreads.com


In the store now:

Great Art Deco Dress by Yoana Baraschi

Basics from Avenue Montaigne

Fun Party Dress also from Yoana Baraschi

Chelseas (aka Candy Land for vintage!)

For my Betty Draper costume this weekend I got to visit Chelsea's - A nondescript brick building, a few tables of props by the door and then a sign "Vintage straight ahead" - alas - aisles and aisles of amazing vintage clothing separated by decade, kind (lbd), and size, enough to make Rachel Zoe "lit-rilly die". Most dresses between $25 - $35. My dress here was $25 but had some rips so the owner sewed it up for me on the spot. Happy hunting! Chelsea's Vintage 1412 W 116th St, Cleveland (216) 226-9147

Inspiration:

Me in my $25 find: