One more steal

Some time ago I was invited to Ruelala.com boutique. I didn't really pay too much attention, until... the boots that I really wanted ( and needed), but just drooled over because the price was over $300 , Ruelala offered on sale for $49! I mean - this is the payless price! But MUCH better quality. True lady never shares ALL her secrets, and I sure have mine, but this one... I think , I'd be happy knowing that others can benefit from quality and price. :)

Here is how the boutique works : register, it's free, BUT by invitation only. Then, you'll receive emails with updates. PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE. The site consists of multiple boutiques that only open for a short window of a time : from 24 to 72 hours, no more then that. You can preview the boutiques to know ( kind of ) what's coming, and then when it does : run-don't-walk ( borrowing Ann's favorite and loving it! :) ) . Items WILL sell out. Although , there is EVERYTHING there : from candles to shoes, shirts, jeans, dresses - you name it. Just keep your eyes open. The really amazing part is... all is AT LEAST 60% off, most of the time MORE.

Happy fall shopping! Enjoy Ruelala!

Fashion's night out

Yesterday was one of the biggest fashion evens of the year in NYC. Throughout the world , designer boutiques and stores opened their door late for customers to "shop until you drop".

I was wondering , why - normally not too busy 5th avenue ( at least comparing to others) - was so overflowing with people when I went to the market. I just didn't realize how BIG of an event it was. Naturally, I we ( as in kiddos and I ) decided to check it out.

So, we beautified ourselves and , feeling all beautiful , nice and gorgeous ( and well behaved ) , went for a stroll on the 5th Avenue, stopping at different boutiques and checking out what the buzz was all about. Everyone, of course , adored the baby and the stroller. And I must say... it did feel really nice to hear people assume that the stroller that I have is the $6000 baby rolls-royce. After all - why not? True lady never reveals her secrets , right?

The funnest comment of all was in Bergdorf Goodman. I didn't quite realize WHAT kind of the store it was, but once in, why not look around anyway? Eeeeeveryone commented on the children, all sorts of photographers and reporters taking pictures of kids and I ( so, look for us in the news style section :) ), people asking if we were "from London" .

On the second floor I went into the Chanel shoes section ( might as well, right? Since I LOVE Chanel). I was adoring the simply beautiful design of absolutely gorgeous ballet flat, when I overheard , just behind me, a comment from a sale's rep : " Oh, now, this is FRENCH. I KNOW french when I see one. Now - pay attention, if you want to learn about french style : see the clothes, the details: expensive, but subtle. And look at the children! It's french. It's in their blood. I've been to Paris more then in US, it's my second home. I know one when I see one. "

I laughed inside, but at the same time very amused and very grateful. I gracefully made my way out of the shoe sections ( the WHOLE FLOOR actually), as to not disappoint that very convinced salesman. ( With my head up, of course. French , after all). Wiggled my way through about 10000 people packed into 1000 sq ft, and went outside thinking : WHY did he think I was french?! Nothing that I was wearing was french made. Jeans, blouse , belted cardigan and heels ( of course). Nothing "peak of fashion". As a matter of fact... ehem... except for the cardigan and shoes, items lived in my closet for a while. So, I looked around.

There ARE a lot of french in NYC, and especially on the fashion's night out. After spending a few hours out, I came to one simple realization : style is in french blood. I saw people wearing flip flops and t-s, as well as couture dresses and heels, yet, each and every feeling absolutely fabulously comfortable in their skins ( or clothes). And true : never screaming, always subtle ( just like the jewelry in the post below) . As well as... Each and every person had their OWN staple. You could tell, that for some , their signature was the make-up , for others - scarfs, hats for third, heels for forth... And one general note : no matter who was wearing what , all seemed to just simply be in love with whatever it was they were wearing.

So, one Fashionable Lesson learned from the Fashion's night out :

LOVE what you wear. And everyone is going to think you are FRENCH.

Fashionable secrets

So, coming back to fashion. Keeping up with up-to-date fashions can make a wallet cry. Unless doing it SMART. One of the fashionable secrets is knowing what you CAN fake. And how.

The point of the clothes is not the cost. It is the WORTH, which is determined by... the way the clothes LOOK. So , when buying something, first pick it up and look at it : does it look expensive? Because that is the defining factor. It does not matter if you paid for Entuos'e Couture $5,983.38, but if it looks like it's a cheap knock off, that it what everyone is going to think. However, if you are wearing something that has that "luxe" glow... everyone is going to think you are a top fashionista. The truth of the matter is ... even if you are wearing the peak of the fashion style, I guarantee , 90% of the population will not know what in the world you are doing, UNLESS they pay the same , VERY CLOSE attention ( let's be honest, you HAVE to be very into it, to know the latest. How many regular people would do it? ). And if the "it" of the fashion is ... mmm... a little into .... different look, I guarantee , the thoughts going through people's mind will be " WHAT is she wearing? And WHY?". Then , of course, the 10% of that 90 is going to wonder and pick up a magazine and figure out that , indeed, you were VERY fashionable, but the other 80% left are still going to be thinking that you were just... weird. But however you look at it, the first impression given is not the kind you want, right?

So, that is where the smart fashion thinking comes in. Therefore, lesson number one, again : buy clothes that LOOK expensive. Because , proven time and time again, if you go by that definition, you are going to buy a timeless piece which you are going to love for many reasons :

* it is going to combine with many pieces nicely

* with proper care, you'd be able to wear it forever

* your wallet is going to love you

* you will feel double happy : because you look good, and you didn't pay a fortune for it

Now. There are 3 ways to buy clothes AND make your wallet happy.

* cheap clothes. Those are the clothes that are plain cheap ( but look expensive, remember?) The advantage to those is that , definitely, you are spending very little. The disadvantage - that unless you are just made for that style, pretty much there is a 90% chance the fit is not going to be very good. A part of the "luxe" clothing and what MAKES clothes look expensive is the perfect fit. So, there are 2 options that you have with cheap clothes : taylor to your body ( since they are cheap, it might be worth it. But then... wouldn't it be better to just buy a little more expensive one? Unless you are a) absolutely in love with the item. b) you can taylor it yourself)

The second option : shop around. Yes, you may spend more time on trying things on, but in the end it IS going to pay off, when you end up spending $20 for a pair of jeans that look and fit like a $250 designer piece.

Cheap clothes have another downfall however : the quality. They are bound not to last very long. To get the most out of them, pay attention to the stitching and to the QUALITY of the thread : sometimes you can tell, right away, that the thread used was very cheap and the seams start falling apart as you just tug on them. Something to note.

* inexpensive clothing. These are simply what they are : inexpensive. The step up from the cheap clothes, but still in the price range that makes you happy. The quality generally is better, so is the fit. These are the "low end designers" that pay attention to styles, but make them very affordable. I must say, that 70% of those are very much worth of the attention, and definitely the money. Here you can find a piece that really works for you and IS fashionable and is NOT a knock off style. That is a definite one big plus of inexpensive clothing : the designers have their own style, and while keeping up with fashion, they absolutely make sure not to make THEIR clothing look like a knock off. After all, most of them are starting designers trying to make their way up, understanding very well that to do so one MUST have integrity and STYLE.

So, go ahead and explore your options .

* bargain clothing. Now this is my personal favorite. These are the type of clothes that ARE expensive ( sometimes VERY), but the price you pay makes you want to scream the number out every time someone compliments you on your look. Don't. It is VERY tempting, but don't. If you absolutely have to - and I sometimes do - do it in your head, silently. After all , it may even be useful : you'll acquire that mischievous glow that is very charming. So, THESE are the clothes that are WORTH spending time to find. Again, go by the rule of how the item LOOKS like, but it is much easier : if the piece looks expensive, is your size, than the fit, almost always, is guaranteed to be fabulous. After all, that IS why those clothes are worth so much. There is nothing, again, nothing more testing to the quality fit clothes , as what I call "a pregnancy proof". Those of you that have been pregnant KNOW ( and those that haven't will find out one day), that it is quite hard to make a very pregnant woman feel sexy and beautiful. Nothing makes a better trick then a beautiful reflexion in the mirror. Designer jeans have NEVER failed me, or anyone else for that matter ( my friend, who inherited my "pregnancy jeans" was jumping all over ( doctor's comments disregarded) telling me how SEXY and BEAUTIFUL she felt- at 38 weeks pregnant). Mirror reflexion in good fitting clothing can make more for one's self esteem, and in turn - success, and... body equilibrium ( read : weight control) then all the compliments in the world. Bottom line : it is worth shopping around. There are a few tricks of mine that I have and going to share ( gasp!) , but I am not going to spill ALL of my beans ( after all a true lady never reveals it all) .

One thing that I learned in NY - it is THE BEST place ( from everywhere I've been for extended periods of time) for fashion and SALES. That means that you can easily buy a $130 pair of shoes for $19.95 TAX INCLUDED, simply because it is the last pair of that particular brand, and don't want to bother with it. Or a dress that is $220, and you love will be on sale for $24,50 because they want to get rid of the style and buy something new. Or... just simply because they continuously rotate the stock. There is ALWAYS something on sale here. And if you buy SMART, and buy pieces that do NOT scream : "I am the very, very peak of the fashion", NOONE will ever know that you bought it on sale. I have clothes in my wardrobe that I bought...7 years ago ( gasp!), but I am getting compliments on constantly. A mark of a good item is that it IS good, and you WANT to wear it more then for 3 weeks, so it really does not matter WHEN you bought it. So, a good article is going to keep you for years, and then some, because in a decade or so it is going to be considered VINTAGE and you are going to be ubber-fashionista without spending ANYTHING this time around. You don't have to be in NY to be able to benefit from bargains. Any state has marvelous places for sales, as well as designer outlets, and then there is always the internet. One of my favorite places is revolveclothing.com simply because of the huge variety, and , if you upkeep with it, there is a megazillion of super discounts going on all the time. Any large store outlets are fantastic ( Macy's , Nordstrom ), and then, don't forget those little boutiques that are around. While there ARE some that are ubberly chick and ubber expensive, there are also others that have magnificent HUGE discounts for the same reasons mentioned above. Etsy.com has a large variety of custom made steals. Bottom line : these clothes are a great investment. And while with bargains you are definitely not investing large funds, time investment is definitely worth it.

Now, all those TIMELESS pieces are great, but what about the chick, right-this-moment-must-have-it? THOSE are the ones, that CAN be bought ( and should , in my opinion) ...mmm... cheap :) The truth is... the splur of ubber-chickness never lasts more then a couple of months, and if you REALLY want to be in the "flow", we are talking about 4 weeks. It is just plain not smart - unless you have an abundance of "fashion only" resources - to spend a lot on something that will not last. And remember the golden rule of fashion :

It is NOT what you wear. It is HOW you wear it.

Interesting. Style.

It is really interesting to see how styles of living and clothing differ so much. Possibly, influence from europeans. I hear all sorts of languages and accents all day long. I am amazed how many French there are here. Whatever the reason, I, personally, think it is great.

So, observations of style :

*simple

*sleek

*clean

*classic

*seasonal

*accessorized

I also noticed a difference between authentic groups : caucasians are definitely of a "classy" type looks, asians and middle eastern are very authentic, african americans are very ... ummmm....utah like. I know - hilarious , but TRUE. What I thought was SOOOOOO cool in Utah, is... laying in the very bottom drawer of my closet. I mean, you wouldn't dress up in kimono and feel good, and go to work with a 32 toothed grin, unless you were asian, right? So, same here. Any takers?! Just whistle! I REALLY don't want to store anything.

Styles of clothing and life are definitely , definitely different, but I found a bazillion pluses. Here are some:

"Buy for today only"

life : since there are no really big kitchens here ( well, let me re-phrase : there are NO kitchens here) , there is no point ( or room) to be stalking you cupboards ( or fridge) . BUT! There are markets , year around, 4 times a week. Fantastic prices, fresh produce, HUGE variety. Allows one to try all sorts of new ideas. Sky is the limit. And NO waste.

style: Buying for a season only. First seems like a lot, but it is really? Let's think about it.

I love the seasonal changes, and the "this season" staples. You buy less, and you wear it out. Those that are more timeless can transition into next season/year, "fashion peaks" surely use their lifespan to the max. I hit an absolute jackpot when , before coming here, I bought kids some inter-changeable outfits. Yeah, I spent a little time brainstorming at the store(s), but let me tell you : it's been FANTASTIC!

* all the pieces can go together in ANY order, creating a good number of possibilities that look good all the time( unbeatable bonus especially when hubby dresses them or they dress themselves)

*takes grand total of 3 hangers

*laundry is EASY

*although wear the same stuff over again, don't look it : hence is the beauty of inter-changeable

*always "in style", and noone needs to know that it really didn't cost you that much ( after all a true lady will never reveal how much something cost her)

"Quality over quantity"

life: there are a whole lot more people ( actually, almost all) buying organic/green everything: from food to cleaners and dishes. Did I ever mentioned that Whole Foods here is Utah's Albertsons? And prices are GREAT too. I was not going crazy when I told one of my friends that prices must vary by the store : they DO. Organic greens in Whole Foods here are the price of conventional ones in UT. Also... Bed, Bath & beyond is a new Target here. As a matter of fact, we even WENT to Target, only to figure out that BBB is cheaper ( and cooler) . Crazy. Fun, though.

style: a big taker is jewelry. You hardly ever see a caucasian person layered in blings, plastic matching bolds or gold pleated jewelry, or knock offs. It maybe subtle , but the jewelry i see here, are peaces of art, yet wearable. I am yet to see a similar, not mentioning identical , engagement-wedding ring, unless it is a plain band. Quality and design are really appreciated here. European influence? I'm sure. New England , after all. Love it.