october shopping

Here are the fruits of my online shopping addiction for the month of October.

Keds 'Champion Buffalo Mini Slip-On' in Black/White Smoke: I've been seeing buffalo print a lot lately and decided to jump on the bandwagon. These shoes are cute, comfy and unique. What more can you ask for? Oh yeah, cheap!

Aldo 'Ritter' in Cognac: I'm in love with these boots. They were a bit pricey for Aldo, but they are gorgeous in real life. The colour I got (Cognac) is darker and much prettier than the one pictured (Camel). These boots can be dressed up or down easily.

Ugg 'Mini' in Mink: Aren't they cute? I love Uggs. These need no description.

Juicy Couture Velour Suit in Haze: The colour I got is richer than the one pictured, but this is the closest I can find. Juicy suits are ugly. I know. I completely agree with the masses. But they're great for exam days and bumming around. Comfort is key!

Juicy Couture Top Zip Small Pouch in Maroon: Cutest make-up bag ever. My school bag is huge, so this makes it easy for me to keep track of my smaller essentials (chapstick, eyeliner, gum, keys) so that I can actually find them when I'm digging around for them.

Urban Outfitters Plaid Crinkle Scarf in Brown and All-Son Plaid Duo Fold Scarf in MaroonRed: I love scarves, I love flannel, and I love plaid. What more can I say? I just realized that these are both mens scarves. What is it with me and men's scarves?

Nanette Lepore 'Symphony Striped Dress' in Charcoal: Last, but certainly not least, my "day" birthday dress. I've coveted this since it came out in August and finally took the plunge and bought it. Picture it with red tights and black shoes. I can't wait to wear it!


So yeah, I have issues because this is me "cutting back" on shopping.

Pictures (respectfully) stolen from: RevolveClothing.com, Saks.com, UrbanOutfitters.com, OnlineShoes.com, AldoShoes.com

the shopstyle facebook application

is genius.

It allows you to create "looks" using items from various online boutiques and department stores. If you're a huge online shopper like me, it's a great way to organize your wardrobe too!

Picture (respectfully) stolen from: Facebook.com

the fabulous lululemon limited edition hoodies

I actually have a funny story about mine.

I ended up at my local mall after a day of running errands with some time to spare. It had been a while since my last visit and after walking around for a little bit, I was pleased to discover that they had recently opened a lululemon.

Upon entry, something caught my eye. A new Limited Edition 'When We Met' Remix Hoodie casually strewn across one of the tables. I quickened my pace and my heart started racing. Would I get lucky? Would it be my size?

It wasn't. It was the next size up. I tried it on anyway. It was a tad big, but I was planning on wearing it as a jacket anyway. Success! I had wanted one of the LEs for a little while now but was unsuccessful in my search (especially since most of them were ugly). As I disrobed from the hoodie, I noticed myself getting a little bit more attention than usual.

A girl I noticed to be wearing the Cypress Green Grid Limited Edition Hoodie was whispering to her companion and pointing at the hoodie. Another girl who had just entered the store with her friends looked at what I was carrying and exclaimed "That's the one!" It seemed as though everyone left in the store was waiting to see if I would put it down so that they could snatch it up.

I didn't. And now, I'm the proud owner of this baby.

Needless to say, I felt a little bad. But hey; all is fair in love and shopping.

i live for shopbop lookbook updates

and Bloomingdale's 40% off clearance sales, but that's beside the point.

Shopbop.com is one of the more popular online retailers, selling mid-to-high end gear. Their end of season sales are a great way to scoop up basics for cheap and their customer service is always accomodating. The greatest thing about their website, however, is their Lookbook. By lookbook, I mean "catalogue."

Shopbop Lookbook

Their stylists really know what they're doing. While most of the outfits are a little bit too blase for daily wear, they make for great eye candy. The slides are a great way to anticipate what will be popular in the next season and provide inspiration for a more toned-down version of your own!

My personal recent favourite:

badgley mischka platinum label = love

I'm basically obsessed with this dress:

And I've been obsessed with it for a really long time. I'm not really sure what I like about it, exactly. But I do know that it's a Bloomingdale's exclusive and finding a 0 has been impossible. Besides, where would I wear it?

I don't know what it is about it. I've always been a sucker for red plaid and sweetheart necklines. I always disliked a-line bottoms, but this one looks so good! It's even on sale right now to $490, and an additional 30% off. They have a 2, but with that kind of money, I don't want to risk ruining it after alterations.

I LOVE it though. Maybe I'll convince someone to buy me an early birthday present!

image from Bloomingdales.com

designing for charity

I would never buy something just because a portion of the proceeds go to charity. In the case of the (PRODUCT) RED iPod nano, only $10 from each sale goes toward the Global Fund to Fight Aids in Africa. I'd rather buy the black one that I actually want and just take $10 out of my pocket and donate. Don't get me wrong; it adds up and ends up making a difference, but there really is no point for the consumer in paying for something they don't really like, just for less than 5% of the sales going toward the charity.

Now designers are banding together and raising money for charities of their choices. I love it because here's something that I can actually spend my money on and enjoy!

This Junk Food tee can be found at Revolveclothing.com. 100% of the proceeds go toward Take Action Hollywood!, a new foundation set up by Maria Menounos. You can give back and look cute for the retail price of $18.00.

Splendid and Glamour magazine teamed up with Shopbop.com for this super cute set of t-shirts. The one pictured above is by Rachel Roy and my absolute favourite. 30% from each t-shirt goes toward the charity of the designer's choice. The Rachel Roy tee specifically benefits Children's Hope India. Each retails for $68.00.

This is the Vita Charity Medium Bangle exclusively available at Revolveclothing.com for $44.00. 100% of proceeds are donated to the International Rescue Committee, acting on behalf of the Sudanese people.

Love it!

boutique critique

I'm pretty big on online shopping. These are my favourites.

Revolveclothing.com
Selection: Awesome! They have tons and tons of stuff on their website and if there’s something you like but they don’t have your size, they’ll special order it for you. The only thing that they can do to make it better is carry Rock & Republic
Price: Pretty much on par with every other boutique, but they always have coupon codes available for additional discounts. The only downside is that their codes don’t work on all of its brands (no dice with True Religion, Seven for All Mankind, Kooba, and some more). Their sales are really good too.
Customer Service: Their customer service is amazing. They are sometimes inconsistent with their policies depending on who you speak with, but still great overall.
Shipping: Fast and free. It doesn’t get better than that.

Adasa.com
Selection: It’s okay. Not that much to choose from, but they have Lacoste in almost every colour and a lot of Juicy Couture.
Price: Again, on par with every other boutique. They usually have a 20% coupon code floating around, but it doesn’t work on sale items. It does work on all of its brands though. Sales are decent, but you’re better off buying at regular price when it comes out and using a code. Same price, but you get it earlier.
Customer Service: They have always been really sweet to me whenever I called and had a problem.
Shipping: Expensive to Canada, and you always get charged customs. Pretty fast.

Net-a-Porter.com
Selection: Extensive for higher-end items on the International site. The Americas site needs some work.
Price: The same as all of the major department stores carrying the same items. You can sometimes find a free shipping code.
Customer Service: Very accommodating and professional. I once ordered something from them that went on sale the next day and they did a price adjustment right away.
Shipping: They ship with DHL and signature confirmation, so it’s fast and reliable. They also use gorgeous packaging! It feels like you’re opening a present every time.

Shopbop.com
Selection: AMAZING! Especially for dressier clothing. This is my top pick for dresses and pretty camisoles.
Price: They hardly ever have coupon codes but their sales are amazing, especially when they go down to 70%. Their end of season sales are really good for basics- Juicy sweats, C&C tops, and the like.
Customer Service: No complaints here! Ordered with them a bunch of times. They also have a constantly updated "lookbook" on their website, which is great for inspiration.
Shipping: They ship via UPS, so you’ll be charged a lot of fees if you’re in Canada. Otherwise, it’s free and pretty fast.

Neimanmarcus.com
Selection: In my opinion, their selection is the best out of all of the department store websites. Price: Same as other department stores. Their sales are okay. They never have discount codes- only free shipping.
Customer Service: Awesome! They’re always really helpful and friendly.
Shipping: Pretty fast shipping to Canada, but you’re always charged customs.

Saks5thavenue.com
Navigation: Really, really easy to sort it so that you only see what you want in terms of designer and size.
Selection: It’s a department store! Of course it’s extensive.
Price: Same as other department stores, but they have really great sales.
Customer Service: It just depends on who you get. I’ve had some amazing sales associates, and then one who couldn't process my credit card properly and would not try to help me figure out what the problem was.
Shipping: No shipping to Canada! Fast, though.

Bloomingdales.com
Selection: Surprisingly, not that great. They’re really limited in contemporary brands
Price: Same as other department stores, but they always have 20-40% coupon codes which makes it a lot better.
Customer Service: It just depends on who you get. I’ve had some amazing ones, and then one who couldn’t even process my credit card properly and would not try to help me figure out what the problem was.
Shipping: Not cheap, but not expensive. But they don’t ship to Canada!

diane von furstenberg is a genius - usually

image from ShopBop.com

I cannot express how much I love Diane von Furstenberg dresses. I just bought the dress pictured above (from the 2007 resort collection) from Saks 5th Avenue and I'm so excited for the weather to get better so that I can finally wear it (pending black Jimmy Choo sandals)! I have to say though, I'm not exactly 100% impressed with this collection. The geometric prints from last season were a lot more wearable. This season is all floral prints, and no matter how "in style" they may be, I can't see them as being anything else other than granny. See Exhibit A below.

image from ShopBop.com

I really don't like this dress. Or anything else except the one I bought, really. But I still heart you Diane Von Furstenberg. Please be better for summer.