discount shopping scores. jimmy choo, rachel ashwell, woohoo!

Zipping out the door the second my son's head hit the pillow for his nap, I raced over to my local discount shops for some luxuriously child-free scanning of the racks. This mall has a Nordstrom Rack, Lohemann's and Marshalls, all next door to one another - hurrah!  So fun to check it all out, even though it was like a madhouse.

I tried on a million and 10 things - mostly sundresses for my upcoming Jamaica trip with dear hubby - and sadly, couldn't find one great dress. I DID happen to score a pair of insanely adorable Jimmy Choo Pioneer Leopard Print sandals for...$100! What the what? Why were they only $100? I'm so not a heels girl, but damn, Jimmy Choo shoes are hot. And bizarrely comfortable and wearable.  So although a couple days ago my husband had just gone on about how many shoes I have and why I need more (don't ALL husbands nag about this?), I couldn't pass them up. He'll thank me when he sees them on methinks. (I found them selling on ebay here, with a starting price of $399, yikes!)

Then onto Lohemann's, where I found a very cute aqua Calvin Klein "seamless retro" bikini (I simply am refusing to wear my mom-kini on this trip - whatever it takes), for $40, not too bad.  I like that CK suits are bra-sized, so they fit really well. Think I'll take back the crap one I bought at Old Navy for $10 less now! (Fine, it's cute, but you know it will last maybe through the summer, if that.)

My favorite unexpected scores were a Shabby Chic chemise and set of pajamas (like the rose print at right, but with a white background). Only $19.99 each - score! Tried to find them online, but can't find them. So, if you have a Lohemann's nearby, it's worth a look-see for those babies. LOVE.

Anyway, that's the sum total of my discount shopping today, and it was a success.

6pm.com shoes shoes shoes. 91% off?!

During my big closet clear-out-a-palooza, currently still in progress, I have gotten rid of many shoes. Many were just worn out, some just never were worn much.  So of course, I must restock some shoes. Enter 6pm.com.  If you've never ordered from here, it's an offshoot of zappos (but w/o the free shipping - it's $6.95), and is basically a clearinghouse for shoes and bags (and some apparel).  It's worth signing up for their emails - they headline the major sale for that day.

Yesterday I saw that there was a Last Chance Clearance sale going on, and happened to find some cute shoes for great prices.

These BCBG Max Azria Minga in bleach nappa and nude for $20 each (retail $225 - 91% off!). I couldn't decide on which color I liked, so just got both, oops.   ETA: Love them! So very adorable. Glad I got both, as one is cream and the other a great nude. Very comfy and nice to add a little height for my longer jeans.

Donald J Pliner Chun for $21.60 (N/a anymore, boo, and I didn't note the retail price - they're here for $128). I love Pliner shoes - really well made and comfortable. ETA: LOVE. I love Pliner.

Jessica Simpson Diamond ($6.20! Not sure retail, but probably about $30 I'm guessing) Yes I know, JS shoes - not the best quality. But these will be cute with a sundress I have and good enough for a little dinner out. for $6.20, I can't really complain. ETA: As expected, they will be blister-inducing, so really only good for a dinner out w/o much walking involved! Look cute on though. Eh, for that price, I wasn't expecting much.

L'Autre Chose: L7073Tes ($26.20 - 87% off of retail $205) in beige. Brown is still available.  ETA: Super cute and comfortable. Very fun for spring!


 
 
 
 
 
 
So... 5 pairs of shoes for $100 out the door - not bad!  Especiall when they retail for over $800! Woohoo!

marshalls love.

Marshalls is so hit or miss. Usually a miss for me.  But today, today I had the luxury of time, to fully peruse all the racks. Is there anything more exciting than finding fabulous deals hidden amongst the crap? ;)

I found Chip & Pepper Stella jeans on the clearance rack (what the what?) for...$39. Yep. I thought, ah hell, they'll never fit. Must be a weird fit issue or why would they be here?  Um, nope. Perfect fit. Not uber long either, so don't even have to have them hemmed.

Then I found 3 Martin & Osa t-shirts (discontinued) for $5.99. If you haven't tried their t-shirts, they're a nice fit, soft, lean&long.

Then I found a gorgeous, classic Tahari shift dress that fit like a dream for $39. Gotta love a tag that says, Compare to $278. I had just been going through my dresses and thinking I needed to replace my beloved old black shift dress with something new and better fitting. Ta-da!

I ended with some Thomas trains for my monkey for Easter. (They seem to all be carrying a lot of the take-alongs, if you're looking.)

Ahh, a leisurley and successful Marshalls run.

shopping ban apparently lifted. ruelala sucked me in.

I just couldn't resist this. It looks so freaking cute -- those sleeves! LOVE. It's K A S "Chase" White Embroidered Tunic Dress. Snagged it from ruelala.com for $69 (ret $160). It's not exactly a steal, but feel this will be one of my spring/summer go-to shirts (they call it a dress, but we'll see, as it looks like a tunic for sure unless the model is 6'5" or has a crazy long torso!). I'm glad I grabbed it before my walk, b/c it's now sold out, yikes. Bluefly has a couple KAS tunics/dresses for a similar price here and here, but there are lots of these tunics showing everywhere.

Don't you love it?

j.crew 20% off dresses.

Ok, I had to override my shopping ban b/c I'm in need of a pretty dress. And J.Crew just happens to have 20% off most of their dresses right now, including the Sunshine Peony Coccinelle Dress, which is now $110.40 on sale. Love it! I haven't been able to find it near my size at my store, so i'm hoping it works out. ETA: Hm, I'm not loving it so so so much. I like it - it's a pretty print, but I don't feel like it's the most flattering dress on me ever. I am usually a 6, and it fit TTS. I took pictures of me in it and then my husband accidentally deleted them. gah.  I think I might take it back, b/c I have so, so many dresses and I hate to keep one I don't totally adore.

Then I figured, while I was already ordering...might as well try out the lilac shower shift dress (20% off at $ )which I've been eying, and the vintage zebra stripe mini (not on sale) b/c it's just so cute (irl pics by Gigi here). ETA: I got the S in the LSS dress and while I thought it fit fine and was really cute, the color (peachy) was NOT good with my pale skin tone - totally washed me out. BOO!  So that's going back too.  The mini, however, is adorable - LOVE! Definitely keeping it. It looked crazy short when I took it out, but sits nicely on my hips and is a pretty good mini-skirt length.

Ok, fine, then I had to check out the main sale section, and they brought back some more dressy jersey ruffle sleeve dresses to the final sale for $29.99 and the black blosson blazer for $29.99 - couldn't pass up those prices. (They're final sale fyi).  ETA: The dress is cute, although a little big/baggy. But looks really cute with a cinching belt and a denim jacket and some jewelry. Perfect for running around town.   The BBB - I was skeptical, but after seeing how Fabulous Florida Mommy styled it here, and Patina styled it here, I had to have it. Then I went out and copied her, buying the orange Mossimo shirt. Looks really cute and sharp. I got a bunch of complements on it.

launch of l.l. bean signature line. $10 GC with $50 purchase.

L.L. Bean launched it's new Signature Line today online. The preview had me pretty excited to see it, as it seems to harken back to some old school preppy stuff, with some modern edge to it. And I'm happy with what I'm seeing! There aren't a ton of items yet, but I think there's potential. I was hoping to see the buoy dress shown in the preview video, but there's a skirt version for right now. The site itself is very nice and easy to navigate. Here are a few things that caught my eye:

Lightweight cotton plain tunic $65

Belted twill jacket $99

Poplin printed skirt $69 I love these skirts!

Cashmere tee $99

Stretch denim slim leg $65 and pencil skirt $59

Rebecca fabric wedge $99

Square voile scarf $35

Tunic sweater $115

Bean's heritage nubuck tote $149 (I also like all the canvas bags)

So...what do you think? Are you liking what you see? I'm off to peruse the men's section now...

target: liberty of london and more clearance.

Just got back from a run to Target to check out the Liberty of London line, and sadly, was a bit disappointed. There wasn't much selection in the clothing line and I didn't love any of the pieces I saw. I checked out the scarves and bags, but didn't love them either. The scarves were stiff and...eh.  Gigi blogged about them this morning with some IRL pics. I didn't get to the housewares section, but some of the storage stuff looks cute.

I did peep into the clearance racks again, and happened to see the striped raincoat on sale for $27ish in both the yellow and the tan. It was in the 50% section, but wasn't at 50 yet. I thought they ran a bit biggish, so small would have fit me easily (size 6-8). They only had M in the yellow, which I really wanted, so I just grabbed both and will decide at home. (My shopping ban was lifted for this purchase, as I had been eying it for a while, and even my DH noticed it in the ads. ;) )

I tried on another trench coat that was really adorable - Mossimo Black Volume Back Trench Coat - Coral. Once again, Target's picture is beyond terrible, and it's not coral, so please imagine a pretty, delicate pink color that's very flattering. Cute pleated back. I'd wear a small (I'm sz 6-8), but you could do a medium. It was $39.99 in the store, but is showing $34.99 online now.

ann taylor loft 30% off today only.

Gah, it's times like these when a shopping ban is the worst!

Take 30% off your entire full-priced purchase, today only, with code: STYLE30
I saw the Gingko Blooms Print Dress linked from See Chloe Shop, and wanted it immediately - but it's SO! Noooooooo. Might have to race to the mall quickly to see if it's there and check it out in person.

I would totally get all of these if I could...

Ruffle Trench $128

Floral Print V-Neck Cardigan $59.50

Daisy Willows Skirt $69.50

Ahhh, and maybe a little spring color with my neutrals...

Floral Silouhette Cardigan $59.50

Scattered Blossoms Dress $79.50

Windswept Floral Shell $44.50

cool song. vcr by The xx.

Oh so digging this song, VCR from The xx - think I might need the whole album (xx)! Perfect to listen to during Project Clean Out Your Closet (and storage bins).



Speaking of that project, I got sidetracked cleaning out and organizing my pantry, laundry room and cabinets under my bathroom sink. They were more manageable and so I tackled them first. Tomorrow I begin on the closet.  Ugh. I mean, yay.

martin & osa spring arrivals.

I'm not sure how many Martin & Osa stores are out there, but we have one at my local mall. It has a lot of really cute stuff at fairly reasonable prices. I signed up at the store for their promotions, and usually get some good 20 or 25% off coupons in the mail regularly.  Just got a 25% Q for their spring arrivals the other day and went to check them out.

Swing trench $140

Poplin Henley Tank $49.50

Slub Cotton Cardigan Blazer $59.50

Soft Cargo Short $69.50 (a litle pricey for shorts right?)

Kaleidoscope Floral Boy Tee $34.50

Patina Long Strand Necklace $44.50

Ink Print Tank $69.50

Pretty cute, don't you think? At full price, maybe a little high, but there's usually a coupon, and sales. Like this Floral Print Silk Crossover V-Neck Dress looks adorable, at $44.95 from $130.

project clean out your closet. including storage bins.

This is the plan. 

As I'm currently on my horrible self-imposed shopping ban, I've decided to make use of my time by going through my closet (including all off-season storage bins!) with a fine-tooth comb. I will not hold back. I will purge anything I haven't worn in years, or that isn't remotely flattering but was expensive, or that I don't particularly love but someone else might, or that I keep thinking I'll fit into eventually.  I know hiding in there are shirts and dresses appropriate for a 22-year-old out on the prowl in 1998 that I somehow think will be used at some point.

I will then pile them up into DONATE / RUMMAGE or EBAY / GIVE TO FRIEND/SISTER piles.

I'm giving myself until the end of the month to do this. And....GO! (oh crap.)

Inspiration:
Article from House Beautiful

Post from Making it Lovely

Mariah Carey's insane closet:

And how could we forget Mr. Big's Gift of Awesome Closet?