ann taylor sale - 30-40% off (and some j.crew final sale picks)

Ok, I need to impose a shopping ban on myself, but there are some great sales rolling in for the 4th weekend! 

Ann Taylor has 40% off sale prices (JULY40) or 30% off a reg-price item (JULYSALE30).  I'm still drooling over the Swarovsky Crystal Stretch Bracelet ($135), but can't bite yet.

I went to the mall for some J.Crew returns, and stopped in to check out the AT sale in person. I ended up with the Kaylee Embellished Flip-flop in Vachetta. SWOON. These are so, so, so gorgeous in person, I couldn't stand it. And for $30?? What the what? Sold.  They didn't have the black in my size or I would have swooped in for those too. Love this nude color though, with some serious bling.  I also snagged a couple of those muted metallic-y tanks (I can't find them online anymore) in a dark and a light silver, for only $12 each. Awesomeness.

I also wanted to try on the Chiffon Tiers Tank Top ($54). Alas, my son had a meltdown, so no fitting room for me. It looks like it would be more fitted and flattering than some of J.Crew's tiered options.

I checked out the jewelry, and on my wishlist is the Swarovski Circle Bracelet ($48) and the Long Swarovsky Circle Necklace ($48).

BTW, Ann Taylor Loft also has 40% off your order (FIX40), yay! (Free shipping on $125+)  I didn't get to that store to check anything out in person.

I made a bunch of J.Crew returns, and then checked out what was left of their sale rack -- not much, but I found several things I was willing to buy on stupid Final Sale with the extra 20% off:

*Ankle stretch toothpick jean in amore wash (great pair of jeans, nice price)

* Nolita denim jacket (my jean jacket has seen better days, and I like the shorter fit of this, as well as the button detail. Was priced lower in store for me.)
* Crystal Carlyle Bracelet in dark charcoal (I looove the soft petal one I already have. It ended up at only $24, which I think is a good price for such a pretty piece)
* Brushed-stripe Tee in brozed clay (Here's the tank. I have 8 million of their tees already, but it's a lovely color and will look fab under my ginger cashmere cardi methinks. Can't beat $8, right?)
* Piped and Twisted Pocket Cardigan in pale buff (This one was a total surprise pick. It was priced less in store, so I thought I'd try it on for only $24. Ended up being super cute actually, albeit snag-prone. I never would have looked twice at this one without the sale price.)

The only piece I was hoping to find in person is the chiffon tiered tank, but alas, none to be seen.

p.s. My PS told me fall items will be in (our) store July 26. The day before my birthday, hmmm.

land's end overstock picks.

I love the Land's End Canvas line (ETA: sale going on today! Use code/pin below), but I still like to check out the Land's End Overstocks section once in a while, in search of a deal on off-season stock. They just have such great quality, amazing service, and some wonderful deals. True, they tend to run bigger, and until the Canvas line, can tend toward the matronly side, but if you really take a look, and are willing to try on several things to check for fit, you can find some hidden gems.  (Also, I love their kids clothing and outerwear - solid quality, great prices)

I do have an Inlet by me, which sometimes has great deals in the Back Rack section, and also carries many regular items (usually on sale), but I mostly like to peruse online in lazy luxury at home. They almost always have codes/pins for free shipping/returns (or you can return to an Inlet or Sears), so it's no trouble. Current free shipping code = JULY1, pin: 2810

(Oh, also be sure to check out their On the Counter section on Saturday mornings, when they're basically clearing out some stock. Every day for a week, they continue dropping the price, until it's 75% off on Friday. Worth a look, although sometimes I've seen things on there starting a bit higher than they were already priced in the Overstock section!) 

So moving on to some nice deals I've found...   Just note that they tend to run bigger, although some of their "Modern Fit" pieces are fitting more TTS than other pieces.

Modern Cap-Sleeve Layering T-shirt ($8.70!) -- A good v-neck basic.

Women's Layering 1x1 Rib V-Neck Cardigan ($14.70) -- A nice alternative to J.Crew's Perfect Fit Cardigan. Pretty colors.

Modern Sanded Poplin Roll-tab Cargo Pants ($29.99) (Sheesh, their names for things are crazy long)

Modern Short-sleeve Stretch Ruffle Collar Mesh Polo Shirt ($14.70) -- This is super cute, runs somewhat bigger (compared to a J.crew). I have it in navy, black and white and love them. Bit of ruffle, bit of prepster.

FeelGood V-neck Stripe Cardigan Sweater ($14.99 from $69.50!) -- Haven't seen this one, but think I might order in the cute navy/lime-green colors and will report back. Says it runs big, so I'll def get XS.

Women's 3/4-sleeve Flip Cuff Pattern Broadcloth Blouse ($6.99!) -- I figured something had to be wrong with this shirt to be only $6.99, so I ordered it, and nope. It's a nice little shirt, especially for work. Imean, it's not setting the world on fire, but it's a good solid basic shirt :) Sizes 4 and 6 available.  Wait - check out the long-sleeved version - it's only $4.99 (size 4 and 6)!













Classic Cashmere Crew Cardigan ($90) -- I haven't ordered this before, but I think it probably runs bigger and boxier than we're used to (at J.Crew), so I'd size down. But they have some pretty colors, including a lot that are great for fall/winter. $90 isn't a bad price point.

3/4 Sleeve Cashmere Kate Cardigan ($73) -- This is a nice classic cashmere cardi with some pretty colors (although not J.Crew colors, which are impossible to top IMO), cute little buttons, and nice grosgrain trim.













Thermacheck 100 Stretch Half-Zip Pullover ($14.99) -- I love their Thermacheck fleece. It never ever pills, it's anti-static, always looks brand-new. Highly recommend any of them!  $15 is a steal.

Knit Ballet Slippers ($14.99) -- How cute are these? I love slippers. I already bought these in the ivory, navy and red, and am ready to go for fall/winter. Cozy and adorable.

Knit Slipper Socks ($24.99) -- I loved the J.Crew slipper socks like these, but wasn't willing to pay a mint for them. These are adorable and a better price. Plus, I know that if the knit doesn't hold up, they'll replace them for me. In the ivory, brown, navy, red and purple. I stocked up on ivory and brown. CUTE.  (They also have cute shearling booties for $30 right now)

While I'm on the off-season stuff, they have lovely cashmere hats and scarves, which I've purchased in the past. This knit fringed scarf is only $20!And the adorable argyle one is only $30.

A final note about their quality -- Land's End fully stands behind their line, meaning you can return anything, any time, for any reason if you're dissatisfied. (Oy, I sound like a sales person, but promise I'm not. :) Obviously one shouldn't misuse of this amazing policy, but it's sure nice to know that if a zipper breaks, or your son's feet grow before he can even wear his shoes, you can take them back without a bit of squabble. Great example: my nephew had a winter coat that he wore the entire season, but near the end of the season, the zipper broke when he snagged it on something. She brought it to the store, just to see if they could help fix it or get a new zipper. Nope, they insisted on taking the jacket back and giving her a full-price credit to buy him a new winter coat. What?! Isn't that the most amazing service? Anyway, this is what keeps me loyal to them.

Have you tried Land's End before? Any success?

oooh, fantastic talbot's giveaway at gigi's gone shopping!

Just after I posted about my weekend and peek into Talbot's, I saw that Gigi has an amazing Talbot's giveaway going on right now at her fabulous blog, right here, where you have a chance to win a $250 gift card. So exciting! Go and check it out!

back from a weekend of no internets, talbots peek and a gap score.

Good Monday morning to you all!  I was up in the Detroit area over the weekend this past weekend -- with no World Wide Webs to entertain myself with! The horror.  I had the blackberry, but it was so, so slow there and I just gave up. It was quite nice to not be constantly checking my emails and also to step away from my Internet shopping, as I need to be on a shopping ban for a bit. (I keep saying that, don't I?)

Anyway, the village where I was staying did have a Gap that DH and I popped into for a bit for some distraction. I had some Gap rewards cards waiting to be used, so in we went to see what we could find. DH found himself a belt and I found a shirt that was similar to JCrew's contrast-stitch perfect shirt (I think?) - total was $12.10 Minus $10 rewards, a cool $2.10 - wahoo!   The tragedy was finding my schoolboy blazer on sale for $60 plus an extra 40% off! Gah, it would have been practically free.  I would have bought it and returned my other, but already pulled off the tags. Sigh. Don't you hate that?  Ah well, I still got it for a great price.  The sale section mostly had a ton of plain tees and sad graphic tees, and some cardigans as well, in pretty colors, but kind of cheap-looking IMO.

They had some new arrivals in, of which I loved the ADORABLE maxi dress that even DH pointed out to me, the Striped Long Racerback Dress ($49.50) Loved the navy & grey stripe. Alas, we had to race out of there, and I couldn't even try it on. It's really cute though! They handed me a bunch of 40% off cards to use in the future, so I might snag that one with the remainder of my rewards cards.

I had a moment to pop into Talbots there as well, and they had a number of cute things on sale. Some prices were a little high still, but there were deals to be found. I really liked the boat-stripe tee in pink/white and blue/white, knit ruffled polo dress ($47) and two fun cardigans -- the Floral Cardigan ($71) (very Lilly P, with a similar sheath dress and sleeveless blouse avail as well), and the Lemon Vines cardigan ($71).  I'm holding off on the cardigans for now, but had to get the pink/white tee and the pink polo dress. (ack, shopping ban not working) Wore them right away and received many complements. Will upload pics asap!

In the full-price section, I really loved these two pieces - the yacht-print cardigan ($79.50)and this emerald green eyelet skirt (gorgeous color) ($108).

Ok, time to catch up on all my lovely blogs (and check out some new sales)...I feel totally out of the loop!

clogs. thoughts?

I've been craving a pair of clogs. I don't know why, as a couple years ago I would have been horrified. But hey, I'm not immune to trends, and I think I'm finally ready to bite.  At least they seem like they'd be pretty comfortable, right? I don't want to spend a mint, since I'm sure I won't be loving them forever, but I still want them to fit well and not kill my feet too terribly.

Just got an email from Piperlime about clogs, so they're going mainstream for sure. A couple that caught my eye:

Max Bernson Quixote (mmm, how would I walk in these?)

Via Spiga Armenia (pretty, very high)

I'm not sure how much I want to put into these, but am considering trying out these Franco Sarto Arctics that are currently on 6pm.com for $33.25. Sheesh, at that price, I could go for both brown & black.  They're not quite as crazy high as others, and the price is right.  ETA: Ok, I bought these, b/c I'm not ready to invest heavily in these. I got them today and think they're really cute! DH even said they were great, and he usually just rolls his eyes at shoes. So I'm in on the clog trend!

If I hadn't overdone it with the Crewlade, maybe I'd throw down cash for these Stuart Weitzman pretties, regardless of how often I'd topple off of them. But alas, at $241.50, they are well over my comfort zone. Plus, I'm not sure about the open toe. How practical would that be in Chicago weather?

 Anyone else have clogs on their wish list? Recommend a pair you have and love?

(p.s. received J.Crew boxes today - stay tuned for what's staying and what's going back)

old navy 30% off entire site.

I have a rewards card burning a hold in my pocket, and with my free Silver card shipping, I think I might grab something during this promo. The whole site is 30% off with code ONBIG30.  Some of my picks:

Printed Canvas Hobo -- I blogged about this one before. It's really cute in black and in navy, and is now $18 plus 30% off

Maybe some inexpensive wedges? Not sure about quality, but for a cute trendy sandal, might be worth a shot: 
Burnished Strappy Wedges













Roll-up slub knit cardigan $24.99

Have a great day!

cute jacket at...coldwater creek?

I know, Coldwater Creek isn't normally part of our purview, but humor me for this one. I looooved the J.Crew Berry-trim Astrid jacket (review/pics on JCA here) and wish I would have snagged it right when I saw it. Alas, I did not. I know there were mixed reviews on the Astrid, and some thought it was too old-ladyish. (so maybe they were right if CC is carrying something similar? lol)  Eh, I liked it a lot and happened upon this somewhat similar jacket that pops up at Coldwater Creek now and again, called the Trimmed Knit Cardigan.  It's not the Astrid, but it's not a bad runner-up. So I thought, why not try it out?

I ordered it when they had some crazy sale, just to see how it looked in person, and was pleasantly surprised. It's currently on sale and on the site for $52.50 (sale price minus current 30% off promo) in sizes starting at size 8 right now. (It seems to pop back always in random sizes. I have a size 6.)

They have it in majestic purple and pomegranite. I have the pomegranite and think it's a very pretty dark pink/magenta color. Here are some very terrible and blurry pictures, but you get the idea of it. (which I will try to replace once my toddler isn't screaming at my in the background...)

So it's pretty cute, right? Or is it old lady? Someday maybe I'll find my Astrid, but for now, this will be a good option. For the price I paid, I'll keep it methinks.

anthropologie fresh cuts added.

Done with the J.Crew sale, I popped over to Anthropologie this morning, and saw there were some great new sale items added. Go check it out! Anthroholic has a list of confirmed items here.  I snagged a couple small earrings, the flora sandals, and an unwinding cardigan. Nothing super exciting, I know, but good basics. I needed some small, but sparkly earrings to go with some of my big ol' J.Crew necklaces and bracelets.

Vega Triangle earrings in mauve ($19.95) and Steal-the-show Posts ($19.95) in grey.

Unwinding cardigan in black (ivory and pink also available). I needed a black sweater that wasn't a crazy long boyfriend cardi or a jackie cari.

Night Flora Sandals ($59.95)

I also recommend the Shadowed Vine Scarf on sale for $19.95. It's pretty delicate, and will probably snag with my luck, but I don't even think you'd see a snag, and it's so very pretty. Also, you can literally just tie it once around your neck (no fancy scarf tying needed), and it looks perfect. Love. I got the grey (shock).

and the Buds & Bunches tank if you haven't picked it up yet. Adorable.

kindle love. now $189.

Off my usual clothing-centric topic, I just saw that the Kindle price has been dropped to $189 now.

I LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE my Kindle. Like, I would marry it if I wasn't already married. And you could marry an e-book. I can't express how much love. More than I love J.Crew and shopping. Yes, you read that right.

I'm a super book nerd and read any time I can sneak it in, all day long. This Kindle is my most favoritist gift I have ever received from DH. If you read, get thee this Kindle, especially at this price. I know there are other copycat versions, but I think the Kindle is the best one. The 3G wireless and Amazon book selection are the best.

Anyway, just wanted to plug it really quickly, before I head upstairs to read it. :) 

p.s. I still love to buy classics and books I love and will re-read a lot. Highly recommend these gorgeous books -- Penguin Classics with covers by Coralie Bickford-Smith:

j.crew 30% off summer sale - in B&M too!

[6/23 update: The sale is apparently final sale today - lame.]

Got an email about 30% off J.Crew's summer sale (code EXTRA30), plus free shipping off $150, through Wednesday. I just knew that would happen right after I bought all my stuff. :) Ah well, you never know what's going to sell out.  The best part is that JCA mentioned that it's going to be in-store as well. So maybe I'll head over and see what's there, while I head back with my latest returns. (ETA: it's been reported on JCA that the in-store sale is final sale, but not online. Also, the site is CRAZY slow. I must have jumped on just in time this morning)

I was in Wisconsin last week, so popped into the J.Crew there, hoping for some different pieces available and different pricing.  I snagged a couple tees for $9.99, and the light slate checked shirt for $30 (not sure if it's a keeper at that price - we'll see). I also found the light oak ballet flats in my size for $50, which i'm happy about. I know their shoes aren't super comfy, but they're good for quick excursions out or going out to eat IMO. Also grabbed some skinny belts on sale in several basic colors for between $9.99 and $19.99. Oooh, but the best score was the sunshine peonies dress for $39.99!! I had originally purchased this at full price for a wedding, and then decided at home that I didn't think it was worth full price. But for $40? Um YES. Hooray! (here on GigiofCa and About All and Nothing at All.)  I also found a black sequined (on front) tank (can't remember name) for $19.99 that is going to be very cute methinks.

I also got a few items I had ordered from ebay while I was gone, including the heirloom earrings (which someone probably got as one of the coveted free gifts from JC).

I also got a NWT jaspe hoodie, and a possibly fake bubble necklace. I thought the $19.99 price was too good to be true, and after I ordered, I saw GigiofCa had posted about this very topic. It's probably not a true J.Crew, which annoys me to no end, but I do still like the look, so I'll keep it. Here are some pics - it looks pretty good to me, is heavy w/o being too heavy, and is a pretty color. Thoughts? (and sorry about the hooter shot)

Anyway...off to see about the 30% sale and what's left...

...aaaand back with an update on my latest order. Gah! I JUST told myself I was done.done.done. But at 30% off and free shipping, I couldn't resist. I'll be returning anything I don't LOVE. That's the plan. So here's what I ordered (I'm pricing it out with the 30% off from sale price, then listing the orig price...you know, to make me feel better... also, it's early and I don't promise my math is spot-on)  I'm trying to keep to things I can wear in fall/winter, for the most part.

Long boyfriend jacket in heather carbon $98 from $215
Tretorn metallic T56 gold sneakers $38.50 from $78
Rose vines jacket $42 from $168 (This looks very cute for that price - haven't seen it in person.
Lollipop ribbon jacket $105 from $350) (Orig price was nuts, but I can swallow $100)
Tailored denim pencil skirt $42ish from $69.50 (Might as well round out my pencil skirts with this basic)
Tissue flutter ivory tank $20 from $35 (I have a lot of ruffles, but keep looking at this one, so might as well get it and try it on with closet clothes, right?)
Solid lieutenant jacket in warm beechwood $27.99 (!) from $98 (I sized down in this - it looks big)
Jackie cardigan in charcoal $28 from $62 (Hooray, this is a color I need!)
Parlour hobo in black (yay!) $119 from $235  (Wow, that was a score. Now I'm set with my tan Coach pretty and this in black.)  Tried to link, but looks sold out for the moment.

Cashmere v-neck ladder-stitch sweater in bright plum $49 from $145-- hopefully this one works out - otherwise I got:
Featherweight cashmere cardigan in bright plum $70 from $158

GigiofCa did a ton of work linking up to IRL pics and reviews of sale items here.

Ooh, got a package this afternoon with the flannel ruffle jacket. I saw it on popback and after being inspired by Florida Fabulous Mommy here, I bought it. I think it's cute on, but really needs the belt. And better styling. And a better camera. And a better pose. *snort*

Ok, seriously, I'm DONE. Done I tell you!