Accomplices

I met one of my closest friends in the world at college. We bonded over bad cafeteria food one morning in the second semester of our freshman year. After the first semester of our sophomore year, she transferred to a school closer to her home. We really only lived in close proximity to each other for five months, but it was all we needed to form a relationship that will last the rest of our lives.

Since college, I’ve moved to the west coast, and she’s moved to the east coast. As anyone in a long-distance relationship knows, they can be hard to maintain. But Nikki and I have made an effort to talk on the phone often and, more importantly, get together. I visited her in San Diego and Miami, places she temporarily called home. I attended her Florida Keys wedding, and she attended my Hawaiian wedding. We’ve taken girls’ weekends to Nantucket and Boca Raton. Last year, after she gave birth to her daughter, I visited her Connecticut home, and this year she visited my Colorado home.

The time we spend together is wonderful, and it’s also expensive. Nikki and I both love to shop. Worse, we are a shopping team made in heaven. I love bright reds and pinks. Hats. Shoes. Jackets. Handbags. I love high-heels. Floral prints. Glitter. Nikki loves deep, vibrant greens, blues, and purples. Swimwear. Tank tops. Sandals. Flowing blouses. Abstract prints. Deep necklines.

We have similar taste, but we don’t have identical taste. Our styles complement each other well, and we are able to lend a discerning eye to the clothes the other picks out. The things we choose together are almost always things we wouldn’t choose apart. But they often end up being the things we wear most in our wardrobes.

On our latest shopping trip, Nikki tried on a gray floppy hat. She immediately dismissed it. I never wear hats, she told me. I insisted she put it back on, and then I insisted it looked so good on her that she had to buy it. She has since texted me that she loves the hat.

Later, I tried on a black, sequined vest. I told Nikki I would never have anywhere to wear it, but she demanded I buy it anyway. I did, and since then I’ve worn it about once a week.

A black, sequined vest it a little bit out of my comfort zone. Although I love sparkly clothes, I think they belong in evening wear. The first time I wore the vest was with a pink, long-sleeved Juicy Couture tee. I wore it to an evening event, and I blended in just fine. The second time I wore the vest was during the day. I wore it over a pink Barbie t-shirt. I wore it to the coffee shop, and I didn’t notice any strange looks. Maybe my sparkly vest isn’t as out there as I initially thought. Even if it is, I love it, and I’m thankful Nikki talked me into getting it.

I’m writing this not to regale you with stories of my shopping purchases, but to tell you that a good shopping partner is invaluable. If you don’t have someone with whom to shop, try to find a friend who will be honest with you and find things that fit both your style and your body type. A good shopping partner knows what you like and don’t like. She knows what fits your body type. She will suggest pieces that you may not see yourself in, and she will insist you buy things that you may not initially feel comfortable with (I’m not suggesting she will put you in a low-cut top you will never feel comfortable wearing; I’m suggesting she will put you in a red top when all you wear are black and white). She will steer you away from pieces you already own (you already have eight twinsets; you don’t need another). She will discourage you from pieces that aren’t flattering (I’m sensing you don’t want to look like a thirty year-old who hasn’t yet realized she’s not sixteen; let’s put back the midriff-baring tank top). Most of all, she will make you feel good about yourself and what you buy. And if you’ve found the right person, that feeling will last long after you two part ways. You’ll feel good about yourself and your wardrobe every time you put on a piece you bought together.

Top Five Oscar Looks

I don't want to be a celebrity, but I wouldn't mind walking a red carpet or two in a haute couture gown John Galliano just had to make because he was so inspired by my beauty and poise. And since I suspect this will only happen in my daydreams, I'm content so be at home surfing the internet for photos of one of the year's most glamorous events. Without further ado...my top five 2010 Oscar looks.

5. Miley Cyrus in Jenny Packham. Miley looks all grown-up in this stunning dress. The fitted bodice is stunning on her. She looks the like the modern-day Disney princess that she is.

4. Rachel McAdams in Elie Saab. This dress fits McAdams like a dream, and I love the colors. She reminds me of spring, and I am more than ready for spring.

3. Demi Moore in Atelier Versace. This dress is perfection, and Demi Moore, whose body was frozen in time at seventeen, works it. I love the contrastic nude tones, the layers of ruffles, and the perfectly placed rosette.

2. Sarah Jessica Parker in Chanel. I struggled whether to give the always fashionable Ms. Parker first or second place. Pale yellow silk says luxury like very few fabrics do. Chanel has created a perfectly lovely, floaty, dreamy dress. Ah, Karl and SJP, you've done it yet again.

1. Vera Farmiga in Marchesa. Could anyone miss this dress while watching the Oscars? Farmiga sat front and center, wearing a dress worthy of the spot. Georgina Chapman, who designs Marchesa's incredible dresses, is always at the top of her game, and Farmiga's Oscar dress is no exception. The dress is haute couture at it's finest. The color is perfection, and the ruffles are perfect. Ruffles are tricky because they can easily be poorly placed or overwhelming. Chapman stunned us with the perfect amount of ruffles: enough to capture our attention and imagination and not too many to overwhelm Farmiga's stellar figure. This dress is what the Oscars are all about to me: a fantasy.

Sample Sale 4: Gilt

Gilt was the first site I’d seen, and maybe that’s why I love it the most. There’s no competing with a first love, right?

PROS

Gilt’s site is easy to navigate, and their sales are well-organized. The site has gotten easier to use over the time I’ve used them. They have sales for men, women, children, and homes. In addition, they’ve recently added a travel sale website.

CONS

Gilt’s sales are rarely cheap. They are cheap compared to the normal price of the clothing they are selling, but it isn’t always going to be as cheap as to going to the mall. Granted, I’ve been very satisfied with the quality of everything I’ve purchased from them, but you will pay a pretty penny for Gilt purchases.

To join Gilt, click here.

Sample Sale 3: Billion Dollar Babes

Billion Dollar Babes is another sample sale website that I haven’t used extensively.



PROS

BDB has an easy-to-use website. It feels welcoming, and it’s easy to navigate. The sales are good, with a variety of items.

CONS

Like ideeli, BDB has a VIP pass that costs $100 a year. The VIP pass allows users to access the sales two hours earlier, and it also allows free shipping.

The sales on BDB aren’t as frequent as other sample sale websites, which may or may not be a good thing depending on how addicted you get to the sales.

To join, Billion Dollar Babes, click here.

Sample Sale 2: Beyond The Rack

Beyond the Rack is our second featured online sample sale. I haven’t used this site as extensively as some of the others, although the site is easy to navigate and well-designed. The sales last thirty-six hours.

PROS

The site, as I mentioned, is user-friendly. In addition, it has a lot of sales. Some sample sale websites just have one or two sales that start each day, but Beyond the Rack has a plethora of sales. Additionally, the sales are in a variety of price ranges. Whether your budget is $20 or $200, you can probably find something priced to fit your budget.

CONS

I honestly haven’t used Beyond the Rack enough to notice any cons. Do any frequent users have cons to mention?

To join Beyond the Rack, click here.

Rodarte for Target

In addition to our first discussion of online sample sales, I want to remind all you readers that Rodarte’s Target line rolls out on December 20.

On this blog, we try to remain fashion and budget conscious, and Target’s designer lines are one of the best ways I know to be both.

Rodarte’s line, in particular, looks amazing. I’ve already seen the lookbook, and I can tell you that I will be online December 20 (as I won’t be in the U.S.) to snatch up some of the best pieces.

Rodarte (pronounced Ro-dar-tay) is run by two sisters in California, and it has quickly become a fashion favorite for the red carpet group. Since I am neither red carpet nor about to drop red carpet prices on dresses (no matter how amazing they look on Vogue’s models), I am excited to get my hands on their designs.

Sample Sale 1: Ideeli

Sample Sale 1: Ideeli

Yesterday, we had our introduction to online sample sales, and today we are going to start discussing specific sample sale websites.

The first sample sale website I want to discuss is ideeli. Each day, ideeli offers a variety of thirty-six hour sample sales. For example, today they are offering a Dolce & Gabbana sale.



PROS

Ideeli offers a lot of giveaways. The prizes are always cuter (and expensive), and it’s free to enter.

CONS

There are several reasons I don’t love ideeli. The site isn’t completely user-friendly. It takes a few minutes to load, and for some reason it doesn’t save my user information. The other downside of ideeli is that first row members (who pay to use the site) can enter the sale an hour earlier. Of course, this is a good way for those running ideeli to make more money, but they are the only major sample sale website I know who does this.



Although I don’t love the layout of the site, the giveaways alone are a reason to join ideeli. Which leads us to - how do you join? Join ideeli by clicking here.