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.

Sample this!

Before the explosion of online sample sales, sample sales were relegated to lucky girls in New York City and Los Angeles who could hurry down to nearby warehouses to snatch at designer goods for low prices. I always imagined the Chanel and Prada I could be donning if only I lived in one of these major cities. Alas, I was a poor college student spending her paychecks on groceries, textbooks, and outlet store finds.

Since then, I have been to one sample sale while visiting New York City. I was with two girlfriends in Soho, and we happened upon a sparsely decorated space with racks of designer clothes. Women swarmed through these racks, and soon my friends and I were in the mix, snatching at anything remotely cute in our sizes.

The dressing rooms were hollow spaces with curtains draped over the fronts - the type of makeshift dressing rooms seen in Halloween stores. I found a black sweater (which I’m actually wearing today), and one of my girlfriends found a steal on a dress to wear to her birthday party that weekend.

The problem with sample sales, as I mentioned, is that they don’t take place everywhere. And if you want to get the best clothing, you have to be there early in the morning to fight your way through crowds of stiletto-clad girls for the best deal.

Those of us who work desk jobs Monday - Friday in ho-hum suburbs know that neither the time nor location is conducive to our lifestyles. We have had to kiss sample sales, and their good deals, goodbye.

Until now.

Brilliant entrepreneurs decided to put these sample sales online, probably saving themselves overhead, but bringing fashion discounts to anyone who has access to a computer. Often these sample sales start near lunch time, so even if you are at work, you can hop on for a few minutes over lunch and find yourself a good deal.

As we begin our discussion on sample sales, I want to remind everyone that these are not bargain basement prices. Depending on the brand, you may still be paying a lot of money. For example, $7,000 Valentino dresses are not going to be marked down to $50. They may be $2,500, and if you have the budget for Valentino, this is going to feel like a steal. Don’t let this discourage you though. Some sample sales may be way out of your price range, and others may be just what you want. For example, $685 Sergio Rossi wedges for $118 may be exactly what you need, putting something out of your price range into your price range.

Like storefront sample sales, online sample sales only last approximately forty-eight hours, and the competition for some items is fierce. Be cautious not to get wrapped up in the excitement of the sale and forget your budget. It’s only a deal if you are going to wear it and you can afford it. Those six-inch electric blue heels may be discounted tremendously, but if your entire wardrobe consists of khaki pants and fair isle knits, they are only going to make a stunning decoration to the bottom of your closet.

Stay tuned as we begin our sample sale discussion. May the shopping begin!

I Am the Winner of Project Runway (and so are you).

I love Project Runway. I love Heidi, Michael, and Nina. I love the creative challenges in which the designers participate. I love dissecting the episodes with a close girlfriend after they air.

I imagine myself as an aspiring designer, Nina Garcia telling me I’m the next Donna Karan and Mary-Kate Olson sitting in the guest judge seat saying she wants to interview me in her next book. Tim Gunn will be speechless, his impressive vocabulary caught in his throat as he worships my red-carpet-worthy garment made only from banana peels and chewed gum.

The problem is that I don’t know how to make clothes. And even if I start learning tomorrow, I probably will not be good enough to be on Project Runway before Heidi Klum retires to her Mexican mansion with Seal and their ten beautiful babies.

The next best thing to actually doing something is to do it in a video game. I’ve fulfilled all my rock star dreams with Rock Band. And my husband and his friends are weekend warriors (of the Call of Duty kind). Now I can fulfill my fashion designer dreams with the newest Project Runway video game.

The game allows players to take the role of a Project Runway contestant, creating outfits during creative challenges. After dressing your model in an outfit (complete with hair and make-up), you can play as the model, rocking your outfit on the runway.

Be prepared because your competition is stiff. Can you outdesign Irena, the season six winner? You’d better be able to do so, because the top eight contestants from season six will be featured in the game.

And if being a designer and a fashion model isn’t enough for you, the Project Runway video game also allows you to be a fashion photographer. It’s any fashionista’s three dream jobs all rolled into one game.

The game is being created exclusively for the Wii and comes with its own balance board (for those catwalks). It’s due to arrive on March 2, 2010.

Because You Have to Wear Something

I was recently in a discussion with a friend who informed me she could never dress fashionably because she doesn't have money to spend on clothing. Of course, I was appalled at the comment, because I am a huge believe that no matter your budget, you can dress fashionably.

Let's face the facts. You cannot go naked. It's illegal. Therefore, you have to spend money on clothing. It might be $50,000 or it might be $5. But you will have to spend something on your wardrobe.

In fact, ladies living on a shoestring should be entitled to even better wardrobes because often these ladies are working hard to make ends meet, and often they are working hard to support children too. Looking good can make such a difference in how one feels about oneself. A good outfit transforms everything from your posture to your self-worth. A good outfit may very well make you feel better than an hour of therapy, and it could cost less.

You may not be able to afford Proenza Schouler, but you can probably afford Proenza Schouler for Target. And you may not be able to afford the hot pink holiday bubble dress that is so "in", but you can afford a simple black cocktail dress that will get you through hundreds of holiday seasons to come (if, indeed, you do plan to live for hundreds more holiday seasons).

Since we already mentioned Target, let's start there. Target has turned itself into quite a one-stop shop for recessionistas. From stationary to clothing, you can find just about anything in vogue you need at Target. I will spend good amounts of money on clothing, but I often find myself back at Target all the same because of their great partnerships with leading designers, and the reasonable prices at which you can buy clothing. Target isn't bargain basement shopping, and the clothes are not jaw-droppingly cheap, but they are good, solid buys, and you can find anything from basics to trends in their clothing and jewelry sections.

Another great place to find good deals on clothing is H and M, if you live near one. I must bitterly admit I don't. Right now, H and M has a Jimmy Choo line for sale beginning on November 14. Kate Moss also has a line for H and M.

Forever 21, and stores similar to it like Wet Seal, have good deals on trendy clothing. They recently opened a Forever 21 in our mall where there used to be a Lord & Taylor. It's huge. And I have a friend who loves Forever 21 with her heart and soul. She used to drive by the mall wistfully dreaming of when the Forever 21 would open up. And now that it's open, she buys everything there from shoes to Christmas gifts. She is probably there as I write. Her clothes won't last forever, and neither will yours if you buy them there, but she always looks cute, and so you will. They have a lot of great options for trendy clothing.

The internet has opened up a whole new world for shopping as well, and next time I write we will cover online sales (of which I know a lot).

Rent The Runway

I found out about a new website that may appeal to some of you, dear readers. The website is called Rent the Runway, and the concept is that those of us who don't want to pay top dollar for couture outfits can rent them instead.

It's a cool concept. Basically, you log onto the website and choose which dress you want to rent. RTR sends you the dress in two different sizes, just in case. You wear the gown and ship it back. They take care of the dry cleaning.

The website is well-designed, making it easy to navigate through the outfits. You can search by occasion, which is a great way to narrow down the inventory to the event you want.

I like the idea, but the only problem is that renting a designer dress from RTR is still more expensive than going to the mall and buying one. The prices start around $50/rental. For those of you who live and die on the runway, this probably won't matter. Better a Stella McCartney dress for a night than a Banana Republic dress for life.

I believe this website would come in handy, however, when you are looking for a dress for an occasion that will never repeat itself. Therefore, you need the dress for one night only. In this case, renting a dress may seem like the best option. For example, you are invited to a black-tie wedding. You are being whisked to Paris so your boyfriend can propose atop the Eiffel Tower. You are going to the Oscars. You are the mother-of-the-bride. In any such cases, I could imagine wanting a stunning dress, one you won't ever want to wear again or may never have an occasion to wear again.

The September Issue

My husband told me about The September Issue when it was only showing in New York City and Los Angeles. I hoped the documentary based on the making of the September 2007 issue of Vogue would come to a theater near me, and sure enough, it finally has.

If you have a remote interest in fashion, you will enjoy watching this movie about what goes on behind the scenes at the country's most prestigious fashion magazine. The September issue is the biggest issue of the year, and the September 2007 issue was the biggest issue in the magazine's history. Watching it being put together was fascinating.

The movie focuses on Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief at Vogue. Wintour is known for being cold, and is the inspiration for the "devil" in The Devil Wears Prada. Grace Coddington, the magazine's creative director, plays an important part in the movie as well.

Wintour certainly doesn't come across like the type of woman you would confide in about your deepest insecurities, but she doesn't come across like the evil fashion dominatrix as she is so often portrayed. I was grateful the movie stayed away from cheap reality TV show editing and focused on how the magazine works.

Wintour seems like a hard-working, hard-hitting editor-in-chief who battles for what she truly believes is best for the magazine. She seems like she goes to work in order to get a job done not to make best friends. And - dare I say it - I don't think she would be scrutinized so closely if she were a man.

Although her occasionally snide comments (telling the cameraman he needs to go to the gym) and quick edits of photos that took a lot of time and money to create come across as cold and insensitive, a magazine cannot be run without someone being willing to edit ruthlessly.

The clout she holds in the fashion world is incredible. I hadn't quite realized the influence she held with designers, nor had I realized how everyone at the magazine is working to realize Wintour's vision. The magazine truly is hers.

More fascinating that the magazine's production was getting a glimpse at Wintour's life and relationships. The movie touches on her relationship with her daughter and Andre Leon Talley, but the most significant relationship in the movie is her relationship with Coddington. Both women started at American Vogue on the same day decades ago, and through years of working together have developed a relationship that works, even if it doesn't always run seamlessly.

Despite bickering over differing points of view, the two seem to have mutual respect for each other. Wintour appears indifferent toward Coddington when they are together, but she says that Coddington is a "genius", admitting that she could not see the world in the way that Coddington sees it. Alternatively, Coddington admits that Wintour has stayed ahead of the curve, keeping Vogue relevant in an age where magazines are becoming less relevant.

I disagree with Coddington, however, that Vogue has remained relevant by putting celebrities on the cover. We live in a celebrity-obsessed culture, and putting Jennifer Aniston on the cover of Vogue may sell magazines, but it doesn't bring in loyal readers. Vogue's image is high fashion and slightly pretentious. When one wants to know the latest microtrends on the runway or the newest way to wear make-up (even if it is purple eyelashes with black eye shadow and it is going to be out of style before the next issue of Vogue comes out), one picks up Vogue magazine. If one wants to know what Rihanna wore to the Oscars, one picks up In Style. By trying to appeal to a fashion-obsessed, well-heeled crowd with articles about expensive facials, vacations, and clothes and appeal to supermarket moms by putting Sienna Miller on the cover (a celebrity who is hardly known in America anyway), Vogue loses its focus and its readers.

I've subscribed to Vogue for years now, and I probably won't stop any time soon, but I find little of the content relevant to my life. There isn't the hard-core fashion reporting that I crave, nor is there information on how to make fashion relevant to my daily life. I agreed with Coddington in the movie as she looked at the final mock-up of the magazine that cutting her stunning 1920's photo shoot in order to fit in some mediocre photos of a mediocre celebrity seems disappointing and silly. I think Vogue should start trying to appeal to those who love fashion. Those who love celebrities can buy People.