Never Pay Retail again

I am a designer label slut. I don’t stick to one brand- the more labels the happier I am. BUT I never pay retail. People love going to malls to go shopping but I prefer outlets and department stores. My absolute favorite stores are Century 21, Bloomingdales Outlet, Off Saks, and Woodbury Commons Premier Outlets.

Shopping is my cardio. To build a wonderful closet you need patience. Yes, all those racks can seem overwhelming but going through every item is worth it. My best advice is for you to split up from your friends when shopping. Head to the clothes section while your friend goes to the shoe department. Lets face it, we’ve all gone shopping with our friends and waiting for them is frustrating. You don’t want to be the friend that takes forever and you don’t want to be the one that waits forever. I found this the best strategy when shopping with others. Set a time to meet up and try things together. When you shop with others you tend to rely on their opinions. You nervously hold up a shirt you secretly really like and ask your friend what she thinks- knowing she has different style. She laughs and you act like you didn’t like it. First of all, a shirt may look weird/ nice on a hanger but it looks completely different once it’s on you. Two, everyone has a different style thats why it’s a good idea to pick clothes independently. I will admit there are many shirts my friends chose I thought were heinous but once they tried on the shirt it looked really chic.

Some of my friends are not fan of outlets. They think they sell clothes that were last season or reject clothes. However, outlets sell clothes that department stores sometimes overstock. For example, Off Saks gets daily shipments. On the other hand, Ralph Lauren receives clothes by season. So don’t be afraid to ask the employees how often they get clothes. My best advice for outlet shopping is to go on WEEKDAYS. Avoid weekends! Parking will take forever! AVOID big shopping holidays! Black Friday, Memorial Day Weekend, and Labor Day. Best shopping days are days before holidays! People who don’t go to outlets often believe they are getting really great deals when shopping at the outlets during these holidays. What they don’t know is ‘the deal’ they are getting is actually more expensive than regular discount price during normal days.

For example: (total fictional price)

Banana Republic skirt Retail $100

Outlet price 50% off= $50

what outlets do during shopping holidays:

“25% off skirts PLUS 10% off before noon” = “OMG What a great sale” from a non outlet shopper =$65 (All these tactics make you feel like you’ve save so much when in reality they actually raised the price)

I also suggest you sign up for those discount deals/accounts employees suggest. The more card for Off Saks or emails. Set up an email just for these discounts because they tend to send these emails frequently. You’ll receive tons of coupons which will help you in the future. Most importantly they’re free!

If your more of an online shopper, here are the sites I belong to. They have fabulous discounted prices.

www.gilt.com

www.hautelook.com

www.ideeli.com

www.billiondollarbabes.com (best for vinatage sales often LV, Chanel, and Tiffany vintage pieces)

www.ruelala.com

www.shopbop.com

www.renttherunway this website you can actually rent high end designer dresses such as Herve Leger dresses for $200! Shipping is paid for and they professionally clean the dresses for you.

Lastly here’s a fashionista secret. Create a friendship with an employee in your favorite store. I never understood why my aunt was so friendly with an employee at bloomingdales. After awhile, they knew each other by a first name basis. She then would tell my aunt about upcoming sales and sometimes gave discounts. Don’t forget: Salespeople have the power to help you get what you want: The best pieces in hard-to find sizes, sneak peak at the collections before they hit the sales floor, exclusive scoop on new deliveries, exact dates of markdowns, and more. Loyalty is big in retail because of commission. Once you set up a relationship some sales people will even call you in advance and put your size aside. Trust me, this really does happen because that Bloomingdales Sales Person does this for my aunt.

Fashionably Yours,

Karen xoxo

Spring 2011 Trend Report

Sorry It's been awhile since i've last blogged. (Getting into the transition of going back to school as a post-bac)

I'll upload pictures once I compile all the trends. But as of now, the spring 2011 trends are...

Wide-Leg Pants
Neon Lips (cue in Nicki Minaj's hot pink lips)
Flatforms (aka flats raised)
Disco Era (designers following Marc Jacobs?)
Skinny Belts
Relaxed Minimalism
Downtown Chic
Tiny Pleats
and Rainbow brights

What do you all think???

Fashionably yours,
XoKA

Feel Free to look at my other blog: (Confessions of a Sorority Alum)

www.confessionsofasororityalum.tumblr.com

Think with your head...

You all know my absolute favorite accessory is a headband. It all probably stems from my obsession with Gossip Girl and Blair Waldorf. However, even as a 5 year old I always wore headbands. Around the UConn campus may sorority women walk around with headbands and it's somewhat become a norm. Bows and flower headbands are the most popular. With fashion always evolving and changing these are statement pieces I absolutely adore v>

Karl Lagerfeld recently displayed his pre-Fall 2011 show in Paris. I basically want the filigree headbands he put on his models ontop of their messy beehive bun. It dresses up a casual wardrobe.

Another statement headpiece is the Prada turban headband. This Boho-Chic accessory

is hard to pull off and needs certain styling. (AKA Kourtney Kardashian fail) Here MK/A (Idk who this one is haha) wears it very simple. I can see Nicole Richie wearing this as well. This headband is perfect for those days you wear your hair au naturale without straightening it and leaving it a bit wavey or when you don't have enough time to take a quick shower and need to pull your hair out of of your face.

What do you all think?

XoKA <3>

College for fashionistas

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. It's hard to keep up with two blogs. I hope you all are having a fantastic holiday season so far! This coming January I will be going back to school as a post-bac student for pre-medical studies so I might not be able to blog as frequently. To get in the college spirit, I have chosen the topic of college for this blog.

So what schools did some designers go to??

1. Parsons, The New School For Design in NY

Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Narciso Rodriguez, Alexander Wang, Anna Sui, Jason Wu, Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock (Vena Cava), Thakoon

2. Central Saint Martins in London

Stella McCartney, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Zac Posen, Paul Smith, Giles Deacon,

3. Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in NY

Nina Carcia, Carolina Herrera, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Nanette Lepore, Ralph Rucci

4. Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale in Paris

Andre Courreges, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Nicole Miller

5. Istituto Marangoni in Milan also London and Paris campuses

Domenico Dolce, Franco Moschino

6. University of Westminister in London

Vivienne Westwood, Christopher Bailey, Michael Herz (Bally)

7 Royal College of Art (Post Graduate program) in London

Philip Teacy, Christopher Bailey

8. London College of Fashion

Jimmy Choo

Networking and workshops with these alumns can be found with these schools. Just imagine someone in your lecture can be someone famous in the future...

On a side note, have you all heard that Blake Lively is the new face of Chanel?! Being Anna Wintour's new obsession definitely has it's perks! Not only does Anna fly Blake out to fashion shows to sit front row with her at Dior, Chanel, and wherever she wants but she has been on the cover of Vogue 3 times. She was in attendance at the reopening of Chanel in SOHO. Lively also has an obsession with Louboutins and Louboutin named a shoe after her after meeting her. Wow isn't she such a luck girl? She also claims she doesn't use a stylist...

Fashionably yours,

Karen xoxo

new obsessions of the day

I was in an accessories mood so I decided to share my 2 obsessions for the day. These items are timeless, elegant, and exude modern opulence.

The first piece is a BVLGARI pendant from the Tondo collection.

This pendant is made in 18 kt yellow gold and steel with pave diamonds (3.10cm diameter)

PRICE: $2,950.00. I like the contrast between the gold and steel with a hint of diamonds. You can wear this with either a gold or silver chain. It's a perfect pendant necklace to wear everyday. (Carrie from Sex and the city wore a Tondo Bvlgari pendant necklace in one of the seasons)

(Carrie wearing her Bvlgari necklace from the Tondo collection)

Obsession #2 Cartier's Love Bracelet

Remember in middle school the best thing to have on your wrist was a Tiffany & Co. bracelet? For me it's Cartier's Love Bracelet collection. It's simple yet sophisticated and matches with everything. Also comes in different colored golds.

It has been popular since the 1960s. Cartier just introduced a new twist for the original bracelet, the love Charity.

Who's a frequent wearer of the love bracelet?

Kourtney Kardashian wears her two love bracelets almost in every episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians/ Kourtney and Kloe take Miami. I know I would if I had one!

What are your accessory obsessions??

Fashionably yours,

Karen

21 more days!

Get your sleeping bags ready for H&M for the Lanvin for H&M Day! More pictures have been posted and I CAN'T WAIT to get my hands on these pieces!! Love LOVE LOVEEEE the romantic fabrics and the delicate draping. These are so different from other Designer diffuser lines, they look expensive!

What do you guys think??

Fashionably yours,

Karen xoxo

Are you fur real?

As you all know, fur is the new obsession for this fall season. From fur detailing to oversized fur vests. Every where you go you see fur! Here are some fur pieces that I absolutely adore!

This Fendi Red Fox Trim Coat ($1,863.41) combines the camel coat trend with fur trimming. It's simple yet very chic. Pair it with a pair of light jeans creates a day look or layer it over a black dress for a uptown look.

On the right are Michael Kors fur clutches. I love the smooth metallic leather and the metal lock embellishments pairing with the soft fur. These clutches are perfect to dress up a simple outfit when going out at night. I can see myself having all 3 because they all are so beautiful. The top brown is perfect with a black shirt and dark wash jeans. The left brown is perfect with a day look of a white oxford button down shirt with a pair of relaxed jeans and brown riding boots. The grey clutch is for the fashionistas who love to wear the all black look.

This mink and velvet necklace from Louis Vuitton is something you see in Vogue photos or on Anna Wintour's neck. This is the to die for accessory. The detailing is strategically done- rather it looking like furry handcuffs on your neck it looks very luxurious and delicate. You can wear this with a very plain outfit and still look chic and fashionable. You can wear this necklace with a white tshirt and jeans with your hair up in a pony tail and look casual chic like Reese Witherspoon. Or Pair it up with a blazer and black pants with your hair down like a Kardashian. I can also see this necklace on Rachel Zoe.

This Burberry Fur Collar Trench Coat will definitely keep you warm while looking fabulous! The fox collar is removable so you can tone down the wow factor. This double breasted coat is very sliming.

I am obsessed with these Tory Burch Rabbit Fur Buckle Boots. The brown leather detailing and Gold Tory Burch embellishments makes these boots the fall winter boot. I can see so many girls with leggings and capes wearing these boots this fall.

This Nina Ricci Fur Collar Cardigan puts the cardigan/cape and fur trend together. This light weight cotton cardigan allows movement from the garment while having a relaxed fit. The cropped sleeves also adds comfort so it doesn't feel heavy or bulky when wearing this cardigan.

How uptown are these fur earmuffs? These ear muffs from Lanvin (found at Bergdorfs) are a fancifully adorned piece made by fox fur. It is made with folded navy satin ribbon with red dyed fox muffs. The jeweled brooch on side makes this earmuff very Blair Waldorf. So this is a perfect piece for you headband lovers!

What do you think of the fur trend? Of course I prefer faux fur!

Fashionably yours,

Karen xoxo