Fashion for everyone

While most of the deep Black Friday discounts involve massive chain stores that hold little interest, or highly discounted electronics, which hold even less interest, a couple of alternative Black Friday/holiday deals landed in my inbox that I thought were worth sharing.

My current favorite handbag line, Collina Strada, is giving a 40% discount of everything on her website this weekend if you enter TURKEY40 at checkout. I use my Collina Strada bag all the time, and am considering getting one of her famous backpacks too. I also want to note that they have excellent customer service, and helped me out when my dry cleaner ruined my bag.



Our friends at Convent are holding a one day sale in stores and on line today, discounting everything 40% if you use the code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout. You can pick up stuff from our line, Triskaidekaphobia, as well as pieces from Dusen Dusen and Nakkna.



This is a little advanced notice, but wonder woman Jessica over at The Shiny Squirrel is putting together a Gifts Galore shop-in-shop at International Playground from December 17-19. We'll be selling our jewelry, alongside our friends Chris Habana, Blood is the New Black, and Digby and Iona. We also have a big holiday party planned with Jessica for next Thursday, December 2nd at Anchor Bar---details to come!



Topshop has plenty of holiday plans for their Soho store, including nibbles and giveaways, but of course I'm most excited about their nail art booth. From December 2-4th, Topshop's nail bar will be offering customized nail art from the infamous WAH Nails (see an example from their website below!).

Caged pearl rings

Last week, Jules Kim presented her latest addition to the Bijules collection, "The Seize Kind," a group of incredibly sensual, pearl-based baubles that are meant to celebrate the sea's precious harvest, as well as the feminine organism that shapes it. Jules always knows how to put on a good show, and the delicate gems were passed around the rooftop of The Gramercy Park Hotel by Big Gunz, an underground boxing club that's members happen to be male models. One of the hunky presenters described the club as "a cross between Zoolander and Fight Club," and if that doesn't pique your interest enough, I suggest you read this article from the latest issue of New York Magazine. Working their way through the throngs wearing a single 18k gold and pearl teardrop adhered to their faces, the boxers stirred up quite a frenzy, and it was difficult to edge out other members of the gawking audience for a peek at the beautiful jewels. Luckily I work with Jules doing her wholesale sales, so I will get plenty of closer looks on my own, but here are a few shots I took at the show, and today at Capsule. If you are in New York, and would like to see the new collection yourself, you should stop by Boutique. Eat. Shop. (559 w. 22nd St) from 7-10 tomorrow, where Bijules will be having a sale, and where pieces from The Seize Kind will be available for pre-order!

One of the cute models-by-day-boxers-by-night from Big Gunz

Stackable pearl ring

Precious metal teardrops with caged pearls, meant to be worn on the face

The classic Bijules bar ring with the glacons bar ring and the new pearl bar ring

Caged pearl whip bracelet

The very elegant caged pearl bar ring

I know this is fairly advanced warning, but I'm sure you're going to want to mark this on your calendars. On Friday, January 29th a passel of my favorite designers are getting together at TriBeCa Grand to host a special sale for APEX. APEX is a Manhattan based organization that provides mentoring and educational services for underserved Asian American youth. All of the incredible participants, which include Doo Ri, Risto, Ideeen, Bliss Lau and Mary Meyer, will donate 20% of the evenings proceeds to APEX. There will be a sponsored bar and special treats, and if you missed out on any of these designers' recent sample sales, you still have the chance to get your hands on their goods. For those of you who aren't in New York, a selection of the items will be available for presale starting on January 27th at Cutdrop.com.

Lanvin x Acne dress, my Mom's shoes, Forever 21 headband, Charles Anastase sunglasses, Triskaidekaphobia friendship necklace, Iosselliani ring

What better way to spend Labor Day weekend than fighting it out at the final days of Barney's Warehouse sale. I don't have much money to spend right now, but by Friday the sale had hit 75% off (of 75% off), which ends up being somewhere around 95% off. While the goods were pretty picked over and damaged, I managed to find this Lanvin x Acne dress, reduced from $890 to $39, which is basically the same price as a dress at American Apparel, but with much nicer buttons, and made in Italy.

I've been wearing it all weekend, and since I picked it up for so little, it doesn't feel too precious to do all the messy things that I like to do, like eating sloppy pork huaraches and fried tacos at the Red Hook Ball Field vendors. Jimmy and I have been meaning to make it out to taste the famous food carts all summer, and it's definitely worth the trip, even though it's not exactly convenient (unless you're on the way to IKEA). I highly recommend stopping by before they close in October.

My excellent pork huarache from The Country Boys food cart at the Red Hook Ball Field

I know I often mention New York sample sales, which is a bit unfair to many of my readers, who don't live here. However, I do spend an unconscionable amount of my spare time online window shopping, and there are currently plenty of amazing stores and designers offering up incredible discounts off their e-commerce sites. While ASOS and Urban Outfitters are obvious stops for online bargain-hunters, here are a few sales that are a little bit off the beaten path, but worth checking out.

The Moon and Mars
I might be slightly biased in loving this site (we sell our jewelry line here), but you can't deny that there is an incredible selection of designers. Most of the spring merchandise is currently 30-70% off, and I'm personally eying a Stine Goya jumpsuit, a mesh tee from Teamo, and an Asli Filinta bunny tee. There are also a few pieces from Triskaidekaphobia on sale, as well as new additions from our Pre-Fall collection!

Stine Goya printed jumpsuit from The Moon and Mars, originally around $320, now around $160. I really want this, but have a feeling that I'm just too short to fit into it properly without doing some major alterations.


Fatal
How did I just discover this store? I happened to be searching for Bernhard Willhelm, and this Minneapolis-based site popped up as one of the few U.S. retailers that carries the designer's women's collection. Their list of designers is very similar to the now-defunct Welcome Hunters store, with plenty of hard-to-find labels like Ground Zero, Daniel Palillo, and KLING by KLING, in addition to avant-garde standbys like Henrik Vibskov, Jeremy Scott, and JC de Castelbajac. Their spring merchandise is currently 25-50% off, while past season clothes are reduced by up to 80%!

Henrik Vibskov dress from Fatal, originally $495, now $99.60.


Antti Asplund
My dear friend Antti Asplund is having a sale at his store in Helsinki, with stock also available online. Honestly, I should have posted this sooner--since I got word of the sale two days ago, half of the stock has already disappeared! I think the t-shirt says it all...

REGRET tee from Antii Asplund, around $40


Blackbird
One of my besties, Chet, runs the online store for this Seattle boutique, where we will also be selling our jewelry this fall. They're in the midst of their semi-annual clearance sale, and you'll find discounted Repetto shoes, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair dresses, and Helmut Lang sweaters.

Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair tube dress from Blackbird, originally $220, now $133.

If you're stuck in the city for the rest of this sticky endless summer, there a couple of cute events to look forward to...

Tomorrow and Friday, VPL will be hosting a Rag Tag sale featuring vintage clothing and accessories from local clothes horses like Victoria Bartlett and Arden Wohl. Additionally, there will be a Rag Tag sale hosted by TAO, with proceeds benefiting Japan. I do not know if this means that there will be actual TAO merchandise on hand, but I have my fingers crossed!


Every summer, Adidas hosts a soccer tournament featuring downtown's finest, with teams from Opening Ceremony, Vice Magazine, The Smile, etcetera. There's free barbeque and beer, and probably cute boys too (not that I'm looking!).



Next weekend, recently launched Terrific Magazine will be hosting a Pool Supplies Sale, at Union Pool in Brooklyn featuring wares from local (and personal) favorites like Suzanne Rae, Timo Weiland, Dusen Dusen, Elizabeth Knight + many, many more.

Rodebjer 10 x 10 leather dress, Vivienne Westwood x Melissa flats, Slow and Steady Wins the Race Sunglasses, Forever 21 headband, Triskaidekaphobia necklace and buckle ring, Iosselliani ring

This post is for my fellow New Yorkers. If you are a bargain whore like I am, then you're probably aware that the first trickles of sample sale season are coming in, and there are no less than five on my must hit list for this week!

W29 Showroom Sale
208 W. 29th St. Suite 201.
Friday, May 21, from 10 to 6 p.m.; Saturday, May 22, and Sunday, May 23, from noon to 4 p.m.; and Monday, May 24, from 10 to 6 p.m.
My lovely friends at W29 will be clearing out Spring 2010 samples from Rodebjer, Ashish, Dagmar, Margarita Saplala, The Local Firm, and others. While I don't know whether the Rodebjer dress that I'm wearing will be on sale, I definitely spied some of the amazing leather jackets from the collection on the rack! For those of you who aren't in New York, the sale will also be online, so make sure to check their blog for updates!

VPL
39 West 38th Street, 6th Floor
Thursday, May 20, and Friday, May 21, from noon to 8 p.m.
I've been in love with Victoria Bartlett's smart and sexy line since I worked one story above her office. Her sample sales are always superb, and I've picked up plenty of her trademark undies, plus a couple of LD Tuttle shoes that I live in at her previous sales.

Araks
137 Grand Street, 5th floor
Thursday, May 20, from 8:30 to 7:30 p.m.; Friday, May 21, from 9:30 to 6:30 p.m.
I'm not just going to pick up some lovely undies, but also to hang out with awesome Araks, who I know from my Fiftytwo Showroom days. I hope to pick up her romper, and also to bump into her adorable babies.

Steven Alan
87 Franklin Street
Thursday, May 20, and Friday, May 21, from 8:30 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 22, from noon to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, May 23, from noon to 5 p.m.
While the store is generally too downtown-preppy for my taste, I discovered that they usually have a rack of The Lake and Stars (another of my favorite lingerie lines), in addition to a few quirky brands like No. 6 thrown into the mix.

Melissa Shoes
520 w.27th St. Suite 601
Wednesday, May 19, through Saturday, May 22, from noon to 8 p.m.
My go to stop for comfortable flats. I'm always a big fan of their collaborations, and am hoping to pick up some sandals for summer this season!

This Thursday we're teaming up with our girl Jules from Bijules for a Trunk Show and Sample Sale at one of our favorite downtown stores, EVA (355A Bowery). We will have pieces from the new Triskaidekaphobia Fall collection on hand for pre-order, as well as items from previous seasons on sale for about 50% off of the original retail price. In addition, there will be select discounts on items throughout the store. If you're in New York, I hope you can join us for some cocktails and shopping--here's a small preview of some of the pieces that will be available!

Triskaidekaphobia Sea Monster Ring

Triskaidekaphobia sharks tooth necklace and single earring

Bijules nail ring

Bijules curved bar ring

The Slow and Steady Wins the Race folding clear sunglasses and the round framed tortoise shell glasses with square lenses

Yesterday afternoon, I got a text from Christina saying "All of Mary Ping is $10 at Urban!" There's a reason why she's my best friend. I immediately dropped what I was doing (which happened to be my pesky Rosetta Stone Swedish course) and zipped out of the house and down to the Urban Outfitters on 14th St. and 6th Avenue. Months ago, it had been the site of an entire Slow and Steady Wins the Race shop-in-shop, and now that they're cleaning out their inventory, the remnants are all up for grabs. And those remnants are good. Plenty of the lines signature canvas 'fake' bags, a few tees and deconstructed white button down shirts, and every single pair of the brand's distinctive plastic sunglasses. The best part? Every single item from the collection was $10 (reduced from their standard going price of $100), which was even cheaper than most items were at the Mary Pings sample sale a few months back.

At the sample sale, I had hesitated and decided against buying the glasses because I wasn't 100% sure they suited my face. But at $10 a pop, I was so convinced that I could make them suit my face that I bought two pairs--the folding pair that I had considered in clear plastic, and a mod pair of round framed glasses with square lenses in tortoise-shell. I also couldn't help but pick out two bags: a gray jersey faux Balenciaga, and a muslin version of the classic Chanel bag. When the cash register rung me up for $40 rather than the normal price of $400, it felt like such a steal I was afraid the security alarm was going to go off when I left the store. If you are in New York, I highly suggest you head down to Urban A.S.A.P. (I'm talking to you Amanda), since at the moment, none of the regular Urban crowd seemed all too interested, and you have your pick of plenty of goods. And if you aren't into Slow and Steady Wins the Race, there are also plenty of Sophomore dresses and tanks on the sale racks for $10 too...

The muslin take on the Chanel bag

During Fashion Week, I had the immense pleasure of seeing the runway show for one of my favorite New York brands, United Bamboo, thanks to Christina and Benny Liu, who were both working on the show backstage. Every season United Bamboo creates well constructed pieces with an understated elegance, meant for a lady who only wants the best, but doesn't want to flaunt it. For Fall, they have plenty of gorgeous plaid, leather, and wool coats, sweet knits, and the most covetable pair of over-the-knee boots with a zipper running up the back. My photographs hardly do the clothing justice, but you can get an idea.

If you live in New York, and would like to get a hold of some previous collections, you should make it a priority to stop by the United Bamboo Sample Sale for Tsunami relief, which starts tomorrow at their studio at 217 Centre St, 6th Floor (details below). All of the proceeds from the sale will go straight to disaster relief in Japan, and if that isn't a good enough motivation to go out and spend your hard earned cash on beautiful clothes that you may or may not need, I don't know what is.

I also suggest that you stop by the Benefit for Japan tomorrow night at Bunker, hosted by my friends Greg K. and Nicollette. There will be a $10 cover at the door, with proceeds going to the Japanese Red Cross Society, and an open vodka bar from 10-11. Tim Sweeney and Justine D will DJ, Confetti Systems will decorate, and there will be raffle giveaways from United Bamboo, An Choi, 80%20, Souen, and Lovely Day.

If you can't make it to either, but still would like to help out, or if you have already given, and are looking for more ways to continue to contribute, I suggest you check out Time Out New York's list of ways to give, ranging from buying a piece of art, to getting your hair cut.

This Thursday, we'll be throwing our bi-weekly party at Anchor Bar (310 Spring St) for our incredibly talented friend, Chris Habana, and his Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 collections. The party coincides with Chris's jewelry pop-up store, The Box (129 Rivington), which features his designs, alongside Christina's line, Arms and Armory, and other local talents Bijules, Bliss Lau, Bevel and Elizabeth Knight. Chris will DJ with Atom and Michael Cavadias, and there will be plenty of Grey Goose to go around. I hear he'll also be giving guests special discount coupons for The Box, so you must stop by! Here are some photos that Christina's boyfriend James took of the popup.

Chris Habana

Arms and Armory

Bevel

Bliss Lau

Bijules

Elizabeth Knight