BrandHabit Member: BoutiquePeek

Expanding the jean pool. . . - 08/06/08 22:08 PM

Tabloids are speculating if Katie Holmes is preggers while I'm wondering where she got those adorable jeans? This is a look I definitely want to try to pull off, I just need the jeans. Thoughts?

Gilt Bellevue, WA - 08/06/08 22:08 PM

Buyer’s remorse? Feeling guilty about spending your money on baubles and not bills? There’s no better place to channel your feelings of guilt with some retail therapy at Gilt. Perpetuate a vicious cycle? Or purchase a vicious clutch? Feelings of remorse will glide out of your head and you’ll suddenly realize you need everything Gilt has got. Clear bra straps? Yes. The last thing anyone should need to deal with is unleashing the girls without a permission slip. And for those of you without girls, like me, the ladies at Gilt sell chicken cutlets (technical term: silicon bra inserts) by the Hollywood Fashion Tape line. There should be no shame in enhancing what little you might have with some slabs of plastic that look like they came from the Purdue chicken farm. No one will be tempted to call you Chicken Little! The Hollywood Fashion tape line makes a slew of other fun and necessary fashion items most boutiques don’t carry like nipple concealers, underarm protectors, and oil blotting sheets. But the array of fashion garment necessities is not the only unique wares that Gilt has to offer. Once you’ve deterred nipple-itis with the Hollywood Fashion Tape it’s time to use your chest to show off some other accessories. Gilt offers custom designed fashion jewelry by Chau Phan as well as Pilgrim designer jewelry. Not wanting to accessorize yourself in gilt? Gilt has other means of accessorizing than gold and silver. Lodi purses and wallets and Toms shoes are two other ways to enhance an outfit. Make your way over to Gilt to find the missing pieces to add sparkle to your lackluster outfits.

Sophie Joplin, MO - 07/20/08 23:07 PM

Misery loves company, but Missouri loves shoes. That is, Joplin, Missouri loves shoes. Sophie’s Shoes will only be a year old on July 30th has the “Show Me State” saying “Show Me More!” Owner Ashley Rush, a 2006 Missouri State University graduate, grew up in the area aware of the lack of fashionable footwear. Post graduation did not consist of backpacking across Europe or applying for graduate school, instead Ms. Rush was flying across the country researching products and creating a business plan. Last July Ms. Rush opened her doors to a community full of women in dire need of fresh fashions for feet. Adrienne Vittadini, Charles David, and Oh Deer line the shelves of the petit shop. But the list of must have designers doesn’t end there. Think Jessica Simpson is only good for dating hunky men and wearing Daisy Dukes? Think again. Her handbags are affordable and cute! And think Ms. Simpson is the only one who can sing and design affordable fashion pieces? Think again. . .again. Carlos Santana is smooth and sexy enough to croon his way into a women’s heart, but if he lost his voice and his sex appeal I’d still hang with him courtesy of his ability to designer a killer wedge. Oh the “Evil Ways” you could walk all over a man’s heart in those shoes, you “Black Magic Woman”. Poetic License, Restricted and Jeffery Campbell (who doesn’t love fuschia flats?!) line the walls. Handbags by Elliot Lucca, Rampage and Miss Mak & Due Fratelli make leaving room in your closet an impossible feat. Fortunately Sophie’s Boutique is currently running a promotion that allows customers to bring gently worn shoes to donate for Soles4Souls, a charity that donates shoes to persons in need. Each pair of shoes donated through Soles4Souls at Sophie’s will garner you 5% off each pair of shoes in the boutique (up to 5 pairs!). The United States bought Missouri from France in 1803 thanks in part to the Louisiana Purchase. Your purchase at Sophie in Joplin, Missouri shouldn’t exceed $1,803, but if it does, YOU GO GIRL!

Manhattanite.com - 07/16/08 22:07 PM

I’m a huge fan of Dave Sedaris. In his most recent book of essays he writes about his time living in Japan for three months. He aptly describes the way residents in his new, very foreign, neighborhood dress. “Are the people wealthy? Middle class? A woman can wear a tattered dress over two pairs of pants, and it looks to me like Comme des Garcons, last season maybe, but still smart and expensive.” This description applies to my current situation living situation. As a full-blooded east coaster living in the alternate universe known as Berkeley, I am aghast and perplexed by the fashion, or lack of, I am subjected to daily. My friends and I play a game, homeless or hipster. We can never figure out whether the ill fitting clothes and raggedy shoes are the new “it” item. And since it’s so endemic I’m not sure if I’m the one out of style. So, where do I go when I wake up during the middle of the night in a cold sweat thanks to the fashion duress Berkeley puts me through daily? Manhattanite.com. Immediately I click on JetSetter to see what items I would wear en route to NYC when I have finally reached the last straw of fashion ridiculousness in the East Bay. Passport panties? Well. . .who said fashion had to be practical?? As soon as I sign on to Manhattanite.com I ignore the Shopping Bag total I have let accumulate. $1,000 worth of merchandise I have not yet “checked out”. . .um, I’ waiting for the right time. But instead of letting my grand total deter me from any further web surfing, I usually browse the Look Book to see what is up and coming or what I can buy (or could potentially buy if I had a better credit rating) on pre-sale, before it hits most boutique floors. Most recently I found a favorite of Nicky Hilton and Hillary Duff; an adorable ruffle keyhole tank by Nu Collective . Won’t find something that adorable between the homeless park I live next to, which, by the way, doesn’t have a pool to wear a cute little Shoshanna bandeau bikini . Buuuuut, fall is quickly approaching so bathing suits aren’t the first thing on my list. A cute little vintage inspired bolero by Voom by Jon Han and patent pumps by Laura Brandon definitely are, however. Before I know it, the sun is rising and my eyes are glazed over from staring at fun accessories (for women, babies and even puppies!) and I’m nodding off to sleep, dreaming of a more fashionable Berkeley courtesy of Manhattanite.com.

Hub Scottsdale, AZ - 07/13/08 22:07 PM

A good friend of mine believes that instead of drafting people to serve in the war on terror, people should be drafted in the war that is retail. If you have ever worked retail then you can empathize with her and me. It’s a mentally and physically grueling job that will leave you with life skills no other job will afford you the opportunity to learn. Think working behind a desk will teach you how to deal with people? Think again. Only on the front lines of the Christmas holiday season will you learn the true nature of people who we retail associates refer to as customers. Customers do a lot of things that are irksome. They don’t check the hours on the door, they ruin piles of neatly folded shirts, they try to return stained items and they ask a lot of questions. There are a lot of questions that I hear daily, but the one I hear the most and hate more than any other is, “Does this look good?” Because you are wearing the item you need to decide what that answer is. Wearing clothing is not just about how something hangs on you, but how you feel in it. I’ve seen people wear hideous things with a big smile on their faces. Especially when it comes to ill fitting jeans. Tom and Amanda Simon and Jennifer Mumford noticed the poor fit phenomenon too, but decided to do something about it instead of cringing. They designed, patented and trademarked a Butt Cam. No more craning your neck to see your hiney or twisting in the mirror to see how your denim fits. Even better, no more bugging the sales associate for her opinion. Not that Tom, Amanda or Jennifer would mind. The three owners are eager to assist all customers in finding the perfect trends. They are “serious about [their] business but they try not to take [themselves] so serious.” But just because they have modest personalities doesn’t mean they carry subtle styles. Hub carries hard to find lines like Modern Amusement, Mighty Fine (too bad about those Lakers) and G-Star, plus an extensive collection of denim, such as Diesel. In addition to the apparel, Hub has great jewelry and accessory lines like Maren & Ruby and Treesje. And in addition to the accessories and clothing. . .the Butt Cam, ladies, the Butt Cam.