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Indulge your inner retro-sexy Happy Homemaker with Tie Me Up Aprons

22 Mar

If you’re like me, you probably do a fair share of cooking.  And if you’re even more like me, you’ve probably ruined a shirt or dress or something else while you were cooking.   My Mom always used to tell me to wear an apron while cooking, so that I wouldn’t ruin what I was wearing.  So when my friend, photographer Bruce Barone, posted some pictures he took for   Tie Me Up Aprons , I  thought I’d died and gone to clothes preserving apron heaven!

Anita Senkowski, proprietress of Tie Me Up Aprons, creates her unique confections from out-of-production and

NEW!! The REAL Krispy Kreme Girl Apron. A Tie Me Up Exclusive!!

vintage fabrics.  She has a great eye for color and pattern and assembles her aprons with a certain je-ne-sais-quois  that will make you say “hey, that’s wicked cool! I’ve got to have it!”

Considering the new season of Mad Men starts on Sunday–well, you might just need one of these to protect your perfect Betty Draper party dress while serving era appropriate hors d’oeuvres!

If you order now, enter the code HIGHFASHION1 and you will receive a 15% discount on any apron, including the made to order Zen Charmer (from a very limited fabric) This offer extends through March 31, 2012!

Tie Me Up Aprons are hand crafted in Michigan, USA, and ships worldwide (so no excuses you people in the UK, Australia, and everywhere else.)  Tie Me Up takes PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

“Like” Tie Me Up on Facebook and follow for the latest updates on the new fabrics Anita’s getting plus other cool news from Tie Me Up.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Barone Photography

Luxury Flash Sale sites fall victim to consumer boredom

2 Feb

Really now. . . how many L.A.M.B. purses, seasonless Hugo Boss dresses, and gourmet cheeses can anyone afford these days?  Apparently, not too many….

no, this is not today's gourmet cheese offering from Gilt Group, but oh, if it was! ;)

BetaBeat reports that several luxury flash sale sites have sustained substantial layoffs in the past few months, including Gilt  Group, the American imitator of Ventee-Privee.  The article gives a heads-up on what’s what at many of the top, and not so top, flash sale sites.  Are they retail flashes in the proverbial pan, or will they have staying power over the long haul of our recessionary times??

Honestly, I signed up for Gilt, Hautelook (owned by Nordstroms), Ideeli, and several others in order to see what was under the hood, so to say.  And here’s my take: they’re boring.  Item offered on a continual basis are handbags, shoes, shoes and handbags.  Maybe some jewelry, maybe some cute underwear (perhaps not in my size.)  There may even be clothing from time to time, but the really good items sell out quickly–or there aren’t any good items to begin with.

The thing is, shopping, for me anyway, is a way to satiate that old hunter-gatherer instinct.  There’s something incredibly satisfying about getting out of the house to go hunting and gathering–so much more funthan pointing and clicking.  Sure, I can send something back if it turns out not to be what I want, but I’d rather make that decision before an item gets into my home.  Once an item crosses the threshold, I don’t want to concern myself with packing it up and sending it back, even if the return shipping fees are paid.

The appeal of luxury flash sale sites must be to the suburban McMansion owner who works long hours, lives off credit cards, and believes that status is conferred on those whose wardrobes are branded with big names.   Because, honestly, in small towns we don’t really care about status brands.  And in big cities, status brands are, literally, just around the next corner.

If you really feel the need…

As our economy shifts, the suburban McMansion owner may no longer have the spare credit rating to own a litter of  L.A.M.B. handbags,  let alone care about the status conferred by private vineyard wines and artisanal cheeses.

So, who knows what the long-range is for these sites–some may last, and some may fold.  But since I really enjoy the tactile sensation and hurly burly of hunter-gatherer shopping, I think I’ll spend more time at the malls and outlets and ditch my “memberships” to these sites.  That certainly will cut down on my daily spam intake for sure.

Swivel virtual dressing room to relieve the pain of long lines and virtual mishaps

13 Jan

You know what it’s like to stand there, and stand there, and stand there waiting for someone to come by and open the dressing room door, or perhaps you just don’t feel like taking something off to try on one lousy blouse…

That’s where Swivel, the virtual dressing room, could save you a whole lot of aggravation.

Swivel was demo’d this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  FaceCake Marketing Technologies, which developed the snazzy proprietary software is hoping that it will be used by virtual as well as mall-based retailers.  Swivel makes good use of motion-sensoring technology in webcams and Microsoft Kinect to scan your body and then fit you into the items you’d like to try on.

Here’s a screen shot from the Los Angeles Times video of how Swivel works:

Honestly, if I happen to be in a store, I’d rather just buy something and then return it if it doesn’t fit.  However, I can see this as a boon to online retailers.  I will often not buy from online retailers if I am not sure of  their sizes.  Size charts help but sometimes there are multiple manufacturers sold by one online retailer.  Sometimes they have manufacturer/designer specific charts and sometimes they don’t.  Product reviews help (esp. when they note if an item fits too small or too large.)  To have the addition of a visualization before ordering an item could certainly save a whole lot of return troubles!

Note:  I believe I saw Swivel, as well as some other and quite different virtual try-on software at the Fashion 140 conference in New York City last spring.

ShoeDazzle.com Update: 3 Reasons why I haven’t ordered yet

28 Dec

I joined ShoeDazzle.com back in May, and have yet to place an order.   There are 2 reasons for this and most of them came to me well before the rumors of a Kardashian sweat shop in China and child labor cropped up.

First, consider the $39.95 price.   After over six months of reviewing a variety of styles, most of the shoe materials are “man-made.”   When photos of products are enlarged to view them better, the quality of the workmanship appears to be comparable to a $24.95 pair of shoes from Payless.

Second, many of the heels are either incredibly high or incredibly frumpy.  It’s not that I’m such an “old lady” that I don’t wear high-heeled platforms.  In fact, I have several pairs of well-made, high quality platform shoes with 4.5 inch heels.  I’m not about to risk my ankles to a pair of high, high heels when the surface workmanship doesn’t appear to be all that stellar. And order a lower heeled shoe?  Have you seen them?  Many of the lower-heel styles look like they came from the back of my closet–in the 1980s.  I will make an exception for the flats, some of which are rather cute, but the site does not offer a view of the interior of the shoes.  With flats, I like to see how they are stitched and what the insoles looks like.  I may, however, take a chance with a pair of flats.

Third, many of the styles are downright ugly or appear more than once under different names.  Just look at Rika and Mayci.  Same shoe, different material. 

I’m less than impressed…..

As for other products on the ShoeDazzle.com site, well, the one purse that I thought I might like to order, a small evening bag with a skull clasp that resembled this Alexander McQueen skull clasp bag sold out in no time flat.  All the other styles of bags and jewelry have left me feeling, well, kind of flat.  Not anything I would necessarily carry nor wear.

Bottom line:  I’m not all that thrilled with ShoeDazzle.com, and my expectations for its products are not real high.  That being the case, perhaps I won’t be too disappointed.  Except perhaps by the price.

Product Review: L’Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray Holds for the Holidays

22 Dec

Over a 30 year period I believe I’ve tried every single hairspray out on the market.  Everything from high-end (Bumble & Bumble) to ultra-cheap (Aqua Net) and found the results to run the gamut from failed-to-hold to frighteningly firm.  So when I heard all the raves for L’Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray, I took them with a grain of something ozone-free….

But wow!  This is truly the best hairspray I have ever used!  Tremendous hold, even in humidity, and still I could comb it out and not break hair by the handfuls.  That was with the Extra Strong Hold–which I probably don’t need but was the only sample size available on my day of purchase.

I noticed also that it did not have a weird smell nor did it make my hair old-lady shiny.  The “satin” finish is very natural and it lives up to the promise of “unscented.”  So no clashing with my favorite fragrance.

While you’re checking out the L’Oreal website for more info on Elnett, check out other features like Special Offers and all sorts of beauty tips underneath the various tabs (Cosmetics, Hair Care, Hair Color, etc.)  Since some of my favorite products are L’Oreal, I’ll be visiting the site often for more information.

You can purchase Elnett at most drugstores and retailers like Target

Klout perk from Bluefly.com and what happened (not)

21 Dec

Today I received an email from Klout–the “influencer metric” measurement site–which informed me that I’d received aperk. Said perk being $25 off a purchase of $50 or more from Bluefly.com a very well-established e-commerce site which offers designer brands….

Well, first, what do we mean by “designer brands.” This term is getting a little confusing. I completely understand when I’m looking at something from Ralph Lauren or Michael Kors–designer name = designer brand. It’s when we get to names like 7 for all Mankind or Hayden or CeCe or Miss Sixty or L.A.M.B…..well, I’m not sure if I’m dealing with a manufacturer or if I’m dealing with a brand that’s fronting for a celebrity, or what I’m dealing with.

We certainly have come a long way from the couture houses and the transparency of “designed by so-and-so for y manufacturer or House of another so-and-so.”

What then becomes even more frustrating is the tons and tons of goods that simply look the same. All some sort of knit jersey in black, heather grey, beige, eggplant (or plum, or jam or whatever you want to call it) or another rather dull color. Seriously, if I’ve got to click through 30 pages of utterly boring turtlenecks and open front cardigans, I’m going to lose my patience pretty quickly.

I also was not entirely impressed with the search feature nor how it narrowed the criteria. I typed in “beaded jersey tees” and came up with a bunch of stuff–some of it beaded jersey tees, some of it designers starting with the letter B.

Oh, and then there was the size range. Let’s just say it wasn’t mine….

After my eyes began to water, my right shoulder to ache from the clicking, and my brainwaves to short circuit, I figured it wasn’t worth trying to redeem the $25 on an item or two of clothing.

I quickly glanced through the fragrance offerings, and noticed a few items that were worth the perk. Sadly, no one on my list is requesting fragrance this year, and I’m still working through some fragrance I purchased last year when I worked at Victoria’s Secret (Oooh La La! being my favorite for its cherry and vanilla notes.) So, no new fragrance purchase….

Overall, I’m not thrilled with many of the designer-discount e-commerce sites. Often the size ranges are limited, or the goods are limited, or I have no need for what they are offering. The status-seeking that drives designer purchases is, thankfully, not a particular need, thankfully, and my wardrobe is pretty much full for the season….

So I’ll politely pass on this particular perk.

I still, however, retain my “Influencer” ranking…

Product Review: Batiste Dry Shampoo

3 Oct

One of my favorite new products is Batiste Dry Shampoo!  My hair is pretty fine and fragile, so I don’t wash it every day.  I’ve tried a lot of other dry shampoos, but haven’t been satisfied with the results: many don’t clean or leave me with an itchy scalp. Batiste dry shampoo sprays on very fine, has a lovely scent, and brushes out easily—no caking, no itchy scalp.  Leaves my hair fluffy and feeling clean.  I picked up mine from Drugstore.com.  The on-the-go size is very affordable at $3.99.  It’s definitely worth the money!

Flash Sale Overload!

17 Jun

Another Flash Sale site? Oh, no Tish, I just can't handle looking at another pair of Louboutins!

This morning, as I was updating my Facebook status, an ad appeared for another one of those Flash Sale sites..

For those of you who don’t know what that is, a flash sale site is a website that offers special deals on designer clothing, home furnishings, travel packages, etc. for limited time periods.  Many of the flash sale sites are for members only, while all you need is an email addy and password for others.  Sales can last from several days to several hours.  With some sites you can earn points towards purchases for signing up friends.  Examples of flash sale sites that I belong to are ideeli, Gilt Group, and Haute Look.

Not that I’ve ever made a purchase on any of them.   I find that for me, a dedicated frugalista, these sites function as look books, where I make mental notes on designers, cuts, colors and fabrics–which then makes it easier to find that unique, on-trend look when I hit some of my favorite shops.

I guess, too, the other thing I don’t like about flash sale sites is that it’s difficult for me to buy something as, say, a $270 Hugo Boss dress, because I would like to try it on first.  As an Average Woman, my size ranges anywhere from a 12 on a good day, to a 16 on a badly cut designer day (if I can find a 16, that is.)  Not knowing the cut of a particular designer’s clothing or shoes, nor how the dress will look,  causes me to hesitate before making a costly, disappointing, online ordering mistake.

All I can think of is the *great* Michael Kors dress I found in Macy’s, on sale, that looked fantastic on the mannequin, and utterly dreadful on me.  Not to mention that Kors’ extra-large was (happily, though) too large for me.   Could you have imagined how I would have felt if I’d ordered it online?  I would have had to stare at my disappointment for several days (or in my case, several months) before I returned it.  And then the hassle of waiting for the credit to appear back on my account…ugh!

I guess if you know the way a particular designer’s clothes fit,  or if you’re ridiculously model thin, the whole return thing isn’t a big concern….

The bigger question though, is do we need another flash sale site?  Maybe the folks who set it up think so, but the flash sale strategy is usually aimed at young female consumers with an unquenchable thirst for FASHION.

I’m not sure how long, nor how many sites, a strategy like that can support.

As usual, it will be interesting to see what happens to all these flash sale sites in a few years.  For now, I’m suffering from flash sale site overload.

ShoeDazzle.com Update…

24 May

I’ve decided to wait to see what ShoeDazzle.com recommends for me for the month of June. There were some great styles for May, but thought I might give it a month or two–or wait for something that really strikes me–before I place an order. When I do, you’ll hear about it!

Trying ShoeDazzle.com on for size

29 Apr

Never thought I’d see the day when I’d be interested in joining a site started by Kim Kardashian.   But bring to my attention that the site has something to do with shoes and you’ve got my attention.   Thus, I decided to sign up for ShoeDazzle.com….

ShoeDazzle functions a bit like Google’s Boutiques.com, where you take a “fashion survey” to help discover your style.  Once you discover this, there is a recommendation engine that will cull information on the types of shoes, bags, and jewelry that correspond to your personal style.  The style questions flow quickly, are easy to answer, and fun.  Here’s a screen shot asking for my thoughts on which designers, makeup, and brands I either use already or like the best

click your pick!

The age range goes from 18 to 45, with a category for 46+ (hmmm….curious…is 46 the age we cease to care about fashion?) with size ranges going from 0 to 18+ .  I was happy to see 14-16 in the same range, as this is where I usually land, with the larger size on the top–I’m one of those “top heavy” or “chesty” women.

Once I’ve done this, ShoeDazzle’s stylists should recommend, on a monthly basis,  shoes, bags, and jewelry that I might care to purchase.  I can purchase these through ShoeDazzle for $39.95.

How did I turn out?  Well, according to the ShoeDazzle survey, I’m Refined-Cultured-Classic, with colors navy, gray, cream and camel.  It’s not too far off, actually, as I find myself going in that direction as I’ve gotten older (with the occasional fashionista punch in shoes or some other kind of accessory.)  Here’s my Results page:

Classic and Cultured!

I can always re-style, too, just in case I decide that I can dress like Gwen Stefani and not look like an aged Wednesday Addams ;-)

There are more perks to using the site–such as earning points on purchases and for recommending friends–so I have more to explore here….

The first group of items offered are definitely the types of shoes and accessories I would pick out to try on–red Ralph Lauren pumps, Janine military inspired platforms, a great  Bizen quilted faux leather bag with a chain handle.  Quite frankly, if I were indeed looking to buy new shoes, I might buy a pair of the ones suggested.  However, right now, I’m looking for only one item to complete my summer wardrobe–a khaki pencil skirt–and,well, maybe a pair of red peep toe pumps as I seem to have “outgrown” my favorite pair.  Strange how, for some of us, our feet tend to grow out like our waistlines!

I’ll be keeping an eye on what ShoeDazzle recommends for me each month, and looking forward to my first purchase.