Shopping Spree at Jcrew.com

So, the winter sale at JCrew is going on right now. They actually still have some nice merchandise. The prices are not as good as their online sale a couple years back, but I'll take the clothes at these prices. Here are some of the things I bought:

1) Belted cardigan for $59.99

2) A Car Coat Sweater for $49.99

3) Lyndsey cotten cady dress for $69.99. Isn't it so pretty? I got it in bright sherbet...I hope I can pull it off!

4) Limited Edition duchesse satin long skirt for $199.99. And if you thought buying the above dress was crazy, this definitely is. I don't even know where I would wear this too, but I really like how it drapes. Maybe I need to buy a mannequin next so I can just put the skirt on it and admire how it falls.

5) Grace silk faille dress for $69.99. Isn't this one so pretty too? I like it lots.

6) Plaza Coat with Thinsulate for $199.99. I actually didn't buy this one because I actually had acquired some sanity by this point and was wondering how well I could keep this coat in his camel color state. But I am in the need of a nice long formal coat. We'll see if I'll get this one later.

Shopping Spree

Marshall Field's
Reaction Kenneth Cole Black Wedges $34.97
Clinique Clarifying Lotion II $19.00

So Good Jewelry
Sparkly necklace $9.99

Express
Camisole $5.99
Gauzy shrug $9.99

Gap
Black Bikini $0.97
Floaty brown Tank Top $1.97
Stretch Black Sleeveless Tank Top $1.97
Pink Classic Button-Down $12.97
Cream Jacket $19.97

Urban Outfitters
Gauzy sweater $29.99
Belt $4.99

Charlotte Russe
White peasant skirt $10.00
Black flirty dress $19.99
Stressed camisole 2 for $20

JCrew
Pink button cardigan $29.99
Distressed Chinos $19.99
Cargo Corduroys $19.99

Bath and Body Works
Aptiva Eucalyptus Sea Salt Scrub $20.00
breathe Serenity wash Free with coupon

Energy Boost: PRICELESS

A trip to Woodfield does wonders. C.O. Bigelow is opening a store in Woodfield. The Grand Opening is October 27. First 100 people who purchase something will get small travel samples of their Lemon Cream and Quince lotion. I wonder how they are going to balance Bath and Body Works and C.O. Bigelow in the same mall since they carry many of the same products!

Check out Forth and Towne, Gap's newest branding concept for career women over age 35. The store touts an Indulge membership which includes free alterations and specials once you spend over $500. They also offer free tea on Tuesdays, and their dressing rooms are like little boudoirs. The store is based on four tiers of merchandise: 1) Gap Edition, 2) Vocabulary, 3)Allegory, and 4) Prize, and the clothes range from relaxation clothes to business suits to party outfits. It manages to stay classic yet somewhat trendy and molds in what middle-aged women would want in an outfit.

Ruehl 925

New store at Woodfield: Ruehl 925. It bills itself as business casual style meets Greenwich Village attitude. The way I understand it is that it's a new concept store owned by Abercrombie and Fitch. This is the first Ruehl 925 to hit the Midwest. Catherine and I checked it out while we were shopping because it caught our eye. Instead of the usual storefront, it's a bungalow sort of facade with salespeople outside holding flowers and welcoming people. Inside, it's divided up into rooms like a house. Think of J.Crew meets Hollister/Abercrombie meets Banana meets Kenneth Cole. Yeah, that kind of nice. It's subtle lighting and none of that pulsing rock you get when you go to the teeny-bopper stores.

It's a bit more expensive than Abercrombie's main store; it's also a lot more mature. That means no baby tees. It's also the only Ruehl 925 in the Midwest so far.

This is Abercrombie's time to expand. Like Gap, they are stretching their brand name to different markets. They're adding this market to their current 727 Abercrombie stores, 171 Abercrombie Kids stores, and 197 Hollister stores. Seems to me that they're doing their branding in a more mature fashion also...none of that controversy that happened with their Abercrombie magazines and suggestive/racial t-shirts. I didn't even know that Abercrombie was Ruehl 925's parent company until I did some background research. We'll see how Ruehl 925 performs.

In other news, if you haven't heard by now, Gap is also extending their brand name into a new niche store for people in their middle ages. Their new concept store will be called "Forth and Towne" and the main market will be in Chicago with only one other store in NY, I believe. I think this might be a flop actually...it doesn't sound very trendy. Sounds matronly, actually. With all the questionable clothing at Gap nowadays, I think Gap needs to take a look at itself and go back to the old days when it was just all classic clothing that served all age groups. That was their brand, and I never really understood why they went away from it.

Kate Spade Sample Sale

The One Yearly Sample Sale that We have all been waiting for (except for the J Crew Warehouse Sale of course):

Kate Spade Sample Sale
April 26 (9 am to 6 pm); April 27 (9 am to 6 pm); April 28 (9 am to 3 pm)
Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues
New York City

Here I come.

Just a little Credit

A little spring cleaning:

Because of the Federal Trade Commission or some other government bureau, we are now allowed one free credit report once a year. People in western and midwestern states can access theirs now. People in southern states can assess them starting June 1, 2005, and people on the eastern seaboard on September 1, 2005. The link is http://www.annualcreditreport.com

If you are looking for a phone number that will directly route voicemail and faxes to your email, try http://www.k7.net . It is totally free; you will set up your own number (the area code is from Seattle) and people can leave you voice messages and send you faxes to that number. It'll go your specified email address. People say it's great for routing those people you meet in the bars; I think it's a great way to get my faxes. Best of all, you can get vanity numbers!

I guess the new craze is the Bebo Address Book. It is a mix of friendster, facebook, and blogging. Basically it is an online address book that keeps your friends' addresses for you. It also has a picture album and journal features. I like it because your address book is private, and it automatically asks for updates from your friends. You can find it at http://www.bebo.com .

I also came across a link for Lucky Magazine, the digital copy. Every month, Lucky is uploaded to this website and you can read it all online. Sweet! If you would like the link, leave me a comment.

Finally, for the true Shopaholic, JCrew is having their annual final winter sale online. Not much good stuff, but that's my opinion. What is one's junk is another's treasure. :-)

Design is in the Details

The content of a website says a lot about people. The design of the website says more. When I took business classes in undergrad, I took a course about branding and how it is the subtle details that create the entire picture.

I like clean streamlined websites. They are easy to navigate, show what you want to read, and are nicely laid out. Messy websites have links all over the place, overindulgence of animation, and bursts of thoughts scattered around. I try to avoid them. I like websites where I can focus my attention on one thing and then easily move on to another on the same page. They might be simple, but they give the reader a sense of direction and purpose. And to the OCD person in every one of us, they give us a sense of not missing anything.

Websites I love:

• Williams Sonoma - http://www.williams-sonoma.com
• J Crew - http://www.jcrew.com
• Crate and Barrel - http://www.crateandbarrel.com
• Delias - http://www.delias.com
• Dean & DeLuca - http://www.deananddeluca.com

Websites I avoid:

• Wal-Mart - http://www.walmart.com
• Sears - http://www.sears.com
• Target - http://www.target.com
• H & M - http://www.hm.com
• Old Navy - http://www.oldnavy.com

I've tried to streamline my website into something clean also. Monotone, big font, and lots of compartments. Brevity is also the word of the day.