At Shop It To Me, we have been riveted by a very exciting election cycle.  Given all of the news cycles dedicated to the election (and recently to fashion choices by both candidates),  we thought it would be fun to look at the differences in brand preferences by campaign.

So, we compared women’s brands preferences for our users who live in blue states  (states leaning heavily for Obama/Biden), to those who live in the red states (leaning heavily for McCain/Palin)

Here’s what we found!

If you want to show off your Red State roots, you might want to wear White House Black Market, Chicos, Nautica, Coldwater Creek, To The Max, Liz Claiborne,  Ralph Lauren Polo or Crocs.   Users who live in Red States were 30-50% more likely to choose these brands in their Shop It To Me profile.

If you want to present yourself as a Blue State member, you might want to wear brands like Sigerson Morrison, Tsubo, AG, L.A.M.B, Antik Denim,  Hard Tail, Triple 5 Soul, Costume National, Botkier, Derek Lam and Vince. Users in the Blue states were 30-50% more likely to select these brands.

And If you want dress in a bi-partisan fashion, we recommend wearing Banana Republic, UnderArmour, Vera Wang, Adidas, DKNY or Dolce & Gabbana as they performed equally well for Red State and Blue State users!

(Of course, there are still plenty of Shop It To Me users living in Red States who love brands like Sigerson Morrison and Antik Denim, and a lot of Blue State users who are into Liz Claiborne, Coldwater Creek and Crocs…)

        

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Another great guest post from one of our Trendsetters, Truly Madly Deeply…  this time about Project Runway!

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My name is Aharon Hill, and until about 4 months ago when I took a leap of faith, I was an attorney (= miserable!), plotting my escape into a fulfilling creative career.  Now I own my own jewelry business, Kaleo Designs, which I am currently expanding to include my photography services as well.  Oh yeah… and I post daily on my blog, Truly Madly Deeply, about fashion, interior design and other pretty things….

If you’re anything like me, Bravo’s hit fashion designer reality show, Project Runway, inspires you to dust off your old sewing machine and get to work!  But short of that, how can the rest of us rookies get the designer looks debuted by finalists, Kenley, Korto and Leanne, without spending a fortune? Well, I may just have a few leads.  (Left side is the Project Runway look, Right side has the look for less with links below!)

1) For her Bryant Park debut, Kenley served up style circa 1950, with a modern twist. 

You too can have Kenley’s trademark retro look by investing in the looks to the right of Kenley’s runway fashions: A.Anthropologie, $268. B. La Monir, $390.C. Stephanie James (price unavailable). D. SZ Style by Shez, RM89 (price unavailable).

2) Korto concocted a spirited, yet tailored, couture ensemble, with a sprinkle of ethnic flair, compliments of her Liberian roots. 

Get Korto’s vibe by investing in the looks to the right of Korto’s runway fashions: A. BCBG, $358. B. Good Orient, $163.98. C.BCBG (price unavailable). D.ASOS, E30.00

3) Leanne, who rarely failed to please the judges in the second half of the season, created a collection inspired by waves, and unified by her use of architecturally constructed petals in blue, creme and beige fabrics. 

Get Leanne’s winning look by investing in the looks to right of Leanne’s runway fashions: A. Ombre, $124. B. Jessica McClintock, $196. C. BCBG, $290.D. Tadashi, $268 E. BCBG, $208

My take on the finalists?  Well… even though I loved Kenley’s old-school aesthetic and Korto’s ethnic vibe, the judges definitely got it right when they picked Leanne’s brilliantly constructed collection as the runway favorite.  Her innovation far surpassed the other finalists, and her collection was positively flawless.  But I must admit that I’d personally rather wear Korto’s looks for a night on the town, and I loved Kenley’s wedding dress so much that it made me want to renew my vows!

        

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Everyone’s favorite holiday is around the corner Halloween!  Especially with saving money being such a recent focus, do-it-yourself costumes are a huge plus this year!

Lollie Shopping, one of our Trendsetters, is a sleuth of great deals and continuously uncovers unique fashion-related goodies!  She wanted to guest post and share some great advice just for you about costumes you can make from home:

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Halloween is upon us, and if you haven’t had the chance to plan, purchase or construct your Halloween costume, do not despair. Here are three easy-to-make Halloween costumes created from everyday fashion.

1) 80s Rag-a-muffin

Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, The Go-Go’s or any type of 80s pop star wanna-be, this is an easy costume to create since retro 80s trends are a part of every modern wardrobe.

What I’m wearing: ankle boots, leggings, knee length tulle skirt, vintage Cyndi Lauper concert t-shirt and a scarf on my head.

What you could wear: brightly colored pumps, leg warmers, tights, denim mini and a bustier. Or, wear ankle boots, black tights and…a black garbage bag. Where the bag is sealed, find the center and cut a hole to fit your head and neck through. Cut holes along the side where your arms go. Cinch with a studded belt. Not only will you look like a young Belinda Carlisle, you’ll stay dry if it rains.

Tip: Focus on accessories – sunglasses, fingerless gloves and pile on the jewelry.

Alternative: Pat Benatar – A pair of fetish shoes, black liquid leggings, an asymmetrical blouse and a headband across the forehead and you can hit ‘em with your best shot.

2) Space Diva

Finally you can wear all your metallic fashion at once and it’s not a faux pas.

What I’m wearing: metallic boots and a metallic dress.

What you could wear: any type of metallic shoe will suffice, along with metallic jeans and a metallic blouse. Or, did you invest in a sweet metallic coat? Pair it with some metallic shoes, keep the coat belted all night and you’re good to go.

Tip: Use metallic makeup to give yourself a space age look. Create a laser weapon with some cardboard and foil paper.

Alternative: Femme Bot – If you’ve got the body and some sexy metallic pieces, why not? For this one, knee high boots are a must.

3) Deranged Beauty Queen/Prom Queen

While Carrie set the trend for this one, you don’t have to stick with a pink slip dress and pig’s blood. Think “Prom Night” or “Jawbreaker” for inspiration.

What I’m wearing: dressy shoes, full length beaded gown and a tiara strategically skewed.

What you could wear: any type of dress shoe, any full length or knee length party or cocktail dress.

Tip: Props, wild hair and smeared makeup are essential. My props are a skewed tiara and a “Miss Anthropic” sash. You could also try a dried bouquet of flowers, a knife (preferably a toy knife) or a bottle of whiskey.

Alternative: Deranged Bridesmaid – Now is your chance to mock the hideous satin dyed shoes and garish bridesmaid dress you were forced to wear at your cousin Greta’s wedding. And, if you’re bold enough, tuck the back of your dress into your pantyhose for comedic flair.

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Thanks again to Lollie Shopping for this great post!<–>

        

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The New York Times this weekend had an dedicated an entire piece to the word and concept “Recessionista” –

The article shared that blogs are being dedicated to this concept (therecessionista.blogspot.com), and the term was even recently coined an up and coming catch-phrase!

According to the NYT, the term has interesting historical roots: “Finance executives first used the term to connote a person predicting a recession or a person who believes a recession would benefit the long-term health of the economy…”  Now, the term is being used to conjure up images of women who flock to Target, H&M, and the like in hunt of similar styles to those they see on the runway.

Some agree that these “style mavens on a budget” are a fantastic way to combat economic woes and frugality can be happily rewarded in today’s times.  Others view the recessionista term as simply an excuse to make people feel it’s OK to buy more.  Regardless — how to get the most bang for your buck is top of mind these days…  and we hope that Shop It To Me is helping to discover those discounts, for those of you searching!

We’ve heard lots of similar terms thrown around: budget babe, recessionista, diva on a dollar, cheap chic, etc. What are your favorites?  Help us add to the list!

        

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Shop It To Me is coming to Arizona in early November!

Anyone in Phoenix or Tuscon, please reach out to us — trendsetters@shopittome.com — for more details!  We’d love to have the chance to meet you and have some great events and giveaways planned.

Also if you know fashionable women at ASU or U of A, please share this with them and have them reach out to us as well!

        

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All over the news are tips on how to save money and make your dollar stretch.  It’s the talk of the town!

As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve been including guest blog postings recently from our Trendsetters.  David from Style Points has taken the time to share his insight on how to make the most of your money in these tough times.  His blog is about style from a male perspective.

David’s also a loyal Shop It To Me subscriber, often discussing items he’s found in his Salemail.  But, he also has some other tips.  Check out what he has to say.

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These days, “sale” is the best sounding four-letter word in the dictionary, especially in an economy where retail spending is expected to slow down.

Those who are students of the Shop It To Me school of bargain hunting know there are deals online for quality designer items.

• Allow me to guide you a step further: When surfing other retail sites, browse for what’s new, but click directly to the “sale” or “clearance” section of the site. For instance, J. Crew, Ann Taylor, Macy’s, and Nordstrom have “sale” tabs that immediately take you to what’s marked down. You can then consider items that are more likely to be in the range you’re willing to pay.
• If you plan on taking a road trip, head out to a factory outlet near you.
  Prime Outlets, Chelsea Premium Outlets, and Tanger Outlets have locations through out much of the U.S. (These links provide maps to their various locations)

• If factory outlets are beyond your traveling range, check out your local Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Ross and Kohl’s for options at low prices.
• Not least, price clubs such as Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s offer members designer clothing at surprisingly low prices.

The thrill of bargain hunting is in knowing where to look, having an idea of how much you want to spend, making a list of items, and executing the plan. The result should be disciplined purchases, maximum bang for the bucks and happy campers who got a gift they can use.

Good luck.

        

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Hey everyone. I’m Natalie, the newest member of the Shop It To Me team. I’ll be blogging often, so you’ll hear from me quite a bit. I’d love to hear from you too, so drop me a post!

To tell you a little about myself — I love bargain hunting, trying new restaurants and hot, humid weather. I also watch copious amounts of fashion reality TV. It’s great, because the fashion, mixed with the freaky personalities and the drama of reality TV create a perfect storm for great quotes.

This past year of fashion reality TV shows alone has probably generated more one-liners than all the Adam Sandler movies combined. So for the next few weeks I’ll post some of my favorites. Here’s my first pick:

“I’ve been living in a fool’s paradise of small rear-end wannabes.”            
-Tim Gunn, Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style

Only the loveable Tim Gunn could pull off such cluelessness of contemporary slang with such charm. Earlier in the episode, Tim admitted he had never heard the word “booty” before.  He stood perplexed as the makeover contestant explained she liked a pair of jeans because the back pockets made her butt look bigger. Hello, ever heard of Baby Got Back? Live through the ’90s much? It’s okay — Tim’s still the best. A close second is when Blayne from Project Runway taught him the phrase “holla at cha boy.”

I’d love to hear some of your faves too. So as Tim would (awkwardly) say, holla at cha girl.

        

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Christian Louboutin…just the name makes the faces of many women light up!  Instant images of the infamous red soles from these glamorous shoes…  Carrie Bradshaw trotting around NYC…  and stars strutting their way down the red carpet…

Everyone loves Louboutin.

Recently, Running With Heels, (one of our Trendsetters) wrote an amazing piece chronicling his life and providing some inside scoop and little known info about this legend.  

The below piece originally appeared on September 30th in Running With Heels:

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Christian Louboutin. Far from a pop culture icon or fleeting Hollywood darling, this couture designer is the essence of inspired footwear.

Born a Parisian in 1963, Christian Louboutin grew up heavily influenced from a natural source, like that of his three sisters. However, the first true lightening bolt came in 1976, while at the Musee des Arts Africains et Oceaniens in Paris. What was this inspiration you ask?  A rare jewel? Perhaps a magnificent shield or sword hilt. Alas, the inspiration that catapulted the creative mind of Christian Louboutin into overdrive was much more basic.

As the story goes, a sign forbidding the wearing of ‘spiked’ heels, or stilettos was posted at the museum to deter damage to the wood floors.  Upon seeing this, Louboutin became fascinated and indeed obsessed with these shoes and sketching them.  In fact, Christian was so enthralled by sketching stiletto heels that his attention would become devoted entirely to this pursuit and he would ultimately be expelled from four schools (source).

A formal academic education is not always the best route to creative pursuits (i.e. Stuart Weitzman, former Wharton Business School graduate turned shoe designer extraordinaire). Design training combined with travels around the world to Egypt and India would become the major influence and foundation of the elaborate designs for which Louboutin is known.

Combining immense talent and nerves of steel, Christian Louboutin displayed his portfolio to the couture design houses in Paris and would eventually apprentice for Roger Vivier. Roger Vivier is credited with the creation of the stiletto and ultimately revolutionizing the world of heels and women.  Imagine!  Working for the creator of your obsession?!  Louboutin also credited Roger Vivier with infusing him with the knowledge that “the most important part of the shoe is the body and the heel.  Like a good bone structure, if you get that right, the rest is makeup.” (source)

Christian Louboutin’s freelance design history in the 1980’s reads like a who’s who of footwear, including the likes of Chanel, Yves St Laurent and Maud Frizon.  Continuing in this vein of course, would come super-star clients such as Princess Caroline of Monaco, followed later by Hollywood glamour such Madonna, Gwenyth Paltrow and Sarah Jessica Parker.

One of the most intriguing parts of the Christian Louboutin story is the origin of the infamous red soles.  The actual story varies slightly depending on the source, but most versions go something like this: When looking at one of his sketches, Louboutin felt something essential was missing.  Inspired by the scarlet nail polish of his assistant, he painted the sole of the sketch with the very same red.  Voila!  Instant trademark and “an element of flirt” according to the man himself.  (source)

Writer’s note: Designers-be nice to your assistants! They could be your next muse!

Other fascinating aspect of the Christian Loboutin story are the sources of his inspiration and his alternately quirky and down-to earth personality. This trapeze-flying, yacht-owning individual also rides a humble vespa to work and professes not to own a television. This is an interesting dichotomy Louboutin who can count media mogul Oprah Winfrey among his devotees.

Christian Louboutin’s quirkiness however, belies an innate talent for finding inspiration in the strangest of places (feathers on an egg being one of them) and an incredible work ethic.  Only passing over the managerial reigns of his 15-year old company last year, Christian had previously overseen the production of every pair of shoes. This isn’t a surprise for a man who by his own admission “cannot say that I have a real boundary between the moment I’m working and the moment I am on holiday” (source).

We of course, are the beneficiaries of all this hard work and creative genius. There is nothing like a Christian Louboutin shoe.  When you see a pair-you know it. These shoes are adorned with anything from feathers to satin bows to silver chains. Of course, the colors cannot be discounted as everything from vibrant purples and reds can be found alongside brilliant metallics and the ever essential black.  All these are mounted on his classic stiletto heel. Although the flats still maintain the heart of Louboutin’s design, the stilettos are really the soul.

Where there is a dream, there is a price to pay!  Paying $1,400 for a pair of shoes may indeed limit a pair of Louboutin’s shoes to dreams for some. If these lovelies are within your reach however (or if you forgo lunch, rent and some other necessities) you can find them at Saks, Nordtrom and Neiman Marcus.  Don’t forget online resources like Bluefly and ShopItToMe for possible discounts!  Remember though, you want to make sure your purchase is the real deal.  After all, who wants to pay tons of money for a pair of faux-Louboutin’s?

Ah… a pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos.  I may be ‘just a bit’ off from the Sex and the City salary of Sarah Jessica Parker that would enable me to buy these gems, but hey, a girl can dream can’t she?

        

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Our Trendsetters are a great source for sharing advice about new trends and styles.  One of our Trendsetters, The Supermelon, regularly shares Style and Trend advice in a straight-forward and captivating way (with great photos too!).  Their newly relaunched site goes above and beyond fashion and includes articles on Art and Travel too!  A post this week on The Supermelon highlighted how Tweeds are a hot item this fall.  We wanted to share it with you!  

Tweeds are a quintessential part of a woman’s fall wardrobe. The rough-hewn tweed can be paired with wool hats, plaid shirts and oxfords. Look to Pringle of Scotland ad campaigns for inspiration. You don’t have to wear tweed all over, but you can add just touches of it, such as a tweed jacket or a tweed hat, to your outfit. Tweed trench coats are also available but make sure you don’t look too matronly by dressing head to toe in long tweed suits.

Marc Jacobs fully embodies a youthful way of wearing tweed; that is, tweed strewn with brighter colors like pink (see Marc Jacobs tweed jacket, $460). Armani Exchange also came out with a tweed bomber jacket, which is a cool twist on the leather bomber jacket. If you’re on a tight budget, you should definitely check out the tweed jackets at H&M. It’s great because not only is it affordable, the brighter strings strewn and the cropped length will give you a youthful yet refined look. Of course, you can’t forget about Chanel’s famous classic tweed jackets and suits.

Visit The Supermelon for other similar posts and insights on the Little Black Dress, Comme de Garcons for H&M, and Balenciaga Fragrance!

        

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Announcing…the winner of the Lucky Shops giveaway gift bag…

Congratulations goes to Holly from Alabama! Here’s what she had to say:

“Oh my gosh! I am so excited! Thank you so much for this wonderful gift bag! I am so excited to try out all of the products. I feel so honored to have been selected.”

Holly’s randomly selected comment about why she loves Lucky:

“Lucky Magazine keeps me updated on the latest fashions. It has a lot of fun ideas!! I love how it tells you where to buy the items they feature. Every girl needs Lucky Magazine!! “

Holly also told us a little about how she uses Shop It To Me:

“Shop It To Me is exactly what it says it is– It is my free personal online shopper! I love checking my email to find great deals on name brand clothes that fit me and my budget. A few of my favorite brands are: Banana Republic, Betsey Johnson, Dolce & Gabbana, Gap, J. Crew, Jessica Simpson, Juicy Couture, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, and Steve Madden.”

Finally, Holly shared a bit about her favorite Fall trends:

“Fall is my favorite time of the year. My current favorite trends are the feminine look and also the country look. The feminine look includes: ruffles, lace, ribbons, pleats and bows. The country look includes: tweeds, plaids, corduroys, and riding boots. I love the autumn hues of rust, green and brown. A girl always has to have a pair of killer heels, a tailored jacket, wide legged pants, a little black dress and a over sized handbag! With the above you are sure to be in style! Again, thank you for the wonderful gift bag!”

Once again, Congrats to Holly!  Keep watching the blog for other great giveaways in the future!

And don’t forget to buy your tickets to Lucky Shops 2008 in NYC!  It’s coming up soon on November 7th & 8th — an event not to be missed!

        

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