Category — News

It’s Free Shipping Day! That applies to all items featured in today’s Shop It To Me Salemail!  Retailers participating include RalphLauren.com, KateSpade.com, NeimanMarcus.com, NineWest.com, ShopGoldyn.com, Splendid.com, and many more!

If you don’t normally receive Salemail on Thursdays, have no fear.  You can log on to your personal Sale Spot, and see the items that match your brand preferences and sizes — and charge $0 for shipping!  Most stores are even delivering in time for Christmas Eve.

Need something that’s not clothing?  Several other retailers (think books, electronics, etc) are participating as well.  See Freeshippingday.com for even more options!

We’d love to share some highlights from this weekend’s shopping frenzy.

In a Shop It To Me analysis of over 25,000 sale items each from Black Friday/Cyber Monday this year and last, results show:

• Shoppers are scoring bigger deals this year!  Both Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts were bigger this year than last (47% off this year, compared to 43.5%-off on Black Friday and CyberMonday last year).

• This year, online-only retailers were the most promotional, even more so than last year. Department stores, however, tapered off their discounts significantly.
  • This year, online-only retailers offered the biggest discounts (nearly 50%-off) compared to their department store counterparts (38-39% off) and single store brands (44-45% off).
  • Last year, the story was different — with department stores offering the biggest discounts (45-47% off) compared to online-only retailers (44% off) and single store brands (40-41% off).

…Food for thought for the remainder of the holiday season!

It’s CyberMonday, and the internet is bursting with deals on fashionable clothing and accessories.  We’re here to save you time, and do the work for you.  With just the click of a button, you can view all of your personal favorite brands and sizes on sale.

We’ve embedded all the secret codes and 1-day discounts, and applied them to the items so you can get a true sense of what you’d be paying to snag these styles.  You can also filter by brand, price, or retailer.  Just log in to your personal Cyber Monday Shop It To Me offerings and enjoy – Happy shopping!

While the malls and parking lots are crazy across the nation, many of us find pleasure in shopping while in PJs, still overly stuffed from last night’s Thanksgiving feast.  I happen to be one of them!

Today, I’m using the Shop It To Me Sale Spot to sift through the many many deals that online retailers are offering.  Shop It To Me has done the work, and identified well over 27,000 items from across the web that are on sale.

By viewing your personal Sale Spot, you’ll instantly have access to all these offers.  We’ve included promotional and free shipping codes where applicable (underneath each retailer bar), and provided you the ability to filter by price, brand, or retailer.  Best part is that the items you see are all in your size, and from your favorite brands!

Here’s a rundown on just a handful of the many sales:

Shopbop.com – Choose your deal! $50 off orders of $300+, $100 off $500+, or $150 off $700+. Use code GIFT4U at checkout. See site for details. (Expires 11/30).

BasicBoutique.com – Get 40% off almost everything! Use code THANKS40 at checkout. Exclusions apply, see site for details. (Expires 11/30).

ToryBurch.com – 30% off select orders of $300 or more! Use code TURKEY30 at checkout. Some exclusions apply, see site for details. (Expires 11/30).

FreePeople.com – Free shipping on all orders! Discount applied at checkout. Expires 11/30.

ShopGoldyn.com – 30% off full-priced items and 50% off sale items with code MONDAY at checkout! Plus, Free Standard Shipping on orders over $100! Exclusions apply, see site for details. (Expires 12/2).

Don’t feel badly if you order a few items for yourself when you are shopping for gifts this holiday season.

Our just-completed Holiday Shopping Trends survey revealed that you aren’t the only one. In fact, 82% of the 8000 respondents to the survey told us they plan on buying something for themselves this holiday season while they are buying gifts for others.

Survey respondents also told us that, while they are opening their wallets a bit wider than last year, they are still looking for bargains. Here are a few of the other survey findings:

• Two-thirds of men and half of women say there’s nothing for which they will pay full price. But, among those who will pay full-prices, shoes and boots come in at the top of the “splurge” list.

• Shipping charges are not popular: 80% of shoppers refuse to pay more than $10 for shipping and 20% expect shipping to be free.

• The majority of shoppers say they avoid gift wrap charges by ordering items shipped unwrapped and then wrapping themselves before giving.

For all the details, download our Holiday shopping trends press release.

You told us what brands were on your holiday wishlist – and now we’ve added them! A fresh new crop of brands is here, so add them to your Shop It To Me profile so you can snag them on sale.

Log in to your profile, click Edit Brands and take a look at the New Brands tab to view and make any new selections. Are there are any other labels you’re yearning for? Let us know at feedback@shopittome.com.

Uggs by Rafe.

Uggs – love ‘em or hate ‘em? Fans may have new reason to don the cozy boot this winter, and foes may have less reason to say “ugh”. Designers like Manolo Blahnik, Rebecca Minkoff, Carlos Falchi and others will create their own versions to be auctioned off for charity.

We’re curious to see how far the designers will stray from Ugg’s “signature” look. Can that which we call an Ugg by any other shape still be called an Ugg?

You can snag a pair of your own starting December 1^st at the online auction on uggaustralia.com. Proceeds benefit the Memphis St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Last week, Farnoosh Torabi, Money Coach extraordinaire, was on The View sharing a bit about a new show she’s starring in called “Bank of Mom and Dad”.   And this week, we had the chance to chat with her personally!  She lent some great wisdom around saving (and splurging), and gave us a behind-the-scenes peek at the episodes that lie ahead.

Photo Courtesy: ABC

The show:

First, a bit about “Bank of Mom and Dad”.  The premise?  The ten-episode show takes money-struggling young women in their 20s and 30s, and provides them with a financial coach to help them on the road to becoming debt-free.  The girls must face their parents moving in for a week to help control their overspending, who along with Money Coach Farnoosh Torabi, help to curb the  gals’ bad habits.  Each week, the girls must face a harsh reality check as their parents move in and each penny they spend is scrutinized.  It’s airing at 10-11pm Wednesday nights on SOAPnet — we’re off to set our Tivos now to ensure we capture every single episode…hopefully we’ll learn a thing or two!!

Tonight’s episode:

As an added plus, tonight’s episode (10/7), even has a fun style/fashion component to it!  It highlights Danielle, a 27-year-old wife, mother and aspiring fashion designer in Hartford, CT. Her $40,000 debt is taking its toll on her dream of having her own design business, while still hoping to provide a stable future for her family. She spends money she doesn’t have on wigs, beauty products and fast food while student loans, car loans, parking tickets, medical bills and bills pile up. With the help of money coach Farnoosh Torabi, Danielle’s mom Natalie and stepdad Fred move in to help get Danielle’s priorities straight. (SOAPnet/MARK BRENDEL)

Inside Scoop – Up Close & Personal with Farnoosh Torabi:

Farnoosh Torabi, Author of “You’re So Money – Live Rich Even When You’re Not” is known for her captivating words of wisdom about spending.  And lucky us, as we mentioned, had the chance to chat with her up close and personal– check out the words of wisdom she shared with Shop It To Me!

Shop It To Me: You look so great on camera!  Give us some behind the scenes scoop on the taping of the show itself — how much is your wardrobe influenced by a stylist vs. your own picks?

Farnoosh: I have more than 30 outfit changes for this show – but a limited budget for clothing – so it was important to get expert help.   I have the fortune of working with two very talented stylistas. Jamie Rosenthal and her assistant Amber Stolec. To establish my look for the show – which we wanted to be chic and professional but not stuffy — Jamie examined my existing closet and asked me where I like to shop, the brands I prefer and my sizes. From there she hit the stores of New York where she could find affordable and versatile pieces. Much of my wardrobe stems from Banana Republic, Zara, Macy’s, J.Crew and my own closet. The idea was to blend some of my own clothing with Jamie’s purchases so that I was really portraying myself. If she brought me something that I would never wear in real life – it most likely wouldn’t make the show.

Shop It To Me: Anything incredibly exciting or unexpected from this season of “Bank of Mom and Dad” that you can tease us with?

Farnoosh: Let’s just say it’s not just the daughters who have breakthroughs. Sometimes Mom and Dad also learn a thing or two about money management proving it’s never too late to enhance your money management skills.

Shop It To Me: To be 20-something and in debt is a common situation.  If you could only pass along one, and only one, tip to 20-something women regarding their finances, what would it be?

Farnoosh: Keep busy and find opportunities to make more money if cash is tight. On average, women earn less than men, all while living costs have gone up. So if you find yourself at the end of the month with empty pockets do what it takes to land a side job to supplement your income in a way that allows you to pay down debt aggressively and save for a rainy day. Not to mention – the busier you keep yourself the fewer chances you’ll also have to get bored and shop.

Shop It To Me: We’re dying to know about you personally.  Farnoosh, did your parents teach you money management, or was it something you learned on your own?

Farnoosh: My parents taught me almost everything about money. And it wasn’t like they sat me down and had weekly money sessions at the kitchen table. Much of what I learned was from just observing them. I was an only child until I was 11-yearss-old so I spent a lot of time with my parents – going to open houses with them when they were house hunting, sitting forever with them at the mortgage signing, watching my mom haggle at flea markets, seeing her pay off her Macy’s card with cash in the mall and seeing my dad manage the family’s finances on Quicken. My dad also took me to the local credit union when I was 12 to open my first savings account. I vividly remember a phone call in college, too, between my mother and I where she basically told me that if I ever got into serious debt she and my father would not bail me out…all while secretly I carried a $4,000 balance on my Visa. Gulp. That sure had me get my act together. My finance degree and eight years writing about personal finance has contributed a great deal, too. My parents, though, take the cake.

Shop It To Me: Our members love to shop.  Any thoughts on responsible ways of shopping where you can still get your fashion fix?

Farnoosh: I actually use shopittome to deliver all the great sales out there from my favorite designers and stores. I also think it’s important to budget for clothes and not to see it as, say, $100 a month (if that’s what you decide) but rather $1200 a year. This way your budget doesn’t seem impossible. You can suddenly see a whole wardrobe with $1200. The trick is – if you spend all of it at once you have to spend the other 11 months not buying a single item. So best to spread out your purchases and not feel deprived the rest of the year. I also find more women swapping clothes these days. It’s completely free and offers the chance to clear out some of the unwanted items in your closet in exchange for something you’ve had your eye on in your friend’s closet.

Shop It To Me: When it comes to clothing, when (if ever) is it appropriate to splurge?!

Farnoosh: Splurging on a piece that you consider an investment with a valuable return  – like time or confidence – can be worth it sometimes. For example, a black cashmere cardigan is classic so it’ll never go out of style and you won’t be back in the store buying another one next winter. Pieces that also win you confidence can sometimes be worth the splurge. For example a power suit that’s going to win you an interview and serve you in your job as you climb the ladder (and earn more money) can be a great investment. (But hey, still shop around).

“Be Chic” – always a winning philosophy, right? Now it’s a winning magazine, too! We’re proud to announce our Trendsetter BeChicMag.com won the Best NY Blogger award in Latism.org!

Trendsetters are key partners who use Shop It To Me, and part of our network of favorite fashion sites. We’re proud that BeChicMag.com is not only a Shop It To Me fan, but a winning style blog as well!

The site has a constant stream of fantastic interviews with designers and celebs. Want to know Christian Siriano’s advice for aspiring fashion designers, or the actor who’s going on a “Fugly” tour? (Seriously, we wouldn’t lie.)

Answers to these questions, plus local NYC fashion finds, are all at BeChicMag.com. Special congratulations to Editor Mercedes Sanchez, who previously produced segments for NBC before founding Be Chic Mag!

We’re excited to share breaking news!  Personalized designer brand suggestions are now available to our female subscribers, based on picks from others with a similar sense of fashion.

We know that many of you set your brand preferences when you first register for Shop It To Me, by choosing from a list of 80 “featured brands”.  But did you know there more than 600 choices available?  We know your taste is spot on, but even serious style mavens sometimes miss a brand or two.

Now with personalized recommendations, it’s even easier for you to update your selections and add more of the brands you know and love.

From that point on, we’ll do the legwork.  We’ll keep an eye out for these favorite brands to go on sale, and best of all in your size.  Shopping should be easy and fun — so please just sit back and relax, and wait for them to pop up in your personal Salemail!

To see your own customized list of labels you’re missing out on, just log in here.  Be sure to leave us a rating of how excited you are about these picks too!

If you’re not yet a Shop It To Me member, get in on the fashion frenzy by visiting www.shopittome.com and clicking Start Now. Once you’re enrolled, just log in to your account to view your personalized picks.

Happy shopping!