Category — Uncategorized

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!

We hear that it’s sometimes difficult to shop online because of body type concerns, and the reality that you can’t try on the clothing before you purchase.  Today, we’ve brought on wardrobe consultant Mayna Sgaramella from Closet Fly to share some tips, since she’s an expert in helping people wear what’s best for their bodies.

Closet Fly is one of our Trendsetters who offers tips on what to wear and how to wear it best.  I’ll let Mayna take it from here!

Knowing what styles and cuts look best on your body type is hard enough shopping in stores, so how do you ensure you’re selecting the right clothing for your body type when you shop online?

1. First, determine your body type. Are you an inverted triangle, hourglass, pear (triangle), rectangle, apple (round), or some version of one of these? To identify which shape your frame is, stand in front of a full length mirror wearing just your undergarments (drinking a glass of wine before hand is optional). Pretend you are looking at someone else’s body so as to detach yourself and look at your body in terms of proportion and shapes (as if someone was shining a light behind you and your silhouette was projected on a screen). Determine if your shoulders are wider or smaller than your hips or if they are about the same. If unsure, use a measuring tape.  Also determine if you have a defined waistline or you don’t, if your butt is round or flat, if your bust is large or small, and where you carry your weight (top, middle, or bottom).  Then determine if you are Petite, Plus, or Average in height and proportion. Remember, petite does not necessarily mean small; it means smaller proportions. Clothes are generally cut smaller or shorter in the arm opening, pant rise, waistline, arm and pant length for petite sizes, but you could easily be a Plus Petite. Also, you may be of average height, but wear a petite top and a regular bottom depending on your frame.

The idea here is to balance out your body so that it is more proportioned and flattering for your figure. For example, if you are an hourglass shape, you want to avoid clothes that drape over the body and hide your figure. Instead, use waist belts and fitted garments that follow the line of your body. If you are an inverted triangle, you want to balance your top half with your bottom half so a full skirt or wide leg pant might help balance out your shoulders.

2. Next, research the online retailer’s sizing chart. Most online retailers will provide a sizing chart for you to compare your measurements to their sizes. But keep in mind that sizes vary from one brand to the next. That’s one more good reason not to be so rigid about the number of your size, because how your clothes fit and flatter you is much more important than the size number you’re in. So, be sure to take your measurements every three months or as your body changes and keep a written record next to your computer so you can easily find your size based on the retailers sizing chart. Here is an example from Nordstrom:

3. Then research the return policy, shipping costs, and other resources. The perk of online shopping is that you don’t have to leave your house and can try on your newly purchased items in the comfort of your own home. Most online retailers are making it easier for you to purchase and return items with free or flat rate shipping and printable return labels. Also take advantage of other resources like “How to Measure” and get the correct measurements for your body so you won’t have to return those items!

Does the old saying no pain no gain hold true in fashion? Sometimes it seems that way. Especially this season, where it just so happens the shoe du jour is a sky high, often excruciatingly uncomfortable stiletto. Also, as a girl who loves her oversized purses, I know that at the end of the day the back pain can be a little unpleasant. And I’m sure you also have seen all the articles denouncing flip flops as terrible for your both your back health and your feet. Doctors have suggested wearing a slightly lower heel on those stilettos, choosing a little more substantial sole on those flip flops, and downsizing those Mary Poppins, hold-everything style satchels. While the comfort options out there may not always be the cutest, here are some viable, healthy alternatives. The ones on the left are the “dangerously” cute, while the right hand side has the “comfortably” chic.

Heels

Bcbgirls – Nickole Regular: $98.00 Now: $69.99

Bcbgirls – Lions Regular: $90.00 Now: $59.99

Bags

Michael Michael Kors Millbrook Canvas Tote Regular: $302.00 Now: $223.48

Michael Michael Kors Belvedere Satchel Regular: $332.00 Now: $226.00

Sandals

Sigerson Morrison Belle Regular: $174.99 Now: $133.87

Kenneth Cole Glam Girl Regular: $39.00 Now: $29.99

Oh how I love the Olympics. Although traditionally my favorite events are the synchronized diving, gymnastics, and track and field, this year swimming has piqued my interest. This new interest is mostly due to the amazing Michael Phelps, who recently won his eleventh career gold medal.

Now in an attempt to connect this to fashion, here are some cute gold pieces to match the medals

Roberto Cavalli Timewear Reg: $249.00 Now: $98.00

Enamel Woven Ring Reg: $34.00 Now: $19.99

Kors Michael Kors Gold Reg: $214.99 Now: $164.47

Have you ever tried to buy a bathing suit online? Initially seems pretty scary…but as long as it’s returnable, in some ways I find this takes away the anxiety associated with swimsuit shopping. No fear of awkward dressing room lighting, or needing to de-robe multiple times in various stores on your shopping trip – you can now try on your suit in the comfort of your own home!

And I’ve already seen some great deals in my recent Shop It To Me emails — for various body types and all price ranges!:

Milly Bikini Reg $106.00 Now $79.50

DKNY – violet crocheted Reg $112.00 Now $60.30

Gap Essential halter Reg $29.50 Now $19.99

Ralph Lauren Paisley Ring-Front Halter Reg $81.00 Now $49.99

Badgley Mischka String Floral Bikini Reg $190.00 Now $142.50

Sporty Ralph Lauren Two-Piece Suit Reg $183.00 Now $129.00

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One of our Trendsetters, Bargain Chic, highlighted some trendy swim looks this week. The post specifically focused on retro swim styles and captured some great deals. Check out the swim post here.

Summer is here — making it bathing suit season!

I want to introduce one of our Trendsetters – Louise from Shopaphilia.

This is a site that hunts down fabulous fashion finds at affordable prices, proving that looking chic doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Shopaphilia is a great site to bookmark or subscribe to for updates on sales. According to Louise, “finding the perfect piece and scoring a great deal at the same time is a thrill that everyone should enjoy.” Recently, Shopaphilia highlighted summer work tops and suits.

Shopaphilia interviewed the President of Shop It To Me, Charlie. Here’s an excerpt from that interview, and you can read the rest by clicking the link here.

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shopaphilia: Where did the idea for Shop It To Me come from? What were the inspirations?

Charlie: I have always been a big fan of sales & deals. Costco & Trader Joe’s have some of my favorite places to shop since back when TJ’s was located only in LA and Costco was called The Price Club.

I started to look at online deals a few years ago but was frustrated as I always seemed to find out about sales the day after they happened, or only when the items went out of stock. So I came up with a personal shopper where you could enter in the items you were looking for and it would tell you when they would go on sale. I told this to female friends and family members, and they said “You have to do this for clothing!” and hence Shop It To Me was born.

We recently gave away a $250 gift certificate to Bloomingdale’s!

and the winner was….

L’Erin from Jonesboro, Georgia!

She said, “I look forward to receiving my daily email about sales on my favorite brands. I have saved tons of money and time by just checking my email. What a great resource for busy shoppers!”

Here’s an extended version of a press-release that we sent out today!

San Francisco, CA — May 8, 2008

Markdown analysis from Shop It To Me can make you a savvier sale shopper!

Everyone loves a sale, but the day of the week you shop for clothing can make a big difference in the price you pay:

• Searching for the lowest price on jeans? Shop on Friday and get an average 41% off full price.
• Want the best deal on swimwear? Wait until Saturday and you’ll save 46%.
• After a new men’s sweater? Shop Monday for discounts of 40% off.

These are just a few of the price-saving revelations of a new study on the best days of the week to find the best deals on different clothing items. We compared prices on more than 150,000 clothing items that went on sale between January 1 to December 31, 2007 for 70+ leading online apparel and shoe retailers.

“You can find great deals on various types of clothing every day of the week,” says expert sale shopper Charlie Graham, founder and President of Shop It To Me. “But if you have only one day to shop, make it Friday. Our analysis revealed that’s when approximately 25% of all women’s and men’s clothing items are marked down.”

If you want the best deals on specific items, however, Graham offers the following tips:

• Shop on Friday for jeans, skirts and dresses, men’s shirts and outerwear.
• Shop on Saturday for new shoes, swimwear and intimates.
• Shop early in the week for women’s handbags and men’s sweaters.
• Shop Wednesday or Thursday for Petite or Plus Size clothing. 65% of all Petite Clothing and 57% of all Plus Clothing goes on sale on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. So if you need it right away, snag it on Wed or Thurs.

Prefer to shop by brand name? The Shop It To Me analysis uncovered the following discounting patterns: Buy BCBG on Tuesdays and Thursdays when items averaged 42% off, but shop for Kenneth Cole on Monday and Fridays, for discounts averaging 40% of more. And you’ll find the best prices on Nine West items on Sundays and Tuesdays, for an average 42% discount.

Here’s a summary of the best days to buy each category… but if keeping track of all this data incites dizziness-simply register for a Salemail alert!

And the best days to buy men’s clothing…

As you may know, Shop It To Me has a ‘Trendsetter’ section of our site. This is a way to showcase some of our partners in the fashion and style blog world. So many great opinions and resources out there! You’ll be able to get fashion advice, ideas, and trend tips from these pros.

Take a look in our gallery of Trendsetters and see what inspires you. You’ll see our badge displayed proudly on their sites to signify that they are Shop It To Me Trendsetters.

Let’s check out what a few were up to this week:

CaliforniaStyle – gives you the latest on celebrities and their fashion choices, this week highlighting Christina Milian, Emmy Rossum, and Eva Longoria.

Grand Mademoiselle – this shoe blog will share commentary on the latest shoes, and focuses on larger shoe sizes. This week highlights MaryJane shoes, and shows you what clothing pairs best.

Economy of Style – shows you how to pair outfits together while sticking to a budget! This week includes great dresses and shoes!

For more information about becoming a Trendsetter, please email trendsetters@shopittome.com

Looks like our network went down for a 1/2 hour today. Luckily our amazing development team found the problem and resolved it so quickly you probably did not know anything was wrong! But If you see anything unusual (besides our unusually great deals! ), please let us know!