Pretty in Pink

Over Passover we visited with friends staying at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando. All I have to say is that it blew the Hyatt Regency that my parents went to out of the water. The grounds were gorgeous and even better, the property connects with a Hilton that features a kid friendly lazy river pool. I didn't see my little ones all afternoon. I dragged my teenage nephew around the grounds to explore and shoot my latest bargainista look. This H&M dress was another 50% off find on the sale rack. It's a smidge big (it's a size 8 and typically in a looser style I would take a 4/6) but I'm a sucker for pink - plus it has the off the shoulder trend which is so big right now.

The problem with being your own stylist and photographer (I usually set up the shots and tell the kids where/how to shoot me) is that you can't walk around with a full length mirror. Sometimes I miss something in the background that kills the shot, sometimes the lighting is off, and sometimes there's nobody to tell you that your shoulder strap fell off your shoulder. Alas, for 99% of the pictures my off the shoulder dress is off-off the shoulder LOL.

The dress is on the sheer side so I'm wearing my bikini under it. I've put on a few more lbs. so I'm not quite ready to walk around poolside sans cover-up. And again, because it has so much material, I needed heels to give me some height and balance the look, I packed my Sophia Webster Lacey sandals (sample sale scores!) because black & white goes with pretty much everything, plus they're pretty comfortable for heels. I know they're supposed to be tied around the ankle but I went up my leg a little to give it a gladiator feel. Added on a few delicate accessories, and voila - another easy, inexpensive summer look.

From head to toe:

• Earrings: AV Max, sample sale, $4
• Sunglasses: Moschino, Century 21 Stores, $60 - free with rewards
• Bikini top: H&M, $7
• Swim skirt: Jag, Marshalls, $10
• Dress: H&M, $25 (retail $50)
• Bracelets: AV Max, sample sale, $10 each (retail $70 & $80)
• Shoes: Sophia Webster Lacey, sample sale, $95 (retail $695)

You can shop my look here:

It was so hot that by the end of the day my hair and face melted. Luckily all I had on was my Dr. Jart BB cream and MAC Miley Cyrus Viva Glam lipstick or you would have seen a mess dripping onto my dress. If you take care of your skin (I LOVE my Murad!) then you really don't need a lot of makeup, even at 41. I find that the more I pile on, the older I look. Hiding behind sunglasses also helps LOL.

As I'm writing this I'm actually also packing up to head home. Not looking forward to the long drive but we decided not to rush back. I typically only do about 10% of the driving (my husband is a machine and can drive for hours non-stop) but I still need to rest up.

Thanks again to my 15 yr old nephew, B who spent at least 45 minutes shooting this look :)

See you guys back in NY! Jimmy Choo starts Tuesday but I'll probably wait till Thursday for markdowns. I also have to start saving money for Rebecca Minkoff which starts on the 9th...

XO
Shoppinggal

Rebecca Minkoff Embellished Leather Moto Jacket - Take 2!

Decided to have another go with my Rebecca Minkoff embellished leather moto jacket and penny booties. Until I find the perfect combo I will keep experimenting with these beauties. I noticed some pink trees starting to bloom so I hunted one down near my parents house when we visited for Purim, and had little miss Ella snap some shots to share my latest spring bargainista look.

I will confess that I'm makeup free other than my Miley Cyrus MAC lipstick. Mommy hack 101 - if you throw on some sunnies and the right shade of lipstick you can let your face breathe :)

From head to toe:

• Sunglasses: Valentino Rockstud sunglasses, Century 21, $15 (Back when Century had decent sales...)
• Necklace: Jes Design Studio arrowhead, Free! - won on Instagram :)
• Dress: Rebecca Taylor Kiku print dress, sample sale, $50 (retail $550!)
• Jacket: Rebecca Minkoff Wes leather moto, sample sale, $150 (retail $798!)
• Bracelet: Dannijo, sample sale, $25
• Ring: Lionette Ace ring, sample sale, $20 (retail $80)
• Bag: Givenchy pouch, TJ Maxx, $99 (retail $480 - yellow sticker sale!)
• Boots: Tesori, Nordstrom Rack, $0.01

You can shop my look here:

 
While I didn't dress up for Purim, my kids did. I used to hoard cheap Gymboree and have costumes stockpiled in every size. This year my oldest was a Fireman at night and a werewolf for day. I gave him sunglasses and my UGGs (yes, my 10 year old has giant feet) and told him he was teenwolf. My middle was a cheerleader at night and 50s girl by day. My youngest, who is a giant ham, dressed up as a fairy by night and a strawberry fairy for daytime.

My local nieces and nephew came by to take pics - they were all dressed as animals. You can see my BIL - the pig (my husband's identical twin) in the back.

My son thought it would be funny if he ate my niece, the panda bear. She's actually wearing a Milly Mini skirt I picked up for her for $15 at Nordstrom Rack.

Last but not least, I'm on a winning streak! I won a $50 Marshalls giftcard for this pic on Instagram and I just won another Insta contest on Friday! Fingers crossed my luck keeps going!

BTW, Happy Easter to all my friends celebrating!

XO
Shoppinggal

Summertime Sales and Reflections

I love summer. No homework (I hate kids homework!), I get to live in flip flops & beachy dresses and everything seems to go just a little slower. My kids are in camp for a couple weeks so I have lots of time to organize, shop and hang out with family. My husband has the summer off so every morning after we drop off the kids we do a little happy dance LOL.

Last week I scored my Chanel bracelets, went to the beach, did a little thrifting, my son fell out of a tree, and had a BBQ for my Grandmother's birthday. Thankfully my son is fine and just walked away with a few scrapes and bruises. Now maybe the kids will finally stop climbing that stupid tree at my BIL's house. The beach was fun - nobody drowned (always a plus with the kids) and I've always loved the feeling of the sand under my feet. I finally pulled out my Kate Spade sunhat that I found at the Rack last year for $5...and of course it blew into the ocean. It shrank a little :(

Love my Peter Pilotto tote!

Before camp started I had to take kids with me to the thrift store which is always a challenge. They get a bad case of the gimmies when everything is so cheap. My American Girl Doll lover was thrilled to find Felicity's Scenes and Settings for just $6! This is a hard to find retired item - it's basically a backdrop for the dolls and it goes for around $50 on Ebay and we found it just sitting on the floor by the books. Score!

It's half her size!

Grandma Rhoda is my last living grandparent. She's also my first style icon. As a child, Grandma always got me the latest European outfits and she was light years ahead of the fashion curve. I had tailored plaid skirts and leather neckties when all the girls were wearing frilly Jessica McClintock. She's 92 (but claims she's still 89 LOL) and she's a real character. Her mom lived until 103 so I figure she's not going anywhere just yet. In her youth she made friends with several NY clothing manufacturers. She would check out the windows at Saks and Bloomies then get the same designer pieces (custom cut) from the factories for close to cost. I've raided my grandmother's closet several times over the years and her stuff is amazing. Sadly I get my pear shape from my mother's side so there are many pieces that just don't work for my figure. I just wish she liked expensive bags. She said she never spent more than $100 on a bag. When I showed her my Balenciaga she thought I was nuts for spending $300 (I didn't even tell her it was an $1,800 bag). I'm sure she has some interesting pieces hiding but gone are my hopes for a vintage Chanel or Hermes.

Grandma just got out of the hospital after being trapped there for a week. When I visited her she was going stir crazy. As always, she insisted on doing everything for herself so when she had to go to the bathroom she unplugged herself (refusing to call a nurse for assistance) and went dragging her IV along with her LOL. She's been recuperating at my parent's house in NJ but I know she's itching to go back to her apartment in Brooklyn. Poor Grandma has lost so much weight that her clothing just hangs on her tiny frame. On Mother's Day we took her to Jersey Gardens Mall to shop and it was just too much for her. Here she is with my silly little Ella who is posing with a dollar from my dad and a paper bow she colored. Yes, Grandma still styles her hair everyday by herself. I'm happy to say she's been doing much better - I even saw her hobbling around without her cane.

Grandma Rhoda and Ella :)

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On the shopping front I've been hunting for clothing for my niece who is visiting from out of the country. She calls me rich Aunt Michelle. I keep trying to explain I'm actually thrifty Aunt Michelle who likes nice things. I was hoping to take her shopping so she can see how I operate and get her some pretty things but someone decided I was a bad influence and I'm not allowed to spend time alone with her. Instead I'll be bringing her bag loads of things for her to try on for her party on Sunday. I'm not going to share all her finds in case she reads this - I want to surprise her :) So now she's just going to keep thinking stuff just falls out of the sky and magically lands on her doorstep. Sigh.

Amidst my shopping travels I picked up a few goodies for me too :) H&M has more markdowns and $4 specials for the 4th of July. I grabbed a couple of these tunics. I wore the pink one with a slip (they are VERY sheer) and it's the cutest dress.

Stock pic of green print - very Missoni

Wore this one this week without the belt.

I also spotted lots of stuff for kids for $1-4. Take a peek at your H&M if you have the time :)


I'm closely watching Century 21 - things are now 30-65% off. That means 75-90% is coming soon!

Today started Clear the Racks at Nordstrom Rack - take 25% off all red ticket clearance now thru Saturday! I scouted the store yesterday to keep an eye out for what I would be taking home today :)

I picked up some gorgeous shoes for my girls and posted them on my Facebook page. So far the Blahniks are pending but the Fendi and Jimmy Choos are still available :) PM me there is you're interested.

Jimmy Choo size 39 Kafta

Fendi Size 39 Slingback Peep Toe Pump

Manolo Blahnik Size 38 patent leather Campari PENDING

I scored these Puma by Miharayasuhiro 'My 66' wedge sneakers for less than $40 (Retail $120) and I think they may be a little too big :( I'm a solid 9.5 in sneakers so I was sure these would fit. I've been looking for a wedge sneaker for a while and I was very excited to find these. I'm going to try with thicker socks so we'll see...

I also picked up a few odds and ends for 25% off. The polishes were around $1.50 each, The earrings were $5ish (they are jeweled lace and so light!), bracelet was less than $4 and the rose gold stack rings are so pretty - and only $12. I'm not even going to wear the ugly skull ring it comes with.

Oops - forgot to take a pic of the $1.50 blushes I got.

 Pre-Clear the Rack I scored a couple cute dresses - I'm really excited about this 94% off A.L.C. 'Ree' dress :)

She's even wearing my Fendi shoes!

Less than $40 from $635!

And for $15 I figured why not...

I was excited about this size 2 $675 Phillip Lim dress until I tried to get it over my bum. It's a little snug so PM me if you're interested. It would probably work best on a size 4 - it has a lot of stretch and a boxy cut. The patent collar is fraying a little at the edges but it was 91% off.

I also picked up this beautiful Dolce & Gabbana dress in size 40 (US 4/6?) for 85% off from $2475. It's too small for me so PM me if you're interested.

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And finally, new Julishland leather bracelets came the other day and they are so pretty! These are a little tighter than my last size small but still wearable. Here's my little model showing them off :)

Happy 4th of July folks! Enjoy all the weekend sales :)
Shoppinggal