Jimmy Choo Sample Sale - What I Wore & What I Scored!

When the Jimmy Choo sample sale popped up I quickly assessed what my must-haves would be. Jeweled booties were at the top of my list and once again I walked away Choo-less. No worries, I still managed to score some other killer deals and a couple extras for my lovelies :)

Let's start with my look;

• Sunglasses: Ray-Ban, 90% off at Century 21, $8 (retail $145)
• Earrings: Av Max NYC, sample sale, $4 (retail $45)
• Dress: H&M, clearance rack, $3 (retail $49.95 I think - may have been more)
• Jeans: Chip Foster, Nordstrom Rack $19.98 (retail $220)
• Bracelet: House of Harlow 1960 gold textured cuff, rent the runway sample sale, $17 (retail $85)
• Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim medium Pashli, Nordstrom Rack, $160 after using some Nordstrom Notes (retail $895)
• Shoes: LK Bennett Florete, sample sale, $20 (retail $305)

I do confess that I changed into my Crocs for the sale because the yellow was too noticeable and I did not want to be thrown out of Choo again. I'm still not sure what happened last time (they said I was there too long???) but I was determined to fly under the radar and stay till the end.

I first walked in at 2 pm because they were scheduled to close at 4. Typically they start discounting in the last couple hours. However I was thrown a curveball - I saw a model considering a pair of sky high knee boots so I pulled her aside and told her that they would be cutting prices any minute because they always cut prices two hours before close. She informed me that they extended closing until 6!!!! GAMECHANGER! I slowly put back all my finds and walked out the door. I was so frustrated because I became emotionally attached to those items and there was no way I would find everything later on.

After a small hiatus and impromptu photoshoot with fellow bargainista, the Fashion Sherlock (thanks again for shooting me with my new Nikon!) we returned a couple minutes too late. Price cuts were in effect! We quickly scrambled to reclaim our goods. Too bad that model didn't come back because her $375 boots got slashed to $200. In the end, bags were mostly $250 (some smaller ones were $200) and they had a $50 upcharge for exotic skins. Ladies shoes were $100-200, men's were $100-150 and belts and scarves were $25.

I didn't take any pics from inside the sale but honestly it was the same stuff from previous years but more beat up and even less of a selection. You can look at a previous report here.

I did manage to find some of the pieces I put down including;

The Bella (retail $785) and Bonnie (retail $880) belts. They were cut from $50 to $25 each. I mistakenly grabbed the thinner one in a size too big. So stay tuned for extras in my next blog sale.

I still have not worn my Candy clutch from last year but I figured I'd try again. In retrospect I probably should have tried for a Sweetie clutch which is the longer version of the Candy. Found the limited edition Hawaii clutch (retail $995) for $200 after being cut from $250.

My piece de resistance was this violet Charm satin clutch that's fully strassed in Swarovski crystals. After extensive googling I found it online (but sold out) for 2,295 Euro which is around $2,600 right now. I got it for $250 after being slashed from $350.

I first spotted this pouch on the small leather goods table for $100 even though it had a green tag for $200. The woman said the cashier should talk to her if there is a problem. I later found it again mixed in with the $200 bags and snapped it up thinking it would $50. When checking out they tried to charge me $200 so I spotted the woman and she told them $50 - and they marked it as a SLG (small leather good) but when I went to the line to pay (they had two lines, one to tally and one to pay) it came up $25 for SLGs!!! I love my satin pouch oh so much more for $25! I believe it's the Zena pouch but can't find this exact bag google. Looks like it's from their Spring 2015 collection and I found the similar fold-over version, called the Nyla floral jacquard clutch that retailed for 315 Euro (about $350+). It's exactly what I was looking for and I have a bunch of pieces to coordinate in this neon yellow :)

 That's it. I'm still kicking myself for not grabbing some $100 shoes but everything I wanted was $200 and looked worn or I couldn't walk in them. Next time.

I'm linking a few of my pieces (or similar) here to shop my look and finds :)

I've been KILLING IT at the Rack - stay tuned for that post :) I have a busy couple of weeks coming up so I'll have lots of adventures and outfits to share! And yes, blog sale is in the works...

XOXO
Shoppinggal

Rockstuds in the Park.

Two mommies asked me today why I was wearing Rockstuds on a Sunday. I said "why not?" After years of dressing my kids to the nines and letting myself go I decided to take back my fashion power. Now I let my kids dress themselves and I dress me.

One of my daughters had a birthday party today so after we dropped her off, my husband and I took the other two to the park. In my Rockstuds :)

From head to toe-

• Sunglasses: Prada, Nordstrom Rack, $0.01 (retail $260)
• Earrings: Alexis Bittar, Nordstrom Rack, $10.70 after CTR (retail $90)
• Poncho: Elizabeth and James, sample sale, $30 (retail $425)
• Dress: H&M, $10
• Jeans: Chip Foster, Nordstrom Rack, $19.98 (retail $220)
• Bracelet: Dannijo, sample sale, $25 (retail $300+)
• Bag: Rebecca Minkoff, sample sale, $50 (retail $495)
• Shoes: Valentino Rockstuds, Nordstrom Rack, $250 (retail $1,045)

Other than my shoefie, today's pictures are by my lovely 10 year old. As you can see, I clearly had nothing to do with what he wore.

I'm linking pieces from my look (some similar) should you need them too :)

Happy Sunday!

XOXO
Shoppinggal

NYC, the George Washington Bridge & Another Nail Fail.

So I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. On Sunday, I decided to give acrylics another go and headed back to the nail salon in Washington Heights. This time I had my secret weapon in tow - my girl, W who speaks Spanish fluently. Unfortunately, once again, W's favorite nail technician had the day off so we went with the owner...which didn't work out so well either. 

I don't think my manicure is terrible but there were a combo of issues that did not go my way. First off, I asked for pointed nails and she shaped them super crooked and fang like. We realized she didn't know how to shape a pointed short nail so W recommended square, which is what she does. Looks great on her but not so much on my short, stumpy, old-lady hands LOL. And some of them are still crooked despite the square which we figured there was no way she could screw up. But she did. THEN, they didn't have the color I wanted. I wanted a color like Essie Ballet Slippers in gel - and they didn't have it. I tried this yellowish sheer color topped with a pink sheer with iridescent glitter to neutralize the yellow. Didn't work.

They actually don't look so bad in this pic but that's only because they are a little blown out from the camera focusing on the red gloves.

Here are W's nails. I think they are much better than mine. I told her next time we are only going to her girl - and if they don't work out I'm throwing in the hat.

I'm not wearing any makeup because I thought I was only going to shoot our nails. But as we were wondering the streets I spotted this fun mailbox and got inspired. Looking forward to putting away this coat already. As anxious as I am for warmer weather, I have not a clue what my vision for Spring is yet. I have to play around in my closet a little this week.

My #OOTD from head to toe:

• Hat: H&M, $1
• Sunglasses: Century 21, free with rewards (but they were selling them for $60)
• Coat: H&M, $24
• Dress: H&M, $15
• Gloves: Carolina Amato, sample sale, $15
• Bag: Balenciaga Velo, Nordstrom Rack
• Key Chain: Adrienne Landu, fashion presentation swag, free :)
• Jeans: Chip Foster, Nordstrom Rack, $19.98
• Sneakers: Converse, Nordstrom Rack, $7.50

You can shop my look here:

And then I saw the George Washington Bridge and knew what we needed to do. I told W that we were going to walk home to NJ. So we did.

But first I jumped on a ledge and we took a few more pics LOL.

I've always wanted to walk across the bridge and it was sunset so it was the prefect time. The light wasn't the best for pictures but it was beautiful IRL.

Don't worry - we crossed just as it turned dark and when we got to Fort Lee we got a ride the rest of the way.

Today I snapped another pic of my mani and the more I look at it the more it drives me nuts. I've since gone over it with a coat of Ballet Slippers...which kinda defeats the purpose of getting gel in the first place, but what can you do? At least my A.V. Max druzy ring looks pretty. BTW, I've extended the $50 giftcard giveaway for a few more days so it's not too late to enter!

And last but not least I've decided to give Pinterest a try so I joined in with a bunch of bloggers for a Macbook Air + Kate Spade giveaway there! You can enter in the Gleam widget below - good luck!

XO
Shoppinggal

Macbook Air + Kate Spade Pinterest Giveaway

Nordstrom Rack, Elizabeth and James & Rebecca Minkoff Sample Sale Hauls...and More!

I've been so overwhelmed by my spectacular deals of late that this one has been a long time coming. There probably is more but these finds are the best of the best that I needed to share with you already.

Let's start with the Rack:

I teased my $2,890 Pucci dress that I picked up for $139.90 so now for the big reveal...

I actually did a search and send for 2 more of these dresses (I took all of them in the company LOL) so now I own the 4, 6 and 8. As soon as I figure out which one fits me best I'll be selling the other two to my personal shopping clients.

This past round of markdowns, Alexis Bittar went to 85% off retail - plus an extra 25% off for Clear the Racks! I had to leave a bunch of bracelets because the clasps were weak but I still managed to find a few. The rose gold one actually pops open but it's so pretty I don't know if I can let it go. These were all $18-22 after discounts. 

I was actually eyeing these pave earrings for a while. They started at $42.95 (retail $95) so I was excited when they got slashed to $14.25. Add the CTR discount and they came home with me for $10.69 :)

I was happy when I found these Kendra Scott Danielle earrings for $25 but when I brought them in for CTR to get them price adjusted (they adjust all purchases made within 7 days) low a behold they had another markdown. So now they were $18 less 25% - making these $60 earrings just $13.50. Insane.

$7.50 Michael Kors and $15 Valentino sunnies (after CTR).

And now a couple shoe penny finds - these $995 Bally boots and $1,175 Derek Lam sandals are hands down my favorites.

But lets not forget all my penny Pradas. After a friend mentioned she found a pair of Baroques for a penny I went and hunted down a bunch of other Pradas LOL. Guess what everyone is getting for Chanukah?

Sam Edelman $149 burnout velvet fringe Kimono for just $19.98! I figure I can throw it over a LBD and presto - I have a modest look my mom would approve of.

I get the best plus size fashion at the Rack. Takes some digging (like all Rack finds) but you can find some fun, young pieces for great prices. This $158 Tahari colorblocked sheath was just five bucks.  Now if only I could find her designer shoes for her giant 12 wide feet.

My $1,095 Marc Jacobs small Antonia (just $25 after CTR discount and my Nordstrom Notes!!!) is the prettiest shade of peacock green. 

And you've seen my $220 (scored for $19.98) Chip Foster jeans (twice!) and $895 Phillip Lim Pashli (scored for $160 after using some Notes) but they were both so good I had to mention them again.

Whew. Now let's move on to my to Elizabeth and James sample sale gems. I went in to that sale looking for furs and leather and boy did I score. With all the sample furs and leathers priced at $100 I took everything that would work for me.

I wanted a longer fur and the other Kimono style they had looked like a bathrobe on me. This was a little more tailored and I love the crazy stripes. I don't think this $1,495 Holland in stripes was ever produced (only in solid). That's another thing I love about sample sales - I now own so many one of a kind designer pieces.

My favorite from the batch was this $1,195 Garcia fur jacket. What's so special about my sample is that when it was produced they didn't do the knit sleeve that turns into fingerless gloves -  which is my favorite detail. You can see what I mean from my Couture for a Cause pics.

This $1,365 distressed one of a kind (I've only seen it in black leather) Renley leather moto jacket is gonna be a project. It was unfinished (missing some of the buckles and has slight damage from tape) so I'm going to customize it. I also love the oversized design because most of my leathers are so fitted. Stay tuned for my next DIY :)

Back.

 And you know me and fringe. Couldn't resist this $995 leather hooded fringed jacket.

You've seen my $30 Poncho before (retail $425) but I figured one more time couldn't hurt.

For $20 I took this $275 Tulsi top home.

I popped into the Anna Sui sample sale this week after picking up one of her cute dresses at the Rent the Runway sale last week. I came out with these super comfortable $585 butterfly wedges from her Spring 2014 collection. I couldn't decide which color I liked better so I took them both LOL. Good news is that instead of $30 each (on the first day they were $50 each), they gave me a discount for multiples so I took home $1,170 worth of shoes for $50. Score!

I also recently won this adorable Leslie Francesca ring on Instagram.  Free is always good :)

If you thought my Rack and Elizabeth and James scores were good, be prepared to drool over my Rebecca Minkoff haul. It took me three trips to the sale and several hours but it's my best one yet. I am pleased to share that I am totally prepared for Fall (accessory-wise). All the shoes and boots were $25, bags were $20-50, jewelry was $10 and belts were just $1. My splurge was the $798 studded leather jacket for $150. Don't worry, you'll see closeups as I wear them.

For what I didn't end of keeping you're gonna have to wait for my blog sale. Hopefully I'll have it up next weekend. It's gonna be epic - my biggest one yet!

I'm linking some of these pieces and simlar, mostly so you can see I'm not kidding about the retail prices on these things.

I'm very excited because there are some great sales coming up this week. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for live updates. This week I met a bunch of you at Rebecca Minkoff and I loved meeting you and seeing what you found. Please come say hello if you ever see me :)

XOXO
Shoppinggal