BBChic

A Series For Those Joining My Shopaholics Anonymous Group-eBay

Laura Thomas — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:44:58 -0400

And now for the finale! Everyone knows I am an eBay lover. I’ve been a proud member since 2001 and nearly every fashion favorite in my closet is from eBay—silver tweed Couture Couture winter coat, black patent Furla bag, vintage rhinestone collar, 80s enamel Hermes cuff—the list goes on…and on. The good news is that I save an average of $200 to $300 off of retail prices when I shop eBay. And I’ve come back to my Mecca this year full force. So to satisfy the multitudes of you people who ask me to share my sellers, here all of my secrets (well, some of them :) )

http://stores.ebay.com/Celebrity-Owned?_rdc=1

Straight from the wardrobes of some of your favorite TV and film sets. Get the white cashmere shawl Gwyneth wore for ¾ of the price.

http://stores.ebay.com/DOLLFACE-VINTAGE-clothing?_rdc=1

Actual super cool vintage finds that look modern and well kept at super low prices. Your friends will think Pat Field is hiding in your closet.

http://stores.ebay.com/thepaisleypetunia

I love J. Crew. So sue me, I’m from Connecticut. But I’m not so jazzed at the fact that their price points now hit the $1000 mark. Thanks to The Paisley Petunia, I can load up on all my J. Crew wish list items for at least $100 below the original retail price. And the merch is literally only a catalogue behind if that.

Now, go forth and save. But don’t you dare look any less cute, people!

A Series For Those Joining My Shopaholics Anonymous Group-Sephora Brand Cosmetics

Laura Thomas — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:52:14 -0400

Sephora Brand Cosmetics

I allowed a Sephora employee to attack me this weekend. And by attack, I mean move aggressively at my face with a wand covered in some kind of pink glittery substance. Luckily for her, I am a sucker for anything pink, glittery and/or cosmetic. Nameless-Aggressive-Makeup-Lady ended up being my cosmetic savior (if you will). I am now a devoted follower of Sephora Colorful Mono Eyeshadow. It lasts all day (and many of my days are 20 hours at a time) without creasing!!!!! WHAT?! It’s $12 of magic. I am sporting Hawaiian Beach 52 for up to 20 hours of style right now.

A Series For Those Joining My Shopaholics Anonymous Group-Endless.com

Laura Thomas — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:31:58 -0400

Endless.com

Whenever my roommate has a date, work event, family holiday, trip to the grocery store, she declares: “I need a new outfit.” I, on the other hand, declare that I need new shoes. We all have our thing (or in my case things…lippies and shoes). If you relate to this, click as fast as you can to Endless.com. EVERYTHING is here from Dolce & Gabbana to Dolce Vita. Free overnight shipping and the best prices around. Trust, I’ve looked.

A Series For Those Joining My Shopaholics Anonymous Group-L’Oreal Mascara

Laura Thomas — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:26:22 -0400

L’Oreal Original Voluminous Mascara

We represent L’Oreal Paris—you know this if you’ve ever read our Web site. And if you know me, you know I tend to like expensive things…such as DiorShow Mascara. It’s pricey but it IS amazing, ladies. A couple of months ago I happened to hear our beauty team saying that L’Oreal Paris Original Voluminous Mascara is a fave of the beauty editor circuit. Obvy, I had to try it! And I was not disappointed. At around $6 (versus $24) my lashes have a new BFF.

A Series For Those Joining My Shopaholics Anonymous Group - Old Navy

Laura Thomas — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:09:20 -0400

Old Navy

We ladies always try to present a veneer of perfection. Women don’t sweat, grow hair in any other place beside their eyebrows and top of their head, and certainly don’t pass flatulence. Ahem. Just like we don’t pit out our white shirts. Riiiiight. Well, instead of resupplying at Theory this year, I was pleasantly surprised to find adequately classic, tailored white button downs, henleys and t-shirts at Old Navy. I loaded up and didn’t break the $50 mark. For clothing I replace seasonally, the price is right, Bob Barker.

Source: sarajofrieden.com

The Price Is Right, Bob Barker—A Series For Those Joining My Shopaholics Anonymous Group

Laura Thomas — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:35:10 -0400

I’ve been feeling cash poor lately—like most of my countrymen. And I’ve definitely gotten a lot feistier about my purchases. Luckily, I am quite the savvy spender so I really feel that I haven’t been looking or dressing less cute than the standard I have always held myself to…cute wise. So I thought I’d share a few of the smarter alternatives I’ve been turning to in these times that try men’s souls. Stay tuned for the next week, friendly readers.

Wet N’ Wild Lipstick in Hot Read

I have been lusting after Nars Semi-Matte Lipstick in Jungle Red for years now. BUT I already have one in Manhunt and cannot justify another $24 spend for such a similar hue. (Have I mentioned I have a lippy addiction?) Thus, Visual Therapy’s resident maven Sarah Davidzuk showed me the way, the truth and the light by recommending Wet N’ Wild’s Lipstick in 519A. It is a movie star pinup, Rita ‘Hay-worthy’ matte red lipstick. And it’s $1.29, people!!!!

Source: nyshirt.com

P.S. I Love This

Laura Thomas — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:23:05 -0400

I was quite recently turned on to the super fabulous blog P.S. I Made This. Like many, I was briefly entranced by the Do It Yourself revolution precipitated by “Trading Spaces” a few years back (does anyone have as much spunk as Paige Davis?). But also like many, I got over it in a hot flash and moved on to reality TV shows about obese people and ne'er-do-well teens from the LA suburbs. But I digress.

P.S. I Made This rocks my world. Author and rad gal Erica Domesek shows all us lesser abled fashion followers how to whip up our very own faux fur wrap a la Kate Moss or create a feather shoulder embellishment that looks runway ready. Her straightforward formula of showing us a chic collage of high fashion imagery to prove the next big trend followed by a quick step-by-step guide on how to Do It Ourselves is, quite simply, genius. All I have to say is: Watch out Christopher Bailey, Laura C. Thomas is all over the equestrian brooch.

Source: psimadethis.com

A Not-So Diesel Rave

Dania Shiblaq — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:26:16 -0400

Let us begin with the email.

Date: Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 11:38 AM
Subject: ummmm

You get to hear about this before the masses do:

Diesel is throwing another one of their crazy parties at a secret location, with ONE of MY FAVORITE artists DJing. It's Tuesday, October 27th, but, you WILL NEED a wristband to get in! Go to the UNION SQUARE DIESEL STORE ASAP and ask for MR. BARON and he will give you a wristband. I'm totally serious. First come, first serve.

See you Tuesday. It's gonna be crazy!

Although this email seemed a bit too Gossip Girl for me, Fashionista had reported on this alleged party shortly after I received my email. And if you know me, when Fashionista tells me to do something, I generally listen. My friends and I met at the Diesel store where we scoped out the most friendly looking sales person to ask about the secret party. “Excuse me, Hi! Ummm, I know this sounds completely ridiculous, and I apologize for harassing you while you try to sell glow in the dark denim, but I was told to ask for a Mr. Baron? Do you know anything about this?,” I said.

Before I knew it I was following a trail of confetti down the stairs into a dark room, then through a door that led to THE room. Let me set this up for you: Blaring house music, black lights, posters, glow in the dark paint…and Mr. Baron.

“Welcome. I am Mr. Baron and this is just a taste of what you will experience next week. There are clues here about the party, but call the number on your wristband on Tuesday to find out the secret location. Be sure to wear your best black light attire. Here is your wristband. Make sure you don’t lose it—it is the only way in,” said a very thin, blond man.

Did I mention Mr. Baron* was sitting on a chair in the middle of this empty mini rave room? This was the best thing I had experienced in a while and I couldn’t stop laughing. I alerted all of my friends from back home** of the wildness that came with living in New York.

This brings us to the event itself on Tuesday, October 27, 2009.

A lovely rainy day in New York and the last thing I wanted to do was go to this party. There was no way out, I had committed and my friends had already ironed their glow in the dark leotards. I will spare you all the details and get to the point. The party was le terrible***. There was nothing crazy or fun about it. We waited in line in the rain to realize that this was a big fat waste of a $7 cab fare.

The dance floor was packed, but nobody was dancing. They publicized a guest DJ and I expected someone fabulous (MIA and N.E.R.D performed at the party last year). But apparently the recession affected their party budget this year. Spank Rock spun…who? There was only one bar for all 500 guests. People were carrying 6 drinks at a time to avoid facing that line again. They also publicized an open bar all night—I believe open bar means free, so why did they begin charging?

Overall, I believe Diesel got what they wanted to out of the stunt. They drove traffic into their store and created a ton of buzz surrounding their new line. But after a lame no-dance party, don’t expect to see these legs in Diesel jeans any time soon.

*Mr. Baron was a petite man with a platinum blonde bowl cut, leather jacket, wearing wayfarers indoors…in a dark room.
**Home is Ohio. Yes. Ohio. No, I did not grow up on a farm.
*** ‘Le ____’ is a common Lux Team-ism used by Lux team members at BBC.

In The words of Michelle Tanner: J.C. Penney’s, You Got It Dude!

Laura Thomas — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:15:40 -0400

I am a “Good Morning America” nut. I watch every single morning. I follow Chris and Sam on Twitter. You get the idea. And while GMA feeds my soul on a daily basis, it seldom feeds my work—alas, stories about three-year-olds surviving a week alone in the woods outfitted only in flame-retardant PJs aren’t as applicable to fashion as one might think.

So imagine my surprise when Diane announced during this morning’s show that the Olsen twins were stopping by to make an announcement—causing me to recalculate my morning routine to allow for lunch making as well as Olsen twins news. Turns out those wily twins are launching a tween fashion line with J.C. Penney’s set to hit floors in February nationwide.

Now, I must admit, when Penney’s opened up their Manhattan flagship store this summer, I cringed at the amount of money they were dumping into such a grand venture during the worst retail climate in a long time. I mean, I think Target’s move to introduce the GO International program was nothing short of brilliant. But J.C. Penney’s celebrity diffuse lines have fallen short for consumers and me as well. A quick gander at the I ‘Heart’ Ronson line, by wunderkind Charlotte Ronson, shows a hefty number of markdowns. That said, I must say that I’m impressed with Penney’s ability to cajole Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen into launching a line for them. The kids that grew up watching Ash and MK on television and video are now credit card carrying teens and young adults—a fact I’m sure the big wigs at JCP are banking on (pun intended).

Select styles of the "Olsenboye" line — named for the twins' family in Norway — will be offered for a limited time online and in some stores from Nov. 6 until the official launch in February. Prices range between $20 and $50. Marketing support leans heavily on social-media buzz and "guerrilla" street outreach via pink ice cream trucks turned mobile shops that will travel around New York City today, with the Olsen sisters aboard. Ultimately, if this venture doesn’t end in a landside retail success (which it just might) it’s already a resounding PR success. As Michelle on “Full House” would say: J.C. Penney’s, you got it dude!

Food and Fashion’s One Night Stand

Laura Thomas — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:30:04 -0400

Last night, Ms. Stacie and I made our way to the SFA Café on the eighth floor of Saks Fifth Avenue (think the St. Peter’s Cathedral of shoe shopping) for the launch of Assouline and the CFDA’s “American Fashion Cookbook.”

Our entourage included the dashing Mr. Jay Kos and the sartorially gifted duo Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo of Visual Therapy. We all nibbled on Diane Von Furstenberg’s chicken specialty and Zac Posen’s tasty little cookies whilst rubbing elbows with the likes of Elie Tahari (whose lamb chops were the night’s star), Behnaz Sarafpour and an army of the Assouline clan.

With a forward by domestic queen Martha Stewart, the book is a lime green tome unlocking the lacquered recipe boxes of America’s fashion elite. Isaac Mizrahi shares his mushroom truffle spaghetti. Carolina Herrera divulges her pommes toupinel. Marc Ecko teases with his “Adults Only” chocolate chip cookies—how on brand of him?

Stacie and I also caught up with fashionable man about town, Jim Shi, who is now freelancing for the Financial Times. Shi shed one hundred pounds in the past year through a no carb, no sweets regime of healthy eating and two workouts a day. So very Marc Jacobs. He said he’s thrilled to be participating in fashion rather than just writing about it. We say: Bravo! You look like a fashion fox, Jim!