shop til you drop now

if there is anything classic that you want or have been eyeing, you should buy it soon!! i'm not sure if the everyday shopper has noticed but apparel prices are going up! since i'm in the retail industry, i feel so intimate w/ the current cotton / labor crisis that has struck the entire industry and is also a macroeconomic issue. prices retailers are being charged they say will jump 20-40% this year. retailers have no choice but to increase prices; some have already admitted the price increases while others are tiptoeing around it. the sad fact though, is that consumers are still very price sensitive and are still waiting for sales.

as much as i love to wear sweaters and boots, i'm soo ready for spring! since weather is definitely not on retailers' side, i think spring product will be backed up and retailers will start to be promotional...if they aren't already. a couple of items i've been eyeing (some of which i couldn't resist but did buy w/ a promotion).

jcrew is by far my favorite retailer (amongst) the specialty retailers you find in malls. the best selling styles are usually the 1st to go when they have their sales but they do occasionally have promotions online.

i'm a sucker for plaid shirts...i love this color combo

my other weakness - stripes! i love how this stripe feels more elevated because it's merino

madewell is a brand under jcrew. their styling is a bit more funky / casual. unfortunately they don't have any stores in the bay area. they did launch their website last year so at least we can buy online!

love love this shirt. should have bought it already...it's sold out now!

ann taylor...i remember as a high schooler, i aspired to shop at ann taylor when i was going to join 'corporate america'. of course, in my industry, it's uber casual so i never need to dress up. i can wear jeans every day! ann taylor has always been perceived as an mature and conservative brand. however, in the last 6 months or so, they've revamped their image and their target customer. even their marketing has been compared to jcrew.

saw this on cameron diaz in people magazine. found a 30% off coupon so i got this stripe sweater!

deals...deals...deals

so a couple of years ago, my friend started working for a company called gilt group. back then, no one had even heard of gilt. he was one of the 1st few employees and introduced me to the company as an online sample sale. he "invited" me to be a member and i was instantly hooked! they carried some amazing designers at huge discount prices. every morning at 9am PST, they would introduce new brands to the sale. people were obsessed...all the good stuff was already sold out in the 1st ten minutes!! it works perfectly for people in the east coast because it's during their lunch but is sucky for us since it's usually when most of us are already at work!

now, this site along w/ many copycats and deal sites are all the rage. there seems to be an endless no. of new sites popping up offering the latest deals! so these are a couple of my favorites...please let me know if anyone has other sites that they love!

daily deals...
groupon - use this most often
living social - most famous for their amazon gift card the other week (amazon invested millions into this company)
social buy - haven't gotten anything recently; definitely hit or miss on the deals
townhog - use this the least; usually just look at the deal in the subject title

shopping...
gilt groupe - love this site but the best looking things are usually sold out in the 1st 10 minutes! they originally started w/ only women's clothes but now has quite a selection of men's, home and children. i've also started receiving their weekly giltcity and they have some good deals there as well
luckymag - from lucky magazine. very focused...usually has a specific item that is highly discounted for 1-2 days
swirl - from daily candy. some popular brands but nothing i've found to be an amazing deal
one kings lane - similar to gilt group but completely focused on products for the home. i also love that they are based in san francisco =)

happy shopping!!