Adventures in Shopping: Old Town Alexandria

Last weekend, Laura and I hit the streets of Old Town Alexandria in search of some great end-of-summer deals. We had a few stores in mind that we had to hit per Daily Candy and Lucky (Shoe Hive, Treat, Hysteria, Tickled Pink) but beyond that we wanted to explore the side streets off of King in search of a hidden gem. To be honest, we were a bit hesitant to go into Diva Designer Consignment & Other Delights (116 S. Pitt St.), but given our good fortune with Legendary Beast two weeks ago despite its questionable exterior, we took a chance and totally got lucky. Diva was having a 65 percent off sale on practically everything in the store, and we had a blast sorting through the racks (and racks, and racks...) of awesomely cheap, used-but-you'd-never-know-it designer duds. I scored a cute Lily Pulitzer skirt embroidered with little watermelons, a polka-dotted Tracy Reese pencil skirt, and an amazing Love Life by Felicia Pappas shift dress with a whimsical tea kettle print and ric rac embellishment. With the discount, all three items came to $64 total! With that sort of deal, I didn't even feel that bad when I couldn't afford a single item in Hysteria (a lovely, gorgeous store, but I won't be going back until my salary goes up or my rent goes down...). I didn't find anything that struck my fancy at Shoe Hive, and although there were some good deals at Treat (Alvin Valley pants for $50!) nothing was exactly what I wanted. Tickled Pink was fun to browse, but again, $70 for an embroided belt is not in my budget. Never mind though, because I am super-thrilled with my Diva purchases. I wore the tea kettle dress today and it put a constant smile on my face throughout my long hours at work (not an easy thing to do). I'll definitely be making a return trip to Old Town (maybe even next weekend...?)

My best buys ever (Part 2)

I've always loved the pretty prints on Julie Brown's silk pieces, but at an average $250 for a top and $350 for a dress, they don't fit nicely into my monthly clothing budget. You can imagine, then, how utterly thrilled I was when I found this puff-sleeved frock at the online outpost of Greenville, South Carolina-based boutique Pierce and Parker on sale for $62.50. I wore the dress to work last week with gold flats, but Laura suggested that I also try it out with round-toe pumps. I got tons of compliments from co-workers (always a boost on a dull work day) and am hoping that sometime in the near future I find another sweet deal on a Julie Brown item!

Inside My Closet: Favorite Shopping Websites

As a college student in rural upstate New York, I didn't have a lot of shopping options. The local mall had little more than a Gap and an Abercrombie, and while the local boutiques were fun to browse, there wasn't much actually worth purchasing. It was during this period of my life that I turned to the Internet to satisfy my shopping desires, and ever since then I've been hooked. Over time, I've developed a vast library of favorite online stores, but there are a few favorites that I turn to again and again. They are:

1. Posh Vintage (http://www.poshvintage.com/) I've already professed my love for this haven of gorgeous vintage items. Yes, the designer items can be devastatingly expensive, but there are definitely deals to be had. The scarf section includes many beautiful pieces for less than $100 (even Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent!) Other good deals can be found in the "urban posh" section: I recently spotted a 70s Givenchy tee-shirt for $38 that I would have scooped up immediately if it were in my size (bummer). Plus, right now everything on the site is 20% off. I scored both of my Pucci slip skirts during these annual sales (above left).

2. Intuition (http://www.shopintuition.com/). Browsing the virtual aisles of this Los Angeles boutique is just plain fun. Intuition is a Hollywood favorite, but I love it because, in addition to stocking the hottest items among the celeb crowd, it also sells totally affordable, cute clothes, jewelry, gifts, bags, books, and more. Intuition's sale section is far better than many of its rival shops, and I subscribe to the email list in order to get occasional 20% off coupon codes. I particularly like the jewelry section, where I got a cute fleur-de-lis necklace for $20 to aid Hurricane Katrina Victims. Best of all? Intution sells Minnetonka Moccasins, a nostalgic favorite of mine (above center).

3. Bluefly (http://www.bluefly.com/). This emporium of designer goods is worth visiting simply for its mind-boggling amount of items for sale. The list of designers represented is vast, and the fact that everything is up to 60% off (and even more during special sales) makes it even sweeter. Obviously, this still isn't going to equal affordable Prada or Gucci (at least for my bank account), but there are still pages and pages of items for less than $100. Some of my favorite brands to check out on Bluefly are Sweetees (where I got a great silk boho dress, above right), BCBG (I'm obsessed with the gray jersey and chiffon dress I bought last winter), and Priorities (which sells extremely cute trenchcoats and little jackets). Bluefly always has coupons for $15 off a $100 purchase or $30 off a $150 purchase, so make sure to subscribe to emails or do a Google search for the codes.

Happy virtual shopping!

Adventures in Shopping: U & 14th Sts (Part 2)

Jewelry wasn’t the only thing we scored at this past weekend’s Dog Days of Summer Sale on U & 14th. Katie and I were both pretty elated to find that we could (finally!) score some super deals at the boutiques that on any other normal day would banish us to the sale racks at the back of the store for anything remotely close to our price range (and even that can be a stretch sometimes). Tack Tax Free Weekend on top of all the sales and you have a recipe for one of the best shopping weekends we’ve had outside the outlet circuit in a long time! This particular weekend I was on a mission for attire that would take me from east coast to west coast, since I have a trip to Cali coming up in my near future. I scored both items above for about $30 each – what a steal! The yellow jersey dress with pretty lace detailing came from Moojoo Ken, and is perfect for both sunny California and steamy DC summers. The jacket was a diamond in the rough at Circle, where the steals and deals were a little more difficult to find, but worth the look. This short-sleeved blazer is a great summer-to-fall staple and perfect for work or the weekend.

Adventures in Shopping: U and 14th Streets

Yesterday morning, I dragged my butt out of bed at 8AM go with Laura to the Dog Days of Summer Sidewalk Sale taking place in the MidCity Business District. We were mainly psyched to check out the boutiques on U and 14th Streets: Caramel, Muleh, Shoefly, Moojoo Ken, Nana, and Circle. These boutiques can normally be kind of pricey, but we went in search of some great deals and were not disappointed. The most pleasant surprise of the day was Legendary Beast (best name ever!), a vintage jewelry boutique located on U Street above Shoefly. The owner is this amazing woman who wears gobs of glorious old jewelry and stocks her shop with piles of great pieces she finds mostly at estate sales. We probably spent an hour sifting through everything and still were turning up new items as we were checking out. I purchased the orange flower brooch, owl stick pin, and cute bow pin for a total of $15, and I plan on using them on my coats and blazers this fall. I also couldn't resist the cameo ring for $20. Laura got this unbelievable owl necklace (which can be turned into a pin) for $30, and also intends to incorporate it into her fall wardrobe. It was hard to limit ourselves to just these pieces, and we will definitely be returning soon for some more major vintage jewelry steals.

My best buys ever (Part 1)

Nothing is more satisfying than buying an amazing item for far less money than it's worth. I snagged this vintage Gucci purse for $40(!) at one of my very favorite online boutiques, PoshVintage.com. Many of the items for sale there are on the pricey side, which made this find all the more thrilling. Its definitely not in perfect condition, but I think that the worn-in look makes it even cooler. This is the first of many "best buys ever"that I'm looking forward to sharing on this blog, and I hope that if you have one of your own best buys, you'll tell me about it!

I hope my mother doesn't read this post...

...because surely I'd get a stern lecture for using a "smart spending" fashion blog to expound upon the virtues of underwear that costs $18 per pair (and that's just for the thongs). Well mom, I am going to break it to you here and now that I own more than 20 pairs of said underwear, and they are worth every penny. I'm talking about Hanky Pankys, and I'll admit that at one time, I too scoffed at spending my hard-earned dollars on a skimpy piece of fabric that only I (and my significant other, if he was lucky) would get to see. However, after several months of unwavering insistence from a coworker, I finally bought a pair during Nordstrom's half-yearly sale, and I hereby confess: They. Changed. My. Life. So soft, so comfortable, so flattering, so colorful. I'm in love, and its not just a fling. I highly recommend them to every woman (I prefer the low-rise variety), but be warned: Once you start, you can't turn back. Every other pair of underwear you've ever owned will pale in comparison, feeling like a piece of steel wool wedged between your butt cheeks, squeezing even the slightest ounce of fat on your hips and leaving those dreaded elastic marks etched into your skin. The success of Hanky Pankys has spawned numerous knock-offs, but ladies, don't be fooled. The original is best, so don't be tempted by low-cost copycats. So this brings us back to that pesky $18 price tag, and the fact that the whole point of this blog is the pursuit of living fashionably in the District while on a budget. Therefore, the news I am about to share with you may just make you jump out of your computer chair with joy. Yes...wait for it... Nordstrom Rack sells Hanky Pankys for $8.97 a pair (!), more than 50% off the retail price (for those of you that never passed 6th grade math.) As for hitting up the Rack, I don't ever recommend going on a weekend (too high stress, even for the most hard core shoppers), but both local stores (one in Gaithersburg, Maryland and one at Potomac Mills in Virginia) are relatively empty on weekdays. Then, you can go and browse the underwear racks to your heart's content, and usually you'll find a pretty good variety of colors and styles. No need to thank me in advance. Happy shopping!