EXCLUSIVE discount from a truly fabulous designer

for those who don't remember, i did a little write-up on the designer who started halsea, a fabulous company that specializes in travel-friendly bags and accessories. anyway, i recently received an email from sally, the designer, who wanted to thank all of YOU for reading up about her company...by offering all of you darling readers a 20% discount off her entire site!

how fabulous is that!?


anyhoo...use code cardio20, and pick up a whole new travel ensemble! seriously, i want one of everything. her roller bag is impossibly perfect - durable enough to be checked, but cute enough to actually make you excited to pack! and the weekend bag (the piece i fell in love with first) is honestly the absolute perfect size for an overnight getaway. even the totes are the perfect balance of practicality (hello, waterproof canvas?!) and cute. you can mix and match the designs, or be the most coordinated girl on the plane.


either way, you can't miss with any of these gorgeous designs, and you certainly can't miss by supporting sally's company, as she is one of the sweetest designers i've ever had the pleasure of chatting with!

summer shoes are calling....

lots of great summer sales happening now...too many, really. but a couple of shoe sales you have to at least check out.

plazatoo, a site that has an amazing selection, if somewhat spotty customer service, is having their spring blowout. score loeffler randall's bianca flats for $199, sigerson morrison's darling laverne flats for $139 (down from $275), and the gorgeous classic longchamps leather tote for $429 (down from $720).

another favorite, barefoot tess, is offering a 35% storewide discount with code BFT. there are a small handful of shoes that aren't eligible for the discount, but the vast majority of the site is up for grabs. my picks would be the adorable french sole rhythm flats (which haven't been on sale anywhere else yet), or the loeffler randall lark python flats, which i think would go with just about everything in my closet right now.

happy hunting!

the coolest thing evah!

okay, so maybe i'm lame, but i feel about designers the way most people feel about celebrities. so, imagine my complete and total excitement when, after submitting a question to her site via email, i got an email from rebecca minkoff, herself, last night! seriously, how freaking cool is that?? in fact, we actually exchanged a handful of emails...if i swung that way, i'd so have a crush right now!

if you don't know her work, well, shame on you...go check it out now. she does such an amazing job of mixing hip and classic - classic shapes, hip colors and details. great quality, gorgeous leather, yadayadayada. all while managing to keep her prices squarely in the "regular people can actually afford my designs" range (roughly $500-600).

in fact, i was so darned excited by the whole encounter that i'm now seriously obsessing over the darling bag above...but since i've lusted after it for more than six months, i guess it's not a huge shock. what can i say...i'm a consumer whore. i think we already knew that.

so. if you love her designs too, you have options. first, rebecca (eeeee, we're on a first-name basis!) just completed a huge sample sale...many of the styles are gone now, but it's worth a call to the boutique in NYC to see if anything's left, as everything was 50% off, which is a killer deal. call 212/677.7829 if you're so inclined...if the designer is any indication, everyone at the store is going to be completely sweet and nice.

if they don't have what you want, the best price i've been able to find on the most well-known of her bags, the "morning after" (and the "morning after mini") here in all sorts of colors and in both sizes - all are on sale, plus you can get an additional 10% off with code summer, making it the best deal i've ever found on this bag (well, excluding some ridiculous anthropologie markdown after christmas, but i'm not entirely convinced that wasn't an urban legend...).

what i want today: free stuff from the TDO girls!

so, since my blog has been woefully inadequate lately, allow me to direct you to a visit over at the daily obsession, where the wonderful TDO gals are doing a super feature on the best summer beauty products...and giving away a new prize every day this week! can't beat that.

check out yesterday's offer here, and today's here and here....and stay tuned here to see the rest of the week's offerings! with as much as they're giving away, there's a chance even i could win something! well, or you...you definitely could. :)

what i want today: studded cap-toe ballet flats

so, i finally had a great excuse to catch up on all of my fashion magazine reading (14 hours on a plane...lovely), and a few things caught my eye. first and foremost were these darling flats that i'm completely in love with (trust me on this one - the picture is less than perfect, i know, but the shoes are gorgeous). they'd be absolutely, completely perfect for your fall wardrobe needs. the cap-toe shoe is incredibly hot for fall, not to mention the studs, patent, and metallic detail. i love the gunmetal color - not as flashy as gold or silver, but every bit as flexible. honestly, can't you just picture these with at least 10 outfits in your wardrobe?

best of all...under $70. no kidding. i'm rarely this impressed by nine west shoes, but they've done an amazing job this time of taking the best elements from shoes made by several high end designers (this pair looks like the brainchild of marc jacobs, tory burch, and lanvin), rather than just flat-out cloning, which i find irritating and a bit sad.

i'd like for all of you to go out and buy these, because i think they're about the hottest thing ever. sadly, they don't come in my size...so i need to live vicariously through all of you.

what i want today: halsea weekender bag

i know i've been MIA for a while, but nothing's really been singing to me recently...and my readers only get the best of the best, darn it! plus, well, there have been technical difficulties...it's been tough all around.

anyhoo, over the weekend, my web wanderings led me to a site that i have a pretty huge crush on. halsea is the creation of a designer who was aiming for "the gals who have moved-on and moved-up from the teenage surf/skate market...a women who want sophisticated, casual beach style and embrace laid-back luxury."

hey wait...that's me! i love sophisticated, casual beach style! and really, who doesn't want to embrace laid-back luxury?

anyway. everything on the site is darling (and is, by the way, perfectly coordinated), but my favorite has to be this weekend tote. i love literally everything about it. i love the laminated canvas, as it's perfect for travel (not like those travel bags that are super cute, but you know you're going to cry if the flight attendant lets a can of coke explode in your general vicinity). i love the multiple exterior pockets - just the thing for boarding pass, ipod and magazine, so you have quick access before you stow that baby in your overhead compartment. i love that it's incredibly lightweight (so you can actually carry it, especially with the shoulder strap they include), but will still hold a ton. at 13" x 21", i think i could actually use this as my only bag for a weekend away! and, i love the leather bottom, which is there to give this baby longevity - you don't have to worry about the canvas ripping as you yank your bag off the security belt.

the truth is, i just love smart, well-thought-out design, and this bag fits the bill in so many ways. plus, it's fun to look at, and doesn't blend into the sea of black roller bags.

$225 at halsea. a little steep, i realize, but something tells me this is a bag with serious longevity potential. comes in several lovely patterns/colors, but the one pictured above is an easy favorite for me.