oh my...

could someone please buy this so i don't have to? my heavens, it's just gorgeous, isn't it? delicate, but draws just the right amount of attention to itself...and the green jade is such a great color. picture that on your neck accenting a plain old white shirt, or a black v-neck sweater....delicious!

and it doesn't hurt that it's about 70% off....$128 down from $365 at shoptwigs.com. 22K gold vermeil and jade beads....yum! or, if you'd like to get it for me for christmas, i'll be more than happy to send you my shipping address :)

net-a-porter sale...need i say more??

run, don't walk...net-a-porter.com is having its annual designer sale, and there are some serious deals to be had. chloe boots for $400, paddington bags for $1000, christian louboutin wedges for $300....talk about merry christmas!! also, don't miss the chance to score some jimmy choos for less than $300...or a marc jacobs stam bag for under $800.


if there were any way i could shove my huge feet into those louboutins, i'd be a truly happy woman. happy shopping, everyone!


oh, and PS - free shipping on any order with code 'HOLIDAY'

designer of the day: jewelry by understated designs

the designer of the day today is someone i've had a little design crush on for at least six months now: lori yohe of understated designs). she does beautiful work & specializes in finding really lovely quotes to incorporate into her pieces, which isn't a new idea, but i think she does it better than anyone else.

my favorite is the 'lovers' pendant, which is a gorgeous hammered gold (or silver) circle with two different chains, diamonds set into the circle, and a quote by elizabeth browning, which reads "i love you not only for what you are, but for what i am when i am with you." it's very high on my christmas wish list.

if you ever need a really sweet gift for a mom or grandmother, she has some gorgeous pieces that would fit the bill beautifully. i love the 'naomi' pendant, which reads "a mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary." just think of all the brownie points you'd make with a gift like that!

or heck, buy one for yourself. lori also designs custom pieces, so you could do something like a cuff bracelet (not yet available on the website, but pictured above) with a line from your wedding vows, or put a quote you've always loved onto a pendant.

understated designs is offering a 10% off promotion right now as well (or 15% off if you order 4 or more pieces). if you buy directly from lori, her pieces range from about $200-500...depending on the type of metal (most are available in silver or 14K white/yellow/rose gold) and whether there are any gemstones on the piece.

if you want to order for christmas, lori needs custom orders by 12/6...but items in stock wouldn't have to be ordered that early, i'm guessing. you can reach her at info@understateddesigns.com - just mention you saw the 10% discount here, and she'll apply it to your order.

happy shopping!!

getting personal for a moment....

i don't usually put personal posts here, but my sweet puppy passed away over the thanksgiving holiday after a very long life of being the best dog anyone could ever hope for. i'm sending him wishes for piles of dog biscuits and (in his case) lots of toilet paper and post-it notes to chew on....

*sniff*

gift idea of the day: uglydolls

i think these are the most creative and fun gift ever, and if i weren't one of the few people i know with my sense of humor, i would buy them for everyone on my list. but a lot of people i know would just think i'm weird, so they're not getting them.

each of the uglydolls comes with a great name and a story that would make it really easy to pick an uglydoll to match each of your friends. take chuckanucka, for example:

Need someone to worry all over you? A worrier yourself? Chuckanucka is your man. He worries about pretty much everything under the sun: What if the phone rings when I go out? What if the mail man tries to deliver my earmuffs when I'm in the bathroom? Hey, I don't remember leaving the closet door open just a crack like that! What if I can't ever stop thinking about my name over and over again? Chuckanucka has a pretty strange way of looking at life. Sometimes he wonders if this is all just a hologram, and on other days he wonders what's going to happen if they stop making CD players... How will I play my favorite CDs??? I have over nine of them! Poor Chuckanucka. Ok, so maybe you'll have to look after *him*.

come on, that's darling! and for less than $20, it's a creative and unique gift for that person you can't think of anything else to give. if you know someone who would think these are as fabulous as i do, pick them up at calliopeboutique.com.

this might just be....

...the saddest thing i have ever read:

Ladies, listen. When Manolo dies, there will be no more Manolos. There is no heir or protégé. No big luxury goods conglomerate like LVMH waiting in the wings. No. No. No. When Blahnik has gone to that great shoe box in the sky, Manolos are finished.

*sniff* thanks to national geographic and the budget fashionista for totally depressing me.

IHO His Royal Shoeness, i highly recommend a trip to this link for some looks at his most amazing styles.

item of the day: t.anthony town & country tote

this gorgeous tote bag was recently voted the best tote bag money can buy, according to a magazine whose name escapes me just now (running a close second to the ll bean "boat & tote" bag). it won because it's seriously durable, holds absolutely everything, and is more than stylish enough to compete with a lot of the high-end bags there. now true, it's not cheap at nearly $300...but there are stories of t. anthony customers who've had their bags for 60 years. convert that into a cost-per-wear scenario, and it's the best deal in town. it's just the thing for those long days of holiday shopping, when you know you're going to need provisions (water, spare shoes, and a granola bar). and, it'll be the perfect carry-on for any holiday traveling needs.

available in 4 great color combos (i like the black and white or the blue/burgundy best)....pick one up here.

should i do it?

i'm debating taking the plunge. not all the way to skinny jeans....no, i can't quite go there yet (or ever). but these straight legs might not be so bad. maybe?

soooo scary......do i dare?

item of the day: ellen tracy satchel

since i think all of you know my love for bags and shoes, you also probably know that a too-large portion of my montly income goes toward purchasing these beauties. for this reason, i'm always thrilled to come across a deal.

today's feature may not be a deal at first glance, but let's talk about it for a second. lambskin. classic styling. the bag has structure of a frame with just a little slouch, to keep it from being boxy. the twisted handle detail is just interesting and distinctive enough to keep it interesting. the style and the details really do scream "i cost a lot more than $300," even though, amazingly enough, it didn't. i'm pretty darn impressed, actually.

and if you want to be even more impressed, check out the rest of ellen tracy's bags from her fall 2006 line, some of which are even on sale. she seems to have the understated elegance thing down, but isn't afraid to add one or two details to really make the style pop, all while using materials that should be coming along with a much higher price tag. two thumbs up!

as janice would say...

OH.....MY......GOD. seriously, i think i'm blind.

and can you believe that this monstrosity is $365? dollars??? honestly, it's so bad that they couldn't even come up with a color to call it. the official website calls the color "fuschia, sunflower, sky blue, aqua". yes, that's the SINGLE color in which this lovely piece is available. say that five times fast.

blame dooney and bourke. man, they almost had me back after a few recent "hits", but this "miss" is so serious, i may never recover.

shoe of the day: french plum wedges

darling, right? i think they'd be so amazing with a black shirt & jeans, or a black party dress, or pretty much anything grey or white, or....the list goes on and on. and hey, guess what? $24.50 at your friendly neighborhood old navy store. really! and they're actual suede, too...who'd have thought?

seriously, i can't believe you haven't already ordered them.

and PS, for those of you that voted in the black flat debate, the overwhelming winner was also from old navy. ringing in at just $19.50, it beat out shoes that were nearly 10 times the price! pick up a pair while you're getting the french plum wedges, whydontcha?

black flats

okay, it's my turn to seek some 'personal shopping' help from my readers. are you up to the task?

i need a new pair of black flats. i want something casual - something i can throw on with jeans, that i won't be (too) worried about scuffing up, but that still looks stylish. and they also have to be relatively comfortable, without going into the 'athletic shoe lookalike' realm.

here are a few i've found - i'd love to hear what you think, or see other suggestions you might have. but please, please, don't show me unless they're available in an 11....no need for torture!

option one:



option two (courtesy of thedailyobsession):

option three:








option four:

option five:











i realize a lot of these are similar, but hey, my taste is usually pretty predictable :) anyone have preferences, or other ideas??

item of the day: red penguin wellies

if it has to rain, wouldn't these make you want to go jump in some puddles?

with pants covering them, they're a nice, classic wellie...but if you tuck the jeans in, suddenly they have a little bit of personality, without going too far. plus, i love that they're lined in shearling, so that they're actually cozy.

pick them up at jcrew - and you just might find yourself praying for rain :)

oh yeah, AND....

looks like neiman marcus matched saks - private one day sale is here. check out all of those chloe bags on sale...damn!

and of course, it's also the first day of the nordstrom half-yearly. wow, what a day!

run, don't walk!

saks fifth avenue is having a one-day sale. this was supposed to be a private, invite-only event, but either they've opened it up to the general public (more likely) or i managed to snag an invite (less likely). either way, get it while it's hot! there are some pretty fabulous deals to be had, especially if you've been drooling over the marc by marc jacobs turnlock line, as i have. or a certain pair of giuseppe zanoti flat boots. or pretty much the entire fall collection from nanette lepore. or....well, just go look.

also, take free shipping on orders over $150 with code FSNOV6. happy shopping!