March 2009

I usually favor Serena’s wardrobe choices (or the choices made for her character by stylist Eric Deman) on Gossip Girl, but when I saw Queen B in this adorable get up she was my preferred Upper East Sider!

I love her dress and while I’m pretty sure it’s an expensive designer frock, you can achieve the same look by pairing a high-waisted pencil skirt with a slim floral tank like the one I found here.  It mimics the look of a one-piece dress but since they’re separates, you can also mix and match the individual pieces with other items in your wardrobe to get the most mileage and value from your purchases.

I also love her choice of ultra ladylike accessories, like her quilted bag and signature headband, but what I like most is how she manages to make those classic pearls look totally hip and modern by going for a gumball sized, ultra-long strand instead of your more traditional pearl necklace.  The red tights kind of throw me for a loop and it’s not something I would choose, especially now that it’s getting warmer, but I threw them in there just in case you want to try out this shade of legwear!

So as much as I wish I could blog full time I can’t…but since I have plenty of content that I can’t cover in a full post I decided to create this “BestBuys” section at the top of the blog.  I’ll be featuring items here that I think are a must-buy for their incredible price/value and that you just shouldn’t miss!

The content will vary day by day and could be anything from an amazing pair of shoes to a statment necklace or even a designer deal, like this Marc by Marc Jacobs wallet I just posted!  I hope you enjoy this new section and all the daily deals that this will allow me feature!

I always find white pants really tricky to wear and to keep clean, but most of all I just think they’re hard to find! You don’t want them to be too tight because hello, they’re white pants! But, you also don’t want them to be too baggy because white is not a very slimming color…no matter what your size!

This season I’m totally into the whole relaxed fit, cuffed, tapered look when it comes to pants so when I saw these at Express I was very excited! This is the perfect safari-inspired crop pant to bring you into the Spring and Summer months…but what makes them even better is that they’re only $11.99!  Express currently has them on sale for $19.99, but you also get an additional 40% off so pick them up in Khaki and Black while you’re at it!

Pair them with super high heels for a more night appropriate look or with a great pair of metallic flats for daytime!

We all know this season is all about color…but don’t forget about your face!  Check out this adorable set from Tarte that’s chock full of pretty color and make up that’s good for your skin and the environment!

This palette includes 6 eye-shadows, 3 lip-glosses, a eye-shadow brush and the straw compact is totally reusuable, so it’ll make for an adorable make up bag  once you’re finished with the set!  The palette is a $95 value, but it’s only $28.90 if you use code GREEN at checkout…and act fast, this offer expires tomorrow!

NOTE: This giveaway has now ended.

It’s no secret that one of my favorite stores online is Ruche.  They have an amazing selection of dresses, separates and accessories that have that easy, feminine, bohemian vibe that you just can’t ever seem to find…on a budget.  They just launched their new Spring 2009 Look Book and the clothes do not disappoint!  There’s an amazing selection of flirty dresses, beautiful tops, skirts and accessories all with that  vintage inspired look that you’ve come to expect from this gem of a store.   Here are just a few of my favorites…and they’re all priced under $40:

Now for the FREE stuff…

Mai, the amazingly stylish and generous owner of Ruche has teamed up with us to sponsor a fabulous giveaway!  We want to know what you would buy with a $50 gift card so check out the full collection by clicking here and then leave a comment on this post telling us what you would purchase at Ruche!

Your comment is your official entry so don’t forget to leave one for your chance to win a $50 gift card!  Good Luck and as always, Happy Shopping!  And don’t forget to use code cheapchicas to receive 10% off your entire order!

Note: This giveaway ends on 3/30 and the winner will be notified via email.  The contest is only open to U.S. residents.

I’m pretty sure this wasn’t the “ring” Beyonce had in mind when she penned her annoyingly infectious “Single Ladies” song…she was probably envisioning something of the Neil Lane or Harry Winston kind, but these are much more budget friendly and totally unique!

I saw these at an accessories trade show in NYC a few months ago at a very high-end designer’s booth and he was asking somewhere in the $100+ range…wholesale…for plastic!!!

But thankfully, Target has once again come to the rescue with this adorable acrylic set of twin “diamond” rings!  They also come in Black/Ivory or Clear/Red!

When I first came across these little gizmos at Baker’s I had no idea what they were…were they a nifty way to add an extra inch to my too short stilettos or were they some kind of silicon cover to protect my heel from the elements???

Well, neither really.  According to the website, the “High Heeler” helps increase the surface area on the base of the heel, thereby reducing the pressure on this area and preventing the heel of your shoe from sinking in to the  grass or falling into sidewalk cracks.  The inventors, Becca Brown and Monica Murphy came up with this idea after ruining one too many pairs of expensive heels!

As a former resident of NYC, I can’t tell you how many pairs of Louboutins have been ruined by a sidewalk crack and/or subway grates, so anything that helps protect my $700 investment is a winner in my  book!  Good job girls!!

Here’s the first part of a three part series that profiles Ms. Roitfield as she makes her way from the Haute Couture shows in Paris to New York Fashion week and then back to her fabulous life as Editor-in-Chief of French Vogue . It’s a must watch and I think I love her more and more with every minute of this piece…this woman is one of my style icons!

You can click here to see the entire series on CNN.

I’m headed home from Toronto and while it may look like Spring, it definitely doesn’t feel like Spring! It’s absolutely freezing here and I hear there’s snow in Philly…not the way I wanted to start the new season, but at least you have these adorable clutches from the new Felix Ray for Target collection to put you in the mindset for Spring…and Summer!

I think I bought one of the first bags Felix Ray ever made…it was a gold metal mesh monstrosity and I just had to have it…granted this was about 5 years ago and I was in a different style place! Anyway, that bag cost me a pretty penny, but their new collection for Target will be much more reasonably priced starting at $39.99 and IMO, much cuter. The totes are a little too preppy for my taste, but I think those clutches are a must buy…expcially the one with that fab coral detailing. The collection will be available in stores on March 29th, but I’m hearing they are rolling it out early in some stores so let me know if the bags have hit a Target near you!