Feeding the Shopping Addiction

As a present to myself, I purchased this Alexander McQueen bouclé-tweed dress on eBay.  Happy Birthday to me!

Color me exited!  Racked has created their first Vintage 38 list.  While I have only actually been to the Decades brick and mortar location on Melrose, since the list has been published, I have already book marked a number of websites and noted some more stores on my to do lists for my next visits to Los Angeles and New York.  If you are a fan of finding some hard to find designer pieces, this list will become your friend.

Alexander McQueen's 1995 Highland Rape collection revolved around the Jacobite Risings and the Highland Clearances and introduced the McQueen Tartan for the first time. It was also the collection that cemented McQueen as a mover and shaker in the world of high fashion.  The Widows of Culloden, the 2006 Alexander McQueen Women's Autumn/Winter collection, revisited the Jacobite Risings which culminated with the final defeat of the Jacobites by the English in the Battle of Culloden.

The collection was full of nipped waists and augmented hip lines, all designed to exaggerate a woman's form.  The pieces were beautifully handcrafted.  The below was one of the looks from the runway...


I have long been looking for an Alexander McQueen piece in the tartan.  Lo and behold, eBay had an auction for this skirt a few weeks ago, and I won it.

Here is a photo of the skirt, which is now happily hanging in my closet.  I am still so excited that I was able to find this piece and was fortunate enough to win the auction to add it to my collection.

Houston Ballet's Nutcracker Market is absolutely huge.  How big is it?  Big enough to fill Reliant Center.  This year, the market is early, running Thursday, November 8th through Sunday, November 11th.  A four day pass will run $40, but daily passes can be bought at the door for $13 per day (or for $12 for one day with this coupon!).  Please note, strollers, rolling carts, and pets are not permitted (wheelchairs and walkers are).  

A list of merchants is available here.  Merchants come from all over the US to participate in this market.  You can really find some very unique items.  Le Petit Boutique (a cute little place in Seabrook, TX which I will feature on this blog later), Leftovers Antiques (Brenham, TX), and D's Iron Designs (no store location, but sourced out of Sugarland, TX) are all merchants I have purchased from before, though at a different market.  In addition Chloe Dao will have a booth.  

The JLNHSMC, which happens to the be the League I am a member of, is holding its 10th annual Holiday Market at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center beginning Thursday, November 15th with the preview party and ending on Sunday, November 18th.  Tickets are $12 per day.  In addition to the normal market, there is Cookies with the Clauses for the kids.  Tickets cost $30 per child and $5 per adult.  Please note, strollers are welcome after 2 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and all day Sunday.

A list of merchants can be found here.  In addition to Le Petit Boutique and D's Iron Designs, The Davis Mountains Nut Company (out of Fort Davis, TX, who also has beautiful cutting boards and Lazy Susans) and Queen Bling (Pearland, TX) will also be there.  Again, these are all merchants I have purchased from before and I highly recommend.

Also on November is the Dallas located Chi Omega Christmas Market held in Fair Park.  I have never been to this market myself, but have heard wonderful things from people who have been.  The market begins on Wednesday, November 14th with a preview party and ends on Saturday, November 17th.  Tickets can be bought in advance for $12 per day through November 11th and those will be held at will call.  Tickets will also be available at the entrance of the market.  Unlike the other markets, strollers are allowed at this market.

Held December 12-24 at the Palmer Events Center, the Armadillo Bazaar is a place to shop things created by artists and artisans and enjoy a full schedule of music performances by some of Austin's most well known acts.  It has been years since I have attended, but if you are looking for a unique gift for that hard to shop for person, this is definitely a good place to look.

Now of course, these are not all the Christmas markets in Texas.  These are just the ones I have either personally experienced or have heard a lot about.  Feel free to share other events that I might have missed.

I am in love with London!  The shopping is absolutely magnificent.  Actually, magnificent might be a bit of an understatement.  And this is my impression after only a small sampling of all the city has to offer.

First, I did not make all the places I had intended to.  Unfortunately, time did not permit me to make it to Selfridges, Matches, Feathers, Vivienne Westwood, or Agent Provocateur.  I did however make it to Alexander McQueen (I am in love!), McQ (opened while I was in London), Browns, Rigby & Peller, Harrods, Harvey Nichols (though just for some champagne), Irregular Choice, and Fortnum and Mason.  I also managed to make it to the Borough Market and Petticoat Lane.

Over the next couple of weeks, I write about each place in depth.  In the interim, here are some photos from London.

Fortnum & Mason

Harrods

Liberty

Burberry on Regent

Harvey Nichols

Carnaby Street

Today and Tomorrow were days I had set aside to accomplish most of my shopping in London (or at least do a lot of browsing with actual purchasing happening NEXT weekend if necessary).  Planned stops include...

Rigby and Peller, Agent Provocateur, Vivienne Westwood, Stelle McCartney, LK Bennett, Burburry, Mulberry, and Jimmy Choo.

As I have upcoming trips to London and Los Angeles (which both happen to have Alexander McQueen stores), it is inevitable that I will make a purchase.  McQueen has dresses in a lot of the hot hues for Fall/Winter 2012 including aubergine, dark red, bright red, and green.  The big question now is: Which dress should I buy?

First, there is this blood red knitted dress.  Dark red is a must have for this fall, and the color and full skirt are features I really like about this dress.

Next, there is this cherry wool dress.  This particular shade of red is my favorite color and is also a must have for fall.  Like the dress above, the color and full skirt are features I really like about this dress.  

Of course, all bets are off if they have this particular dress in a shade of red.  On the website they only have it in bottle green (pictured here) and black. I am not without hope as, in my experience, the stores have things in stock not on the website.  I love this style of dress, so I am wishing and hoping that they did it in a shade of red as well.  I shall see shortly either way.

So, if you could choose, which would it be?  

Sample Sales in New York are one of the main things I miss about living in the city.  The savvy shopper knew that there were listings of the latest and greatest sample sales in New York Magazine.  Sales such as Alexander McQueen, Christian Louboutin, Theory, Tory Burch etc... would have lines out the door.  Some sales had a great selection.  Others, not so much.  In addition to the individual designer sample sales, there were some sample sale businesses that would rotate sales (such as Clothingline) of various brands.

Unfortunately, Houston is not the designer hotbed that New York is, and I found myself going through withdrawals. Fortunately, there are a number of online sample sale sites that help slake the withdrawal.   

Ideeli

Ideeli was one of the first sites I found after leaving New York.  Ideeli has a two tier membership structure.  Everyone that signs up is automatically a second row member.  Sales for second row members start at 11 a.m. CT.  Ideeli also has a paid premium membershp (First Row) for roughly $85 a year that entitles members to enter sales an hour early as well as entry to any First Row only sales.

Initially, Ideeli was my go to site for sunglasses, however, they changed their business model, and purchases now take a long time to arrive.  They occasionally have great sales, but in general, they are not the same quality that they used to be.

Gilt

Gilt was probably the second site I found.  Gilt has a special place in my heart as it is where I bought my first real Alexander McQueen dress (a black, three quarter sleeve knit dress). Gilt occasionally has Alexander McQueen and McQ sales and even more often have Alexander McQueen and McQ items in some of their more general sales (like One of a Kind Designer pieces or Designer Dresses, etc...).

This is the Alexander McQueen Dress I bought from Gilt. (Photo of same style dress from eBay).

Gilt usually has a very good variety of sales and has new flash sales 7 days a week which start at 11 a.m. CT.  Like all flash sale sites, the good stuff goes early.  Many times I have been interested in a sale, and got caught in a meeting or on a conference call and have missed out.  In addition, Gilt lists its upcoming sample sales up to 4 days in advance.  They used to have it so you could add it to your Outlook or Google Calendar, but they removed that feature.  I would love to see them bring it back.

In addition to women's fashion, Gilt also has men's and children's fashion as well as items for the home.  In addition, Jetsetter is their travel site and they also have a gourmet food site as well.    

Rue La La

I cannot recall how I found Rue La La, but it was the third of these sites I ever ordered from.  Rue La La, like Gilt and Ideeli, has flash sales that last a day or two.  The flash sales range from clothing, shoes, and accessories for women, men and children to cookware and furniture to food and wine.  Rue La La regularly has Le Creuset and Picnic at Ascot sales.

My Habit and Belle & Clive

Both of these sites are recent additions to my sample sale repertoire.  My Habit has tons of women's sales the first half of the week.  For instance, this week, Monday through Friday, they have 34 women's flash sales including Chris Benz, Peter Som, Christian Siriano, Natori, and Derek Lam. 

Belle & Clive tends to have more haute couture than any other website I have found.   Belle & Clive usually only lists their sales a few days in advance.  Last week, they had an Alexander McQueen bangles sale, and this week they have an upcoming Prada sale.

The flash sales at both My Habit and Belle & Clive tend to last a bit longer than the flash sales at the other three sites above, however, like all sample sales, the most popular items will sell out quickly.

No matter the site, with flash sales, there are a number of things in common.  Check the start time.  While each site has a usual start time, occasionally, some of the sales have unusual start times.  The popular items will go quickly, so even if the flash sale lasts a while, it is smart to check it out early so if there is something you cannot live without, you have a chance to purchase it before they are sold out.  And finally, each sale will last a different amount of time so like the start time, make sure to check that info.  Happy Shopping!

Fashion's Night Out (FNO) was founded in 2009 and is celebrating its 4th year in 2012.  The 2012 FNO is promising to be the biggest yet, and Houston retailers will be hosting events as a part of the extravaganza on Thursday, September 6th.

Tootsies
In conjunction with Culture Map and West Ave, Fashion on the Avenue from 7-10 p.m. will feature a runway show by Tootsies and the other West Ave boutiques, shopping specials, light bites, cool cocktails, an appearance by Shelley Kidney, and more.  

They have all manner of used boots for both men and women in a great variety of colors and styles. The boots are arranged by size and width, however, be warned, the popular sizes sell out quick, especially around Rodeo.  I spoke with the owner, Robert Novotney, on my last trip into the store early on a Saturday afternoon. He commented that he started out on Friday morning with hundreds of new women's boots on Friday.  They were down to less than 100 pairs of ladies boots, and what they had left were in the very uncommon sizes.  Yep, folks, they go that quick!


When planning your trip, please be aware that they are only open Friday and Saturday from 11-6 and only take cash and checks for payment.  Also, call to make sure they are open (713-624-6257) or check out their Facebook (no Twitter that I can find) for any updates as Robert does all the buying himself and will sometimes close for buying trips.

Last Friday, I stopped into Tootsies to try on the Tory Burch Calista riding boots I had fallen in love with and discussed here.  When trying them on, I was dismayed to learn that they did not zip over my calf and the lining in the shaft of the boot does not allow for much stretch.  So it is back to the drawing board.  

I have spent some time since Friday perusing online to see if I can find anything else that catches my fancy.  I was able to find this MICHAEL Michael Kors Fulton harness boot in solid black for $295 (which is $200 less than the $495 than I was planning on spending on the Tory Burch boots).  Fortunately, there are Michael Kors stores locally in the Houston area (The Galleria and The Woodlands).

Normally, I buy my boots at the end of the season as my dollar goes much further and I end up with more fun things in my closet. This season, however, with a trip to London coming up in mid-September and my suede, flat, over-knee Elaine Turner boots getting a bit worn, I am going to have to make a boot purchase at the beginning of the boot season.

My favorite current trend is riding boots. I like the classic look. On my way home, I popped into Tootsies to see what they might have. Not a lot right now as far as boots go, but they mentioned they had spoken with the buyers, and they should be receiving a lot more in the next two to three weeks. That being said, they did have a pair that caught my eye. I think I might have found my next pair in these Tory Burch Calista boots. Now the question is, black or brown?

The Guild Shop, located at 2009 Dunlavy Street, is a thrift shop in Montrose that was founded in 1962 by the Sewing Group of the Church of St. John the Divine and is run primarily by volunteers.  Over the years, The Guild Shop has donated millions of dollars back to the community, including its primary beneficiary St. James House and other organizations such as the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.

The system The Guild Shop has employed is absolutely unique. I have never seen anything like it.  Each item has a price.  That price is good through a certain date, which is printed on the tag.  Then after that date, if the item has not sold, the price will fall to another price.  This cycle repeats two to three times for each item as long as the item remains in the shop. After the final date on the tag, if the item remains in the shop, it will go to the last chance room (not certain if this applies for the clothes as most the items I am interested in clothes wise go quickly) where it is 50% off of the last price, or a dollar, whichever is higher.

The Guild Shop has clothes, shoes, handbags, jewelry, housewares, furniture, and a lot of other things as well.  You never know what you might find here.

The last time I shopped in The Guild Shop, I was able to find this Houndstooth Emanuel Ungaro suit and a black Calvin Klein Collection dress for around $70 total.


The only downside is that The Guild Shop is opened limited hours, so you must do your bargain hunting Monday through Friday from 9:30 to 3:30 or on Saturday from 10:00 to 2:00.   

When I first moved to Houston in 2009, I did not know who Elaine Turner was.  In trying to learn more about the city, I came across an charity event on Facebook at the Elaine Turner flagship store in Rice Village and decided to attend, and as the saying goes, that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  At that event, I fell in love with the Carolena handbag.  I immediately snagged one in black patent leather and later came back and got the pink Carolena handbag pictured below.

Elaine's handbags are very well made out of fantastic materials.  They are classic and trendy at the same time.  I usually get one or two new bags a year, though I am lagging this year.  In addition to handbags, Elaine also designs shoes and other accessories.  The shoes are of the same great quality as the handbags.  I generally stock up on flats and  boots at least once a year.  The handbags start around $150 for a clutch and go all the way to $750 for an exotic-skinned weekender.  Shoes start at $95 for flip flops and go up to $450 for boots.     

Similar to the event I attended way back in 2009, Elaine has a lot of charity shopping events at her stores (Flagship in Rice Village, CityCentre, and the new San Antonio location) which are announced via e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook.  Those events are a lot of fun with special treats and discounts.  Also, semi-annually, Elaine has big clearance sales to get ready for the new season.

Though I cannot speak of the sales staff and management at the CityCentre or San Antonio locations (I have yet to visit either, so will not cover those locations here), the staff and management at the Rice Village Flagship is absolutely wonderful. If they do not have an item in the color or size you want, they will call the other stores and the warehouse looking for it.  I always have a good time going in, even if it is just to browse.

The Elaine Turner Flagship can be found at 2439 University Blvd.