I was suspicious af a magazine dedicated to shopping- wouldn't that be called, oh, I don't know...a CATALOG?

This is what I thought about Lucky Magazine when it came out, but that is not actually the case. It does feature a variety of items for sale, as does any fashion magazine, but the great thing about it is the depth that it goes into about fashion. When they feature an outfit, all the items info is included, even the price which gets left off sometimes in other publications (I hate that).

Each issue dissects different looks currently in stores. They break it down and give you several examples of how you could make something your own. I really like this, as opposed to some magazines who have gotten into their "art" and make pictures that are more about the theme than the clothes themselves.

Boutiques from different cities are featured, and at the very back there is always a little info about Northwest-specific shops, including special savings.

The website is also well done:

http://www.luckymag.com/

I am liking the featurette about buying swimwear online,

http://www.luckymag.com/sites/sourcebook/swimsuits/online_swimsuits

because as a chica with three kids, any shopping I do has to be planned out in advance. I need to weigh my options before I go in so that once I'm there, I know what I am looking for and then things don't drag on. This is the Mother of Style approach to shopping, in a nutshell. If you are taking your kids with you or if they are being watched while you shop you want to do it in a reasonable amount of time so that everyone is happy.

Have you seen it? I FINALLY did! If you are having a tough time getting a night out to go to the new Sex and the City Movie, Lincoln Square's movie theater is offering a special 10 AM stroller-set friendly showing (located in Bellevue).

Here is a site with SATC styles, if there was something you really liked and don't necessarily stumble upon a similar item when you are shopping. Or maybe you don't want to go on the hunt:

http://www.asos.com/

Let me know if you find other sites similarly inclined!

I was just reading somewhere that lipstick sales go up when times get bad. It's a quick and simple way to make yourself look good, and when you look fresh it makes anything you're wearing look better, I think. Have you tried red, for instance? It's a classic choice, and with varying shades and intensities of red, there's no reason not to give it a try! Two that I really like are Sonia Kashuk's "Cherry Blossom" and Chanel's "Shanghai Red." The first is rather sheer and the second can be as strong and deep as you want it to be.

Here is the link to a quick video on the Time Online site about "How to apply the perfect red lipstick." Copy and paste into your browser to get there.

Make-up masterclass: Red lipstick

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/beauty/article3634058.ece

"Red lips have long epitomised female sexuality. One swipe of crimson and you're transformed from pale-lipped wallflower to vampy vixen.

But get it wrong, and you look 10 years older, resembling a cosmetic horrorshow a la Baby Jane.

With this in mind, we asked MAC senior artist Lynsey Alexander, for tips on choosing and applying red lipstick for maxiumum wow-factor. " Corinne Abrams

Today in Madison Valley there is a special shopping event that gives you a chance to do some good while you shop and/or dine out. Along the retail corridor, which is basically 2703 E. Madison St. through 3131 E. Madison St. in Arboretum Court, there are at about 26 retail establishments ready to donate 10% of all sales today to the Rehabilitative Medicine Endowment at Children's Hospital in Seattle. Hosted by the Phil Smart Sr. Guild, the event begins at 10 AM sharp!

For your perusal, participating merchants:

Baas Art Gallery & Framing
Bella Dolce Bakery & Café
Birth & Beyond
Canopy Blue
Chinoise
Designed Dinners
Essential Bakery
Fastframe
Four Seasons Oasis
Frenchy's Day Spa
Fury
Istina
Lavender Heart
La Cote Creperie
Missi Lu
My Coffee House
Oh! Chocolate
Plum Children's Shoes
Real Card Company
Red Ticking
Rue de Lyon
Sugarlump
Swedish Heirlooms
Sweet Petula
Thrive Art School
Tricoter
Veritables
Voila! Bistrot

Money does not seem to be going as far as it used to, does it? It might even be time to tighten our belts. But, what about those of us who still need to find the right belt for this afore-mentioned belt-tightening?

You can still go shopping even though it's now costing you 50 dollars to fill up your tank, you just have to get creative, and maybe go less often. We all have to place a higher value on creativity, and not be ashamed to say to ourselves that the value of money spent takes precedence over how important it is where we shop. No one else knows where you got your clothes, and even if they do, who cares, right? That's the good thing about having to think twice about what you buy and where: You end up trying something you might not try otherwise.

There are several sources for you to consider in your quest to look _____________ (fill in the blank with what you want out of your wardrobe!). The first stop is right in your own closet. For me, it's hard sometimes to take a break and just enjoy what I already have. It's easy for me to get caught up in the whole "what's next??" mentality. And in the meantime you end up with stuff you love, but the tags are still attached! Because you haven't worn it yet! Now's the time to take advantage of the work you already have put into your closet (because shopping is actually work sometimes...) and be satisfied with you have.

My fashionable sources tell me that Nordstrom might be moving towards putting the Nordstrom Rack on-line. Apparently there are students from Seattle U conducting research to this effect, asking people lots of probing questions.

What do you think??

www.smartbargains.com

Operated by, I believe, Loehmann's, this site has a wide range of shoes, clothing and jewelry for men and women as well as home decor, kitchen goods and a bit of kid's stuff. THey have this great feature that tells you how many they have in stock of what you are looking at, which I like because then if you want to, you can think about whether or not to buy something because you know that there are like 6 left.

They have all the high-end brands that you see ensconced in their own mini-boutique at the department stores, like Gucci, Balenciaga, Burberry, Dior and Yves St Laurent. It's very exciting!...wow, that felt shallow...

*nervous, uncomfortably self-aware laughter*

Ahem. Where was I going with this? Oh, yes: check it out. I have shopped from smartbargains, and I was really happy with what I received.

So now I have to go read the Economist or something to cleanse my emotional palate of that shallow feeling.

Pardon me, that was just my reaction to dusting off my blog that has been inactive for FOREVER now.

I have become rusty due to a lack of blogging, and so I shall begin my first post back with a simple recommendation. Find yourself a pair of shoes by Oh, Deer! They are very pretty in general, and some have a cute pattern on the sole, others have a plain bottom, and finally, there are some with a red sole. How cool is that? Not because I'm trying to pretend they are Christian Louboutins, but because I just think they look good. It's the democratization of fashion...yeah! Red soles for everyone *tosses shoes about to cheers of the crowd*

The best places to find them are ebay, and another little treat of a site called 6pm.com - it is the sales sister site (betht thed with a lithp) of zappos.com.

There, I have made the first step in my journey of renewed blogging. I hope you like it.

Who's down with OPP? Yeah, you know me....

Anyhow, back on track: There is a feature on the Instyle website where people send in pictures of their purse's contents. I don't know why you would want to do that. There is also a site called the Purse Forum, where people use the boards to share what they own purse-wise. I look at this stuff, but I can't picture myself (pun intended!) sending in my details. A contradiction? Yes. I think because it really feels shallow at that point. And yet, I can't....stay.....away......

Here are the links:

http://inyourbag.instyle.com/

http://forum.purseblog.com/

I love going out and seeing how other people put themselves together. Some sites I like include Pike/Pine, New York Social Diary and the Sartorialist. The Sartorialist is featured not only on New York Times in the Style section but also on Style.com, the Vogue powered site. The web address is: http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

This morning I came across what I think is a good trend to try: Creased blue jeans. The trends that are coming up have a touch of 80s to them, and that is where I think creased jeans come in. They are a little retro, but the idea of wearing jeans that were at some point ironed is almost forgotten. If we all start incorporating a pair of them into our wardrobe, how cool would that be?? Yeah!

If you are like me, you wear jeans alot. Surely you have a pair to spare for this trend. It's an wasy way to be fashion forward and cool in that subtle I-don't-really-care-about-fashion-even-though-it-looks-like-I-do sort of way.