A Ted Baker Kind of Day

I've been slacking at posting the last week.  It's been record heat and that has sucked the motivation out of me.  I have lots of blogs in the works, in my head at least, but haven't gotten them all ironed out to perfection yet.  So, while sitting here, drained of energy and motivation, Ted Baker popped into my head and seemed like something worth talking about today.

When I go to Las Vegas, I love to go check out the Ted Baker shops.  The designs are very feminine, classic, and are the essence of English fashion.  I love pretty much everything I've seen of Ted Baker.  My only complaint with the clothes are that they are not of necessarily the nicest fabrics....  That doesn't mean they are cheap fabrics by any means, but if I am going to pay hundreds of dollars for a dress, I hope it is silk, rayon, wool, something along those lines, but Baker seems to use a lot of polyesters.  Polyester, when you break it down and think about it, really isn't that bad.  Care is generally easier.  The quality of polyester has improved significantly over the years and can be made to feel like silk or other natural fibers, but for some reason, I have a mental block about it and have a really hard time justifying paying the cost when the fabric is polyester.  Is that weird?  Anyone else have that?  And not all of his clothes are polyester.  It just seems that what I pick out when I am at his stores is.

One day I think I will break down and actually buy some Ted Baker clothes though because I think the designs are so fresh and fun.

What are some of his designs that I'm currently loving?

This floral embroidered dress.  Currently on sale for $367, down from $525.  I think this is a very sweet dress.  It would be great for weddings you might have to go to, dates, summer parties, etc.  Silk.  See embroidery pattern below:

As a general rule, I hate jumpsuits.  I don't think they are flattering.  I think maybe 2% of the population can pull them off, and that percentage is not usually the percentage that you see wearing them.  That being said, I think this is a cute jumpsuit, or playsuit as they are refering to this.  I think I like it because it doesn't look like a jumpsuit.  It looks like shorts and a top.  This is the Jordann dancing leaves print playsuit on sale for $173, down from $248.  Polyester.

This Tallar swoop neck dress.  Retro, classic, flirty.  On sale for $332, down from $475.  Silk :)

Liano Dancing Leaves dress.  $192 down from $275.  Polyester.  I think this is very cute, youthful, and looks like so much fun to wear.

So my picks for today didn't back up my polyester rant from above.  I totally failed there, well halfway anyway.  Oh well.  You should check out Ted Baker at www.TedBaker-London.com.

They have a sale going on now:

I also started a Facebook page where I post daily sales that I know about.  And some days, I post what I am wearing.  Picture quality is typical Myspace pictures usually, but it lets you see what my style is and what I wear.

Talk About Timing!

It was totally a fluke that I posted about Betsey Johnson last week.  Yes, she has her new show so that was relevant.  But man, her publicist must be working overtime.

Betsey was a host on this years Miss USA pageant that aired on Sunday.  I am not a big fan of beauty pageants with their big hair, sequins, and suspicious lack of brain cells (I know, that was mean and a major stereotype but have you heard these girls answer some of the questions they are asked?  Wow!).  But, I of course had to check out at least part of it to see the gown, see Betsey, and really that's pretty much it.

There were a lot of really stunning dresses this year.  And I was surprised by how short cocktail dresses were in trend this year rather than just the traditional ball gowns (at least when you are originally introduced to the girls).

I didn't watch the whole show but my favorite dress of the night that I did see was the dress Miss Texas wore at the beginning of the show:

This is the best picture I can find of it and it doesn't show off the whole thing.  I'm very disappointed that I couldn't find something better.  It was gorgeous.

I had to stop watching after the swimwear competition.  I just wanted to feed the girls crackers.  I'm pretty lean myself but a lot of those girls are way too thin.  Not hot.

If you want to watch the show yourself, you can check it out below:

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But back to Betsey....  I was checking out Groupon Goods last night and look what I found:

On Groupon for $28.99.  Can be bought here: http://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-betsey-johnson-too-too-eau-de-parfum-spray

I considered buying it just because I love how punk rock the bottle is, but I don't wear perfume and I'm broke right now so I don't need to be spending money on things I won't use.

What else can I tell you about today....?

Piperlime is having their twice yearly sale.  That is worth checking out for sure!  www.PiperLime.com

Betsey Johnson

So, as I've said before, I am not super familiar with different designers and as a general rule, I can't tell you who designed what but there are a few exceptions to that rule.  Betsey Johnson is one of those exceptions and that may be just because of how unique, edgy, and rock and roll she is.  She is eccentric and is herself through and through.  I love that about her.  I love that in such a "serious" industry, she isn't afraid to be who she is.  She does cart wheels and splits down the runway at her fashion shows.  I don't know of any other designers that could get away with that.  I LOVE that about her.

Betsey Johnson isn't afraid of color, or print and while her designs aren't quite as edgy as she is (who else wears a tutu over boyfriend jeans and gets away with it?), they are edgy and classic in a sense not many could get away with.

Check out this lace inset dress on her website (www.BetseyJohnson.com)

It's a classic, fitted, sheath dress, but the turquoise in contrast with the black lace, really gives it a unique, young look to it.

This dress is super simple in the front with just a little ribbon and ruffle around the bottom, but then in the back, there's the heart cut out.  I think that is very fun and flirty.  Love it!  And honestly, who doesn't love polka dots?

Betsey also has fun jewelry, handbags, intimates, shoes, etc.  Definitely worth checking out her stuff from her site or at Nordstroms (it's the only place locally that I know of to get her things in SLC).  I've gotten cute earrings of hers at Nordstrom Rack and I love them.

Betsey has tons of personality.  Check out how awesome her perfume bottles are:

That's very punk rock.  I love it!  I haven't smelled it so I don't know how it smells but the bottle is awesome!

What else is awesome about Betsey?  She has a new reality show on the Style Network.  It started last month and is called XOX Betsey.  It's about life with her daughter Lulu, work, etc.  I don't have TV service so I have been watching online but so far I am really enjoying.  I just love that she is who she is (I know I said that already).

She has a couple of offers on her site right now:

• Free shipping on orders over $100 with keyword "LOVEBETSEY"
• Spend $125, get 20% off with keyword "BOLD20"

Check out her Spring/Summer 2013 runway show collection below:

Even her shows are rock and roll.  Her models are skipping, dancing, throwing things to the crowds.  So different from the usual predictable walk/stomp, straight faced models shows that you usually see.  Be warned that toward the end there are swim/underwear models, so young eyes may not want to watch as there are some scantily clad women.

What A Week!

Oh my goodness!  I can't believe it's been over a week since I posted.  Last week was the busiest week at work that we have EVER had.  We did over a normal months worth of work in less than a week.  It was intense.  Lucky me though, I have a great team and we got through it.  However, it didn't leave much time or energy for blogging or really anything but work and sleep.  Eating even got moved down the list.  But now life can get back to normal.

Now that it is past Memorial Day, fashion law states that we can start wearing white.  I love white in the summer.  I love white pants, dresses, etc.  However, I don't really rock white often since I a) work in a warehouse, and b) have 3 dogs.  That's just a recipe for disaster on both accounts.  But I'm seeing a lot of white and mint, or turquoise color combinations for this spring/summer and I am really loving the pair.  I think they are very fresh, clean, feminine, and modern.  I have been incorporating mint into my wardrobe and love what I am coming up with.  I will definitely be adding more mint and white to my summer wardrobe.

Look at these fun examples I've found online:


This picture I found on Pinterest and love it.  The link takes me to a dead eBay link but it's a good example of what I'm talking about.


Another Pinterest find.  I love this one for a summer party or BBQ.  Just don't spill on yourself like a certainly would wearing this top.  I'm not sure where to get these pieces but I love the shorts.  I would get them if I knew where to buy them.  Super cute!  I love the texture.

So what are my new mint wardrobe pieces?

I got this Harper blouse from Alloy.  I wasn't sure about it or if I could pull it off but I love it.  I do wear it with a statement piece necklace and I do think it needs a little extra to really make it pop.  Next time I wear it I will take picture to share with you.  I didn't think about it last week when I was wearing it.

I got this Cloe dress from Alloy as well.  I wore it last night for date night with the hubs.  I wore it with a big pearl necklace and some floral flats.  I should've taken a picture of that as well but also didn't think about that.  I will do better in the future.

I also got some mint skinny jeans.  They haven't come yet and I'm pretty nervous about wearing a colored jean.  I love colored pants on other people but am not sure if I am comfortable wearing them.  I'm not sure why but I'm a little self conscious about that but I'm excited to give it a try.

Oh!  It's June, which means it's semi-annual sale time!  Nordstrom has already alerted me that their sale for women and children is on now.  Victoria's Secret is having theirs (that is very dangerous news, I can easily drop a few hundred dollars at that one).  I haven't been to the mall for a bit but I am sure several stores have theirs on now too.  I would bet that Express has theirs on.

Anyway, that's all for now!  I'll do better posting this week :)

Alloy Contest and A Little Bit About Boys Tees

When I started this I didn't plan to be sharing so many sales and promotions but that has turned out to be a fun direction.  I'll try not to do it so much in the future but I probably will still share them with you so you don't miss out on the good deals and sales that I hear about.

I have a quick one today.  Alloy (I've shared about them before - I love to get my Vigold jeans from them and I ordered a few things from there last week that I shared pictures of my order) has a Facebook contest going right now to win a $1000 gift card with them.  You just have to "like" their page and enter the entry form.  Super simple right?  They do this promotion a couple times a year.  I always enter and haven't ever won but I would sure love to.  If I don't win, I want one of my friends to win :) If you enter through me via the link I'll post below, I get an additional entry too.  Enter and share with your friends.  Let's one of us win :)
http://bit.ly/12ygDCq <--- Enter from this link to give me credit too :)

Now, on to the boys....

I am not a fan of printed T-shirts for girls as a general rule.... or really the standard T for girls at all.  I think a slightly more dressy T is much more flattering for women.  Even just a T with a V-neck is so much better than the standard T.  That being said, I love T's on guys.  Especially soft, fitted ones.

One of my favorite places to buy T's for the man in my life is Threadless (www.Threadless.com).  It's a website where people submit original designs and artwork and members of the site vote on them and if they get enough votes, they become shirts and you can buy them.  I've bought several for my husband from Threadless and am happy every time the shirts arrive.  Depending on the design, it can be bought in T, tank, long sleeve, sweatshirt, mens & womens, and sometimes babies and childrens sizes.  But as I said already, I think they are best for men (babies ones would actually probably be really cute too).  Right now, Threadless has all their T's on sale for $15.  They also have an awesome clearance selection as well so you can usually find awesome shirts for less on clearance.

Some of the designs I'm loving right now are:



"The City That Never Sleeps" Designed by Dina Prasetyawan



"World of Bike" Designed by Matt Hoch



"Which Door?" Designed by Patrick Seymour - They did a contest for Monsters, Inc. themed shirts to go with the movie when it came out.  This is probably my favorite from those.



"Blow Away Barcode" Designed by Kevin Keeton

I could list dozens of shirts from their site that I like.  They are great shirts and I love seeing my husband in them.  I feel like they are good quality too.  They've been holding up really well.

Other places to get good mens T's:



Old Navy has fun prints and I also love their soft wash, V-neck T's.  They are soft and a V is always flattering for men, especially muscular ones, such as my husband.  www.OldNavy.com The one above is "Men's Boombox Graphic Tee" on sale for $6.99.



Banana Republic.  I've gotten a bunch of shirts from there for the hubs over the years.  The occasionally have fun prints but it's their soft wash and vintage T's that sold me on their shirts.  www.BananaRepublic.com The shirt above is "Vintage V-Neck Tee" and comes in a variety of colors.  Priced at $29.50.



Forever 21.  Believe it or not.  I have a love/hate relationship with Forever 21.  Their clothes aren't the best quality and it's definitely hit or miss with finding something you like but I have gotten some of my favorite pieces of my wardrobe from Forever 21 over the years.  And they always have fun T's for men.  We've gotten several from there as well.  The shirt above is "Abstract Graphic Tee" priced at $14.80. www.Forever21.com

Boden Promotion

Boden (www.BodenUSA.com) is doing buy 3 get 1 for $1 plus free shipping now through June 3rd (4th item is obviously the least expensive item).  That's a pretty sweet deal!

I would be getting this Lace Dress ($199).

This "Rainy Day Mac" Coat ($142.40-$178 depending on color/print).  I of course love the orange polka dots.

 

This Beautiful Bow Dress in green ($118.40).  This dress is great for summer weddings, or hot dates.  It's simple but dressy at the same time.

And lastly, I think I would get this Glam Summer Maxi ($168).  I love a maxi dress in the summer.  They're so comfortable and the ones I have already always make me feel like a Greek goddess.  They are definitely a summer must have in my book.

A feature that I like about the Boden website is that they have an outfit maker.  This allows you to combine pieces from their catalog together to see how they work.  You can even add accessories to the look to see how accessories add to the whole ensemble.  See my sample below.  You can add pieces, remove what doesn't work, and it keeps track of the cost of the outfit you're making.  More sites should do this.  It's a great way to sell wardrobes rather than just pieces.

Just a Quick Monday Tidbit - Nordstrom Promotion

Nordstrom is offering $20 off orders of $50 or more now through the 31st.  Who doesn't love Nordstrom?  I certainly do love it there but never shop there as it is slightly out of my price range.  But if you shop with them online right now, you just need to enter "SUMMER20" at checkout to get the $20 off.

Nordstrom now carries Alexander McQueen.  I love how McQueen uses classic silhouettes but uses fun prints or zippers, etc to make his designs unique and pop.  Of what Nordstrom will be carrying, I think this dress is my favorite:

It's a light weight wool crepe.  Moderately priced at a merely $2,680.  (If only that really were a moderately priced).  Fun print.  Definitely won't be a part of my wardrobe though.

This leather McQueen jacket is also pretty fabulous but it's priced at $4,475.

More affordable at Nordy right now:

This Diane von Furstenberg "Bentley" ruched dress.  On clearance for $170.98.  I love DvF.  She is my favorite designer.  This is a little more simple than what I usually am drawn to from her.  I generally love her simple designs and use of prints.  Obviously, no print here but it's DvF and it's orange.  Can't go wrong with either of those.

Elie Tahari "Regan - Rainbow Snake" blouse.  Silk.  $160.80.  Elie Tahari is another one of my designer loves.  I feel like Tahari understands the female body and how to flatter it in his simple, feminine, designs.

This Donna Morgan print matte jersey shift dress is a fun summer dress.  I love the colors and print on it.  On sale currently for $64.80.

Sales!!

I was hoping to post one of my creations in my 2nd post but life has been a bit hectic this past week, as it always is.  So, instead, I thought I'd share some sale information for sales I know that are going on at stores I love.

First, is Banana Republic (www.BananaRepublic.com), which I love dearly and probably half of my wardrobe is from (partially because I worked there for several years).  Today they are offering 30% off purchases of $150 or more online.  Just enter "BRTAKE30" at checkout.  If I were shopping with them today, I would be ordering the following:


I love this trench.  It's on clearance now for $145.99.  It is two things that I love; orange and a jacket.  I have an obsession with jackets.


I love a classic handbag.  I don't own many bags but I admire classic bags that will be appropriate for everyday life and stand the test of time.  This reminds me of Coach and one of their standby bags that are white leather with colored leather trim.  It seems like they have a version of that bag every year.  This one is canvas and runs at $198.


Boden (www.BodenUSA.com) is offering 15% off and free shipping & free returns.  I haven't ever ordered from Boden but I love their style.  They have simple designs but use fun fabric choices.  I am loving the following from them right now:

I think their Retro Pocket Dress is super cute.  It comes in different colors.  I'd probably go for the green and white print.  This one is $128.

The Selina Dress is classic and would be great to dress up or down depending on the occasion and accessories you use.  I, of course, am loving the rust color in this picture but it also comes in about a half a dozen colors.  This one is more spendy at $198.

This Notch Neck Shift dress is on clearance right now.  They actually have a pretty extensive clearance section at the moment making them much more affordable and there are a ton of cute things to choose from.  Especially with the 15% off of your purchase they have running right now.  I don't see it saying anywhere that the 15% is only good on full priced merchandise so I believe you can take it off of clearance as well but I'm not positive so don't take me to the bank on that one.

One of my favorite sites to shop from is Alloy (www.Alloy.com).  It's geared towards teenagers and it's hit and miss but I order pretty much all of my jeans from them.  I love Vigold brand and they cost around $30 through Alloy.  I have a hard time justifying spending $200 or more on designer jeans, even if I love how they look, because I've made jeans before and I know how inexpensive they are to make and how quick and easy they are to make.  So it's much easier for me mentally to order $30 jeans from them.  And now I have probably 15 pairs of jeans whereas if I were buying designer, I'd only have about 3 pairs at the same cost.  They are currently offering free shipping on orders of $75 or more.  You just have to type in "AGFW75" at checkout.  I have a shopping cart of things at the moment and with all of the below, my total is a whopping $71.78.  Not bad at all: