Spring Shoes Preview at Target

There's a great collection of new shoe styles on Target.com right now in their Spring Preview section. Makes me yearn for warmer weather already!

Some of my favorites?

The Mossimo Penina Gladiator Sandal in Black for a crazy affordable $24.99.

The Mossimo Winna Hurache Sandal in Multicolor ... so fun and only $19.99.

The Mossimo Winifred Flat Sandal in Brown ... great on-trend studded detailing, and also for $19.99.

I really do appreciate Target -- that's the only word I can use to describe it -- I so just appreciate all they do to being the latest trends to the masses at affordable prices.

(All images courtesy of Target)

Spring 2009 Trends

Style.com has a great slideshow on their Web site right now about the big trends for Spring 2009 --

Apparently, the five hottest trends for Spring will be:

• "Depression Chic" -- think flapper fringe and sack dresses a la 1929.

• "Geometry Lessons" -- experimenting with new shapes in fabrics -- folds, twists, and bends.

• "Goddess Worship" -- it's all Greek to me ... light, airy, and flowing.

• "Marrakech Express" -- the shimmering patterns and materials of Morocco and Arabia.

• "Sporting Goods" -- apparel with an athletic feel.

• "Trash and Vaudeville" -- totally 80s ... shoulder pads, ripped demin, shredded lace.

It will be interesting to see how these trends trickle down into the mass market.

Sickness, really? I Prefer to Call it a Talent.

Shopaholics May Suffer From Actual Illness Can't stop shopping? Great news! You may soon get to blame it all on science By ELIZABETH BOUGEROL Updated 12:34 PM EST, Thu, Jan 29, 2009 Related Topics:Antonia Novello | Shopping | The New York Times Company Getty Images Think you're addicted to shopping? Psychiatry is examining whether shopaholism is a disorder all its own. Shopaholism, it seems, is everywhere. First there was the sad, utterly surreal case of a woman literally smothered to death in an avalanche of her own clothing. Then came news that former N.Y. state commissioner of health Antonia Novello was so addicted to shopping, she dragged other employees with her to the mall during business hours. And what's more bizarre than watching the rose-colored trailer for Confessions of a Shopaholic (opens Feb. 13!) while the retail world is crumbling? Medically speaking, shopping addiction is still just considered a behavioral outcropping of certain obsessive-compulsive disorders, according to this New York Times piece. But oniomania - the obsession with purchasing - is getting lots more attention these days as psychiatry wonders whether it qualifies as a disease all its own. And also because of a spike in this behavior: One shrink quoted by the Times notes that for shopaholics, the current landscape of deep discounts and going-out-of-business sales is "like giving matches to a pyromaniac." So good news, spendy types! You may be able to blame your weak, insane behavior on science, just like the rest of us. Copyright NBC Local Media / NBC New York

I could go for some more ikat

We've been seeing this carefree pattern pop up here and there for awhile now, and I am hoping that this spring the ikat trend continues. I can't put my finger exactly on what I like so much about this print ... maybe it's because it's beachy and breezy and "resort-esque" without seeming cheesy.

This ikat bubble skirt from Delia's may seem like a really bright yellow -- but the trick would to pair it with something totally simple and slim-fitting, esp. to counteract the volume of the skirt-- like a gray perfect-fit scoopneck tee from J. Crew. You wouldn't think it would go together, but the gray really balances out the bright colors.

(Image courtesy of J. Crew)

(Image courtesy of Delia's)

This ikat scarf from Urban Outfitters has a great mix of colors in it -- making it perfect for an everyday spring scarf.

(Image courtesy of Urban Outfitters)

I know it's not technically a piece of clothing or an accessory, but seriously, how cute is this ikat bowl from Anthropologie?

(Image courtesy of Anthropologie)

This blouse from Charlotte Russe just has a splash of ikat around the square neckline -- I think it would be really cute over a pair of skinny jeans or cropped pants.

(Image courtesy of Charlotte Russe)

Normally, we see ikat in bright, bold color combinations, so this gray ikat handbag from Alloy is a nice change of pace.

(Image courtesy of Alloy)

Clothing Line Coming From Mad Men's costume designer?

Glamour's Slave to Fashion Blog has a great interview with Janie Bryant, the Costume Designer for Mad Men. In it, she talks about how she's "working on some things right now" (i.e. a line?) -- but gives no other details! You're killing us, Janie!

A Look at Upcoming Designer Collabs

The February issue of People StyleWatch Magazine has a great roundup of the upcoming lower-priced designer collaborations we'll be seeing hit the mass-retail market in the coming months --

• I "Heart" Ronson hits JC Penney the week of Feb. 9th -- Charlotte Ronson's line will be full of her girlie casual style.

• Erickson Beamon hits Target Feb. 15th -- pretty statement jewelry.

• McQ by Alexander McQueen hits Target March 1st -- as previews have shown, the line looks super edgy.

• Adam by Adam Lippes hits Mango on March 1st -- on-trend pieces.

• Felix Rey hits Target March 29th -- feminine handbags.

• Miss Trish of Capri hits Target April 5th -- a european island vibe.

• Loomstate hits Target April 19th -- cool, casual, eco-friendly basics.

• Matthew Williamson hits H&M April 23rd -- colorful Brit style.

Gap.com now offering Final Sale

Gap.com has just unveiled a 'Final Sale' section on their Web site for the first time in the company's history. A sign of the times no doubt.

SAG Awards Fashion Favorites

I've finally gotten a chance to check out everyone's dresses while watching the SAG Awards tonight-- lots of beautiful looks tonight.

Kate Winslet is probably my absolute favorite look of the night --- cobalt blue, fitted, and elegant sexy.

(Image courtesy of Matt Sayles / AP)

Evan Rachel Wood has seriously done a turnaround --- she went from nasty goth to elegant 40s. Love this peacock blue green color, and the vintage-looking brooch.

(Image courtesy of Matt Sayles / AP)

I don't think I've ever disliked anything that Claire Danes has worn. She always looks like there's a breeze blowing through her, doesn't she? If anyone could be described as 'breezy' -- it'd be her.

(Image courtesy of Matt Sayles / AP)

Christina Hendricks from Mad Men is gorgeous -- makes me feel less self conscious for being a pale, busty lady.

(Image courtesy of Matt Sayles / AP)

Love the long necklace that Christina Applegate is doing here -- very flapper. Gorgeous green color, too.

(Image courtesy of Matt Sayles / AP)

Anne Hathaway's dress sort of reminds me of the Marchesa dress that Jennifer Lopez wore to the Academy Awards 2 years ago. Grecian and gorgeous.

(Image courtesy of Jae C. Hong / AP)

America Ferrera is so freaking cute, I can't stand it --- this dress, while sort of simple, has a really beautiful parisian vintage feel to it with the black tulle detailing at the neckline.

(Image courtesy of Matt Sayles / AP)

A look at my J. Crew sample sale finds

I am a little sad at the thought of missing the last 2 days (Saturday and Sunday) of the J. Crew sample sale in Manhattan -- after all, I work in the next building over from where the sale was taking place, so during the week, I was making daily trips next door to check out the new offerings as my coworkers were questioning my sanity.

But alas, I did find some really great pieces ( and actually, bought more than I remembered at first) ---

This necklace had to be my FAVORITE find of the entire week --- The Peacock Necklace. I loved this necklace when it was in stores, but abs. could not bring myself to pay retail price for it. Then I searched desperately on eBay for it, but if you've ever tried to bid on J. Crew jewelry on eBay, you know how crazy psycho the bidding gets in the last five minutes. This time around? I gladly paid $18.

This navy shell was a complete impulse purchase, and only because I go nutty when I see flowers on things at J. Crew. It may be a sickness. I am looking into it.

This cute cobalt blue Madewell 3/4 sleeve t-shirt is perfect for layering with, and @ $10, it's a no-brainer.

This tank just seemed like the perfect weekend casual tank top -- and I am ready to pair it with bermuda shorts or cropped pants and sandals for an afternoon in the park ... now only if spring would get here.

I honestly could not tell you whether these first 2 items were supposed to be dresses or tops hahah -- my guess went for tops, and I was happy they were so long --- perfect for a skinny belt! But then I realized, crap, maybe they are supposed to be dresses??? Way too short for me, if that's the case. So, makeshift tunics they will be!

Now, I don't usually buy more than one of the same style tops in different colors (unless we're talking basic tees and tanks here) but I couldn't help myself at this sale!

I remembered seeing these 2 Madewell tops in stores about 6 months ago. So, when I saw two of them on the sample sale racks, and they looked even remotely large enough, I nabbed them both. I've already worn the red one with dark skinny jeans, a wide belt, and a gray American Apparel Boyfriend Cardigan.

When I made my way over to the accessories area, I was amazed to see like 5 bins full of scarves (the accessories later disappeared on day 3 of the sale). Out of the corner of my eye, I realized there were several Madewell scarves, again from the Fall '08 line, peeking out at me through the piles... so again I just yanked them out of there and held on for dear life. I couldn't even tell you which one is my favorite ... don't make me choose.

(All Images by NYC Recessionista)

Converse One Star for Target

The Converse One Star line has been in Target stores for about a year now, without any substantial fanfare. The collection consists mostly of casual basics with a retro flair to them -- the stuff is honestly really cute, but no one seemed to be going gaga over it like they were over the other guest lines (Jovovich-Hawk, Alice Temperley).

The line is definitely worth a look though --

The Singapore Pleated Top, which is $29, would be perfect for work over a pair of skinny black pants.

This Payton Dress (on sale right now for $20 and change) could be worn dressed up or dressed down --- pair it with sandals or flats during the day, and then throw on some heels and grab a clutch for a dinner date.

This pair of slip on, half-sneaker-half-ballet-flat hybrid would be perfect for darting around the city in come April. And they're a great buy at $29 as well.

Anyhoo, Target's web site now has a spring '09 lookbook for the Converse One Star Collection available for your viewing pleasure in its pressroom.

(All images courtesy of Target)

A new URL

I went ahead and purchased the URL for www.NYCRecessionista.com ... so please make sure to update your bookmarks and links.

Thanks all, 

xoxo Alison

Initial Reactions to Shibuya Mon Amour at Forever 21

Just got an email from Forever 21 letting me know that the Shibuya Mon Amour line, "inspired by the cool kids of Tokyo and Paris," is now available online ... and, when I scrolled down the page through all the looks, my immediate reaction was, "That's it? Eight graphic tees?" I guess I imagined it to be a little meatier. But, that owl shirt really is cute.

Introducing NY Swim

NY and Company has unveiled their new swimwear collection, NY Swim, and to be honest, it's a little tramp-tastic. What do you think?

Forever 21 to jump on the designer collab bandwagon

Forever 21 has on their homepage a note that says "Coming Soon! Boutique line designed exclusively for Forever 21 -- Shibuya Mon Amour." Fashion blog Nitro:licious is also reporting the same, saying that the line, apparently from an owner of an L.A. boutique Satine, will supposedly hit stores tomorrow Jan. 23rd.

The merch on the Satine web site looks pretty cute and all, but I'm usually lucky if I can fit one arm into one of Forever 21's tops. I'm not really particularly jazzed about this one.

Inauguration Day Insanity ...

Today was complete sensory overload, for a few different reasons ...

First, I got on the never-ending line at the J. Crew sample sale this morning at about 10 a.m. to wait in the freezing cold until they would let us in the damn building.

When I finally got in, I realized how completely insane the whole situation was --- I could not feel my feet. When you enter one of these sales, you have no idea what to look at first. There is just TOO MUCH stuff in every corner of the room, and I wanted to touch and grab it all.

Finally, I calmed down a little bit (J. Crew just sends me into a tizzy) and started to comb the racks ... size 0, size 2, size 4, size 6. Ummm ... are you freaking kidding me, J. Crew? I know it's a sample sale, but isn't is also technically an overstock sale? You mean to tell me you have NOTHING above a size 6? I said to myself -- self -- you waited in line for an hour, you're going to comb every one of these racks to be for damn certain that there are no larger sizes here before you give up and walk out. Once I started looking, things got a lot better. I found about 5 blouses and was pretty psyched. The pants, however, REALLY didn't come in any other sizes other than size 6.

After I had completely ransacked the tops, I moved onto the accessories. Ahhh, the accessories. They actually had a separate, cornered-off area for the accessories, and at one point there was a line just to get into that part of the sale. When I started rummaging through those boxes, I found 3 Madewell scarves which I'd completely loved but never would have bought at their $60 price-point. I immediately ripped them out of the boxes and clutched onto them for dear life.

Finding this much at a sample sale was fantastic, but the high point probably came even later in the afternoon when I returned to the sample sale with a coworker (after we both watched the inauguration of course). When I went back, I saw out of the corner of my eye a necklace in the jewelry case which I'd fallen in love with last year, when J. Crew had originally debuted the jewelry collection. I waited pretty impatiently on the line to even take a look at the necklace, and was relieved when it was still there when I got to the front of the line. $18 -- for a necklace that was going on eBay for $150.

So, all in all, I walked out with 5 blouses, 3 scarves, and a necklace for about $100. Not too shabby.

Then, I come back to the office and find out that The Obama girls wore J. Crew to the inauguration, and Michelle wore J. Crew gloves, that the web site crashed from the influx of traffic. All of them looked fabulous though.

Love it.

am New York

The Obama Ladies Choose J. Crew

By Julie Gordon

Famously frugal fashionista Michelle Obama donned green J.Crew gloves along with her Isabel Toledo ensemble to President Obama's swearing-in ceremony, while adorable Sasha and Malia Obama both wore full outfits from crewcuts by J.Crew, a rep confirmed. Pricing details coming ...

Michelle also wore the brand to the “Kids’ Inaugural: We Are The Future" concert, while the girls donned crewcuts to the inaugural concert Sunday.

J.Crew's Web site has this message for the Obamas -- in red, white and blue lettering, of course: "Congratulations to the first family. On this historic day, all of us at J.Crew would like to extend our very best to the president and his family."

Posted by Julie Gordon on January 20, 2009 12:45 PM | Permalink

Sneak Peak at Alexander McQueen for Target

Blog Nitro:licious has posted some pics of the items from the upcoming Alexander McQueen for Target line, which is due to his stores in March 2009. Quelle androgynous!

A Great Online Source for Costume Jewelry

You would never even know the web site exists, but "All The Rage" (www.AllTheRageOnline.com) has a seemingly endless collection of costume jewelry -- necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and pins -- all totally on-trend and all at reasonable prices.

The site takes some sifting through, but if you have the time, it's definitely worth a look. I found the following great pieces in my search --

The Vintage Flower Necklace comes in a few different colors, and really has a feminine, parisian feeling. A great piece for $15.

A snake ring is such an unexpected twist when paired with a more ladylike outfit. Only $8.

The Firework Hoops have such an art deco charm to them, I can't stand it. Love them in the blue hue at $12.

This set of 5 enamel bangles looks exactly like the higher-priced versions that are all over boutiques right now -- and they'd be $24 for one single bangle ... instead of $24 for this whole set.

This Azurdi Choice Pendant mixes the natural look of wood with the artsy look of geometric shapes -- a very cool, dramatic-looking piece at $27.

(All images courtesy of All The Rage Online)

Banana Republic Goes Green

Fashion blog FabSugar is reporting that this summer, Banana Republic will debut a like of eco-friendly apparel called the Heritage Collection. The pieces will be made of organic cotton, soy silk, and bamboo and will range in price from $39-$100.

Normally, "green" clothing comes at a higher price-point, so it's nice to hear that a mass-retailer is jumping on this bandwagon. It'll be interesting to see if any of the other Gap, Inc. brands -- or other mass-retailers -- follow in their socially conscious footsteps.

Shopping for a Boyfriend [Cardigan] on a Budget

The boyfriend cardigan has to be one of my new favorite wardrobe staples ... regardless of whether you dress it up or dress it down, it is still the perfect layering piece for BOTH work and weekend wear.

Here are some of the styles I've road-tested:

1) American Apparel has many different cardigan styles -- but one of my favorites has to be the Unisex Solid Rib Oversized Pocket Cardigan. It's long, slouchy, and perfectly oversized -- oversized pockets, oversized buttons, and oversized ribbing. Almost feels more "grandpa" cardigan than "boyfriend" cardigan. I chose the Heather Gray color, but I also love the Asphalt shade seen below with the contrasting white buttons. At the $40 price-point, it's a little on the high side, but I literally wear it several times a week, so it has already paid for itself.

(Image courtesy of American Apparel)

2) Old Navy probably has one of the biggest selections of cardigans, but the problem is finding one that has that perfect look to it -- a little rumpled, a little long, but still chic. Their version of the Rib Knit Cardigan is pretty good, but runs slightly smaller -- I had to bump up one size to an XL to achieve the right feel. These cardigans (among others) are on sale right now -- this one's a steal at under $10.

(Image courtesy of Old Navy)

3) The Heather Slub Cardigan from Forever 21 has that great faded navy color that looks like it's been washed a few hundred times already, giving it that great vintagey feel. A steal at $15. Honorable mention goes to the Contrast Trim Cardigan (especially the gray and navy one) which looks like an old school varsity sweater for $24.

(Image courtesy of Forever 21)

Orla Kiely for Target

No, your eyes are not deceiving you ... you read the headline correctly. Orla Kiley is coming to Target the first week of February. But, it's not a line of handbags or luggage, unfortunately. But it is a completely cool retro housewares collection, which is still pretty awesome. Thanks to Racked and Apartment Therapy for the tips.

Affordable Statement Necklaces

Statement necklaces might just be one of my favorite emerging trends. Throw one on over a solid turtleneck or blouse, and they make an outfit.

Here are some of my wallet-friendly favorites --

This Wrap Link Bib Necklace from Target is only $19.99, and it has a great multi-tone, homemade feel to it.

The Valence Bib Necklace from Banana Republic is a little on the pricey side at $59, but lord, what drama.

Even American Eagle, who is usually more likely to have T-shirts and flip flops than statement necklaces, has this great Holiday Party Chain with beautiful black crystals, which is on sale for $15 right now.

My Favorite Golden Globe Fashions

I feel like taking a one-night reprieve from talking about bargain shopping, because the Golden Globes is on. Yes, awards show season is officially underway. Tonight, even though it's all about the couture and the diamonds, some of these dresses will no doubt eventually make their way down to the off-the-rack mass retail circuit, albeit in watered down versions.

So, here are my favorites, in no particular order ---

1. Favorite Use of Color: Mary Louise Parker. Don't know whether it's purple or blue, don't care. It's a fantastic color. Even more beautiful against her porcelain skin.

(Reuters Lucy Nicholson)

2. Favorite Use of Pattern: Maggie Gyllenhaal. I normally don't like patterned dresses for major award shows --- they feel too casual most of the time. But this dress has enough volume and enough drama to still seem fancy and dressy.

(Reuters Lucy Nicholson)

3. Favorite Red Carpet Couple: Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. They just stepped straight out of 1940 and I love them.

(Reuters Lucy Nicholson)

4. Favorite Use of a Flower: Heidi Klum. I don't know what it is, but give me a big red flower on a dress and I'm happy. The bigger, the better.

(AP Photo Chris Pizzello)

5. Favorite Dress Shape: America Ferrera. Love the tea length, the 60s shape, the one-shoulder metallic neckline. She always knows how to flatter her figure.

(AP Photo Matt Sayles)

6. Favorite accessories: Elizabeth Banks. Wasn't expecting her to look so elegant and old-hollywood, but she picked exactly the right accessories to go with the feel of her dress.

(AP Photo Chris Pizzello)

7. Favorite Overall Style: Evan Rachel Wood. I did NOT love her whole goth crap before, but this red hair, soft updo, and very flapper-esque dress? MUCH better.

(AP Photo Chris Pizzello)