Barney's Warehouse Sale

Two times a year I put on my game face and gear up for the Barney's Warehouse Sale. Of course, it's always raining. Swear — the last two times around, it's been a torrential downpour. Anyway, dressed in light attire as it tends to be a thousand degrees in there (by there I mean the underground haven of discounted designer goods) with my PS1 packed and ready (hands free people, hands free) I head down to Chelsea prepared to pour over piles, dig for deals, and elbow — er, lightly nudge — everyone out of the way.

This past spring, it was no different. However, preparing for a heavy bag load, I decided to drive my car down. Snagging a spot a few blocks away, I made my way down 17^th Street. After making it through the bag check, tucking my soaked umbrella away, and bolting down the stairs, I found myself standing right in front of a kind of desert mirage of Mecca: The shoe section. Roll your sleeves up and brace yourself people, this is serious business. Shit goes down in the shoe aisles – Serious. Shit.

Alexander Wang

Prepared for possible hair pulling, I weaved my way through the 6s. Playing a version of that classic car game I Spy in my head, I picked out Wang after Lanvin after Dolce. Surprised to see such great goods still left, as this was the last day of the sale, I hesitantly picked up a shoe. Preparing to meet a just-out-of-my-reach price, I turned it over. My jaw dropped. $86 for Wang? Turning the shoe upside down, expecting that $86 to turn into some sort of distorted number in the upper echelons of the $900 range, I shook my head and slammed my eyes open and closed. Nope, still $86.

Fendi

Thrown into hyper drive, I did a mad dash around the aisle. Arms full, I made my way to the try-on line, where you’re greeted with a Barney’s Warehouse employee who takes your one shoe found among the aisles and heads back into the abyss to find it a mate, presenting you with a near broken box holding a complete pair of shoes. Unless you’re a victim of that tragic situation in which the other half to those perfect condition Chanel boots marked down to $300 cannot be found. I luckily have never been one of these people. Anyway, in typical discount shopping fashion, the line was about 30 people deep. I stood there for a near hour and a half. But no matter! Because what did I find?

Going home with me were two pairs of Alexander Wang boots – the same boot style, one in brown and one in black for $86 each, a pair of Derek Lam boots in black leather and fur for $155, a pair of the Fendi duck boots in brown – which I had been eyeing for months – for $107, and a pair of Robert Clergerie for Opening Ceremony lace up boots in a perfect ballet pink silk for $89.

On my way to the cashier, I peaked in the denim bins in the women's section. I pulled out two pairs of pants from the tangled mess - a pair of burgundy J Brand corduroys for $14.75 and a pair of white flared jeans by Seven for $9.75 – and threw them over my shoulder without trying them on because if they didn’t fit I could always send them Designer Resale’s way. Struggling to carry my loot, I finally hit the line for the cashier.

Robert Clergerie

Another hour later and $583 spent, I was pushing through the heavy metal doors out onto the sidewalk only to be recoil in repulsion – It was torrential thunderstorms. And so I ran. I ran with four soaked and disintegrating Barney’s brown paper bags five blocks to my car all the while suppressing a giddy laughter – half stemming from the joy of getting a good deal and half from the fact that this whole charade would be a perfect Barney’s warehouse commercial. Picture it: girl, arms weighed down, making a mad dash in the rain all just for the thrill of designer discount shopping. How much crazier could I appear?

Lanvin

Much more apparently because an hour later, after wharfing down a slice and a soda (shopping takes energy people), I was back at it again. My friend was headed downtown and wanted to know, did I want to go with her to the Barney’s warehouse sale? Hell yes. Back for round two, which thankfully had much shorter lines, I grabbed a pair of thigh high leather Lanvin boots with a killer curved heel for $188, a pair of brown Givenchy booties for $119 , and a pair of 70s style Acne jeans for $19.75. Another $336 spent and I was finally heading home – A total of 8 hours later.

All in all, I am so excited to bust out my new boots this fall. But, before I can sport a different shoe every day of the week (because yes, I walked away with 7 pairs total) I’ve got to bust out the war paint, pack my umbrella, and head downtown because it’s back again. The Barney’s Warehouse Sale will be from August 25 – September 5, 2011 in the same old underground warehouse where all shopping etiquette flies out the non-existent windows and refined women pull their hair back in high ponytails, transforming into bargain barbarians.

David Yurman Comes To Nashville

I’ve recently joined the David Yurman team and was thrilled to find out during my first work week that David Yurman would be opening up a retail space between Louis Vuitton and White House/Black Market on the upper level of none other than The Green Hills Mall in Nashville, where I spent many a lazy Sunday shopping around with my sorority sisters recuperating from a party packed weekend (don’t worry dad, it was homework packed too of course).

I may be a bit biased with excitement for this combination of old college and new employer pride but nonetheless I’m going to share details of this exciting event with all you Nashville readers! On May 18^th, DY hosted a grand opening cocktail event in partnership with The T.J. Martell Foundation, boasting over 150 DY clients and Martell supporters. Among the attendees were mayor Karl Dean, country music singer Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry and blues artist Steve Cropper, who all presented Mr. Yurman with a signed Gibson guitar. One of the attendees was so inspired by the brand’s bridal collection that he purchased a David Yurman engagement ring and proposed to his girlfriend on the spot – How adorable is that? 

Continuing the festivities, DY hosted a grand opening luncheon in partnership with the American Heart Association’s Go Red, which hosted over 75 DY clients and supporters. To top things off, an intimate dinner welcoming David Yurman to Nashville was hosted by Jared Followill and members of band Kings of Leon at Citizen Club – Now who wouldn’t kill to be at that dinner table? Because who doesn’t have a head over heels crush on the whole band? I know I do… But unfortunately we all can’t get that close to the Followill boys. At least we can mope about our lack of rocker boyfriend status while shopping (because everyone knows that's a quick fix to heal all wounds).

So get your Nike running shorts, sorority-teed self down to The Green Hills Mall and pick out something to congratulate yourself on that A+ paper or even your excellent shot gunning skills – either way, you deserve it. I recommend the Moonlight Ice Ring, which looks great in the turquoise option, and the Ceramic Oval Link Bracelet. Or, my personal favorite, which is actually a men's piece - The Agate Horse Ring. 

Far & Near: Cazenovia, NY

Two summers ago I traveled upstate to Cazenovia, NY for Fourth of July weekend. About a four hour drive from New York City, Cazenovia is a quaint lake town and a refreshing get-away from the city's grueling heat. Stunning summer homes surround the sprawling Cazenovia Lake, which is sprinkled with jutting docks and sky-high sailboats. And town is just a summer stroll away. Brick buildings line the stretch of the picture-perfect town, with sumptuous ice cream shops, fantastic fudgeries, and of course — tons of small town shops.

After devouring a cone of mint chocolate chip, I swear I struck gold when I wandered into The Yesterday Market & Boutique. Filled with an eclectic array of vintage clothing and accessories, retro furniture, art from almost every era, and oh so much more, this store is by far the best kept secret of upstate New York. I spent about two hours combing through the endless racks of sweaters, tees, dresses, furs, sorting through the bins of bags scattered around the store, and trying on shoe after shoe on rack after rack.

Overwhelmed by an intense desire to buy up everything in sight, I tried to pick out items I found special or unique. My first find was a crisp black clutch with four single embroidered feathers across the front in red, blue, yellow, and green. In great condition, the clutch even came with a simple mirror inside. Next, I choose an adorable, small black evening bag with a polished gold handle. The clasp had two small crystals, which added a sweet touch to the already darling bag. Last, with it being summer and all, I choose a brown straw hat with a gingham ribbon. 

So if you ever find yourself in need of a lake house, a long drive, or a bit of a vacation, I highly suggest stealing away to Cazenovia. It may be a simple town — But that's exactly what makes it so special. It reminds you to enjoy the simple beauties in life — swimming, summer walks, cold ice cream, and of course, the joy of discovering a rare vintage find. 

The Yesterday Market & Boutique

55 Albany Street, Cazenovia, New York 13035

(315) 655-9608

Far & Near

This blog was originally founded as a way for me to share my favorite shopping finds in two incredible cities, both of which I called home at the time: New York City and Nashville. However, now that my stay at Vanderbilt University has ended I've decided to spice things up a bit with a new series: "Far And Near". There are such great places around New York City to drive to for a long weekend or hop on a train to for a day trip — And all of these places hold truly awesome treasure troves. I'll be reviewing my favorite finds, providing directions and more. Think of these posts to come as mini travel guides. Plus, with summer rapidly approaching, my weekends are bound to be filled with road trip after road trip.

Dapper Desktops

Want to bring some splendor to your desktop? Well, now you can thanks to the vast array of "screen leathers" available for download courtesy of Hermes. Each wallpaper is one of Hermes' colorful leather textures — including their perfect, classic orange. I'm a fan of the gray croc — It's also a perfect iPhone background! I suggest you try them out. And oh, check out the place I snagged this suggestion from — A new favorite blog of mine: Katie Armour: The Neo-Traditionalist.

A Perfect Match

All of us have that mental list — or even literal, thanks to sites like BlogLovin — of our favorite style sites, personal fashion blogs, magazine home-pages, and the like. Routinely we cycle through these webpages one by one, taking in our favorite images captured by Rumi Neely or dissecting one of The Cut's bold articles. I refer to this as the daily read, which for me usually occurs on lazy Sunday afternoons or at 2:00 AM when I'm lusting after sleep to no avail. 

A new favorite that's made its way into my reading repertoire is MatchBook. It was recommended to me by a friend who happens to know one of the founders/creators of this adorable magazine and since then I've loved every turn of a page. By page, I mean the virtual one created by the program Issuu, which allows users to create sort of an online magazine experience. It also helps its users bring more to the table than your typical newsstand glossies. 

For example, while I am no doubt the biggest anti-kindle, paperback proprietor, magazine lover out there, I have to admit that virtual magazines do have one plus — They have a click to buy option. Essentially, you can click on any product within the publication and it will take you right to the purchasing site. Print magazines have tried to set up a similar system with bar codes that can be scanned using your smartphone and apps that allow you to "shop the magazine" but its just not as easy as 1-2-3-click. 

Aside from the shopper friendly pages, MatchBook has wonderful interviews (such as with this month's cover girl Minnie Mortimer), great interior design tips, travel diaries, and more. It's definitely a fun read — And if you're one of those girls who loves a good feature with her fashion spread, it's the perfect magazine for you. 

Jane Birkin For Japan

Like any self-proclaimed lady of luxury, I adore Hermes. Even more so, a Birkin. Beyond a Birkin, which is incredible enough, the true original Birkin. That's right — Jane Birkin's Birkin. That's quite a lot of Birkin (figuratively and literally, for this post at least). Jane has donated her personal bag, which is signed and complete with prayer beads, travel stickers, and the like, to support EMI's charity auction for Japan. The auction closes in seven days so start salivating, bidding, and buying here. And if you're curious as to what makes this bag more than just a bag, I suggest you check out Michael Tonello's book Bringing Home The Birkin. Or, read my book review at the very least.