online sale alert: kate spade

Currently salivating over these adorable, albeit slightly impractical, items in the massive Kate Spade sale going on in Gilt right now. Sequined duffel bag, anyone?

If you haven't signed up for Gilt yet, click here. Happy shopping!

designer for less: missoni for target

It took superhuman self-control but I managed to clear out of the Target website with just two things: the sleeveless shift dress on the left below and those cute printed shorts on the right.

My shipment arrives sometime next week so I'll let you all know what the real deal looks like. The website keeps going down but I had a few precious minutes of good luck at around 1:30pm today. As of that time, there were still a good amount of shift dresses, shorts, skirts and bags. The hoodie above is still haunting me but I decided I don't need to be in head to toe zig zag, do I? The adorable Missoni bike is all but a memory but there are still iPhone cases, homeware and luggage all ready to wreck your budget ...

If you're able to get on, make sure to shop as quickly as possible as the website is still pretty shaky! Good luck!

designer for less: target redux

A little bird named Avery shared some exciting shopping news with me today. To celebrate 5 years of bringing designer aesthetics to the masses, Target is re-releasing 34 of its most popular GO International dresses. I own one Target GO International dress from the Tracy Feith collaboration that I still love very much and has been worth every single one of the 39.99 dollars I spent on it. So I'm a fan of Target's GO International stuff. I hope that this time around I'll get a chance to snag one (or all three) of the dresses below: the wrap dress from the Thakoon collection ($39.99), the Proenza Schouler bustier dress ($44.99) and the Behnaz Sarafpour minidress ($44.99).

The dresses will be available at stores and at Target.com on March 13. Don't miss out!

sample sale alert: rouge pr

Have you done Christmas shopping for your girl friends yet? Rouge PR is having a sample sale today and tomorrow (December 10-11) from 10am to 5pm. Get great deals on jewelry brands from Italy, Hong Kong and Turkey, plus Italian handbags. Stop by 636 Broadway, 5th Floor, Suite 512 (at Broadway) to get samples on the cheap from Aonie, Anthracite, Arkaik, Dafdesign, Halaby and Marielle Byworth. Happy shopping!

lanvin ♥ h&m

I hope you've dusted off your boxing gloves because it is sure to be UTTER MADNESS tomorrow when H&M releases it's highly anticipated collaboration with Lanvin. I'm glad I'm on a shopping hiatus because I like my eyes in their sockets, thankyouverymuch, and I'm not willing to risk decapitation for one of those beautiful one-shoulder dresses.

I was trying my best to ignore the whole thing because I do so love Lanvin, and the fact that Alber decided to throw us a bone and do a collab with H&M does tug at my heartstrings. But with six more months and numerous trips and adventures to embark on for 30 Before 30, I just don't have money to spare. This morning though, Metro NY (yes, I am cheap and therefore only read free "newspapers") flung a full page Lanvin ♥ H&M ad in my face so I gave in to curiosity and finally checked out the collection.

If money (and holding on to my eyeballs) wasn't an issue, I would splurge on these gorgeous dresses. They don't exactly come cheap at $199. While the design is fiercely Lanvin, I somehow doubt that the quality would be so amazing as to warrant that pricetag. I could be wrong though. It's up to you, H&M to put some dresses in my hand to prove me wrong. Just saying.

The only things from this collection that I may allow myself to have should they miraculously be available when I wander into H&M one of these days are the shirt and skirt below ($49 and $59 respectively). That skirt is so beautiful and is something one could get more use of than a highly memorable dress.

What are you gunning for? To see the full lookbook with prices, click here.

vena cava for aqua

The Vena Cava for Aqua collection went online today, and it looks pretty good. Designers Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock lent their aesthetic to Bloomingdales' private label for dresses and separates that are at half the price of an original Vena Cava. I love the color blocked dresses, and I don't know if it's because I've been freezing my butt off in a chilly office for weeks, but that faux fur vest in the middle looks pretty enticing ...

Prices range from $78 for a jeweled tank top to $188 for the faux fur vest above. That's pretty much Aqua's price range, but that being pretty close to Vena Cava's price tags, why not just splurge on the real thing? I love this classy dress, which is priced at $295 at Saks.

Or better yet, hit the Bloomie's sales rack, which has the Vena Cava dresses below from $78 to $165 dollars. There are still plenty of extra smalls and size 0s and 2s!

What would you get?

target + gilt groupe

I haven't shopped for the sake of shopping in such a long time that I am just completely out of the loop! If you've been following my 30 Before 30 Project, you've probably figured that all funds have been directed to travel, surf lessons, pole dancing lessons and whatnot rather than fashion items. So I was pretty stunned to receive the email below today ... Target has a new line coming up with Mulberry?!? WOW. I'm underwhelmed with the bags I've seen so far, but looking forward to seeing what else they have in store. There's also a clothing line from Tucker, which I must admit I know nothing about but seems to make very pretty dresses. I really like the vintage look of the ones they've done for Target, so far. Decoupage king John Derian also returns with a fresh new collection of homeware. I am already smitten with that flowered melamine plate in the image below.

So the big news is that Gilt Groupe members get a headstart on shopping Target's new designer collaborations this Friday at 12 noon. If you haven't registered for Gilt Groupe yet, then what rock have you been hiding under? Get on that right now and click here.

Happy bargain shopping!

butter by nadia online sample sale!

Have you heard about Butter by Nadia? I think these dresses are the most genius ideas on the planet! Most of them can be worn in a multitude of different, sexy ways. I don't know why I still don't own one! Well, okay, it's really because they're not all that cheap (the price for a dress hovers around $250) and I'm a little intimidated by the "one size fits all" thing. I'd love to get this dress on the left, for instance, but the length might hit mid-calf for me since I am not exactly supermodel-sized.

But non-munchkins should definitely check out the online sample sale going on until June 21st at the Butter by Nadia website! There are some great deals, like this signature dress on the left now at just $125. The versatile jersey ball gown is just $155, and there's a bunch of very cute dresses as low as $65. Check it out here.

Happy Saturday everyone!

monday night carnage at yakiniku west

You know you're with the right person at a yakiniku spot when you hear her repeatedly say, "I don't think we have enough meat." This is why I love bonding over food with Kathryn (you too, Adam). Like me, she's an Asian anomaly. For some rather petite girls, we can put away a lot of food. We were on a mission to hit up Yakiniku West after passing it one weekend and reading a sign that said up to 50% off short ribs on Mondays. Oh, hell yes.

So last Monday, we finally sat down for a whole lot of meat. On this plate: short rib, prime short rib, short rib on the bone. My favorite was definitely the heavily marbled prime short rib. The meat is just so tender and flavorful. Another similar-looking plate followed because this, of course, is not enough meat for one very tall guy and two tiny girls who can individually eat as much as a family of three. If you've never had yakiniku, you're probably wondering what the deal is with all this raw meat. Well yakiniku is basically barbeque-your-own-food at the grill on the table. Although it can be cumbersome to work for your dinner, I do like having control over how cooked my meat is. I'm not just a carnivore after all, but a bonafide bloody meat-lover, as you can tell from my last brush with yakiniku in Japan.

We also had some salmon, which you sprinkle with lemon juice, wrap up in foil, and leave to steam on your little grill. As you can tell from the picture, the salmon was pretty fresh and succulent. After some steaming, it was absolutely delicious.

We also had some sake and beer because the restaurant it was happy hour when we got there. The damage was $30 per person for two plates of different types of short ribs, salmon, edamame, kimchi,  rice, a bottle of sake and a pitcher of beer. Not too shabby!

We spied a yummy looking avocado and seaweed salad on another table, and were bummed we didn't get it. It was huge and looked so fresh, plus it only costs $7! So getting that next time.

Because clearly, we will be back here for many more Mondays to come. 

Yakiniku West is located at 218 East 9th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues

P.S.: You have to take your shoes off at the door so make sure you're wearing matching socks or have a decent pedi when you go

missoni for converse

I've been thinking for about a week now about getting Chuck Taylors. I don't really wear sneakers but for some reason, it's been crossing my mind lately that it wouldn't be so bad to hang out in miniskirts and high top Chucks for the warmer months. Of course, right when I'm about to take the plunge on these reasonably priced sneakers, I find out that there's now a very chic version in one incredibly irresistible print:

Of course they're only available in two areas, and one of them happens to be New York (the other one is  Beverly Hills). And of course the Missoni boutique on Fifth Avenue is just a quick walk from my office. The damage: $200—expensive enough to make a significant dent on my monthly budget, but maddeningly low enough that I could potentially whip my credit card out in a weak moment.

I am actually hoping that I will be so busy at work this week that I won't even be able to think about walking to the Missoni store to take a look ...

foxtrot for 54% off

If you've been wanting to take salsa, foxtrot, merengue or tango classes, here's your chance to do it at a discount! LivingSocial's deal for the day is 54% off four group classes plus four passes to Dance With Me’s mingle sessions. I don't have a dance partner to drag to these things, so I'll pass, but if you do this would be a great chance to get him to learn some suave moves!

Click here!

on target

Target, you sneaky devil you. I look away for a second and suddenly you have all sorts of cool summer designer collaborations! 

There are gladiator wedges for $29.99 with Cynthia Vincent, plus a host of cute strappy sandals for $24.99.

And for the summer horse races, polo matches, picnics and barbeques—cute little hats in collaboration with milliner Eugenia Kim. I'm specially liking that throwback of a straw hat two pictures down with the green trim and $16.99 pricetag.

I'm a lot less excited about the Zac Posen/Target collaboration. Nothing appealing enough to spare hanger space for. But I might just make room for a little straw hat and some wedges if I run into them at a Target store ...

costello tagliapietra for uniqlo

Hitting stores on May 20th: UNIQLO's capsule collection of dresses in collaboration with Costello Tagliapietra. I loved the Brooklyn duo's Spring-Summer 2010 collection of pretty dresses in lush colors and feminine draping. Their collection for UNIQLO follows those same lines, but at a much more pocket-friendly price range of $29.50-$39.50. I want all three dresses above badly! They seem like a reinterpretation of this dress below from Costello Tagliapietra's SS2010 show, don't you think?

God bless the brilliant mind that came up with the idea of designer collaborations!

spring cleaning

I've been getting these emails from Living Social, another website that works on giving large discounts by tapping en masse buying power. Today's deal is an interesting one, I think. If you're looking for some help with your spring cleaning, Living Social is offering a discounted cleaning session with Clarity Domestics for just $47—a pretty good deal, I think, since the usual going rate for a cleaning lady to tidy up a 1-bedroom in New York is about $75. For $47, you get a three hour cleaning session with Clarity Domestics using eco-friendly products to boot. This service is normally valued at $105. I browsed the Clarity Domestics website and they usually charge $69 and upwards to clean up a studio, and $139 and up for 1- to 2-bedrooms. Interesting deal for those looking for a helping hand with those dust bunnies accumulating under your bed (nothing they can do about the skeletons in your closet though, sorry). To sign up for this deal, click here.

designer for less: sonia rykiel for h&m

Jesus, I really do have a one-track mind. When I'm preoccupied with food and ... well, stuff ... I just completely miss out on things. What rock have I been hiding under? I completely missed the fact the the Sonia Rykiel for H&M collection dropped last February 20! This is kinda embarrassing because I walk past an H&M to get to my train station everyday. *facepalm*

I want some of the stripey cuteness!

So glad that the prices are not too steep. I was not a fan of those ridiculously overpriced H&M designer collabs (*cough-Jimmy-Choo-cough*) (*cough-Viktor-&-Rolf-cough*). Of course that might mean there'll be nothing left on the racks when I go tomorrow. If I could just have a pair of those crazy striped tights or socks, I'd be fine really. I don't ask for much. 

Did anyone else manage to hit up H&M? Was it utter madness? Do tell!

designer for less: liberty of london for target

Twenty days and counting til the Liberty of London for Target collection drops and I am beyond excited! By May I'll be moving into new digs in the Financial District and I can hardly wait to start decorating. From the ads it looks like they're doing the iconic Liberty prints in clothes and homeware. I'm digging the shams and sundresses, and am dorkily excited about the piggie bank, teapots and mugs!

Get in the mood to shop with this adorable Liberty of London for Target advertisement:

The collection drops on March 14, 2010. So excited!!!

sample sale alert: butter by nadia

How can a sample sale be worth trekking all the way to Brooklyn for? Easy. See all those looks below? That's just one dress that can be worn in a multitude of ways:

I've been dying for a Butter by Nadia wrap dress for ages for its incredible versatility. I mean, a dress that can take you from Saturday cocktails to Sunday brunch (hopefully not successively ... or hey, maybe that would be a sign of a steaming hot love life heehee!) is a definite keeper, right? I'm thinking that these convertible dresses would also make amazing bridesmaid outfits. It comes in one size and can be worn multiple ways, so it makes everything way simpler for the bride-to-be to coordinate.

However badly I want this dress though, I am in no position to shop as there are too many Christmas gifts to spend on. I will hold off until the next sample sale when hopefully, this Hannah dress that I covet will pop up:

To all those willing and able to treat themselves to a workhorse of a dress though, happy shopping!

UPDATE: theory sample sale

UPDATE: Editing yesterday's post on the Theory sample sale. According to Christina from Theory's PR division, the sale kicked off a day early. Will have to restrain myself from sprinting there after work today!

I'm still jonesin' for these Theory skinny pants that I spotted at the Outlet for just $75, but having just charged $190 on my Visa for that wonderful puffercoat, I couldn't let myself pick up any. But as they say, things happen for a reason, and maybe I'll get a shot at some newer, hotter styles at the Theory sample sale that starts this Friday Thursday! Here are the new details:

When:
Thursday & Friday, December 4th: 11am – 7pm
Saturday, December 5th - Sunday, December 6th: 11am - 5pm
Monday, December 7th - Wednesday, December 9th: 11am - 7pm
Where: 261 West 36th Street, 2nd Floor, between Seventh & Eighth Avenues, New York, NY