The Budget Fashionista

K-mart might be turning off the bluelight. I visited the new concept store, Sears Essential, developed by the folks at the Sears Corp to “reinvent” the totally dead K-Mart brand into a place where you would actually want to shop. It’s really sad day for your brand when SEARS is more fashionable than you. All in all Sears Essential is like “Sears Lite”. All the products you expect from a Sears—mid to low range quality clothing, power tools, and undergarments. …

• 1. Clean Your Store. Every K-mart I’ve ever been to is overwhelmingly junky. Yep. If your going to have a store that looks like a mess, you’ve got to have really cheap products and labor issues.

• 2. Get Cool Celebs/Fashion Designers to Have Lines.  Jacyln Smith hasn’t been cool since 1982. Pay some fabulous designer oodles of money, like Betsey Johnson or Marc Jacobs, to design a cheaper bridge line for your store. If there’s anyone who can get fashionistas to head into a K-Mart, it’s Marc Jacobs. It worked for Target.
• 3. Have Things in Stock. Why does it always seem that K-Mart never, ever, has what you want in stock. It’s like the concept of stock management, employed with amazing precision by Wal-Mart, totally skipped the management team at K-Mart.
• 4. Completely Change Your Name. K-Mart, the name, has been T-K-O by Wal-Mart and Target. Although Sears Essential isn’t exactly the name I would have picked—it’s better than the old one.

Dear Budget Fashionista, I’m in desperate need of new bras. Do you have any tips on finding a professional bra fitter in my city? Help! Spill Out

Dearest Spill Out,


Most major department stores have professional fitters on staff (Saks, Bloomingdale’s, JC Penney’s, Sears, etc). Some stores like Victoria’s Secret also have fitters, but in my experience, these fitters tend to try and sell you bras—regardless of the fit. You can also go to local boutique shops that specialize in bras and undergarments.


When you get to the store seek out the most experienced bra fitter there and have them measure you. If they tell you that you are a “definite” size, run like the wind. You will never be one size in every brand of bra and if a fitter tells you this then this is a sign of an inexperienced fitter. You will need to try on several bras, in many different sizes, until you find the right one that gives you support AND is comfortable. Your breast should fit completely into the cup, no spillage, no wire digging into your sides, and the band should fit snug, but not too tight on the first set of hooks. You should be able to sweep your hands from you collar bone across the bra without feeling any flesh bumps. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and walk out if they aren’t knowledgeable enough to give you answers or blame you (it happens) for their own inability to find you a proper fitting bra.

Alvin Valley, a.k.a. “Lord of the Pants”, joins Anne Klein and BCBG with a line called “Signature” at Sears. The line features mostly pants and skirts with Valley’s trademark expert tailoring and tummy slimming wide waist bands. Sizes range from 2-16 and almost all the pants are priced under $30 (some were on sale for less than $20), which is significantly cheaper than Valley’s standard price. On another Sears note, it’s rumored that there is a VERY strong possibility that French …

First, Isaac. Then Vera (Wang), Norma (Kamali), and Nicole (Miller). Fifth Avenue designers are all flocking to a stripmall nearest you in an effort to build their brand and pocketbooks. With so many designer premiering mass market lines, it’s difficult to know which ones are worth the Saturday trek to your Target. Here’s my picks: Designer Lines at Budget Stores JC Penney—JC Penney’s carries a collection called Nicole by designer Nicole Miller (known mostly for her high priced, beautiful dresses). …

One of the most difficult things about shopping online, beside annoying pop up ads asking you to vote for your favorite Destiny’s Child to win a $25 gift certificate to Applebee’s, is the inability to actually try items on before you make the purchase. Enter My Virtual Model.  Look past the corny sounding name and you’ll find a pretty good idea—a body model that you can customize for your height, shape, ethnicity, hair color, that can be used to “virtually” try …

Dear Budget Fashionista, Is it true that both Nicole Miller and BCBG have lines at JC Penney’s? If so, what are their names, as I so heart Nicole Miller and BCBG Max Azria but could never afford their ready to wear lines.

A: Nicole Miller is at JC Penney’s and the line is called Nicole. To be perfectly honest, it isn’t very good. BCBG Max Azria’s line is at SEARS and it’s called Parallel and it is pretty good—especially for spring items.

I never knew how hard it was to find affordable, age appropriate clothing for children until I became an aunt.  It’s next to impossible to find a cute dress for a girl for under $50. Is it too much to ask to pay less for a boys suit than I pay for a suit for my husband? After 9 years as an aunt and now that I’m starting a family of my own, I’m a woman on a mission to find …

Dressy outfits
When you want to spend a little more on either a good suit or party dress, head to the outlets of the big expensive department stores, like Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nordstrom. The outlets of these stores all have children departments, with designers like Betsey Johnson and Ralph Lauren for kids. Nordstrom has an amazing selection of shoes for little ones as well.

Avoid department stores that tend to price children’s clothing at the same price point as adults. There is no justification for a 4T Ralph Lauren Skirt to cost that same as an adult skirt. However, if you’re a department store shopper try stores like Macys, which offer great deals on children’s clothing during their major sale events, and SEARS, where the clothes are guaranteed to last thru at least one kickball season.

Saving grace - The internet
The Internet has revolutionized shopping for children. Long gone are the days of having to meander through stores with a screaming three-year-old. Put the kids to bed, grab a cup of chamomile tea and start to shop. Check out these great online stores:

GapKids- A wide selection of causal and dress clothes for girls and boys. Great clearance section.
Zappos.com- Great selection of shoes from designers like Bibi and Kenneth Cole.
Target.com - Cheap and Cool. A great combo.
Overstock.com - A wide selection and rock bottom prices. Great for coats.
Babystyle- Adorable clothing for babies and toddlers. Make sure to search Google for coupon codes before shopping at the store.

Dear Budget Fashionista, My 10-year high school reunion is coming up and I need help dressing for two events—a happy hour and an evening event. Help! Ready for Reunion Zappos.com

Dearest Ready for Reunion,

For your ten-year reunion you want to make a statement that says: yes, high school was fun, but my life is now even better.

So this is what you do: For the Happy Hour, you want to be casual, but stylish. Wear a nice pair of fitted jeans with a slight boot-cut if your bigger on the bottom or straight legged if you’ve got a slim bottom. Head to Filene’s Basement and score a pair of designer jeans from Seven, James or Citizens for Humanity at a heavy discount (usually between $29.99-$59.99). On the less expensive side try Express, Z. Cavarruchi or Levis. If you can, and only if you can, wear a pair of the new skinny jeans. Buy a nicely fitted blazer that hits you right at the smallest part of your torso (for most women that’s slightly above the waist or right below your butt). Some places to look for great jackets: H&M, Ann Taylor, Bloomingdales, and Nordstrom. Accessorize your outfit with high quality fake diamond earrings that look at least one carat in size. All night long, constantly place your hair behind your ears so everyone can get a good look at the earrings. Wear a pair of sexy black pumps and bring a nice little black clutch. Trust me, you will be the most fashionable person at the reunion.

Reunion Evening Event: For evening events, you want to look dressy—but not too dressy.  Look for an empire waist, halter or strapless dress if you feel confident in your arms in any color but black—forest green, violet, and rose are all great colors for an evening event.  However, if you feel uncomfortable with your arms or wish you could have lose a few more pounds before the party, wear the classic little black dress from a store like Macy’s, or Bluefly.com. The dress needs to fit perfectly to carry off this look, so head to your nearest tailor, if necessary. Accessories: wear your diamonds (again,1-carat fakes from Sears and New York and Co. look as good as the real thing). For shoes wear pumps, because pumps elongate your body making you thinner and more statue-esque. Zappos.com and Steve Madden both have a great selection of sexy pumps.

Now the most important thing to wear is a smile. At least you do not have to take gym class again.

Happy Shopping,

The Budget Fashionista

THESE SALES HAVE ENDED In Store Sales Bloomingdales—Big Brown Sale now thru Sept 4th. Up to 25% clothings for the entire family. Plus major deals on things for the home. Macys—Up to 50% off store wide (also online as well) Parisian- $10 off $50 in Denim. Sears—Buy one, Get one free shoe sale. JC Penney’s—Biggest Home Sale of the year (plus save on rings, earrings, and other accessories. Chelsea Premium Outlets—Labor Day Weekend Sale Barney’s—The Barney’s Warehouse Sale continues until Sept. …

The Deal: Sears is holding a Super Saturday Sale tomorrow, June 7. Both in-store and online there’ll be thousands of great deals for you. Women’s dresses, activewear, swimwear, summer clothes and sandals will be discounted up to 50%. The entire store will be on sale, so check out their other departments for Father’s Day, kids and the house. If the jewelry counters beckon you, indulge--gold jewelry is up to 60% off. There’s Doorbuster Deals from 9 am-12 pm for those …

The Deal: Sear’s Clearance Blowout in Women's Apparel - save up to 80% off original prices The Lowdown: Sears isn’t always our go-to spot for fashion, but with prices up to 80% off? It’s totally worth searching for that gem or two for less. Like, for example, this Apostrophe Novelty Stitch Cardigan, on sale now for an astounding $4.49! Or, this Covington Women’s Plus Sateen 1 Button Jacket, on sale for just $33.99. Deals like this don’t last long, of course, …