Bloggers
Neiman Marcus vs. The Budget Fashionista
Neiman Marcus is threatening to sue me….
See, I can talk about Neiman Marcus and can even use photos from their online site, but only IF I suggest that you ONLY shop at Neiman Marcus in the post. It’s okay to use their pictures, if I turn my blog into free advertising space for the store.
Even though writing about this will probably put me on the sh*t list of not only Neiman Marcus, but other stores as well, I think it’s important to let shoppers know how the game is played. And it doesn’t only affect the blog, but my book as well. For example, some stores wouldn’t sell my book, even though people in the companies in question bought the book, because it mentions other stores. One company, whose evilness we all know and love, even had the nerve to say if I removed a competitor from the book they would “consider carrying it in their stores.” Needless to say, the competitor stayed and the book just went to its second printing without being carried by the store (thanks to my fellow bloggers, who help me promote the book via a blogroots marketing effort)
What this all boils down to is the difference between a blog and a magazine. Blogs, although this is changing, are run by people with no corporate bosses to worry about. On this other hand, magazines, are run by people who do have corporate bosses, which is why they’re afraid to criticize stores like Neiman Marcus for fear they’ll pull their advertising dollars and make their corporate bosses angry. That is why, for the most part, advertisers control the content you see in magazines. I know for a fact that there would be a hurricane in hell before “Needless Mark-up” would advertise on my site, so why not suggest alternatives to the store?
However, there is a bright side to this… at least the folks at Neiman Marcus read the blog, and I heard they have internet access in jail.
Read a copy of the email from Neiman Marcus’s attorney…..
To whom it may concern:
It has come to our attention that your website, budgetfashionista.com, is using one or more images from NeimanMarcus.com. Please see the link below, which contains a photo, copyright Neiman Marcus.
Please cease using this photo immediately, and Neiman Marcus will not take further action with respect to this infringement. In the future, kindly contact (omitted name) online for advance permission to use images from the website. Her email address is: Please be aware that permission will not be granted for the use of images where your blog suggests other websites to buy merchandise.
Please acknowledge your agreement with this notice as soon as possible.
Note: I did remove the picture
Latest Book Reviews: How to Be a Budget Fashionista
Thanks to everyone who read the book and posted a review. I REALLY appreciate it, especially the support from my fellow bloggers. I made a commitment to taking a “blogroots” approach to getting the word out about the book. If you write a blog and would like to receive a copy of the book to review, please contact me with the name of your blog, address, and estimated number of readers.
Recent Book Reviews
Metro NY
Gothamist
Detroit Free Press
Verbal Croquis
Flamingnet Book Review
Simply Chic
La Dolce Divas
Cheap Chica
The Glamourous Librarian
Budget Fashionista Book Party: June 28th
THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED.
I will be having a small book party next Wednesday, June 28, 2006 in NYC. Unfortunately, it’s not a public event (although I promise to have one soon), but I’ve snagged five invites for my blog readers. Just send me a quick email about why you would like to attend the book party (hint: goody bags)—if you’re a member of the press or fellow blogger, send me a quick email to be added to the guest list.
A Couple of Memorial Day Thoughts
- Stores like Daffy’s and outlet malls like the nationwide Chelsea Premium Outlets are having big sales this weekend. I heard the Saks outlet has a major coupon circulating around shopping circles.
- A big Memorial Day shout out to Rebecca, of the wonderful blog Space Between My Peers, for reviewing my book so quickly on her site. We may not always agree, but what’s life without a little variety.
- In regards to TBF on my space . . . My Myspace page is no different than the blog—just more info and a way to connect with my fellow shoppers. Plus my fashionable friend Sandra told me that I had to get a page. If Flava Flav can do it, so can I! Join if you like.
Site I Like: PeakUniques.com
I love the internet because it’s creating a community of women who are truly doing their own thing. Like the two women behind the web boutique PeakUniques.com. The store carries a variety of cute accessories for working women. My favorite piece is the white bag (price $249.95) shown above that is actually, believe it or not, a laptop bag. The bag looks like a Marc Jacobs bag except $1500 cheaper and without the pretense. The bag isn’t the cheapest laptop bag (for cheap, but stylish bags head to Target), but for working fashionistas who are forced to cart around heavy laptops, this bag is worth every penny. Fashionista readers can ease the pain on their wallet by using coupon code FASHIONISTA15 at checkout. The coupon is good through June 1st. THIS COUPON HAS EXPIRED.
Have a site you think I would like? Contact me
Fashion 2.0: Coutorture Launch
Looking for an easy way to keep up with your fashion news? Well, look no further than Coutorture. Coutorture is a gathering of posts from THE top fashion blogs on the net, linking readers like yourself to the best posts from top fashion blogs like Almost Girl and The Budget Fashionista.
Think Newsgator for fashion.
Visit Coutorture
Guest Blogger Melanie Bernstein: From Texas to ‘The Big Apple’
Growing up in Manhattan is one thing. Native New Yorkers come out of the womb wearing Prada and Gucci, right? They find nothing strange about folks that can’t leave the house if their earrings don’t match their skirts.
I, on the other hand, have spent the last three years living in Texas. Although I am originally from San Francisco, New York fashion makes the City by the Bay look like Mandy Moore in Birkenstocks; beautiful, yet fashionably clueless.
But, Texas . . . that’s a whole other can of worms. During my three years at the University of Texas, I grew completely accustomed to seeing students show up to class in PJ bottoms and wife beaters. I didn’t blink an eye when I walked into the (somewhat) classy bars and clubs in town and sat next to a guy in a pair of Levi’s and a cowboy hat. Fashion is just not a priority among most of the folks in Texas. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just not a New York thing. But, then again, who cares about New York when you get your kicks by line dancing and cow tipping?
Hmmm . . . somehow, I decided that Texas might not be my ideal living location, which is why I high-tailed it out of there after graduation.
I knew that I didn’t want to go back to the West Coast (at least not yet), and what better place to be young and single than in the city that never sleeps? Thus, I packed my bags, found a cozy (read: SMALL) studio apartment on the Upper East Side, and spent the next few weeks bonding with my new best friend: Manhattan.
It didn’t take long to learn that people are different here than they are in a small college town. Folks don’t look like they rolled out of bed and picked up the first clothing items they spotted on the floor. They look like they actually gave thought to their daily attire. I felt very out of place in my University of Texas sweatshirt and my three-year-old, I-think-these-were-originally-supposed-to-resemble-the-color-white sneakers.
Along with wardrobe changes, I noticed that jewelry took on a very different meaning than I was used to. I had thought of jewelry as a small token, meant to add a subtle complement to a given outfit. But in New York, it seems that a piece of jewelry is not only significantly bigger and more extravagant, but is also often the focus of an outfit. Never in my life would I have thought I would wear giant, pink, dangly earrings or a jewel-encrusted brooch, the size of my fisted hand, except on Halloween when I was sporting my over-the-top, rich-old-lady costume.
I went back to visit my alma mater not long ago, and brought my New York fashion sense with me. I was so proud of my new look and couldn’t wait to show it off to my less-knowledgeable college friends. However, when they looked at me with my frayed scarf and my giant, butterfly necklace they just stared in disgust and disbelief. I guess you can change a small-town girl with a big city, but you can’t change a small town with a big-city girl.
Fake Handbag Debate: The Australian Story
Fellower blogger Sarah Goldstein takes the fake debate down under to give us her perspective on fake designer handbags.
A couple of days ago, The Budget Fashionista asked me an interesting question: is the fake purse craze just an American thing?
As one of the few Australian fashion bloggers, I’m here to tell you it’s not. In Sydney, where I live, fake purses are everywhere. I see a lot of them around town, on the arms of everyone from schoolgirls to office workers to women wearing tracksuits in the city (perhaps they’ve just left the gym…)
The most popular kind of fake purse in Australia is the bad fake - smelly PVC ‘Chanel’; ‘Louis Vuitton’ with poorly laid-out monograms and plastic trims; and the occasional worn-out black nylon ‘Prada’ with fraying stitches. While a better quality fake is much harder to spot, I see so few real-looking ‘status’ bags on the streets of Sydney that it’s safe to say there aren’t many top-notch fakes around.
When I was younger, I wore fake designer gear and had fun with it. I was intent on trying every imaginable look - rock chick one day, princess the next - and the availability of fakes meant I could have a good replica of a Gucci watch to complete the preppy outfits, and some Diesel-look tees when I felt more punk. At that age, designer items as investment purchases were out of the question: partly because I didn’t have the money, but also because I could barely guess what I’d want to wear next week so buying something that lasts for years was impossible.
I’m not remotely ashamed about my youthful indiscretions. Experimenting with faux designer items helped me develop a taste for real designer items that I have today - and when I have the money to indulge it, the brands whose fakes I used to wear often benefit.
But while I find fake bags on young cuties adorable, I also strongly believe that older people shouldn’t wear them. It’s not about age, but about an attitude change when fashion ceases to be fun experimentation and instead becomes a serious expression of who you are. As a young lass, I had no shame in wearing a fake Gucci watch and never pretended it was anything else. I would happily compare fake watches with friends, and be thrilled by compliments like “That’s a great copy, it doesn’t say Gucky or anything!”. In contrast, I’ve had the misfortune of discussing fakes with older women who insist their plastic ‘Chanel’s with uneven stitching and horribly constructed handles are the real deal. It’s hard to explain to someone that Chanel bags don’t fall off the back of trucks, they’re not made in China and it’s unlikely that the real Chanel factory makes anything in pleather. Especially stinky pleather.
So what do other Australians think of fake bags? I can’t speak for everyone, but there definitely seems to be a wide spectrum of opinions. There are people who think all fakes are wrong - often those who buy real Louis Vuitton and hate seeing a hundred copies of their bag every time they leave the house. There are also people who think designers are just having a whinge, and they should be flattered that people want to wear their designs (even if they don’t pay them for the privilege). In fashion circles, it’s a topic of heated conversations; amongst normal people, it can seem like a joke.
If there’s any lesson in all of this, it’s to buy what you like without worrying what others will think. A fake status bag won’t convey a great deal of status upon you, but a real one isn’t the answer to all your fashion problems either. When you carry an expensive bag, there will be people who admire and envy your good taste, but there will also be others who think you’re insane for spending that much on a bag. If you’d rather wear a fake, some people will regard it as a bargain and others will see it as a crime. Just don’t expect the logo to change your life and don’t expect the cheap bag to last!
Sara Goldstein lives in Australia and writes the blog The Bargain Queen.
Fall Fashion Week Wrap Up: The Rise of the Fashion Blog
The biggest trend of the season isn’t related to fashion at all—in fact the biggest trend to come out of fashion week seems to be the rise of the blogger as a legitimate observer of fashion. When I first started blogging about my escapades from Fashion Week in 2003, I was like the only blogger in the crowd, now you have old heads like the Washington Post’s fashion writer, Robin Givhans, giving insightful comments on the week.
I respect Robin Givhans for many reasons, she a brillant writer, she’s one of the few (and I mean FEW) women of color at the top of the fashion editorial game, and she’s gets front row seats at all the best shows. She’s also one of the few fashion week bloggers (along with the impressive newcomer Almost Girl and myself) willing to discuss the nasty truth about fashion week—that it has turned into a celeb free for all that has little to do with the actually clothes on the runway. Here’s her observation of the crowd waiting to get into the Baby Phat show:
“If you scan the crowd, you’ll notice that there aren’t a lot of editors from the mainstream fashion publications. They don’t come to this show anymore because it is well-known for being a chaotic mosh pit. And generally, the clothes are really, really bad.”
I love fashion. I really do. But now that fashion has become so linked to celebrities, it seems like the shows would be more at home as a part of VH1’s Celebreality than on Full Frontal Fashion.
Celebs Don Fat Suits to Get in Touch With “Poor Fat People”
I was doing my daily patrol of some of my favorite blogs and came across an entry by fellow blogger Chic Reid, regarding the latest trend of entertainment shows conducting “investigative reports” on the “poor miserable lives” of those who wear over a size 16.
Chic Reid writes:
I am nauseated by the recent trend of skinny gorgeous celebs and journalists donning fat suits in order to “investigate” the depressing experiences of “poor fat people”. It is increasingly becoming one of the most hypocritical and offensive media experiments..
Thanks Goodness, I’m not the only one who finds it strange that news magazines like Entertainment Tonight suddenly care about those who are obese. I mean, really, Entertainment shows should stick to what they do best—keeping us updated on the trials and tribulations of the cast of “Different Strokes”.
I also find the timing of this increased interest in the plight of the overweight a little circumspect, coming right on the heels of numerous report of celebrities going as far as taking medication meant for horses to stay thin. Taking horse pills or snorting cocaine to stay thin is just as dangerous as being 300 pounds. Probably more.
Introducing TBF’s Project:Blog
In an effort to help wade through the millions (literally) of fashion and shopping related blogs that popped up on the web in the past year or so, I created a project called project:blog.The creatively titled project allows up and coming fashion/beauty/shopping related bloggers to post their blogs free of charge (in exchange for a link back to the Project:Blog homepage) and gives readers to vote and post comments on their on these blogs, as well as find out what blog are worth reading. It is my hope that the project will help link readers with some great blogs who might be hard to discover in the great abyss we call the internet.
Head to Project:Blog
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