Kathryn Finney
Kathryn Finney in New York Times, London’s Sunday Times and More
Greetings Everyone-
Please check me out in today’s NYT (second time in a month!):
Also check out December’s Essence magazine where I am the featured expert (with a big smiling photo) on getting the best deals for the holidays
AND in these awesome publications- People Stylewatch, the International Herald Tribune, London Sunday Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Magic Hour Radio, TODAY show and more!
Plus interviews with Wonderwoman’s Lynda Carter, Flipping Out’s Jenni Pulos, Joanne Cash (Johnny’s sister) and Superstar Vanessa Williams for TBF’s shoptalk celebrity radio interview series (http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/podcast)
We’re also launching an exciting contest with one of my favorite retailers next month (the contest is so good that I feel like Oprah!) that is going to rock the social media world AND I am finishing up my new book that will be published by Sterling Books in August 2010.
Three Tips For Talking in Sound Bites
1. Always answer the question within your answer.
Yes it sounds weird, but when doing taped interviews you will need to answer the question with the question embedded into the answer. Why? Well your interview will be edited and when you answer the question within the answer it is easier for the producer to rearrange your comments, edit the interview down (because you don’t have to worry about the proceeding question), etc.
2. Keep it short.
Most sounds bites are rarely over 15 seconds long, so keep your answers short and to the point. Because I’m a talker, this was perhaps one of the hardest lessons for me to learn.
3. Take a breath after each sentence.
Always take a breath or count to one before answering a question posed to you. Not only does this help the producer by giving them space to edit your comments, but it also reduces the likelihood of you talking over your interviewer.
Some examples that illustrate the above points:
Producer: What are this season’s hot new trends?
You Answer .....
Wrong: “Kilts, furry hats, and canvas sneakers”
Right: “This season’s hot new trends are kilts, furry hats, and canvas sneakers.”
Producer: “What do you think about Tony Blair?”
You Answer….
Wrong: He’s a nice chap.
Right: I think Tony Blair is a nice chap.
LoveToKnow Interviews Kathryn, CEW Beauty Insider’s Choice Awards, H&M Peek, Bold Jewelry
Do you know where Kathryn’s fave shops for shoes are? What’s a true bargain? Get the scoop from the LoveToKnow Fashion’s interview of Kathryn Finney, the Budget Fashionista!
What do Aveeno, Dove and Ojon have in common this year? Beautiful Makeup Search has the scoop on this year’s best body treatments, via the 2009 CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) Beauty Insider’s Choice Awards.
Be inspired for Spring: Chic Stories has tips on how to wear the most striking bold jewelry this season.
Fasshonaburu Fashion and Shopping Blog gets a sneak peek at one of the priciest collections to hit H&M: Matthew Williamson.
Kathryn in The Independent, BeanpYe, Lady Gaga’s Style, Preview of Tory Burch Fall 2009
Even the UK is feeling the pinch. But, The Independent is determined not to let style suffer - they share tips on how to shop, where to go, and pick advice from fab fashion gurus like Harper’s Bazaar, Vivienne Westwood and our very own Kathryn Finney, The Budget Fashionista!
Clutch Magazine’s Stylistic gushes over the vibrant, exotic designs by one of their favorites, BeanpYe. Total eye candy!
GlamChic breaks down the style of Lady Gaga, the “one woman revolution” with an “out there” fashion sense. Do we like her style?
The Jet Set Girls have delightful pictures from their early preview of the Tory Burch Fall 2009 collection. (Ack, its barely even Spring!)
Shoptalk Lifestyle Podcast Show is Back- Season 4
Click on the player below to listen:Shoptalk is Back!
Join us Friday April 10th for another thrilling season of our award winning podcast- Shoptalk with Kathryn Finney. Okay so we haven’t really won any awards, but listen anyway, because there’s no other place to where else could you hear Supermodel Iman chat about what she wears to the PTA meeting? Not on NPR. This season I chat with Disney TV stars, magazine editors, craftsters, former child stars and other sorted celebrities.
We’ve also added a special segment titled “Ask Kathryn”. Call our advice hotline (201-984-5633) with any pressing fashion, shopping, or lifestyle related question and I will select a few to answer each week. Please note your voice/question will be played online, so keep it clean folks. My mom watches the show.
Click on the above audio player to listen to this season’s promo.
NY Mag’s Shop-A-Matic Finds Spring Shoes, Dress for Shopping Success, Rose Heels, Leighton Meester
Kathryn and The Budget Fashionista are on the front page of NY Mag Fashion’s Shop-A-Matic feature! If you’ve always wanted to window shop the most stylish stores in New York, look no further. Kathryn picked out some of her favorite items for spring, all for under $200!
The Cheap Diva has a smart sense of budget shopping, and great taste; check out her pick of dressy, fun skirts and her in depth guide on how to dress for shopping success.
Follow how Fashion is Spinach is being inspired by this dreamy photo of rose-adorned heels…
Frappelattes’ expert eye figures out Leighton Meester’s girly, glamorous make-up look; just in time for spring wardrobe!
Kathryn on Wallet Pop on Clothing Swaps, Be Your Own Colorist, Ruche, Inner Style
Kathryn Finney is one of Wallet Pop‘s favorite experts on fashion! Get their full take on saving (and even making!) money via clothing swaps.
Can you think inside the box, prep carefully and then commit? Women’s Health wants you to Be Your Own Colorist.
Online shop Ruche has one of the prettiest look-books out there; check out their new Spring collection and their delicious photos!
Does your “outer style” speak to your “inner style”? As a stylist with a background in psych, You Look Fab asks: what do you say with your individual style?
Kathryn in March’s O Magazine
What: Kathryn is one of 13 experts featured in March’s O Magazine, dishing on the ecommerce site she trusts the most (which is, of course, Target.com). (Is it just us or does the illustration make her look a lot like Oprah?)
What She Says about Target.com: “You can find every size, style, shoe type.. most of it under $30”. Kathryn also is a HUGE fan of the new Isaac Mizrahi for Liz Claiborne line. Those ultra wide leg khaki pants are wicked and the line is relatively budget-friendly, with most items under $300.
Kathryn & The Crazy Saks Fifth Avenue Sale: The Wall Street Journal
What: Yours truly is quoted in a front page story in the Wall Street Journal regarding the crazy Saks Fifth Avenue sale in December.
From Rachel Dodes at Wall Street Journal:
“When Saks Fifth Avenueslashed prices by 70% on designer clothes before the holiday season even began, shoppers stampeded. “It was like the running of the bulls,” says Kathryn Finney, who says she was knocked to the floor in New York’s flagship store by someone lunging for a pair of $535 Manolo Blahnik shoes going for $160.”
What I say: It was the craziest shopping experience of my life. Seriously…. Normally rational people lost their minds and it was fun to watch the normally snooty Saks shoe sales people scramble to keep up with the mess that was created by the stampede of shoppers. The sales floor looked like DSW on a weekend.
It’s interesting to note, last week I saw leftover items from the main store sale at the Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet in Bergen County and they had raised the prices back to the normal Saks sale/clearance level. (click here to read about the difference between a sale and clearance).
And to the women who knocked me to the floor…. I am not hating…
Fashion and Retail Predictions for 2009
My 2009 predictions for the retail and fashion industry (click here to read my 2008 predictions), center around the intersection of new media, shopping, and our economic challenges. From the impact of our new first lady to online shopping to an increase in the number of designers producing budget lines, 2009 will be a year of great change.
- Michelle Obama will redefine fashion and the role of African American women (and moms) in fashion and in the media. She’s already inspired instant sell outs, cover stories, and probably helped saved J.Crew’s 4th quarter. Along with her husband, Mrs. Obama has inspired the recent collections of several TOP designers, including the use of more models of color. First Lady Michelle Obama will continue to have a major impact on fashion and what (and who is) considered fashionable.
- Wal-mart will be the top store to watch as it will be the only store to successful address the challenges facing middle (and coastal) American families. This isn’t to say that other stores can’t do the same, Target could if they focused less on being “cool” and more on being “cool AND useful”, but right now Wal-Mart is the only major mass market store which does not have to make fundamental changes in order to accomplish this goal.
-The Bon-Ton and several sports apparel stores (Champs, Footlocker, etc) will all close or face bankruptcy. All of these stores, with the exception of K-Mart, depend on a mall environment to stay alive and the mall, as we know it, is dead. K-Mart has been dead for a while, so at this point we’re just waiting for the funeral.
- Big Lots, Salvation Army, Value City, Costco, Sams Club will all be hot stores in 2009. Costco will be VERY hot in 2009 and shoppers will find creative ways to get the most out of their membership, including membership co-ops.
- Lipstick, at home hair coloring systems, and nail color will be the big beauty sellers in 2009. These are quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive ways for people to change their personal style.
- The mall will die. Malls, as we know it, will be dead by the end of 2009 and shoppers will do a majority of their shopping online. The malls that do exist, will turn into outlet mall like structures (ex: the Bergen Mall in Northern New Jersey)- featuring the outlets of top retail brands. Even Saks Fifth Avenue, who for years have maintained a rigid distinction between its high-end stores and its outlet stores by referring to the later as “Off Fifth- Saks Fifth Avenue Outlets”, changed the name of their outlets to the equally cumbersome Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth.
- Moms will be marketing darlings. The marketing focus of several top brands will shift from the youth market to hip moms as more businesses realize that moms are the ultimate influencers, affecting the style and consumer habits of their kids, husbands/partners, and friends.
- Consumers will want darker, neutral colors. Gray, black, brown, red, and dark blue will continue to be the colors to watch as consumers look for easy to wear colors.
- And they will want machine washable fabrics. Easy to care for fabrics will reign supreme as shoppers look for items that are machine washable, thus saving a ton of money on dry cleaning.
- More designers will skip their bridge lines and head directly for mass market/lower priced lines. Rumors have already started about budget lines by Zac Posen and Doo Ri. Who I think might also do budget/mass market lines 2009: Ellen Tracy, Tory Burch, Paul Smith, Betsey Johnson, Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney (has done a mass market line before with Target-Australia), and Lily Pulitzer.
HoliDAILY Contest #31: Win a Copy of How to Be A Budget Fashionista
Through today, Kathryn and the gang at TBF have been giving away daily prizes to lucky TBF winners. This is your last chance to win—thanks to everyone who has entered!
At midnight, ten lucky TBF readers will win this prize, from your peeps at www.thebudgetfashionista.com
The Prize: One of ten (10) copies of Kathryn’s book, How to Be a Budget Fashionista
Why you want this: What better way to start the New Year than to get your financial and clothing closets together. This book, written by Kathryn, has amazing tips for looking fabulous on a budget. Think of it as a portable version of the site.
To Enter this Contest, Tell Us Your #1 Budgeting Tip in the Comment Section Below
The Rules- no purchase necessary
- contest ends the day of the posting at 11:59pm
- must comment below in order to enter this contest
- must be a US citizen
- recipient is responsible for any federal, state or local taxes associated with the prize package
- must respond within 72 hours (3 days) or prize will be given to another entrant
Yesterday’s Winner
HoliDAILY Contest #20: Win a Copy of How to Be A Budget Fashionista
From now until Dec. 31st, Kathryn and the gang at TBF will be giving away daily prizes to lucky TBF winners. Check back everyday at 9am to enter.
Midnight, five lucky TBF readers will win this prize, from yours truly, www.thebudgetfashionista.com
The Prize: One of five (5) copies of Kathryn’s book, How to Be a Budget Fashionista
Why you want this: The economy, sucks. REALLY sucks. We hate using the word “sucks”, but it’s so bad we really can’t use another word. This book will help you navigate through this trying time, helping you have a fabulous closet AND money to eat, cause eating doesn’t suck.
To Enter this Contest, Tell Us Your FAVORITE place to shop in the Comment Section Below
The Rules- no purchase necessary
- contest ends the day of the posting at 11:59pm
- must comment below in order to enter this contest
- must be a US citizen
- recipient is responsible for any federal, state or local taxes associated with the prize package
- must respond within 72 hours (3 days) or prize will be given to another entrant
Yesterday’s Winner
Congratulations egreen on winning the Exuviance Ultra Rich Restorative Cream in yesterday’s Holidaily Giveaway!
HoliDAILY Contest #7: Win a Copy of How to Be A Budget Fashionista
From now until Dec. 31st, Kathryn and the gang at TBF will be giving away daily prizes to lucky TBF winners. Check back everyday at 9am to enter.
At midnight, five lucky TBF readers will win this prize, from your cyber BFFs, www.thebudgetfashionista.com
The Prize: One of five (5) copies of Kathryn’s book, How to Be a Budget Fashionista
Why you want this: This is the bible of being stylish on a budget, filled with exclusive shopping tips, fashion advice for ALL women, and directives to help you get your closet AND budget together. We guarantee you’ll want to read it in one sitting.
To Enter this Contest, Tell Us Your #1 Budget Shopping Tip in the Comment Section Below
The Rules
- no purchase necessary
- contest ends the day of the posting at 11:59pm
- must comment below in order to enter this contest
- must be a US citizen
- recipient is responsible for any federal, state or local taxes associated with the prize package
- must respond within 72 hours (3 days) or prize will be given to another entrant
Yesterday’s Winner
Congratulations mandabear and Sabrina on each winning a $50 e-gift card to AZJeans.com in yesterday’s HoliDAILY giveaway!
Want to See The Budget Fashionista on Oprah?
Hmmmm: Kathryn Finney and Oprah Winfrey—it’s almost like a match made in heaven. After all, Oprah is already Kathryn’s BFF (in her head, right alongside Andre Leon Talley). So TBF-loving peeps, would you like to see Kathryn dishing on budget fashion and shopping on Oprah? Us too! It’s a possibility, but nothing’s been confirmed, so we’re thinking a little help from our tireless supporters (that’s you) would be a huge boost towards making it a reality. SO, here’s what we’re asking:
Go to the “Contact Us” page at Oprah.com, and click on either “Send In Your Thoughts” or “Send Us Your Show Suggestions”—then tell them all about us! While you’re at it, you could send your message to “Oprah’s Mail” as well—what could it hurt?
We appreciate all the love you all give us, and so many big thanks in advance for your support on this—we couldn’t do it without you! As for details, we’ll keep you posted . . .
Oh, and in the meantime, be sure to catch Kathryn’s top tips in her new series, The Budget Fashionista’s Economic Survival Guide!
Top Five Budget Shopping Tips: The Budget Fashionista’s 5th Anniversary
Fashion is one thing, but budget fashion is another, which of course is the premise TBF is based on. Kathryn knows whereof she speaks, and has long (five years to be exact) doled out practical advice for shopping without breaking the bank. Her top five budget shopping tips:
1. Know what looks good on you. Just because it looks great in a magazine doesn’t mean it will look great on you. Be honest with yourself about your body. It will save you time and money.
2. Know the names of sales associates. Sales associates are a great source of information on upcoming sales and have access to Friends and Family coupons, which offer up to an additional 25% off store merchandise. Some might even let you use their employee discounts.
3. Leave the debit and credit cards at home. I have a friend, who shall remain nameless, who views paying for purchases with plastic cards as not spending “real” money. Paying with cash gives you an instant visual indication of how much you’re spending.
4. Head to the outlet malls. Shopping at the outlets of your favorite stores and designers can save you a bundle. Some of my favorites are the Chelsea Premium Outlet Malls, Off Fifth (the Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet), the St. John Knit Outlet, the Donna Karan Outlet, and the Last Call Neiman Marcus Outlet.
5. Remember the 70/30 rule. Fashionistas with limited budgets should follow the 70/30 rule: 70% of your closet should be classic pieces, 30% trendy pieces. Go as cheap as possible on trendy items because they have a short closet lifespan; purchase these pieces at stores like H&M, Target, Forever 21, Wet Seal, Asos.com, Zara, Bluefly, Urban Outfitters, etc. Go designer on classic pieces like black suits (Tahari, Donna Karan), coats (Burberry, Max Mara), evening (Armani, Tim and Linda Platt, Carmen Marc Valvo) and purses (Coach, Longchamp, Marc Jacobs).
Want more? Click here for more of Kathryn’s top budget shopping tips . . .
Have your own tips to share? Visit the TBF Forum
Top Five Favorite Kathryn Quotes, Part Deux: The Budget Fashionista’s Fifth Anniversary
A week or so ago, we rounded up five of our favorite quotes from The Budget Fashionista herself, Kathryn—but five really just wasn’t enough. Hence, another list—a second run at Kathryn’s top five takes on all things fashion:
5. “I hate vests. Vests scare me. No, seriously, vest really do scare me. I think it’s because they look a too much like corsets or because I had a very strange elementary school teacher who used to wear a faux suede vest (she had them in every color) with long brown corduroy skirts. Even at the tender age of 9, I knew that there was something very wrong with her outfit. Very wrong.”
4. On Andre Leon Talley: “A protege of the original Vogue Queen B, Diane Vreeland (who in her day would have had Anna Wintour shaking in her custom made Jimmy Choo boots), he’s the only person in the world who can make a Sean John track suit look chic. Also he’s the only person that can call out Ms. Anna Wintour (read: Ms. Anna don’t like fat people) on OPRAH NONETHELESS and get away with.”
3. On Trends: “I can’t help but to wonder if hot dogs are the major inspiration behind this fall’s color scheme. The color trend seems to definitely be towards mustard, brown and ketchup-colored clothing. Somewhere in NYC, there is a hot vendor who is a creative consultant to Marc Jacobs.
2. “Wear only one animal printed item at a time—others may tell you different—but they don’t love you. Cheetah, Zebra, etc. from head to toe is only okay if you’re headlining the midnight show at the “Boom-Boom Room”.”
1. “However, my life as stylist, fashion editor, and general feel-good Fashionista has taught more than how to score the latest trends for cheap. I’ve learned tasty bits of wisdom like fashion is cheap, but style is priceless and that pointed toed shoes give you bunions.”
Kathryn’s Five Greatest Posts: The Budget Fashionista 5th Anniversary
As TBF continues to count down to it’s big fifth annivesary celebration, we’re rounding up some of our top five favorites from the site. Today? Kathryn’s Five Greatest Posts—some of her best advice and commentary all in one place. Have a favorite TBF post of your own? Tell us in the comments!
5. The Perfect Ten: Ten Things That Should Be In Every Woman’s Closet. A must-read for any fashionable woman, budget or otherwise.
4. Fashion Advice: Updating Your Wardrobe for a New Career. Whether your starting a new career or just need to take it to the next level, this advice will help you get where you’re going.
3. Who is The Budget Fashionista? Surprising answers to our most burning question . . .
2. My Thoughts on the Oscars: Stop Dressing Jennifer Hudson Like a Fat Girl and Someone Get Little Miss Um, what would TBF be without just a little snarky commentary? The Oscars, of course, is open season.
1. How The Budget Fashionista Got Out of Debt And fashion aside, this is what it’s all about.
Top Five Favorite Kathryn Quotes: The Budget Fashionista 5th Anniversary
The Budget Fashionista is gearing up to celebrate it’s fifth anniversary of dishing on how to look fabulous for less, and in honor of that momentus occasion (woo hoo!) we’ve picked our top five fave quotes from Kathryn herself. They’re little nuggets of wit and wisdom that, well, after five years, were really hard to narrow down. We may, in fact, have to do a Top Five list, part 2.
But for now, we’ll do this in Letterman fashion, and count down from 5 to 1 . . .
5. “First, how I DID NOT get out of debt: No fairy godmother with a magic wand that magical erases credit bureau databases; No Hedge-fund sugar daddy; No Publisher’s Clearinghouse folks showing up at my door with a bouquet of grocery store bought flowers and a five foot check for $100k; No quick easy fixes. Just lots of hard work and honesty.”
4. “I am smitten . . . Along with chocolate and boot cut jeans, I hereby declare my love for the Salvation Army. Sally, as I affectionately call my love, is perhaps the best store to ever exist. Saks, my former love, has nothing on this store. Where else could you find a John Paul Gaultier shirt, from BERGDORF GOODMAN, for $1.50?”
3. “The fact is the celebrity-budget-line trend is going to get much worst, before it gets better. Management teams (celebrities has teams of people who surround them, like any company) are looking for ways to expand their brand and make money off of the “image” of the celebrity. I have no problem with this at all, we all have to eat. But, just don’t try to spin a (sometimes) smart business move into some sort of philanthropic deed. And don’t do it while wearing $1500 dollar shoes in Glamour Magazine.”
2. “The era of flower-printed muumuus is long gone. The fashion caste system that separates people into “those who can” (skinny and rich) and “those who can’t” (everyone else), a system created by snobby designers and power-hungry fashion editors (who, by the way, are often plus-size themselves), is crumbling. A fashion utopia is emerging, one that offers several fashion options for curvy fashionistas, none of which involve polyester tent dresses.”
1. On herself: “Physically, I’m skinny, in an overweight sort of way, like a bloated Naomi Campbell with a curly bob. I read Harper’s Bazaar the way some people read the New York Times. I count Andre Leon Talley, the Bush twins and Kirstie Alley amongst my closest friends, even though we’ve never met. I breathe—unless I’m underwater. I have the occasional quarter life crisis which is usually brought on by the lack of options in my closet.”
Budget Fashionista on TODAY show: Tuesday, Sept 12th
Attention fellow shoppers.
Check me out on the TODAY show on Tuesday, dishing tips from the book and showcasing fabulous fall looks for under $75.
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
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