Fun Line from HSN & Lucky Mag

October 22, 2009 12:00 PM | Comments (0) | Posted in accessories, dresses, hsn, lucky magazine, new line

What: Lucky Magazine and HSN have put their heads together for an exciting Designer Capsule Collection, featuring pieces from seven designers, including Rebecca Taylor. The collection is made up of adorable dresses and accessories that are perfect for a night out on the town or a cozy house party; however, it’s all casual enough to be worn just about anywhere. You can shop for the line on HSN either online, or on TV October 16th and 17th. The line is also available at featured Lucky events from November 5th-7th .

What They Say:

Some items from this premiere collection include:

• Shoshanna: Two sexy cocktail dresses, offered in two-three colors each.
• Rebecca Taylor: A chic, drapey cardigan, available in five colors.
• Tracy Reese: One body skimming party dress and one dolman-sleeved jersey cardigan, in four colors each.
• Kooba: A stylishly oversized patent leather satchel, available in three colors.
• Gerard Yosca: Two colorful necklaces with handmade glass drops and two pairs of matching earrings.
• Rebecca Minkoff: Four classic, go-anywhere handbags in two-four colors each.
• Helen Ficalora: Two delicate sterling silver charm sets.

What We Say: While we’re not jumping for joy at the price points of the Lucky/HSN line (there’s a $350 handbag and $129 necklace), we like that most of the line costs under $100, like this $69.90 cardigan. Plus, shoppers can split their payments up over time if they need to.

Any takers?

“Alpha Shoppers” Take Control

October 5, 2009 07:39 AM | Comments (8) | Posted in shopping advice, lucky magazine, alpha shoppers

What: If you’ve never heard the term “alpha shopper,” you’re not alone. The term was recently coined by Lucky magazine to describe women ages 18 to 39 who are “tired of watching what they spend and, for the most part, don’t mind paying full price for the items they want.” According to a new survey of 2,000 shoppers, 14% of women fall into this “alpha shopper” category, while a total of 93% of those surveyed said they plan on buying new accessories this fall, and 78% said they still like to “splurge” despite whatever is happening with the economy.

What Stylist Says:
“The survey says that the ‘alpha shoppers’ think that $500 for a pair of shoes is reasonable, and luxury items by super high-end designers like Louis Vuitton are considered investment pieces.”

What We Say: Paying full price seems so passé at this point, that it’s actually surprising to hear that so many women are still willing to spend big on fashion. While we agree some items (like a good winter coat) is a good investment, that still doesn’t mean you have to pay full price to get them. Also it seems that these “alpha” shoppers assume that high prices = high quality, which we all know isn’t the case.

Lucky’s New Face

June 13, 2008 03:00 PM | Comments (0) | Posted in summer, t-shirt, oswald, lucky magazine

What: Before Mickey Mouse, there was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Oswald was a little-known Disney cartoon character, Walt’s first icon in fact, who was traded from Disney in 1927 and returned in 2006. Lucky Brand is the first retailer to manufacture Oswald apparel. It’s one of the first times Oswald is appearing in public in any form since 1927, and the first time he’s appearing on apparel in the USA.

What We Say: A comfortable T-shirt is great for the summer when you don’t need to dress up for anything. Pair it with jeans, shorts or a denim mini-skirt. We love the retro, grainy look to the graphic. Wearing Oswald is more unique than the tried and true Disney characters (although we still love those, too) and people will wonder who that funny rabbit on your shirt is, and is he cooler than Bugs?

Pictured: The women’s Oswald T-shirt, $44.

Fashion Tips: Lucky Magazine and the New Color Combinations

January 2, 2007 10:34 AM | Comments (12) | Posted in lucky magazine, color combinations for 2007, fashion tips

January’s Lucky Magazine has a very interesting spread on adding bright colors into your wardrobe.  The eight page spread features interesting combinations such as gray/taxi cab yellow, orange/camel, violet/navy, dark brown/tomato red, fuchsia/army green and cobalt blue/black.  While my favorite fashion mag does show a few outfit combinations, the editor ignore the fact that most women won’t be running out to buy a $120 pair of orange stretch pants. Here’s some tips on how to incorporate these colors into your existing wardrobe. 

Here’s some tips:
- Start small- like a orange beret, a bright pair of pattern tights (Wal-Mart has a FABULOUS selection of tights), etc. Resist the urge to dress head to toe in Fuchsia.
- If you’re new to the color game, make sure the color piece is simple and structured- like a sheath dress, cropped blazer, etc.  Leave the over sized tops, leggings to those with a bit more color experience.
- If you normally don’t wear bright colors, head to stores like Wet Seal, Forever21, Payhalf and other cheap , mall based stores to to find colorful items to add to your wardrobe.  Also thrift stores and consignment shops are great places to find these items, without breaking the bank. Once you get used to the color, then you can spend more.
- Remember where you put the color is where people are going to look. If you got a ghetto booty, you might want to walk away from bright yellow pants. If you have a uniboob- you might want to skip the fuchsia halter top.
” >

Hearst Magazines Pulls the Plug on Shop, Etc.

August 29, 2006 11:56 AM | Comments (20) | Posted in news, hearst_magazines, lucky magazine, shop, etc.

First Budget Living. . . now Shop, Etc.  Last week, Shop, Etc.‘s parent company, Hearst, pulled the plug on the shopping magazine. Apparently the magazine, did not reach the 1 million subscriber mark and wasn’t able to pull in enough advertisers to justify its existence in the mean world of magazines.

Personally, I liked Shop, etc, which had great layouts and a nicely designed site. I liked that there was an alternative to Lucky. However, I do understand way Hearst pulled the plug; Shop.etc was a little late on certain shopping news (Like Paul and Joe at Target), was very wary of pairing up with bloggers, and didn’t really cultivate a visible, off-the-rack presence with it’s readers.

I’m sure the staff of Lucky is clicking their Manolos in glee.

Home Advice: cb2.com—Crate and Barrel’s New Store

June 18, 2006 10:56 AM | Comments (0) | Posted in online shopping, chicago, housewares, ikea, cb2.com, crate and barrel, lucky magazine

Q:I was reading Lucky Mag’s online site, and one of their websites of the week was cb2.com, crate and barrel 2.  The website says it has modern styles . . . What’s the deal with 2 Crate and Barrels, and does this mean there will be two different types of Crate and Barrel stores, or that this new portion will be coming into the old ones?

Target.com

A: Cb2 is Crate and Barrel’s hipper, more design focused, store that targets a young audience than the main store. Think Ikea, but more pricey.  Right now it’s only a website and two brick and mortar stores in Chicago and there isn’t a great deal of buzz about the store in the shopping community. Don’t expect to see these designs in the main C&B stores anytime soon.

Fashion Quick Tip:  Fashion & Beauty Coupons in Shop Etc.

June 13, 2006 10:20 AM | | Posted in coupons, cvs, fashion_magazine, smartchecks, shop_etc., lord&taylor;, lucky magazine

At the back of every issue of Shop, Etc (the fashion magazine that competes against Lucky) there’s a bunch of coupons called “Smartchecks” which can be used for substantial savings (like 15-20% off) at major retailers like Lord and Taylor, Bare Necessities.com, and even CVS.

Fashion Advice: Color Scheme

April 29, 2006 06:19 AM | Comments (3) | Posted in fashion advice, vogue, triadic_color_scheme, color_scheme, marie claire, color wheel, lucky magazine

Dear Budget Fashionista

This morning when I got dressed, I thought I looked rather spiffy.  But when I got to work the 2 girls I work with said I missed the boat.  Tell me if this sounds like it goes together: Plum corduroy nicely fitted blazer, white cami underneath, khaki slacks, and teal suede slingbacks.  The girls are telling me I can’t wear teal shoes because I’m not wearing teal in my outfit.  Am I wrong in my selection, or are they just being narrow-minded?  I would love to hear what you have to say about what I chose to wear today.

A I give you credit for at least trying to put together an outfit that is different, But you and your colleagues are in the fashion wrong. Here’s why . . .

You: Purple blazer and teal shoes- great idea. The khaki pants—bad idea.  The dominant colors in your outfit- purple, teal, and light tan don’t work well together and looks a little “off” to the naked eye. A better option would have been a pair of chocolate brown slacks. Why? Purple, teal, and brown creates what is called a triadic color scheme (three colors equally spaced along a color wheel). Using these colors in the outfit creates a more harmonious color scheme, which in turn looks more balanced.  It is one of the reasons why prints with the dominant colors of purple and teal often have a dash of chocolate brown thrown in to add balance.

Officemates: The whole “matchy-matchy” look is very tired—just pick up any Lucky, Marie Claire, or Vogue and you’ll see that mixing and matching colors and prints is very “in”.