Tips for Finding Mother of the Bride Outfits

May 12, 2009 11:00 AM | Comments (12) | Posted in bridal fashion, fashion advice, smartbargains, mother of the bride dress, bluefly com, stylebug

Budget Fashionista:

I am a young (49) soon to be mother-of-the-bride. I have been searching for something stylish, but all the dresses I’ve seen are for 60 year olds! What are some tips to help me find a hip mother of the bride dress without spending a fortune?

A: When I got married, my mother, who is relatively young, hip and fabulous, faced the same dilemma. Here are some tips that we used to help her find a hip mother-of-the-bride dress:

1. Check out your favorite designer.  Buy a dress from your favorite designer that you can wear after the wedding, getting more mileage for your bucks.

2. Think outside of the box. Unless it’s a formal wedding, leaving the sequins at home. Try a different option like a nice pant suit. Stylebug.com has some classy evening suits by designers like Valentino and Escada.

3. Avoid Bridal Shops. Bridal shops tend to carry ugly, sequined nightmares in horrible muted pastel colors. Try online stores like Bluefly.com , and SmartBargains.com
4. Get it made. This is great option if you know someone who can really sew. Also, try calling your local fashion design school and get your dress designed by an up and coming designer. 

5. Bring your daughter. In an effort to be hip, make sure you are following the style that your daughter has set for the wedding.

Staying Pretty in an Ugly Economy

January 10, 2009 01:00 PM | Comments (2) | Posted in macys, link love, smartbargains, golden globes

- Shoppers in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and other parts of the US can look forward to huge clearance sales at Macy’s; TheFashionBomb.com reports that the retail giant is about to shut down its most anemic stores, eleven in all. Macy’s is the most recent casualty of the wobbly economy, which even has the fashion industry on edge. According to Hadley Freeman of Style.com, upscale boutiques are cutting costs by trading in their fashionable shopping bags for plain paper bags.

- The celebs aren’t immune to the bad news either, it seems, dressing down for the “People’s Choice Awards” last night. Our favorite fuggers had a few snarky things to say about that.

- But cheer up! As we’ve come to learn, economic woes are coupled with cheap clothes! “Designer Ella” helps us get the New Year off to a fashion-forward start with a handful of killer sales at retailers ranging from Saks 5th Avenue to Shoes.com. And if you can’t buy it, charge it in style with a Roberto Cavalli credit card!

- In these cold economic times, we’re all looking for a little warmth. Thankfully, the Budget Babe has bundled up some great tips on how to bundle up this winter.

- And remember, today’s your last day to take an extra 20% off clearance items at SmartBargains.com!