Homegirl

Sample sale. Schenectady. Now there are two things that do NOT go together, or so I thought. And then someone in the know told me about Marika Charles. This hometown sister (and brother) team of Marika and Charles (go figure) design and produce a fab-u-lous line of high-end tees and knitwear right here... RIGHT HERE and sell them to everybody who's anybody in upscale retail (Barneys, Fred Segal and Searle, to name a few). And, if you're lucky enough to be in the area, you can get a piece of the action for cheap at their quarterly sample sale... NEXT WEEK!!

That's right, next Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Feb 5, 6, 7) you can pick up super soft, dyed, pima cotton t-shirts for $15-25 (seconds) and amazing sweaters in cashmere and merino for $50 and up (a steal compared to the $200-300 that they retail for). No two designs are exactly alike and you are not going to see 6 other people wearing the same thing at the playground this spring. For showroom address and sale hours check out: http://www.marikacharlesfactorystore.com/

Polar Bear Club / I've Lost My Mind

Before you want to beat the crap out of me for posting about (1) bathing suits in (2) the middle of 'effing January, please read on, I promise there's more than just insanity to this post.

Given that many people try to escape the misery of Upstate winters at this time of year, with trips to warm and beachy places AND more importantly there's a kickass sale going on right now, I now give you: The Athleta Bathing Suit. Stay with me here... I am a bathing suit HATER of the greatest magnitude, always have been. BUT, now that I have two little kids and need to stay sane in the summer, I've tried to make peace with this and find something that I don't loathe and doesn't make me look like 10 lbs of potatoes in a 5 lb bag (and is something cute I can actually wear in the water while trying to corral my two wild water babies).

The skirted bottoms (especially the wide-band styles) are strangely flattering and who doesn't love not having to worry about bathing suit wedge? I also love the tie-neck halter tops. Almost universally flattering and the adjustable tie lets you hoist-em-up and keep 'em where they're meant to be.

They are well worth the regular full-price but many of last year's styles are more than half off right now. Buy a bunch, try 'em on at home and then tell me what a genius I am for providing the tip. www.athleta.com

Screw this, I'm going to St. Barth's

Ok, maybe not. But I am counting down the days until my long weekend in Miami with five of my favorite women on the planet (not counting T, my daughters and me Ma). And in the name of travel preparedness I just scored the cutest gauzy tunic from Calypso online:

http://www.calypso-celle.com/Jenny-Tunic-p-16618.html

I have been a fan of Calypso for years and am still mourning the fact that I can no longer pop by the outlet at my leisure in SoHo. That said, the online store has great sales - the sweet, beach-ready top I got was just $29... AND you can get 20% off your first order by signing up for their e-newsletter (code is NEWFRIEND). Finds like this - especially in midwinter - put a little pink back in my cheeks.

Local Love

Nestled between Moe's Mexican and a Verizon store in a very bizarre little strip mall on Western Ave. in Guilderland lies one of my favorite local shopping destinations - Cesare and Lili.

A true boutique that reminds me of all of the fab little places on 5th ave in Brooklyn, this local gem offers a well-edited collection and a very warm and helpful manager (Emily). Prices are high but the clothes are well chosen (AG and Hudson Jeans, Tracy Reese, Velvet and a few others) and the sales are good. There's also a small shoe selection featuring styles by Corso Como (very well made, comfy and not uber-expensive). The location is truly odd but the shop is so worth a detour from wherever you may be headed nearby. And Emily, the manager, is just great. Helpful, engaging... a real, stylish, grown up.

www.cesareandlili.com / 1704 Western Avenue, Guilderland (Price Chopper plaza, across from the back entrance to Crossgates).

Game On, Girls

So the word is getting out. Hooray! Quick backstory - what's up with the name? The Upstate part is easy: its the style-challenged region of NY in which I live. As for the "Personal," style is a very personal thing. What works for some might not work for others. That said, the cool part is that one can borrow and steal the bits that do work, and leave the rest for the pigeons. Oh and if you need a personal shopper, I'm your woman.

So, on to what really matters (other than giving $ to Haiti relief... really, do it): if you've got anything left over, a couple of my favorite online resources are below. Gomatta featurs a lot of emerging designers at crazy good prices and Gilt tends to focus on more established names and slightly higher prices. Both have great return policies and showcase different stuff ... every damn day. Great sources for taking a little risk. Sign up and you'll get notifications of what they're featuring each day.

http://www.marikacharlesfactorystore.com/

http://www.gomattagirls.com/
http://www.gilt.com/.

As for the local love, stay tuned for dates/info on the next Marika Charles factory sale. What is this you ask? Gorge t-shirts and sweaters designed and produced right here the incomparable Caital Region (and if you don't beleive me, just ask the buyers at Searle, Fred Segal and Barneys, otay?).

Big Ups

Life is short, so here's my blog... After moving Upstate from the Big Apple two years ago, I lost access to the greatest shopping in the world (and with it, my title as heavyweight shopping champion of the world). Sure Saks and Scoop have websites but its just not the same. In the meantime, I became a mother to two truly fabulous little people and, well, the game has changed, a lot. This got me thinking about how to preserve my sense of style in some rather challenging circumstances.

So with inspiration from some wonderful women, like my sister-in-law T, who came up with the name for this blog, and a few friends who have trusted me to dress them for major events, I'm here sharing what I've learned along with some secrets of local and online shopping and with any luck, spreading a little fabulousness in the process.

To get things started, here's a link to one of my favorite style gurus - a fashion savvy mom on the left coast who loves to share her opinion AND answer all kinds of style questions from her readers (and she does it with kindness, which totally kicks ass). http://www.lastylistmom.com/