Clog Dancing

One of the hottest shoe trends for 2010 is clogs. That's right, clogs. Not orthopedic Dansko clogs (although I will readily admit I have 'em and they serve a purpose, just not a very stylish one) but the good old wooden suckers beloved by hippies and Swedish people. I've decided I'm going to bite on this one, and do it by way of these super cute gray patent clogs from Hanna Andersson. They seem like good, cute transitional shoes that might bridge the gap between boot and sandal season quite nicely. The price is right too - $44 until Sunday.

Its All About The Jacket

Sharing this one from a great, thrifty guide to my former home, http://www.brokelyn.com/. I'm a big fan of jackets (and H&M ... and I'm SO glad that we've got one in the Capital District) and this one's got a lot of style for very little dough. And heck, if its good enough for the First Lady...

http://www.brokelyn.com/retail-quickie-hms-early-spring-jackets-rock/

Get Your Sale On

I just got word that Circles in Stuyvesant Plaza is offering 20% off new spring merchandise this Thursday (February 25) only. This is in addition to the big 50% off sale already going on for their winter stuff.

Now I have a love-hate relationship with this store. Love - because they're one of the only places in the area that carry fun, young lines like Trina Turk, Tracy Reese and others (and have a great cosmetics department and good makeup artists). Hate - because the sales staff can be a bit .... er.... full o' the attitude, especially if they can't ID you as a regular. Personally, I like to go in looking like a hobo and then try on lots of expensive stuff, just to mess with them. For more info, check out www.circles-shop.com

Flower Child

Winter shows no sign of ending, nor does the bad selection in my local retail world, so I must continue to find inspiration elsewhere (but local buds, fret not, I'll keep looking around and posting on the cool stuff I find, should I find any).

In the meantime, I've been shopping for a birthday present for my oldest and dearest pal, B. She's a Sundance girl with a dash of Boden thrown in. I'm fairly broke at present but want to give her something little and fun and just came across these belts on one of my favorite sample sale websites, http://www.badjoan.com/. Too much of this designer's stuff is...well... just that, too much (so please, step away from the madras and the pink polos, and pair with jeans or cargos, ok?) but the belts are cute and well-priced and add a little light to this season of dark.

Give Me Liberty!!!!

www.liberty.co.uk

In celebration of our presidents, our proud history, and Patrick Henry's famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech I am thrilled to share that Liberty of London is doing a huge line for Target, debuting towards the end of next month. Ok, ok, so that's not what our forepeeps meant but this line is historic in its own right. It includes homegoods, and clothing or women, men and kids, all with the classic and fabulous Liberty prints. Prices are sure to be well below those at Liberty's flagship store on Regent street in London and I can't' wait to get my little girls in some Liberty print dresses for spring. Target's been very good at keeping things under wraps and very few preview pics are available but there are a few shots of the homegoods on Racked.com: http://http//ny.racked.com/archives/2010/01/28/first_look_at_targets_liberty_collab.php

Be My Valentine

This is too good not to share.... I often get asked where I bought my killer red bag and I have to explain that its from this great little line based in Brooklyn BUT I only buy them when they're on super sale (because even when I was childless and working on Wall Street, I didn't spend $600 on a bag, that's just insanity).. and the super sales don't happen all that often, blah blah blah.

Well, here it is: the latest Hayden-Harnett super sale. Feel the love, and the amazing buttery soft leather they use to create the most amazing bags and wallets. My favorites in this crop are the grape "Newman" hobo bag (a steal for $110) and the "Jackson" clutch wallet. This is stuff that will last for years and is as stylish as it gets. Go nuts, you won't regret it.

The Verdict

I'm thrilled to report that the great hair experiment was a success (at least it was today). I visited Morgan at David's salon (a place with zero ambiance and at least half a dozen senior sisters getting their weekly wash and set,which is cool and all but I'll be the first to admit I'm a recovering hair snob and hipster salon addict). Bottom line, she did a fabulous job with both color and cut and the price left me speechless, in a really good way. Big ups, Morgan!

Gee Your Hair Looks Terrific (God I Hope So)

Not too long ago, InStyle columnist and Brooklyn babe, Faye Penn, did a little beauty tour of my former and most beloved neighborhood. Her mission: try out a handful of the local and very... err... un-upscale beauty establishments and see if they measured up to their fancier counterparts in the swankier parts of the Big Apple. In my quest for a new hairstylist, I'm going to do the same, here in the hair-challenged Capital District. All for the sake of vanity and public service, as you'll be the first to get the results and the inside scoop. Scared $hitless? You bet, but I like to live on the edge.

In the meantime, here's the list of hair folk that come highly recommended by the beautiful (and generous) women I know:

Kristin at Salone di Capelli - downtown Schenectady
Summer at Orlo Salon - downtown Niskayuna
Morgan at David's - metro Niskayuna
Heather at LK's - Rotter-dam-dizzle
Marie at Zava - Clifton Park
Kate at V Salon - Albany proper
Eli at Jean Paul - the fancy part of Albany

Hair I Go Again

I am obsessed, OBSESSED with finding a new, fabulous hairstylist and/or salon that will cut and color my hair for a fraction of the price I paid while living in NYC. My wonderful stylist just doubled her prices and I had to put my foot down. So ladies and gents, stay tuned, or better yet, send me your rave reviews of local folk who can razor cut like nobody's business and don't try to charge Sally Hershberger prices. I promise to publish a compendium of all recommendations.

What I'm Wearing Right Now

Today's weather was a cruel reminder that winter is far from over here in the Northeast. That said, I've been enjoying the very warm and cozy trend of big sweaters and leggings and thought I would share the love, especially since now is a great time to score said big sweaters / sweater tunics for cheap (and let's face it, you'll get a good 2-3 mos of wear out of them this season before its too warm to wear them anymore). More importantly, this is a look that a lot of people / body types can pull off, if done correctly.

The women from More magazine bottom line it pretty well. If you're going skinny on the bottom, wear something longer and looser on the top, and for the love of all that's good, cover your bum ... mid thigh to a couple of inches above the knee is a good length for most. If you're short, pick a tall boot in the same color as your leggings so that you get the illusion of a longer line.

Local folks can score a gorgeous long, cabled sweater by Vince at Marshalls on clearance for $49.000 (Vince sweaters are killer and sell for hundreds at Bloomies, etc). If you're feeling exposed, use a kilt pin or a brooch to pin the sweater shut below your boobs. Enjoy!

Get Your Shop On

Don't forget - tomorrow kicks off this weekend's sample sale at the Marika Charles factory. Some bits of advice - go for the "seconds" since they're way cheaper and virtually indistinguishable from the "firsts." Also, go large. By that I don't mean spend the mortgage money, I mean size up from what you normally wear and ideally, try everything on since all of her styles are cut a bit differently. Some styles have a lot of give while others do not. Lastly, while its easiest (and most fun) to shop alone, don't sweat bringing a relatively restrained or well-behaved kid or two. There's usually a large tray of homemade cookies (made by Marika and Charles' mom, no less) set out for shoppers and their progeny to enjoy.

For directions and hours: www.marikacharlesfactorystore.com

Ten Trends For Spring 2010

Ten Trends For Spring 2010 - lastylistmom.com

As we all wait, and wait, and wait for warmer weather to arrive, let's take a moment to daydream about wearing less clothes (this spring and summer, that is). Here's the lowdown on some of this spring's key trends from one of my favorite style wunder-mamas, www.lastylistmom.com. She bottom lines it like no other. Word.