Love the comments in the last post! I just wrote about shopping at Payless and you would have thought I was telling people to shop at the Salvation Army—which I do hear has some designer items every now and then ;) Just for the record, though, I think fashion should be a mix of high- and low-end pieces. Who cares whether that gorgeous coat was bought at Bergdoff’s or Filene’s Basement? Personally, I don’t think too about much about name brands —if it looks good, fits well, and doesn’t break the bank, I’m going to get it. While I won’t buy something that looks cheap or is going to fall apart in a few days just because it’s a bargain, I think it’s certainly possible to find fabulous clothes at fabulous prices. In case...

It’s about that time when I need to stop telling myself that it’s ok to still wear flip-flops and give into closed toe shoes. I hate this. I get overwhelmed at having to buy things because “I need them NOW or my feet will freeze and I’ll have to sit cross-legged with them tucked under my legs so they don’t fall off from the frost-biting cold in the office.” Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating--a little.

For precisely the purpose of saving my poor little toes, I went to DSW and the Nine West Outlet on Central Avenue in Yonkers yesterday. I tried on a few shoes, but didn’t find anything I really liked. Getting ready to leave, I realized that sandwiched in between these stores (and a Hallmark and a Best Buy) stands Payless Shoes. I...

Last night my friend Sherry (you can catch her gorgeous wedding pic in the fall/winter issue of Westchester Weddings) and I went to The Westchester for the launch party for Simon Fashion Now , a weekend-long event to showcase fall fashion and accessories. (Don’t worry if you stayed home last night, there’s plenty going on both Friday and Saturday.)

The event kicked off with a cocktail party and a fashion show featuring clothes from Barney’s Coop, shoes from

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Awhile back I got word of a new boutique opening in Bedford dedicated solely to sustainable products. (Solely – as in, I don’t have to shift through racks or decipher a million different labels to see what is actually environmentally friendly.) As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I try to be as environmentally conscious as I can in my day to day life, so you can imagine that I was excited to take a look at what the shop had to offer.

Opened last week, OOCK is housed in the same office as the architect and design firm of Carol Kurth (get it? - the name stands for Office Of Carol...

When it comes to shopping for a new season, I like to start small. In August, I bought a winter beret from H&M, even though I probably won’t actually wear it for another few months (well, I’m crossing my fingers it won’t be that cold until then). And I’ve tried on some booties and found tights that I like. In other words, starting small to me means buying accessories first. While this might not make sense to everyone, it helps me ease my way into winter. Especially winter, since it’s my least favorite season.

Now I’ve got my eye on scarves. I love big, bulky scarves over fitted tops and jackets. They make a great statement and add color, texture or pattern to an otherwise plain outfit. And for me, who tends to shy away from patterns and...

I was lying on the beach on Sunday, catching up on back issues of Time magazine, when I came across an interesting article called “Point-and-Shoot Shopping.” The article talked about a relatively-new-to-the-U.S. technology that Ralph Lauren will begin using this month, wherein shoppers can literally point their camera phones at a bar code on various print and catalogue ads, snap, and be taken directly to a mobile-based website where they can purchase the product.

Sounds to good...

This week, two of my best friends started medical school. On Saturday, my youngest brother leaves for his first year of college. And no doubt, in the coming weeks, scores of Westchester kids and their thankful-for-September parents will be packing area Staples, Office Depots and Targets to stock up on everything from backpacks to pencils to Hannah Montana lunchboxes (I beg of you, don’t pick up the very last lunchbox—my first-grade bound cousin has already staked her claim on it).

But what about those local parents who can’t afford to buy their children a new pair of sneakers, or even new notebooks? Because, as I’m sure you know, although we live in an affluent suburb, there are thousands of disadvantaged families with young children. In fact, according...

So, have the Olympics been inspiring you at all? Because they’ve definitely done the trick for me—both in and outside the gym. And even though I don’t think I’ll ever have a body like Dara Torres (especially at 41 and after having a baby), there’s got to be some sort of medal for those of us who might not have any athletic ability at all, but at least make the time to get to the gym during the week, no?

Now that we’ve got the...

I’m sure by now you’ve heard of a little show called Mad Men. Well, let me tell you, I am obsessed and not embarrassed to admit that since last week I’ve managed to watch the entire first season and the first episode of the second. (I have one more episode before I’m all caught up, so no spoilers please!)

I’m not only completely engrossed in the dramas, what it says about the early 60s (read these articles about the way women are portrayed on the show—very...

I’m a sucker for department stores. All the options, the choices, the saving gas by getting everything you need in the same building. Sure, sometimes I wish I could be one of those shoppers who peruses a tiny boutique and comes out with armloads of clothes, but I’m a suburban kid at heart and much more likely to head straight to the nearest Bloomingdale’s or—who am I kidding—Kohl’s, (I recently stocked up on a ton of gym clothes for cheap), when I need to get lots of different things.

Maybe that’s why I’m really excited about a new partnership between Bloomingdale’s and Space.NK Apothecary. Announced a few days ago, the retail giant will begin housing Space.NK boutiques—one of England’s most popular beauty...