Because You Asked...

...actually, Lisa S. and Ashton asked.

(But I do get this all the time.)

Jeans: Brands, Where to Buy, and Where to Get a Deal

1 - James Jeans. I usually get mine on sale at the Uniquities basement/attic sales or at Accessorize with Pi Phi. I will now also be replenishing from their outlet site I found out about right before Black Friday (they finally used my email address for something!). The prices were REALLY good on Black Friday (I'm talking $60.00), but they're still better than full retail even without the Black Friday pricing.

PS - I assume their outlet site is up all year, but right now the homepage still advertises pricing effective through 12/31/2009.... so we'll have to see where this one goes.

I've blogged about them several times.



2 - Rock Revival. From Bevello. I've also blogged about these. They are fantastic - a little stretchier than James, but still a great fit from both.








3 - I also have a pair of Citizens that I really like. Just one pair, though. For now. ;-)















4 - I would one day love to own a pair of Raleigh Denim customs.

Buyer Beware: ShopDani.com

This come's straight from Renee's blog... heed her warning!ShopDani.com

Usually, I like to post about good things that happen. No, no, not today. I just got off the phone with Costumer Service for shopdani.com. It's a website that sells jewelry by Danielle Janine. Her pieces are cute, but not worth the charges. I bought 1 piece for myself. A really cute necklace. It cost $9 - How could I resist?? I got the necklace in the mail and was charged $9. Things were fine. Then, a few days later, I received a second piece in the mail. I thought maybe I had made the mistake and shrugged it off. I gave it to my mom for Christmas. It was really cute.

For the next 2 weeks, I was being sent jewelry every 3-4 days and being charged $68a pop?!!? Are you kidding? They charged my $349 over the course of a month. Apparently, I signed into a jewelry club when I bought my first piece. I have to send all the pieces back to get my money back and I had my membership cancled. I go the confirmation email before I ended the call with Customer Service. Is that any indication this time of thing happens a lot?! I'm just glad it was on my credit card (not that a cc charge is great) instead of how I paid my rent and gotten hit with overdraft charges too.

Buyers Beware!
Has this type of thing happened to anyone else?Eeeeek! $68/each? I don't know if I like ANYONE enough to buy something every three days for $68/each... heck, I don't know if I like MYSELF that much!

{Double Post} The Shop with a Conscience

I can't believe this is another thing I've never remember to blog about, because it's one of my Cameron Village favorites - Beleza: A Fair Trade Boutique.Described on their website as a place where:...you will find unique and extraordinary textiles and hats, jewelry and art that catch your eye and touch your heart.

Beyond offering beautiful things, Beleza exists to provide hard working people from countries around the world – and here in the US – essential support to provide daily necessities for their families.

While the store is fair trade, the major emphasis of Beleza is to treat people as they should be treated, and assist in global economic development.Beleza is owned and operated by two of the most wonderful people I know: P. Dail and his wife Sara.

I received the following email today from Sara about a new addition coming to their store that I am really excited about:Recently we met Audias from Honduras. Born without arms, he paints with his feet. We will have his work in the store very soon and encourage you to come see this work. Audias has no other means of support. We plan to host a special event for you to meet him.I'll be sure to update when I hear more details!

In the mean time, go check out Beleza and become an addict of their amazing selection of goods with a heart, too.

So Proud

So proud to call the NCSU College of Management one of my two NCSU alma mater homes :-)NC State Study Shows It Pays To Shop Around Online

Holiday shopping season has arrived, and tough financial times mean that more people will probably be shopping around for the best price. But a study co-authored by North Carolina State University's Dr. Jonathan D. Bohlmann shows that shoppers who compare prices at multiple online retailers will not only find the best value, but will also likely contribute to driving down prices for that product at other retailers.

Bohlmann, an associate professor of marketing at NC State, explains that there are basically two types of shoppers: "switchers" and "loyals." Switchers compare prices from multiple online retailers, while loyals are committed to a particular store and don't bother with comparison-shopping. Bohlmann explains that the higher the number of switchers relative to the number of loyals – or the so-called switcher/loyal ratio – the higher the pressure a retailer faces to discount products in order to remain competitive.Read the full scoop here and as always, GO PACK!

(Had to throw that in there, this past Saturday we completed a full sweep of the state in defeating ECU, Duke, Wake Forest, and finally... the most hated of all - Carolina - this football season!)

Coming Soon: Confessions of a Shopoholic

Coming Soon: Confessions of a Shopaholic

IMDB info - no official site yet, unless Google lied to me.

Go watch the video preview on Lauren's blog... looks hi-freakin'-larious.

Another Returned Favorite...

I recently posted about how I was excited there was finally a reason to return to the Gap and I can't believe I forgot to include Old Navy, too.

Adrianne and I stopped in back in the Spring for the first time in years looking for some "big girl career clothes" (ie: not "big" as in plus size, but "big" as in grown up) and were amazed at how not only in professional wear but in everyday wear they had just "gotten it SO right on the first try".

As I commented on Little Southern Sister's post about the "new" Old Navy:I too have just returned to Old Navy in the last 6 months or so and have been SO impressed at how well they've returned to "just getting it right". LOVE it again (and my bank account LOVES that).Here are some favorites:
(Absolutely live in these long tanks and have them in every color.)


(Got a variation of this earlier in the summer with cap sleeves and deeper neck line... perfect bar dress.)


(Essential blazers for $39.50? I'll take one in each color!)Have you returned yet?

The Best Darn Deal Ever...

...is back!

For those of you who missed the chance to get Microsoft Office Ultimate for $60.00 (I love mine!), they just re-released the offer today (right in tune with the start of fall classes).

Here's my original post about it, if you need more convincing: http://hanginginmycloset.blogspot.com/2007/09/ultimate-steal.html.

Here's the link to getting the deal (just grab a university email address and you're good to go): http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx.

PS - $59.95 for $600.00 worth of software - that's 91% off of retail!

Just Say No

While I realize not a lot of my "hanging in my closet" blog readers are as local as my "growing up southern" blog... I think this still warrants posting on both:Avoid Carolina Bridal World Like the PlagueJust say "no" to bad retail karma!

After being in a wedding last year where I was SURE that the decision to order the dress from an online-only retailer would be damning (it actually wasn't - I wish I remembered the website so I could recommend them) - this place is wayyyyy worse than I would have ever imagined was possible in the highly-coveted bridal industry.

Coming Soon...

By special request:"So, I need a style report on these douche bags wearing backwards 80's hats[...] B/c apparently I missed something along the way."Geee-zus. That sounds stylish in NO SORT OF WAY possible. Any other special requests for this week? Feel free to leave any requests in the comments, via email, or on AIM: NCSULilWolf03.

I'm going to do some digging and try to find out who set these misguided souls on this path... and try and find a remedy as well.

Stay tuned!

"Handbag" Insanity

And I caaaaaaaaaaan't wait... it's going to be awesome. You KNOW I like my bags big.

From Swagger's Market Watch July '08 blog series:Market Watch July 08 - Day 6

Go Big or Go Home! I think that basically sums up the purses for the fall season! Everything is HUGE including the clutches! Which of course I love because if I can't put the kitchen sink in a handbag then I won't get it!:) We found a new handbag designer today and the purses were phenomenal!!! Here are a few pictures of some that I bought yesterday! If you like one let me know - because I only bought one of each - we can't have mulitple people in Cary with your fabulous bag now can we? Also, just to let you know , the fall handbags are similar to jewelry in that it is all about color! THE colors for handbags are Purple, Grey, Red and Navy!

Here are some pics:









So I have lots more to tell you guys but since I had technical difficulties last night I couldn't write the blog until this morning and I need to get going for my LAST day of market! We have bought some many new fantastic lines I can't wait to share them with you guys! Keep checking the blog as I will let you know here when they start coming in!

MandyThis is going to be quite the buying frenzy for me...

ShopLocal.com?

http://www.shoplocal.com/raleigh/home.aspx

Sad - I was interested in buying this domain even though I was sure it would already be taken, but to my utter disappointment, not only is it taken, but there's nothing really "local" about it. The concept is "compare local prices and save money" but to me - "shop local" - is about supporting businesses with local roots (usually independent and small businesses) and not your Targets, Circuit Citys, etc., etc.

Has anyone registered and used this site and noticed any significant savings making it at least somewhat useful, even though still sort of a fraud? I'm going to register and give it a go... but still, I'm seriously disappointed. Misrepresentation much?

(Oh, PS - I found out about this when I clicked a email link from my emailed Best Buy weekly flyer and the linked site was http://BestBuy.ShopLocal.com... which is why I decided to investigate.)