My Weekend Shopping Excursion: San Marcos Prime Outlets

I love great outlets! I kept hearing a bunch of hype about the San Marcos Prime Outlets located between Austin and San Antonio, TX. Let's just say, I bought so much that I had to cut myself off to any more stores (didn't even get to check out Escada, Neiman Marcus Last Call or La Perla)!

Bath and Body Works, Barneys, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Banana Republic and Tahari were my faves. Though I couldn't find pics of my Tahari suit that I got for 80% off or the Marc by Marc Jacobs dress for 50% off, or the BCBG shoes I got for $29, here are a couple of my deals:

BANANA REPUBLIC

Martin Striped City Pant
$34.99

BATH & BODY WORKS OUTLET

Lay it on Thick Body Cream
$3.75 (that's right - it costs $15 online and in the stores!)

Guess what I discovered while I was there? They will be getting Betsy Johnson and Gucci over the next few months!

Houston Divas: Premium Outlets Are Coming!

Whether it's the Chicago Premium Outlets, Desert Hills Premium Outlets (my favorite!), or the Allen Premium Outlets, I enjoy shopping at any location within the Chelsea Premium Outlet chain. To the delight of many of my Houston divas, the H-town area will soon be able to enjoy the deep discounts along with their neighbors to the north and south of them. Houston Premium Outlets will open its doors in late March (located in Cypress - about 30 miles from the city). Mark your calendars - the Grand Opening Celebration takes place March 27 - 30! Check out the store listing here.

Houston will never be the same.

Did I Forget Black Friday is Coming?

Not at all! I am compiling a list of tons of deals and steals for you. Here are a few to check out in the meantime:

Black Friday Sites:
http://bfads.net/
http://tgiblackfriday.com/

Premium Outlets will be holding their midnight madness sale at the strike of midnight on Friday (except Branson, MO; Crossville, TN; Kittery, ME locations):
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/sales/

Just a note: I went to the Chicago Premium Outlets at 11:45 PM last Thanksgiving and the parking lot was completely full! Instead of parking across the street a nearby hotel, I decided to go home. So get there early!

Barneys Warehouse Sale in NY and LA

Yes, Barneys is having a warehouse sale in their New York and Los Angeles locations! Unfortunately the LA sale is only going on until tomorrow, August 19th. The New York sale will be going on until September 3rd (yea!). You will find things marked down 50-75% off regular price. More details can be found here (thanks Larry!).

You don't live near LA or NY? Don't fret, you can always check out your nearest Barneys outlet store.

Look What I Found...

As many of you know, I recently moved to Dallas, Texas and am getting acclimated to the area. In addition to too many trips to Target and Linens & Things, I have also been trying to learn the ins and outs of shopping in the area. Yesterday I made a quick trip to the Allen Premium Outlets, and I must say I was pretty impressed. Unfortunately I was unable to stay very long, but I had a chance to briefly check out Ann Taylor, The Gap, Banana Republic (their outlet stores often disappoint me), Kasper (needed some work clothes), and my favorite store for the day - the Michael Kors Outlet. Granted, many of the items there were not cheap, but when I entered the back of the store, something made my heart flutter with glee - a $19.99 rack of shoes!

Below is the pair I bought (mine are brown but they had beige and black there too), but they had many of their summer styles for the same price. I felt even better about my purchase once I realized I could not find the same pair under $100 online. Gotta love it!

MICHAEL by Michael Kors Downtown Woven Sling - $19.99

You can find a listing of all of the Michael Kors Outlets here. Happy shopping!

Update: for you Chicago divas, there is a Michael Kors outlet opening at the Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora on September 24th!

Adrienne Vittadini Stores Going Out of Business!

Last weekend I went to the Chicago Premium Outlets for some shopping with my mom and had an amazing shopping extravaganza. While there we discovered Adrienne Vittadini is closing all of her retail stores (sucks for her, yea for us!). Everything in their outlet store was 80% off of the marked down price! Mom and I stocked up! I bought a skirt suit, python heels, a black turtleneck and an orange turtleneck sweater for $116 (almost $1000 worth of stuff)! I must say, sales like this bring tears to my eyes. Click here to find a location near you.

I took a look at their website too. Though I saw a lot of markdowns, the prices were no where close to the prices in the outlet store. Run, don't walk!