Bargain Brag: FIG Finale Sale

Well, you can't say I didn't tell you! Yesterday I attended the Fashion Industry Gallery Finale Sale in Dallas which ended up being one of the best sales EVER. Apparently they have it every February and August. If you missed it and live in Dallas, don't miss it in February! If you live elsewhere, you may want to schedule a trip out to Dallas next year!

The scoop: It is primarily cash only though some of the boutiques take checks and/or credit cards. The good thing is there is an ATM available which I did take advantage of. There were two levels of clothing, shoes and accessories. Along with women's clothing, they also had some men, children, and lingerie items (though not as extensive). The sale lasted two days, but many items were marked down further on Saturday than Friday AND Saturday afternoon many of the boutiques slashed the prices even further. One ended up selling everything from $10-$50 depending on the original price. An item that was originally priced over $500 was only $50 and items that were originally under $100 were just $10! So I ended up purchasing a $395 pair of shoes for only $30!

All in all I purchased over $3000 worth of stuff for less than 10% of the cost - including 5 pairs of shoes! Below are some of the items.

Charles David Awe Sandals

Bettye Muller Black and White Polka Dot Peep-toes

Charles David Astra Patent Leather Pumps

Cole Haan Lizeth Boots in Camel

Diva Deal Alert! JC Penney Final Sale

I found some of these great deals on JC Penney's site and just had to pass them along!

Pedestal Table in light cherry wood finish - $89.99 (was $399.99!)

What a great deal for this beautiful table. The low down: the table is a light cherry, not the mahogany finish in the picture. The challenge will just be to find chairs to match (the chairs featured in the picture don't have the same wood finish available online). However, for such a great price it may still be worth buying!

Wall Mirror - $29.99 (was $119.99!)

So I don't know what's up with the description they have on their site, but let's just assume that the price does correspond to the picture they feature. For a mirror this size, $29.99 is a great prices.

Dallas: Fashion Industry Gallery Sale

I was so excited to read this article about the Fashion Industry Gallery sale this weekend in Dallas!The Fashion Industry Gallery is usually open to buyers and merchandisers. Not it is your turn to get in on the inside scoop. VIP tickets were actually available for tonight for $100 as a preview. If you missed that treat, not to fear! For $12 you can shop for 75% off of tons of designer pieces on Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25. This sale is cash only, so make sure you hit up the ATM before you go!

By the way, the sale was even featured in August's issue of Lucky Magazine.

White On!

Now that summertime is coming close to its end (sniffle, sniffle), retailers everywhere are slashing prices of their summer items - ESPECIALLY anything that comes in the color white.

Tip: From now until right after Labor Day you should purchase white shoes, accessories and clothing.

You may be thinking that this is only to stock up for next year's Easter through Labor Day season. However, regardless of your compliance on that supposed "rule," white shirts are great all year round. Also, white is the dominant color in many of this fall season's lines. Here are a few deals:

Classic Flip Flops - $2 - 3.50 from Old Navy

Yes, you read that correctly - you can actually purchase these flip-flops for $2. The catch: you just need to purchase two or more (but if you buy just one, they're still only $3.50). But with 13 colors available, that shouldn't be too hard especially for a staple item like this.


Solid Ribbed T-Shirt - $9.99 from Old Navy

This shirt is a total staple item. As featured, you can easily layer this with any color. They even have tall and petite sizes available!

Bead Chocker - $4.80 from Forever 21


I think this necklace is too cute! For under 5 bucks, this is a fun accessory to add any time of year!

J Crew Sale

J Crew does not often feature what I consider to be amazing sales, BUT they are actually running a promotion of 20% off their already reduced final sale items. The sale is going on until 9:59 PM EST on August 25th.

The low down: since they are final sale, no returns are allowed. Also, sizes and colors tend to be limited. I found the following cute items for great prices:

Halter Embossed Beach Dress - $31.99 ($39.99 + 20% Off)

This dress used to be almost 100 bucks, so this really is a great deal. There are several sizes and colors still left!

Marsala Patent Leather Cut-Out Ballet Flats - $39.99 ($49.99 + 20% off)

I think these ballet flats are just darling! Also coming in persimmon, these shoes were originally $138! They only have sizes 6 and 7 still available (I am pretty excited that I am a size 6!), so jump on these quick! They do have ballet flats in different textures and colors with more available sizes.

Favorite-fit Natural Italian Linen Wide-leg Pants - $47.99 ($59.99 + 20% off)

One thing I will say about J Crew is that their quality is pretty impeccable. They usually have great fit and workmanship so I can only imagine how these linen pants look on. Like the ballet flats they were $138, so these are another fabulous deal. Unfortunately they only have these left in size 6.

Restaurant Week Extended (Boston, Dallas & NYC)!

If you live in Dallas, New York or Boston, you are probably sad that Restaurant Week is over. If you're a foodie like me, you are pretty darn excited that many of the restaurants have been extended until September 2nd or 3rd! What, you haven't heard of Restaurant Week? Say it ain't so! Well Restaurant Week is when the city's best restaurants offer prix-fixe dinner menus for about $35. So are you wondering which of your favorite restaurants are offering these great deals? Check out these links for New York, Dallas, and Boston.

I actually checked out a couple restaurants this past weekend in Dallas. I felt even better when I found out that the proceeds go to local charities. So anyway, on Friday night my friend Kelley and I went to Kirby's Steak House. Instead of a 3 course meal we actually had a 4 course meal since they added in a salad. We had lobster cargot for an appetizer (chunks of lobster prepared like escargot - drenched in butter!), a salad, filet oscar and cheesecake grenache. Everything was excellent. On Saturday my friends Amber and Ashanti joined me at McCormick & Schmicks. Not too exotic,I know. But again, I was pleased. We had a lobster and crab bisque for starters, Ashanti and I had a blackened redfish while Amber had a surf and turf with shrimp and filet. For dessert Ashanti and I had quatro leches bread pudding and Amber had their key lime pie. All I have to say is that quatro leches bread pudding was to die for! Just amazing.

Enjoy! And let me know what you think about the restaurants you visit! By the way, Philly's Restaurant Week is coming September 23-28 - check it out!

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.

Texas Tax Free Weekend!

Calling all Texas divas: Run to the malls today and tomorrow (you may even see me there :))! All weekend long you can be relieved from paying sales tax on most clothing and shoes - just in time for going back to school. You can find a list of taxed and non-taxed items here. Enjoy!

Prada Sample Sale New York

Gotta love Prada! Tuesday August 21st - 23rd they are having a sample sale by appointment only at The Fuller Building at 57th Street and Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor in New York. Details (there are quite a few stipulations) can be found at www.pradasamplesale.com. All samples are 60-80% off retail! This should definitely be worth checking out! By the way, don't bring cash - credit and debit will only be accepted. Thanks, Larry!

Bloomingdale's - Extra 50% Off!

Bloomie's is offering an additional 50% off of already reduced items online until August 13th! Use code SV89 at checkout to receive the offer.

The catch:
1) the deadline for in-store purchases is actually August 12th
2) Limited sizing

Here are some of the items I found:

Linen Eyelet Trimmed Dress - $32.50 (reduced to $64.99 + 50% off!)

This one has lots of sizes still available, including petites. It also comes in colors black and white.

Lambertson Truex Raffia/Leather Bag - $328.50

I know, hardly seems like a bargain, right? Well as a point of reference, the bag was originally almost $1100. Therefore, under $350 is definitely a steal!

Stretch Cotton One Button Jacket and Fly Front Tab Pants - Jacket: $25 for Misses and Petites, $27.50 for Womens, Pants: $15 for Misses (no Petite sizes available), $17.50 for Womens

I think this outfit is a fabulous steal. However, sizes and colors are limited. Though it may be difficult to purchase this a complete suit, you may still be able to buy one of the pieces.

Vera Wang Dresses for Under $200

In checking out Bluefly.com today I noticed quite a few Vera Wang dresses for under $200! The catch: very limited sizing. You may get lucky though. For you plus sized divas, they have quite a few sized 16-20 dresses available. Check 'em out:

Mint Sateen Strapless Gown - $149 (was $290)













Find it here.

Bisque Sateen Chiffon - $169.99 (was $320)

Find it here.

Dune Textured Sateen Dress - $119.99 (was $220)












Who said you couldn't have a Vera Wang bridesmaid dress for under $200??? Find this one here.


Black Moire Black Cocktail Dress - $199.99 ($395)












OK, this one is just barely under 200, but it was worth posting nonetheless. Find it here.

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!

Weekend Deals August 11-12!

Love Those Stacked Racks IV Sample Sale: Chicago, August 11 & 12:

Beta Boutique will be filling a 6000 square foot loft space with tons of items from local designer stocks and samples as well as boutique overstock items this coming weekend only. Prices will start at just $10! It takes place Saturday, August 11th from 10AM -6PM and Sunday, August 12th from 11 AM - 5PM. Location: Wicker Park: 1552 N. Milwuakee, 2nd floor loft space, between North Ave. & Honore, next to Art + Science Salon (thanks Beta Boutique!)

JC Penney's Friends and Family August 12

Have you been to JCPenney lately? If not, you may want to take the opportunity this Sunday. You can go to this site and print out the full size coupon. One of my friends started working for the company recently and had this to say:

The new Ambrielle brand lingerie is pretty good. I like the Chip & Pepper (C7P) designer jeans... There are some cute Bisou Bisou and Nicole (Nicole Miller’s line) dresses. The kids section is decent…Arizona (my brand) has some cute kids stuff. The bath towels are top notch. The Mens Stafford suits are great. And the fine jewelry is pretty nice.

So, you may want to give Penney's a chance. I will be hitting the stores in Dallas on Sunday(Thanks Kelley)! By the way, did you know that they are starting to put Sephoras in some of their stores? You can even purchase Sephora items through their website.

Basics on Sale at Ann Taylor Loft!

I always believe it is best to purchase your basic, staple items when they are on sale. Ann Taylor Loft is currently featuring a bunch of basic items for the low-low!

Smocked Stretched Button-Front Sleeveless Top - $3.88

That's right, this sleeveless button-down shirt is only $3.88 so you know it is going to go FAST! Note: this item is a final sale item so it can't be returned. But, at less than 5 bucks, who cares???

Short-Sleeved V-Neck - $9.99

I refuse to buy v-necks for more than $12.50. This one comes in five different colors, while supplies last! They also have scoop necks at the same price!

Cayman Strappy Flip-Flops - $9.99

As I was looking more closely at these flip-flops I realized that they only have size 5's available at this time. So, if you are a size 5 and need some white flip-flops, check these out!