Posts with tag stores

THE CUBE! Isn't that where you are right now?

Answer: No. THE CUBE is the new in store boutique at your local Marshalls (maybe, check here). You, like this model, can now afford to wear like three cool outfits at the same time.

Marshalls Shoe Megashop is indeed somewhat "mega." We almost drowned in our own drool. We are doing okay.

Unfortunately, you can't shop online, but if you click on "Take a Tour of the Megashop," you are taken to an interactive Quicktime video of a Marshall's store where you can zoom in on the shelves. We don't really know what you're supposed to do with this tool, but we totally played with it for a good two minutes.

Whether you've got prom or a wedding to attend, find yourself something gorgeous in the reasonable $100-$200 range on Unique-Vintage.com. We love their vintage-inspired looks in bold colors and flattering cuts. Read on for our top five picks!

It looks like someone is feeling the pressure to compete in this wild, wild, fast fashion market.

Much like Target and H+ M, Urban Outfitters has been itching to get its hands on a few designers to lure hip boys and girls on budget into its chain stores.

As we mentioned last week, Gap's second collection of limited-edition pieces inspired by the classic white shirt hits stores today.

All of the chic garments were created exclusively by finalists of the 2007 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund -- which helps emerging American design talent find continued success in the business side of fashion.

How is that? Anna Wintour puts the struggling designer in her fashion bible -- aka Vogue. And the exposure usually does wonders for the brand and the image of the lucky designer.

Inessah and Tara are two New York ladies who found each other through Craigslist as subletter and sublet-ee in college.

"Two years later, after having worked traditional careers, Tara and Inessah missed the spontaneous community, independence and creativity they felt when subletting. So over lunch one day, they decided they would create their own permanent sublet through Sublet Clothing."

--Subletclothing.com

I'm not sure how logical that is, but I don't care. Look at this dress! A sweet, curve-skimming cut with an unusual non-halter-style bow at the back. It's made of organic cotton, spandex, and bamboo. Sixty-seven percent bamboo!

In fact, all of their simple, elegant clothing is made with bamboo. How exotic! How perfect for the Retro Princess! You could slay a black and white party, a garden party, or even just a nice dinner in any of their items. The only place I wouldn't recommend wearing these clothes is the zoo. 'Cause, you know. Pandas.

(Carnage.)

I should have seen this one coming.

Express -- the overpriced mall store that everyone has fallen victim to at one point -- wants in on all of this inexpensive designer capsule collection madness. Their first partner-in-crime? Celia Birtwell -- the British printmaker behind the legendary Ossie Clark (her late ex-husband who designed for such pretty young things as Twiggy and Marianne Faithfull in their hay day).

Staying true to Clarke's style of the romantic and beautiful, the Celia Birtwell for Express collection will consist of flowing sheer tops and dresses made of Birtwell's trademark prints, Floating Daisy and Lily.

First, things first.

Gap is not my one and only shopping destination. In fact, I've been known to blow a whole student refund check on the Chloe-esque wide-leg trousers and mini dresses currently stalking the racks of H&M.

But since we're practically in a recession, and pinching pennies is a must, I feel it's my duty as a style blogger to find the chicest inexpensive fashion for Styledash readers. And at the moment, Gap happens to be the one serving up (ish) the best - plus, who wants to read yet another post about a cool upcoming designer capsule collection at Target or Topshop?

Anyways, since Patrick Robinson took over the reigns as creative director at Gap last year, the family-friendly brand has been doing everything within its power to lure those cool twenty-somethings back into their store.

This season, they're pushing easy, breezy, and very beautiful summer dresses, sleeveless tops, and cropped knit sweaters.

My favorite piece is this lightweight chambray wrap dress. It's the perfect little number to throw on while running errands - simple and effortlessly chic. Not to mention it will flatter all shapes and sizes.

Buy

When the market is so saturated you can't possibly open up one more Abercrombie & Fitch in yet another suburbia mall, what do you do? The answer is simple. You open a hospital wing and name it after your store.

The Abercrombie & Fitch brand is going to build a trauma center and emergency room. Although nothing has been officially announced, they want to name it after themselves. Why not? Everything is up for marketing grabs these days. The hospital in which they are building the trauma center is even called Nationwide Children's Hospital after Nationwide Insurance.

But, at least insurance companies don't promote eating disorders, "'Research has shown a link between sexualized images of teens in the media and mental health problems in girls, including eating disorders, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression,' according to the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood."

Would it really be a good idea to promote a store known for hiring only attractive employee at a children's hospital? Kids are already so overexposed, health care shouldn't be just another way to market to them. Fashion and medicine are like oil and water. They just don't mix!

Via The Consumerist.

Don't you hate how much sizes range from store to store and brand to brand? I know I do. In one store I am doing a happy dance because I am swimming in a size 2, however in the next store I am planning my next cardio session after busting out of a size 4. What gives?

Vanity sizing is blame mostly and varying fit models can also be at fault but wherever you point the finger ... it sucks. The New York Daily News wrote a great article giving the rundown on common stores and their fit issues. How do your favorite stores line up, let's break it down:

• BANANA REPUBLIC: Mostly true to sizes. Size 2: Too big Size 6: Just right Size 8: Just right Size 10: Just right
• OLD NAVY: Get a size smaller. Size 2: Too big Size 6: Too big Size 8: Too big Size 10: Too big
• J.CREW: Better safe than sorry - grab your size and a size down. Size 2: Too big Size 6: Just right Size 8: Too big Size 10: Just right
• CLUB MONACO: Smaller sizes true to fit, but size 10 and up, watch out for wacky fits. Size 2: Just right Size 6: Just right Size 8: Just right Size 10: Too big
• FOREVER 21:Go bigger or go home. Size 2: Just right Size 6: Too small Size 8: Too small Size 10: Too small
• GAP: Straight-forward, but a less predictable fit for larger sizes. Size 2: Just right Size 6: Just right Size 8: Just right Size 10: Too big
• H & M: Suck it up and grab a size larger. Size 2: Too small Size 6: Too small Size 8: Just right Size 10: Too small

Unfortunately I can't vouch for any of those brands because I don't wear any of them but can you?

It's been a really long time since Gap was anything to write home about. After achieving phenomenal success back when Hootie and the Blowfish had fans, the company lost its way -- limping along as a watered-down, cheaper (but not cheap enough) version of JCrew, too expensive to be Target, yet too bland to be worth the money.

But things are looking up. Gap recently hired Patrick Robinson, a new creative director who they hoped would return the brand back to its glory days. And while sales still suck, the clothes are at least looking halfway decent.

Gap's showing at New York Fashion Week (the first new line under Robinson's guidance) revealed a new direction -- capitalizing on the 90s resurgence, and combining grunge aesthetic (read: flannel shirts) with more modern looking pants and boots. In traditional Gap style, it's all a little safe (fashionable, but not so fashionable that you'd get beat up for it at your suburban high school), but I bet even the discerning fashionista will be able to find an item or two that they'd be willing to include in their regular wardrobe.

Not that they should have to "market," of course, but if the American Heart Association is going to pick one month out of the year to focus on heart health, they sure did the right thing with picking February -- we've got nothing but hearts, uh, on our brains. Not only are we pounded from left, right and center with heart-shaped things, but everything is pink and red. It's quite perfect actually, because today is National Wear Red Day, in support of Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association's effort to wipe out heart disease in women.

And, just in case you needed any more reason to recognize the American Heart Association's effort, Macy's is doing a one-day sale today in support of National Wear Red Day. All you have to do is wear red into their stores and you get 15% off!

Saving women from heart disease and saving money at Macy's -- how awesome is that?

When you're looking for affordable, stylish furniture for your home, apartment, dorm room -- wherever really -- IKEA is your store. They've managed to bring fun modern styles to all of us who can't afford to drop $5,000 on a designer kitchen table. But even if you're totally obsessed with the store's streamlined solutions for modern living, you wouldn't want to live there -- right?

Probably not, unless you're this guy. Mark Malkoff was having his apartment fumigated, which meant he needed to find a place to stay -- bummer. He's a comedian and filmmaker, and all his starving artist friends didn't have room in their tiny studio apartments for a guest. Instead of blowing money on a hotel, Mark had a novel idea -- why not just stay in one of those display apartments in the local IKEA?

Seems crazy, but for some reason, the store actually agreed to let Mark take up residence in their New York location. He lives on the shop floor, eats all his meals at the cafeteria (hooray, Swedish meatballs!), and showers in the back offices.

The best part is that if you'll be New York this week, you can actually visit Mark. He'll be at IKEA through January 12th (after which he'll be heading home to his apartment). Everyone else can check back on Mark's website for daily videos about what life is like instead the home style mega store.

Remember back in 2003 when all you had to do to get your spouse in the mood was leave your Abercrombie & Fitch catalog lying around? In theory, the quarterly publication was supposed to feature the company's clothing line -- though you wouldn't have guessed that from all the photos of sexy 20-somethings, who (for the most part) weren't wearing any clothes at all.

Abercrombie's chief executive claimed the reason A&F Quarterly was pulled was that he was "bored" with it. I suspect it had more to do with all the pressure he was under from religious organizations and women's rights groups.

However, the catalog is on its way back, but this time you'll only be able to find it in London, where the company hopes customers will be more open-minded than their US counterparts.

So Londoners, if you're into checking out a little soft-core porn while you shop for relatively bland clothing, you're in luck!

Right around 1998 Old Navy hit their stride. They were right in line with the Dave Matthew's Band-loving, sensitive frat guy look that was unfortunately sweeping the nation. But times changed, people got smarter (and actually interested in fashion), and they stopped dressing like dorks season after season. Other stores that used to target a similar demographic (Gap, J Crew, etc), re-imagined themselves for a more fashion-forward customer, while Old Navy kept insisting that faux-thrift-store, "retro" t-shirts and ill-fitting pants were all the rage.

But rumor has it that maybe times have changed. The company has launched an under-the-radar email campaign to generate buzz about the "New Old Navy." Unfortunately, no one knows what that means.


Fashionista thinks they might be buying Fred Flare and turning into a lifestyle store, or that they're about to release some cutesy TV commercial with their new head designer, Todd Oldham. I have no idea what they're planning -- but I hope they're launching a new clothing line that isn't targeted at high school-aged jocks.

Just a pipe dream?