Tidbits and Musings of Spring 2009 Fashion

Spring is one of the best times to go shopping. Everything is new and alive with vibrant colors and patterns, lighting up store windows and drawing buyers in. But because there are so many choices, it's hard to distinguish between trendy and ridiculous. In this post I will guide you along the winding road of spring fashion and smart spending.

AFFORDABLE ESSENTIAL OF THE SEASON
Canvas Boardwalk City Tote~Purchase at: jcrew.com or J.Crew stores $48.00

The most essential piece to your 2009 spring wardrobe will undoubtedly be a practical wear-with-anything canvas tote bag. This gorgeous tote from J. Crew (one of my personal favorite stores) is big enough to hold all your everyday items and effortlessly chic with an air of haute couture from the leather accents. Plus: This bag comes in 4 different colors: black, natural (shown), weathered stone, and papaya!

INVESTMENT PIECE OF THE SEASON

MICHAEL Michael Kors Notched Collar Trench~Purchase at: nordstrom.com or Nordstrom stores $128.00 (Left) Calvin Klein Faux Silk Trench~Purchase at: nordstrom.com or Nordstrom stores $148.00 (Right)

An investment piece is an article of clothing that is relatively timeless and can be reworn through at least two seasons (in this case, spring and fall). A classic, polished trench coat is the perfect investment piece for your spring wardrobe this year. Wonderfully chic without being over the top. Plus: The Calvin Klein trench is water repellent, and both come in various different colors to choose from (i.e. lime green, aqua, black, red, and tans)

ACCESSORY TREND OF THE SEASON

Chunky statement-making necklaces are the must-have accessory of the season. With so many color options and designs out there, how can you not snap up one or two? These fabulous little gems are the perfect trend to add to your wardrobe.

From Left: J.Crew jeweled palm-leaf necklace $175.00, jcrew.com; Banana Republic adjustable beaded necklace $59.00, bananarepublic.com; Kate Spade petits fours flower necklace $95.00, nordstrom.com; Kate Spade color cafe stripe resin necklace $95.00, nordstrom.com

WEARABLE, AFFORDABLE TREND OF THE SEASON

Maxi dresses are the most wearable and all around beautiful trend of this season. You can wear them straight through the spring and summer months with cardigans or just by themselves. They also come in a wide variety of patterns and have cute detailing like crocheting.

From Left: C&C California Women's Crochet Tie Dye Maxi Dress $158.00, bloomingdales.com; Victorias's Secret Smocked Maxi Dress $68.00, victoriassecret.com; Rachel Pally Print Maxi Dress $87.90, nordstrom.com.

Spring Fashion For Your Bedroom

Your room is generally where most people go to relax and kick back after a long day of working/learning/doing all the tedious stuff people do. But being in your room is no fun if it is completely and utterly DRAB. Here's how to give your bedroom a beautiful, organic (!!), spring facelift.

Bedding:

Woodland Organic Duvet Cover and Sham~Purchase at: potterybarn.com or Pottery Barn stores $29.00-$129.00

This duvet cover is the perfect addition to your bedroom decor. It's whimsical pattern makes will make you smile, and an added bonus is that it's made out of organic 200-thread-count cotton percale! Plus: this beautiful bedding has one letter color words carefully hidden amongst the flowers and branches of the pattern... see if you can find them all!

Lighting:

Swirl UT Accent Lamp with Fruitwood Finish~Purchase at: lampsusa.com $98.00

The abstract swirl on this beautiful table lamp is extremely trendy, is laquered with an organic wood finish, and has a spun-fiber shade to top it all off. Plus: this lamp is compatable with eco-friendly compact fluorescent lightbulbs!

Area Rug:

Hand-woven Chiatali Bordered Sisal Rug~Purchase at: overstock.com $199.99

This area rug is beautiful and an awesome size! (8'x10') It was hand-woven entirely of natural organic sisal fibers in India and has a rubber felt backing for added durability. Plus: This rug comes in a variety of border colors!

Wall Decor:

Double Tree of Life Wall Sculpture~Purchase at: gaiam.com $99.00

This lovely piece of wall art is attractive and exclusive, all for a Recession Friendly price! It was handcrafted by skillfull Haitian artisans and is from a fair trade group. Plus: This wall art was made completely of flattened 55-gallon oil drums.

Paris Spring Fashion Week: Rock the Trends For Less

Paris Spring 2009 Fashion Week was chock full of fab designer duds and plenty of breakout trends to fuel your shopping desire for spring! Miss Recession is going to show you just how to make these genius new trends work for you... and your budget.

TREND #1: Geometric Print Dresses
Runway at Isabel Marant

Recession Way: Tbags citrus geometric print jersey batwing dress Purchase at: bluefly.com $84.15


TREND #2: Metallic Mini Skirts
Runway at Louis Vuitton

Recession Way: J. Crew Metallic-Silk Mini Purchase at: jcrew.com or J. Crew stores $58.00


TREND #3: Neon Jacket
Runway at Dries Van Noten

Recession Way: Silk Dupioni Jacket Purchase at: neimanmarcus.com or Neiman Marcus department stores $120.00

Discount Sites= Amazing Opporunities To Save!

We've all done it. Gone to department store websites and lusted after the amazing designer items that we would never normally be able to afford. For so long these luxury items have been a figment of our dreams. Until now. Online services such as Gilt Groupe and Hautelook provide legitimate designer lines for super-discount prices. It's like a clearance outlet on your computer! The only catch is that you have to become a member to these websites, which is a very easy process that requires hardly any effort at all. Be sure to check out these amazing websites, I promise you will find some of the best deals of your shopping life, from apparel to childrenswear to accessories.

http://www.gilt.com/

http://www.hautelook.com/

Fashion Flash: Vests

Vests have been absoloutely HUGE on the runways this spring, but nobody wants to pay the massive prices designers tack on their creations. Miss Recession is going to show you how to wear a fashionable vest on a Recession Friendly budget!

Runway:

Elegant: Richard Chai ~ Casual: William Rast ~ Fierce: Rag and Bone ~ Preppy: Vivienne Tam

Recession Friendly:

Elegant: Ann Taylor Loft $39.50 Purchase at: anntaylorloft.com or Ann Taylor Loft stores

Casual: Guess $69.00 Purchase at: guess.com or Guess stores

Fierce: Pins and Needles $99.99 Purchase at: urbanoutfitters.com or Urban Outfitters stores

Preppy: American Eagle Outfitters $34.95 Purchase at: ae.com or American Eagle stores

Saving on iTunes

All of us who use iTunes as our personal music downloading service know that the 99 cent fee per song (and even more for other downloadable items) adds up. Fast. But what are we to do? There aren't any coupons for iTunes. But there are free (yes, absoloutely FREE) downloads every week. The iTunes Single of the Week (updated every Tuesday) is handpicked by iTunes employees and given free to the public. In addition to the free song of the week, there is a free music video, free TV show, free song in spanish, and a plether of free extras which are updated every Tuesday. Simply scroll down to the near bottom of the main iTunes page and there is a box labeled "Free on iTunes". This box lists all the content on iTunes that is free for that week. So yes, darlings there is a way to save on iTunes. Stay tuned for more Recession Friendly tips, fashion, and more.

-Miss Recession

Welcome to the Blog

Hello Fellow Shopaholics!
Don't be fooled, the difficult economic times facing the world have affected everyone in some way. We also know that ever since this foreign thing called "recession" started to rear it's ugly head, our funds have been stretched to their absolute limits. So what is a shopaholic to do? Do we (gasp!) STOP SHOPPING???? Of course not. We just need to watch our spending. Example: You are in the shoe department at your favorite department store and you have two pairs of shoes in your hands. They both fit perfectly, and you have an outfit you can wear for each of them planned out in your mind. Wonderful situation, right? So here's the catch. You only have enough funds to purchase ONE pair of shoes. Not both, ONE. But don't even THINK of reaching for your trusty little Visa/AmEx/MasterCard/any other credit card you may have. That is the first lesson in Smart (Recession Friendly) Shopping: Do not use a credit card unless you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO. (Definition of Absolutely Have To: You are at lunch with your friend and you are splitting the bill but don't have enough cash to cover your expenses, then you fall back on your credit card). The simple solution is to purchase the less expensive pair of shoes, or the pair that a coupon applies to. But fear not darlings, Miss Recession is not here to criticize (I'm in no position to criticize anyway), I'm here to help you. I'm on the hunt for the most Recession Friendly buys from investment pieces to fads and trends that you just need to make your wardrobe complete. I, your humble Recessionista, solemly swear that I will never post any item that exceeds the $200 limit on this blog. Don't think I can do it? Prepare yourself (and your wallet) for amazment! I'm on the hunt for fabulous items with prices that will make you want to do a happy dance. Feel free to leave comments for me describing your outfit ailments, and I will work day and night fixing them into the perfect little Recession Friendly situation.
-Miss Recession