Going, going...gone!

Don't miss out. If you've opted for a staycation this holiday weekend, step away from the grill and take a little shopping break. Everyone's having big sales; some notables are Ginger's sidewalk sale, which includes a $10 bin and 30% off shoes, and Urban Chic's the more you buy, the more you save extravaganza. If you get to downtown Bethesda in time, you'll run smack into the Red Hook Lobster Truck's lunchtime stop near Barnes & Noble. And, don't miss the big Montgomery Mall event: Nordstrom's annual half-yearly sale.

Plaiding It

I did plaid way back when. I sported a bright plaid maxi coat that was not only fit for inner-tubing down mountainsides, it caught my then-boyfriend's eye. So with a rich plaid history that cannot be outdone, I prefer to try something new. But then I saw these Bettye Muller shoes at Sassanova:


and this Nanette Lepore "Walk of Fame" coat (which kind of, in name at least, reminds me of my famous coat):

and suddenly I'm less plaid-resistant. Both of these make a fabulous foil to basic black, which except for chocolate brown, is my constant winter-chic color of choice. Plaid away, little schoolgirls!

Beach Blanket Retro Glam

I admit it. I don't really like standard-issue "bathing suits." My long torso doesn't take kindly to two tiny pieces of fabric on either end of a long expanse of skin. Plus there isn't much of a waist there to break things up. I want to feel like I'm donning an actual outfit when I put on my swimsuit, not some generic formulaic "two-piece" or "tank" or "tankini." I didn't really want to go the vintage route, so I scoured websites and found suits I actually get excited about like the Jantzen suit left--feminine, tailored, neat and structured. (The Badgley Mischka below is perfection.)

Though some of the smaller houses like Hayden-Harnett (below right)
come up with the most innovative designs, larger design names are coming up with just the suits I have in mind. Here are a few of the best I've found around online and at shops ranging from Nordstrom to Urban Outfitters to Anthropologie to Macy's to SyLene in Chevy Chase.

Love the high-waisted Jantzen two-piece; ruched one-piece is by INC

Betsey Johnson (left) & Kimchi at Urban Outfitters make you feel "dressed"

jonesin for ruffled shoes

I am obsessing on ruffled shoes. I've been around long enough to have already done platforms, wedges and glads but not ruffles. Ruffles--I even like the word. I want them in butter soft leather; I want them in silk; I want them metallic. The ones pictured left are perfection: "Savage Lover" by Nanette Lepore. More contenders below (loving the Louboutin):


Christian Louboutin and Loeffler Randall; saksfifthavenue.com


L.A.M.B, nordstrom.com