Art of Online Shopping

Online shopping is becoming one of the most fond ways of shopping. Not only do you get more variety online than you do in stores, it's much more convenient (shopping in bed & with pajamas on? DREAM COME TRUE!)

There are four ways to save money, hear about deals, and be in the 'know' with retailers. They are Facebook, Twitter, Mailing Lists, and Coupon sites.

Most retailers are beginning to see the new generation is all about the digital age. Sephora and Victoria's Secret constantly add deals and coupons for their Facebook friends. You'll be notified before anyone else does of secret deals, coupons, and products. Search on Facebook for your favorite retailer and become a fan/friend!

Same with Twitter: Steve Madden's Vice President of E-Commerce and Customer Relations, Drew Koven, is wanting to know the customer's opinion about budgets, advises about different make&models of shoes, and interacts very well AND frequently with the customer! Follow Steve Madden/Drew Koven at http://www.twitter.com/stevemaddenshoe

Mailing Lists are another way to be in the know. Most (if not all) have special coupons for those who wanted to be notified of special events, sales, and coupons. Steve Madden, Express, American Eagle, Victoria's Secret PINK Nation, and Alloy are some of the retailers that I subscribe to. Not only have I saved $56.00 this week thanks to their coupon, it gives the retailer amazing feedback with who their clientale is, who's buying what, and who's utilizing their money-saving coupons!

Coupon sites are a quick way for those who don't want mass mailing list coupons bombarding their beloved inbox. RetailMeNot.com is an excellent way to look up a retailer and see if they have any coupons available.

In other fabulous news, I'm officially a senior with 102 hours! 41 hours left, so I should be graduating next December in 2010.

My favorite jewelery designer, Tarina Tarantino, facebooked me today. Her message pretty much made my day sparkle.


P.S. - Get a 'retail' email address. For those wanting the coupons/sales/special event coupons, create an email address used for mailing lists!

Store Display

This store display was done at a local hair salon, with the Twelve Days of Christmas in mind. For each box that has products in it, we used red satin material and christmas balls. The extra boxes had snowflakes hanging from them. The balls & snowflakes were bought from Target, as was the glitter-glue I used to make the numbers and letters stick out. Fabulosity at it's finest. Fashion Friday will be resume this Friday!

Fashion Friday: Welcome to Vegas.

I want to formerly introduce Fashion Friday. Each Friday will be a new & themed post with current, introductory phase, affordable & splurge-able ensembles.

oo1. Romeo & Juliet Couture blue taffeta dress, Bluefly.com, $109.00

oo2. Forever21 Rainbow Spotted headband, forever21.com, $4.80

oo3. Orla Kiely daisy clutch, 80spurple.com, $159.00

oo4. Steve Madden Liena dress shoe, SteveMadden.com,$71.96

oo5. Jet Flower Necklace, WhiteHouseBlackMarket.com, $78.00

oo6. Jet Flower Earrings, WhiteHouseBlackMarket.com $28.00

Going Strong!

Second post this month, I'm on a roll.

School is about to end in about a month, I'm really excited for a much needed break. However, I'm really leaning towards a second job so I can stay busy for a month and a half. Plus, I'm a statistic: gotta pay the credit card off. I think I'll be ending the school year with B's. Reachable and Realistic.

I recently had two Fashion Promotional Strategy projects due, so I thought I'd share the results.

This was our display window. We chose a primary color scheme (red, yellow, blue) and chose a dark ensemble to make BOTH the display and clothes pop. Also, 'Express Your Style' was tiled on top of satin-covered cardboard and hung from fishing wire string to bring out a 3-D effect.

My trend board was inspired by the late Ed Hardy designed shirts. My deepest sympathies go out to those still wearing Ed Hardy (sooo 2007!). I think now that we're getting out of the recession, colors will have a lower intensity level and not as flamboyant as they have been due to the "new norm" theory. I used swatches from Valspar paints, tile swatches, buttons, ribbon trimmings, Pottery Barn catalog, textile swatches, and even a curtain tassel. The only thing harmed in the making of this trend board was a Vogue magazine.

Friday, I had the deepest pleasure of using Oprah's/Payless' 50% off your entire purchase coupon . Black suede slouchy boots for $15.00, yeah, I was feeling amazing after that steal. Thank you, Oprah! You made my weekend.

needing to get my butt in gear.

The semester is finally coming down to an end, and lately, I find myself wondering where I'm going in life. I've had projects due that have really triggered some brain thoughts.

What makes me different from the next Fashion Merchandising student at Texas State? In the state of Texas? In the wonderful United States? Maybe it's a rhetorical question, so you don't have to answer that!

I only dream about leaving Texas. My neighbor even told me this, "Rachel, you have to leave Texas. All my Fashion Merchandising friends didn't go past Dallas. You have to be the one!" That being said, I've been looking and searching for internships and careers to jump-start this dream. Almost all the companies I was looking at (career-wise) want at least 1-2 years of experience. Who's going to be that company who will look past that? As far as internships go, it's not the 'season'. I can't find anything just yet. But these designers I aspire to work with, I'm just wondering if they only want design students, or students who have that access to the Los Angeles/New York City region. I can be just as great, possibly, even greater.

I only want to have a career that most people dream of doing. I live, breathe, and sleep fashion. As much as I love college, school gets in the way of college. School gets in the way of my passion for fashion. However, school will take me to that dream job. Though no job is perfect, I want to work in the industry and wake up knowing each day at my workplace is different from the day before. Fast fashion for a fast-paced girl.

Until next time, I'm still dreaming of what should be.

Barbie Pink and Fashion Fixes.

If there's one look that I absolutely adore that is so chic and timeless: it's the Barbie pink lip. My two favorites right now, I have to put to on spotlight because they're so fun and currently have my eye.

Christian Dior's Addict Ultra Reflect lip gloss is amazing. It's nonsticky, true to color, and highly pigmented. It also feels moisturizing and does what it says: reflects. Imagine that. It's shiny and almost looks like a liquid glass on your lips. $25.50 at Sephora.


As hot pink as it looks, it's not. This NARS 'Baby Doll' lip laquer comes out to be more of a sheer cherry limeade color than anything else. At $24.00, you can use it by itself or under your favorite lip gloss.

Other favorites:

• NARS lip gloss"Turkish Delight"
• MAC lip stick - "Lustering"
• Urban Decay lip stick - "Hotpants"

Next, we've all had them: the fashion emergencies. I really want to share my knowledge of the fixes and alternatives that should be added to your fashion medical bag.

• Hollywood Fashion Tape - Though it's double sided sticky tape, adding these to the common nuisance of fashion woes will make a night go much smoother. Hollywood Fashion Tape can temporarily re-hem hemlines, hold an ever-falling dress/tank/bra strap, keeping blouses tailored at the button area, and preventing clothing from having wardrobe malfunctions! Yep, I said it..
  
• Insolias - These babies are a rubber insole that, somehow take the weight from the balls of your weight when wearing heels, to your heels. Unfortunately, I don't wear heels very often with being in college and working at a retail store. However, the annual birthday girl high heel night is coming up. Review shall come around September 3, 2009.
  
• Spanx - I swear by these. It's not exactly spandex, not exactly pantyhose. But it sucks in and smooths in every valley, peak, lump, and bump when you have a form-fitting garment to wear that, OF COURSE, looks only flattering on a flawless mannequin! From bras, to panties, to mid-thigh body suits, they have it all.
  
• Gal Pal - These deodorant removing pads do the trick. Rub on the white streaks that have made it's way on your black sweater, and it should come out. If for some reason it doesn't, lightly put water on the second Gal Pal pad, wring out the excess, and WIKITAW! No more streaks. It's almost like magic.

Missing in Make-up.

I've definately been missing in action. School has had my "interest" for the past 3 months. And by interest, I mean, pass and let's get this over and done with. So, with that said, I'm still in good standing at my lovely school.

So being a Fashion Merchandising student, cosmetics and fragrance is also listed under the catergory of the merchandising. I have recently fell in love with (and indulged!) NARS and Chrisitian Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect lip gloss. I'm so in love with Sephora, it's ridiculous - I think I pay their light bills with how much money I spend there. Urban Decay, however, is another favorite of mine because their quality and pigmentation is so wonderfully done. They recently added over 30 products just in time for the fall! Exciting. I'll be back, Sephora. I promise.

Themed post later :]

Seen & heard.

• Celebrity-favorite clothing store, Fred Segal, is getting it's own reality tv show on Bravo.
• Remember Lauren Conrad's interrupted fashion line? It's now making it's way to Kohl's in the fall of 2009.
• Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swm in Miami is almost here, July 13-19 at the Raleigh Hotel. Designers have not yet been released...

I'm having a shoegasm.

Giuseppe Zanotti

$1028.95

Sergio Rossi

$594.00

Roberto Cavalli
$1069.00







Proenza Schouler
$1201.00


Michael Kors
$899.00

Emilio Pucci

$735.00

Alexander McQueen

$929.00

In the spotlight.

I dedicate this post to my following role models/fashion icons/newsmakers. This is only my opinion, so don't be harsh to judge or criticize, okay? This is no particular heirarchy order, though Ms. Chanel does deserve top.

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel is one of my favorite, and most respectable figures in fashion history. She spent her early childhood years in an orphanage, learning to sew during school vacation time. She took up millinery as a hobby, which soon became a passion. Slowly, but surely, she came from nothing and became the world's most-known designer. Inspiring. Period. This has me wanting to be bigger than the galaxy itself. It'll happen one day, I feel it in my blood.

Barbie is celebrating her 50th birthday this year and believe me - is it big! Barbie has gone with the trends, seasons, and years from the Original Barbie, Malibu Barbie, Barbie and Rockers, and Superstar Barbie. Everyone is celebrating too! Stila cosmetics has recently produced a beauty can and palette to mimick Barbie's makeup over the years. Home furnishing designer Jonathan Adler recently decorated Barbie's Malibu beach house! Word on the street is the line should be available during Fall of 2009. Tarina Tarantino, Kennethe Cole, Karl Lagerfield, Patricia Fields, and Dylan's Candy Bar are just a few who are also in part of the culture with Barbie. Touché, ya'll. Care to know when the next Barbie event is scheduled? May 3rd, 2009 at Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City from 12:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M will have the sweet festivity next! My childhood revolved around Barbie and though I see her as a role model for being so accomplishing with having over 140 careers, she also is the image of our culture. Besides, life is better in pink.


The Kardashian sisters, also known as the Dash Dolls, are considered one of my icons. There's three of them...but, they're a uni-person! Haha. They always grace their beauty, figures, and charisma so wonderfully. The girls opened their high-end boutique, D-A-S-H, during 2006 in Calabasas, California. Beauty and brains, fantabulousity! Not only do they practice the trends that are "in" for the season, they rock them to the tip. Kim recently opened ShoeDazzle out of her love of fashion and being a celebrity stylist. ShoeDazzle is like a "shoe subscription", you pay a monthly (LOW!) fee and you get a monthly pair of shoes based on your style and taste! Visit D-A-S-H online at http://www.shopdashonline.com/ and ShoeDazzle at http://www.shoedazzle.com/

Meet La Vie en Couture!

La Vie en Couture literally translates to 'Life in Seam'. Seam meaning the stitches to make a line. Stitches to make a piece of apparel. Apparel meaning clothing. Clothing meaning fashion. Fashion bringing life to couture. Catch my six degrees? Fantastic if you did.

I got the name of La Vie en Couture from the song, "La Vie en Rose" by Edith Piaf. I'm honestly fascinated by that song because it's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. Because "La Vie en Rose" translates to 'Life in Pink', it's definately something that had to be mixed to my love of fashion and couture just sounds beautiful.

I'm hoping/dreaming/aspiring to be a figure in the fashion industry. I'm not sure which road I want to take yet because there's several interests as far as styling, special events, forecasting, and shopping goes. Fashion Merchandising is my major and I'm so happy to be pursuing something I'm so passionate about. This blog, I hope, can open doors for me and others who are interested in the fantabulous world of fashion!