Zannee’s Blog at BargainsLA.com

One of the beauties of living in LA is the weather… and right now, it’s perfect!! I am not inclined to spend time at a warehouse or sample sale with the stellar outdoors beckoning

So if you’re a sample sale addict… I totally relate, but this week do your shopping at night….online.

If you’ve ever wandered into Madison you may have been overcome by retail lust. Great designer clothes… high prices. Now however you can cruise their web store for savings of 30%-70% and not be as overwhelmed. Most the savings are in the 30%-40% range but a few are 50% and up. They have dozens of cutting edge designers here.

I adore this trapeze dress. It will make it from day to evening and into our chilly winter months smoothly.  It was $357… Now its better at $143… a 60% savings

Ed Hardy fans should go to The Warehouse Sale in the OC this weekend.. They’ll be in L.A. in a couple of weeks.

But if you don’t want to drive too far, try Blue Fly.com. Ed Hardy signature tees w/ rhinestones are here at $89… But even with savings of 45%  (retail $164!) I have to give it a bit of thought…

Still it would save me from driving to the Culver City outlet!

In the Blue Fly.com clearance section are some superior buys. Perfect for fall, this Kritik terry hoodie is $74.99 down from the original $146…. Nearly a 50% savings.

Maybe I should be more practical and get ready for fall with this shorter version of a classic trench coat By Cole Haan

At $299 it’s 50% off the original $600. Still pricey… maybe I should go for either a knock off or a classic trench by London Fog.

SmartBargains.com always has some good buys…
This year I promised myself I’d go to more holiday cocktail parties. So I also found myself looking several times at this cocktail dress by Taylor. Originally $158, it’s now $59.

Cute Uhn?

Have I told all of you bargain shoppers how much I really like and respect you?

I often get feed back from sales and stores I recommend about you BargainsLA shoppers. Except for a few, I consistently get dozens of reports telling me what a great group of people you are… smart, fun, savvy and generally super nice. Store owners and  sample sale organizers rave about you guys.

I must say I am a very lucky person to have such a nice group of people following my leads.

So here’s to toast you…. Hip Hip Hurrah! Thanks for being so terrific!
BargainsLA shoppers are Super De Duper!

Back to school shopping? Not around here. Outside of basic school supplies like paper and pencils, we like to wait.

First, as a parent of a fashionista tween, I have learned the hard way that anything we buy before school starts usually is regulated to the back of the closet and is never worn. Though you’ll find similar designs and clothing all over, what you can’t do as a parent is ascertain is what the style is at your kids school. There is always that one girl or guy that sets or starts the “in” cool trend.

I have a real distaste for buying clothes my daughter won’t wear. Though I have access and inside fashion scoop from a lot of cutting edge fashion showrooms, that doesn’t translate to knowing what my kid will like and what’s considered cool at her school. I do long for the days of uniforms, but I don’t have that now, so I deal with it and waiting gives us a better chance of getting what is cool at her school.

Second… This is Southern California. The weather doesn’t really turn cool until late October. Even if I bought my persnickety kid clothes, she’ll be wearing most of her summer stuff for another 5-8 weeks. In 8 weeks she could easily have outgrown half of any back to school clothes I bought her. Again for me it’s a waste of money and effort.

Lastly, almost all back to school fashions will be drastically discounted in the major stores and boutiques around Oct 1st. Though we don’t have a seasonal change till later, the manufacturers and stores all operate on the same seasonal schedule nationwide. By then, they are bringing in their Winter goods. So we tend wait.

During August I like to get her room organized, notebooks, backpacks and schedules down and afterward we start to look at clothes in magazines and in stores to get an idea of what’s out there at what the trends are. However, if my daughter thinks I think it’s cute first, she’ll shy away and pick something else. I have learned to play dumb and just ohh or ahh at her suggestions unless of course it’s really awful. Of course if we find something truly special at a great price we may pounce and break our own rules, but rarely does that happen.

Even, if you’re a parent of an older teen or younger kid you may find that waiting may work for you too. Enjoy these last days of summer in the outdoors away from the mall.