ShopDiary

Citizens of Humanity Warehouse Sale

Anyone who has frequented premium denim sample sales knows that Citizens of Humanity jeans are hard to come by at those sales. Even Nordstrom Rack doesn’t carry them. If they have, then they’re the ones that go quickly. So it’s quite exciting that the premium denim brand will be opening up its warehouse for the first time ever for a 2-day holiday warehouse sale. Save 50% off on jeans and knits. (Boo! 50% off is not enough!) This in an invite only event. You must RSVP to attend. Click here to RSVP, invite your friends or to get directions.

Address:
Citizens of Humanity Warehouse
5715 Bickett St.
Huntington Park, CA 90255

Dates/Times:
Saturday, December 8th, 9am - 4pm
Sunday, December 9th, 9am - 4pm

Primp Warehouse Sale: Up to 60% off

December 1st, 9am-4pm
December 2nd, 9am-3pm

Primp Warehouse
1401 Griffith Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90021

Old Navy: 20% off Friends and Family Days

Click on the image above, print coupon and take with you to any Old Navy store for 20% off from now through Thursday, December 6.

Andy Warhol Silver Factory by Bond No. 9

Bond No. 9, the niche fragrance brand that created my favorite scent Chinatown, has a new fragrance debuting on December 1. Andy Warhol Silver Factory, marks the start of Bond No. 9’s series of Warhol collectibles based on the pop art icon’s favorite haunts. This scent was named after The Silver Factory, Warhol’s original studio whose walls were covered with aluminum foil. The slender perfume bottle was inspired by Warhol’s series of colored Campbell Soup Can silkscreen paintings in 1965.

Silver Factory is of ambiguous male-female gender. The scent was conceived as a smooth, smoky, spicy blend of interlacing incense (a key scent of the ‘60s), wood resin, and syrupy, seductive amber. Slightly dissonant florals - heart of jasmine, iris, and violet, a scent that Warhol was especially fond of - combine to evoke a metallic effect—that of warmed-up, molten silver. And then, for the merest hint of coolness, a handful of cedarwood was added. Now Smell This reviewed the fragrance and notes that “it’s easily the most interesting scent from Bond no. 9 since Chinatown.” My sample is on its way and I can’t wait to take a whiff of it!

Available as a 28% perfume concentrate and only in a 100 ml or 3.4 oz flacon for $230, Andy Warhol Silver Factory will be sold at Bond No. 9’s four New York boutiques, at www.bondno9.com, at Saks Fifth Avenue nationwide and at saks.com.

Fashion Blogs Giveaways

Here are this week’s contests from our fellow fashion bloggers. You could win:

Online Deals: 20% off at at Lisa Kline and Shvitz

Alice + Olivia Sequin Shift Dress is 20% off at IvyBlue.com

If you’re in search of a holiday party dress that will make you the belle of the ball, look no further than this sequin shift dress by Alice + Olivia. Done in blue and black check pattern, the sparkly dress is reminiscent of the popular label’s chevron patterned sequin dress worn by Sarah Jessica Parker and Emma Roberts last spring. The loose silhouette is flattering and the dark colors make a subtle sparkle. A definite must have for this season!

The dress retails for $440 but you can get it for 20% less at IvyBlue.com with code “shopdiary“. Trust us, you won’t find a better deal elsewhere. The discount also applies to all non-sale items on labels you covet like Corey Lynn Calter, Graham & Spencer, Rory Beca and more.

ANTM Cycle 9 Winner Theory

I have a theory on who will win America’s Next Top Model Cycle 9. I don’t know why I even watch the show anymore. Blame it on habit and the fact that it runs just before Gossip Girl. Anyhow, onto my theory. More »

Luxury Goods Made In China

Illustration by Jillian Tamaki

If you haven’t read Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster Dana Thomas, then her recent article on New York Times will be an eye opener. How many times have we heard that luxury goods command high prices as they are crafted by highly skilled artisans in Italy? Well, it turns out that some luxury brands have their products made in China.

In fact, many luxury-brand items today are made on assembly lines in developing nations, where labor is vastly cheaper. I saw this firsthand when I visited a leather-goods factory in China, where women 18 to 26 years old earn $120 a month sewing and gluing together luxury-brand leather handbags, knapsacks, wallets and toiletry cases. One bag I watched them put together — for a brand whose owners insist is manufactured only in Italy — cost $120 apiece to produce. That evening, I saw the same bag at a Hong Kong department store with a price tag of $1,200 — a typical markup.

How do the brands get away with this? Some hide the “Made in China” label in the bottom of an inside pocket or stamped black on black on the back side of a tiny logo flap. Some bypass the “provenance” laws requiring labels that tell where goods are produced by having 90 percent of the bag, sweater, suit or shoes made in China and then attaching the final bits — the handle, the buttons, the lifts — in Italy, thus earning a “Made in Italy” label. Or some simply replace the original label with one stating it was made in Western Europe.

Isn’t that something to consider the next time you covet a luxury designer handbag?

Coutorture Giveaway: Origins Organics

This week, Coutorture is giving away three sets of products from Origins Organics. Three winners will receive a tote bag promoting eco-friendly living and two full sized sets of Origins Organics products.

To enter, scroll down to the Giveaways sidebar, locate entry form with the same image as the one on the right, enter your email, choose “yes” or “no” (Contact me in the future?) and press “Sign up”. That’s it!

Good luck! And don’t forget to enter our very own Bonnie Style Press Party Girl Note Pad Giveaway here.