Gilt Groupe's Target sneak peak sale

[target.com/gilt.com]

Gilt Groupe had a sale on designer items for Target today at noon. There are still some items left! I'm so excited about all three of these collections: Tucker by Gaby Basora, Mulberry and John Derian. Everything is so fabulous, and you can't beat the prices.

I love Tucker's fun printed dresses, Mulberry's carry-all satchels and Derian's quirky and unique home goods. I didn't really want to order anything because I don't like paying a lot for shipping, but it's a genius idea nonetheless.

Derian's collection hits Target September 5, Tucker on September 10, and Mulberry on October 10. So excited! Here are a few of my favorites that I saw on Gilt today...

Travel pillows

[anthropologie.com]

I saw these pillows in my new August Anthropologie catalog and flipped. I need some pillows for my new neutral and black bedding that my fiance and I picked out, and I think these may be the ones. The European pillows include "Streets of Amsterdam" ($98), "Streets of Paris" ($88 - my personal fave) and "Streets of Brussels" ($68). I love how they have watercolors on the backs. On a sidenote, I adored these 'Caladoc Heels' ($258) in the catalog, too. The rich wine color and oxford style definitely have me adding these to my fall wishlist.

J. Peterman catalog

[all images jpeterman.com]

I received a J. Peterman catalog in the mail, and the travel and fashion lover in me was instantly intrigued. The company offers unique pieces for both men, women and home that were picked up from all over the world.

The products aren't shown as typical photographs either. Instead, they're lovely hand-drawings with cleverly detailed product descriptions. Most of the items are probably for a bit older crowd, but the concept is interesting nonetheless. The prices are fairly reasonable, too. Here are a few of my favorite items...

-Above photo, 'The King' English Pub sign, $850. It's one of the pricier items, but it'd be a cool conversation piece.

-'Carnival in Venice Mask,' $138. If you can't get to Venice, bring Venice to you!

-'Bali-Time Rose Caftan,' $79. I love the description of this, "When they return home in the evening, they take off the western garb, put on a caftan (yes, the men too), and immediately sink into what they proudly call, 'Rubber Time.'"

-'30's Derby Dress,' $179. This dress is so pretty and summery. It'd go perfectly with a mint julep.

-'Picasso at Vallauris Shirt,' $44. If it's good enough for Pablo Picasso, it's certainly good enough for the rest of us!

-'Italian Spectator Shoes,' $198. These Italian brogues come in men or women's versions. I'm glad that oxford shoes are still going strong for fall.

What to get for Mother's Day?

Mother's Day is May 9. I've already gotten my mom's gift (and I can't post it, or she'd read about it!), but I've found some other great and affordable gifts for mom that go beyond the typical flowers.
[bananarepublic.com]

I know that my mom loves cardigans (and I do too for that matter). They are so wearable, and look great day or night. I really like the 'Sweetheart Exposed Seam Cardi' from Banana Republic because it comes in so many colors. It's $69.50, and sun bleached yellow and teal glaze are on sale for $49.99. [anthropologie.com]

The 'Beribboned Buds Cardi' from Anthropologie is another fabulous pick thanks to the floral design on the shoulder. It's on sale for $49.95 from $88. Note: If they ever sell out of something online, you can always call Anthro at 1·800·309·2500, and they will ship the item for free (!) to you if they can find it in a store.
[crateandbarrel.com]

My mom also likes to get new things for her house. I've heard several moms say that they need another wedding shower since theirs were so long ago. This bright, springy pillow would be the perfect addition to an otherwise boring sofa or chair. The 18" 'Emily Pillow' is $39.95 from Crate & Barrel. They actually sell the pillow insert with the pillow cover; some stores - which shall remain nameless - aren't so generous.


Another great pick from C&B are these yellow 'Lula Vases.' Bonus points if you add a flower! They're $9.95 to $19.95.[fishseddy.com]

Fishs Eddy is the perfect store for gifts for mom. If your mom likes wine, or even if she doesn't (they make great juice glasses), these 'Floral Italian Wine Glasses' are so lovely. A set of six different glasses come in a gift box for $33.95. The glasses are $5.50 individually.
[ulta.com]

Ulta is one of my fave stores for beauty products because of their plentiful deals and coupons. You can receive a free tote worth $40 with any $30 fragrance purchase. My mom's favorite scent is Miss Dior Cherie by Dior.
[sephora.com]


Sephora's 'Color Play 5-in-1' is the deal of the century. It's $150 worth of makeup for $29.50. It comes complete with 10 eyeshadows, two lipcolors and blush. My mom would absolutely love this. Plus, the five different looks have adorbable names: Dinner in Paris-Grays and blacks, Coffee in New York-Browns, Shopping in Milan-Purples and pinks, green, Tango in Buenos Aires-Blues and greens, and Clubbing in Tokyo-Baby blues, pinks, and yellows.

Mapshade

[anthropologie.com]

I always had a map on my wall growing up, which my mom attributes to my love of traveling. That said, I was instantly smitten with this map lampshade from Anthropologie. The fact that the 'All Around the World Shade' is over half off definitely helps too. It's $69.95 from $148.

What a great find and unique piece for your house. I may just go get an inexpensive lamp from T.J. Maxx or Marshall's then spruce it up with this shade.

Florals anyone? Liberty of London for Target

[INF Daily]

[all other photos target.com]

England's Liberty of London collection for Target hit stores on Sunday. I'm about as impressed with the collection as I am with Jean-Paul Gaultier's recent Target collection - and that's not necessarily a good thing. There are a few things that I really like though.

The 'Boho Drop-Waist Ruffle Top' that Naomi Watts was wearing in NYC at the pop-up Target store is something that I would most definitely wear. It's $24.99, and it looks great how she's wearing it with leggings, colored flats and a blazer. The rest of the clothes are just mehhh.
I've been wanting a new beach cruiser, and this floral one is awfully fabulous. The '26" Ladies Cruiser - Garla' is already sold out online, but perhaps it's available at my local Target.
Some of their home stuff is cute too. The 'Sixty Melamine Platter' is also sold out online, but I think it'd be great for a party. The 'Dunclare Pink Dinner Plate Set' comes with eight 10.5" plates for $23.99.

Countdown on for Target collabos

[nitrolicious.com]

I do love a bargain, especially when it's a designer item at an amazing price. That said, I can hardly wait for Target's upcoming collaborations with French designer Jean Paul Gaultier and British company Liberty of London.

Gaultier's line also looks incredible. I've seen the above right black-and-white dress in a lot of magazines, and it's definitely on my must list. A jacket would also be a great buy. Gaultier's line is out on March 7. Now, I just hope his collection fits better than Rodarte's did.

[styelist.com]

Liberty of London is known for their floral prints, and this line is going to include a lot of housewares like teapots and dishes in addition to clothing. There's even going to be a bicycle! Right now at Target.com, you can download the fabrics to your desktop background. My personal favorite is the floral Sixty pattern. Their collection is out on March 14.

St. V-Day

[etsy.com/designlab443]

Valentine's Day is fast approaching even though it seems like Christmas was just yesterday. I know the holiday is less about gifts and more about loooove, but I did find a few cute, reasonably priced (and one not so much) gifts to add to your wish list.

The 'Custom Conversation Heart' pillow is so cute and way better than actual conversation hearts (does anyone actual think those taste good? Give me chocolate any day!). The seller designlab443 customizes it with two names or phrases for $40 on Etsy. It takes three days for the pillow to be made. Just precious! It would also be a nice wedding shower gift too.

[urbanoutfitters.com]

Urban Outfitters has a lot of great V-Day gifts too. I love the 'Love Mugs Set' ($24) with four ceramic mugs spelling L-O-V-E. In my opinion, you can never have too many mugs.
[toryburch.com]

Tory Burch's 'Wrap Up Heels' ($325) are on my wish list. My favorite is the lipstick pink color, but they also come in black and tan. The pink ones look great with black as demonstrated in the photo. These shoes aren't cheap, but they sure are gorge.

Retailers help Haiti

Everyday I get e-mails from Ruelala about their daily boutiques. They sell designer products at great prices. Today I was very touched by the company's e-mail. CEO Ben Fischman wrote...

Rue La La joins the rest of the world in grieving the tremendous losses to the people of Haiti. Out of respect for those who have lost loved ones, their shelter, and life's basic necessities in this tragedy, we cannot stand by while relief efforts are underway without taking action. We are halting our Boutiques from now until Saturday at 8AM ET. We ask that instead you take this time - as we are - to make a donation to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Effort.

The company also put a link to donate on their landing page, ruelala.com.

I also received an e-mail from New York City-based Fishs Eddy saying that they are donating 10% of sales to the American Red Cross.

Visit the American Red Cross here to donate to Haiti Relief and Development. Every little bit will help.

After Christmas sales

[crateandbarrel.com]

Isn't it a bummer that some of the best sales of the year come after Christmas - when all of your money is gone? Hopefully you got some gift cards to spend on massively marked-down loot. The mall was a madhouse on the day after Christmas with everyone trying to exchange gifts. I find that a few days after Christmas (like now) they mark things down even more.

It's the perfect time to buy some discounted Christmas gear. I purchased a tree at Target yesterday for $30. They usually mark everything down to 75% off in a few days. I have my eye on a white tree with pastel-colored lights, so I will probably go back and get that. I also bought the '12 Days of Christmas' ornaments ($19.99) from Crate & Barrel that I've been literally wanting for years.

[neimanmarcus.com]

Now is a great time to stock up on winter gear because believe it or not stores are already gearing up for spring. Neiman Marcus is having an amazing sale on boots and winter shoes if you've had your eye on a pair. I'm so obsessed with these Miu Miu 'Platform Pumps.' Are they not to-die? They're regularly $950, marked down to $637 with an extra 25% off!

I also love the gorgeous Joie 'Apache Fringed Flat Boot.' It's another steal marked down from $425 to $325 with 25% off. Bloomingdale's also has 30 to 50% off, and Saks is offering up to 60% off. Pretty much every store seems to have great sales right now, so happy shopping!

Fab Fred Flare finds

[fredflare.com]

It's hard to believe that Christmas is ONE week away. While shopping online, I rediscovered Fred Flare. They recently opened their first-ever brick-and-mortar store in Brooklyn - NYCers have all the luck! I found some great gifts under $30 at their fun site, fredflare.com. They also have a helpful application with hints with people (like your mom, co-worker, etc.) and price limits.

This Holly Golightly mask ($14), inspired by Audrey Hepburn's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's, is just precious. It's perfect for a chic traveler who likes to get some shut-eye on flights.

The Cheeseburger Phone (on sale for $19.99) as seen in Juno is pretty cute for someone who still has an actual land line - even for a vegetarian like myself.

Owls are super-trendy right now, and this Dual-Time Owl Watch necklace ($28) is adorable. My sister would love this thing.
A domestic diva would adore this Mini Eiffel Tower Grater ($20). Shoot, I rarely cook, and I'd love to have this thing.
Jane Austen's most beloved novel Pride and Prejudice ($16) comes with illustrations by Ruban Toledo, a renowned fashion illustrator. I'm really wondering why I don't already own this book. The Mini Robo Vacuum ($20) is perfect for someone's cubicle for those pesky lunch crumbs that always end up all over the desk. It's also available in gray and black.
For the eco-friendly person in your life, this Xmas Tree in a Can ($12) is perfect. They can watch it grow all year then decorate it next Christmas.
In addition to all of these affordable gifts, they also have a nice clothing selection. They sell the ubiquitous Bella's Twilight jacket by BB Dakota in blue and olive, graphic tees, snazzy dresses and other chic finds. Right now, they're offering free shipping on orders over $75.