Tomorrow: Last Day to Enter Giveaway

The Giveaway ends tomorrow - enter now for a chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Manhattanite.

Click here for details!

5 More Days to Enter Giveaway!

Enter the Manhattanite Giveaway now!

Enter for a chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Manhattanite.

Click here for details! (Ends Tuesday, June 10th!)

Giveaway: One More Week to Enter

There's only one more week to enter the Manhattanite Giveaway!

Enter for a chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Manhattanite.

Click here for details! (Ends June 10th, 2008)

Reminder About Giveaway!

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway!

$75 gift certificate to Manhattanite is on the line.

Click here for details! (Ends June 10th, 2008)

Giveaway Reminder

Don't forget to enter the first ever Giveaway! Up for grabs is a $75 gift certificate to Manhattanite!

Click here for details!

Giveaway!

Manhattanite and shopaphilia are proud to team up together to present the FIRST GIVEAWAY on shopaphilia!

The Prize: A $75 Manhattanite gift certificate (which can be used in conjunction with the 20% off promo code "Spring2008" - this means it's really a $93.75 gift certificate!)

How to Enter: Go to Manhattanite and select your favorite item.

Either email (shopaphilia [at] eabx [dot] org) or post a comment with the link to your favorite item and a short explanation of why it's your pick.

If you opt to post a comment, please make sure you include your contact information (either by logging in to Google/Blogger, OpenID, or by providing your name and URL/email). Without a method for us to contact you, you cannot win.

You can enter from now until June 10th, 2008 at 11:59pm EDT. The winner will be selected at random, and contacted the day after the sweepstakes close.

Good luck, everyone!

BirkaScandinavian Jewelry

Left to Right:
Flower Earrings, Amber Ring (available in sizes 2 - 15), Midsummer Bracelet

Etsy is a fantastic outpost for anything handmade. One of our favorites is BirkaScandinavian, a store that strives to create "elegant designs at affordable prices." The quality of the jewelry is outstanding, and the designs strike the perfect balance between classic and modern.

We simply love the stacking rings that come in a plethora of colors AND sizes, which allows for mixing-and-matching on all fingers. Simple basics that are perfect for all occasions and outfits.

Recently, we caught up with Marie Maciel, the designer behind BirkaScandinavian.

shopaphilia: Can you tell us about your biggest inspirations for your designs?

Marie Maciel: Being from Sweden I grew up with Scandinavian design. Being homesick makes me appreciate it even more. I want to make functional jewelry with Scandinavian simplicity and clean lines.

shopaphilia: What got you started with creating your own line of jewelry?

MM: I started making jewelry in Sweden. My mother was an avid knitter and it was natural to fall into jewelry chain-making since it is very similar to knitting. I then got deeper into silver smithing and developed the skills I needed to express the ideas I was having at the time. When I moved to the US six years ago, I expanded my business. I began selling my jewelry to Scandinavian stores in the US. The business grew and developed into what it is today.

shopaphilia: You've lived in Sweden and studied as an archaeologist - how has this exciting background influenced you as a jewelry designer?

MM: I try to have a historical perspective when designing. I’m drawn to old artifacts and I try to incorporate these ancient influences into my designs as much as I can. When I design, I seek to remain grounded in the classic at all times while I explore the modern. This keeps me from creating anything too crazy, but I always try to remember that the new and modern is what I am truly after. It is a push and pull, and a little knowledge of the past is always a great help!

shopaphilia: Marie, thanks so much! We look forward to exploring any new designs you come up with at BirkaScandinavian!

Shop It To Me

"Shop It To Me" is a revolutionary new way to shop. Instead of spending hours hunting for sales (only to find out that your size is unavailable) or missing sales entirely, Shop It To Me does the work for you.

All you have to do is let Shop It To Me know what brands, sizes, clothing types you're interested in and how often you want to receive e-mail alerts (weekly, twice weekly, daily). Voilà - the deals come straight to your inbox! Be warned though, this is such an efficient way to shop, you may find your wallet a little (ok, a lot) lighter.

We here at shopaphilia are HUGE fans of Shop It To Me and recently we were able to pin down and talk to Charlie Graham, Founder and President of Shop It To Me.


shopaphilia: Where did the idea for Shop It To Me come from? What were the inspirations?

Charlie Graham: I have always been a big fan of sales & deals. Costco & Trader Joe's have some of my favorite places to shop since back when TJ's was located only in LA and Costco was called The Price Club.

I started to look at online deals a few years ago but was frustrated as I always seemed to find out about sales the day after they happened, or only when the items went out of stock. So I came up with a personal shopper where you could enter in the items you were looking for and it would tell you when they would go on sale. I told this to female friends and family members, and they said "You have to do this for clothing!" and hence Shop It To Me was born.


shopaphilia: Did you have the technical know-how or did you search for experts once you came up with your idea?

CG: I am secretly a programming nerd (please don't tell anyone or it will hurt my cool-guy image :)), so yes, I developed the first version. We now have a great development team putting together our latest versions of the product and adding new features almost every week!


shopaphilia: Sorry Charlie, we think programming nerds are pretty darn cool, so we're going to have to out you as the awesome programming nerd that also enjoys shopping. Anyhoo, was it easy to get retailers to partner up? How many retailers has Shop It To Me partnered with so far?

CG: In the beginning, it was really difficult getting retailers to sign up, as many did not know who we are. But since we have been able to build out our subscriber-base, retailers are now very excited about working with us. As a result, we now hand-pick which retailers we want to have appearing in the emails. We have over 75 top-tier large and boutique retailers on board today and over 500 brands that you can choose from.


shopaphilia: What is the best deal you have ever gotten using Shop It To Me?

CG: How can I limit it to just one?! Last year, Shop It To Me let me know of a Banana Republic sale that had items for 30% off. They also happen to have an additional 30% off deal on top of that, so thanks to Shop It To Me, I was able to go out and purchase an entire BR wardrobe for about 50% off.

More recently, about a week ago, I recently found a pair of Puma shoes via Shop It To Me for $33 because of a one-day sale at Macy's (the retail price was $98).

On average, Shop It To Me items average about 40% off of retail, but it really depends on the brands you choose.


shopaphilia: For all those folks out there who haven't gotten into the world of online shopping, do you have tips on how to get started? What sorts of benefits are there to shopping online? What are the best tools out there to assist online shoppers?

CG: Shopping online for the first time -- especially for clothing -- can certainly be daunting. Not knowing how an item will fit or how it feels certainly can make most of us hesitant.

But the benefits of shopping online I think far outweigh the negatives. First, you'd be surprised how many great items from brands you like are on sale only online from reputable retailers. Online-only retailers like Shopbop and Endless.com (and even boutique stores like Tobi) often have great sales, while even standard retailers like Banana Republic or the Gap have items that only appear on sale online.

Second, when you buy online you don't have to worry about the crowds -- fighting with other people for the last item on the rack, trying on clothing that has been tried on god-knows how many times, crazy parking lots, etc.

Finally, most retailers now allow you to return an item via US Mail or to the store for free, so you can try something on in the comfort of your own home, and if it does not fit, easily return it.

To get started, I recommend picking a few brands you know fit you well and shopping only for those. Once you feel more comfortable, then expand your horizons. In the case of Shop It To Me, you can just check off the brands you are interested in and your sizes and we'll notify you when any of the top tier retailers puts it on sale. It certainly makes shopping online easier (and it's pretty fun too :)). You can always come back later and change your preferences to include more brands. Plus, who doesn't love getting a package in the mail?!


shopaphilia: I noticed that you recently launched "Shop It To Me Running." Can you tell us about any new and exciting branches of Shop It To Me that bargain hunters should look out for?

CG: I created Shop It To Me Running after clothing as I am a fan of distance running and always like buying my shoes on sale :). With Shop It To Me Running, you can specify your favorite running shoe model and/or running clothing, and we have relationships with all of the athletic stores to notify you when those items go on sale.

As for our next venture, you'll have to stay tuned as we have not yet announced it :). In the meantime, we're always interested in hearing about new features or areas we should go into, so if your readers have any suggestions, please let us know!


shopaphilia: Thanks Charlie! There you have it, an awesomely easy way to find out about sales just for you. Sign up now!

Bright Color Combos

I don't usually mix colors for fear of looking too loud/bright/crazy, but today I tried a monochromatic color combo (mixing darker and lighter shades of the same color). I wore a dark blue cami with a lighter blue cardigan and effect was great. Monochromatic color combos are not too extreme, but it does add a little depth and interest to an outfit than just mixing a neutral (say, black pant) with one color (blue sweater).

Since spring is all about beautiful bright colors, it got me thinking about other combos that I might not have done before, but maybe I should try. My little color chips are a little teeny, but hopefully they get the idea across.

The next step would be mixing analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel) -

Red w/ Orange
Orange w/ Yellow
Yellow w/ Green
Green w/ Blue
Blue w/ Purple
Purple w/ Red

My favorite is definitely purple with red. There's a slight pop, but since it's not a direct contrast (e.g. red & green), it doesn't jump out as much.

Some other bright combos I like (asides from the analogous) -

Red & Yellow
Orange & Purple
Yellow & Blue
Blue & Red
Purple & Yellow

When mixing different colors together, make sure that they are of the same intensity. A pastel blue with a bright red or purple just doesn't look quite right.

I personally don't like 2 bright colors to to be worn in the same amount. If I do a lot of one color, I prefer the "secondary" color to take a back seat and be worn as an accessory (for example, a yellow sweater with a red pendant) or more subdued (a navy blue sweater with red cami underneath.

As with any trend, just stay within your comfort zone. It's always obvious when someone is wearing something they don't think they can "pull off." At least this is a trend that can be experimented with in small doses and you don't need to spend oodles of money on the "it" item!

My Attempt @ Re-Creating an Outfit

I'm usually not inspired by what celebrities are wearing, but when I saw part of an interview with Katie Holmes on Good Morning America (which I actually saw on "The Soup"), I actually paused to check out Katie Holmes' simple, yet gorgeous outfit.

What made me do a double take were her gorgeous nude pumps.

I've been hunting for nude pumps for aaages and her shoes got me DETERMINED to find my nude pumps (it's not an easy job to find shoes to match your skin tone!).

I prefer nude pumps that are patent leather. I'm not sure why, but they definitely give the nude shoe a little more pizazz.

At left is the Guess Brittania Pump in Oat Patent. Not my kinda shoe because I cannot walk in platforms, but they're hot nonetheless.

When I saw the Steven by Steve Madden Eloppe in Camel Patent, I knew I had to have them (despite their final sale status) and luckily they turned out to be awesome. It's still available in a few sizes, but probably not for long.

As for the dress, the Old Navy Women's Cap-Sleeve Wrap Dresses at left would be absolutely great to re-create the look.

Another option is the Banana Republic Buckle Dress which also has a similar feel to Katie Holmes' dress.

Alright, I think I have discussed Katie Holmes enough for 2008. The only thing left to do is wear her outfit!