Sample Sale Tale: The Epic Story of The Christian Dior Shoes from Decadestwo

Contrary to popular belief, I am not someone who spends a tremendous amount of money on my clothes and accessories with reckless abandon. I believe in smart investment pieces that will last a lifetime. I’m especially a fan of vintage, especially when the item is in beautiful condition and will hold or increase its value. This is why despite sheer exhaustion I hauled it out of bed for the Decadestwo sample sale last Sunday. What three words got me to crawl out of my warm bed on a Sunday? Easy: “shoe” “sale” and “Louboutin.”

For those who aren’t aware, Decadestwo is the little consignment sister of Los Angeles’ world-renowned vintage couture store, Decades. The brainchild of fashion expert and celebrity stylist favorite Cameron Silver, both stores a little slice of heaven for those who are looking for high-end vintage pieces. We’re talking labels that have museum collection quality: Correges, Balmain, Valentino, Chanel.  If you watch The Rachel Zoe Project, Cameron is a personal friend of Rachel’s and she pulls from him A LOT.

Decadestwo created a pop-up shop upstairs at lingerie purveyor Kiki de Montparnasse for four lovely days and on Sunday morning, they had a shoe sale to end all shoe sales. Four hundred pairs of designer shoes arrived along with handbags, accessories and racks of labels that would send any group of Sex and the City fans writing on the floor in ecstasy. I stood in line for two hours (I got there early – I don’t mess around with sample sales) and when I entered, proceeded to get down to work, grabbing six pairs in the span of about 60 seconds. The labels were drool-worthy: Chloe, Prada, Sergio Rossi, Brian Atwood, etc. I sorted through the lot and when the fog cleared from my sale-induced haze, I happened to be holding what has now become The Best Shoes I Have Ever Put On My Feet. Yep.  Meet my worn-only-once-on-the-red-carpet, pink suede with Swarovski crystal-embellishment Christian Dior 61 shoes.

The floor manager and the salesperson on the floor commended my choice. “We were wondering who was going to walk out with these spectacular shoes.” Um, have you met me? Let me give you a card. Never wonder again. If shoes like this ever show up, you call me. I mean it. Day or night. As a matter of fact, if shoes of this quality are to show up on a regular basis at this price, I’ll buy an extra phone and create a hotline. 917-SHOE-HABIT. Not a problem.

So people will show you photos of their kids, their dogs and their cats. I would like to introduce you to my babies, the limited edition Dior 61 Suede Shoe.  Let’s break it down, shall we?

Subway trip to Decadestwo Sample Sale: $2.25
Coffee while standing in line: $2.27
Pair of fabulous Christian Dior suede and crystal shoes: $150
The experience and thrill of finding such a shoe? Priceless

New Year, New You: Top Bloggers Reveal Their 2010 New Year's Resolutions

It's New Year's Eve and after you go out and wreck your liver tonight, chances are you'll repent over a bloody mary and start to think about what your resolutions are for the year to come. Outside of the usual, ever wonder what those of us in fashion and beauty media resolve to do or not do when it comes to our routines? I went out to some of the top fashion and beauty bloggers out there to get the scoop.

The gorgeous Julia DiNardo from Fashion Pulse Daily says:

As we close 2009, what are you most thankful for this year? From a style perspective, I am thankful for the return of "Eighties Shoulders" - the strong, exaggerated silhouettes of puffery, puckering, and glorious shoulder pads. My mom and aunt gave me glorious jackets of such stuff that have laid dormant in my closet for years, until recently, like my mom's 80s velvet bolero jacket!
What's your New Year's Resolution? Less impulse buys, more meaningful investments (in apparel and accessories), and to perfect putting on fake eyelashes!

Lovely Anne Fritz of Jet Set Girls had a really fun thing to be thankful for this time:

As we close 2009, what are you most thankful for this year? I have to go with my husband of six weeks and counting, Leopold. He's so wonderfully supportive of The Jet Set Girls and my blogging career.
What's your New Year's Resolution? I have two beauty related ones:
1. To take better care of my decolletage! I'm so good about using SPF on my face, not so good on my neck and chest and it's starting to show.
2. Mix up my makeup routine more. I have so many lip glosses and eyeshadows, but I always use the same ones. No more in 2010!!

Adorable Jamie Sanders from The Beauty of Life is abroad on vacation but stopped by to give me her New Year's Resolutions:

As we close 2009, what are you most thankful for this year?This year, I'm most thankful for taking more chances with my hair and makeup and having them pay off! I tried Minx, I tried haircolor for the first time in seven years, I chopped off 4 inches of my hair ... and biggest of all, I tried red lipstick for the first time and it actually looked good! It showed me that trying new things doesn't always have to be scary and doesn't always have to end in disaster.
What's your New Year's Resolution? In 2010, I'm going to try to live life to the fullest. I'm celebrating a milestone birthday and want to take advantage of every opportunity I can!

The elegant Aly Walansky from Alytude had some fun hair-related items, which which I totally concur:


As we close 2009, what are you most thankful for this year? I'm super thankful for Moroccan Oil, Brazilian Keratin Treatments, and Living Proof No Frizz - these three products have gone a long way toward - after 30 years on this earth - my ability to love my hair, not loathe it. It's so easy, with difficult hair, to want to chemically alter it, or hide it under a giant headband...but living in denial doesn't work! (So says the two inches of roots I achieve several months after my Japanese thermal reconditioning appointments...) - work with what God has given you, and help it to be its best - and it just may surprise you!
What's your New Year's Resolution? My new years' resolution is to clean up my life - I want to remove the emotional/mental/physical clutter from my relationships, my home, my closet - and everywhere else. And while I'm cleaning, and decluttering, I'm going to be more religious about cleansing my skin twice a day...if our body is a temple, I should probably give as much consideration to myself as I do to my vanity drawer! :-)

Felicia Sullivan, the beautiful fashion and beauty blogger with the magic touch in the kitchen, had one very simple item for which to be thankful and I completely agree.

As we close 2009, what are you most thankful for this year? I’m grateful for the strange, wonderful, brilliant people in my life — my friends who I lean on, trust implicitly, and come to call my family  -- for they have given me shelter through some of the darkest moments I’ve known.
(Felicia doesn't really do resolutions.)

And then there's me.

As we close 2009, what are you most thankful for this year? I'm extremely thankful for the amazing people in my life and finally coming into my own when it comes to accepting myself the way I am. My hair is kinky, I have an hourglass shape and finally accepting what I look like has been the greatest gift I've ever given myself. It's allowed me to look and feel my best instead of fighting with myself on a daily basis.

What's your New Year's Resolution? I have to say that I share Aly's resolution to clean up my relationships as well as get back out there and date. But from a beauty and fashion perspective, it's all about maintenance and taking really, really good care of myself this year. I'm the first person to skip haircuts, not get massages, wait until my hands and feet make me look like an extra from Lord of the Rings before I get mani-pedis...no more! This is the year that I am top of my priority list and I will invest a considerable amount of time and funds to making sure I look my absolute smoking hottest this year.

What are YOUR New Year's Resolutions, dear FSB readers? Spill!

Thanks to all my fellow bloggesses for their fabulous resolutions. Happy New Year, everyone!

FSB On The Scene: Vixen in Vintage at Levant East and B Bar and Grill

So, this past weekend I hit a couple of parties before heading to the country for some much-needed relaxation time. I started the evening at Levant East, the new event space in the newly converted rooftop penthouse at the Hotel on Rivington. The brainchild of The Eldridge's Matt Levine, this revamped Lower East Side lounge is swank and the view is spectacular (and the hot tub is still there for those who want to get their Studio 54 on). The space will be open Wednesday through Sunday this summer and hosting some very elite gatherings of very pretty people. If this is your scene, I recommend this as a rooftop cocktail option.

Later, I joined some media-savvy friends in the Bowery at B Bar and Grill for some cocktails and catching up. NBC Universal's John Wise throws some of the most fun parties among the media people in NYC and when John decides it's time for a cocktail, you show up, no questions asked. B Bar and Grill is a fun place to gather with friends, from the seasonal cocktails to the fabulous appetizers and gorgeous outdoor patio. Here are some shots from the festivities.



Some of you know (or might not know) that I'm on the downhill slide of losing some weight (61 lbs to be exact) and I'm just now exploring a cuter summer wardrobe. This is a vintage dress of my mom's with a belt I stole from an ex-boyfriend (years ago, ladies - my kleptomania has since been quelled). The cuff is Ted Rossi. You can't see the shoes but they're these gorgeous black leather cage shoes from Aldo. Not bad, eh?



Me with John Wise of NBC-Universal. This is before everyone got a little buzzed. Remember this rule when you're drinking with the boys: one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.



This is me with Arun Das of Fox and the other shot is the ever-fabulous Mr. Wise with his fellow media (read: mad) men. Sometimes a girl just needs a night in a place filled with gorgeous guys who want to buy her drinks, you know?

More fun and frivolity to be reported. This summer is just getting started. Peace and high heels, ladies!