Stylish with Substance

How? They've collaborated with the new creative director of Mulberry, Katie Grand, to produce a jersey fabric version of the house's famed "Roxanne" handbag, in the name of "charity" for (Product) RED.

And I want you to turn red with outrage. Why?

(Product) RED, if you need a refresher, is a part of the AIDS awareness organization, Join (RED), and 50% of the profits from their products with Gap go toward the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. Oh - that must be why this (Product) RED Mulberry bag is marked up 50%, at £85, or $175. Except the purse is not available stateside, anyway, (only in Gap flagship stores in London and Paris) and will surely be marked up much further later on with either eBay bidding wars or profitable bid openers.

(That's great, put out a highly exlusive handbag, so that unrelated parties can make profits without giving any proceeds to help! Ridiculous [and 150% foreseeable].)

What can we do, besides go along with this or ignore it?

First of all, Fashionistas must make being Patriotic mean we'll support politicians who will turn our poor, laughable economy around. We also must create an uproar in response to designers catering to the fancy European cities (what about Anya Hindmarch's original release of "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" only being available in the UK?)!

Then, when the bags start showing up on eBay, perhaps we should chastise the sellers and/or request they give 100% of their final listing value, minus fees, to the same charity. I bet they won't do it! But we'll hopefully leave an impression in some of their minds.

To sum up, and most importantly: It is just not right for a company or the designers to not take a pay cut when producing for charity. To pass the act of donating 100% toward the consumer, mostly poor fashion fans, is not quite right. Even at $85 American, it would be a tad overpriced. Sure, there's the designer's name and of course the great, recognizable shaping, but it's a fabbing jersey material bag! (From Gap!)

Part of what makes designer purses worthwhile is the quality of genuine leather! One can't get the same use out of a simple nylon bag (sorry Prada, NOT) or, in this case, fabbing t-shirt material! Besides, it was probably manufactured by Gap, not Mulberry!

Ridiculous!!! Unacceptable!

(And for a similar matter, do not send me any more invites to NYC events. Geesh! -- Unless you pay for the plane tickets. And no - I do not want to offer reports on NYC's sample sales to my worldwide readers. Gah.)

*Via Fashion Week Daily*

I know it's annoying to see Christmas come so soon seemingly everywhere, especially this year when Thanksgiving comes early, but since that brings Black Friday sooner too, we need to think about gift shopping. I know many of us like to wait at least a week after the weekend of doom (while hopefully not waiting close to the big Eve), but there are some reasons to shop now, especially in some stores / on some online shops.

Why shop now? First of all, if it's online and a store that's small in any way, and has a possibility of being overloaded with requests, you need to worry about shipping delays. Think eBay as #1 for that.

Secondly, especially if online, sometimes you need to worry about stock running out (and even in brick and mortar stores!). And when items are one of a kind, or unique in any way to that store (like a regular person [read: non-store, for example] reselling a personally-used bag on eBay), there's always a chance of missing out on that item if you wait, but during the holidays, other people are more likely to bid or buy. For auctions, expect more and higher bids, and do not rely on relisting.

So that brings me to the main reasons to shop some places early, and what are the popular shops that concern me? Here's the list:

• eBay.com - I've already mentioned it and why. You could lose an item entirely, especially if it's that rare "It on eBay" find, or there could be shipping delays. Also, the longer you wait, the higher people bid, and the more bidders there are! (When to wait? If an item is local and allows pickup, but only after it's definitely too late for shippers to bid at all, then the item is guaranteed either yours or a non-gift.)


• Organize.com - Why? This shop already takes about two weeks to get items shipped to me, and that was before the holiday shopping really started. Why is it a good place to buy gifts? Well, I love them for their truly helpful and often unique items to store, label, and put your life in order. I think such things can make great gifts when selected right! (Plus, there's a sale going until 26th!)


• Bag Borrow or Steal - Why? Well, you could set someone up with a new account and have a bag ship ahead of time, ship a bag from your account early, or set her new account up on waiting lists. With any of these methods, you might worry about the availability, or getting on a wait list sooner. Remember even if a bag is available now, it may not be in a week or so. Finally, if you want to shop their outlet, these items could sell out at any time, so think of the urgency as similar to auctions.


• Amazon.com - Really? Well, the site's not just a megastore (read: quick, not going to sell out) for wished-after CDs and books, but a marketplace for small businesses to sell nearly any type of item. Such sellers could easily run out of stock or have shipping problems. One could even worry about reliability on occasion, and there might be a chance a gifter needs a backup plan. One reason to wait?? To let people get their wish lists in order, of course.


• Etsy.com - Why? It's a marketplace for independent sellers who independently hand make their items, and well, the biggest reason to shop early is to not stress the crafters who make custom orders, or make items after sales are made. They don't want to worry about getting their items to you, either! They're very nice. ;-) Reasons to shop? Helping out "little" people who make great stuff! There's a great variety or product types among the whole site, too. And did you catch -- they can personalize or totally custom make things?! Yeah, get on that early!

Please keep in mind with all online holiday shopping that there may be something wrong with the product (especially from eBay) or gifts could go missing in the mail, so it's always a good idea to do all online gift shopping early, just in case you need to replace the item(s).

Now, I'm only one shopper with my own set of interests, habits and friends, so I may have missed some important sites to shop now. Please do add yours in the comments!

I've thought up a feature for the blog of posting videos of blogistas inspecting authentic and fake bags to educate fellow shoppers.

The first video is not by me, but you will see me do some (thanks in part to me just joining Bag Borrow or Steal, so even though my budget restricts me from buying many bags even at the COACH level, I might be renting some occasionally!), although I have limited access to counterfeit purses to vid. This really is a practice all designer lovers should try to follow, if you can take a vid that is - post it on YouTube - just like those bad products videos that caused such a stir!

Today's video features a fake Prada, a replica of a gorgeous Prada indeed. I hope you learn something, although it's hard not being able to touch it (it always is), but I figure that seeing it in video-dimension will add something to the education process! (Let me know if you agree, and contact me if you make a video like this!)

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=BH406dfPhWY[/youtube]

There will be more to come, and if you'd like to see similar videos or send me one of yours, check out my new YouTube account: LippedMedia (I still need to flesh my page out [and of course make some vids!] - any tips on using YouTube? - I'm a little behind in the whole thing!). Also, we could connect as friends on there! (I didn't know YouTube was social - geez I AM behind!)

Anyway, the real point to these posts are to help you shop smarter on places like eBay; so best of luck!

The African Well Fund, a small non-profit raising money to build wells in Africa (you'll never know all the needs around the world, huh?) has an auction going for celebrity-type shwag. They're offering on eBay an audience gift bag from Stacy London's new show, Fashionably Late.

The auction text gives the best rundown of the goodie contents:

Gift bag and assorted items from taping of the first episode of Stacy London's new show - Fashionably Late with Stacy London The show was taped Oct. 15th in NYC and it will air on Nov. 23 on TLC All audience members received the gift bag after the taping. All items with the gift bag are new and unopened. Items: Gal Pal - Garment Deodorant Remover, Hollywood Fashion tape - the stars' secret apparel and body tape, Strap Tamers - bra strap concealers, YogaToes - flexible treat for fabulous feet, Ice Rocks - Spring Water Ice Cubes, Alexis Bittar - 18k Gold-plated moonstone ring (retail value $80), Alexis Bittar - 18k Gold-plated amethyst ring (retail value $80), Shubi 1 piece fully-lined drawstring shoe bag 100% of proceeds benefiting clean water and sanitation projects in Africa!

100% of the proceeds will go to the charity, and I've not added an affiliate link to this post.

Again, Fashionably Late, Stacy London's new talk show (which was only previously previewed [oy the alliteration], and not canceled after one episode as was considered by fans, will air (BLACK) Friday November 23rd at 10 p.m. on TLC.

What a great holiday gift idea for a best gal pal or relative; these are great products and your gift will keep on giving to others in her name! Not only are these products some of the best and most necessary for modern woman and fabulistas, but it goes to a charitable cause for those who need so much less than hiding bra straps and removing deodorant marks from tops! The auction ends on Nov. 18th. Oh and you're bidding against moi, so good luck to all!

Ooooooooooooh! No, they didn't! Chloe made a to-die key chain styled after their 'Edith' bags. I swear this is an IT key fob if I ever saw one! Featuring a clasp-closure (no annoying "ring" to break your nails whilst attaching keys) and a mini little pocket with Edith-style buckle.

Oh, no. Not another Chloe key chain I want to buy! I already have one. (Plus 6 bags.) *blush*

And it's an expensive one, at $280!

But hey it comes in whiskey (dark tan) coloured leather, so it doesn't match my Chamois large Edith (too bad, it'd be dear to hang off it, because it's a pocketless style).

I don't need it, I don't need it. Tell myself that. Oh, no, if this pops up on eBay, I know I'll cave.

*Via Purseuing*

We've put a little eBay ad block in our right sidebar underneath the general categories. I've only put in a few keywords, with none of the less "safe" designers such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Marc Jacobs or Tiffany. Still, you must verify authenticity at a message board like the one we've started ourselves - Know Authentic.

Basically mostly you know how to use eBay, but do you think it is safe for us to let a system display auctions based by keywords alone? I have no way of restricting any auctions, like for instance based on price.

I am here, for one reason, to serve you! So let me know what you think.

If, like I, you find yourself panicking oh-so late as it is into the season, because of these nasty snowstorms, realizing you need better winter boots, but can't find any and have also realized you need Uggs (fashion pundits be damned) - only to find those are all out in your size, style, colour or all of the above - look no further on eBay.

Sorry, but Ugg brand products are faked. These are designer-quality, expensive and still really popular shoes, so of course they're counterfeited. I'd love to trust my eyes, intuition and the tools available and purchase - but there are no resources nor any intelligence on the web on telling real Uggs from illegal replicas. Some say there really is no difference to be told.

If you're just looking for a bargain, remember you might just get what you pay for (and in this modern world of illegal copies, less than what you pay for).

I'm sure you can find a suitable brand with ugg styled boots or Fugg (copycat ugg boots) boots to tide you over in these short weeks 'til Punxsutawney Phil predicted winter's end. The weathermen even hint it'll be milder already. Just remember, by next November snatch up your perfect boots before this raw, messy weather barrels down upon us as it is bound to. Duh to us stupid people, especially those also like I who had fugg boots and gave them away when those fashionista pundits declared uggs long over. Face it, the appeals of the toasty cushiness on frigid nights beats back the arguments on style, especially with the pretty cute Sunburst version, pictured, doing the talking and walking!

If you have tips on spotting fake Ugg boots, I ask that you please post on this forum thread: Ugg Boots Authenticity Guides.

You may know of my long documented search for and love of bags with side belts, well, although the Paddington is more known for a grandiose lock, I've realized it is truly my perfect side belt bag. Thus began the sale hunt for one in brown (my dream satchel color).

I found the perfect one on eBay with a perfect 50% off price, and now it is mine, here in my home, in my hands (in my bed ;-)), in front of my eyes - mine, all mine-mine .. mine. Sighhhhhh. :-)

She is a 2005 Chocolate Brown Medium Regular Paddington by Chloe. A long wait, a dream bag mine, and I'm so happy. Here she is for your viewing pleasure, although you can't touch her ecstasy. Sorry!

I'm so in love with her! She's mine. :-)

Read more about her at Designer-Ella.com.

This week, Pursed Lips and Kiss Me, Stace are bringing you holiday gift ideas to make your loved ones smile!

Today I have inexpensive bags from luxury brand, Coach. Namely, the demis and pouches. There are great deals on from-the-outlet bags---you can even find demis for under $100. This is perfect for younger sisters, young daughters and cousins who want to stick a toe into the designer handbag world. But be careful that you don't let them get too deep, too young. And teach the children well how to take care of valuable belongings! Also, try a multi-look bag, like the Holiday Patchwork bag pictured, to match all outfits---and besides, it's like a little bit of all Coach bags in one, so she'll be sure to have her fix of bag style for a while!

Definitely many fashionable young girls would squeal getting a first designer bag as a present, and you don't have to break the bank!

Hold back just a minute though! Keep in mind that you must know the brand yourself to be able to spot fakes, or have a way for someone else to verify authenticity---or forget it. You can still get a pouch at the outlet for a great, great deal or even a Coach boutique, as those usually start under $150 anyway. New pouches can even be carried under the arm, so they're great handbags.

Search Signature Demis on eBay. / Search Signature Pouches on eBay. / Browse the new collection of pouches and small bags on Coach.com / Or visit your nearest outlet.

I'm clearly for spending money and the whole moving the economy thing, but sometimes people get a little crazy over certain products. The IT bag thing is nuts, but apparently nothing compared to tech toys.

So you've probably heard something about Playstation 3 and the powerful mania it has people in, if you've seen the news or read any website (but there's a chance you might have not, if like I, you don't really care for the video game thing). And now a young Massachusetts man has been shot during a robbery, at a Connecticut Wal-Mart, for lined-up customers-saved-and-readied PS3 cash.

The man refused to give his money to the thugs (perhaps partially because some of it was his grandma's, aww), so the two thieves shot him.

He underwent surgery and was in stable condition this afternoon. At the hospital, the victim was asking for his mom to get back in line for the game console. Hopefully, he and his grandma can still keep their money, and Sony will give him a free Playstation (3, of course, oh natch).

So now video game accessories need to be exclusive, too? with only $400,000 being made and only a certain percentage of that for sale in the US. Many auctions on eBay are going for several, several thousand dollars, one even sold for ...

wait for it ...

$99,999,999.00!!!!!

It sold, guys and girls!

When supply does not meet demand, is it on purpose? Is it the evil workings of capitalism and big business? This is nuts! What do you think?

*Update* All of the bids for that auction over $5,000 are from users no longer registered. Wow.