1:46 PM • Nov 26th, 2008
By cheapjap
Navigatrix
What, you think Theory was the only gem uncovered at Marshalls? Puh-lease!
BCBG Sweater, originally $70. At Marshalls? $34.99. Niiiiiice.
This red, Calvin Klein dress - originally $120, found on Marshalls’ Clearance rack for $43 - is what my mom would call a Schmata (I think it’s Yiddish for sack). Yes, the dress itself is shapeless, but the sleeves are all kinds of awesome; add a belt (in this case, the BCBG sweater belt due to a lack of dressing room options) and Ta-da!
Think you can’t find BCBG and/or Calvin Klein at Marshalls?
Oh Don’t EVEN!
10:28 AM • Oct 29th, 2008
By cheapjap
I Love A Good Story
Before we discuss my third - and possibly best - entry for Lucky’s “My Denim Transformation” Stylist Challenge, let’s talk about this blazer. Last January on my birthday, my uber fab mother and I hit Fisch for the Hip, where she immediately zeroed in on this Marc Jacobs number. Originally priced at $600 or so, it was still a splurge at its re-sale price. While I can’t recall the exact number, it had to have been offensive enough that Mom had to physically force me out of my coat and into the garment. I pretended not to want it; she pretended not to hear me.
“It’s your birthday,” she hissed at the time, “You will thank me later.” Of course, she was right. So thank you Mommy, for forcing this MJ blazer upon me on my 24th birthday. (If I wasn’t a stereotype before that last sentence…)
To my label whore’s dream of a blazer (and to the same F21 jeans, obvs), I added the following:
BCBG teal, ruched tank (snagged for $19 at the Atlantic City Outlets); bizarreslashunique, pearl button-embellished, gray sweater tank (Beacon’s Closet, like ten bucks); clip-on rhinestone/faux onyx earrings (P.S. Flea Market, $5); Guess pumps I’ve had fo eva (fo eva meaning two years plus).
I think we have a winner here, dolls. Your thoughts?
2:43 PM • Sep 27th, 2008
By cheapjap
Sexy Time
When I tried this BCBG Outlet Score of a dress on post-purchase, I felt like it was missing something. Yet nothing I paired with it - knee-high boots, thick belts or colorful camis - really worked. It just crapped it up.
The ah ha! moment occurred with an application of red lipstick.
Simplicity - that’s what was missing!
This beauteous thang is so Old Hollywood that dressing it down doesn’t make it understated; it makes it ridiculous.
Gold stiletto-sandals, red lips and a faux Van Cleef and Arpels chain (courtesy of Canal Street) keep the dress the star of the show.
WARNING: Dress has been known to result in wearer’s thinking she is a star and can subsequently do star-like things like blow kisses to an imaginary paparazzi.
I couldn’t help it. The dress made me do it. 
3:40 PM • Sep 25th, 2008
By cheapjap
Cheap JAP 101
I’ve had this DVF wrap dress for about four years. I’ve probably worn it a grand total of eight times, mainly because it’s a little too cleavage-baring for my taste (shocker, I know).
This BCBG Tank ($19 at Atlantic City’s BCBG Outlet) not only solves the cleavage problemo but also dresses it down, and gives it a nice splishy-splash of color. Teal-and-black zebra earrings and black boots funkify the outfit, and make a would-be formal dress a lot more wearable too.
And, for all you beotches who’ve echoed the plea of Uncle Chip, I’m smiling. But I’m not making a habit of it.
10:47 AM • Sep 25th, 2008
By cheapjap
Cheap JAP 101
Soooo, I recently read Eccentric Glamour. I enjoyed it so much that it pains me to call it a style guide, as that puts it in really icky company (see yesterday’s post). In the spirit of the book - and of wearing fun, fabulous clothes regardless of occasion, season and/or trends - I pulled some seriously under-worn dresses out of my closet.
I don’t have many occasions in my day-to-day life that necessitate dressing up. To this, Simon Doonan would likely say, “Life is the occasion! Wear a tutu to the Whole Foods and twirl for the fishmongers! Be bold!” and in a way, he’s right. I’m just not glamorously eccentric enough for that (yet). If I’m going to wear my party duds in broad daylight and not feel like I’m on a walk of shame, I need them dressed down.
This Forever 21 navy button-down tied over my BCBG Party Frock casual-izes (ooh, new word!) the dress. And the beat-up motorcycle boots do a nice job of saying I-don’t-give-a-shit-about-what-you-think-of-my-outfit.
More dressed down creations to come.
1:42 PM • Sep 19th, 2008
By cheapjap
Navigatrix
During this time of year, I head home to Jersey for two reasons: 1) To sift through my storage closet of fall/winter clothes, and bring the most choice items back to Brooklyn. And 2) To mooch off of - err, I mean visit - my parents.
Now, my Mom is very generous where shopping’s concerned. Sometimes she’s a little too generous and said generosity results in Dad huffing and puffing when the credit card bill arrives. So whilst shopping with Mom, I try to season my label whore-ish need for new stuff with a dash of Jewish guilt.
When we hit Atlantic City’s BCBG Outlet, we didn’t just find fabulous stuff. We found an almost guilt-free shopping experience! The multi-patterned Kimono wrap-top, in addition to having the most interesting sleeves ever, was originally $175. At the outlet? A whopping $39. The teal cami fits like a Theory tank and further enables my layering addiction. Originally around $78, snagged for $19.
When I tried on this silk dress, Mom initially had no words. “It looks so…” I finished her sentence: “So freaking expensive, that’s what it looks like.” For serious, this is one of the most beautifully made dresses I’ve seen in a looooong time. It’s kind of Old Hollywood and all kinds of awesome. That it was on sale for $49 just boggles my mind. Actually it doesn’t, because I’m damn good at this biznass. But I digress.
Outfits to follow, that is, as soon as I complete the oh-so-icky task of transferring my summer stuff out and my winter stuff into my teensy studio apt closets. Gotta love New York.
