SHOPPING

If you’re like me, your smartphone is essentially glued to your hand. I mean, really — this is the future! Imagine telling someone even 15 or 20 years ago that you’d have a Mary Poppin’s-style amount of knowledge stored in a single coat pocket or pouch in your purse. The fact that we have such easy access to the weather, instant reviews on nearby restaurants, real-time pictures of our loved ones, and more, is quite impressive.

Today we’re talking about smartphone apps that deal with fashion, in particular. As you may be aware, there are gobs of them. This list highlights six, all relatively new, fashion apps that we deem worthy of downloading immediately. Oh, and they’re all free, too.

COVET Fashion

What it is: The COVET Fashion app launched in early July with stylist Rachel Zoe serving as the app’s first Style Ambassador. In short, the app is a “personalized styling and shopping game combination all wrapped into one” that allows users to “layer pieces together on a virtual mannequin” in order to create their own H2T looks. Those looks can then win real world merchandise from top brands.

Beautified

What it is: A “booking” app that allows you to make a last-minute appointment at nearby salons. Whether you’re in serious need of a pedicure, are craving a good blowout or simply need a haircut, massage or brow wax, this app has got you covered. All you have to do is download the app, input your information and then select the type of service you’re looking for. You’ll be taken to a list of area salons with open spots, allowing you to book right there on the spot. Right now, the app services only certain metro areas, including NYC, San Fran, Chicago, Dallas, Boston, LA and Miami.

TikTakTo

What it is: Launched in April of this year, the TikTakTo app aims to streamline and simplify e-commerce by aggregating deals and products from across the Internet. In short, it’s a frugalista’s veritable shopping wonderland. Once downloaded, you can peruse over 100,000 active daily deals, to which roughly 10k are added every day. TikTakTo allows users to shop around dozens of outlets without ever leaving the app window, ensuring they pay only the lowest prices.

ThreadFlip

What it is: Whether you’re in the market for designer kicks, vintage jewelry or this season’s most coveted clothing, ThreadFlip is a great place to start. Especially if you want said items at a price that won’t make you (or your wallet) feel guilty for purchasing. What’s also cool about this app is that you can sell goods from your own closet, hence the name “ThreadFlip.” Buy, sell, shop and make money! This one’s a year old now, but is really catching a lot of press and steam these days.

E!’s Live From the Red Carpet

What it is: You probably have an idea of what this app is based on the title, but I’ll fill you in some more. E!’s Live From the Red Carpet is a fashion-centered app that brings you all the latest from the red carpet, be they fashion yesses or fashion messes. In addition to sharing up-to-the-minute pictures from the biggest award shows, the app also sends notifications updating users on all the goings on.

CREAM Style

What it is: This is an app ideal for style savvy women who want to keep up with all the latest trends in the fashion industry. As most fashionistas know, fashion is forever changing. This app provides an au courant feed of clothing and H2T looks to ensure you’re never out of the loop. Think of it as a fashion-oriented Instagram that showcases street style and new clothes. Users can also buy products through the app.

By Wendy Rose Gould

The temperatures may be up this summer, but the prices are definitely down. At least that’s the case for some must-buy products.

Word to the wise: shopping at sales doesn’t make you a penny pincher or a bitterly frugal buyer — it makes you a well-dressed shopinista who’s financially savvy. And honestly, who doesn’t want to be labeled as such? Check out our list of the best things to buy for summer 2013 and then shop ’til you drop.

Jewelry

Have you ever been so bored it feels like the second hand on the clock has reduced to a fraction of its normal speed? So bored that you’d rather be back in Calculus 101 just to have something to do? That’s kind of how jewelry store employees across the nation feel right now. Very few people have incentive to buy, as the summer is smack dab between the “jewelry buying seasons” that are Christmas and Mother’s Day. In an effort to increase sales and get revenue rolling, you’ll find lots of drool-worthy sales at jewelry stores throughout the city and online. Stock up on gifts for the year or treat yourself to something fabulous. You deserve it after trekking through the hot smog.

Broadway Tickets

What better way to escape the hot outdoors than by cooling off in an air conditioned theater? Right now and through the end of summer, you’ll find Broadway tickets at up to half off the standard price. Why? There are less tourists in the city (they’re off splashing around on the beach) and no theater wants to put on a show for an empty house.

Hot Weather Clothing

From flip flops to bikinis to breezy maxi skirts, teeny tanks and beyond, July, August and even September are the months to buy summer duds. Anyone familiar with the fashion industry is all too familiar with the always forward-thinking sales floors. I mean, we’re already talking about summer 2014 collections, so anything that’s currently in-season is soon to be pushed out the door. Buy all your summer necessities now — and snag some goods for next year’s hot season — now that prices are reduced.

Office Supplies

OK, so this category may not qualify as a glamorous purchase, but everyone needs office supplies. As back to school specials go into high gear, start thinking about the items you need around your home office and load up. Post-It Notes, pens, notebooks and even high tech gadgets such as tablets, laptops and e-readers will go on sale through August.

Sunglasses

While sunglasses should be worn year round, their peak buying season is undoubtedly early through mid summer. Starting toward the middle of July and through late summer (even into fall), though, you’ll find sunglasses from various brands hitting the “sale rack,” so to speak. I recommend shopping for sunglasses in person since you’ll be able to try them on and determine which styles work best for your face. However, if you find a killer deal online, swoop those babies up if you suspect they’ll be a good fit!

Wine

If you’re a vino lover, mid July through August is the best time to buy your favorite bottles — or to try something new — for a lower price. Thanks to the impending fall harvest and all those new releases that will hit shelves shortly thereafter, wineries run sales on this, and last, season’s harvested wine. Note that many wineries also offer discounts if you buy by the case instead of per bottle.

By Wendy Rose Gould

New York City’s hottest sample sales are nothing short of pandemonium. Various fashion blogs feature weekly reviews of the hottest sample sales. They’re full of pictures and prices, providing our beloved readers with an accurate opinion and description of the sale at hand, exhibiting sufficient reason to attend or skip the sale at hand, as to not waste their time.  It sounds like a pretty simple job, right? Wrong. It may sound fun to shop for a living, and don’t get me wrong – it is! – but with all good must come bad, and it’s about time we point it out for no other reason than to give fashionistas a behind the scenes glimpse to an average work day for a New York City sample sale reviewer.

For well over two years I have been covering sample sales, visiting every variety, shape and size sale you could possibly dream up. I can easily predict the crowd, selection, prices, and overall environment before even stepping foot into the mayhem.

However, despite the crazed fashionistas and deal hungry shoppers, who merely foam at the mouth for an 80% off pair of heels, the biggest grief givers within sample sales are the organizers and employees themselves. This isn’t the case for all organizers mind you (namely 260 Fifth – they are by far the most professional), but as for the other half, they seem to get their kicks by barking at shoppers, forcing them to stand in inclement weather for hours at a time, being inconsiderate with the prized designer bags, laptops, and leather jackets that customers are required to check upon entering, and perhaps worst of all, placing dressing rooms off limits, forcing shoppers to strip down to their unmentionables as they try on discounted jeans, blouses, and well, even bathing suits. What else are they supposed to do given the no refund or exchange policy? After all these years the sample sale has been eternalized as a hubbub of rabid and crazed shoppers who are itching for deals, but are the organizers actually the ones to blame for inducing this behavior?

Most sales also have a strict “no photography”  policy, and balk when they see journalist like myself scribbling away in her notebook. Perhaps they hope that without press, a mystique will be added to the sale and in the end draw in more curious customers. At one recent sale in particular–which shall remain nameless– they were not allowing press inside. Being that The Stylish City is relied on for delivering same day reviews, no one was going to stop me from entering this sale. Well, aside from the estimated 2.5-hour wait that is. Using my vast sample sale knowledge I found a loophole. There was about 5-minutes before the doors opened to the public, and boxes of merchandise were still being wheeled in through their loading dock. Sneaky me tip toed toward the side entrance and made my best attempt at “blending in” with the deliverymen. Walking slowly behind them I quickly ducked into a public bathroom before being snagged by security. While inside the restroom, I impatiently stared at my watch until opening time struck. As I heard the herds role in, I quickly scampered inside, successfully entering the hottest sample sale of the week without even having to wait a minute.

It’s true, sample sale shoppers can be rude, grabby, and exhibitionists. They don’t care who is in their way of a $20 Alexander Wang tee-shirt and they will most likely risk jail time for the discount. But as I mentioned, aside from the rabid fashionistas, the employees are those who immediately come to mind when envisioning the negative side to sample sale shopping.

By Caitlin Colford

It’s no secret that things go on sale. In fact, sales are a large portion of what this site covers on a daily basis. But here’s a little something I’ll let you in on: there’s a method to the sale madness. In other words, every brand and every store that hosts a sale has very specific reasons for slashing its prices.

The ultimate goal of a sale is to entice customers into buying products, moving product off the shelves (be they virtual or otherwise) at a much faster rate. This isn’t just a ploy to make money faster — it’s to help make room for new goods, which are constantly being created, purchased, shipped and prepped for selling. It’s also to help move products that aren’t exactly hot purchases at that time (e.g. sweaters are super cheap during spring).

Learning when sales happen is the best way to save yourself money. For example, luggage typically goes on sale during mid-winter, after the Christmas travel rush and before spring and summer getaways. As a result, manufacturers and retailers mark prices way down. So if you had a trip planned for this June and needed luggage, the best time to buy would’ve been a few months ago.

Anyway, today I’m helping you with your shopping research by highlighting a few smart buys for the months of April, May and June. Buy now, even if you won’t need the items until fall or winter.

Cleaning/Organizational Supplies

Okay, it’s not very glamorous, but cleaning/organizational supplies go hand-in-hand with spring. Because everyone and her mother does spring cleaning at this time of year (particularly in April and May), there’s some major competition for brands selling this type of merchandise. Check online for discounts and coupons and pick up your Sunday paper for the coupon inserts. You’ll find loads of high value coupons on your basic cleaning supplies, storage bins, shoe organizers and garment bags.

Second Hand Shops

Whether you shop at high end consignment stores or scrounge through the mass of apparel and home necessities at thrift shops, spring is definitely the time to buy second hand goods. Because people are cleaning and organizing, they’re unloading a lot of the items they just don’t use anymore. Let their “trash” become your treasure. Case in point: I found a pair of Gucci strappy sandals for $25 at my local boutique consignment shop a few days ago (sadly, not my size). Also try eBay if you don’t mind playing the bidding game.

Athletic Apparel

Many serious athletes (and those who vowed to lose weight at the new year) have already purchased their athletic apparel for the year. That means it isn’t moving off the shelves as quickly as many manufacturers would prefer. Slow sales translate to hot deals on sneakers, sports bras, yoga pants and fitness equipment over the next few months.

Last Year’s Summer Necessities

There may be slim pickings, but if you’re willing to sift through last year’s summer necessities, I highly recommend doing so. Last year’s summer products — including garden supplies, lawn furniture, grills and even 2012 summer apparel and shoes — are seriously discounted right now because they simply have to go. Keep an eye on fliers from stores such as Home Depot, Lowes and Target for door buster prices on these items.

Spring/Summer Hosting Goods

If you’re planning any sort of dinner, spring fling, neighborhood grill party or similar, shop now for items such as napkins, condiments, dressings, plastic wear and even serving trays or dishes. I recommend buying bulk on the items you can (napkins and plastic utensils, for example) while prices are low. You’ll save money and have items to last you through the hosting season.

By Wendy Rose Gould