I'm a shopper, but even I'm wary of hitting up a mall on Black Friday. However, my partner and I decided to team up and knock out our holiday shopping in one fell swoop while saving some dough--and hopefully maintaining our sanity--in the process.

Newspaper in hand, we planned out our shopping venture Thursday night. I deftly clipped coupons and wrote down gift ideas while Brian offered moral support. We got up at 6:30 this morning, made a caffeine stop and then headed to Northgate. We decided to go the nontraditional route and skip the electronic gadgets, toys and fancy clothes because we knew that's where the crowds would be. We craftily headed straight for the Ralph Lauren pillows (not those frou-frou decorative ones but the ones you actually sleep on), which were regularly $20 but were marked down to $7.99 for the big day. PLUS, you guessed it, I had a coupon.

And now when we see our nearest and dearest happily opening all those puffy, wrapped presents under the tree, we can look on with satisfaction knowing all our hard work paid off.

Nordstrom Rack is having an inventory sale. TODAY. Not only will you find fabulous fashion (often in the cool, unconventional colors passed up by the masses), but it will be discounted. Twice. If you can think of anything better than twice discounted clothes, shoes, bags and whatnot, please let me know. But go shopping first. The sale only lasts a day.

The Ballard Sidewalk Sale is in full swing as part of SeafoodFest, which officially kicks off Saturday. Check out the deals both inside and outside the shops on Market Street, Ballard Avenue and 22nd Avenue, including Kavu World, where I previously couldn't stomach paying full price for an organic bamboo T-shirt ($30) but will now happily take full advantage of the sale.

These casual kicks were $10, marked down from $62, at one of my favorite places to blow my paycheck, Anthropologie.

The fun new fall clothes are making their way into Anthropologie as well, though they won't be as easy on your bank account. 

I went to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale on Friday at 8:30 a.m., thinking the pre-work shopping crowd would be heading to their jobs. No such luck. I don't know if it was the worker bees, the ladies who lunch or power moms on the go, but Nordstrom was jumping and I was unprepared.

Scared off by the mayhem in the shoe department, I headed upstairs. The prices for fall coats, tops, dresses, jeans: totally worth the trip. But with the insanity of all these women (I'm sure there were men there too; it was all a blur) storming the racks, hour-and-a-half waits for dressing rooms and me without my morning caffeine fix, I was cowering in a corner within 30 minutes calling my pal, Dominique, who was busy braving the shoe department.

"I'm scared. Come get me."

Next year, I'll be doing my Anniversary Sale shopping on Nordstrom's website. The $5 shipping is a small price to pay for my piece of mind.

Super-shopper tip No. 172: Thursday evening is the best time to hit the stores, according to SmartMoney.com.

Why's that? Well, Kathryn Finney, author of "How to Be a Budget Fashionista," says that's the day stores stock their shelves for the weekend, and when many retailers start their weekend promotions.

However, in the case of Nordstrom's anniversary sale, I'll be working out my shopping shoes at about 7 a.m. Friday when the doors open so I can still make it to work on time.

Got to love a sale that works around my schedule. 

Summer is, like, so last season — at least as far as the fashion industry is concerned — which means markdowns just as the weather is heating up. I'll be enjoying the benefits of said sitch at La Rousse on Friday at the store's weekly Mailing List Happy Hour. (The event has such a lame name thanks to Washington's bizarro liquor laws. Check out La Rousse's blog for the details.)

The Belltown boutique is having its semi-annual sale, cutting prices on most items 40-50 percent. Go during Happy Hour 4-7 p.m. Friday to shop, get some free booze and enjoy a 10-minute rubdown (clothed, of course) from an Earthly Rituals massage therapist by spending $50 at the store.

Plus, you can chill with Laddie, the three-legged La Rousse dog.

La Rousse
430 Virginia St.
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 448-1515

photo ©Bethany Antikajian

 

Though the majority of Gwen Stubbs time might be spent designing and cranking out her own line of adorable clothing, the well rounded indie wonder woman still manages to find time to live the life of a  DJ, costume designer, bartender, musician, and ballerina. Truly a jack of all trades, it is no wonder that Lekkerlife Clothing, Stubbs one woman operation, is simply the shit.

Currently, claims Stubbs, Lekkerlife is inspired by 60’s mod, bohemian fashion, DIY aesthetics. Her spring and fall lines might have a bit of a ballerina inspired look, which I am excited to check out. I have been a fan of Lekkerlife for a long time, it's always fun to run into Gwen at some indie craft fair with racks and racks of sweet and stylish creations.

 

Getting to know the lovely Gwen Stubbs:

AD: Who are your favorite designers?

GS: Jean Patou, Cloe’, Yves St. Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, Missono, and Erte’.

AD: What is your favorite piece of clothing you have designed?

GS:  A ballgown I made for my final project at School (Gwen attended the the New York Fashion Acadamy) It was made of three different kinds of silk and had a lot of hand sewn details.

AD: Do you see any gads that you think are NOT good? What are people wearing that is making you cringe?

GS: People really need to pay attention to how clothes fit their bodies. Example: Low rise jeans. If you have hips or any kind of love handle, you shouldn’t wear these. I can’t wait until people catch on to the high-waisted jeans again. (Yes, they are so around the corner of coming back!)

AD: Where can I find your stuff?

GS:  I am at 20/20 in Ballard and Garment in Portland right now. I am always looking for new places. I also sell at I heart Rummage and other clothing fairs.

 

www.lekkerlife.com
gwen@lekkerlife.com 
Myspace 

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

Be warned, people, this Sunday is the final edition of Urban Craft Uprising's I Heart Rummage until September. Head down to the Crocodile between 12-4pm to browse through at least 50 booths run by "indie crafters and urban designers"

Find everything from jewelry to handmade key chains. From clothing to stuffed animals. Nightlights to hats. All sorts of this's and that's to peek at. And as always, the Crocodile will be serving up their tasty brunch so you wont have to shop with low blood sugar.

 
What: I Heart Rummage
Where: The Crocodile Cafe 220 2nd Ave
When: Sunday June 2nd 12-4pm
Why: Because it's the last one until September, fool!

www.iheartrummage.com