BeChicMag.com

BOUTIQUE OFFERS ONLINE DISCOUNTS

We found another reason to avoid the crowded sidewalks by Union Square. Owl’s Lab, the high-end boutique favored by celebs like Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jessica Alba, is offering you a discount you can only get on their
Web site.

Until August 30th, readers of BeChicMag.com can enjoy 30% off their online order by typing in a specific code at check out. Thanks to Owl’s Lab owner Ashley Thompson, you can get a great deal from a variety of designers like 7 for all Mankind, Rebecca Taylor, Foley & Corinna and more!

Owl’s Lab also offers private one-on-one late-night shopping sprees. For the entire evening, the venue can be transformed into one’s very own personal shopping nirvana, complete with Ashley on-hand for professional consultation.

Log on to Owl’s Lab and enter “hc08″ at check out.
Owl’s Lab. 20 E. 12th Street, between University Place and Fifth Avenue. 212.633.2672 *mercedes sanchez

MAKING LIFE A LITTLE EASIER

Although New York was confirmed to be in a recession earlier this week, I couldn’t help but tell you of a shopping Web site that’s intended to keep most of your money where it belongs- in your wallet! During these “tough times” finding sales is imperative and Shop It To Me is the place to go to stay chic and prosperous.

This shopping savvy, free service alerts its members when their favorite designers are having a sale. Shop It To Me sends out e-mails every time an item in your size and in your area is on sale- omitting the hours of walking in and out of stores looking for bargains.

I wasn’t sure how their service worked, so I signed up for it. It asked me which designers I liked and what kind of clothes and accessories I was into. And within minutes, I got an e-mail telling me which brands had a current sale like this pair of Guess pumps that went down to $49.97 from $89.95. Now that’s what I call a sale!

To sign up for “sale emails”, go to ShopItToMe.com. *mercedes sanchez

WHAT WOMEN WANT

If you’re looking for the perfect summer dress, Iodice will get your attention! Actresses like Garcelle are already wearing the Brazilian label on the red carpet. This yellow sultry summer Alline Dress only runs for $400. But you don’t have to wear this frock to a high-end function. Iodice offers a variety of colors including a navy blue dress that you can just wear around town.

Iodice’s gowns are available at Saks and boutiques nationwide.

To see more of their collection, visit Iodice online.

They say beauty is pain. But does it also have to be embarrassing?

I don’t know what I was thinking when I walked into an Aldo earlier this month and purchased a pair of black, patent leather platforms/pumps that I could hardly walk in at the store let alone on the street. After spending a hundred bucks on the shoes, I made myself wear them to my parish’s annual celebration of the Dominican patron, Our Lady of Grace a.k.a. La Virgen de Altagracia. Thirty-seconds within my first merengue with a cocky dancer, my right foot jumped out of the pumps almost making me fall and forcing our first dance to come to a full stop. “Be right back,” I told my shocked partner who had no choice but to take his phone out of his pocket and pretend to text someone as I went back to my seat.

Being an avid merengue dancer - and not the type of merengue you learn with an instructor but rather how the natives get down- before I left my apartment I knew I needed a plan B in the case my god-knows-how-high-inch heels don’t come through. I pulled out a black bag from under my seat and within seconds changed into my not-so-chic, but very comfortable flats which made my night! As for my embarrassed merenguero, surprisingly he didn’t run away and we continued where he had left off: on the dance floor.

I should’ve known these patent pumps would be trouble. After all, Aldo calls them its “Atlantic City” dress shoe. *mercedes sanchez

… AT THE SCHLOCK JOINT

After they saw a need to promote urban sophistication throughout all of New York and not just in trendy areas like Williamsburg and the Lower East Side, long time friends Iran Ortiz and Marlyn Jimenez founded The Schlock Joint. With this new concept the two amigas hope to help up-and-coming designers gain recognition through shop and drink parties like the one held on Sunday at Maná Lounge in Brooklyn.

And don’t be fooled by the ’schlock’ in Schlock Joint as it aims only towards sophistication. “Urban sophistication to us means someone from the city who has an open mind and isn’t scared to try something new,” says Dominican-born and Bronx-bred Ortiz. “In a perfect world everyone would be open-minded and willing to learn about different things. [The Schlock Joint] will give we talented designers the opportunity to showcase and sell their work in a boisterous ambiance.”

At their first ever event, Ortiz and Jimenez hosted a five-hour holiday shopping party where seven local designers showcased their bags, accessories and clothing lines. Shoppers roamed the lounge zipping on two-for-one martini’s while bopping their heads to the sounds of a nameless female disc jockey. Some of the items included jewelry by Cubannie Links whose pieces have been worn by singers Rihanna and Alicia Keys, Krayola Kicks who design custom made sneakers, Princess of the Possee who design distinct T-shirts for the ladies and more.

“We are targeting the person who is up on the underground fashion scene and wants to be able to shop for it all at one place,” says Ortiz.

Visit their Web site to find out when The Schlock Joint will hold its next shop-and-drink party. *ms