Cute Cheap Stuff!

For today only (Oct. 30), you can get 50% off your purchase at Payless Shoes by using this coupon.

From Seattle Moms Deal Finder –

Today, October 27th, is Piperlime.com’s 3rd birthday! Any order placed today will be shipped with a free $25 gift certificate to be used with your next purchase. And one in every 100 orders will be shipped as a $100 gift certificate!

(Piperlime has free shipping and free returns.)

From now until November 1, you can get 20% off at the Container Store with this coupon. To use the offer online, just enter promo code savenow.

If you’re looking for a new coat, check out the deals at metrostyle’s women’s coat clearance sale. (I’m not really familiar with metrostyle, but they’re taking up to 72% off – plus discount codes - so it’s worth checking out.)

Also, you can get 25% off apparel orders from Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic (ends Tuesday). Click here for details.

REI is having a fall sale and taking 30% off select clothing and gear. If you’ve been itching for a new jacket or feel like pitching a tent (heh), this is your time to shop. Shipping starts at $5.99 and free site-to-store shipping is also available. Sale ends Oct. 18.

From my favorite online store:

Enter discount SLIIMY at Fred Flare and save 25% site-wide. It expires October 12.

Express is having a big fall sale – up to 70% off and an additional 20% off clearance.

(And whatever you do, please don’t buy this.)

From dealhack.com -

Save an extra $30 to $50 off Women’s Fashions at New York & Co. Choose from a wide selection of apparel styles including outerwear, jackets & vests, shapewear, tops, shirts, tunics, sweaters, dresses & skirts, suits, and others. The coupon savings are applicable on most apparel items store-wide and can be combined with other sales and discounts including the buy one, get one free special. Choose your savings based on the pre-discount order total:

• Save $30 off orders of $75+ with Coupon Code: 3729.
• Save $50 off orders of $125+ with Coupon Code: 3735.

Both coupons are valid on purchases through Monday, October 5. 

Thanks to Rebecca for this tip -

For today only, you can get 60% off Alternative Apparel at smartbargains.com.

(Alternative Apparel was mentioned in a previous post.)

Enter the code SAVE25 at checkout at Gap.com and you’ll get an extra 25% off. It expires 9/30.

Speaking of Gap, I got a really good deal there the other day on a lightweight hooded jacket (I can’t get over how hard it is to find a nice jacket with a hood here in Seattle. It rains here sometimes…). I’m not even sure how much it was originally, but it was marked down to $47.99, and then had a 40% off sale on it, AND I had a $10 rewards certificate (thank you, Gap credit card), so it wound up costing me less than $20.

If you shop at Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic frequently, I’d recommend getting the credit card. I don’t usually go for store credit cards – I think it’s my only store card, but this one has frequent rewards, and you don’t have to spend that much to get them.

For 2 days only, Kohls.com is offering 20% off with code GR8THINGS, and you can use the free shipping code THISIS4FREE.

(Thanks to Seattle Moms Deal Finder)

Enter promotional code EXTRA20 at checkout at Gap.com and you’ll get an extra 20% off. It expires 9/25, and the code works on sale items too – score!

Here are a couple of Lane Bryant 25% off discount codes that supposedly expire 9/27:

000252232

000256742

I’d like to take a second to do a little rant about plus-size clothes and Lane Bryant. For years, I accompanied my mom to that store, and I eventually wound up buying jeans there for myself a few times. So I can say from experience that shopping there is not fun. In a mall full of cute, relatively cheap clothes, Lane Bryant manages to charge a fortune for clothes that oftentimes aren’t that cute. They get away with it because compared to some other plus-size stores, LB has more fashionable clothes. But that’s really not saying a lot.

I can’t tell you how happy I am that I don’t have to shop there anymore. I don’t want that to sound like I’m bragging because I’m really not! Miss Fitness USA – I am not. Yes, I’m glad that I lost some of that weight and am healthier, blah blah blah, but what really gets me excited is that I’m not subjected to a limited and expensive selection at stores like LB.

It’s not fair that plus-size fashion choices are so limited. Isn’t the average size of American women like a 14? Now I’m all for being healthy and I encourage everyone carrying extra weight to do something about it (myself included). But regardless of your feelings about what is considered a healthy size, it’s silly that we can’t acknowledge reality and make better clothes for all women.

I’m not sure why I waited so long to talk about Etsy. I assume that most people know about it, but just in case you’re not in the know: Etsy rules.

Etsy is where people who handmake things (jewelry, crafts, clothes, housewares, pretty much anything else you can think of) can create their own little store – all on one big ol’ website. When you purchase from Etsy stores, not only are you supporting individuals in their creative endeavors, you’re also not buying from sweatshops or paying retail mark-ups. And what I enjoy most of all: You get unique stuff.

I have this thing about purses – I really really don’t like it when I see other people with my same purse. When it comes to clothes, I’m not fond of seeing duplicate outfits, but it doesn’t bother me too much. But when it comes to bags that you carry every day - that are part of your every day look – I want it to be unique. I want people to notice it and ask where I got it. I like compliments!

That is why I try to only buy bags on Etsy. Today I’d like to highlight the bag I’ve been using pretty much every day for several months now. The seller is fromnancy, and this is the bag:

I wanted a bag with a long strap and a considerable amount of room, but I didn’t want a messenger bag. And this bag is perfect! There are no zippers or buttons or anything to mess with. The top of it just folds over, and there are 3 internal pockets – for my sunglasses, cell phone, and iPod. Check, check, and check.

And it was only $35. Yes, that might be more than you’d pay for a bag at Target, but I think it’s worth it to support Etsy sellers. And they tend to keep their shipping prices low, unlike a lot of sellers on Ebay and other websites.

Here’s another fun thing about Etsy. As a shopper, you can create a profile (which you have to do if you want to purchase anything), and you can browse shops and tag items as your Favorites. Then when Christmas or a birthday or some other gift-giving holiday rolls around, you can give people the link to your list of Etsy favorite things and pray they buy something off it.  Here’s mine (it’s short because I’ve been avoiding Etsy, thanks to my underemployment).

For today only (9/21), 6pm.com is having a huge sale on Nine West shoes. Shipping is $6.95.

These are only $20.70:

In conversations with friends, sometimes the topic of American Apparel comes up. While I find a lot of their clothes to be rather ridiculous, they do still have some basic things that I would like to buy. But I don’t. If you know me personally, then you may have already heard my rant, but if you haven’t, then allow me to state it again.

A few years ago, I visited American Apparel for the first time. I went to the Santa Monica store and while I found the staff to be unhelpful and borderline rude, I found a skirt that I really liked, so I bought it, and life went on its merry way. I knew that American Apparel made their products in LA and was supposed to be sweatshop-free, so I was happy with my purchase.

I also knew that the American Apparel website featured some rather close-up crotch shots of their underwear models, and that their marketing was highly sexual. But at that time, I wasn’t aware of just how sexual it was. In fact, my friend and I used to email each other pictures we found off the AA web site, because we thought it was funny.

And then maybe a year later I learned there was more to it than silly photos. I was talking to a friend before church when she recognized an old friend walking through the door, so they chatted for a little while. When my friend returned, she explained to me that her old friend had worked for American Apparel and had worked with Dov Charney, the founder of AA. She had also filed a lawsuit for sexual harassment. My friend went on to tell me about some of the practices of Charney and that her friend wasn’t the only one who had experienced it.

After that, I did some research. According to Wikipedia, nothing has come out of the lawsuits, but that’s not to say that there isn’t sketchy stuff going on.

This article is from 2005, but it goes into a lot more detail about Charney’s relationships with employees.

Also, check out this article from 2006.

Anyway, the reason I am writing about this is because I recently came across this: The 50 Sluttiest American Apparel Ads of All Time

Please note that the above link is NSFW (not safe for work) – Don’t open it at the office. While there isn’t full-on nudity, it’s pretty dang close.

I’m not trying to be Gertrude McPrude. We all know sex sells and it’s impossible to get away from. But, combined with knowledge about Charney, it just seems like too much. It’s one step away from porn, and it makes me really sad that this marketing has been so successful. I know that the objectification of women isn’t going to end if AA shuts down, but I can’t support a company that engages in this kind of marketing and where that sleaziness is encouraged within the company. I wish more people would join me in not supporting them.

The problem is that as I’m writing this, I also know that I’m a total hyprocrite. I care about the oversexed company yet still buy clothes from stores that most likely use sweatshop and/or slave labor. I really do struggle with it, but it’s hard to find affordable clothing that wasn’t produced in the cheapest manner. I guess what I’ve decided for now is that I’m going to focus on what’s in front of me. I see American Apparel stores all the time, I see people wearing their clothes, and I know that I disapprove of how they run their business. While I certainly approve of their American-made fair wages operation, I’m not going to buy their stuff solely because of that.

In making that decision, I’ve essentially put sex over fair work conditions. I’m not happy about that, but at this point, it’s a start, and quite frankly, it’s an easy start. I intend to explore and learn more about buying non-sweatshop labor clothing, but in the meantime, I will at least not support AA.

If you’re knowledgable about which companies are good or bad when it comes to labor, I’d love to hear more.

I’d like to end on a positive note though. There is an alternative to American Apparel: Alternative Apparel. While I don’t think they manufacture in the U.S., they do have social responsibility guidelines for vendors. And their photos don’t look like Playboy. That’s at least something.

This one’s for Seattle peeps only…

Tweed in Greenwood (on 85th, a couple blocks east of Greenwood Ave.) is closing Sept. 27, and they’re having a good clearance sale. All regularly priced items are buy one, get one free, and the sale stuff is 50% off. Also, some of the bags are 50% off.

I like Tweed, but I don’t usually shop there because it’s expensive. But the BOGO deal is pretty good.

They also have a a lot of nice men’s stuff.

$41.40

For today only (9/2), 6pm.com is having a big sale on French Connection men’s and women’s apparel. Shipping starts at $6.95.

Overstock.com is having a really good final sale on clothes and shoes. There’s tons of stuff, but it’s best to take a look now as I’m sure it will clear out quickly. Shipping is only $2.95.

Wow, this final sale is pretty good. A cardigan for $4.88? Sweet. I’ve found Ann Taylor to be a good source for work clothes.

Just make sure you shop wisely – there are no returns on final sale items.

Via Dealnews:

During its latest sale, Old Navy discounts select items by up to 75% off. Plus, get free shipping on all orders via coupon code “SHIPFREE”. Better yet, take 15% off orders of $75 or more via coupon code “SAVE15″, or 20% off orders of $100 or more via coupon code “SAVE20″. (You can combine free shipping and one of the percent off coupon codes.)

All Gap stores across the country are having a special sale this Thursday, August 20 from 7-9 p.m. Shoppers will receive $20 off jeans and an additional 15% off their entire purchase.

They will also have acoustic performances at all the stores. Frankly, that sounds kind of annoying, but $20 off jeans is a good deal!  Learn more here.

The parties are celebrating the launch of Gap’s 1969 premium jeans and their 40th anniversary. They are introducing new fits and washes. This makes me sad because I just recently discovered that their Long & Lean fit is perfect for me. And now they’re apparently changing it. Booooo!

Ikea Seattle (check the Ikea web site for your local Ikea promotions) is having a Wacky Weekend rummage sale Saturday, Aug. 15 and Sunday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. According to the web site:

Ikea has also recently lowered prices on over 1,000 items. Thank you, Sweden!

(Thanks, Centsible in Seattle)

Click here for a coupon for 20% off at Express from August 7-8. You can use it online too – promo code 3715.

I’ve never been much of an Express fan, but looking at their clearance section, they have a few cute things.

(Thanks, Centsible in Seattle)

Enter “stay cute” as the promo code and get free shipping at Fredflare - that’s a $7.95 value. Score!

Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic are having their family & friends event where you show them an email and you get 30% off. It goes from July 30-August 2 and is in-store or online. Plus, you can pick a non-profit that they’ll donate 5% of your purchase to.

If you don’t already have the email and want one, let me know (in the comments) and I’ll forward it.

You can get an extra 20% off sale items at Piperlime by entering promo code: JUST4U.

The offer ends Friday, July 23.

Fredflare is offering $10 off purchases of $25 or more, but the sale only lasts this weekend, so hurry! Just enter the promo code: JUMP.

I am in love with this dress. Someone should buy it and give it a loving home.

Kohl’s (check out the awful photo of Britney Spears) is offering 99-cent shipping. It started yesterday (sorry) and ends today – Wednesday, July 8.

99-cent shipping is pretty good! And Kohl’s has a big Clearance section, so double score.

Update to my post a few days ago:

Oh, happy day: There’s ANOTHER free shipping code for FredFlare: “FUN” (expires July 6).