GET YOUR SWIM ON!

JANTZEN CLASSIC SUITIt's not too late to get yourself a great swimsuit for the season.   If you waited until the week before your summer vacation, you are actually going to get in on some great sales on just about every brand and style out there.   There is no reason to break the bank in your quest to look super chic on the beach, patio, or rooftop sun deck!   Shopping on-line is never easy for most clothing and can be crazy for swimsuits - but I have a few sources that make it a breeze!

Click - BIKINI - to find out more and see a great on-line swimsuit fit guide!

MIZ AT LIZ - ISAAC MIZRAHI RETURNS

Isaac MizrahiThe New York fashion world's answer to Rhoda Morgenstern is baaack!  That's right ladies and gentlemen, Isaac Mizrahi has returned.   Valerie Harper as RhodaWhile you might remember his wildly successful collection for Target most recently, Mizrahi is returning to his fashion roots and has anchored himself with a big fashion powerhouse - Liz Claiborne.    The Claiborne label is a legend in the New York fashion world.   Liz Claiborne did for working women what Coco Chanel did for women of leisure.   That is freeing them from the constrains of "expected" wardrobing.   Coco rallied against the corset almost 100 years ago with jersey and cashmere.   Liz ClaiborneLiz Claiborne waged a war on the dowdy business suit women of the 70's & 80's found themselves marching to work  in.    Boring pants suits be gone - Liz Claiborne  had  her sights set on color, detail,  & big accessories.   Think Melanie Griffith in Working Girl!  Speaking of, no one loves a story line like Isaac Mizrahi.   If Isaac himself where in that movie- he would have been plotting with Joan Cusack just like Melanie was! 

While Claiborne has never been as upscale as Chanel - Isaac is no stranger to luxury.   The namesake collection that launched his career was famous for a high / low approach of fabulously expensive things mixed with wildly affordable pieces.   Mizrahi was also himself funded by the house of CHANEL for several years in the 90's.   Chanel pulled the plug on the luxury stable they were forming when the CC logo craze was kicking in... leaving the future of Isaac Mizrahi, Holland & Holland, & Eres is question.   Isaac went out of business, Holland & Holland evaporated in the U.S., and Eres remains the quiet stepchild of the Chanel empire.   You'll notice the small Eres boutiques quietly waiting in the wings near Chanel Mega-Stores.

Isaac recently launched his Spring 2009 collection for Claiborne - and he really nailed it.   Using words like "snappy" and "smart"  just like Liz Claiborne herself - Isaac has designed fashion that would make any women happy to wear it - and would surely make the late Liz Claiborne smile herself.

Isaac Mizrahi will be at Macy's Herald Square in New York to preview the collection Thursday, March 26th at 6pm on the third floor -RSVP 212-494-4000

You are guaranteed a good time - as Isaac never disappoints when he is on stage - and if you haven't been in Macy's in some time - the store will look better than you remembered!

MACY'S helps us BELIEVE this Holiday Season.

Herald Square in New York City is home to Macy's flagship store that they proudly advertise as "The Worlds Largest Store". The store is an institution. Having existed in some form since 1858, it is a part of NY Heritage. The store was immortalized by the film Miracle on 34th Street starring a very young Natalie Wood in 1947. To this day, the store pays homage to the movie with holiday dedicated windows recreating scenes from the film. My favorite is when thousands of letters to Santa are dumped on the judges desk in court!  Many of you have gotten to know Macy's in the last few years as their massive expansion and consolidation plan saw several other stores become Macy's doors.

Growing up I definitely felt the "Magic of Macy's". We lived north of Manhattan near West Point Military Academy and Bear Mountain State Park. The nearest mall in Nanuet, NY had a Macy's and I spent countless hours there shopping for Christmas gifts and birthday presents. I always visited the electronics department to see the big screen TV's. There was no Best Buy in those days! I still remember buying dark chocolate covered pretzels from the candy counter - just one or two because they were expensive.

Over the past 15 years, I must admit that I have not spent a great deal of time in Macy's Herald Square store.  In fact many jaded NY'ers like myself avoid the area due to the throng of tourists. NY'ers think of tourists as a blessing and a curse. We love that you enjoy being in NYC, but we hate that you are in our way...

I recently went to Macy's to get Euros for my Madrid trip at the American Express office that is housed inside. The store really is like a big city unto itself with restaurants, Starbucks, etc. I have to say, from the moment I walked in and saw the Christmas decorations that had just gone up - I couldn't help but smile. That feeling of a bustling store at Christmas that excited me so as a kid came right back. As much as I like Barneys or Bergdorf's - I don't get this feeling when I go there.

I walked down the center aisle and was surrounded by thousands of Christmas lights and hundreds and hundreds of shoppers. I know we are in an economic downturn - but shoppers are still out there looking for holiday gifts. Right in front of me was the Macy's BELIEVE meter that is celebrating the stores program to deliver letters to Santa Claus at the North Pole. I had to snap a pic with my cell phone as I was really taken off guard. I learned about the Believe program. Simply bring a letter to Santa from the little shoppers in your life addressed to Santa Claus - North Pole - and drop it in the big red mailbox. Macy's will donate $1 for every letter to the Make-a-Wish foundation for children with a max of 1 Million Dollars. The company has also added an excellent web page that is exciting for kids and adults to visit -Macy's Believe. What a great way to help out a terrific charity and help your little guys and girls keep a tradition alive. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!