Some people adore shopping and some people absolutely hate it. Whether it’s a joy or a chore, everyone must shop eventually.  It’s fair to say that most women feel greatly frustrated when designer clothing cannot be found in the correct size.

We have all been there. Either you need a specific item or just browsing around to see what you can find, but finding the perfect article of apparel, especially at Loehmann’s where you know the price is significantly less, can be a real amazing feeling. Whether it is thrill of the hunt or just relief that your job is completed, nothing can bring you down faster than noticing that that perfect skirt in the perfect color that will go with those perfect shoes at the perfect price is two sizes too small or big enough for two of you.

Perfection becomes frustration with one glance at a size tag.

Some clothing lines run small and you need to find a larger than regular size with, say, those skinny jeans. Sometimes, the most common size is grabbed off the racks by all the other women who share that “regular” size with you. Sometimes it is clothing for ladies in petite sizes that proves to be a challenge. In any case, being faced with a rack full of size 2’s and a smattering of 11s does no good if you require the perfect 8.

Loehmann’s knows this and has heard your cries of frustration. No longer will amazing “can’t miss” bargains be purchased in a size too small just because they cannot be found in the correct size and the items are too good to put down. No longer must one add diet restrictions to their lifestyle a week or so before debuting a too tight skirt. Loehmann’s new Size Search brings increased satisfaction to designer shopping. Now, not only can you find the most incredible savings on designer clothing, but there shall be no more excuses not to wear them!

The new in store Size Search service will find your size in another Loehmann’s location if we have it available. You can complete your purchase just as if the size 0 pants fit, and then the correct sized clothing will be shipped directly to your home or office. Please ask a Sales Associate for details.  While shipping fees will be applied, it is a small price to pay for pure shopping satisfaction and the perfect skinny jeans.

Just think of the possibilities:

Beautiful designer shoes in your size can show up at your door.

A fabulous sports coat for him in the perfect size and at huge savings with zero frustration.

A party dress for your daughter with enough room to grow rather than knowing that she will grow out of it before it gets stained.

And you don’t have to drive all over wasting precious gas. That’s pure shopping satisfaction and eco friendly to boot!

Tags: Fashion News, Happy Shopping Stories, In Store Services, Shoes, Spring, Women's Fashion by admin
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Esteemed New York City Blog, the Gothamist, wanted to find out what were the best places to shop for bargains in New York. They went and used Just Ask The Locals™ and also asked their own professional sources, the Gothamist readers.

It is no surpirse to anyone that knows Loehmann’s, but a prime spot on the Top Ten List went to the big L.

So many New Yorkers have grown up with Loehmann’s as part of their shopping training as Loehmann’s has been a New York icon for decades.  Granted, there are other discount stores in the running now as well, but the original discount designer department store still holds it’s own and manages to inspire, impress and satisfiy new customers every day.  It’s a great feeling to see new shopper’s discover  Loehmann’s bargains.

 On the very same day, May 16th, TeamSugar published a great post called “Nifty, Thrifty Fashion Tips”.

That post listed Loehammn’s as well as the best place for both accessories and handbags.

With Loehmann’s on your side, it’s very true, as Sarah Jessica Parker says:

 “Fashion is not a Luxury”.

Tags: Fashion News, Happy Shopping Stories, NYC by admin
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The word eclectic is defined as: “Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles”. To define the word “eclectic fashion” one has to go no further than Iris of this style and the master of the genre. The proof of her perfection resides in the well deserved and on-going attention that the contents of her closet demand. If you missed the MET’s exhibit of her collection in 2005, then you definitely want to add Nassau County Museum of Art to this summer must see and do list. Beginning next week, May20th, the museum will be exhibiting the amazing collection of her wardrobe and even more amazing finds have been pried from Iris Apfel’s closet. Iris Apfel: Rare Bird of Fashion is not to be missed. Now in her 80’s, Iris continues to be a role model and inspiration to legions of women both past and present. She doesn’t really follow fashion despite being an intimate of many



designers, nor did she really go forth into fashion design despite a “fling with dressmakers, bag makers and shoemakers”. She admits to being “a closet designer who could never sew or cut”. She even claims that she didn’t collect for the ideal of having a collection, what amazes and inspires us is simply her wardrobe. Born an only child in Astoria, Queens in 1922, the appreciation for beautiful things and art began when she read art history at NYU and attended the University of Wisconsin art school. By 1950, with husband, Carl, she began Old World Weavers, a textile and design company, which specialized in ancient techniques and exact reproductions of antique fabrics. She was a famous interior designer, with clients such as Greta Garbo, Estee Lauder and White House, and hob knobbed with high society of the time, but it is not her fame or notoriety that makes her worthy of her legendary status. It’s simply the contents of her closet, collected over a range of 60 years from around the world, and then, her art of combining those items with their polar opposites that begets her reign as a true original. For Iris Apfel, true style was not dictated to her or even by her, but was fun and serious and whimsical and amusing, all at once. It is beyond fitting that Loehmann’s is sponsoring the exhibit as for Iris, like a Loehmann’s shopper, the “thrill was in the hunt”. And hunt she did just like the rest of us. In an interview with Marilyn Kirschner, Iris speaks of her finding a “true gem”: “Oh there’s something I just found in Loehmann’s….. For my birthday I go to Loehmann’s because I get a 15% discount, it’s very exciting…and I found this wonderful, wonderful completely beaded coat from Ralph Lauren and it is so gorgeous …all the way down to the floor and I won’t tell you its price because it’s ridiculous…it’s divine and very Marlene Dietrich with crystalline beads on white chiffon…and it was way too long although I am fairly tall…and I went to three dressmakers and they all said they were afraid to tackle it and I didn’t know what to do…Ralph Rucci said he’d fix it but I didn’t want to trouble him…then I met Mr. Ralph Lauren and when I told him he said “Oh we’ll fix it”. So it’s now being fixed.’” The pieces in the exhibit are from flea markets, houses of haute couture, East Indian Bazaars, thrift stores, discount department stores, Old European artifacts, and handmade boutiques from all over the globe. With over 60 years worth of collecting, Iris was able to pair brand new finds and old: “mix something I bought last week with something I’ve hoarded for 30 years.” From a fashion stand point alone, the exhibit is worth seeing as it features exciting couture clothing from every major European and American designer including Chanel, Dior, Armani, Galanos, Ungaro, Ralph Rucci, Geoffrey Beene, Lanvin, Norell, and Bill Blass among others. Separately, the results of her collection bespeak of a journey though time and fashion that could set the pace for a who’s who in the history of couture. In addition, her accessories and jewelry collections are incredible and also historic. What makes this all so much more is that her outfits are displayed “exactly’ as she put them together herself including her signature oversized black glasses on the mannequins. It’s not so much as the “what” she wore, but the “how” she wore it. The originality of her style is revealed in her mixing of Dior haute couture with flea-market finds, Dolce & Gabbana lizard trousers with nineteenth-century ecclesiastical vestments, pink Lanvin worn with ropes of Navajo turquoise. A selection of audacious accessories also comes under the spotlight: a giant necklace made of bear claws, a turn-of-the-century Indian horse ornament worn as a necklace, a parrot’s-head brooch in colored glass and rhinestones.

The final results are unforgettable. When fashion defies limits, creativity soars and taste is redefined. What Iris Apfel does is remind us that we must be true to ourselves and what we love. Our “look” is then defined by ourselves and what we adore, what we resonate with, what is the outside epitomey of our own souls. It is an opportunity for our self defined inner beauty to be seen on the outside and therefore is nothing that can be prescribed by the trends of the seasons or other outside influences. When we view the now “art” that is Iris’ closet and see that this non-conformity is beyond our wildest dreams, it can indeed re-inspire us to find our own inner Iris. ****

This exhibition was first seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute as Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Barrel Apfel Collection. It has been adapted for its showing at NCMA and now includes even more stunning items of clothing, accessories and jewelry from Apfel’s collection. Later shown at the Norton Museum in Palm Beach as “Iris Apfel: a Rare Bird of Fashion”, the exhibit at the NCMA is sponsored by Loehmann’s with support from Astoria Federal Savings.

“Iris Apfel: a Rare Bird of Fashion” opens to the public on May 20^th at Nassau County Museum of Art and runs through September 7^th. Located off Northern Boulevard in Roselyn Harbor, admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $4 for children with an additional $2 parking charge on weekends. Museum members are free. For more information go to the museum website at: www.nassaumuseum.com or call (516) 484-9338. In addition, cultural historian Dr. Charles A. Riley II presents “Extreme Iris” a multimedia presentation and “interdisciplinary exploration of genius at work” on Sunday June 22 at 4pm. For a rare treat, the museum also offers a Private Tea & Tour of the Exhibition on June 11^th at 2:30 pm. This behind-the-scenes glimpse at the museum’s current exhibition is introduced by the museum’s director, Constance Schwartz, and features a private guided tour followed by a menu of tea, sandwiches, scones and sweets in the beautifully refurbished Café Musée. Space is limited so reserve early. Admission for Dr. Riley’s lecture is $10 for museum members and $20 for guests.Admission for each Tea & Tour is $35 (museum members, $25) and includes admission to the museum. To reserve, call (516) 484-9338, ext. 12 or write to reginaforlenza@nassaumuseum.com.

If you just can’t make it there at all, then check out the book from the original collection shown in 2005 at the Met show in NY: “Rare Bird of Fashion; the Irreverent Iris Apfel” is available at Amazon. With an essay by the fashion maven herself, an introduction by Harold Koda, director of the Costume Institute, and 169 photos by fashion photographer, Eric Bowman, it’s the next best thing to being there.

Tags: Fashion History, Fashion News, NYC, Women's Fashion by admin
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Continued from last week’s post: Trend Alert: High Waisted Pants: part I

These are the kinds of pants that are actually more designed for a woman’s body, not to fight it.

They accent the waist, while downplaying the hips as long as the trouser legs fall straight from the hips. If one has a thicker midsection, the high waisted pants will *create* a waist, shorten a long torso, and give the illusion of longer legs when worn with high heels and the hem just skims the ground. A high waisted pant can do wonders to elongate the length of the leg by giving the eye more of a constant visual to follow.

While a high waist can eliminate the infamous muffin top, they also can accentuate a belly pooch if pleated in the front. Nobody ever wants to be congratulated on a new pregnancy when they are truly not expecting, but instead just suffering from a pair of bad fitting pants. Some women praise the idea of finally getting all their non wash boarded bellies under the protection of clothing, but if the fit is not correct then bulging pants will still cause the fashion police to wince.

How to wear the new high waisted fashions:

Once you’ve found the perfect fit, make sure you pair it with the right top and accessories. The newer high waisted pants should be full throughout and finish at a wide leg. While the skinny jean might still have a following, a high waisted, skinny leg cannot be worn by anyone with even slightly larger hips, bottom and/or thighs or those will be accented. While made for the pear shaped, a leg that tapers in any way will cause the hips to look too wide.

The sheer volume of fabric used in these pants makes a fitted top the natural choice. One needs to balance off the top half of their body to match the bottom. Opt for something fitted and waist-cinching. A nipped-waist, button-up blouse with short sleeves works well. Also, wide-leg trousers and a fitted blazer


look excellent at work. Call some attention to the upper body with a bright colored top or commanding jewelry. Since the length of the torso is elongated as well, either a long torso, or a short one can be adversely affected. For both cases, showing some extra skin at the neckline will lengthen the neck and create balance. A thicker waist can be doubly accented when the illusion of a cinched waist is made with a narrow belt and a one- button blazer. In cases where the waste to hip ratio is too close, then added fullness of pleats in the pants and hips can reduce the visual of the middle. The wide leg styles beg for balance in the form of a thick, high-heeled shoe. The hemline should be just long enough to graze the floor and let your toes peek out. Heels are a must, a pointy toe even better. Without a toe pointing out, one can look footless. Wedges and other chunky heeled boots or pumps will juxtapose all that extra fabric and add length to the legs as well. The trick to these pants is to get the scale and proportion just right as you don’t want to be wading in too much fabric. They shouldn’t be so wide that you swim in them, especially if you’re petite since it can make you look short and squat rather than long and lean. Since these are the “new” look pants, keeping them modern with a dark navy wash. Gray also provides a nice neutral to take off from and white can provide a classic “sailor” feel for the summer season. Although some shoppers may feel intimidated by this aggressively retro trend, with the flattering features and edgy style, the only people who should be afraid to sport this trend are those looking to abbreviate their legs and accent their love handles with passé flair. You can call it the rebound effect, but the high waisted pants are definitely here and provide a new fashion trend to work from. Happy shopping!

Tags: New Selections, Spring, Summer, Trend alerts!, Women's Fashion by admin
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