Great Deal Alert!

These messenger bags from Crate and Barrel are printed with designer Ristomatti Ratia's geometric symbols. They're a chic way to tote snacks to the park or books home from the library. I love the little bottle clip on the side. And, at just $3.95 each, this tote is one fabulous bargain!

Shopping That's Good For Your Soul

I hate to toot my own horn here on Shopaholic, but we've added a couple of cool new items on our other website Bare Threads Online, and I have to share.

Ari and Heather at A Scent of Scandal have added two new special edition scents to their soy candle lineup and both benefit awesome charities. A percentage of the proceeds from the grass scented "A Roll In The Hay" and the ocean scented "Rock The Boat" go toward Farm Sanctuary and Sea Shepard, two organizations that work to save the lives of animals. You can check the candles out here. A Scent of Scandal candles are made of 100% soy wax and the smell amazing. $15.

The other great new product on our site are the Kitson OmniPeace tote bags. These eye catching vinyl Kitson totes help raise awareness and money for the OmniPeace organization. A percentage of every bag sold goes to help impoverished communities fight disease and hunger. Not bad work for a day's shopping. We have them for $79 in black and purple.

C.L.I.C.K With This Hot Handbag From Moe

After years of frustration when going out at night with the hassle of a purse falling off her shoulder or clutched in her hand, Designer Mary Rambin has created the perfect solution for the ultimate party girl... The Moe C.L.I.C.K. bag. This distinctive bag is one of the hottest accessories among Hollywood's A list. Celebrites like Jessica Beil are carrying the bags to award ceremonies and red carpet events.

The name comes from the bag’s intended contents, a girl’s nightly essentials: Cell phone, Lip gloss, Identification, Cash, and Keys. Call it a tackle bag, if you will. It holds everything you need, and you won’t have to worry about it all night.


The unique strap-in-strap design allows the C.L.I.C.K. bag to slip on your wrist and remain without fuss or further attention. The light leather bag simply hangs from your wrist as you continue flirting with a new beau, balancing your martini, and dancing the night away! Versatile and adorable, the C.L.I.C.K. bag works with everything from jeans and a tee to the hottest of haute couture. They are available in a variety of colors and textures to coordinate with anything your wardrobe can dish out.

Crazy For Clutches

You don't have to pay a lot of money for a cute summer clutch. I've found a few hot styles for under $20.

Old Navy has this absolutely adorable clutch with an oversized wooden handle for $19.50. You may come across different colors and fabric patterns in your local Old Navy store.

Target is a great source for cute, inexpensive handbags. They have been teaming with high profile handbag designers like Rafe and Loeffler Randall to produce collections that look great for less money. In fact all of the remaining Loeffler Randall bags are on clearance now and they are going quick.

This adorable clutch is selling for $9.

I also love this little bag from Target's Merona brand. The colors are perfect for warmer weather and the little medallion embellishment gives it a bit of Tory Burch-ish designer flair. Target's website has 6 pages of clutch bags most right around $15.

News From My Inbox

So, I shop at many online retailers and receive multitudes of emails from those retailers. I actually do open and look at quite a few of them because you never know when a handy little coupon code will show up. This morning several of the bulk emails I received had interesting products and deals. The first one, and the one I intend to use to full advantage, is a coupon code from Shoes.com. From now until October 12th you can take 20% off of already reduced sale and clearance items on their site.

For instance, these adorable flats from Seychelles are on clearance for $45.99. With the additional 20% they will be around $36, plus free shipping. Can't beat that. Use coupon code EXTRASALE to receive the discount.

Also, Bluefly is having a sale through the weekend. They are taking an additional 15% off of their prices on jeans, coats and dresses. This one isn't as exciting, because Bluefly is always running one sale or another, but if you are in the market for updated fall outerwear you might want to check out their selection.

Bag Borrow or Steal sent an email notifying me that they are now offering vintage bags for rent. If any of you are not familiar with Bag Borrow or Steal, it is a website that actually rents out designer handbags on a weekly or monthly basis. So if you are really coveting a designer bag but don't have the money to buy it outright, you can rent it for a much lower monthly price. The upside is that you can switch out bags on a regular basis, so you never get handbag fatigue. The downside is that it can be a bit pricey for the monthly membership.

So anyway, the girls at Bag Borrow or Steal have put together a vintage collection for their members. It is definitely an interesting concept, especially the way vintage designer clothes have taken off in the past few years. However, there are a couple of problems with renting a vintage purse from Bag Borrow or Steal. First of all, the rates are incredibly expensive.

This circa 1960's Gucci bag in fair to good condition will run you $400 a month. It's cute and has the advantage of being obviously vintage. But you really have to loooovvveee vintage to shell out $400 a month for a purse, Gucci or not. Also, their idea of vintage is sometimes not quite so.

Case in point: This Hermes Birkin bag is from 2004. This is 2007. That math is not hard to figure out. I'd say they are playing it a bit fast and loose with their terminology. Also, the Birkin is $4800 a month if you are a paying member. $4800. I believe at regular retail a new Birkin runs at around $7000 to $8000, so if you have the money to rent the $4800 Birkin, then you must have the money to get yourself to an Hermes store and put yourself on the wait list. Of course, if someone is unwilling to wait and they want to rent this Birkin until a new one comes available, then I say...Uh, wow.

Despite my reservations about their Vintage program, Bag Borrow or Steal is a very cool website. If you are needing a great bag for a special occasion, or just love designer bags, you should definitely check it out.