Who did you think was the best dressed? Worst?

First introduced to the fashion scene in plain black suede with a simple heel by Christian Louboutin, others designers are now experimenting with numerous cuts, materials and colors.  Jeffery Campbell has added his signature rugged look to this upcoming trend, elongating worn brown leather boots adorned with buckets and a stacked heel.  Designers like Ash, Juicy Couture and Camilla Skovgaard have turned away from the notorious stiletto and replaced it with a wedge or platform heel in order to make them more wearable for both night and day.

So if you wish to strut your thigh highs with zippers, studs, tassels, or even in multi-color be sure to follow a few basic tips.  Let them show! Thigh high boots aren’t meant to be covered and trying to pull pants down over them minimizes comfort and likewise, don’t try to tuck jeans into them.  Plan on showing a little upper leg with a short dress or pair of high waist shorts, and if you are initially timid about such short hem lines pair with tights for a look with a little more coverage.

For Men:

For Women:

Click on any of the gifts to purchase them online. And for those of you that really procrastinate, all of these are available at your nearest Macy’s department store so you can pick them up on Christmas Eve.

We would love to hear what gifts you’ve purchased so far this holiday season.

Happy shopping and have a Merry Christmas,

-The Shopparel Team

The official kick-off of the holiday shopping seaon: Black Friday. The hangover from yesterday has began as shoppers are still recovering from waiting in line at 5 AM and putting ice packs on their bruises from the shopping stampedes. For those that did their Black Friday shopping online, they slept in and purchased deeply discounted items from the comfort of their own home. Ebay was kind enough to document Ebay.com purchases on a real-time interactive map.

It only takes a glance to see that most of the online purchases occurred on the East Coast. So where did all of the West Coast shoppers go? Well, let’s go through the possibilities:

1. West Coast shoppers did most of their Black Friday shopping offline, visiting stores in person

2. The West Coast has been hit harder by the recession, so shoppers didn’t spend very much.

3. Ebay may be more popular on the East Coast, where West Coast shoppers did their online shopping at other retail websites.

The most probable choice is #2, as West Coast shoppers (particularly California) have been hit the hardest by the recession. These shoppers were lured by the deeper discounts taking place in stores such as Best Buy and Walmart. Check out the interactive map showing sales starting at midnight and progressing minute-by-minute until the end of Black Friday. Regardless of the fact that these statistics are only for Ebay.com, their wide array of products ranging from houses to t-shirts makes Ebay an accurate representation of the entire retail industry.

What where the hottest items?

Pricegrabber.com has already released their Black Friday sales statistics, and the hottest products will surprise you. Tires had the highest sales growth over 2008 with a 118% increase. How did cellphones and laptops do? A measly 26% and 17% respectively. The hottest product for Black Friday 2009 turned out to none other than the Nintendo Wii, a game console released in 2006. Even though I do not partake in the Black Friday shopping tradition (I’m not a morning person, regardless of the occasion), I may have to join in on the tradition as the Black Friday sales and feeding frenzy seem to grow every year.

We want to know where did you do your Black Friday shopping, and what did you buy?

Here is a list of some of the best sales:

• 20% Off Any Order at eBags.com!
• 25% off everything in-store and online at Charlotte Russe

• 30% Off Thanksgiving Day Only at Lucky Brand (excludes Gift Cards, Sale & Clearance).

• Ben Sherman Black Friday, Black Friday Weekend and Cyber Monday Special. Take 30% Off Your Entire Order.

• Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals at PacSun Stores. Offers vary by location. Check your local store. Not valid online.

• PACSUN.com – 10% Off Site Wide! Valid on Cyber Monday & Tuesday Only.

• Share the Savings @ Tilly’s! Get 20% Off any single item. Use Promo Code: SHARE20.

• Thanksgiving Sale at macys.com.

• Karmaloop.com –20% OFF on Orders Over $75 with code: GEMS, offer good 11.27-11.30

• Shop for Black Friday deals at Men’s Wearhouse. Free Rush Shipping with code: FOFX and up to 50% savings on select merchandise!

We will continue to update the list as we find more sweet deals!

Do you know of any huge online sales that we have missed? Post your comments below.

Whether shopping in person or online, the first task is to find a pair of shoes that you are interested in purchasing. I’ll tip my hat to internet retailers, because they have the edge in terms of convenience. (Yes, that will soon include us at Shopparel once our store launches later this year.) I’ll confess I’m a lazy shopper, so browsing so thousands of shoes while sitting on my couch is quite the treat. Let’s be honest, when shopping in person, most apparel stores have less shoes than in the average woman’s closet. Also once you find a pair you are interested in, you have to ask the employees if they carry your size. By the time an employee is free to help you out and return with your selected shoe size, your mall entourage has already moved on to the food court.

The most obvious downside of shopping online is finding a pair that fits. Shoes are not like shirts, where I know my t-shirt size and I rarely have any issues purchasing shirts online. Depending on what type of shoe it is for (walking, work, style) I can often conclude what size fits my foot and go from there. Also look for websites that contain customer reviews or discussions about fitment issues (Many of our shoe partners have this feature). Also, look for online apparel retailers that offer free return shipping and convenient return labels. We recommend purchasing the two closest sizes and returning the pair that does not fit. Premium retailers such as Macy’s and Nordstrom’s usually let you return the product in their stores as well.

Don’t let online shopping get you down! After all, online shopping is about to become more convienent with the launch of our decision engine. We will recommend shoes that fit your style and budget, and give you helpful hints along the way. Be sure to get on our email list so you can come check us out on launch day! Happy shoe shopping! Got any tips for shoe shopping online? Comment below and qualify for a Shopparel shopping spree!

Starting in the 1980’s leather jackets were a huge hit with men, and now more then twenty years later it’s finally coming back! For men a leather jacket can make any outfit, and its a plus that you can wear it with almost anything. Although the style does not seem to have the same tough look it used to, because leather jackets are now more for style. However, it can give you an edge, and we know all boys like that. Not only do they give you an edge, but they are comfortable which is always a plus when it comes to mens clothing.

For women I do not think that leather has ever gone out of style. For a while it was not as popular, but now that this style is back you can tell every girl is excited. The popular leather dress that stars like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston pulled off is a dress that every woman craves. Plus men think tight leather is sexy on a woman. Women have a lot more versatility when it comes to leather considering that now it comes in every form of fashion. Leather boots are another big fashion statement. Now that it is getting closer to winter, boots are a must have this season. Leather can make any outfit, which is why its popularity is increasing.

Male Leggings

It’s about time guys caught on. Leggings seem to have taken the industry by storm, playing favorites to women of all ages, but now men are jumping on this bandwagon.  Known for their comfort and versatility, leggings act as key staples of any wardrobe whether they are worn cropped for gym attire or long for a night out on the town.  As the distinction between where men and women’s clothing is divided continues to shrink, we should have seen it coming.  First there were skinny jeans, which started off in plain colors but soon were seen in an arrangement of hues including pinks and plaids that even women shyed away from.  Deep v-necks and scarves came next, and are now simply sold in “unisex” sizes to avoid any obvious confusion, or perhaps embarrassment of being called out for wearing the opposite genders clothing.

Are men’s leggings taking it to far though? Or are they something we should just come to accept and possibly be attracted to?  It seems that in Tokyo, London, Paris and even New York this decision has already been made for us.  Men love them.  They are constantly being seen as a key article for layering, peeking out under cargos as well as short-shorts hitting both ankle and mid calf lengths.  Even top designers like Givenchy have had their male models strut their stuff down the runaways wearing solely leggings alone. It not just the plain black either, you can find them in patterns, prints and color  and I am betting in no time they will be found in various materials other than standard spandex.  Who knows, lace could be up next!  The majority of women have been voting no on this recent trend, but in this case we have to leave up to the men, we all know “Comfort is key”.