Deal Divas

Tonight: Bebe fashion show at Jackson's Bistro

2009-11-20T06:00:00-05:00

Bebe wants to get your holidays off to a good start. The label will show off its holiday collection in a runway show tonight at Jackson's Bistro, 601 S Harbour Island Blvd., Tampa.

The party goes from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., with the fashion show sometime after midnight. Ages 21 and up. Tickets are $15 online and $20 at the door. Proceeds benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For VIP tables, call (813) 265-1234.

We know what you're thinking: Bebe? VIP tables? I thought this was the Deal Divas blog!

Here's where the deals come in: The first 200 women in the door will get a $25 gift card. So you've already made your money back. And from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., ladies get free pomegranate and vodka -- Bebe's signature cocktail.

We'll drink to that!

Deal Diva Dalia

Photos: Top: Bebe's red chiffon bustier dress, $129.99, is perfect for holiday season. Bottom: If you're heading North for the holidays, this belted trench coat, $98.00, will keep you toasty.

Move over brown and black. Gray and navy want a turn in our closets.

2009-11-19T11:59:38-05:00

I'm feeling blue these days. And gray. Very gray. But that's not a bad thing.

Lots of us rely on brown and black as our staple neutral palette. They are safe, comfortable and convenient.

But this fall, navy and gray are jockeying for equal play in the world of neutrals, and I'm totally embracing them in my wardrobe. Both colors are versatile. They look great layered together or as backdrops for bursts of color. Neon, anyone?

Gray, my personal favorite of the moment, offers a softer touch to an outfit than its darker brethren. I love how rich pinks and purples really pop against it. Try a patterned scarf over a gray tee. Throw a navy cardigan over a silky gray blouse and vice versa. Confused about what color shoe to put with? Consider brown, silver or burgundy. Or pink. Okay, yeah, I'm obsessed with that color, too.

Deal Diva Colleen

(Photo: Like this look? You can get it at the Loft. And click here for 30 percent off your purchase!)

Fug or fab: Snood, half-scarf, half-hood

2009-11-19T06:00:00-05:00

What do we think about this, friends?

It's called a snood, and the Wall Street Journal discusses its place in the trend spectrum this Christmas. When I first saw the word "snood," I thought they were talking about this game that I used to play obsessively on the computer (PROCEED TO LINK AT OWN RISK and OMG I just noticed I can download it for my iPhone! Life = over). Anyway, a snood in this capacity is actually a scarf-hood hybrid.

My first instinct? It looks like something my Polish ancestors wore on the docks. My mother has regaled me with stories of her youth spent wearing babushkas in Ohio, and it ain't pretty.

My second instinct? There are certain days of the week where this would kind of be awesome. Think about it. Your hair is a hot mess. Your face is broken out. You had too much wine last night and you generally feel like hiding from the world while you run into Publix for toilet paper. This could be a fierce solution to all the world's problems!

They're on the shelves affordably at Zara and H&M this season. What say you, style legions? Fug or fab?

Deal Diva Stephanie

Photo: Missoni snood, Getty Images

JCPenney coupons: $10 off $25 beauty is back!

2009-11-18T17:14:00-05:00

The news this week couldn't get better for coupons-obsessed gals like me.

We have Ann Taylor coupons good for an extra 30 percent off! (Sorry, the Macy's coupons deal that we all love so much already has come and gone.)

But joy upon joys, another beauty just landed in my inbox. Print out these JCPenney coupons for $10 off on purchases of $25 through Monday, Nov. 23.

Read the fine print for the exceptions. I'm thinking JCPenney is the perfect place to start my holiday shopping.

Deal Diva Letitia

With Jean Straps, wearing boots is smooth sailing

2009-11-18T12:00:00-05:00

You probably haven't heard the word stirrups since the 1980s or your last visit to the gynecologist. But they're back in the fashion lexicon.

The other day, I got an e-mail about a new product called Jean Straps. They're removable stirrups that hold your jeans in place while you put boots on and "keep jeans taut, minimizing bunching," the e-mail reads. They're available here for $9.99 a pair.

At first glace, I scoffed. I mean, just look at the picture. Then there's the embarrassment of revealing the elastic bands when you take off your boots.

But then I remembered last week when I tried stuffing my skinny jeans into a pair of fall boots. I pulled. I tugged. And still, there remained a lump of bunched-up denim around my ankle.

Divas, what's the bigger fashion tragedy -- straps around your feet or lumpy jeans under your boots?

Deal Diva Dalia

(Photo courtesy of Jean Straps.)

Treat the man in your life to The Tie Bar's Tie of the Month Club

2009-11-18T06:00:00-05:00

I like getting my loved ones magazine subscriptions for Christmas. It's a practical, affordable gift that keeps on giving throughout the year. Same goes for fruit-of-the-month clubs, a healthy treat that reminds folks all year long how much you love them.

TheTieBar.com, home of the $15 silk neckties, is offering a different twist on this concept. Yep, a Tie of the Month Club. For $199, the man in your life can get 12 new ties added to his wardrobe over the next year. Categories include trendy, traditional and "trenditional," or you can opt for the most popular The Tie Bar style each month. The price includes shipping.

Ties are a way for men living in a khaki and blue shirt world to show some personality. And who doesn't love getting a package in the mail each month? In additional to celebrating the holidays this December, you'll also be giving a nod to National Tie Month. Who knew?

Deal Diva Colleen

(Photo: Fuschia bar stripes tie from Tie Bar)

Bridal trunk show this weekend = big savings!

2009-11-17T17:12:35-05:00

The Dressing Room, a fashion institution in St. Petersburg, is having a trunk show this weekend where designer Coren Moore will be offering great deals on bridal wear!

If you're trying to get that casual but chic look on your big day, Coren Moore is a good look.

All wedding gowns and bridesmaid dress orders will be 15 percent off at the show.

In addition, any order with 8 or more bridesmaids dresses(all the same style and color) will be 18 percent off.

The special discounts are good for orders placed within 10 days of the trunk show.

To peep this designer, check out www.corenmoore.com. Like what you see? Head over to The Dressing Room, 2430 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, this weekend.

Deal Diva Nicole

(photo: corenmore.com)

Rhonda Shear's Maison Rouge has moved

2009-11-17T14:23:11-05:00

Just a quick FYI: Maison Rouge, the lingerie boutique owned by actor and TV personality Rhonda Shear, has moved. Still located in St. Petersburg, the store is now at 944 Fourth St. N.

Deal Diva Dalia

Photo: This sexy little number sells for $59 at Maison Rouge.

Product Review: Silhouettes Couture control fit jeans

2009-11-17T08:20:25-05:00

Here at Deal Divas central we get a lot of solicitations to try products that claim to have miracle results. Like the pantyhose that will make your hair look like Halle Berry's or the lip gloss that will give you Gwen Stefani's eyes.

Sound unbelievable? Yes, we think so too.

But once in a while we get some stuff that's worth a try.

Enter: Silhouettes Jeans. These jeans claim to suck you in and poke you out in all the right places.They are made for size 12 and up. Luckily I had a willing colleague with a birthday soiree coming up and she needed something to wear.

Here's what Arleen thought of the Silhouettes:

Arleen: They're snug. As soon as I zipped them up, I thought I was wearing the kind of jeans you can't bend in, without risk of popping an internal organ. But the jeans are so flexible I could dance in them! (And I know that, because I tried.)

I actually really like the way they feel --- at first. The high waist is different from what I'm used to, but the longer I had the jeans on, the more I realized my body isn't designed for low-rise. The level of stretch is phenomenal. Nothing spilled out the front, the back or the sides of these things.

The design on the pockets will probably draw attention to my butt in public, and I don't feel too good about that.

I wore them to a party. They got noticed. A few ladies really liked the cut and color of them. As the night wore on, they didn't loosen up.They're definitely a "go-out-for-a-little-while" jean, and not an all day pair of pants.

Arleen in the Silhouette Couture control jeans.

For the record, I think ArLeen looked HAUTE! If you're interested in the checking these jeans out, they're available at this site priced between $49 and $54.

Deal Diva Nicole

(photos courtesy of ArLeen)

Macy's coupons: BFF $10 off $25 deal is back!

2009-11-16T13:43:53-05:00

Divas and divos, start your engines:

The BEST ever deal of Macy's coupons returns Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. You know what I'm talking about. The $10 off $25 purchase, which can be applied toward items already on deep discount.

Yes, the fine print is annoying. But the savings are not.

After all, the holidays are looming, and it's still feels like a recession, no matter what the economist types say. No stock can outperform the old saying: A penny saved is a penny earned.

Now go out and do me proud.

The latest Macy's coupons appear on pg. 5A of today's St. Petersburg Times, or click below to print it out.

Deal Diva Letitia