If you’re reading this today, it can only mean one thing: You’re in the doghouse. You screwed it up, and now you’re looking to make amends. You are sooooo lucky, because The Style Insider is here to dig you out. Get the plastic out - this will cost more than it would have the first time around, but it’ll be worth it. We promise.

What were you thinking? This is Christmas. She bought you cashmere and tracked down the perfect retro hubcaps on eBay for your precious, precious vehicle, and you bought her a CD? There’s an

(more…)

This year there’s a sleighful of shiny, sequined clutches for you to hold during your dramatic entrance at the holiday parties.

Yes, you’d love a fabulous, sparkly bag from the queen of tiny shiny things, Judith Leiber. But they cost thousands and . . . well, OK, we can’t resist showing you a few, just to get you in the party mood. 

(more…)

Everyone is excited. Today is the day when the most heated, expensive, watched and pundited presidential election in American history takes place. And you have waited a long time to get in that line and cast your ballot. 

But stop. You can’t just throw on any old duds. You need to be different. You need to be a proud American. You need red, white and blue garb that looks good and will also keep you warm ‘cause you may be standing there for three hours.

We’ve put together a quick voter’s guide: There’s no time to order online, so here are some trios of items from four major retailers. Just rush in, grab this stuff and proudly proclaim your freedom.

(more…)

We totally agree with designer-to-the stars Mary Norton: “Some days only a fiercely beautiful pair of shoes and handbag will do.”  Chic celebs agree too: such as Teri Hatcher, Carrie Underwood, Katherine Heigl, Queen Latifah,  Jennifer Lopez and Miley Cyrus. They’ve all carried Mary Norton handbags and clutches and stepped into her thing-of-beauty shoes. Now we can too, through the new Mary Norton online boutique.

Some of you may know Mary from her wildly successful handbag company, Moo Roo (named for her daughters Micah and Reilly), which she started in 1998 after having a dream about making handbags out of flowers.

 From there, she went on to be named a rising star in 2004 by Fashion Group International, Inc. and the Accessories Council. In 2006 Mary re-launched her luxury accessory collection under her own name and opened two boutiques in her hometown of Charleston, S.C.,  and Melrose Place in Los Angeles.

(more…)

We are agog over the money spent on research studies that tell us exactly what we already know: Men Think Red Is Sexy. OMG! The world is round!

The really smart people at the University of Rochester released a “groundbreaking” study yesterday on men’s reactions to women wearing various colors. 

(more…)

Target’s got a winning fashion trifecta lined up for the month.

Fashionistas looking for a budget-friendly fashion fix can score with designer Anya Hindmarch’s new handbag collection, Sigerson Morrison’s footwear collection and the new Jonathan Saunders clothing collection, all launching in mid-October. 

Saunders’ line hit Target’s shelves this past weekend. The Scottish-born designer offers a fresh take on color blocking, knitwear and clean-line silhouettes. Among our trendy favorites: the colorblock dress in white/ebony ($30, above right) and the ombre print skirt in blue whale ($27, above left).

(more…)

We’re always keeping an eye out for stylish bargains and great sales. This week we’ve found a handful of handbags, all for less than $50:

1. Kohl’s has a faux snakeskin hobo bag by Relic that’s a bit shiny, with black patent trim, on sale for $33.60 (it was $48).

2. Botkier is that very pricy, hip designer line that has a Target line of bags that look a lot more expensive than they are. The roomy gray faux python satchel even has a cell phone pocket, for $28 (it was $40, pictured left).

3. If you want a splashy colorful statement bag, look no further than Betsey Johnson’s Betseyville canvas tote, complete with pink spotted straps, a wild girly graphic and her signature metal tag. It’s $43.50 at Macys (pictured, right), originally $58. 

4. Piperlime is a great site for bags and shoes, and they also have great sales. This Jessica Simpson Pacha tote was $99, and now it’s $50!

5. Another great site for accessories (and clothes, jewelry, etc.) is Amazon. They’ve got a lot more than books! We spotted a sporty RuthMichael blue Bali slouch purse for exactly $50.