It's that time of year again when retailers get ready for the big holiday rush. The orders have been placed. The new merchandise is coming in. The holiday wrapping paper and bows are set, and you're ready to go. You...
At a recent Democratic presidential debate, University of Las Vegas-Nevada student Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval asked Sen. Hillary Clinton if she preferred diamonds or pearls. Posing a fashion-related question to the only female candidate in the presidential race earned the political...
On Black Friday, we arrived at Target just as smiley-faced employees were passing out Target Shopping Survival Kits, cute environmentally correct red bags filled with a breakfast bar, flavored coffee and animal crackers. The tag on the bag promised the...
Do men need help in the shopping department? A few new Web sites seem to suggest as much. Groomgroove.com, an engagement and wedding Web site for men, tells a groom-to-be how to buy an engagement ring, propose with class and...
Recently, I attended and assisted with the planning of a 70s-themed surprise birthday party. It was hard to contain my laughter as I perused the aisles of Ricky's, Spencer's and other novelty shops known to carry black light bulbs, disco...
One of the most popular Chinese zodiac legends describes how Buddha invited animals to participate in a race in which the first 12 to cross the river would win a coveted position on the Chinese zodiac calendar. According to legend,...
Since retiring from her run as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and tying the knot with Freddie Prinze Junior, Sarah Michelle Gellar has kept it relatively quiet on the Hollywood scene. So when this photo of the former teen star at...
It was a warm, autumn morning in New York City when I got out of the taxi in front of Christie's auction house at Rockefeller Center. Gil, who has been opening the Christie's doors for the past 30 years, was...
Forget the patch. Jewelry just might be the newest way to combat addictions—at least visually—as more and more designers are creating pieces based on various chemical substances and alcohol. Dopamine Jewelry is one such example. Los Angeles-based jewelry designer and...
While listening to my uncle relay the story of an artist whose painting he had recently purchased, I was reminded of an article I read about men and jewelry. The artwork my uncle and I were discussing was thought-provoking, but...
Centuries ago, at the entrances to Spanish cemeteries, flags of French pirates and containers with poisonous substances all displayed skulls and crossbones, which later led to the symbol's association with death. How society evolved from shrieking at the sight of...
I immerse myself in the unusual, be it golfing in Malibu, Calif., without knowing how, paragliding despite a fear of heights or joining a parade in Amsterdam to preserve old homes. (Of course, I usually drag my best friend Cathy...
Do mid-scale department store shoppers on the West Coast have a love for Macy's that East Coasters don't seem to share? According to the recently released J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Department Store Experience Study, Macy's came in last place...
Since rocketing to fame as groupie-with-a-heart-of-gold Penny Lane in the film Almost Famous, Kate Hudson and her bohemian-California-girl style has become weekly play in the pages of the celebrity gossip rags and emulated by hoards of teens trying for a...
On a sunny afternoon in New York City's Greenwich Village, a penthouse photography studio on Bethune Street displayed hundreds of gemstones. I'm not Blackbeard, but this certainly felt like finding a treasure alcove—but possibly better—since I only had to travel...
Just as we've grown accustomed to celebrities slapping their names on everything from clothing to perfume, a new trend has emerged among their daughters. Offspring from Mick Jagger, Donald Trump and the fashion family Fendi all have recently launched jewelry...
When it comes to jewelry designs that draw my eye—and my checkbook—I tend to have a penchant for bold '20s designs that evoke the Art Deco era. My prized possession is a Florida flea market find: a gold open-link double-chain...
Coming from California, I'm used to even the fanciest stores maintaining a laid-back feel, and now that I live in the Williamsburg district of Brooklyn, I find the stores have a similar quality. But when I head to Manhattan's Upper...
At 25, I can't help but feel just slightly offended when someone I encounter learns of my age and responds, "What? But you look like you're about 18!" I figure someday I'll thank my parents for passing on their youthful...
Actress Maggie Grace, best known for her turn as Shannon on the ABC show Lost, hits Swiss watch brand Parmigiani's after-party for the Los Angeles premiere of The Jane Austen Book Club. In the film, Grace plays an impetuous 20-year-old...
Based on the results of a survey conducted by Big Research, Stores Magazine created the Favorite 50, a list of the most frequently used online retailers. Of course, the study tells us who's on top in e-tailing, but it also...
Like knights on a quest for the Holy Grail, designers relentlessly try to get celebrities to wear their designs, but much like the Holy Grail, the mission can be impossible. Jewelry designer Ryan Ryan proved it can be done, however:...
Consulting firm Hay Group has revealed that 26 percent of leading American retailers surveyed in a recent study said they are hiring fewer seasonal workers this year. An article on Reuters Shop Talk blog speculates that an increase in minimum...
Approximately 16 percent of consumers said they would no longer patronize a store after a bad experience, according to an article on the National Jeweler Network that reveals the results of a study conducted by MARC Research and National In-Store....
For all of India's exoticism—the rickshaws, the smell of curry from the streetside food vendors, the women sweeping down the streets in colorful saris—it also has certain qualities that remind me of the good old U.S. of A. During my...
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