If you’re not in BloggyLand, you probably don’t know what BlogHer is. It’s a big network of, duh, bloggers. I *think* it may be the largest in the country, but don’t quote me on it. And every year they have a big conference and tons of, again duh, bloggers, go to it.

I am not one of them. One reason  is that I find it to be a bit too expensive for my taste. Yes, I could seek sponsorships but then I’d end up “working” at a conference instead of just having fun, which sorta negates the whole reason for going, for me anyway.

But if you read blogs, you’ve probably noticed a bunch of posts this week, with bloggers posting what they are wearing, presumably because they are representing different brands there. But since I’m not going, I don’t get to do such a post. However, this week Collective Bias and Chinoki asked me if I’d do a shop at Nicole Miller…….and of course I said YES! While I’m not jealous that I’m not going to BlogHer, I was envious of people getting new clothes. I love shopping but my inner cheapskate prevents me from doing it often. So this opportunity was a nice treat for me.

I’ve posted about Chinoki before. They are a website and app that allows you to #PickYourDeal. You only hear from the merchants that you want to hear from. When they have a promo or offer, they’ll either email you or text you–whichever you chose. It’s that easy. Right now it’s only available in Philadelphia, with New York City not far behind–it should be launched very soon. I got my offer via text and it was to notify me about the clearance sale going on at Nicole Miller in Philadelphia. Yay! I love good clearance deals and I already had plans to go to the Disability Pride March at the Constitution Center, so we just added Nicole Miller on to our itinerary for the day. (As an aside, every time I think about Nicole Miller, I think about the Seinfeld episode, which I researched aired in 1996, so I can’t even share the funny video with you. But it is so funny!) Anyway….off we went…….

It’s always sunny in Philadelphia.

We parked and went in to The Bellevue and easily found the store. Nicole Miller herself has Philly roots, so that’s cool. I worked with Jillian, who informed me that Nicole Miller prides itself on individual attention. They were so right! It was lovely to be waited on, so many places lack decent customer service. Although I’ve never been there before (actually was in the Kansas City one in the mid 90s), their prices weren’t as high as I thought they’d be. And they have several sections of items that were either 50% or 75% off. They only have this big sale twice a year, I think she said January and July. I ended up with a great dress. Someday I’ll post a picture of it, but I hate posting photos of myself and it looks odd on a hanger. It has a funky Greek feel to it, and it needs a body in it or you can understand what shape it will take. I immediately wrote it off as a summer dress, but then Jillian said “Hey, add a pair of black tights and you can wear it in cooler weather too.” Ah, she was so right, I have so little fashion creativity. The tights were $15, but 50% off……so that’s really reasonable, what you’d pay anywhere else.

I labored over whether or not to get this one pair of shoes, I tried them on at least twice and they were marked down to $45. In the end, I decided that while I loved them, they weren’t practical. They are off to the side of this photo of my son.

See them there, on the right? And the store is kid friendly, with toys for little ones. I was able to shop in peace.

This is what I’m loving about Chinoki–I am able to shop boutiques, but on a reasonable budget. Because Chinoki is giving me personalized offers. If you had told me six months ago that I’d be shopping at stores like Nicole Miller, I’d have said “pfft.” But now I can. And I’m really liking it, I’m finding that my tastes are growing up a bit and I’m enjoying the boutique stuff. I mean, personalized service, hip clothing that is reasonably priced, a kid-friendly store…….what more could you ask for?

Here in Philadelphia-at The Bellevue on S Broad or Main Street in Manayunk.

If you want more information about Chinoki,
Sign up at Chinoki.com
Follow them on Twitter

Follow them on Facebook.
Even if they are not in your city yet, enter your email address and information so that they can determine which cities to pick next for expansion. And, you’ll be the first to be notified when they are in your city.

For more photos, visit my Google+ album, link is in this blog post.

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Chinoki #CBias #SocialFabric

View more photos on my Google Plus album.