Pick Your Deal with Chinoki~What I’m wearing to NOT go to BlogHer~Nicole Miller

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
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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.

Review: Chinoki and Charlie’s Jeans~great option for local deals!

My philosophy towards clothing and fashion has evolved considerably as I am getting older. In my 20s and 30s, I was just all about getting great deals and cheap items. I was the ultimate bargain shopper, even at decent brand name stores and had soooo much clothing in my closet. Of course we were DINKs then (double income, no kids) and had much more disposable income. The sheer volume of clothing that I had in my closet meant that I pretty much always had decent, hip stuff to wear. Then came along the kids. And that meant less disposable income, my body weight and size was fluctuating a lot during two pregnancies, and then having little ones meant that comfort and function triumphed fashion each time. Now that my boys are not babies anymore, the baby weight is coming off for good and since I’m a bit older–I’m more confident and more concerned about the image I am presenting. Particularly now that I pretty much work for myself and want to make a good impression. So, ten or fifteen years ago, I never would have shopped at a boutique-like store, because I would have perceived it as too expensive. That’s not the case anymore. Because 20-something me would purchase ten pairs of jeans at $10 each, and maybe only truly wear one or two of them regularly. 40-something me would rather purchase one $100 pair of jeans that I absolutely love, they fit great and I wear them all the time. I just view that now as the better value.

Charlie's Jeans & Chinoki-all you need is a phone!

Luckily for us here in Philadelphia, Chinoki has come to town and given us the best of both worlds. Chinoki is an online app, you can use it via the web or your phone. Right now it’s only in Philadelphia, but I encourage everyone to sign up so that you know when it comes to your town–you won’t want to miss this. When you sign up for Chinoki, you’ll be given a list of restaurants, stores and other businesses that are also signed up with Chinoki. Now we have the best of both worlds-local merchants including boutiques, with customized discount offers just for me.

I was very excited to receive this #PickYourDeal offer from Collective Bias. I looked over the list of merchants and immediately chose Charlie’s Jeans because I’ve heard great things about them. Charlie’s Jeans is an independently owned clothing store for men and women and they have been around for about 15 years. They have two locations-Old City and Rittenhouse Square area. I chose Old City because it’s easier for me to get in & out of there, traffic wise, and I like Old City. Charlie’s Jeans specializes in jeans, and fitting you with the best jeans you’ll ever own.

Several months ago, I had signed up with Chinoki when I first learned about them. I’m always game to save money and they intrigued me. You know how when you sign up for some promotional sites, your email inbox is just overwhelmed with stuff you don’t want? Well, with Chinoki, you pick what deals and offers you want. Well, I should say, you pick what merchants you want to hear from, and those are the only businesses that will send you offers. I checked off the entire restaurant category though, because I like to try new restaurants and a text coupon will encourage me to do so.

A few days before I planned to go, I got my offer via my phone. It was a text from Chinoki offering me “Buy one item, get up to 2 additional items half off at Charlie’s Jeans.” When I arrived, I was instantly greeted with by the owner and he asked if I was interested in jeans. It was about 90 degrees and humid that day, so I really wasn’t, but wanted to try them since that is what they specialize in. I will say–they do it right! He instantly knew what size and what fit would be good for me, even though I was wearing a big tunic top. The jeans fit very well and all are made to a custom length. I really liked them and will be back at some point; I decided against them on this trip mainly because right now I am a bit heavier than my usual weight. The jeans are a bit spendy, but worth it for the comfort and the fact that I know I’d wear them all the time. I just don’t want to make the investment if I plan to lose 10-20 pounds.

They had a very large assortment of Made in the USA items if that interests you. Most of the clothing had more of a sophisticated, urban flair to it–definitely not what you’d find in your local shopping mall. I decided to purchase three summer tops. They are all sleeveless and dressier than what I’d normally purchase, but I am trying to improve my wardrobe away from tees and cargo shorts. I will say, that even though the tops are dressier, they are all very comfortable. Maybe they’ll show up in a “What I wore Wednesday” post at some point.

Anyway, I encourage you to sign up for Chinoki and check out what merchants they have listed so far. Even if they are not in your city, you’ll want to be notified when it does arrive. You can also follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Come see the rest of my photos on my Google Plus album.

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.