Grace + Kate

Who: BonChon John St.
Where: 104 John Street
New York, NY 10039
Why: Perfectly crispy chicken with tons of flavor sans the grease.

Last night was the Soft Opening of the John St. BonChon Chicken eatery and bar in the Financial District for select friends and friends of friends. I had the pleasure of being someone’s plus one. We had the chance to sample the eats and unique Asian fusion drink inventions in advance of tomorrow’s grand opening. Amongst the delicious eats were the crispy Korean style fried chicken in spicy and garlic soy flavors. As for drinks, there is everything from Asian Pear Soju to Lychee Bellini.

The BonChon crew is attentive and the atmosphere is laid back and modern. This is destine to become an after hours hangout for young Wall Street and chicken lovers alike! They will love it like Chelsea loves Brother Jimmy’s.

MORE PHOTOS THIS WAY –> Read more…

Who: J.Crew
Why: 30% off outerwear
Where: Online and brick + mortar stores
When: December 7 – December 9, 2009
BONUS: Free Shipping on orders of $150 or more

Still looking for holiday gifts for your nearest and dearest? Check out the Tag Heuer F&F Sale:

Tis the season for shopping and even Pottery Barn is getting in the spirit.

What is the most appealing feature of a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps? Ask 10 girls and all 10 will reply: the signature red Louboutin soles, ofcourse! The red bottoms peeping out from behind a 4 inch stileto heel is indeed beautiful and distinctly Louboutin! However, as soon as those pumps meet the city pavement, you can say bye bye to beautiful red soles and hello to scuffs and scratches. This drives me nuts, but there may be hope yet! A friend of mine told me about a new red colored vibram sole that was created especially to match the signature red of Louboutin soles. The soles are suppose to improve the longevity of the shoe and add grip to make it easier to walk.  I started googling and there are a few expert cobblers here in New York, and a few other cities that offer the service.

In New York, Arty’s seems to have very good ratings for his work on CLs. He charges about $40. I think maybe I’ll give him a try…

Arty’s Shoe Service
243 8th Ave
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (212) 255-1451

Who: White+Warren
Why: 55-65% off retail (tons of styles, colors and sizes)
Where: www.gilt.com
Why: Great sweaters for the winter, makes great holiday gift

Winter is one of my favorite seasons and one of the main reasons why has to be the warm and cozy cashmere sweaters. I have always been a fan of J.Crew cashmere because they have an abundance of styles and the sweaters are always high in quality. However, following the sample sale last week, I am now a convert to White+Warren. I managed to pick up a ton of sweaters at the sample sale last week and I was very impressed with the quality. If you missed the sale though, here’s a second chance. White+Warren is on Gilt.com from now until Sunday 11/12, midnight. Prices are comparable to the sample sale prices.

***UPDATE UPDATE – Rebecca Minkoff Sample Sale Markdowns: My friend swung by the sale at noon and was nice enough to send these photos over. It looks like there are some -gasps – markdowns – gasps -!

DEVOTE – $595 – $350 - $275
MINI DEVOTE – $550 – $325 – $250
MATINEE – $595 – $350 - $325
ZIP MARKET TOTE – $630 - $375 – $300

A few other markdowns she recalls but don’t have photos: Stud Roadie is $295, Computer Case – $50, Mini Nikki – $300, Nikki - $325, Darling – $295

Who: Rebecca Minkoff Sample Sale
Why: 40% off retail on most styles
Where: 33 W 17th Street (Between 5th & 6th Ave.)
When: Wed Nov 18-Sunday Nov 22 (10am-8pm)

I’ve been I big fan of RM bags for some time now. They are edgy and amazing eye candy. I get more compliments on my Rebecca Minkoffs than any other bags. Grace went to the sample sale last time around and I’ve been drooling over the red Morning After she nabbed. So when I heard about the sample sale, I just couldn’t resist. I grabbed a co-worker and headed to the sale at lunch. Once there, I was happy to find no lines to get in. All and all, lots of variety and worth checking out. No, the discounts aren’t 80% off but you can get current styles in staple colors such as black and brown. There were tables and table of bags in all styles and colors. A sales girl mentioned they will be replenishing. Discount was about 40% off retail. There was also few racks of clothes, though most people were there to peruse bags. See below for a few pics from the sale. For a detailed account of the sale check out today’s posting on Racked.

For those that braved the lines on the first day, you would have likely faced long long lines amounting to at least an hour wait to get in.

However, I went again today and found no lines at all – I was able to go right on in. The bras are mostly mix and match and it maybe difficult to find a matching set. Still lingering around are a few lingerie night gowns, tons of swim wear and less than sexy pjs. If you stay long enough, the hostess of the sale has 5 min specials on things they still have overstock on. All and all, there is definitely enough stock to pay a visit on the last day of the Le Perle Sample Sale. Maybe they will even mark down prices to get rid of it all!!!

11/11 Lingerie, sleepwear, swimwear, and ready-to-wear items from La Perla are 80 percent off. Bras are $25 to $60 (originally $119 to $289), panties are $20 to $40 (originally $55 to $164), and sleepwear is $50 to $60 (originally $184 to $500). 4 W. 58th St., nr. Fifth Ave (212-920-1211); W (10–6).

Here are some from the sale:

Where: 17 West 17th Street, New York, NY  (between 5th and 6th avenue)
How much: Up to 70% Off
When: November 18-22, 2009 (10am – 8pm daily)

THIS SALE WAS AMAZING WHEN I WENT LAST YEAR!!! 99% of the bags are wrapped in new condition. There was a bin with samples and display bags which were also in great condition. They had current styles and basic colors like black and brown.

If the sole purpose of fashion night was to get people to shop, I’m not sure it worked. In fact, there’s were no lines for the register at any of the stores we went to. It makes sense. How can one shop when there are so many distractions around?? Grace and I decided to stay downtown in Soho for the festivities. We had a blast. It was crazy! Grace turned to me and said, “Wow, Kate, this is like Woodstock for fashionistas”.

Favorite Freebies: Ricksaw Dumplings, King Cone, bite size cupcakes, champagne, Chanel manicure!!!

Celebrity Sitings: Estelle, Sienna Miller

Designer Sitings: Rachel Roy, Rag & Bone

Favorite Street Scene: People drunk off their minds stumbling through the streets, people drinking individual size champagne bottles with funnels stuck to them!!! WTF? We couldn’t find the store handing those out.

Longest Lines: Bape, Rachel Roy

Bought: Fashion Night Out Tee (40% goes to support the 9/11 Fund), Dior nail polish, a little black dress

We’re so tired. Tomorrow we’ll funnel the pictures in. Good night!