It’s an advert’s job to annoy, get in your head and never allow you to forget about the advertised product.  A well produced ad will have a gimmick, nearly annoying but relateable.

TJ Maxx has hired some ad head to do all of this, and because they’ve somehow found the ingredients to the special spot sauce, we’re stuck with the Maxxinista campaign.

It’s catchy.  It’s in my head.  And I hate it.

While I’m not opposed to TJ Maxx (I’ve found a few gems there over the years), I’m against Maxxinistas.

Let’s pray after Lucy Sykes’ painful British annunciation and the mother-daughter blind brand glee, we’ll finally be put out of our misery.

Ahh, French Connection… finally you’re coming back to us!

While doing my regular peruse of the FC shop, I ended up stumbling onto the sequined Hayley skirt and knew that French Connection had some gems in the stockpile.  It’s clear that despite earlier skepticism, French Connection is on an upswing, and we’re going to damn well enjoy it.  The rest of the group appeared rather instantly; these are excellent summer pieces for varying reasons – let’s dive in!

The Myla dress is a clear standout; it has a distinct Hervé Léger flavor, and does the body nothing but favors with its line overlay on the bodycon cut.  The Graigner dress was picked for its delicate design, and sweet elegance; this is a piece you could wear to an event where you wanted to outshine even the ladies with the highest budgets.

The Etta shorts are a summer basic everyone should have in their dressing arsenal; they are a clean design and appropriate for all functions, yet offer just a dash of sailor flare in the vertical buttons. Lastly, the Edelweiss fanny pack is your summer festival lifesaver, especially if your hands and shoulders are going to be doing everything but worrying about a shoulder or cross body slung bag.  Fanny packs may have a sad rap, but they are an essential, and the floral print brings the design into modern territory.

One of my favorite British designers Alice Temperley has gone and done us fans a great deed by creating a diffusion line – Alice by Temperley.

The range is filled with the aspects we love so much about the mainline range; fun patterns, British experimentation and feminine aspects on a masculine base.  The gift of Alice is that the pricing, even for statement pieces, is for the masses; $325 for a draping striped jersey dress, a military style contrast piping jacket at $325, quilted leather gilet is $425) and the lovely blue polka dot skirt is $295.

These are luxury pieces designed from the same hands as the mainline brand, and with as much spunk – just a price point that won’t have you running for the hills.

Check out the entire Alice by Temperley SS10 lookbook and scope out your fave summer pieces… you’re going to have a tough time choosing which to make your own!

It’s a fact that the Nicholas Kirkwood x Rodarte heavy duty ground killer court shoes are still outRAGEous, even when they are technically past season.  Truly determined, edge loving stylistas are never told what is and is not acceptable when it comes to seasons, so that’s really irrelevant.

What is relevant is that this court shoe is cornea ripping good times, and if you happen to be a size 8 or 9 (38 and 39) and holding $1,539 in disposable income you’re in solid awesome territory.  If you’ve been holding out buying these shoes because they’re too damn expensive, perhaps the token that Colette‘s price is $200 lower than what Luisa via Roma‘s had been.

Digest, itchy shoppers!

New York style is about to burst upon San Francisco’s west coast steeze, and you’re going to love it.

A.OK, Oak NYC‘s little sis, is collaborating with SF’s Seventh Heart boutique to open up a delightful little pop up shop.  You can prepare by perusing A.OK’s goods online, but trust me – in person blows online away.

The A.OK x Seventh Heart pop up shop opens this Thursday (April 29th) from 7-10PM. If you need directions, Googlemap it up.

It’s been over four years and Balenciaga‘s harness boot is still going strong… who would have known!

First Sam Edelman does his the Zoe, Maurie & Eve created their motorcycle version and now Swedish boutique Modekungen is collecting pre orders for their version.  The Mode style looks to be a hybrid of the Edelman and Marie & Eve interpretation; chunkier than the original Balenciaga, with a thinner harness.

The Modekungen version isn’t made of real leather, though at 799 SK (roughly $110US), it creates an incredibly affordable statement piece.

If you’re going to peruse Modekungen, you’re going to want to employ Google Translation unless you can read Swedish

Just like their court shoe before it, the Tick has gone tribal.

Only Karmaloop has these babies in stock in sizes 6 through 10, with each wedge being $150.

The best news?

You can get 20% off your next Karmaloop purchase with rep promo code “RN7241“.  That means these JC wedges are $30 off… not bad for an exclusive shoe!

I’ve already personally double checked the rep code, so yes, it’s valid.

Denim on denim is incredibly hot this summer, and there is no better way to get in on this summer trend than a solid indigo denim motorcycle jacket.

With a solid denim jacket, you can layer and style the piece as if it were nearly any other fabric. When your denim has fades and other embellishments, it loses the classic look and will date itself rather rapidly.

Three Dots’ denim bike jacket is a rather illuminating piece, and for $212 you won’t be placed in the poorhouse.

Calling all Toronto residents!

The Thrush Homes Empire gallery on Queen Street [Googlemap] is holding a one weekend only pop up shop, featuring samples from a massive group of your favorite casual designers.

Labels include Ben Sherman, Original Penguin, Kenneth Cole, Gant and Pony.

I’m totally on board with American Apparel‘s design direction this summer – they’re getting into a very Boy Band of Outsiders look, and for much less of a price point.

This stripe sailor jacket ($71) is a strong piece and comes in a multitude of fabric styles, such as the neutral or navy Ottoman rib ($74), or the grey Nantucket fleece ($71).

Check it out if you’re shooting for a rad sailor-preppy summer look.. it’s going to be massive.

The Outnet is bursting with Maje and Jil Sander, which is a very good thing for us.  While we all try to ignore the fact we have battered shopper syndrome, let’s check out the goodies the Outnet has available right noooow!

Jil is overwhelming the latest stocks with The Outnet, which is an excellent thing.  Check out her sheath leather dress, soft leather brogues, traditional leather brogues, Canaletto panel blazer and very Gaga-esque platform satin sandals.

French house Maje is also thankfully assuming some limelight; their suede moto vest, snake print A-line skirt and matching blue suede shorts are a welcome juxtaposition to Sander’s minimalism. We won’t forget Dame Vivienne Westwood – her draped Caroline jersey top is a delightful piece that has been styled to death on Polyvore, and it’s finally 60% off.  Last of all is her sunny yellow Petti Drawers skirt, perfect for a picnic or summer afternoon wanders.

Sample sales are why everyone who lives in New York is entirely spoiled, and why you should be setting travel plans in motion if you’re perpetually missing out!

Botkier is holding a sample sale, which involves 50-70% off all handbags, shoes and wallets. Check out the Googlemap if you need directions, and don’t be late!

Dates and times:

May 6-7: 11AM – 7PM
May 8: 11AM – 6PM
May 9: 12PM – 5PM

Just like Sam Edelman’s Zoe boot before it, Maurie and Eve has created a Balenciaga inspired motorcycle boot – it’s a little clunkier, a little more 90s and completely awesome.

The motos are made with suede and sheepskin, which means they are of high quality and are ready to rock – especially with a $288 price point!

Emily Hollins – er – Deyn is officially ‘designing’ graphics for Uniqlo.

The images will be Polaroids added to tanks and tees, which really means that she’s doing less designing than we’re initially lead to believe.  It must be so rad to have a top model sister to get these gigs! Dayumn.

While I can’t pretend that I’m a regular Louboutin lover (hold your stones, please), the Let Me Tell You letter pump are an official mind changer.

These are literally statement pumps, because they’re actually saying something to you! These butt kickers aren’t your basic Loubs, so they’re a rockin’ $2275 – better start savin’.

Wildfox‘s bone collections are what I wish Jeremy Scott’s cave collection was; a contemporary look at traditional casual pieces with a create use of bone prints to create a fresh look.

While Scott’s Flinstones inspired range was a caricature of itself, Wildfox achieves the same level of fun pieces without the self deprecation (though we can’t disagree that Jeremy Scott x Linda Farrow’s bone sunnies would look fantastic with one of the below pieces!)

The loose skeleton tee ($77), skeleton sweatshirt ($108) and bone leggings ($97) are official demiCouture loves.  If you like what you see, there is much more Wildfox to see and enjoy on their online shop.

I wonder how long we’re going to be subjected to Sex and the City…

…hopefully not this long!

Bedazzled clutches by Sylvia Toledano are ripe for the picking at Gilt right now, which means that bags covered in Austrian crystals in crazy awesome patterns are on sale.

Favorites amongst the group include the very evil eye-esuqe Masomenos ($979), Blue Zebra ($699), Wonderstar ($699), white Angel Heart ($699) and the Arbre de Vie tree clutch ($699).

If you require an invite to Gilt, get it here

The search for a summer closed toe flat is usually a difficult one, though a leather floral jazz shoe is always an appropriate choice for most any events.

These wee wonders could work from everything between an afternoon wedding or beach trip, to that crossover early evening soirée.

These are the Jeffrey Campbell Meow in floral printed leather, and for $110 per pair these are going to be going fast!

It’s difficult to shop ethically, even in the era of the internet.  Today, I stumbled upon Fashion Conscience, an online store devoted entirely to ethical, fair trade style.  While one may assume that ‘fair trade’ or ‘ethical’ means woven thong sandals, but you are so wrong – check out all the kicks below; all of them are fair trade, many with organic cottons used as well.

All of the shoes you see below; the platform cut out ($222), platform brogue ($222), tan open toed canvas boot ($214), black cut out sandal ($135), canvas leather buckle boot ($160) and the Tressa studded wedge ($122) are made by Where.

As you can tell, they’re kick arse footwear, and I’m sure you’ll recognize the Tressa from Need Supply during last fall.  One thing is for certain – these aren’t your granola loving aunt’s shoes… they mean business.