It's amazing how quickly great items and great values fly out of stores,. You pratically have to live at the mall to get them. Since I'm out shopping with clients several days each week, I've decided to post alerts for you, noting the best of the best I see in the retail scene. Here are the criteria I use for my selections.
Multi-city retailers I feature carry much of the same merchandise at stores across the country, and mark-downs are usually system-wide. But if you don't find every item in your local store, try their web sites instead:
10/2/11
Sorry I haven't been "picking" for the last couple of weeks. I relocated my residence, my office and my honey's office simultaneously. You can only imagine the chaos. I'm SO glad to be getting back to what passes for normal in my world. And glad to be back to shopping!
Macy's has just reduced two Fall Jones NY collections by 40%. Just a few selections from each group are pictured below.
From the Chelsea group - a whole Core Four in a beautiful dark green they call Laurel (that can work with nearly any woman's color pattern). The jacket is a cute, relaxed style, and there are two pant shapes, a pleated skirt and fine-gauge knit shell all in the solid color. They pair it with a rich aqua called Aegean. This mix is the new generation of the brown-aqua combo that's been all over for the past year or so. The group also features a vivid chartreuse called Sorrel - a tough color for most women to wear as a solid, but it adds energy to the group's tweeds and beautiful prints without overwhelming them.
Depending on your coloring, you can warm the Laurel green with camel and brick red, or cool it with soft gray and dusty plum. Either way the look is unexpected and sophisticated (unlike the white blouse pictured below).
The Sutton group features two related taupe-y neutrals called New Mink and Shitake. Taupe can be almost impossible to find, so if it's your neutral, don't miss this opportunity. Sutton combines it with a beautiful wine red called Cabernet. It also blends well with the Aegean from the Chelsea group. And it can work with black and navy basics and slate blue, dusty plum and mauve accent pieces you may already own.
Animal prints are everywhere, and while warm gals have their pick of tigers, cheetas, leopards and more, we cool gals are usually stuck between choices that are either too gold or too bold (think zebra). This shirt from Jones NY is finally a COOL animal (not sure the species, but who cares?) with a friendly $79 (and 40% off) price tag.
Two noteworthy jackets from other lines: The aqua jacket (JM Collections, $89) is an ideal shape for straighter rectangle and inverted triangle figures. The luscious color's versatility is limited only by the black buttons. Switch them to your best metal, and the jacket works with browns, camel, taupe, gray, black --- almost any neutral except navy.
The rust jacket s Ellen Tracey - a very classy look except for the tacky bright buttons (which you can upgrade in a snap). This short, shaped style is ideal for pulling attention to your upper body and away from fuller hips. The zipper detailing make the garment look much more expensive than its $149 (less 40%) pric tag. If the color works for you, this one is a big winner.
And don't forget that now thru October 16 - during Breast Cancer Awareness Month - the Wacoal company is doing bra-fitting events at Macy's stores across the country. If you haven't tried their bras, you're in for a treat. And their fitting team is truly expert. 
Best of all, the company will donate $2 to the Susan G Komen fund for each fitting appointment and an additional $2 for each bra you purchase from their Awareness or Embrace collections. And with a purchase of $80 or more, receive a classy-looking tote too.
