I called department stores and direct to most of their retail stores but had no luck.

Just when Iwas about to give up, the woman on the phone asked me “Did you you try our outlet?”

I had not,  got the phone number from her, and sure enough I managed to find one of the last bags of this line.

If you’re wondering it’s a Gucci horsebit hobo, and I had it shipped from Woodbury Common in New York. I think Gucci changes their line every year so if you don’t snap up a particular one you like it might not be around later. At least not through regular retail stores.

Most of us know about sites like Gilt or Ruelala that have private sales by invite, or sites like Bluefly with daily discounts.

But the discount outlet could be your source for those hard to find or discontinued items. And even if you live in one area that doesn’t have it, you could try what I did and call around until you find what you’re after. I think I lucked out within 4 calls to different locations.

Here’s some outlets to try if you can’t find it online…

http://www.premiumoutlets.com

http://www.primeoutlets.com

http://www.outletsonline.com

Your best deals are always online, but premium outlets are another option.

Something worth noting is while I was shopping around I found the bag I wanted but didn’t know about the company. You may have seen banners for discount Louboutin shoes or similar. Be sure to check carefully before sending your hard earned money. Since I was dealing with a Gucci outlet, what I did was call a Gucci store to confirm the location.

In my case it was a bag, but these outlets carry shoes, clothes and just about everything you could want. Happy hunting!

Hope everyone has been enjoying the fabulous weather!

A few posts you may have missed, but are worth a look…

ShoeWawa on Brian Atwood ‘Donna’ heels

ShoeSmitten shares how to create your own one-of-a-kind shoes

The Jet Set Girls have Louboutin Fall booties

SheFinds tells all on stuff rich people like

The Shoe Goddess has the scoop on a Zanotti sandal to die for

And the Manolo posts on Jimmy Choo sandals – also to die for

Fall is just around the corner and there’s been all kinds of sales (sorry for not posting about them!).

Now is the time to start looking for boots, and I have my eye on a few.

The Miss Dior II is a style I’ve always wanted. I have a couple that are close, but these are Dior!

And 20% off. Nuff said.

The Gucci Sofia is another style I’ve wanted for a while.

I’m all about the black patent these days, even if prints are hot.

This pair from Stella McCartney would look good just about anytime.

I’m really tempted by these ones.

Have you ever noticed there isn’t enough hours in the day to shop? Or enough room in our closets?

I love all 3 of these but have to choose. Sometimes life isn’t fair.

Lauren Conrad and Kylie Minogue

Wooden heels are hot hot hot this spring.

These aren’t a match to the above pic, but sometimes you  just go with what you love.

And I love Michael Kors!

This pair from Sergio Rossi is sure to turn some heads and look great with almost anything!

Fyi, this pair from Theory would rock with jeans.

And the aboe by Theory are 40% off, so its only $177 (via Bluefly)

Me likey! 

And a shoe shopping for men flowchart…

source: Cracked.com

They have some great jeans! And $25 off any denim purchase of $150 or more. Enter code: ZV93-QXF4GW-MLVRGB at checkout . Enter FREESHIP for orders over $150 to get free shipping.

Happy Shopping!

But whatever you’re wearing, you’ll have to find some shoes that match. That’s where House of Brides  comes in! They have a good selection in all sorts of colors for brides and bridesmaids, along with dresses and everything else for that special day. This site has helped more than a friend or two with hard to match colors.

The Flamingo maxi dress from Hype provides a flattering and sexy look. With spaghetti straps and a deep plunge, its bold blue and gold accents and beautiful print are stylish and in!

The print on this Custo Barcelona is gorgeous! I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.  They’re almost sold out so act fast! I have no idea how to describe the print but its definitely unique.

Another Custo Barcelona print that is as elegant as it is sexy. A Peacock-inspired pattern on the bust and daisy-inspired pattern on the skirt make this a smart stylish buy.

Well would you take a little looky what we found here! On my internet travels for clothes, shoes and, oh, I don’t know, anything else that I care to covet, I came across this little gem of a discount at this gem of a store.

They have such a masive array of products that cater for all price ranges I spent a good few hours of today browsing and wishing pay day would roll on just a little bit quicker!

My top 3 list at chickdowntown.com at the moment:

-Alexander McQueen scarf for $237 – this is a style that’s been seen on all the A-listers – what I wouldn’t give to be one of them, if not just for their access to the hottest trends around!

-Mink Pink Smooth Sailing Dress $55.00 – gorgeous simple dress and with a price tag that is far more in my price range!

-Rachel Leigh Millies Clip On Ivory $145.00 – cutest retro clip on earings. Possibly ever.

I don’t know about you, but I know that I’ll be making  like the A-listers and treating myself to this season’s most flattering dress. Unlike the typical LBD, the maxi dress is perfect for hiding all of those lumps and bumps. Perfect, just what I like!

I’ll be in good company too, with my maxi dress. Serial offenders of the maxi-dress wearing brigade include Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton and Nicole Ritchie.

A style similar to Mischa’s dress is available from Firetrap at Oli.

Traditionally, the maxi dress tends to be floral. However, with tribal and ethnic being a key trend this season, you can get away with this too. Oli comes through for us again with this gorgeous tribal bandeau maxi, courtesy of Miss Sixty.

The maxi dress breaks the usual dress rules of distinction; it falls into the categories of beach as well as dressy. You can make a maxi dress look daytime or evening based on the accessories/shoes that you team it with.

If you want to go for the daytime look, then maxi dresses look gorgeous with gladiators. For an evening look, try teaming yours with a simple pair of wedges for understated glam. I love this pair of gladiators, found at Heels.com. The harsh studding would work great against the delicate patterns of a maxi. And the Valentine Bronze wedges would not only look great with your maxi, but the neautral shade makes them versatile enough to look gorgeous with jeans too!

A common misconception of the maxi is that if you’re short, you can’t wear a maxi dress. Let me tell you, this is wrong! True, if you’re short, you have to be a little craftier, but you can still get away with a maxi. I’ll let you in on a little secret: the trick is to go for small prints as big prints tend to drown the figure.  Alternatively, an all over colour looks great on tall and short girls alike. Blake Lively and Eva Longoria sit on either end of the height spectrum but look equally stunning in their red and orange hues.