New Promo Code!

Oooh, this is a good one.

Starting today, get 20% off regular and sale-priced gear at Bloomingdales!

Just type in the promo code HOLIDAY at checkout to get the deal.

Since Christmas will be here in approximately 10 minutes, I'm using this discount to kick off my yuletide shopping.

A few haute ideas:

• Cutie cookware from Le Creuset


• A Burberry billfold for your preppy fella


• Darling Tory Burch flats that are already on sale


• A luxe cashmere ruffle wrap

This year, let's all be super-organized and unfazed by the advent calendar.

Starting just as soon as we finish these prosecco and pomegranate cocktails.

Kid You Not

Y'all are going to think I've lost it. 

Here's Hilary Swank on the cover of the current Town & Country. 

I glanced at this picture out of the corner of my eye and thought, "Good gracious! When did the first lady get so scrawny?" 

I mean, it's not The Parent Trap (for obvious reasons), but does anyone else see a slight resemblance here? 

Another possibility: I need to get more sleep. 

Knock It Off

Doesn't Carrie Underwood look darling? Here she is performing on Good Morning America in a fabulous grey ruffle coat. 

Lo and behold, you can recreate this look for a mere $42.80 at Forever 21!

Will this coat feel as luxurious as Carrie's? Not a chance. Was it made by a four-year-old in a developing nation? Lord, let's hope not. 

Still, it's a stylish steal. 

Today's Haute Tip: A budget item like this one is simply begging for a makeover. Swap out the belt for a better one or sew on silver buttons, then watch the chic factor skyrocket!

Now, where can we score a pair of those yummy black boots? 

Park It Like It's Hot

Nobody makes me laugh quite like Mama Manners.

This woman is a force of nature in Chanel flats. The other day, she casually remarked that she's in the market for her own personal set of orange traffic cones. 

Why? So she can whisk them out of her trunk and park anywhere she wishes in metro Atlanta, naturally. 

She's joking (we think), but she does have a point. Some people have no manners when it comes to parking. 

The holidays are fast approaching. Here's how to keep things sane (and civil): 

1. Never hog up two spaces when one would suffice. Whether out of haste or laziness, certain drivers are unable (or unwilling) to stay within the lines. This is not cool. 

2. Don't try to wedge your enormous SUV into a tiny space marked "compact."

3. When parallel parking on the street, be economical. Make sure you haven't inadvertently sabotaged the chance for one more car to fit on the block. 

4. Protect your car-ma and open doors with great care. If you scratch or dent another vehicle, someone will inevitably do the same thing to you. Also: don't try to rationalize this based on the make, model, or year of the car next to yours. Ahem.

5. Play fair. No matter how much you want a coveted space at Whole Foods, the person who got there first (and turned her blinker on triumphantly) scores the spot.

6. It's a parking lot, not a hockey rink. Rise above tacky behavior like fist-shaking, obscenities shouted through open windows, and nasty notes on windshields. (Withering glances are OK, though. Sometimes that's just the thing.) 

And hey, if all else fails, orange cones are a legitimate option. I just discovered they're priced to move at Home Depot. Who knew? 

:)

Delicious Deals

Hey all you hungry Angelenos, this one's for you!

Last night I had dinner with my friend T at Real Food Daily. Before we ordered our virtuous vegan feast, she whipped out a 40% off promo code from BlackBoardEats.com. 

Here's how it works: 

You subscribe via email, then they send you cool coupons and discounts that are good for one month from the day you receive them. Plus, the site was founded by foodies, so they promise not to point you toward a mediocre meal. 

Genius!

Don't forget to tip on the full amount, coupon or no coupon. You server still hustled even though you saved big. 

The best thing about Real Food Daily is you're practically guaranteed a star sighting. This time it was Jason Schwartzman (aka Max Fischer) dining with a cute blonde.

Kind of makes me want to revisit Rushmore. And the entire, super-brilliant Wes Anderson oeuvre... 

P.S. According to the website, BlackBoardEats is coming to New York City next. Stay tuned, east coasters!

Tartlet in Training

Forget all the fuss about Miley Cyrus appearing in the next Sex and the City movie. 

Instead, please send thoughts and prayers to nine-year-old Noah Cyrus, pictured here at a Halloween-themed charity event in Los Angeles. 

Today's Quiz: What's most baffling?

A) That you can buy hubba-hubba black boots in such a tiny size. 

B) That some adult who shares her last name presumably purchased this costume.

C) That nobody's quite sure what she's supposed to be, exactly.

Let's imagine for a second that your child chooses this getup. Your job as a parent is to say, "Ooh, yes, isn't that something!" then gently steer her toward just about anything else in the store. 

Tinkerbell. Princess Leia. Or a trendy vampire, even. 

Godspeed, little Noah. Your first name is the least of your concerns. 

Truly Tasteless

This little blogger has been felled by the flu -- I am tres sick! 

I haven't ruled out black plague, yellow fever, or any other epic condition normally confined to Little House on the Prairie books. 

Anyway, I've logged a few hours on the couch lately watching trashy TV and trying to recuperate. All was copacetic until...

This commercial sent me scurrying to the computer, a trail of tissues in my wake. 

Essentially, we have David Spade doing an ad for DirectTV and making snide remarks about the late Chris Farley, who appears via footage from Tommy Boy. 

In other words, Spade is trotting out his old pal to make a profit, which I find weaselly and repugnant. 

One could argue that a portion of the earnings will ultimately go to Farley's estate, or that Farley himself wouldn't have minded. 

Still, this strikes me as uncommonly crass and disrespectful. Weren't these two always billed as the best of friends?  What is wrong with people? 

Lord. If anyone needs me, I'll be under a duvet.