style setter

Work It Wednesdays: Take your savings to the Maxx!

Well ladies and gents, we are officially into the New Year, which means we’ve survived yet another holiday season! Yeahhh!!! But, as much as I would love to revel in this great victory it is with great somber that I reflect upon it, as unfortunately I lost a few good soldiers on the “shopping battlefield”. Privates Jefferson, Franklin, and Lincoln; your bravery and valor will not be forgotten, as you all put up a valiant fight to stay inside my wallet. You will all be sorely missed. 🙁

So as February begins, and we slowly embark on the upcoming Spring/Summer shopping season, let’s honor our fallen comrades by…doing a little bit of shopping! Yep. But, not just any bargain binging…No, no, no. This my lovelies, is gonna require a more strategic plan of attack; and I know just the place to wage this “war on retail”. Are you with me? Let’s go!!!

Danielle and Lexi striking a pose

Last month I was invited to an event called “New Year, New You” at the T.J.Maxx store at Perimeter Center in Dunwoody, which was being hosted by Lexi (LexiWithTheCurls) of Curls, Coils & Kinks and Danielle Gray of The Style & Beauty Doctor. The event brought out some of Atlanta’s hautest fashionistas and beauty bloggers, and featured “magnificently marked-down merchandise” (try saying THAT more than once) for the beauty and fashion maven with designer tastes, but a not-so-designer budget. I had the pleasure of meeting both Lexi and Danielle a few days prior as they hosted an event at Sole Atlanta in Atlantic Station to wrap up 2011. We had such a fabulous time at the Sole Atlanta event that I knew this one would be even more fab!

Hey ladies; It's savings time!

Danielle kicked off the event from within The Runway at T.J. Maxx, which is T.J. Maxx’s exclusive department filled with the same contemporary, Italian and couture fashions that you’d see in upscale department stores and boutiques, but for up to 65% off their prices. No worries…I’ll give you a few moments before we continue so you can pick your jaw up from the floor. 😀 So, you’re telling me I can get designer fashions for well over half off the price of retail stores? This was definitely a “What you talkin bout Willis!” moment. 😀 Danielle went on to explain that T.J. Maxx/Marshalls fills each of their stores with over 10,000 new items each week, so shoppers will always have the latest selection of the hautest trends for the season. Oui Oui Oulala… C’est Magnifique!!! (Thank Rosetta Stone for that one) 😛

Danielle shows us how super the savings are at T.J. Maxx

So after we regained consciousness 😀 , Danielle presented a few pieces that she pulled from the racks a bit earlier to show us what type of styles and designer selections that were at our fingertips. A few of her fabulous finds were a Chloe shoulder bag marked down to $799 from $1,299, a Z Spoke Ostrich skin bag, and a pair of red pumps (sorry, didn’t get the name of these beauties ;-(, but as you can see they are super haute!).

WOW!!! This Chloe shoulder bag is marked down from $1299 to $799.

This Z Spoke Ostrich skin bag is too fab!

Aren't these beauties super haute!?

Lexi shows the ladies all the name brand beauty finds at discount prices

Next up was Lexi who informed the ladies that T.J. Maxx/Marshalls also carries name brand beauty, hair care, skin care and even makeup products at…you guessed it, up to 60% off their retail prices! And you can even find items that are slashed even more, so the savings just keep on coming!

Let the bidding wars begin!

After we got the skinny on all the deals and discoveries to be found at T.J. Maxx, it was time for a game of “The Off-Price is Right”, where the contestant who comes the closest to the discounted price of a select item, won the item. On the bidding block was a cook book, a DKNY wallet, and Jennifer Lopez Glamour parfum. I must say, the bidding was rather intense and could easily rival that of Storage Wars alum Dave Hester and Darryl Sheets’ classic battles. 😀 But, as with all contest there can be only be one winner (in this case several), and a few lucky ladies walked away with the coveted prizes.

And in the spirit of competition, Danielle invited all guests to participate in a fashion challenge whereby each guest was instructed to put together a head-to-toe outfit to be judged by most stylish at least price, with the winning ensemble to receive a $25 T.J. Maxx gift card. Sounds simple, right? Well, participants were given a mere 12 minutes to pull it off. Talk about pressure… And with the vast selection of fabulous items at our disposal, this was definitely gonna be a “challenge’.

So off we went like a pack of ravenous she-wolves in search of the nights catch. And, our delightful prey was hanging from the racks right before us. This was beginning to look a little too easy as all of us were seasoned bargain hunters and knew a thing or two about rack surfing. 😛

Times up ladies!

Check out this cute ensemble that I put together

Well, it was now time to see what we each of the ladies came back with. All of the ladies did a fabulous job of put together cute outfits. I found a classy Ralph Lauren dress that I paired with a purple cardigan sweater, a cute beaded necklace, and a pair of scorchin hot Jessica Simpson patent-leather pumps. Smokin!!! And, because ALL the ladies’ picks were so fab, the judges would choose three winners to each receive a $25 gift card. And the winners are…Eboni (Fashionista Next Door), Tia (If I Were a Brit Girl), and Tiffani (Taste Maker Magazine)! But, after the lucky winners were announced, Danielle, in classic “Oprah-style”, surprises everyone by announcing “You get a gift card, and you get a gift card, and you get a gift card!” (Insert dramatic fainting) 😀 Each of us received a $25 T.J. Maxx gift card!!! YEAHHH!!!

Thanks Lexi and Danielle for such a wonderful and fun-filled event! I had a great time mixing and mingling with all of the fab bloggers, and discovering all the super deals and fashion finds at T.J. Maxx/Marshalls. I’ve been a frequent shopper at T.J. Maxx for quite a while now, and I will continue to take my savings to the Maxx!

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At 1:11 in this video you can see me just before I mow the videographer over in search of a fabulous find for my ensemble. Notice the camera flip as the videographer eats the floor. Hey, everyone knows not to stand between a shopanista and a sale! I’m just sayin… 😛