In the latest edition of our special series, "Today's Brilliant Buys" — the insider's guide to smarter shopping — we tackle the latest shopping challenge: must haves for fall. Before you hit the stores, we have the best fashion, beauty and home buys to add to your fall shopping list. "Today" contributor and executive editor of the new shopping magazine, Shop Etc, Charla Krupp was invited to appear on the show to share a look at the best bets. Here's her scoop with details about items shown on "Today":
What should be on your fall shopping list for fashion, beauty and your home? Here we'll tackle that shopping challenge by telling you what you need and where to buy it. Listen up, because we’re going to save you time, and save you money!
Each of the three departments in your magazine starts out with a “Love List" — a shopping list for the month. You’re going to take us through some of the “Love Lists” for fashion, home and beauty. Is the poncho on the fashion "Love List"?
Ponchos are so '60s, so boho, so back this fall. The poncho is the new pashmina. Our fashion director Kate Dimmock edited all the fall ponchos down to the one we love and it’s a classic cable knit in cashmere that comes in eight different colors by Vince. Buy it at Barneys NY for $245 (212-833-2617). The poncho is good news for all of us who are cold all the time. Toss it over jeans, a suit, a sweater.
Next, we have retro round-toe pumps. Are people really going to wear these?
With a pencil skirt, you bet. You don’t need a point to make one this fall. Round-toe pumps are the key to the ladylike look. We Love these by Marc Jacobs — they are awarded our heart symbol on the page and they are also in our store window. Crocodile and patent leather with buckle embellishments, a four-inch heel, are a work of art for $510 (Marc Jacobs Accessories Store, NYC, 212-924-6126). For $79 is the Taden at Nine West, embellished with top stitching and a bow. (Nine West nationwide, 800-999-1877 or ninewest.com) Shop Etc gives shoppers a range of prices for the same look because mixing high and low is how women shop today. As our store window this month says: Brilliant Fall Fashion from Prada to the Gap.
Moving on to the Home Department, green kitchen appliances top your It list. Why green now?
Home decor follows fashion and rich, exotic, saturated green is one of the hottest colors for fall and it will continue to be through 2006. Green is an optimistic color that symbolizes the environment, vitality, refreshment, rebirth. It hasn’t been this trendy since '70s' avocado Frigidares! The KitchenAid mix master is like a woman’s toy. You want to keep it out on the countertop in show-off position just to gaze at it, regardless of how often you bake a cake! The KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer is $300 (kitchenaid.com or call 800-541-6390).
If you’re the solo coffee drinker at home, the big news is the new one-cup only coffee maker. Melitta’s One: One Pod Brewing System is our Brilliant Buy for $50, and brews a perfect cup of gourmet coffee. The one-cup is economical: Why waste all that coffee making a pot when you really only have time for a cup? If you are having a dinner party and just one person wants decafe, you can give everyone exactly what they want. It comes with 10 pods — from French Kisses to Go Hazelnuts or Decafe — and you can buy more at 18 pods for $4.99. It also makes tea and you can find it at Bed, Bath, & Beyond (800-841-1628) or go to 1to1coffee.com.
FYI: Here’s how it works: Fill the water tank; press the start button to begin heating the water; drop in your favorite java-pod or tea-pod — and select either the 5 oz. or the 8 oz. cup. By putting in the maximum amount of water, the One Pod makes several cups of coffee; simply change the java-pods for each cup.
Tell me about the bamboo trend.
Bamboo exudes a modern, world beat of Asian-cool and it’s a very do-able trend because it’s not expensive and there are many ways to get it into your home. Bamboo not only looks beautiful, it’s also a strong and versatile material.
- You can add just a simple $38 bamboo vase from The Well Dressed Home (800-362-0415 or welldressedhome.com).
- Our heart symbol goes on a chest from Crate & Barrel that will match surprisingly well with what you already own (Malabar Chest, $699, 800-996-9960). Our Home director Kim Gieske suggests choosing darker bamboo pieces so the trend will look appropriate all year long.
- Our Brilliant Buy is the Pier 1 Bamboo Basket (800-245-4595 or pier1.com) for $100, which does double duty as a table and as quick storage for those hide-everything, company-is-coming, moments.
- The Pearl River Room Divider, $96, also works as wall art (Pearl River Mart, NYC, or 800-878-2446).
- A beautiful rug shows you that you can also get the look with a bamboo pattern. Looplife Sheer Bamboo Rug, $1,680, 917-531-5168 or info@looplife.com.
Moving on to our next department: Beauty. What do I need for fall?
Straight-up sexy, classic red lipstick should be on your list of must-haves. It looks great for day or night. When choosing the perfect red, think rich and creamy. Our Beauty director Alexandra Parnass recommends that if you're wearing red lips, tone down the rest of your makeup. Shop Etc is all about edited choices. So, attention "Today" show shoppers: Here are the five best red lipsticks for fall:
- Chanel Hydrabase Creme Lipstick in Fire, $23.50
- Clarins Le Rouge Lipstick in Passion, $21
- MAC in high bred red, $14
- The Heart goes on Chantecaille Tulipe, $24, because it always feels rich and creamy.
- The Brilliant Buy is Almay #36 at the drugstore for $7.95
Now that we know what looks good on our lips, what should we put on our nails?
We’re going to keep it really simple: either a light pale like Essie’s Power Lunch, $8 a bottle (800-232-1155) or dark red Yves Saint Laurent #4 Red Night, $16.50 at Saks Fifth Ave. Keep in mind: Light makes your nails look longer, dark makes your nails look shorter. No blue, orange, or pink nails for fall.
"Today" contributor Charla Krupp is executive editor of the new shopping magazine, Shop Etc — the magazine for the way women shop today. See for yourself in the premiere issue, on newsstands August 17.