Enter to win your $1,000 Wish List
Just in Time for the Holidays! December 4th, 2011 By

The contest is now closed. Congrats to our big winners:
$1000 Grand Prize Winner: Tiny Closet!
$500 1st Prize Winners: The Style Evolution and Runner 37!
$250 2nd Prize Winners: stwood123, Dk211, and elfina!

Win Your $1000 Wishlist
Win Your $1000 Wishlist

Here’s what you need to do to win:

  • 1

    Create a Beso account or sign in.

  • 2

    Build your wish list collection.

    *TIP: Search around the site and start favorite-ing items (by
    clicking the little hearts), then start building your collection. Click the “My Favorites” text and start adding to your wish list! (take a peek)

  • 3

    Share it with us!

    Leave a comment below with a *link to your collection*.

  • Like us for winner announcement. Winners selected via Random.org. Open to US residents, age 18+. Contest ends 12/23. One entry per person,

    Contest Rules. No purchase necessary. Privacy Policy

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Ellie Rountree’s
Top Tech Items October 14th, 2011 By

ellie rountree top 10 techellie rountree, the 11 tech items that make my life infinitely easier, l-r: X-MINI II PORTABLE SPEAKER, $29.90, available at X-mini; GO PRO CAMERA, various prices.

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Drumroll… Find out who won
the Burberry Trench! October 12th, 2011 By

Thank you all for entering the Win An Iconic Burberry Trench Giveaway. Reading through all the of the entries was truly a heartfelt experience. Some of them made me laugh, and a few were just so sweet I may have teared up a bit too (read: this).

But the winning fall memory I chose was from Bridget D.  I loved her creativity and the idea that her mom pretended that she didn’t notice the glittery leaves in her front yard. Such a fun memory. She wrote, “Growing up in Plano, TX the leaves didn’t change colors. When we were little, a girlfriend and I decided to paint leaves orange, red, and yellow and sprinkle them in my yard because we wanted to truly experience Autumn. After we put our faux leaves out, we asked my Mom if she had seen the leaves were changing!?! She played along, letting us think we had tricked her. Later, I found the leaves saved in my “memory box” and a note my mom wrote saying “Bridget thought she could trick us with her pretend leaves. However, due to her glitter addiction, the glitter paint made them slightly less believable!” A great memory making them, even funnier finding them later.”

Congratulations and enjoy your gorgeous trench!
~Emily

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CicLAvia x Poketo October 9th, 2011 By

We’re excited to talk about Poketo (a store that brings art into your everyday via great design) and their work with CicLAvia, an event that raises money for outdoor-lovin’ Angelenos. Today many of the most congested L.A. streets will be blocked off for bikers, walkers, runners and skateboarders to experience a car-free city for a couple of hours.

For this collaboration, Poketo is introducing some really great products influenced by active living. The Poketo wallet features skateboards, bikes and walking figures, while the t-shirts rep bikers through and through. You can buy them at all the rest stops at CicLAvia, today, from 10am-3pm.

coolin_teecilavia_folded

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Irrationally Obsessed:
Emma Bridgewater Pottery September 26th, 2011 By

Many years ago, I did a guide to shopping Atlanta, and found myself spending an inordinate amount of time at Star Provisions, which is hands-down, one of the first spots I would ever want to transport to my neighborhood. Part sandwich shop, part candy store, part butcher, part cheese shop, part gift boutique, and part restaurant (in fact there are many different restaurant franchises), I ate, all in, six meals here (in about four days). I also spent a lot of money on home goods: It’s like the greatest hits of table-centric wonders, all arranged in otherworldly displays. There’s Heath Ceramics, there’s Lotta Jansdotter, and there’s Emma Bridgewater.

Oh, Emma Bridgewater. The ceramics-heavy line is based in the UK, which means there isn’t nearly enough of her stuff available here. Do you guys see why I love it so much? Particularly, the bird-centric mugs. I want all of them (and this coming from a person who has 25+ mugs…I know this, because I just had to take inventory for our move across the country).

clockwise l-r: EMMA BRIDGEWATER PUFFIN MUG, $33.50, Distinctive-Decor.com;  EMMA BRIDGEWATER BLUE TIT MUG $33.50, Dragonfly Dry Goods; EMMA BRIDGEWATER PEACHES & APPLES MUG, $45.99, Joanna Hudson Basics; EMMA BRIDGEWATER TINS, $41.24 (set of three), Joanna Hudson Basics.

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Win an iconic
burberry trench! September 26th, 2011 By

Win an Iconic Burberry Trench

CONTEST IS CLOSED. Read the winning memory here!

It’s a splurge ($995 + tax), so why not let
us buy this wardrobe workhorse for you?

ENTRY RULES
  • Create an account, or simply log in.
  • Like us on Facebook (tell a friend!).
  • Share a story of your favorite memorysurrounding fall weather in the comments below. You must include your Beso nickname to qualify!

Emily will read and select her favorite shared fall memory. Winner will be announced on Oct 12th on our Facebook fan page. Good Luck!

My favorite memory: I grew up in San Francisco, so we never got snow days where we got to skip school because of bad weather. But one year in the fall, it rained for so many days straight, that when we got to the school, it was literally under a foot of water. So a few of my best friends came back to my house and we had the ultimate day at home. We watched movies, drank hot chocolate, did our nails, and read magazines.

Emily

Contest Rules. No purchase necessary.

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Instant Collection:
Enamel Travel Charms September 23rd, 2011 By

Many years ago, while visiting a lowkey flea market near Aix-en-Provence, I found a small bucket of enameled charms, each bearing the name of a French region. Obviously, because I tend to buy in bulk particularly when I travel (you’ll never find the items again!), I bought all of them (they were a Euro each, and because I bought him out, the kind gentleman gave me an extra-good deal). I still wear a couple of them—mixed in with other similarly-sourced charms—nearly every day, and the rest I gifted to friends. Enameled travel charms aren’t particularly difficult to find on eBay, it’s true, but there’s something about finding them in situ that made them feel hard-won.

Anyway, these enameled travel charms have lived quietly around my neck for years: And somehow, I’ve never seen anyone else wearing them. Until now: Yellow Owl Workshops, purveyors of adorable stamp kits and stationery, are doing their own variation on the theme, namely this California-centric pendant. Cute, right? Seems like a good time to start adding to my collection. (Admission: While writing up this post, I found a Montana charm on eBay and bought it.)


clockwise l-r: VINTAGE ENAMEL TRAVEL CHARM, $29.95, eBay; VINTAGE ENAMEL TRAVEL CHARM, $29.95, eBay; CALIFORNIA PENDANT, $44.00, Yellow Owl Workshop; AIR/WATER PENDANT, $44.00, Yellow Owl Workshop.

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A note about these
Carriere Freres Candles September 23rd, 2011 By

So we have a little item on Carrieres Freres Candles over on our newly redesigned home landing page (like it?), and I just wanted to give them some more context, because these are hands-down, the prettiest candles I’ve ever seen in person and I cannot believe that they’re not ubiquitous over here in the states. Get them now before they are so that you can impress all of your friends! (And if any boutique owners are reading, shove aside that basket of Hanky Panky thongs at your cash wrap and sell these instead!)

To give credit where credit is due, I saw these for the first time at the very beautifully conceived and executed Old Faithful Store in Vancouver’s Gastown, which felt a lot like London’s famed Labour & Wait. They both specialize in gorgeous renditions of everyday items. If you’re ever kicking around Vancouver, check it out: There’s a ton of excellent nearby shopping, too.

clockwise l-r: CARRIERE FRERES GARDENIA CANDLE, $45.00, Candleluxury.com; CARRIERE FRERES FIG TREE CANDLE, $45.00, Candleluxury.com; WIRE BASKET, $25.00, Old Faithful Shop; TWINE STAND WITH SCISSORS, $20.95, Old Faithful Shop.

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What’s your shopping
Achilles’ Heel? September 23rd, 2011 By

My husband and I often find ourselves meandering the aisles at our nearby Target Greatlands every Sunday: For, you know, kitty litter, John Freida Brilliant Brunette shampoo, and Archer Farms pita chips and roasted almonds (their house brand rocks!). Invariably, we keep wandering (PlayStation games! Notebooks! Jewelry Cleaner!) until we’ve amassed at least $150 worth of stuff. Without fail. Lately, the same thing seems to be happening at Lululemon (where, granted, you can hit that mark with just two or three things). Everytime I go in, or click around on their site, I end up with some new cropped tights (I own EIGHT pairs already, and these things don’t seem to wear out), and a jewel-toned top. Rob buys Core shorts faster than I can wash them, and will now only wear Lululemon No Show Socks, because they don’t slip. Know what’s also awesome about Lululemon (besides the fact that their tights are super slimming and flattering)? Shipping is always free. So, spill: What’s your shopping Achilles’ heel?

Lululemon, clockwise l-r: LULULEMON ATHLETICA X-LONG RACERBACK TANK, $48.00, Lululemon Athletica; LULULEMON ATHLETICA DEEP BREATH TANK, $58.00, Lululemon Athletica; LULULEMON ATHLETICA RUN: INSPIRE CROP, $86.00, Lululemon Athletica; LULULEMON ATHLETICA CORE SHORTS, $58.00, Lululemon Athletica.

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Alexa Chung for Madewell
Goes Live! September 22nd, 2011 By

There seems to be as much frenzy surrounding the British style icon’s second capsule collection for Madewell as there was for the Missoni Target collab: Point being, the Alexa Chung mini-collection is probably going to sell out fast. If this is your idea of the best thing ever, shop now. Now, now. Otherwise you’ll be hunting eBay for the piece that got away, and paying twice the price.

 

I’m keeping an eye on this bias-cut silk skirt. I own a lot of silk skirts, and have to say that they’re a pain to keep clean—they show every wrinkle and drop of water—but, what can I say, they’re a bit of a siren song for me. And I need cords: I may be shedding the fall of New York for the perma-72-degree-weather of LA, but I still want to embrace the change of seasons in small ways.

l-r: ALEXA CHUNG FOR MADEWELL GRANDMA SKIRT : $180.00; ALEXA CHUNG FOR MADEWELL THORA CORDS: $110.00, available at Madewell.

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My long, complicated love affair
with Pendleton September 21st, 2011 By

Growing up in Montana, Pendleton blankets were just part of the natural fabric of life: After all, the ages-old (1863) company was just a stone’s throw away over in Oregon (where they have the last two mills on American soil…true fact!). You see, when I was a kid, we didn’t even have a Gap (nearest location was three-hours away in Spokane, Washington, to which we made a twice-yearly pilgrimage). Real shopping missions happened in Seattle or Portland or via the J.Crew catalogue (which explains my life-long addiction to catalogues, something we’ll get into later). It’s pretty crazy how dramatically the shopping scape has changed, huh? I mean, I’m not that old! But I digress: I’ve had pretty mixed feelings watching the fashion crowd embrace Pendleton these past few years (Opening Ceremony, Lindsey Thornburg…), since I used to feel like it was one of my little secrets. But, the shapes get better and better. Case in point, the Pendleton Portland Collection, which is just hitting stores this fall: The company partnered with three local Portland designers (Nathaniel Crissman, Rachel Turk and John Blasioli), and they’ve turned out some pretty kick-ass ponchos, dresses, and jackets. In stores soon (but this poncho is available at Wink now).

And speaking of my catalogue addiction: Pendleton’s ranks as one of my favorites. I will be ordering these Chief Joseph plates (own the blanket), this non-Pendleton looking, but still rad ikat lamp (can’t get enough ikat).

pendleton l-r: CHIEF JOSEPH SALAD PLATE: $76.00 (set of four); PETITE PARO TABLE LAMP AND IKAT SHADE: $238.00, available at Pendleton.

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eBay’s Fashion Outlet: Discounts Without the Outlet September 20th, 2011 By

I’ve heard that outlet malls are purposefully placed in the middle of nowhere so shoppers will be more inclined to purchase – after all, you drove all that way and gotta leave with something. Enter: eBay’s Fashion Outlet. Instead of hours of driving for discounts, you can simply save, and saving is pretty tantamount to my personal happiness.

ebay fashion outlet
eBay’s Fashion Outlet is a more curated eBay shopping experience, boasting clothes and accessories from deeply adored brands like Rachel Roy and Free People, but also a good way to get discounts on lesser known, but inarguably cool brands like Akiko, Ali Ro and Fluxus. You can see the full list of brands and stores participating in eBay’s Fashion Outlet here.

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