Be still our hearts. The Outnet is open.

The Outnet is the just-launched online outlet store of Net-a-Porter, arguably the Web’s dreamiest shopping site. Its combination of designer wear, shoes and handbags is unparalleled (and hey, if you know a site that beats it, please please let us know), but the prices tend to be designer as well.

Which means The Style Insider’s brain threw a little neuron party when we saw some of the numbers on Outnet — 50 percent off, 60 percent off, 70 percent off. We have died and gone to heaven.

The designers are there — McQueen, Sui, Chloe, Choo. There’s Marc (more…)

Go to your closet. Take inventory. Did you find any stripes?

If not, you’re going to want to shop, because stripes were huge in the spring 2009 runway collections. OK, let’s revise that a little: Sometimes they were huge and other times they were tiny, but they were definitely everywhere. (Full disclosure: We actually favor polka dots. But even we must admit that stripes are fresh and fun.)

Such as this crisp strapless cotton striped dress at White House (more…)

When is shopping for spring sandals not good enough? When you stick to the same boring retailers and see the same names from season to season.

Cease and desist, we say. Here are 10 cute pairs of sandals, from 10 excellent Web sites that you may have never seen before. Some of them aren’t completely outside the box, but we bet you haven’t seen them all. (And if you’re a fashion blogger, you don’t count.)

Here’s what we are excited about: (more…)

In the aftermath of the fall 2009 runway shows in Paris, we have searched through the rubble and come up with five things worth looking at again:       

1. Thigh-high boots. They’re everywhere, they’re black, they’re brown, they’re laced, they’re skin tight and there’s something amazingly sexy about them. Sometimes they look like leather leggings. Putting them on could be a little tricky. How many times have you struggled with a regular pair of tight boots? We loved them from Stella McCartney (and they’re not even leather!), Chloe, Hermes and Vuitton.   

2. This Balenciaga outfit — a shimmering crystal top and a soft, draped and pleated satin skirt. In case you didn’t know, Nicholas Ghesquiere’s designs are hot, and this is the signature look from the fall show. We love the soft, perfectly draped-at-the-hip rich satin skirt, and that shirt is a crystal-laden killer. Unfortunately, we’ve heard the top alone will cost more than $50,000. So we probably won’t be wearing that one this autumn.  (more…)

Break into the piggy bank.

Followers of The Style Insider know that we are over the top about Net-A-Porter, the online site that sells all manner of designer clothes, handbags, shoes and accessories. Their list of designers is exhaustive, whether American or European; it’s where you’ll find everything from Prada sunglasses to Herve Leger bandage dresses, from Alice + Olivia to Zac Posen. Their boutiques-within-the-site include Salon, Cutting Edge, Contemporary, Essentials, Loungewear and Vacation; each has scrumptious selections that are perfect for one mood or the other.

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We got a glimpse. It was quick. We have a grainy picture yanked from a BBC video. We can’t really see it clearly.

And because we are hopelessly obsessed with handbags, a glimpse was enough to send us wheeling through the internet, trying to find something akin to the black patent leather purse Michelle Obama carried on Saturday’s train trip from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.

(Do we know that more important things are at stake here, you ask? A bigger picture, a global view, a grand plan? Of course we do. But since we have no details as yet on the inauguration gown, we are making do with this.)             

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It’s winter. We know this. We have moved through denial and into acceptance. But we are tired of clouds and dark neutral fabrics. We want sunshine, and color for the sake of color. We need a handbag that doesn’t pout, one that announces our arrival with glee. So, we bring you bags in the spectrum of the rainbow, which brighten your winter wardrobe and bring a promise that spring is in the wings.

At first blush:

Prada’s pink nylon bow clutch ($636, was $795, above) at Bluefly.

Jimmy Choo’s fuschia pleated satin Cent bag ($796, was $995, left) at Bluefly.

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