FitSugar

Get Your Butt in Gear: Joe's Pila-T-Shop

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:00:03 PST

If you've been reading FitSugar, you know that I am mildly obsessed with finding functional (and cute) gear. I am not always loving the straight tank and crop pants look [boring] so when I find something fun, I like to let you guys know about it.

Joe's Pila-T-Shop makes these great shirts (tanks, tees, long sleeved, etc.) that really make a statement. No seriously, they make statements like, "Flow Like Joe" or "got powerhouse?" or "Welcome to Joe's Torture Chamber". For those of you wondering who this crazy Joe is, the shirts are referring to Joe aka Joseph Pilates, the father of Pilates (not cuppa', schmoe or husband of Mary as you may have been thinking). Anyone who has done Pilates can tell you that at times the reformer may truly seem like a torture chamber. Prices range from $25-$35, depending on which style you get and they're all quite soft, making them great to wear while doing Pilates and beyond. Buy directly from Joe's Pila-T-Shop online. To see the cute styles,

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Take on Bowser in New Super Mario Converse Kicks

Kelly Schwarze — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:12:00 PST

Get ready to battle Koopas in style as Converse Japan is planning another Super Mario Bros. shoe collaboration. The One Star Super Mario Bros. OX low-top sneaker is slated to hit Japanese retail stores this March.

Available in black or white leather, the shoe looks similar to the original design at first glance, ideal for people who aren't looking to take their video game fanaticism to the extreme. On closer inspection, you can see the Converse star logo is the star from Super Mario Bros. and the characters themselves appear in familiar midgame poses at the shoe's heel. Hit up the Converse Japan website for nostalgic eight-bit Spring gear.

Travel Tips For the Upcoming Holiday Weekend

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:45:22 PST

Traveling this holiday? Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday this year, which makes one big mess at the airport. If you can't take a car or a train, be sure to check out these packing and travel tips to make your life easier while booking flights, getting through security checkpoints, and beyond.

Booking Flights

TripIt - Once signed up for the free service, forward travel confirmation emails to TripIt, which will automatically create a master itinerary of an upcoming trip accessible through the web or a mobile device. The itineraries even include the tidbits we seem to forget like weather updates, local maps, and directions.
Google Flight Search - Book that plane ticket before prices rise any further! Google's flight search engine incorporates travel basics like price point, maximum number of connections, and preferred airline with an easy-to-use interface.
Hotel Tonight - If there are too many relatives in one house, scan the last-minute hotel deals at Hotel Tonight for a chic getaway at a discounted price. Every day three hotels in a city reveal their discounted rates starting at noon, and you then have until 2 a.m. to book the deal and take advantage of a peaceful room.
My TSA - Can homemade fruit cakes go through security? How early should you show up to the airport for a flight on the eve of Thanksgiving? Answer the pressing travel questions that could otherwise cause delays or stress by adding the TSA's free iOS app to your device. The app's airport security line estimator may become the most crucial feature on your phone when planning your airport arrival.
HearPlanet ($3) - Take the time to discover the cultural side of your holiday destination. This interactive app highlights attractions in over 300,000 locations and uses geolocation features so that you don't miss any of the nearby fun, plus it's a great excuse to get out of the house and move around in fresh air.
GasBuddy - Hitting the open road instead of the air? Use the free GasBuddy app to locate the cheapest fuel on the interstate. Show your fellow travelers some love and share the low-price gas station you discover within the app.

Gadget Essentials

iPad or Tablet - If you have the luxury of spending upwards of $500 on a tablet, it's probably the only gadget you'll need to tote during travel season since it can hold your ebooks, surf the Internet, and keep you connected.
eReader - If you're sans tablet, pack up your favorite ereader. Whether it's the latest Kindle or the new Nook Simple Touch, you can read the entire Game of Thrones series without all the paper weight.
Compact laptop - Though the MacBook Air is arguably the most popular lightweight laptop out there, there's plenty of compact PCs and ultrabooks to choose from as well.
Chargers - If you're toting all these gadgets, you're going to (obviously) need some chargers to keep things juiced. Thankfully, many airlines are offering charging stations in the terminal and even seat-side outlets on board, so you can stay 100 percent charged throughout your trip.
Headphones - Keep the roar of 35,000 feet at bay with some nice sound-isolating headphones. If you're going over-the-ear, consider Skullcandy Aviators ($149), which offer great sound and deep bass and are even comfy for those geeks who wear glasses.

Get more tips on how to pack your bag and save some dough after the break.

Rebecca Minkoff Dishes on Her Holiday Wish List, Being "Banned" From Using the Phone at Home, and More

Chi Diem Chau — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:33:53 PST

In time for the holiday shopping season, Rebecca Minkoff just released her stylish tech-savvy collection of affordable tech accessories exclusively for eBay. Psst, don't forget to leave a comment here to win your very own Rebecca Minkoff lux iPad case. After all, everyone needs a snazzy case to go with their awesome gadgets. Last night at the launch party - which included cute free manis and pedis - the designer chatted with us about being addicted to her tech gadgets, her holiday wish list, and partywear dressing tips. The proud new mommy even showed us cute pictures of her adorable son Luca - aww!

FabSugar: Your tech accessories line shows signature "Rebecca Minkoff" style. How would you describe the girl that wears your collection?
Rebecca Minkoff: We call her the "downtown romantic." She likes to be noticed for her style and her bag, but not because of the logo. When I talk to my customers, they love that they're getting stopped for the style of their bag, or their shoe and apparel, not because of some particular name.

FS: These pieces are great for holiday gifting. Speaking of presents, what's on your wish list this year?
RM: A dining room table. We're slowly renovating our apartment since we made a room for the baby, which previously didn't exist. Something modern, maybe midcentury? That's always good.

FS: What do you love to give your friends during the holidays?
RM: I love to give people things from my line, because it's usually my friends who come to me saying, "I need a new bag for my wife, help!"

Rebecca Minkoff on getting "banned" from using the phone at home, holiday styling tips, and more.

Link Time: Harry Potter Stars Pose For Band of Outsiders, Controversial Tees, and More

FabSugar — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:48:36 PDT

Harry Potter stars model for Band of Outsiders's new lookbook - InStyle
The fascinating history of the fascinator - Fashion Indie
8 tops that do the flirting for you - Refinery29
Nicholas Kirkwood gets set to open his first US store - Vogue UK
Lady Gaga slams Cathy Horyn, praises Tavi - Racked
Six great Fall bags under $600 - Purse Blog
Fashion brands air grievances about Tumblr - The Cut
ALT remembers Nick Ashford - Vogue
The 12 most controversial logo tees - The Daily Beast

How to Get a Better Deal at Your Bank

Kiplinger — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:15:35 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

Pesky bank fees aren’t just creeping up - they’re attacking from all sides. Banks impose 49 different fees, on average, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Getting paper statements in the mail will cost you $1 to $2 a month; seeing a teller could result in a $9 fee; and maintaining a checking account without meeting deposit, balance, or usage requirements could cost as much as $30 per month. Earning interest on a checking account often requires a hefty minimum balance, and yields on certificates of deposit and money market deposit accounts are minuscule.

Ironically, a big reason for the fee explosion is federal legislation designed to protect consumers from excessive fees and misleading practices. The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act and a rule that requires customers to opt in to overdraft services have reduced revenue, and banks now lose an average of $174 per year on each checking account, says Mike Moebs of Moebs Services, an economic-research firm. And banks’ coffers will also be hit by a new regulation that prevents banks with assets of $10 billion or more from charging merchants more than 21 cents each time a customer swipes a debit card (some banks will also get an allowance for fraud protection and loss).

Fortunately, free and high-interest checking accounts haven’t disappeared, and some banks will reimburse ATM fees no matter where you go.

Free checking. In 2009, 76 percent of banks offered free checking, but only 65 percent did in 2010, according to a recent Bankrate.com survey. To qualify for free checking at most banks, you’ll have to meet stiffer requirements. For example, customers of Citibank and JPMorgan Chase must have an average monthly balance of about $1,500 or keep a minimum total of $5,000 in the bank in various accounts.

Read on for more ways to get a better deal at your bank.

10 Off-Brand Products to Buy

Bundle — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:45:02 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Bundle story here on Savvy!

Two-thirds of generic foods match or beat their name-brand counterparts in taste tests, according to a report, but Americans are still hesitant to give up the familiar names or logos they love to save a few bucks. For a household that spends $100 a week on groceries, store brands can mean a savings of $1,500 a year, Consumer Reports says. Here are 10 safe bets for buying generic.

Cereal: Store-brand cereal and oatmeal don't leave you wanting better crunch or flavor. Kroger brand Frosted Shredded Wheat and Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal are always in my cabinet!
Baking supplies: Basic pantry staples like salt, baking powder, baking soda, dried milk powder, and graham cracker crumbs can be deeply discounted and don’t function or taste differently.
Cream cheese: Whether it's bricks of cream cheese for baking, or tubs of the whipped stuff for bagels in the morning, that rich, creamy flavor is identical to Philadelphia brand.
Cookie dough: Kroger cookie dough often goes on sale for about $1. Out of curiosity, I tried out a bunch of varieties - peanut butter, chocolate chip, oatmeal cranberry, and they all baked beautifully and tasted delicious.
Granola bars: Like their versions of name-brand cereal, the generics do a pretty good job. They may look a little different than Special K bars, Nature Valley Granola bars, NutriGrain bars and Chewy granola bars, but the taste is more similar than you think.

For more off-brand products to buy, read on.

Cool Idea: Carve It Up

Mandy Harris — Wed, 11 May 2011 05:00:48 PDT

Remember when you were a kid, and carving words and pictures into your school desk was an absolute no-no? Well, good news: you're a big kid now, and those rules no longer apply! As long as you do it tastefully, that is.

At Clif Winery's tasting room in Napa Valley (run by the family that invented Clif bars for cyclists), this dining table features a winding path carved into its top, an homage to the switchback-filled roads that avid cyclists often tackle. And at Homeroom restaurant in Oakland, CA, each table is engraved with the restaurant's logo, a tiny paper airplane. In both cases, the artfully done carvings add a subtle, personalized detail to otherwise plain pieces of furniture.

Try it yourself to spice up a tired piece of furniture or a flea market find: just trace your free-handed or stenciled design onto your work surface, then lightly carve into the wood with a sharp X-acto blade. If you're happy with your creation and want to preserve it, apply a stain or sealant over the design.

Peekinz Diaper Check Onesies: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:27:47 PDT

There's a move that isn't taught in baby and childcare classes, but that moms seem to perfect within days of giving birth. It involves a swift sweep of their lil one into the crook of mama's arm while the other hand simulataneously pulls out the top of the tots diaper to see if it is soiled. It is so common that most moms don't even notice they are doing it. But when tots are dressed in onesies, the diaper check runs into a roadblock.

Peekinz aims to help the nappy check process with a line of onesies and sleepwear featuring a built-in diaper check pocket. The Peekinz pocket is little more than a slit in the lower back of the garment to facilitate quick diaper checks. Available in onesie ($24) and one-piece sleeper designs ($34), the garments are adorned with the company's lil teddy bear logo.

Exclusive! Apple and MAC Team Up For MAC² Makeup

Annie Tomlin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 01:10:43 PDT

Girl geeks will soon be a-twitter about the news that cosmetics giant MAC is releasing a limited-edition makeup collaboration with Apple. In news revealed exclusively to BellaSugar, the collection of lipsticks and eye shadows - MAC², get it? - coincides with the 10th anniversary of Mac OS X and the iPod, and is launching today, on the 35th anniversary of Apple's founding.

"Like Apple, MAC likes to think different," said MAC public relations associate Donna Scherzo. "Their commitment to innovation and design pairs perfectly with MAC's tradition of pushing boundaries." Scherzo spoke at a top-secret launch event in Cupertino, which brought beauty experts and engineers together. Makeup artists offered guidance on creating three different looks, while engineers provided lessons on Objective C programming basics.

Full collection photos and more info this way.