Century 21, sales-tax-free. Via ManhattanStyle

In case you don’t follow all the intricacies of the New York State taxation system with bated breath, you should know that as of yesterday, you now don’t have to pay taxes on clothes and footwear tax-free up to $110. It’s an extension of the existing break that lets you escape the 4.5 percent sales tax on clothes; the difference now is that the state raised the cap from $55 to $110. The state has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the sales tax since it was first introduced in 2000, but it’s been put on hold a few times so the state could fix its budget problems. Of course, you could have always gamed the $55 limit by splitting your shopping into two trips. But still, spring shopping spree, anyone? [Via NYT]

Apparently, they haven't heard of Fox's.

So there’s this site called Xpatulator that runs cost of living comparisons of the 950 cities/regions worldwide where someone might move to from somewhere else. They just came out with a worldwide cost of living report, and there is one especially curious data point about Brooklyn.

Our borough is not only home to the Man Bun, but the world’s fifth most expensive place for clothing. It is pricier to buy clothes only in Minsk, Manhattan, Belarus (all areas) and Sao Paolo. Paris is #39. London is #82. Moscow, where they wear fur socks and underwear (don’t they?)  is #21. And sorry, Giorgio, lowly Milan is way down there at #264. (more…)

The way the fashion-industrial complex is frothing over the Missoni Target collabo that drops in stores on Sept. 13, you’d think that Coco Chanel herself had risen from the grave to design a honeymoon line for Kim Kardashian.

From the preview photos, this ambitious collection does look pretty zig-a-zag ha (especially the bike), but then, they all do. Seriously, have you ever seen a Target collaboration that looked as good in real life?  The Rodarte stuff looked like goth skating dresses. Anya Hindmarch’s squeaky patent pleather bags didn’t whisper Anya Hindmarch so much as scream Target. And so on.

You’d think that a budget blog would be all over these high-low fashion smashups, but allow me to air a petty grievance: they’re patronizing. (more…)

So, Brokie Brokertons, we’re soon to unleash some fashtastic new t-shirt designs by our pal Bob Bland of Brooklyn Royalty, and we’re putting our first-edition t-shirts on clearance for just ten smackers! These $10 Brokelyn t-shirts not only look spiffo and invite pleasant exchanges with strangers on the street, they also make great gifts for out-of-staters in search of street cred, particularly mall town dwellers and bible college graduates. We only have select sizes and colors left so act now or forever pay more. Getcha Brokelyn t-shirt right here!

Follow Faye: @fayepenn

Photo from Racked NY

Sort of like “cash for clunkers” for denim, Gap’s smack in the middle of an incentivized recycling program for your jeans. Bring an old pair of jeans, of any brand, to a Gap store through Wednesday, Oct. 20, and Gap will give take 30 percent off a new pair from their 1969 collection. Go one step further and “like” Gap on Facebook, and 30 percent turns to 40. The program, called Recycle Your Blues, isn’t only to refresh your drawers—all donated jeans will be used as home-insulation to keep people warm this winter. Here’s how it works, in case you can’t quite picture it. (more…)

It’s September, which means school’s back in session and Fashion’s Night Out is back for a second year. Originally created as a way to help recession-addled fashion retailers, this year’s slate of Vogue-sponsored shoptastic events spreads to Brooklyn neighborhoods like Mill Basin, Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst in addition to more expected nabes like Williamsburg and Greenpoint. You may not see the likes of Michael Kors out here (he’ll be at Bloomingdale’s), but chances are there are some stylish goings on near you: The FNO web site very conveniently lists events by neighborhood (we like the ones with booze and freebies). Here are a few of the Brooklyn shopping spots we’ll be checking out on Friday night: (more…)

Ms. Dahlia's pastries & cakes

It’s the original stomping ground of Jay-Z, Chris Rock, Lil’ Kim and that old ear-biter, Mike Tyson. It’s the showcase for epic wall art, gorgeous brownstones and some old-school, no-frills block parties. It’s Bed-Stuy. And in recent years, this chunk of Brooklyn has birthed a crop of seriously clutch (and cheap) spots to dine, drink and shop… on top of all the incredible, long-standing neighborhood staples. We know the secret’s been out for a while, but here are 10 deals we love in Bed-Stuy. (more…)

Time to part with those mini-Guccis and Gap onesies. Monk’s Trunk, a children’s resale shop opening this fall in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, wants to stock its shelves your kids’ old stuff—and they’re paying. If you’ve been saving everything of junior’s out of an over-developed sense of sentimentality, we understand… really, we do. But this is your big chance to get a little in return, because the next stop for this stuff might just be Goodwill. And Monk’s Trunk will even pick it all up. (more…)

Our standard clothing-swap photo, by Jenene Chesbrough. It has no connection to this event.

Kioka, organizer of the Brooklyn Clothing Exchange, writes in to tell us about a clothing swap in Bed-Stuy this weekend. The details:

Saturday March 13, noon – 4 p.m. at Brooklyn Public Library, Macon Branch
361 Lewis Ave. at Macon Street, Stuyvesant Heights, Brooklyn, 718-573-5606
A to Utica
B15 to Macon or B25, B26 to Lewis

Bring at least one bag of clean clothing. For other rules, see the Brooklyn Clothing Exchange’s MySpace page.

Last winter's sale. Photo by Katya Wachtel.

Warning: this post isn’t for everyone. But if you’re a designer-label obsessive and you still have disposable income (congrats!), get to bed early tonight. Tomorrow, starting at 8 a.m., is the first day of the biannual Barneys Warehouse Sale, which is the retail scrum of the year for bargain-loving fashionites, with clothing, shoes, accessories and housewares marked 50 to 75 percent off.

Bargains being a relative term, of course. Last year, on a magazine mission to find Christian Louboutins at the sale, I scouted a pair of red patent ankle-strap stilettos for $310 (originally $780), white patent wedges for $260 ($625), and camel slingbacks for $230 ($625). And so on. There were also loads of Miu Miu, Prada, Lanvin and YSL shoes, also for less than half the original prices. (more…)