Ah, summer time. Cookouts. Weekend afternoon parties. Long, warm evenings in friends' backyards. It's the season for sundresses, bare legs and pretty pedicures.

This adds up to a deep need for new sandals.

A sensible woman would get something neutral and comfortable, a pair you can wear anywhere, with anything.

Yeah. Well, good for them.

We want these crazy 4" 4.25" high, green, wooden wedge heels with a hole in the middle of them. They look moderately uncomfortable and totally hard to walk in. L-o-v-e at first sight.

They live at Target, and will come home with us for $19.99. At least we won't need to use rent money to pay for them, unlike the $700 peach suede Prada sandals smirking at us over at Neiman Marcus.

Oh, how we love a fabulous cocktail ring. It's such an easy way to add instant glamor to an outfit, and it just begs for you to make dramatic gestures with your hands while talking. And, while you can always get a fake ring, it's always nice to have something real tucked away in your jewelry box, too.

In an attempt to grab a bigger piece of the younger trendier market, it looks like Nordstrom has decided to finally take part in the whole social networking thing. Over the last couple of weeks, Nordstrom has been quietly launching its first ventures into the worlds of Facebook and Myspace.

Surprised? It's for their BP section, so it's probably a better idea than it sounds like at first. Their Myspace page is literally covered up in images of Pete Wentz and his hoodies -- just to give you an idea of what they're going for.

This dress isn't for the faint of heart, nor for the thick of waist. Young Fabulous and Broke takes just about the most feared design elements known to dresses and puts them into the Striped Shirt Dress.

As if wide, horizontal stripes weren't enough, the stripes are ever so eye-catching in a deep brick color and high contrast cream. With viscose and Lurex, the material will show every - ahem - curve on your body. The sleeves are bracelet length, which make them easier to wear for work, but the shortened sleeves will make short arms looks shorter. But hey. if you've got it, flaunt it, whatever it is.

Available from Neiman Marcus on sale for $140.

If you only wear the affordable GO! collections at Target and love shopping at H&M, watch out. It might get a little more crowded this year.

That's because "luxury" shoppers aren't shopping as much at their usual high-end stores.

According to BusinessWeek, stores like Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus saw tiny Holiday increases in sales, if not a drop, this past season, and are expecting a major slowdown. Retail expert Patricia Pao says, "Everyone's shopping for the bare necessities, and people have stopped treating themselves."

If you work in a casual office environment and want to stand out, instead of trying to out-do your colleagues with clever graphic tees, you might trying dressing up a little.

In fact, you may even want to try wearing a tie every once in awhile.

For that, I suggest these Psycho Bunny ties from Neiman Marcus. While they're probably not suitable for the young lawyer on partner track, these would be perfect for an office where you can untuck your shirt, roll up your sleeves, and show up in jeans and your favorite pair of Converse All-Stars.

But be careful -- if you go too dressy, the ties will only look weird. Nobody wants to be the office loser, who sucks up and takes his job way too seriously.

[via NOTCOT]

If nothing else, friends, nothing at all, the Lace Crocheted Dress must be had purely for the sheer discount on it from Neiman Marcus. It was $1,095. Yes, that's one thousand ninety five dollars, but is now on Last Call Clearance over Neiman's - get ready for this...

$306.

Luckily, See by Chloe's Lace Crocheted Dress is actually gorgeous making that $306 a pretty little steal. , Though it's sheer and made of crocheted lace, a very spring/summer look, the cream color makes it workable for the transition into fall. Just throw on some super lightweight tights underneath, a pair of gold Mary Janes, and you're set for the rest of September.

When I think of slipping into a shirtdress, well, I usually don't even think of "slipping," because a shirtdress is usually fashioned like a man's button down shirt -- not something into which you "slip."

But the Shirtdress by James Perse is definitely something soft and comfortable because it's so named after a t-shirt, not a button down shirt. The dress is 98% cotton (2% spandex to give it that stretch), shaped like a t-shirt with a V-neck that has a slight drape. There are two patch pockets.

The dress is on sale at Neiman Marcus for $87, down from $145!

Time flies when you are spending your hard earned cash on designer duds. Neiman Marcus is currently celebrating their 100th anniversary. What does Neiman's want for such an occasion? Your money of course, but they are offering designer exclusives in exchange. Fair enough.

Neiman Marcus has teamed up with their favorite brands and created some gorgeous limited edition pieces available only at Neiman's. From shoes to apparel, they have all bases covered. Some of the stand outs include:

Prada's limited edition purple leather atomizer, Bobbi Brown's $650 14k gold brush set, Estee Lauder's jeweled butterfly perfume compact, Gien fashion plates, Prada's crocodile clutch, Chloe's embellished tunic dress, Stella McCartney's bustier dress, Ralph Lauren's black label dress, and for the men a pair of Prada shoes.

These items can only be purchased at Neiman's so get them while you still can. Just imagine, you will be part of fashion history.

I have to admit, I have been a little unfair in my daily pick of a dress. I have knowingly excluded a certain type of dress, and not just once. I'm not exactly sure what it is about the dress or why I am so exclusive, since I have never even worn one.

But today is the day I let the Kimono Dress into the club. I still won't wear one, but that shouldn't stop anyone else from slipping into the 100% silk brown and tan floral print kimono dress by Vivienne Tam. I think I am okay with this dress because the print is far more subtle than the bright red and pink cherry blossom prints I'm used to seeing. The dress features solid black satin trim on the short sleeves, empire waist, and the deep V-neckline. Perfect for matching black shoes -- I am thinking you should definitely stay away from white tube socks and flipflops on this one.

The Kimono print dress is on sale at Neiman Marcus for $244.

Devotees of the cosmetics counters may want to chose the next week or so to make their purchases. Neiman Marcus is holding their Beauty Event. This time they are offering a bright pink tote with seven samples free with any $85 cosmetics or fragrance purchase. The samples include a lychee sugar lotion from Fresh, a sample packet from Kiehl's with lotion and body wash, a Lancome mascara, Natura Bisse Glyco Peel, a sample of Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue Eau de Parfum, a small Neiman Marcus verbena soap and a Valentino Rock 'N Rose Eau de Parfum sample. The promotion ends March 11.

It's a long weekend, ladies and gents, and the options are endless. However, if you're the least bit like me, the idea of a perfect weekend "escape" is actually staying exactly where you are. The days are crazy busy and the last thing I want to do is get all chaotic trying to plan a quick trip, packing, travelling, just to spend one day somewhere before having to return home. I'd rather just stay in the warm, comfort of my own home. Real relaxation for me is wearing the same luxurious loungewear all weekend, maybe doing a little something decadent for my skin and hair, and curling up in a cashmere throw with a good book, a good man, or both.

Assuming that the first thing you're going to do when you wake up -- and that's when you wake up naturally, without the buzzing of an alarm clock -- is eat a decadent breakfast of French toast stuffed with cream cheese and fresh fruit (cooked by someone else), let's say the second thing you do i jump into the shower to buff your skin with diamonds. The diamond-infused beauty body set is actually made of tiny pulverized diamonds -- pure luxury.

I don't usually point out dresses are well, well, well above my budget because really now -- it hurts me to see such a beautiful thing that I know I can get in a similar style at say...H&M. Nonetheless, the Chloe Jacquard Dress deserves a little attention because it's so unique.

The dress is a shirt dress style in 100% brown and white raw silk that's woven into a jacquard print. The white trim, ivory and gold buttons, and inverted pleats at the bust and waist give it a crisp look, and the beginning of an A-line silhouette with a slight puff make it feminine. You could throw on a pair of brown and white peep-toe spectator style pumps.

Chloe's Jacquard dress is $1,800 at Neiman Marcus,

As much as I love Diane von Furstenberg's ladyhawk-style dresses, I try not to gush over them too much because I wouldn't want to bore you all to death with a wrap dress every day.

However, I could not pass up on this gorgeous black dress in the timeless wrap design. The dress features a 100% pure silk satin on top with slightly longer than ¾" sleeves, and pure wool knit skirt on the bottom. The dress was originally $25, but in the Last Call Sale at Neiman Marcus, it is $213. At that price, you have to get a pair of black platform peep-toe heels.

Since Thursday is the new Friday, we need a dress today that's going to the office first, then off to meet the girls at that new lounge on the Westside.

So maybe you wouldn't actually wear Phoebe Couture's Pleated Dress to work. The dress is 100% black sheer silk with a wide open square neckline that has shoulder straps, and short, puffed sleeves. The dress has a tonal underlay and tonal satin stripes. The loose empire waistline folds into small pleats, but the skirt is straight.

With a pair of sheer black tights and big black platform heels, you'll be fabulously comfortable.

Phoebe Couture's Pleated Dress is on sale at Neiman Marcus for $175, originally $350.