Fashion & Trends

Last weekend I had the opportunity to participate in the Vaughan Mills New Media Challenge. Basically, I was given $100, an hour, and told to find the best deal in the mall. Then I had to present my buy to the Vaughan Mills Style Agents for a chance at the prize of a $500 gift card.

I didn't win, but I did come away with definite ideas about how to shop an outlet mall. Whether you're crossing the border to take advantage of the strong loonie and the U.S.'s extremely good outlet malls or going to one of the local outlet malls, there are certain actions you can take to ensure you find what you want and you don't waste your time and your money.

Every year it's the same question - what to get Mom for Mother's Day. With my mother, it usually goes like this:

Me: "Mom, what do you want for Mother's Day?"

Mom: Tells me what she's eyeing. Which I then buy for her.






Pretty simple because I'm an adult and can buy my mother what she wants. But what about the mothers with young children? The kids are too young to have disposable income and aren't going to buy anything.

So it's up to their partner to do the shopping. Here are some suggestions for the young mom.

Note there is no jewelry, candy or flowers on the list. We've assumed you've bought that already.

Ah. Facebook deals.

I'm very suspicious of them, but at least they're better than the awful "see who's viewing your profile" spam that is going around today. Therefore, I've softened enough to post the following Facebook-based discount:

If you click this link to Old Navy's Facebook page, you can print a coupon that's good for 30% off a single item. As far as I can tell, you don't actually have to "like" Old Navy to get the coupon (huzzah!).

The deal expires on May 12 and is only valid for in-store purchases.

In our last blog post we looked at how to revive sweaters and suede shoes and when to toss them. After all, we all like to save money but that doesn't mean looking dishevelled; it just means choosing where to spend and where to save.

So what else in your wardrobe could do with a little TLC?

It's that time of the year. We look at our closets, sigh and decide we have nothing to wear. Wait! Before you go and spend money on the latest looks, and we're not telling you not to, take some time to do a little TLC on your current wardrobe. Just a few tips and tricks can extend the life of your wardrobe by a few seasons and save you cash.

We'll start with sweaters and shoes in this article. In Part Two we'll look at other wardrobe workhorses.

Clearly Contacts is having another massive online giveaway: 10,000 free eyeglasses are up for grabs starting at 9 a.m. P.D.T. today (April 25).

How to get yours:

1. Visit the Facebook Page and click on the 'Free Glasses' tab on the left side of the page.
2. Click the "like" button to reveal the coupon code or if you've already "liked" Clearly Contacts, the code will be displayed when you click on the tab.
3. Visit the website and select a pair of glasses.
4. Starting at 9am PDT, place your order and enter the coupon code at checkout to get your free pair of glasses.

Here is the fine print: "free glasses" means the frame and standard 1.5 index lenses. All upgrades including coatings, progressives, bifocals, tints, and high index lenses are not included.

Shipping and handling will be approximately $10 - $15 and there is a limit of one pair per household. If you've received free glasses from Clearly Contacts in the past, you're not eligible for this giveaway.

Walletpop is the last blog that needs to tell you that April is the last month to file your taxes. We get an amazing amount of editorial mileage off of the necessary evil of this process. Unequivocally, it's a process most people find extremely boring and either don't want to do, or unable to do themselves. Add to that, there is absolutely no incentive for filling early. Sure, you'll get your money a little faster, but the Canada Revenue Agency has been sitting on your money for a year. If you owe money, obviously you're going to wait until the last possible moment to file.

But what if the people who filed early three years in a row, automatically received an extra year of compounding interest on their RRSP? What if the CRA then put you on a leader-board of early filers to encourage those in your social circle to do the same?

These ideas are an example of gamification, a business philosophy that's catching fire across multiple consumer industries. Gamification is a principal that applies the same mechanics inherent in video games (levels, rewards, points, challenges, rankings and manufactured friction) to non-game industries in an effort to produce a deeper level of engagement with consumers.

If you ask Gabe Zichermann, Gamification's most visible proponent and the author of Game-Based Marketing and Gamification By Design, whether it's possible that gamification could make the consumer experience as addicting as a video game? He will tell you, "It's not possible, it's probable and it's exactly what businesses want," and as the top consultant in the area, Zichermann's just the man to help them do it.

Toronto native Gabe Zichermann is the world's most visible champion of a business philosophy called gamification.

Basically, it's when the mechanics used in video games such as levels, rewards, points and friction are applied to non-game consumer environments in order to produce either, deeper engagement and brand loyalty, or to solve problems.

He's written two books on the subject, Game-Based Marketing and the upcoming Gamification by Design (2011).

He consults with major business heavyweights including Google, MTV and the New York Times on how they can increase the stickiness of their own brands through gamification. Zichermann also is the chair of the Gamification Summit and editor of the industry's leading publication, The Gamification Blog.

In the following, Zichermann reveals what kinds of fun and engaging ideas consumers can see now and in the future. So, by the end of this post you'll know...it's a gamified world, you're just living in it.

Ladies - shall we be honest about our shoes?

It really doesn't matter how many shoes we own. We can justify any pair of shoes - those sexy little sandals for warm temps, the perfect shoes with that dress for the wedding or those must-have boots that were SO discounted, it would have been a crime to not bring them home.

We're not giving up on shoes anytime soon. But curious about how much that part of the closet is really worth?

According to a new survey from ShopSmart Magazine, published by Consumer Reports, the average woman owns 17 pairs of shoes and pays around US$49 per pair.

The bottom of the closet = $833.00, but, women on average wear only three pairs of shoes on a regular basis. So why is there more than $600 worth of shoes in most of our closets?