I love Ponte Knit LBDs.  Ponte knit is very comfortable, easy to dress up or down, and travels like a dream!  The one downfall of Ponte Knit is if the cut is wrong for the body, it can quickly take on the look of man’s sweatshirt!  This LBD from Calvin Klein meets all my criteria.  The well tailored cap sleeve is a great detraction from a large bust.  The angled pleats are as attractive as they are flattering.  The strategically placed skinny belt will be a friend to most body types.  The back is finished off with a zipper and slit.  The length is just right for most any setting.  And thanks to the Nordstrom Half Yearly sale, this LBD will fit smartly into many budgets! 

But waste not a minute.  This perfect LBD is priced to sell and when its gone, its gone.  So, click here quickly to shop.

I did a little shopping yesterday and there are a ton of great sales.  Some of them are summer and some are early bird for Fall.  Here are just a few of the great offers at some of my affiliates. 

Stores from popular priced to the most exclusive are really downsizing their inventories.  On one hand, it makes for a much more pleasant shopping experience but it also means there is less to choose from.  Earlier in the summer, I saw significant (occasionally ridiculous) markdowns on clearance while full priced was clearly higher than the market would bear.  Now that inventory is turning over into Fall, I see a trend toward realistic price corrections.  In other words, items are priced to sell early in the season and the supply is limited. 

Enjoy these sales!  The clothes for Fall are ALWAYS my favorite! 

 There are some great pre-season sales going on as retailers look to move luxury items and boost their numbers any way they can.  Take my advice and shop them now because the inventory is not going to last.  And when it is gone, the limited inventory to replace it will be at the much lower end.   

Look at the beautiful inventory that is currently marked down in the pre-season sale at Shopbop.  New items are already 30% and limited availability and winter items are slashed as much as 70% off. 

So, why now?  Nine months ago, when the retail buyers were putting in their orders for the Spring season, no one could have predicted the dour buying mood of our country.  Things were a bit off even then but all projections were that the economy would be happily rebounding by March of this year.  Now that the prospects are not nearly so optimistic, many retailers are shuttering stores or going out of business all together.  And those who are still plowing through this retail environment are cutting their inventory, particularly of luxury merchandise. 

Just this week, GlamourByLBD caught wind of a fairly reliable rumor that Macy’s is laying off its West Coast buyers and that all purchasing with be done from the East Coast.  There has already been a noticeable reduction in the stores’ luxury merchandise so it would make sense that more cutting is on the way. 

So, what does that mean to us as consumers?  It means that for now, there will be a limited supply of luxury items available for sale and priced to move.  Sizes and styles will run low early in the season.  As we move into summer and especially fall and winter, watch for specialty items to be replaced with commodity and down market inventory.  Look for cheaper fabrics and hasty construction.  Merchandising?  Think Marshall’s on a Sunday afternoon.  Customer service will be available through specialty retailers and expert advice will be found through consultants such as GlamourByLBD. 

As the economy improves, GlamourByLBD expects that prices will go up long before quality will return, especially at the mass merchandiser level. 

There will still be some high ticket items but as consumers move away from luxury and toward comfort, look to see a lot more Uggs. One of my friends forwarded  This article from MSN Money which confirms this very trend.