Leggings in warmer weather, think of these as tights, please!

Leggings are still everywhere, and this is a trend and a look we love. But there are a lot of ways to go wrong, here, too. Here are a few tips - number one, for most people these are not PANTS! Unless you're 6 feet tall and 2 percent body fat, these are layering items, yes, even if they have cute pockets stitched on the rear. Think mid-thigh tunics, mini dresses, mini skirts, these are all fun things to wear over your leggings. For most people, cover your buns and please wear something that comes past the front of your lady parts!

For spring/summer, shoes can be confusing with leggings. In the winter, it was clear that you'd look good in boots. We advise flats or low heels, ankle boots can be cute, but guard against the stilletto heel and/or bulky ankle boot that makes your ankles look thick. This results in your legs looking like tree trunks, or like lollipop sticks coming out of crazy booties!

Finally, please don't confuse leggings with footless tights, for pity's sake. We see how it can happen, the tights can be very opaque, leggings are tight...but tights often have control top-type ribbing at the top of the leg, or patterns that end in a band of re-inforced stitching at the top of the thigh. If you can see this below your shirt, this is a no-no. You are not wearing any pants, girl, and unless your name is Gaga, don't leave the house without pants!

Traxx, How do we Love Thee...

Let us count the ways... Have you been in to see the spring stock yet at Traxx? Find them on 8th St, such great stuff that you don't see elsewhere. We are big suckers for the Miz Moos, and the spring shoes are just as great as their fabulous boots that we've come to love. They won us over to peep toe ankle boots. This is a transition-season style that we just haven't been sure of. On the spring/fall streets of somewhere less slushy, maybe, but we weren't totally convinced that these multiple personality El Camino (truck? car?...peep toe shoes? boots?) items weren't a little too trippy. But the versions on the shelves at Traxx right now got us hook, line, and VISA! And we've always experienced great, knowledgeable, friendly service there, not too pushy, but always helpful and at the ready. Showin' off the pedi today...

Customer service peeves and posies

We think customer service can make or break an opinon of a shop or service. And Saskatoon is still small enough that word travels fast. What do we mean by "good service"? Here are our top service peeves:

• "Can I help you?", I reply, "I'm just browsing for now", then I never see you again when I do want help.
• Conducting store business instead of providing customer service - interviewing new employees, holding scheduling discussions, disciplining employees, etc. Really, that's for the back room, schedule someone to provide customer service while you do these activities.
• Worst peeve - when you can't set aside your personal discussion of your weekend/boyfriend/BFF long enough to provide customer service.

Top service posies:

• Engage me in conversation when I come in, even briefly - this lets me know you're attentive. And take it from an industry insider, it cuts down on shoplifiting if you acknowledge and interact with people who enter your establishment.
• Assign someone to focus on customer service if other employees are required to unpack stock or build displays.
• Halt personal conversations or workplace-centered business when customers arrive on the scene.
• Don't hover, but be available.
• Be friendly, knowledgeable and interested in the products you're selling, if you're not, then you're in the wrong line of work!

What are your peeves and posies?

Hot Heels: New shoe store

Have you checked out the new shoe store at Five Corners, next to the Roastery? Called Hot Heels, it brings a vibe we haven't yet seen a dedicated shop for until now - club and fetish wear, latex boots and shoe jewellery. What do you think? When we were in, the service was prompt and friendly, if a little...well, we can't think of a good quip to characterize flirty Rico Suave help set amongst the fetish heels and fishnets... In any case, it beats bored no-greeting service any day!

A handbag breakthrough

We're taking hats off (hats are a topic for another post altogether, though) to Regina's Chicks and Girlies for their innovative approach to marketing their business (nightly Facebook auctions) and their cool purses - handmade daily! Truly, "chick out" this up and coming prairie artisan.

We all love lulu...maybe too much

Hey, ladies, we get that lululemon is trendy, comfortable, all that. Here's a tip - it's not businesswear. Even if you pair your lulu pants with heels and a blazer (no kidding, just passed this get-up downtown), they are not business appropriate. Even if they're plain and black with a bootcut, they do not belong with anything but an athletic shoe, and should be worn to or from some kind of athletic event. In which you are particpating. Please.

Style superpower 15 Apr

Today our style superpower seems to be the ability to walk up to a wall of 253 handbags (okay, the calculation is extrapolated, but accurate plus or minus 10) at Winners and immediately zero in on the only one with a price tag over $350. Hot - an ever-expanding suite of brands offered at stoon's Winners. Not - new difficulty finding great deals in purses under $100 at same :(.

Spring Re-do

Since spring seems to be determined to come in slowly, which means more melty mess for our favourite shoes, we find our thoughts running to cool rubber boots. We noticed last week that the ultimate in real English wellies, Hunter boots, are available at Swank shoe lounge in downtown Stoon. $150. While we're not entirely sure the price tag is justified, let us help you rationalize...these are the last rubber boots you will ever have to buy. They are very practical for many spring activities, from walking around the city, to yard cleanup. They are great quality, cute, and made trendy by celebrities over the past couple of seasons. Take our advice - they're great with your skinny jeans, a sassy skirt, or leggings, but make sure the weather suits the style. If it's not wet or messy out, don't sport them, even if you spent $150 on them!

Sephora Coming to Toon!

We have it on good authority that Sephora is coming to Saskatoon, opening in Midtown Plaza in Oct 2011. We have to say that we haven't seen any smokin' steals of a deal at Sephora in other cities, but it's certainly the mother ship if you're into having all the bath, beauty, personal care and fragrance products you could ever imagine all located beyond one stripey entrance. And serviced by a helpful and knowledgeable crew of chic black-smocked style gurus, too. If this is your idea of a beauty haven, kick up your high heels and rejoice!

But we do caution you against the classic Sephorror mistake, which will have you arriving home with a $40 tube of Chartreuse-a-gogo lip colour, when you thought you tested and selected Nude #09...always make sure the tester you finally selected was lined up in front of the right row of lipsticks - that place can be a zoo and it seems the testers and product often get de-linked!

Watch out Stoon!

We're here to put you on notice that we think Saskatoon has a slough (that's prairie talk for "lots") of stores and services that provide great fashion, style and service...and some that leave a litte to be desired. It's our mission to share the best of the best, and maybe raise the bar for the others! In order to do so, we must remain covert, so you never know when we'll drop in!