Growing up in Ohio, I didn’t encounter many, er, any sample sales. In fact, I had no clue what one was until I went to college in the big city of Chicago, and all the girls who grew up in L.A., Connecticut, and New York would be all, “I’m going to Wicker Park for so-and-so-designer’s sample sale.” By then I had started subscribing to Daily Candy and had a little bit of a clue, but I didn’t go to one myself until I moved to New York after school. It was terrifying. All these normally expensive clothes and accessories for less! And you had to try everything on in front of other shoppers or on top of your clothes! And you couldn’t return or exchange anything! I didn’t buy anything at the first few I went to, but I kept tagging along with friends because I didn’t want to “miss out” on some amazing, one-of-a-kind steal. And then I broke my sample sale seal.

I know designers and showrooms hold sample sales because they need to get rid of inventory, and causing a frenzy can make people purchase things they wouldn’t under normal circumstances. I know that sometimes my adrenaline gets the best of me and I make a truly questionable spur-of-the-moment purchase. But, I’m OK with being tricked into pulling out my credit card, because if it weren’t for sample sales, I might never buy anything, ever.

Apparently, the buyers at New Zealand boutique Superette think the clothes they sell are so bitchin’ they’d still look cute on a dead girl. Congrats on turning the statement “I wouldn’t be caught dead in that!” on its head, but we think your ad is a bit tacky (and creepy), guys. Let’s take a look at the implications of this particular ad, shall we?

The retail industry is getting pretty desperate these days—how many more special events and functions will we see that scream “Oooo! Please, please come shop in our store!” According to the Wall Street Journal, the latest tactic in trying to woo the recessionary customer is to assuage shoppers’ guilt.

In some cases, this goes straight to the point instead of tip-toeing around the you shouldn’t be spending atmosphere. Take, perhaps, the best example out there, Gilt Groupe, a sample sale website (and admitted Frisky obsession) whose name is a play on the word “guilt.” The site’s co-founder, Alexis Maybank, explains that now retailers like her are placing emphasis on battling this new culture of consumer guilt: “It used to be about keeping up with the Joneses, and now it’s about outsaving the Joneses ... We need to encourage people to get excited about fashion.” Gilt’s short-timed sales have set off a wave of similar online initiatives, which rev up shoppers and distract them from negative feelings.

At The Frisky, we’re always on the hunt to find awesome products to tell you about (and to buy for ourselves, on occasion). But the internet is huge! It can be overwhelming to visit site after site after site in search of the perfect pair of boots. We’ll often search for clothes on ShopStyle, but they have partnerships with a particular handful of stores, which, at times, can be on the pricier side.

So, we’re excited to try out the newly relaunched shopping search engine TheFind.com. Type in whatever you’re looking for, and this little engine that could will check with more than 500,000 sources to give you tons of options—and links to discount codes for each store, if they’re available. No more randomly searching those sketchy-looking coupon sites! Plus, you can limit your search to local sellers and “green” options. And TheFind isn’t just for clothes. The site can help you search for everything from home goods to electronics.

“Fashion trends speak volumes about the human condition and wordlessly point us towards the zeitgeist,” writes South Africa Times columnist Jacquie Myburgh. Huh? They do?

Ms. Myburgh, like many a fashion journalist, didn’t originally seek a career in the style world, acknowledging the frivolous-sounding nature of such work. She explains: “Telling your parents you want to go into fashion is right down there with acting and air hostessing on their list of favorites.” But, over the years, she’s come to understand its importance in society, when, especially in an economic downturn, our instincts are to shun conspicuous spending and get back to less “superficial” activities.

However, maybe we should start taking the fashion industry more seriously.

It goes without saying—the one item in your closet that’s older than the latest “High School Musical” star? Probably your favorite pair of jeans. A new survey from the Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex, England finds that Brits hang on to their jeans longer than any other piece of clothing, and that nearly two million people have pairs they bought as much as 40 years ago.

Hole-y jeans!

Any fashionista worth her wardrobe knows that she can buy trendy stuff from Forever 21, but who really has the patience to wade through all the crap and mess that plagues the actual store? We don’t, that’s for sure. So we’ll just surf the website to find all the trendy and classic (bet you didn’t think Forever 21 had “classic” in them) items to add to our autumn wardrobe. I’m really loving the Crochet Trim Sweater Cardigan because I can’t afford real Chanel, but don’t want to wear a complete knockoff. Check out 17 garments and accessories we’re loving for their design and price, after the jump.

Thinking I was being smart with my money, I recently took three pairs of black high heels to my local shoe repair man to get them gussied up. All of them were in pretty sad condition—the heels worn down to the metal screw, soles thin, and scuffs all around. (FYI, these shoes weren’t anything super fancy, just good and basic Banana Republic and Nine West.)

I have a closet stuffed with clothes. Yet I have I-have-nothing-to-wear syndrome coupled with the sad realization that I wear only 25 percent of my wardrobe. However, that doesn’t seem to stop me from adding a half-dozen things every few months that usually end up with the other 75 percent of my collection. Apparently, I’m not the only one who wastes money on fashion! The Daily Mail reports that an astonishing 45 percent of swimwear purchased each year by U.K. women goes unworn, wasting the equivalent of about $470 million. It’s clear why swimsuits make for money wasters (stupid ladymag bikini body programs that you vowed to do, but didn’t). What else is going unused in your closet? The answers, after the jump.

Cheap is clearly the new chic! Revolve clothing, the hip online store, has joined the growing number of e-tailers with sites that sell discounted designer duds. They’ve launched Rewind, an invitation-only site, which allows members to cherry pick from a laundry list of labels, including Cheap Monday, Diesel, Paige Premium Denim and James Perse. From denim to shoes and handbags, Rewind offers a large variety of merchandise for girls and guys.  If that doesn’t impress you, their shopping policy should! They have a super relaxed return policy and offer a $5 flat shipping fee no matter where you are in the U.S. Of course, they have good reason to pull out all the stops: Gilt Group and Net-a-porter have both launched discount sites, Gilt Fuse (next week!) and Outnet respectively. The transformation from fashionista to recessionista keeps getting easier.  [Racked]

Celebs get to borrow whatever designer goods they want, whenever they want. We’ll still have to pay for the privilege, but at least the fashion gods have thrown us a bone with this amazing online boutique: Wear Today, Gone Tomorrow. This brand new e-commerce site works just like Bag, Borrow or Steal, but instead of handbags and accessories, WTGT allows you to borrow high-end designer clothes. They’ve got a laundry list of chic designers available, like Zac Posen, Herve Leger, Kate Moss and Anna Sui. As a member—and it’s free to join—you can rent pieces for a week or a month for up to 90% off the retail price. And there’s oh so much more…

There’s no denying the rush of joy (and feeling like you’re getting away with theft) when you find an incredible designer piece at Loehmann’s or Nordstrom Rack that you can actually afford. Of course, on the flip side, there’s no more annoying feeling in life than when you’ve just spent your entire paycheck on an item of clothing, only to see it marked down 50 percent the next week.

Either way, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour doesn’t seem too happy about discounts in general (no surprise there). But even we were shocked by her rawtha extreme views!

The economy might still be in the crapper, but that hasn’t stopped luxury retailers from trying to lure shoppers through less traditional means. Recently, Christie’s launched an app to let users browse million-dollar works of art for sale. And now the latest to join the mobile shopping world is Net-a-porter.com, the site full of drool-worthy designer items, some of which cost more than our yearly salaries. Called Net-App, it allows iPhone users to view new additions and make purchases. While that aspect of the application is pretty straightforward, there’s also a neat tool included called ClosetFlow, which allows you to zoom in on images, and flip your phone to see the item from different angles. But is this a good or a bad thing?

For those of us who get our kicks shopping online, we look forward to this special time all year long: Right now, retailers are rolling out the fall merch, and that means they’re desperate to clear out all the spring and summer leftovers (and especially so considering extra sluggish sales over the past few months). There are Zucca thigh-high boots and APC blazers for over 70% off at yummy LA boutique Creatures of Comfort, Barney’s has Alexander Wang and Acne dresses for under $200, and don’t even get me started on the Vivienne Westwood Anglomania on the cheap right now at La Garconne. BUT! Before you rush off and kill a few buying the stuff you wanted earlier in the season but can only afford now, heed our advice. Because as a person who has a closet filled with tight, avant-garde pants that neither fit or even look remotely flattering off the computer screen, I’ve learned a few lessons and I feel the need to share so you don’t make any mistakes you regret.

So basically, Kelly Bensimon went on a shopping trip with The Daily Beast for stuff she already owns. (Gold $370 Gryphon shorts? Wore them to a Kim Kardashian party! “Sexy rocker chick” miniskirt from Intermix? It’s already packed for this weekend’s trip to Miami! An “Alaia meets Pocahontas” belt? Just snapped it up!) Seriously, every photo she’s in, Kelly’s pawing a dress or an accessory that’s presently hanging in her closet. So what’s to talk about then? If you ignore the actual “shopping” part of the shopping trip, Kelly offers up some of her usual nuggets of complete and utter nonsense. Gems after the jump!

Hold that credit card! Double X excerpted a section from the forthcoming book, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, by Ellen Ruppell Shell, which reveals the scams at outlet malls are lamer than the kids who hang out in the food court all day.

The author visited at an outlet mall in Las Vegas with a prices and branding expert to scope out the “deals.” At a Crescent jewelry store, the ladies examine an $832 diamond-and-white-gold pendent, marked down from $3,329, which the jewelers are eager to give them “a better price on.” But back at home, Shell does a little googling and discovers the pendent’s diamonds can just barely pass as gemstones according to diamond grades. Plus, nearly identical pendents could be found on eBay for only $229!

Yeah, markups pretending to be markdowns suck. And it’s sneaky that stores selling comparatively-cheap wares at inflated prices are shacking up next to the Barney’s Co Op and La Perla so they look fancier. But…that’s business, isn’t it?

I remember shopping in Kids ‘R Us (well, not exactly shopping, it was more trailing behind Mom while she picked out clothes and held them up to my and my sister’s little bodies for an instant size comparison) and wondering what those signs were for their “Layaway Plan.” Once upon another desperate time, layaway programs rose to popularity during the Great Depression and became a common form of payment for people who couldn’t afford to pay the dolla-dolla bills for stuff upfront. Now, for obvious reasons, layaway is making a big-time comeback. Unlike credit cards, programs charge no interest and require no credit history, but customers can’t take their items home until they’ve paid in full. Most plans charge a small fee, usually around $5, and require customers to pay within a limited time period. Intrigued? Stores like TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Kmart and Burlington Coat Factory are offering the option to pay-to-buy—your credit card will thank you.

And online layaway programs are even more rad—you can pay-until-you-get-it on iPods, LCD Sharp TVs, GE refrigerators, almost anything at elayaway.com.

We’re sick of shopping metaphors being used to explain dating. Maybe it’s because we watched way too much “Sex and the City” back in the day and grew tired of the comparisons, but we don’t see how men are anything like purses, shoes, jewelry, or little black dresses. Author Janice Lieberman does just this in her new book, How to Shop for A Husband, in which the guy equivalent of the LBD is the PGHM, or “perfectly good husband material.” Barf. If finding a date were anything akin to scoring a mint-condition vintage bag on eBay, we’d have triumphed ages ago. [Today]

There’s no denying that in Hollywood, you are what you wear. In fact, everyone is so well styled that it’s often hard to tell the normals from the celebs (okay, that size two girl being followed by paparazzi? Yeah, she’s famous).

Yet, we gotta love LaLa land for its diverse and plentiful shopping areas. Hit up Beverly Hills for super luxe labels, Robertson for start gazing and fancy boutiques, or Melrose for funky thrift shops. Whether you’re looking for California-cool style or the latest celebrity trend, our list of Los Angeles shops will have you covered.