What’s better than finding the perfect purchase in a store filled with sophisticated elegance?  Finding it on sale of course! Gray, the fabulous Chicago boutique known for mixing never-fail neutrals with blunt shots of color, is having one major sale: 15% off new items in the store and up to 75% off everything online!  Unless you’re allergic to smart shopping, there is no reason not to take full advantage of this amazing offer.

Click on the images below to read the USA Today article on celebrity style quoting Meredith Barnett, a Store Adore Founder, as well as a sidebar on celebrity shopping provided by Meredith and Store Adore.

Whether your tastes run towards Lauren Conrad’s rich hippie look, Gossip Girl’s prissy meets pinup style, or Nicole Richie’s messy glam mode (smudged black eyeliner required), Store Adore has chosen our top shopping choices for achieving that just-stepped-out of The Ivy look. Check out a complete listing of celeb-inspired shopping here.

Note the exclusive Discounts from many of the stores featured below! And Sign up for Store Adore to get exclusive deal notifications and a $25 shopping coupon!

Shop by Celeb (All Online):

Intuition (Los Angeles, Online) Store Adore Shoppers Receive an Exclusive 20% off!

Whether you consider it credit or blame, the celebrity style craze simply would not exist if not for Intuition. A beloved boutique for the young and fabulous, this West Los Angeles-based shop, a StoreAdore.com top pick, is the epicenter of starlet style. Celebs shop here knowing that the blogosphere and glossies will learn about it; the looks get published, and shoppers flock to the newly launched site to scoop them up. Based on our browsing, look for over-the-knee socks as the next top trend. (Eva Longoria-Parker with a Market Bag by Jaye Hersh, $95-$125)

Singer 22 (New York Metro Area, Online) Store Adore Shoppers Receive an Exclusive 10% off!

Shopping at Singer 22 is like reading a celeb glossy, but with instant gratification. Click on the “what’s new” section and get an instant snapshot of what’s being worn walking the red carpet. Alicia and Jonathan Singer started Singer22 with two boutiques in Great Neck and East Hills, New York, but the wildly popular site, with its distinctive Hollywood vibe, quickly became a star in its own right. With a comprehensive stock of clothing, shoes and accessories, it’s one of the best places on the Web to snatch up the latest It-accessory—or catch up with the cast of The Hills. (Rachel Bilson in a Love Quotes scarf, $85)

Belle Gray (Los Angeles, Online):

Don’t just dress like a celebrity—shop from one. From backstage to your closet, triple-threat actress/dancer/entrepreneur Lisa Rinna offers a straight-from-the-source view into the latest style craze with her Sherman Oaks-based boutique, Belle Gray. On her ecommerce website, a StoreAdore.com fave for the range of high and low, you can shop according to “as worn by” (the menu ranges from Ashlee Simpson to Will Smith) and model your look on your celeb crush of the moment. (Jessica Biel in Rachel Leigh’s turtle necklace, available at Belle Gray June 1)

Diane Merrick (Los Angeles, Online)

You’ll recognize Diane Merrick’s diamond pave jewelry from all your favorite glossies. The designer, who has made a name with jewelry and colorful cashmere, wraps, has owns her own luxurious boutique on Beverly Boulevard and online. The shop boasts the juiciest pieces from lines both established (C&C California, Rebecca Taylor) and up-and-coming. When you shop online, you can click on a brand and see multiple picks of celebs wearing the designer’s pieces.

Miostile (Charleston, Online)

Quietly setting nationwide trends through a smart e-commerce site and a storefront in Charleston, South Carolina, Miostile has become something of an obsession for StoreAdore.com shoppers with an eye for luxe looks in clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories from up-and-coming designers who think outside the flock. Charleston native Guilds Bennett’s King Street boutique quickly became a Southern go-to for girlie duds with a downtown vibe—and her online shop cultivates the same browse-for-gems thrill. It’s organized so that you can browse by designer, by celebrity sighting, and by recent magazine features.

ShopRobertson (Online) Store Adore Shoppers Receive an Exclusive 20% off

Ahhh … Robertson—the always sunny Los Angeles strip where celebs (and those who just look like them) take lunch at The Ivy, then stroll from Kitson to Madison to Lisa Kline while the paparazzi snaps away. For those who lust for the good life but must resort to shopping from the office on a Tuesday afternoon, ShopRobertson.com has created a virtual version of the famed fashion boulevard. Search by brands, celebrity sightings or best sellers, or just browse by category. Spend a little time on this site, and you’ll be passing for a SoCal gal in no time.

Harmony Lane (Los Angeles, Online)

To make it in the cutthroat world of fashion retail requires just the right blend of no-brainer basics and delightful sartorial surprises. (A few celeb sightings don’t hurt, either.) At Beverly Hills’ Harmony Lane, the more established staples complement and buoy the up-and-coming lines. The look here is classic L.A.—pile ‘em on accessories, oversized bags—and a well-stocked website (complete with lots of the requisite starlets-in-our-outfits pics) provides loads of shopping inspiration.

Kitson (Los Angeles, Online)

There may not be a velvet rope or red carpet, but Robertson’s Kitson boutiques attract more celebrities than some of L.A.’s hottest clubs. What started nearly six years ago as a single location stocked with the latest and greatest in everything but the kitchen sink (tees, denim, footwear, jewelry, books, trinkets, candles, eyewear … you want it? They got it!) has now turned into a Kitson kingdom with multiple properties on Robertson and opening elsewhere. Shop for tons of up-to-the-minute tees, jewelry, tchotchkes and clothing (including many celeb-designed lines), and for StoreAdore.com shoppers who can’t get to L.A. (or don’t want to brave the paparazzi), an online boutique features many of the items found in stores. (Courtney Cox in Kitson’s best-selling OmniPeace Tee, $65)

Madison (Los Angeles, Online)

Madison keeps Tinseltown’s trendsetters decked out in the finest designers. Combining notice-me fashions from smaller insider fave brands with accessories from big-name fashion houses, Madison’s collection is a gold mine for any fashion addict. The merchandise is separated by category (coats in one section, sweaters in another) like mini departments, and marquee-name designers are clearly labeled, which makes it easy if you’re on the hunt for a certain label. Why spend your time searching for clothes when you could be out on the town wearing them?

Lisa Kline (Los Angeles, Online)

Lisa Kline’s boutique is a Hollywood sweetheart’s go-to shop for cute tees, cozy hoodies, runaround weekend wear, festive cocktail party dresses, flirty tops, and everything in between. While a lifetime love of fashion may have led to Kline’s first foray into retailing, her natural knack for finding products people love has led to popular men and children’s boutiques as well. If she builds it, they will come.

Milk (Los Angeles, Online)

Milk’s youthful selection combines flirty offerings by new noticeables with goods from established labels. The store’s accessories are funky and fun from cream-of-the-crop designers, and for the gal who wants it all (and then some), the shop also sells beauty products. Milk: It does a body (and a wardrobe!) good. (Christina Aguilera in a Vanitas of California dress, $343)

Sophisticated Celeb Style

Heist (Los Angeles, Online) (Store Adore Shoppers Receive an Exclusive 25% off!)

Boasting everything edgy, tailored and classic, Heist is for the celebrity who prefers posh over party girl. Play stylist with sophisticated lines like Isabel Marant, Nili Lotan, and hard-to-find French label Vanessa Bruno (a favorite for her slouchy elegant looks). You can shop online, or check out the Abbott Kinney store, where if your dog is your most essential accessory (and whose isn’t?), you’re in luck, since this lovely store is pup-friendly, too.

Bird (Park Slope, Online)

The type of find that you brag about to your friends, Bird paved the way for the Brooklyn shopping scene when it first opened its doors in the South Slope back when the area was a bit of a boutique wasteland. These days, Bird (and the stores that followed in its path) is a destination even for shopping-spoiled Manhattanites and the most influential trendsetters. Check the website for a peak into the must-have fashion future. (3.1 Phillip Lim Trench, $625 at Bird)

Opening Ceremony (New York and Los Angeles)

Named after the festive start of the Olympic Games, Opening Ceremony is a celebration of unadulterated creativity and skill. With shops in New York (and recently opened in Los Angeles), the innovative shop is as influential on the fashion scene as any runway—both for the designers that it carries and its own proprietary line, for which Chloe Sevigny recently created a collection. If you’re looking for showstopping fashion inventions, make like the stylists do and breeze on over.

La Garconne (Ecommerce)

Nothing in this heartbreakingly beautiful selection is less than extraordinary, yet every piece retains the confidence of a classic. With a subdued color scheme (predominantly black, white, denim and charcoal) and zero frills, the clothes and accessories stop traffic with their strong architectural shapes and details. A fashion editor favorite, the site offers a pared-down collection of items chosen for their integrity and sophistication.

Achieving the Celeb Look Locally

Luna Boston (Boston, Online) (Store Adore Shoppers Receive an Exclusive 20% off!)

If it’s been seen linking arms with your favorite celeb (and no, we’re not talking about the latest boy toy), you can find it at Luna Boston. This Newbury Street store and ecommerce website sells the trendiest accessories, from clutches to hobos to satchels, from lines like Hayden Harnett, Kooba, and Lauren Merkin. Look for a growing selection of shoes coming soon. (Lauren Merkin Eve Animal Print Linen Clutch, $165 at Luna Boston)

She Boutique (Chicago, Online)

Hollywood export Nicolette Karney, a former model and casting agent, launched this A-list boutique with the goal of infusing Chicago with some West Coast style—and its perfect-for-the-party-circuit dresses and cutting-edge separates are just begging to be snapped up by a starlet and trailed by the paparazzi. Indeed, any P.Y.T. would be thrilled to have a closet stocked from SHE Boutiquem and it doesn’t hurt that the store, lined with flat screens and designed like a luxe modern loft, feels like a swanky lounge-meets-fashion runway.

Knit Wit (Philadelphia, Online)

Philadelphia and the surrounding area’s best-dressed girls come here to snag the latest and most eye-catching contemporary pieces. Owner Ann Gitter demonstrates her talent for knowing exactly what every woman will want this season with her streamlined and sophisticated selection from brands that are equal parts tried-and-true (Diane von Furstenberg, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu and Citizens of Humanity) and lesser-known (Rozae Nichols, Notte by Marchesa and Il Bisonte). If you’ve seen the look on Lindsay, Nicole, Jessica, or any of the Jen’s, we bet you can find it here.

Annie Creamcheese (Washington, DC)

How do celebs keep their style sources secret: they just say “it’s vintage.” Georgetown’s Annie Creamcheese delivers the major designer labels—think Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton—plus loads of lesser-known names in mint condition and with a lot of spunk and style. Next time the paparazzi stops you on the red carpet (or your officemate tries to knock off your look by asking where you shop), you know what your answer should be.

Don’t forget to Sign up for Store Adore to get exclusive deal notifications and a $25 shopping coupon!

Click here to read How We Tamed Cristina’s Hair and Other Secrets; Spill Yours and Win!

LA has always been a town obsessed with keeping up with the Joneses (and the Diazes and DiCaprios), so its no surprise that the city of angels is developing quite the green scene. Hot on the heels of Hollywood’s brightest stars, fashion visionary Lorenzo Hadar (with three successful boutiques in Sunset Plaza) moves to greener pastures with HLNR, a new eco-concept boutique opened on Robertson this past month.

Designed by modern architect and sculptor Olivierio Baldini (who has also designed the store’s hard-to-miss Japanese anime-style robots - envirobocops, perhaps?), the 4,000-square-foot building features the same avant-garde selection as H. Lorenzo, only this time, the hot-to-trot frocks by Internationally renowned designers such as Preen, Three As Four and Veronique Branquinho hang on sustainable hangers and racks made from recycled wood.

While plans down the road focus on bringing in other green goods (ideally HLNR’s merchandise will skew more towards the environmentally friendly wares in about a year), the initial strides have been made in the eco-chic design of the building. In addition to the aforementioned recycled wood racks, HLNR boasts a solar-paneled rooftop, an exposed raw wood ceiling, sculptures made of recycled materials and a paperless email receipt system.

So you can pick up a Zac Posen dress and experience a paperless commode all under one energy-efficient roof.

HLNR
474 N. Robertson Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 359-1434

We’re humbled by finding ourselves grouped with the likes of founders of airlines and real estate empires, but we’ll take the honor nonetheless. Store Adore Founders Meredith Barnett and Cristina Miller were recently named among DC’s top 35 entrepreneurs under 35 by Bisnow on Business, a highly addictive and wildly influential e-newsletter in their hometown of Washington, DC. Click here to read the full article.

Spill your best beauty secret and win one of three $75 Beautorium Gift Cards! Read on for details…

Have you ever looked at your lip gloss label? Some of ours are full of ingredients we’d never attempt to pronounce, like Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate and Triisodecyl Trimellitate. If the thought of these mystery agents on your mouth (or face, skin and hair) gives you pause, maybe it’s time to shift to a more natural regimen. Brand-new Beautorium is fully stocked with beauty products that are amazing in their own rights—but they also happen to have ingredients we can understand (all natural and organic ones, that is).

Juice Beauty Lip Trio ($15)

To celebrate Beautorium’s recent launch, we’re giving away three $75 Beautorium gift certificates! Just leave a comment about your favorite beauty product of all time (organic or non)—that smile-saving lip salve or skin-silkening lotion that you cannot live without! Be sure to let us know where to find it too, and we’ll pick our three favorites and reward the winners with Beautorium gift cards!

Comments must be received by June 16th. By entering this contest, you will be automatically registered at Beautorium.com.

I am not a fan of large handbags. I used to be, but then I became enlightened. I used to think it was smart to travel around day-to-day with a suitcase full of stuff on my arm—the water bottle, gym clothes, change of shoes, make-up case, notebook, tape recorder, snack bars, book, etc. One day during a check-up, my doctor took one glance at the huge handbag sitting on his chair and was (seriously) aghast.

“Please don’t tell me you actually carry that thing every day,” he said. “Do you know what kind of damage that can do?”

It brought back memories of a doctor’s warning 15 years earlier, when I was reprimanded for carrying a backpack stylishly on one shoulder. That shoulder had actually sunken lower than the other one.

I don’t want to sound like a PSA, but big bags can be bad for you (they cause back, neck and shoulder problems, as well as bad posture), and they’re really uncomfortable too. Look at how guys just traipse around with their money, phone and keys in their pockets, while women trudge along with humongous totes! If men don’t need to carry all this stuff all the time, why do we?

Strip down to the essentials. There are times when you need a big satchel to bring bulky things: gym clothes, shoes, a work laptop… When you don’t, carry a smaller handbag and you’ll feel great (your shoulder will thank you). Here are a few suggestions.

Mayle Mariachi Baby Billie Bag ($415) at Bird

Rebecca Minkoff Tryst Large Clutch ($295) at Luna Boston

Foley and Corinna Side Saddle Pouch ($425) at Shopbop

These days, ugly is the new cute. And no, I’m not talking about strategically chipped nail polish or unwashed hair. I’m talking about motifs of monsterly characters that are so alarmingly unattractive, not to mention mysteriously unidentifiable, that they are actually quite compelling. I’d trace the phenomenon back to Ugly Dolls, the plush dolls turned pop culture phenomenon that have now spawned a full-on Uglyverse, complete with guides, games, and more.

Check out the photos above: New York and Los Angeles-based store Giant Robot, a toy store for hipster grownups, was the first to embrace the dolls back in 2001, and I spotted them for sale–in a variety of shapes and sizes–a few days ago in the East Village location, which also boasts a gallery for emerging artists next door. At a recent trip to Black Ink, Boston’s version of a design savvy adult playland, there were more little monsters than Japanese anime-inspired trinkets, and that’s saying something. At Pink Olive, my current obsession for everything sweet (it doesn’t hurt that Store Adore shoppers get a 20 percent discount here, either), I spotted this darling pink gal amongst the girly candles and baby gifts. Browsing online  for a wedding gift from Mxyplyzk, another spot for a Store Adore deal, what did I spot but this googly eyed creature ($32)? And at Boston’s Shake the Tree, I saw the same huggable buggers, along with a melamine dinner plate  set with images of critters that are just to sweet/scary to eat off of.

What’s the reason behind the trend? Have designers just tired of the animal du jour? (it’s all about the sparrow! The owl! The squirrel!) Or is it that they’ve discovered the mass appeal of something that generates loyalty by it’s very divisiveness of its nature. (My business school professor called brands with this chacateristic anti-brands — something that some people love simply because others are so repulsed by it–think Red Bull or even Birkenstocks.) Or Is it that the pendulum has swung, as it always does in fashion, from saccharine t-shirts-with-teddy bears to an all-around obsession creepy little critters? Either way, I’m digging the ugly trend–as long as it stays so cute.

Get 25 percent off any purchase at Trés Jolie, both in-store and online!

With a contagious passion for unique design, owner Glenda Lugay thrives on finding and nurturing new talent and sharing her treasures with discerning customers. Although Trés Jolie sells bags and hair accessories, too, the majority of the stock is jewelry—most often handmade and delicate pieces by designers who vary stylistically but are united in their devotion to intricate metalwork and shots of precious and semi-precious color. (Most pieces are fairly priced between $100 and $300.)

A favorite of celebrities and their stylists (see the Website’s American Idol section), Trés Jolie’s breathtaking, soon-to-be famous, two-finger Auction Flower Ring (above) is not only featured in the upcoming Sex and The City movie—it plays a pivotal role in the story!

We can’t disclose who buys and wears it, but this picture might offer a clue.

Visit the Trés Jolie profile to get your discount, and be sure to check out Trés Jolie’s other Sex and the City-featured items!