Style: Hold Your Horses, Saturday is the 138th Kentucky Derby!

This Saturday is not only Cinco de Mayo but it also marks the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby. Whether you're making out down to Churchill Downs or sipping on a Mint Julep with your feet up, I've made a list of some of the best derby-ready gear out there.  It's always fashionably chic to look like you're off to the races - in spring or fall! 


My favorites? A raffia stripe riding hat from Burberry, a skipjack baseball cap from Southern Tide, a jockey shirts silk bow tie from Vineyard Vines, a polka dot canvas clutch by Miu Miu on The Outnet, a Kentucky Derby tumbler from Tervis, suede accented riding leggings from Threadsence, a ruffle wrap dress from Milly, a floral ruffled top from Lilly Pulitzer, a bold floral print bag from Vera Bradley, and a silk sash / scarf from J.McLaughlin. Check out the full list by clicking on the box below. The Kentucky Derby will air on NBC Sports this Saturday 5-7pm.

Style: Lulu Guinness for Uniqlo ~ $9.90-19.90

Lulu Guinness is perhaps one of the most iconic British fashion designers out there. Items like her whimsical umbrellas with storefront designs and bold lip clutch purses have delighted savvy shoppers since 1989. This month she's teamed up with budget-friendly Japanese retailer Uniqlo for a fabulous and wallet-friendly tee collection.  All of her tees for Uniqlo are priced at $19.90. I visited Uniqlo's Soho (Broadway & Spring Street) this past Wednesday and saw the entire collection. All the designs were absolutely adorable and they were even marked down to a promotional price of $9.90 because they'd just come into the store!  I'm not sure how long that promotion is going on, but you should definitely hurry to your closest store to take advantage of this deep discount while it lasts! 

The only negative thing to note about the tees is that they do run a little small. Given that they are 100% cotton, they may shrink a little bit too. I haven't washed any of mine yet so I can't tell you for sure. Regardless, I would definitely recommend purchasing your tees one size larger than what you'd normally wear. I wouldn't go any bigger than that unless you're particularly tall, as the tees are quite long. I've included a snapshot of my favorite designs above - the black or white storefront striped shirts, black or tan repeating silhouette shirts, and the white with red lips shirts! Early Mother's Day gifts? These tees look great on all ages - especially the London By Night, storefront, and silhouette prints!

You can view ALL of the designs on the Uniqlo website HERE.

Uniqlo's New York locations are in: Soho, Midtown (53rd & 5th), & Herald Square.

Style: 20% OFF Your Total Purchase at Daffy's

Get 20% OFF Your Total Purchase at Daffy's

Valid through April 30th, 2012

Excludes gift cards, jewelry, electronics and home items.

Simply print this page and cut out the coupon.

If you haven't been to Daffy's before, it's a NY area designer discount shop similar to a Marshall's or TJ Maxx.  It has stores in Soho, Grand Central Station, and Columbus Circle, among other locations.

What's my favorite find from Daffy's? 

See by Chloe 100% Silk Dress

Original Price: almost $1000!

Yoox.com Price: $430

Daffy's Price: $220

Style: An Amazing Sale at C.Wonder in Soho!

One of my favorite new shops in the city is C.Wonder. It only opened in the past year, but has already received lots of praise all around. It's located right next to the Spring Street 6 Train Station, on Spring Street between Lafayette and Crosby Streets. They provide fun, colorful clothes, jewelry, bags, and home decor that girls just love.  They are also a fairly good value for the impressive quality. The store itself is quite a fun place to visit - it has ornate bright thick lime green doors to welcome you and delightfully unique "control panels" (see below) in each of the fitting rooms that allow you to adjust the lights and music as you try on your favorite styles!

This week they are having a truly amazing sale. You'll get an additional 25% OFF of all of their sale items in the Soho store. Now, these sale items are not just slim pickings. Some of their best items are included: colorful doctor handbags, trendy colorblock chambray shirts, striped classic button-down shirts, gold buttoned long-sleeve cotton shirts with cargo pockets (what the sales associates were wearing today), Goyard-style printed canvas totes, quilted totes, blazers, cardigans, bangle bracelets, and several ballet flats. It's like a full-blown sample sale! Only a few of their sale items are still up on their website and the ones that are don't seem to match the in-store sale prices.  So, you really need to visit the store to reap the benefits of this sale. However, I've gathered a selection of most of them at the bottom of this post in a Have to Have list so that you can get a preview of what great things are in the store! My picks? A "Striped Classic Shirt" in Green & Yellow (Sold for $26.24, Originally $68) and a "Doctor Handbag" in Natural (Sold for $29.99, Originally $78).

Don't miss the adorable green baubles at the checkout counter for $4. They're keychains that contain a poncho - perfect for an unexpected rainy day! I spoke to the sales associates today and they said that the sale should last through the weekend, if not into next week as well. Grab these great deals while they're still available!

CORRECTION: Use the code "25OFF" at checkout to receive 25% off sale items online.

Style: Eco-Friendly Products for Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! On this special day, I wanted to take some time to share with you a few of my favorite eco-friendly products. These include items such as: recycled jewelry, clothes, wallets, throw blankets, all-natural beauty products and snacks.

My personal favorites are: Hansen's Diet Cola (at Soap.com), Silk Chocolate Soy Milk (at Soap.com), Hint Unsweetened Essence Water in Pomegranate Tangerine (at Soap.com), Pop Chips in Original and Sweet Potato (at Soap.com), Monogrammed Pendleton Eco-Wise Throws (at PBTeen.com), Rewined Candles in Riesling (made from recycled wine bottles, at Swoozies.com), Jetsam Recycled Wallets (made from recycled men's suits and neckties, at Fab.com), PeaceBOMB Capsule Bangle Bracelets (made from recycled war scrap metal in Laos with proceeds benefiting bomb clean-up efforts, at peace-bomb.com), and Warby Parker Eyeglasses (for each pair purchased a pair is donated to someone in need and all pairs $95 w/ prescription lenses, at warbyparker.com).

Be sure to check out my Have to Have list below and to let me know what your favorite eco-friendly products are by sending a tweet to @hauteonthespot1 or leaving a comment below.

Events: FREE Origins Lotion for Earth Day at Sephora

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Sephora and Origins have teamed up today for a fantastic Earth Day themed campaign. For today only, if you bring into Sephora any empty cosmetic product container to be recycled, you will receive a FREE full-sized Origins moisturizer. You'll have a choice between "A Perfect World" (SPF 25 Age Defense Moisturizer with White Tea) or "Starting Over" (Age-erasing Moisturizer with Mimosa). You can also get one of these bottles with a $30 online purchase at either Sephora or Origins by using the code "EARTH12" at checkout. Supplies are limited, so hurry! I think it's such a great idea that they're encouraging everyone to recycle these products. Now I know what to do with the empty fragrance bottles I've kept around. They're far too attractive and bulky to just throw away, and now I've found a great cause. What cosmetic item will you bring into the store today?

* The Sephora stores in Salt Lake City, UT and Paramus, NJ will be holding this promotion tomorrow (4/23) instead of today.

Foodie: 50% OFF Tea & Tea-Infused Treats at Harney & Sons via Scoutmob

There's an excellent deal on today for 50% off (max. $10 discount) tea and tea-infused treats at Harney & Sons in Soho. The shop is located at 433 Broome Street between Broadway and Crosby Street. That's just a few blocks from the Canal Street subway stations.  I'll definitely be checking this out after work and will post a review for you all. Please check back later!

Menu Highlights: Tea Ice Cream - $2.50, Carbonated Tea Floats - $5.50, Scones - $7, Cheese Plate - $12.50

You can download the deal on the Scoutmob application.  If you haven't tried Scoutmob yet, you should definitely give it a shot.  Unlike daily deal sites like Groupon or LivingSocial, Scoutmob sends a wonderfully tempting local deal to your inbox, often involving food, for absolutely FREE! You don't need to pay anything in order to get the deal. Many of the deals are available through email; however, some special ones like the Harney & Sons one today can only be accessed via their smartphone app. Be sure to download it today and start enjoying all of the wonderful treats that they have to offer without ever paying a penny!

Get the details on today's Harney & Sons Scoutmob deal HERE. 

The deal expires 10/18/12.

Image from Scoutmob.com

Not in New York? Nowhere near Soho? Scoutmob has daily deals for a large number of US cities and individual neighborhoods. Be sure to check out what's available in your area.