Style Chat: The Deal Divas

So I caught up with the St. Pete Times's Deal Divas!

Dalia, Colleen and Letitia took the time to share their expert advice with us on what's hot this season, how to find the best deals and how to develop your personal style effortlessly! Meet the Deal Divas...

PG: What is a good deal?

Letitia: We’re all a little bit different, and we all bring a different voice and bit of a different sensibility to the blog. Stephanie is completely out there, Nicole is high end fashion. So that mix really helps because you’re covering a lot of different bases. My thing is I’m a bit of a classic person, and I am much more the bargain hunter than the fashionista. So, I generally consider it a deal if it’s 50% off. Most of my wardrobe includes dresses. I rarely spend more than $30 on anything, so for me, that’s how I feel like I can get quantity.

Colleen: Basically, if it’s something I love and I don’t have to pay full price, then I’ve decided it’s a deal. I try to buy things that are on the sale rack, but if I love it, I’m just going to buy it!

Dalia: Ok, so since you have a little bit of extra money after you’ve paid all your bills, you can eat it or you can wear it. So, in my head I do this Chipotle burrito test because I love Chipotle, it’s my little treat for myself. You can get a burrito for 6 or 7 bucks with a drink. So if I can buy something for the price of a burrito, I would rather have the something. I could buy other things, but if something is 7 bucks and it looks like 50 bucks and I’ll get to wear it 10 times or even if I wear it once, I would’ve only eaten the burrito once.

PG: Where are the best deals—online or in-store?

Dalia: I have only bought one pair of pants online and they were too small, so it’s only a good deal if it’s something you’ll actually wear. If I’m buying it online I’m not sure that it’s going to fit, and I’m probably not going to take it back to the post office if it doesn’t. So I would say in the store because you can try it on with your heels, with your flats. For me, the best deals are always in the back of the store.

Colleen: I am store all the way. The few times that I’ve ventured into online buying--as tempting as it is because it’s right at your fingertips and you can do it when you’re procrastinating from something else and the deals might be better pricewise--the inconvenience is if it doesn’t fit or you don’t end up liking it. Fit is such an important part of looking good, and I think the full proof way is to get in the store and try it on. And that’s part of the shopping experience. You don’t have that thrill of walking out with your bag!

Letitia: I am also a store person. The only thing that is good from online is, once you sign up for the mailing list you can get good coupons. Or there are sale sites like The Deal Divas where you can coupons that you can take with you to the stores!

Find out more about the Deal Divas when you read the rest...

PG: What sets Deal Divas apart from other blogs?

Colleen: A lot of blogs tend to be written by one author, (there’s nothing wrong with that) but the cool thing is that we have so many different personalities. There’s a wider range of styles, tastes and budgets, so we can connect with women who fit our different types because everybody has an individual experience for people out there. So we’re more likely to hit upon other people’s various tastes through what we have on the blog. Also there isn’t just a difference in our dressing styles but in our writing styles which makes us well-rounded.

PG: Where are your favorite deal go-tos?

Letitia: We’ve been doing this for about a year, so we’ve developed a sort of instinct. I went to Dillard’s the other day and I bought a shirt on sale, but something in my gut told me if I waited and didn’t wear it and didn’t take off that tag, I could get if for an extra 40% off. So I didn’t wear it on Tuesday, and sure enough on Wednesday it was an additional 40 percent off! So I think we’re beginning to develop a sixth sense. I sign up with websites and get things sent to my e-mail. The newspaper also has good advertisements so I keep an eye out. And we’re at the malls and stores a lot.

PG: What are some of your greatest challenges when searching for deals?

Colleen: Luckily it’s been a good time to do this type of blog as far as the deal angle, because sadly, for retail, it’s not a great time to be in retail. So in order to try to make some money, the chains have had to either lower their prices, or have more sales. So we’ve been able to benefit from that.

PG: What do you look for more—accessories or clothes?

Letitia: I spend a little bit more time on clothes, but since I’ve done this blog I feel more pressure to dress well and have less complete slacker days! And I have been venturing into the world of accessories, thanks to Colleen!

Colleen: The benefit of having different voices is that we each have our own thing. Stephanie is a shoe maven, Letitia and I are more classic, Nicole is willing to do more of the high end jeans and the high end accessories and I love accessories.

Letitia: My style is classic. Stephanie (Deal Diva not present) is wild and outrageous--she looks fabulous all the time; she’ll take some real risks. Colleen is classic too, but she’s really into accessories so she’ll take risks there too. Nicole (Deal Diva not present) is our high-end cutting edge fashion. Dalia is adorable, she’s our DIY diva.

PG: What kind of advice would give to someone who wants to develop their own style?

Colleen: When you dress in a way that you’re comfortable with, you feel good about yourself. So it’s finding things that you love and that you have some sort of connection to because they fit you really well or the color looks really good on you. I think the big thing is to know your body type, figure out what fits you well. And have something that makes you stand out, like if you love accessories or you’re great with makeup or if you do fun things with your hair.

Letitia: One thing I’ve found as a classic person is to take my really basic things and make them pop by adding some unexpected color somewhere. Like my black dresses, I’ll try to play with a different color shoe, which is a good way to embrace trends. For example, leopard print is really big this season, so instead of investing a couple hundred dollars in a bunch of leopard pieces, I may get a leopard belt or a really fabulous shoe and pair it with the stuff I already have. But not being afraid to mix and match color combinations is good.

Dalia: If you like something and it fits you well and it’s in your price range those would be the most important criteria. There are a lot of times when there’s a trend. but it doesn’t look right on me, and if I wear it I’m going to look stupid or look like I’m trying too hard.

Letitia

Colleen

Thanks girls! Don't forget to check the Deal Divas blog daily for the best deals in the Tampa Bay area! Leave comments, and tell them Christina sent you! Click here to check them out.

Purple Labels: Style Interviews