Getting to the gym is a kind of universal New Year’s resolution, but if there was ever a year to forego a $100/month membership, it’s this one.

So Equinox is coming to you, assuming that in the midst of all this you’re still hanging out at Saks. This weekend, the fancy gym is sticking masseuses and personal trainers on the sales floor, handing out over 20,000 guest passes in goodie bags and e-mailing their current members a 15% discount code for Saks.

If you’re a SaksFirst customer (which we’re not so we can’t tell you what it means other than spending a lot of money), Equinox will waive their hefty initiation fee and give you free Pilates class.

And if you’re super into this idea, there will be yogis striking poses in the 5th Ave. Saks windows for four hours this weekend, so grab your Stella for Adidas gear and head uptown.

We, on the other hand, would rather cozy up with hot chocolate and POP’s ‘last’ issue. But, to each her own.

Confession:

I can never stop fidgeting with my lips. So I inevitably end up needing vats of lip gloss by my side, which is probably part of why I’ve always loved those hefty Cargo tins Sephora keeps stockpiled in every shade possible.

So it’s with some urgency that I tell you Sephora is having a sale on their site, right now, and all those Cargo lip gloss duos are now $14 instead of $20. And if you spend $50? Free shipping.

So let’s do the math - Four duos equals $56, which equals free shipping, which equals moist, glossed lips right through Fall 09.

Which is amazing.

A public service announcement:

If you thought all the amazing Fall sales had officially dropped off, think again - Oak’s 40/50/60 sale for Fall 08 is finally here, meaning that all their Fall 08 merchandise is 40% off right now - and next week, it’ll be 50% off, and the week after that, everything will hit 60%.

Actually, some select items are already more discounted than 40% off. Amazing, we know.

Already we’re eyeing this Grey Ant cardigan, at left, perfect for pretending like you’re somebody’s grandfather in front of the fire. Hopefully it’ll make it to 60% off, but, we just told you about it, so…

Faran and I spent a luxurious day at Barneys pre-Christmas.

We reveled in $300 Miu Miu, $150 Christian Louboutin and I walked away with three little black dresses - Alexander Wang, Marc, Phillip Lim - for less than the original price of one.

Most of our time was devoted to shoes.

I slipped on ruffled Prada pumps, sequined Miu Mius, cap-toed Chanels and t-strapped Balenciagas, all signature AW08 shoes, and wondered what one does with such distinct pieces post-season.

I couldn’t take them home. They’re still too expensive (season-specific things tend to be). But for those who do shell out $4000 on the Prada lace skirt or $5000 for that Alexander McQueen military jacket, what do you do with them?

Do you wear the piece every single day until it’s ripped to shreds and then relegate it to the back of the closet? Do you treat it like the rest of your wardrobe, occasionally broken out and always met with sqeals of, “OMG! Fall 08!”? Do you wear it once and then stash it away for twenty years so that when you do wear it your friends fall at your feet with envy and ask which amazing vintage store you’re hiding from them?

Or do I only think about this because I covet it all for a month before moving on to the next impossibly gorgeous, unattainable piece of runway history without actually seeing any of it in my closet?

Pop quiz:

If you’ve been to a Target since yesterday, did you see any of the Hayden-Harnett bags?

Because some people are reporting the bags aren’t out in Target stores yet, which is especially weird since it’s now the 29th, and the bags should have been out for grabbing starting yesterday.

So if you have any idea as to what’s going on, you know what to do.

In the meantime, the whole line’s on Target.com.

On sale… NOW!

xoxo

“What happened to protecting the brand with no sales?” - Brett, while browsing the men’s clearance section on Abercrombie (via e-mail).

In addition to their ongoing Fall sales, all Spring 09 clothes on Yoox.com are an extra 25% off with the code “YOOXMAS” - until midnight tonight, my sugar plums.

Fact: More and more people are shopping online.

Fact: Yet, plenty of people don’t shop online, because they really want to try everything on before giving up their Amex.

Solution: Norma Kamali’s site has just introduced perhaps the most brilliant addition to the online shopping experience since Net-a-Porter finally gave a wink and nod to shame shopping - the Try Before You Buy option.

Basically, instead of paying upfront for your online shopping gambles, you click for the Try option, get your clothes at home, then you have 48 hours to decide what you want to keep and what you want to give back. Shipping is taken care of for you (perhaps the biggest perk), and you only pay for what you keep.

Technically, this is better than shopping at an actual store - in addition to trying the clothes on your body, you also get to try it with everything in your wardrobe and in front of a mirror you actually trust, which is probably the best way to decide whether to charge the $4000 gown at left.

Can you tell we’re gushing?

We’ve obviously been spending a serious amount of time shopping online.

Margiela and Miu Miu cost less than Michael Kors these days and that, we love.

These booties top our list of discoveries. Booties are our favorite winter shoe - they’re far more practical than pumps, warmth wise, they aren’t as serious as boots and they’re fancy enough to wear out to dinner. Basically, these Miu Miu’s are perfect and not even a little bit boring.

Then we found these same exact booties, minus the real suede, minus the option for purple and plus the unsightly addition of studs.

While studs can be great (thanks Alexander Wang), these look more like an inexpensive attempt to combine this season’s signature Gucci studs and Miu Miu’s simple design without the quality that makes each special in the first place.

So we say, if you’re going to rip something off, stick to one Italian designer at a time and stay away, far away from fake suede.

— ALEXANDRA BEN-GURION

An internet analyst just launched a site dedicated to online price matching.

It’s called lightningsales.com and it scans the internet for the same product at different prices so that consumers can compare everything in one place instead of searching for the lowest price.

But it’s for electronics and we’re more interested in shoes than car stereos.

So, we’re getting you started with a few comparisons to highlight which sites are making the biggest online price cuts. (Because we’ve noticed online prices are generally higher than in-store prices anyway.)

For example, this season’s sequin stiletto Miu Miu Mary Janes are $349 at Barneys, $432 at Net-a-Porter and the non sequin version is $455 at Bergdorf Goodman.

Phillip Lim’s layered cashmere sweater dress is $299 at Barneys, only a dollar more at Bergdorf but still $450 on Net-a-Porter.

The Stella McCartney patent wedges Mary Kate wore in Elle UK in September? $479 at Barneys, $687 at Net-a-Porter and still a ridiculous $802 at Bergdorf.

So far, Barneys seems to be the best bet and we’d say stay far away from Net-a-Porter until they realize it’s silly to sell Phillip Lim Spring 07 for hundreds of dollars.

We could play this game all day, but we’re pretty sure they’re shooting Gossip Girl on our street and snow will not stand in the way of seeing Chuck.

We shipped Natalie off on an Egyptian vacation last week and though I’ve spent a fair portion of my life there, she only wanted to know about shopping.

So I told her, “Bargain. Almost everything costs less than half of what you’re told and everything is negotiable - absolutely no exceptions.”

But that’s in the Khan el-Khalili, not in the West Village where according to this article in Bloomberg shoppers have actually started negotiating printed prices.

While major department stores and even mass boutiques like Scoop and Intermix can afford severe markdowns, the smaller stores carrying the same brands just can’t. Which means shoppers are either bypassing them entirely, asking them to match department store prices or lying about how much the same pair of shoes cost down the block to guilt the sales team into lowering prices.

One boutique owner says a woman offered to pay $400 in cash for a $700 bag. Another salesperson says that once negotiating becomes customary no one will want to pay full price again and another is just “really amazed” that people are ballsy enough to ask in the first place.

While I’m always game to bargain at outdoor markets, whether in Cairo or Paris, I could never negotiate my way into a pair of Louboutins.

Are you trying? And more importantly, is it working?

There’s a secret Chris Benz sale happening right now until 5pm - or until it’s all gone.

Make your way to the Tribeca Grand and tell them we sent you.

Once there, you’ll find racks of Chris clothes at wholesale prices and less.

The best part?

They aren’t samples - because Chris archives his sample as a good designer should - but “beautiful” and “pristine” pieces waiting for you to take them home and cherish them.

Wish we were there.

I was fortunate enough to be on a plane leaving the country when Joe Corre sent over my eponymous lingerie last May.

The strappy leather number made me blush and the fall lookbook gave my mom a heart attack until I learned to embrace the honor because really, it’s too good to not throw into first date conversation.

Anyway, despite my coming to terms with strips of leather bearing my name, I never in a million years thought anyone was buying the thing.

But apparently it’s selling quite well - so well that they’ve expanded the Britt range to include a couple of thongs and some stand alone suspenders.

So, if you need something special for New Year’s…click away.

To: tips@fashionista.com
From: anonymous@clotheshorse.com

Hi guys,

I’d like to take a moment out of my busy retail schedule to rant about See by Chloe’s decline.

I used to love, love See for its quirkiness and fresh take on the Chloe aesthetic, but now it feels more Forever 21 than runway worthy. I first noted the difference at the Chloe sample sale when the See racks were home to very different products. I started inspecting everything and about half had Made In Italy labels while the other half had Made in China stamped on the tag - totally different factories, totally different quality and all for the exact same price.

I thought maybe it was just the samples so I checked out the See section on Bergdorf’s 5th floor last weekend and it looks like everything’s made in China now. If anyone owns past See pieces and takes the time to compare to current season’s pieces, you can’t ignore the difference in quality, design & feel.

Anyway, has anyone else noticed?

xo,
So Mad I Can’t SEE Straight

Busy tonight?

If not, and maybe even if you are, swing by Elise Overland’s trunk show at Arcade on Melrose.

Why?

— She’ll be selling her Spring 09 collection as well as actual samples - as in pieces that weren’t produced, aren’t for sale, will be yours and only yours.

— Elise Overland is awesome.

— You know you want the leather leggings Anne Hathaway’s wearing at left.

— There will be cocktails.

— Rachel Zoe will be there. So when you obsess over a dress you can ask her opinion, just please refrain from direct quotations.

If you plan on stopping by, RSVP to melissa@lgbpr.com. Tell her we sent you.

Housing Works must be making a killing on their fashion related auctions.

Just a month after their Marc hosted auction and one week post-vintage YSL blowout, they’ve announced a major Steven Alan sale.

The designer’s donated one thousand pieces of his own line, as well as the other brands he sells in his Manhattan store including Sea, Lulu and Willa, to the New York City charity whose profits go toward housing the homeless. There will be sweaters, coats, dresses, shirts and shorts for men and women - all priced at 70% below retail.

The sale starts, and probably ends, on Saturday December 27 at 11am at their West 17th Street location.

So whether you’re celebrating Christmas a couple of days late, looking for a post-holiday bargain or just a Steven Alan junkie like us, we’d suggest checking it out.

LaPerla’s having something called a Sample Sale starting tomorrow.

But instead of samples there will be heaps of non-sample bras and underwear for 90% off retail prices.

Expect $10 and $20 bras, $5 underwear, $15 nightgowns and $30 swimsuits which sound more like heaven then a mere 90% off.

The sale’s at 260 Fifth Avenue between 28th and 29th Streets from 10am to 7pm from tomorrow until Friday.

But if you’re looking to walk away with things in your size, we’d suggest skipping over there as soon before Friday as possible. They can’t possibly mark the product down further and we pretty much guarantee a mob scene.

Where: 425 West 13th St., 6th floor.

When: Wednesday, December 10 to Friday, December 12, 1pm to 8pm.

Details: This season Rag & Bone, severely discounted.