I went shopping the other day and I bought what they call "investment pieces"—black skirt, navy pants, the sort of pieces you wear forever. Not just-off-the-runway bright colors or short shorts. Everyone is doing the same thing, experts say, because of the economy. So, in the interest of keeping up with the times, the "investment piece" from the fall shows is as easy and cheap as it gets: Grey eyeshadow. It was everywhere and it looks good on everyone. And you'll wear it forever. Total no-regret purchase.

—Jean Godfrey-June, beauty director

Whenever I need something special, or feel inclined to splurge, I go to Albertine. It's no secret that we love Kyung Lee's shops here at Lucky (she also owns Claudine, which she's turning into an atelier, equipped with a seamstress, where you can get made-to-order items at super-reasonable prices). In fact, every time I go to Albertine, I stay for so long that she taught me how to run the credit card machine so she can vacate the premises and leave me in charge. While there on Saturday working the register (which somehow I find ridiculously satisfying and fun), I found myself staring at this Rachel Comey jacket. It's cropped, though it's slightly longer in the front, and closes with a single button. I tried it on over almost everything in the store—slouchy t-shirts, gauzy tops, chiffon dresses—and it made it each piece completely different, and equally amazing. But it's $400, which is out of my budget. Have you guys seen anything similar, but at a better price? So far this Urban Renewal jacket is the closest I've found ...

Photo by Marcio Madeira, courtesy of Style.com

I am, embarrassingly, one of those people who likes her birthday too much. I have been known to dress in elaborate costumes, drag my friends to far corners of the five boroughs for, say, crab legs, and peer-pressure guests into drinking flaming cocktails at a tiki bar. I can't help myself—I love gathering people together and doing ridiculous things; I love the memories, I love the pictures, and I really love the cake. So this year for my birthday, I am having a 1973 potluck. We will be eating Swedish meatballs, shrimp cocktail, and apple cake; watching Serpico, The Getaway, and Don't Look Now; and listening to Zeppelin, David Bowie, and Pink Floyd. I'll serve champagne punch in vintage glasses

A bunch of new spring merch just went up on shopsheboutique.com, and to kick it off, they're offering a discount of 25 percent off anything on the site just for the readers of this column (yay!). I'm loving Loeffler Randall's voluminous mini that's done in creamy, shimmery silk brocade. It's got pockets and a high waist that would be good to show off by tucking in something really clean-lined and simple, like this Kain tank in a dusty shade of lavender.

So Built by Wendy is blowing out their overstock and samples, right this very second, online. It lasts until March 4. Everything is sorted in $10 increments (topping out at $70+), and there are a hundred million things I want. In fact, it's so good, it's giving me heart palpitations. What are you guys buying?

We're extra-thrilled that figure skater/gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi is the new spokesperson for Nicole by OPI (a Lucky favorite, natch)—a great contract with a great company.

There's a new limited-edition CK One bottle, set on a Lucite base with a removable mini-speaker inside. We don't quite get the tech-y part, but it sounds cool— like something a lanky, cooler-than-you person would know how to use. In other words, typical Calvin Klein genius. In 1994, he made CK One one of the most iconically cool fragrances ever, and made everyone involved cool: even allegedly tri-nippled Marky Mark (oh yeah, and that Kate Moss person). With this relaunch, he's doing it again and we want this cool bottle-stereo thing desperately; if you do too, click here.

Gap launched unisex fragrances that year, too: Grass, Earth, Day, and (the most questionably "unisex" ) Heaven. Everyone was obsessed; then all mourned, My So-Called Life cancellation-like, when Gap discontinued all but the latter. The old ones are on eBay, but whatever: Close, Gap's first-ever just-for-women fragrance (besides, one might argue, HEAVEN) is out in April. We're counting on it to smell typical-of-Gap incredible; it also comes in a bottle that looks like Eva from Wall-E, which for some reason really does it for us.

I had dinner the other night with one of my closest friends, Sarah, who was raving about the style of one of her co-workers. Sarah is impossibly chic herself (she's an interior decorator who works for Celerie Kemble), and hearing her gush—on and on—about someone else got my attention. When I asked her what specifically set this co-worker apart, Sarah replied: "She's just such a lady—she even wears nightgowns to bed." I thought that was a pretty brilliant assessment. Quite frankly, I want to be a lady too! And if that requires spurning boxers and oversize T-shirts for nightgowns, I'm totally in. I've always been a huge fan of the exceedingly soft material at Gap Body (do they beat it with rocks or something?), and I love this color-blocked American Eagle option, too. And this Victoria's Secret nightie is glamorous in a '40s-era way, too.

Do you collect stuff? My thing is vintage photographs. The voyeur in me is completely, unabashedly fascinated by other people's memories, and I've spent hours in junk shops perusing the holidays, graduations, and various vacations of strangers from different decades (it's an experience I've totally replicated on Facebook, by the way. I've lost entire afternoons staring at the Vegas wedding of someone I don't know). Sometimes I buy in bulk and use the photos in a project—for my wedding I had vintage pics of Brooklyn couples laid out under the place cards. But usually, my collection just rots away in our apartment, in various bins that my husband marks "JR crafts". Anyway, I'd like to do something with these. Like wallpaper a full wall of our dining room with them, or something that will justify purchasing more black-and-white favorites. Ebay has an amazing selection of old pictures. Even if you just type in "vintage fashion photographs," you'll uncover treasures like these, these, and these, which look professional, but are unbelievably cool.

As part of my spring itch, I can't seem to suppress my desire to buy new sandals. The most recent addition to my wish list is this super-strappy Delancey style by Dolce Vita. I love the strong, earthy brown it comes in, a color I'm thinking will only deepen and look cooler with age. The inch-or-so wood heel is perfect for me: I can feel like I get a little boost in height without sacrificing comfort. And the skinny laces that wrap around your ankle add some femininity to an otherwise tough style. Were it actually warm enough to pull this off, I'd add a lacy white blouse and my ancient denim mini to keep the whole girly-rugged balance in check.

Stop everything you are doing. I mean, stop right this second, and click over to Linda's Stuff, otherwise known as The Best eBay Store I Have Ever Seen. OMG. I don't even know where to begin and, believe me you won't either. Imagine the best, most diverse, well-stocked, well-organized consignment shop you have ever entered, featuring more than 80 high-profile designers (everyone from Givenchy and Dior to Marc and Chloé). Now imagine that you can actually afford most of the stuff you see. I have not even begun to scratch the surface, but am already dying for two pairs of YSL shoes (these hot pink sandals, which are not my size, and this gorgeous beige-y and black pair that definitely is), a Bottega Veneta hobo bag,