This January 21st JCrew will hold their first public sample sale in New York with sample-only merch marked up to 70% off. Racked reported on the sale this morning after discovering links to the news through the ever-dedicated JCrew Aficionada. We're excited about this sale, although we're not willing to take an elbow for a cable knit--hopefully the fact that it spans four days will make it a rather peaceful event. If you should be elsewhere, J.Crew is having some killer sales online right now. Take an extra 20% off sale items without so much as a glimpse of an elbow. Sounds like a good deal to us. 

We were resisting the urge to write about this but it seems everywhere we turn there is evidence to prove that UGG boots are still selling like hot cakes. Today WWD reported that UGG was responsible for carrying independent retailers through an ugly weekend of slow sales and bad weather. To prove the point, or strictly by coincidence, Racked snapped a picture of the line outside of the Soho store and Fashionista posted on their overall amazement. This, in the end, opened the floodgates for commenters who, for the most part, only confirmed the strange phenomenon with enthusiasm. We're not saying that UGGs have been eradicated from New York but, we will say, this is a perfect example of when it pays not to live here--sometimes it can actually make you really, really out of touch. With a little research we learned that every major retailer still stocks them with the exception of Net-a-Porter, who seems to be stocking a replica brand. Who knew? 

Kira Plastinina, teenage "designer" from Russia, will be closing ten of her twelve US stores--all of which opened less than one year ago. Racked reports on what will now be just a blip in fashion history, with signage and details on the closings. In just two weeks time the Kira Plastinina brand will be all but vanished from the US market, and, in case you never had the chance to indulge in the sugar-coated mass-market aesthetic check out the Kira Plastinina Spring 2009 runway show as seen during Milan Fashion Week. Chances are the brand will live on, Bloomberg reports that sales are high in Plastinina's birthplace of Russia. 

Why in the world can't a brand like a JCrew keep their website functioning properly is all we want to know. We're not trying to be jerky safe-behind-our-laptop "bloggers" but c'mon, what's a girl got to do to give someone a little press these days? For two days (that's eighty million years in the real world) we've been trying to visit J.Crew's website to do one of two things: buy something and write about how other people should buy something. The first time we were blocked at the gates, we saw this, and the second, well, notice how there isn't any fashion in the picture to your left. 

A brief history in J.Crew's e-commerce mishaps: in July the site went down for the better part of a month and J.Crew's biggest fan, J.Crew Aficionada, wasn't happy. Racked and Bloomberg both followed the story. 

Fast forward to Holiday 2008, just weeks before we wrap up this sorry excuse for a fiscal quarter, and the site sinks again.

A message to J.Crew: throw some money at this thing and we promise we'll buy as many cable knits as it takes to make up for it!!!

How do the terror attacks in Mumbai effect fashion retailers in the city--WWD reports on the perspective of high fashion retailers as they assess how soon tourists and local consumers will be shopping again.

If you're in New York for the holidays and are trying to wade through the endless neighborhoods of shops and sales--Racked has you covered. This Black Friday map merits a hard copy--which is something you won't hear us say very often.

How low can online writers go? We thought our Fifty Items Under Fifty Dollars was clever, and, amazingly, Refinery 29 found ten for less than ten bucks.

Fabsugar rounds up the best of their Holiday Gift Guides--leaving no brother-in-law or crazy aunt ungifted. It's all about strategy fashionistas, that, and online shopping.

Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year, is upon us, so sleep and eat well because it's going to be an interesting shopping week. Until then!