A is for ALDO Fragrance Launch

The A is for ALDO five-piece fragrance collection, composed of women's colors, RED, YELLOW, BLUE, as well as men's RED and YELLOW. A is for ALDO allows you to discover your fragrance personality and colour, whether you are feeling sensual and passionate (RED), chic and playful (YELLOW) or sexy and glamorous (BLUE).

RED for her - top notes are icy peach, bergamot with base notes of sandalwood, amber wood and musk.

YELLOW for her - top notes are mandarin, grapefruit and neroli blossom with base notes of sandalwood, amber and musk.

BLUE for her - top notes of bergamot, freesia, lemon verbena with base notes of cocoa, black amber, tonka bean, musk and plum.

RED for him, the modern classic man - top notes include citrus, anise and bergamot with bottom notes, patchouli, tonka bean , musk and vanilla.

YELLOW for him, the sporty, casual man - top notes include bergamot, cardamom, ginger and mango with bottom notes of cedar wood, moss, musk and sandalwood.

To find your color, take the quiz at aisforaldo.com.

Turns out I'm a yellow, which is exactly the fragrance I chose, based on the scent. Here's what the quiz said about yellow:

You may be all grown-up but you still have a love for play. You're competitive but only in so much as you believe in good sportsmanship. You're not so much lolz as much as you are a coy grin and a wink with a wit to match.

The A is for ALDO fragrance collection launched in November 2011, and retails as follows:

10ml - $15

30ml - $25

75ml - $45

- Kim Weling

Call It Spring Store Launch at Manhattan Mall

On Wednesday September 1st, I was excited to attend the launch of the Call It Spring shoe store at Manhattan Mall at 33rd & Broadway.

Call It Spring, formerly called Transit, is owned by Aldo, and more affordable at a lower price point. Call It Spring in Manhattan Mall is the first freestanding Manhattan location, with plans to open several more around the city. Aldo has partnered with JCPenney, with future plans to launch Call It Spring shop-in-shops at select JCPenney stores in 2011.

I found out there are several store locations in New Jersey such as Willowbrook Mall and Garden State Plaza, yet in NJ the store is just called Spring. There are also Spring stores on the east coast - CT, MA, MD, PA and as far as Chicago.

It was a crowded frenzy during the store launch party, with fashion and shoe bloggers flagging salespeople for their size, trying on shoes and holding onto shoes for purchase. Upon arrival, bloggers were given a $150 gift card, which you can bet they were eager to use. Upon leaving, attendees received a brown, mini cross-body bag, packaged in a round Call it Spring storage box.

I found that there are limited styles offered in a size 5 (my shoe size). Most of their shoes range from sizes 6-11. Even though I was told their sizing runs small, the size 6 t-strap style was still a little big on me. I may have better luck with the size 6 booties. But it was too chaotic for me to want to try on more shoes so I figured I'd come back and shop another time. I did read on myspringshoes.com that gift cards can only be used for in-store purchases, so I guess I won't be shopping online.

Just a quick look around the store, I noticed that the shoes were modern and trendy, appealing to a young demographic than Aldo. Call It Spring carries all different types of shoes - pumps, platforms, sandals, wedges, flats and booties, with a prices ranging from $29.99 to $69.99.

Call It Spring also carries handbags and accessories such as sunglasses and jewelry, and men's shoes.




T-strap shoes for only $49.99

Spring Shoes PR Director, Effie Giannou

I decided to stop at Garden State Plaza in NJ to checkout the selection at the Spring store. I ended up purchasing these two shoes featured below. These peep toe pumps with side and front cutouts are a size 6, but actually fit pretty snug. There were some other size 6 styles I tried on that were just too big. I loved these grey booties, but they didn't have the light grey in my size so it's being directly shipped to me for free, and should arrive within 3-6 days.

Although Spring carries leather shoes, the pairs I got are made of synthetic materials, so I am not sure how long they will last in my closet but as long as I get one season out of them I'll be happy. I still have a balanced on my gift card so I'll definitely be back to shop!

Thank you to Call It Spring, Shine Media PR and John Simon Daily for hosting a great event and having me attend!

Left: Keliikoa, $49.99 and right: Lynch, $69.99

- Kim Weling