Alright, here’s the deal: Target, Macy’s Inc., Gap Inc., Kohl’s Corp., Toys “R” Us Inc. and Best Buy Co. are all opening on Thanksgiving to boost sales. Target employees will have to start their shift at 11 pm, meaning in order to survive the Black Friday madness they have to sleep in the afternoon. They have to sleep to prepare for work instead of spending time with their families on a holiday that is about giving thanks for the things you love. Target employee Anthony Hardwick has started a petition, which has already gained over 37,000 signatures in protest of the change in holiday hours.

I say good for you, Mr. Hardwick! What is going on with the holiday craziness? I remember when the holidays were actually celebrated in the month that they fell. I used to go into stores in October and only see Halloween decorations, but in recent years it seems corporations are trying to fast forward everything all the time. I don’t want to see Christmas decorations in October! I don’t want to see cornucopias and turkeys until November 1. And I most certainly don’t want people to be forced to give up one of the most family oriented holidays for the sake of Christmas sales!

Black Friday used to be a novel idea when the stores opened at normal hours. People would stand outside in line waiting for the doors to open, and it was crazy. But now, stores have surpassed crazy. It’s called Black Friday not Black Thursday, and there is absolutely no need for stores to open on Thursday night. I don’t care how much you think sales will go up. These stores are ruining holidays for their employees. Sure you can say that it’s their job, but it’s not fair to them in any capacity. People should not have to leave their families to work on holidays. How about you stop robbing families of their time together and open stores at normal hours?

If stores stop opening so early, then shoppers wouldn’t have a choice but to wait. Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure people would still go shopping and would be relieved that they themselves don’t have to cut time with the family to go stand in line and risk getting trampled. Think about it. When a store isn’t open, what do you do? You wait until it’s open. Or you go somewhere else, but if every store holds off until normal store hours, no one would lose business.

I want the holidays back. I watched a Christmas movie last night on ABC Family, and Thanksgiving hasn’t happened yet! Why?! Everyone needs to chill out, we only have so much time to live our lives so why are we rushing everything? We live in a fast-paced world, but we need to slow our roll. I’m afraid that next year Black Friday sales are going to start the day after Halloween, and Thanksgiving will become obsolete. This is getting ridiculous, and it needs to stop.

So how do I get my chambray on without rocking the denim tuxedo?
Two words: denim dress.

The denim dress is a fashionable and versatile wardrobe addition. First, it’s a great way to get out of those jeans (that may or may not be giving you muffin top) but still enjoy one of the biggest trends of the season. Second, it’s the ultimate transition piece to take you from summer to fall. Pair it with some wedges or flat sandals now and in two months, rock some tights and a chunky cardigan (or leather coat!) and you’re good to go.

Plus, we all know that dresses in general are the bomb.com because there is so much less thought needed to look cute and put together, and the denim dress is no exception. Throw one on, add cute shoes and a bag and – boom! – you = SO FREAKIN CUTE! Need some help finding the perfect denim frock? I’ve got 8 fun and flattering options right here. No, you don’t need to thank me. I’m just doing my job!

Top Row from left: Forever 21 – $22.80; Levi’s – $59.50; Macy’s – $8.99; Charlotte Russe – $28;
Bottom Row from left: Macy’s – $34.99; Forever 21 – $19.80; Charlotte Russe – $28; Forever 21 – $19.80.

Now that Spring is officially here and I’ve busted out my flip flops, I can’t wipe this loopy grin off my face. It just makes me so happy, especially after the winter we had in New York. I swear, if I had to step in one more brown, slushy puddle I was going to kick someone. But now that all those nasty puddles are gone and the restaurants are setting up their outside tables, all I can think about is iced coffee, al fresco cocktails, the joy that comes from going out without having to lug a giant coat along, and SUNDRESSES!

Summer sundresses are awesome for so many reasons:  they’re comfy, they’re cute and they’re totally versatile.  You can pair ‘em with all kinds of shoes (flats, sandals, heels, wedges, boots; you name it, it can work), and you can wear ‘em over a bikini, for those last warm days on campus, or for a night out.

Go for any of these babies that are all under $20 and really, you can’t go wrong.

The colors, the light fabric and the water color flowers on this halter dress just scream summer. Wear it for some daytime errands with a pair of white wedges, or go man hunting at night with a pair of sexy nude pumps.

Think there’s no such thing as a black sundress? This adorable frock from Target proves otherwise. Add some bright bangles for a summery pop of color.

I have no words for the perfection that is this denim dress. The neckline is perfect, the rouching is perfect, the length is perfect, and the price is beyond perfect.

This floral number will not only look perfect with some gladiator sandals all summer long, but come fall you can pull on an oversized cardi, some tights, and black ankle booties and keep on lovin’ it.

Coral looks great against some summer sun kissed skin. Accessorize with lots of gold or some bright pops of turquoise.

You don’t need to have a yacht to embrace nautical style. But if you do have a yacht and want to invite me, I’ll definitely come in this adorable dress.

I love the combination of black and bright pinks in this dress. It can easily go from day to night, class to dinner, or beach to bar.

If I didn’t already have a boyfriend, I’d marry this dress. The cut is flattering, the buttons are adorable and you can easily jazz it up with some funky bracelets.

You may have to drop some elbows, but there's still time for some really good last minute gifts.

So it’s Christmas Eve, you just got home from school, and sometime between the TV marathons and the Facebook-stalking your BFFs on their tropical vacations, you realized you hadn’t done much Christmas shopping. And now it’s Christmas Eve and you still haven’t gotten those important people their gifts yet.

Uh oh.

Well, not to worry; It’s On has done your shopping  for you. I’ll tell you where you can still go today to get all of the holiday essentials. And don’t worry -I’m not sending you to CVS to pick up a box of chocolates and whatever other weird stuff they’re trying to sell by the checkout counter. There are some really legit stores staying open today for the lazy people of the world those busy last-minute shopppers.

Stick with me (and get ready to battle for some parking spots) and in the next few hours you’ll be home wrapping those special gifts for those special people.

In an effort to make things easier on everyone I’ve tried to identify 5 basic gifts – perfume, sweaters, hat/gloves/scarf set, bags, and entertainment – that people usually covet this time of year. And instead of my normal head to head match-ups, I’ve given you two stores per item that WILL BE OPEN today.

Oh and don’t forget to check out CouponCabin.com before you go; you may even still be able to snag some good deals today!

I know, I just saved your life.

Entertainment:
This includes iPods, iPhone/iPod Accessories, CDs, Blu-Rays and other things that you can find for the movie/TV/music lover. If all else fails – and you find yourself staring at a wall of DVDs and have no clue which they’d want – a 3-month membership to Netflix is never a bad idea. And you don’t even need to leave the house to get it.

Best Buy
(Not always the cheapest store, but they do have plenty of good coupons on everything from digital cameras to DVDs right now!)
9:00am-10:00pm

Game Stop
(You can grab a bunch of used games for cheap, new games, and some awesome gaming accessories. Like a new guitar for Guitar Hero. You know, so maybe your bro will let you play sometimes.)
10:00am-8:00pm

Perfume:
People LOVE perfume. And the best thing about buying perfume this time of year is that they all come in some pretty sweet gift sets. You can break these up into lots of smaller gifts for people you don’t want to spend a lot on (!!), or give the whole shebang to those super important people in your life. If you want a good deal (without having to buy some nasty grandma scent from 6 years ago), Macy’s and Kohl’s are your best bet.

Macy’s
7:00am-6:00pm

Kohls
6:00am-6:00pm

Bags
Most of the good stuff was picked over weeks ago, so you may not have much luck finding something cute with only a few hours until Santa hits the friendly skies. (The good news is, what’s left tends to be marked down a lot!) But if you wanna try, I recommend hitting up Target and Macy’s. If nothing else, at least you’ll have a large selection of other stuff to look through if they don’t have what you came for.

Target
7:00am-7:00pm

Macy’s
7:00am-6:00pm

Hat/Gloves/Scarf Set
This is essential, cheap and comes in a bunch of varieties to fit every style.

Target
7:00am-7:00pm

Macy’s
7:00am-6:00pm

Sweaters
The ULTIMATE multipurpose gift, sweaters can be found virtually everywhere, but, again, if you need quick, decently priced and before Christmas, there are two stores that will definitely have the best stock.

H&M
They have special hours in certain locations. I’d advise you calling your H&M of choice to find out specific hours.

American Eagle Outfitters
Again, call your store of choice to find when they close

The only other advice I can give you is to get moving early this morning. And wear comfortable shoes. Oh, and wear your seat belt. There is nothing more dangerous than a mall parking lot the day before Christmas. Nothing.

Until next year, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Also, I was invited out to the bar for some tasty drink specials. Clearly $1 beers would trump anything, even if Ra’Mon was still around.

So I went out for some drinks…and then came home to see what shenanigans the Project Runway designers would get involved in this week. And let me say – watching the show buzzed is truly the only way to go. I was wearing beer goggles and everything was just so much better!

The challenge was to design a look for I.N.C., a Macy’s brand. The designs had to be in blue and the designers had to work in teams.

As usual, the designers had to send their models to the Garnier hair studio and the L’Oreal Paris makeup room, and to use accessories from the Macy’s accessory wall which had been stocked with I.N.C. shoes.

I don’t know about you, but it seems like maybe these companies are paying to have their brands on the show. Could it be??

Anyways, the designers worked and sewed and bitched about their teammates. Epperson and Chris had a designer love affair in the back (which clearly blinded them to what the h-e-double hockey sticks they were doing), Nikolas whined about ruffles in the front, and Irena talked. A lot. Homegirl might be a good designer, but her voice is like nails on a mother effing chalkboard. She just needs to stop.

When it was time for the runway I wasn’t too excited to see the designs on display – I didn’t see anything really interesting in the work room and I was pretty sure this snoozefest would only give me the blues. (Ha! See what I did there?) But then I  saw Michael Kors back in his hot seat! I was wondering where my little nugget had been all these weeks and could have jumped up and kissed the TV (if there hadn’t been a bowl of steaming hot Easy Mac on my lap).

Seriously, how can you not love a man that comes up with this:

“It looks like a cheap bridesmaids dress with a loofah up the front.”

Clearly, he didn’t like the look. Clearly, no one in their right mind would like that look. (In my drunk mind, I still didn’t like that look.) Not so clear, though, is why the judges liked Irena’s look. The length was weird, the bottom looked like something someone would wear when they were knocked up and didn’t want to tell anyone, and it just didn’t look cute. But then again, no one really made anything cute. It was almost a “best of the worst” sort of situation:

“Should we go with Irena’s modern maternity dress or Carol Hannah’s cheap looking tunic?”

At least Irena’s dress didn’t look like someone picked it up at Wet Seal.

So, yeah, Irena won. I’m pretty sure that would have been Althea had hottie-boom-bottie Logan not made a skirt that showed off his model’s fallopian tubes. It’s OK, though, those two made it to next week anyway..and had some alone time behind the runway to get. it. on. in celebration.

What? That’s what I would do if I had 3 minutes alone with that guy. Rar.

So I know you’re thinking: “How can you get anything for under $20 at a department store like Macy’s?”

I get it – sometimes I feel like I can’t even afford to breathe the air in that store and I am doomed to spend my life lusting for everything on the over-stuffed racks. But I’m here to tell you it’s not impossible.  Macy’s is all about the discounts and they always have a giant selection in the clearance racks. Most of the stuff is under $50 and a giant chunk of that is under $20! You just need to know where to look for ‘em.

Here are a few of my personal favorites right now. And, yes, a lot of this stuff can take you right into fall:

Linen pants are perfect for the late summer/early fall, and the wide leg and tie-front of these make ‘em extra stlyish. Tuck something into these pants and you’ll look perfect for a class presentation, job interview, or meeting with the boyfriend’s parents.

You gotta love the fun color, Indian-inspired details and fullness of this skirt. It’s ideal  for one of those last summer picnics, but will also look great over a pair of tights when you head back to class.

This ruffle shirt can be worn belted, with a cardigan, under a jacket, over leggings, with a pair of jeans, tucked into a high-waisted skirt…. The possibilities are truly endless.

Ikat is still a great print and this cami will not only work great for the end of summer, but come fall you can easily pair it with a cute cardigan or even a boyfriend blazer.

This shirt gives the basic tee a simple twist and a little extra oomph. Wear it to class with a pair of jeans and flip flops, or pair it with some skinnies and a hot wedge for your evening endeavors.

I’m a sucker for a cute sundress and this one is right on target with its cut, print and feminine details.  Bonus: the color scheme totally works for fall. Double Bonus: Throw on a wide belt and you’ve instantly made this your own.

You can never have too many basic black dresses and this is the perfect style for those cooler autumn temps.  Add some fun & funky jewelry and boots and you’ll be lookin’ fab.

I’m a personal fan of boat shoes and these have a preppy chic look that’s perfect for back-to-school. These shoes + jeans + a button down = the ultimate first-day-of-class ensemble. I get giddy just thinking about it.

But the internet just took the whole “getting a deal” high and went one step further. Yup, now you can go shopping for free! Hello, FreeNapkin.com! Don’t let the name mislead you – they’re giving away more than just free napkins! This site is filled with stuff that people want to get rid of. For free.

Need a boat? What about a shelving unit for your new summer sublet? Why deal with actually paying for something when you can just hop on over to someone’s house and get it for free? Save your money for more important things in life like cable TV, shoes (because you never want to get those used), or a nice cushion in your bank account for when you can’t get a job after college.

Why would someone ever just want to give something away? Who cares?! They do, so stop asking questions and take advantage before someone else nabs that sweet free couch you’ve been eyeing!

Just hit the internet.

While the prices are oftentimes still much higher than those pieces you love grabbing at Target, Old Navy, Forever 21 or H&M, many of these items are much higher in quality and can be wardrobe staples for many years to come.

I am personally obsessed with designer denim, shoes and handbags. I don’t have the salary to allow me to buy whatever I want at their normal price and I don’t own a credit card (for good reason – it would’ve been maxed out ages ago), so I have to look for deals. Enter my saviors for retail therapy on a budget:

Overstock.com: This site is a gem! You may not always find exactly what you want, but you can find some great stuff here at even better prices. I got my bf 2 sweaters and a button down shirt that were each originally $75/piece, for $15 each! You can also find great home goods here for awesomely affordable prices.

Bluefly: While things here are oftentimes still pretty pricey, they do give a good percentage off, and I check here often because when they have sales, you can find phenomenal deals.

Gilt Group: This site is different than the first two…they don’t just have overstocked items that you can pick from whenever you want. They have specific sales on certain brands on a day-to-day basis. The site originators send out an e-mail every day as to who’s on sale. You must be a member to join (it’s free), and I believe you must be invited to become a member. You are now invited.

Haute Look: Very similar to Gilt Group, they have exclusive sales with phenomenal deals. Check on their site daily for the current and upcoming lines they will be selling.

eBags: If you’re a bag horse, this is a great site. I got my bf an amazing $250 Kenneth Cole leather messenger bag for $70, and they gave me a free leather business card case with it!

eLuxury: Again, still not exactly in a college student’s budget, but the prices are slashed by 30-70%

One other tip I have is to check the websites of the high end stores themselves: Barneys, Nieman Marcus, Saks, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and Macy’s. With the recession, one of the arenas getting hit the hardest is luxury goods, so these stores are just hoping to get merchandise off their shelves and out of their storage, which means they’re all having kick-butt sales (usually in the 50-90% off range). These sales are sure to pop up over the next few months as the economy worsens. So if you have the chance (and the bucks), take advantage of the benefits of a global economic collapse – you may get a fabulous pair of shoes out of it.

A big, comfy sweater is definitely a must-have this winter. It will keep you warm and looking chic, unlike a baggy hoodie. Kim Kardashian and Kate Hudson, above, look cute but casual, the perfect look for heading to class or shopping. Jessica Alba dresses the look up a little by adding a belt and tights.

In order to pull off this look, however, make sure that the sweater isn’t TOO enormous. You don’t want to look like you stole it from your grandpa’s closet. Buy a sweater that is meant to be oversized or go one size up from what you would normally buy.

Here are some stylish oversized sweaters. Click the picture to visit the store’s website.

Put one of these cozy sweaters on over jeans/leggings and leather boots and you’re good to go! Throw on a belt for a little extra pizazz (and to show that you have a waist), or layer up the bracelets to make this look ultra feminine. Cute and warm has never been easier.

Cybermonday.com has a whole plethora of online hotspots offering amazing sales for whatever Christmas shopping you have left… or if you just want to by yourself something pretty. I’ve already added 30 things to my shopping cart at the whitehouseblackmarket.com‘s sale. How could I not? They have 25% off everything…even sale items! Hells yes!

If you’re lookin’ to get the man in your life (be it boyfriend, brother, father, etc.) a new Xbox or some cool electronic toy thingy they would love, here’s a site that gives you a list of who’s offering what. CircuitCity.com is offering 10% off your purchase, as well as some other amazing savings!

For all you Macy’s lovers, like me, instead of making that dreaded trip to the mall, stay cozy in bed and let them come to you! Macys.com is offering free shipping!

And for the rest of your Cyber Monday needs, Shop.org is the place to go! It’s got everything from savings to strategy!

Why leave the house when you can get everything you need from the comfort of your cozy bed? I mean, shopping in your PJ’s is the point of the internet, isn’t it?