Just heard from Ele Wells Roberts, the owner of the new Love in Bloom maternity store off Lake Boone Trail in Raleigh. She said she's hoping to have the store open Saturday.

Roberts, a retail vet and former marketer, seems to have a real eye for cute maternity clothes. She's got many of the established names in maternity, including Olian and Japanese Weekend. But she'll also stock some names that are new to the market, including Christian Siriano's new maternity line Fierce Mamas.

The store is located at The Market Place at Lake Boone on Lake Boone Trail.

With the start of spring just a few days away, a lot of people are hunting down new sandals on the Web (no doubt on company time), according to Yahoo!

Here are the top 10 "sandal" searches this past week:

1.     Gladiator sandals 
2.     Sandals for kids 
3.     Mephisto sandals 
4.     Reef sandals 
5.     Havaianas sandals 
6.     Donald Pliner evening sandals
7.     Ipanema sandals
8.     Leather sandals
9.     Birkenstock sandals
10.   Sexy elegant high-heel sandals

TV's Stacy London from "What Not to Wear" has some ideas on revamping your closet in this dismal economy. Here's what she recently told Family Circle magazine on how to reorganize your closet to create a new look.

* Let it go. Divide whatever doesn’t fit into two piles; one for charity, the other for keepers that need tailoring. If you (or a friend) are handy with a sewing machine, you can turn a shirt’s long sleeves into 3/4 length, or too-short pants into capris.

* Lighten Up. Wear items from your winter wardrobe -- like skirts and pants -- well into spring by pairing them with tees and camis instead of sweaters and long sleeve blouses.

* Think basics. Reinvent pieces by switching what you wear them with. Black and white items are probably staples, but khaki, navy and dark denim also match almost everything.

I'm such a sucker for fun list-y product pages from retailers. So I was immediately drawn to this e-mail the other day from Talbots, introducing its new T-list. T is for travel, in this case. And today's list was appropriately picked for the rainy weather we've had recently, with a series of products to wear if you were heading somewhere like, say, London. The list also included a few items that weren't even sold at Talbots. Go figure.

Fans of TV's "America's Next Top Model" might want to check out what's new in "high-fashion" at Wal-Mart.

The stores have started carrying the ANTM line of clothing and accessories, according to this article in the Los Angeles Times.

The line is certainly priced right. A duffle for $6? A hoodie for $6? Both are on sale, of course. But still. That's cheap. Most of the line feels very dorm-room cozy, with lots of capri sweats, hoodies and tanks that are perfect for lounging with the girls.

Raleigh's Designers Downtown Market, which had been scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed until March 21 because of the weather.

But don't worry. Next Saturday's event will still have the same good stuff as always. Look for all your favorite handmade and unique products, including jewelry, clothing, hats, scarves and soaps, all made by locals.

The market, located at 509 N. West Street (the parking lot of Ornamentea) opens at 9 a.m. and goes to 3 p.m.

Find out more at www.designersdowntownmarket.com.

Talk about making it.

Sarah and Victor Lytvinenko, the Raleigh couple who have been laboring in Southeast Raleigh for several years to create the Raleigh Denim brand of jeans, now have their handmade jeans online at Barneys.

Last year, they struck a deal with Barneys to sell their high-end jeans (made from U.S. cotton) at the New York and Los Angeles stores. A definite score, but that made it hard for those of us in the Triangle to easily access the jeans.

But now? Buy them at home off your computer. (But you can also e-mail Victor or Sarah ((info@raleighdenim.com)) for a custom-made pair of jeans.)

** Just got word from Sarah that Raleigh Denim jeans are now available at Stitch, Holly Aiken's shop and studio in downtown Raleigh (corner of Wilmington and Hargett streets). Now you can order online or buy them locally.

It seems InStyleBelly.com took a cue from North Raleigh's Jennie Greene and her Bellybundles.com maternity consignment idea.

InStyleBelly is now online selling trendy mothers-to-be used designer maternity clothes just like Bellybundles.

Looks like the site is just getting started, so the selection isn't big. But you will find a Juicy Couture dress, bootcut white jeans and few cute T-shirts and blouses.

The owners of Gena Chandler have marked the entire store 15 percent off today only for a little spring shopping and to feature celebrity designer Black Halo.

Here's Debra Messing in a Black Halo ruffle front dress.

The Upscale Resale Children's Consignment Sale is back for its spring and summer sale in Cary.

If you don't know about it, it's the place to get children's clothes and shoes used from boutiques and trunk shows, with labels such as Silly Goose, Remember Nguyen, Patsy Aiken, Kelly's Kids, Stride Rite and Just Ducky.

Everything at the sale is clean, pressed, in-season and ready to wear. The sale, which will be held at the Cary Masonic Lodge at 142 SE Maynard Road, will start March 13, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Some items will go half price March 14 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Parents looking to consign their kid's clothing can register as a consignor until Tuesday at www.UpscaleResale4Kids.com. That's also where you'll find a list of accepted labels.

For more information, go to the site or contact the organizer Toni Carpenter at upscaleresale4kids@gmail.com.

(A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to the Ashley & Shannon Williams Education Fund. Their mom, Katy Williams, was a co-founder and business partner of the sale. She died suddenly in November. Carpenter decided to move forward with the semi-annual sale in honor of Katy, in large part because of the outpouring of support from their customers.)