To celebrate the merging of fall and winter earlier this month, I hosted a special holiday event at Marshalls in Aventura, Florida. I invited you, AccidentalSexiness.com readers to join me and chat a bit about fall/winter trends, holiday gift ideas, and to learn a bit about what Marshalls and TJ Maxx is all about!

It was so nice to finally meet and spend time with so many of you that I have chatted with in the comments section of articles or via Twitter and Facebook! It felt like a shopping date with a group of fabulous guys and gals who are not only trendsetters, but also smart shoppers who know where to purchase the hottest items for the best price.

I really enjoyed that some of you came with your children as well because both stores are really about catering to families. This particular Marshalls was combined with a Home Goods store that had beautiful home items as well as pieces that you could easily gift to family, friends, or even someone you might have gotten in a Secret Santa raffle at the office.

Maria, the manager of the Aventura store and her staff couldn’t have been more amazing! She even allowed two beautiful employees to join us for our informal fashion show which also featured a few of my fabulous girlfriends!

Joining me front and center for my presentation was my good friend (who also happens to be an amazing fashion designer and make-up artist) Bernard Holley who helped with fashion advice for upcoming holiday parties and even did the make-up for all the models!

As far as gift items were concerned, the hot item of the night was an iPad case that had a built-in keyboard which retails everywhere else for over $100 but was only $35 at Marshalls.

For those of you who weren’t able to make it (we missed you!), you missed out on my story about visitin the corporate headquarters of Marshalls/TJ Maxx in Framingham, Massachusetts last year and the things I learned about their operation. Many people (myself included) have/had the misconception that they only (or mostly) carry items from past seasons or items that are irregular.

Marshalls and TJ Maxx are NOT discount stores, they are Off-Price stores. This means that they provide a great value (20-60% off) on the same of-the-moment brands you can find in department stores every day.

They can afford to do this because they keep their displays simple. Savings from foregoing fancy mannequins and decorations on-site translates into the customer saving money!

As far as irregular pieces are concerned, 95% of their stock is first quality and anything with a flaw is clearly labeled as such.

Another favorite moment was when AccidentalSexiness.com reader Astrid Rivera played the “Off-Price is Right Game” and won this amazing magic set for her son! He was so happy he did not want to let go of the box!!

Here is a photo I received via Twitter after the event:

For more information on Marshalls, follow their Facebook page here and their Twitter Page here. For TJ Maxx, follow their Facebook page here and their Twitter page here.

A big thank you to everyone who made this wonderful event possible and to all who came out. Happy holidays!