Once Bitten, Parker isn't shy about bargains

Sarah Jessica Parker, she of the $500 Manolo Blahniks in Sex and the City, is now kicking up her heels at Steve & Barry's, the purveyor of hip, youthful clothes with itty-bitty price tags.

Her creedo: Fashion is not a luxury, it's a right.

Amen, sister.

Parker, who grew up poor, was smitten by Steve & Barry's model of offering quality, fashion-forward clothing at affordable prices. She was, thus, "Bitten." The retailer already has scored a slam dunk with $14.98 sneakers in its Starbury line by NBA star Stephon Marbury.

Would that Parker had discovered the line as Carrie Bradshaw, the Sex and the City scribe who kept herself in cosmos (and in a great Manhattan apartment) by simply banging out a few platitudes each day on her laptop. She could have filled a taxi with her buys from Steve & Barry's and had enough cash leftover for lunch with the girls.

Prices range from $7.98 to $19.98; the line includes sassy lingerie, jeans, cashmere sweaters, clingy knit tops, flirty dresses, and, of course, footwear.