For the Love of Shopping

Happy February!  February is the month of love. I love  flowers, chocolate and the fact that winter is half over. But there is nothing I love more than shopping.  They say if you you love something set it free, and on January first, that is exactly what I did. I made  a resolution not to shop for any new clothes or shoes for THREE months .
Three  months may not seem like a long time, but for a fashionista it is an eternity. So how am I coping?

Good question! I am proud to say for that past month and a half I have not bought any clothes or shoes. With the tiny exception (no pun) of a pair of underwear for $3 in an extreme emergency ( I forgot to pack a pair in my gym bag if you must know).

So how does one go three months without shopping for new things? Well I guess I can shop for old things but I hate thrift stores . And someone else's "old thing" would still be "new for me," so that would not count now, would it?

 So... I went shopping in the most convenient place of all... my closet! I found some old things that were brand new.With tags! And some in red, just in time for Valentine's day!

Trina Turk Wool Coat

My favorite find, was the holiday present I  forgot about. A wool Trina Turk coat in pretty shade of crimson. I love the asymmetrical buttons, the retro collar and the elegant cuffs. Modern meets classic!  What a way to brighten up a dreary day!

Trina Turk Mirren Dress

Another great non-shopping find, was something I bought off my fall wish list, during my November shopping spree, also by my favorite west coast designer Trina Turk. The tweed Mirren dress, which was steal on sale. I found this in my closet, still with tags on . A few snips of the scissor followed with pairing of black tights and boots, I walked out the door feeling brand new!
I received five compliments before I even finished pouring my morning coffee at work! And no, I did not style my outfit with the silly beret as I work in NYC, not Paris .

Last, but not least, was a past impulse buy at the DVF sample sale.

Barely breathing in my DVF sample sale dress.

I love the color, also red, a departure from my all black wardrobe. I really like the dress but don't love the fit . Too much holiday indulgence left this a little to snug for work, but it was fine for play. I decided to wear it at to my friend Corina's engagement party. I wish I loved the dress as much as she loves her fiance, but sometimes it's OK to be  "in-like" especially if you hate your credit card balances!


If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you are with. And that goes for the clothes and shoes in your closet. Stay tuned for more hidden closet finds, my next wish list, and whether or not I ended up buying vacation clothes!
xoxo
N.

p.s. if you even just "like" my blog, please leave a comment and/or become a follower!

My Fall Wish List - What to buy and why.

If you read my Madonna post from last fall... you will remember, I am a summer person. I despise the fall and wear my summer clothes for as long as possible. I mean you practically have to pry my flip flops off my feet with a crowbar.
So this year, when fall snuck up on us Easterners in early September, I was not prepared. Linen dresses sans tights with my beloved sandals did not serve any purpose, aside from causing me to catch a dreadful cold . Hence with a closet full of enough summer stuff to live in a tropical climate year round,  I realized I needed to make a list of items I need, or should I say want that are within my budget. sort of...

The Bag

I am still wearing  my white summer bag. My black Marc Jacobs circa 2009 is in need of repair . But to find a stylish yet affordable bag is hard. But I think this one  from the Michael line of Michael Kors is perfect at a good price. It is roomy without being overwhelmingly large..click here- Jet Set Chain Bag

The Dress

I love dresses . I recently counted how many I own and was shocked . But the answer will be the subject of my my next post. There are so many I love this season, all not within my budget. But I am chanting for a sale to come soon!

Trina Turk Mirren Dress

my favorite is this  Mirren Belted Dress from L.A. Designer Trina Turk . This is in charcoal . I prefer camel which is found in this :link. I would lose the beret  unless the  husband takes me to Paris for weekend .



Milly Cristina Toggle Shift Dress

My ultimate favorite dress designer  is Michelle Smith , founder of Milly. Somehow she combines timeless classic elegance with a modern twist.  Every time I wear Milly I get a compliment . Need I say more? (to see the collection click here)


DVF Alexandria Knit Sleeveless Dress



Diane von Furstenberg. anything she designs is on my list. As long as I can squeeze into  it . The red  can brighten my mood on a dark dismal day. click only if there is money in your bank account



This is a slightly more affordable option . I love it , the front is plain , but I am enamoured with the detailing in the back. Alas ,still not in my budget. I will be stalking those sales...This can be found at Anthropologie. (click here) . And guess what I majored in in college? Anthropology! click here..to go to site



Sweaters ... if you must



Thousand Carat Pullover

 ...

Some people love "sweater weather" not me. But if I am forced to bundle up, this cute sweater, also from Anthropologie, is a good transition piece. Light and airy, it is perfect for early fall days, but is whisper thin wool pointelle. I like the orange autumnal color, but it also comes in green or cream and has a back zipper. It was on sale but I did not buy it.. sigh



Burberry Sweater

I saw this in the window of the new Burberry Store on the Upper West Side of NYC. I was scared to ask how much. but I took a photo with my iphone, so I  can keep on looking at it .So what if it is not on my body?My guess is about $500, but if  is not made of acrylic, I would say a least a grand.

 Last but not least ..BOOTS

I am still paying off my three pairs from last year. But I am coveting something with a chunky heel.



prada boots

I love this from Prada , but can't spend two weeks of pay. so looking for a knock off .  like theese from Stuart Weitzman which would set me back , just a week and a half's salary! Only kidding!-not buying them..unless they go on sale!


Looking for feedback and links to knockoffs of my coveted items! Stay tuned for next blog posts when I reveal how many dresses I own and disclose what I actuaklly purchased this fall..if anything!

 Share my blog!!!!



Fashions Night Out, New York City

Fashions Night Out in NYC is a local shopping event held in NYC to kick off fashion week. Stores entice aspiring fashionistas to view their collections, by providing free drinks, yummy snacks, and limited edition items while DJ’s spin the latest tunes.  Best of all, you have an opportunity to meet the designers themselves and even the celebrities they dress!

It’s a shopaholics dream, or a nightmare, if you are a shopaholic who is trying to stop shopping. Devastated that I missed last year’s event I was faced with a dilemma.  On Fashions Night Out – do I stay in once again, or do I go out? (click here to learn more about the event).

It happens once a year, and it was my only chance to mix with the real fashionistas. So I accepted an invite from my best friend and her sister, and armed with my Amex and debit card … this uptown girl headed to a remote fashion haven otherwise known as “Downtown.”

Live Mannequin at Calvin Klein

SoHo once known for starving artists and galleries is now like a mini Madison Avenue for the international set and the fashion savvy. There were so many stores, so much to do and such little time! Where to begin? Did we want free booze, and tasty treats? Or were we more interested in celebrity sightings?

 The streets looked like a Sex and the City casting call. Never had I seen never saw so many tall, beautiful and stylish women before. Everyone looked like models. Then I realized…they were models! My first experience of FNO was the Calvin Klein store where window mannequins displayed Calvin Klein underwear. Except the mannequins were live. That’s right; the store had living breathing, perfect human specimens, ABSENT OF BODY FAT, modeling UNDERWEAR! Right in the window! Who needs to go inside? The store was empty. The sidewalk was packed. I vowed never to eat a carb again.

 My first actual stop was the DVF store. Diane Von Furstenberg, herself, was there, looking even more elegant and stunning in person than she does in photos, to launch her new line of perfume called Diane. Photographers took paparazzi like photos of the shoppers on a “virtual red carpet” (I did not want to wait in line). I enjoyed some very delicious champagne and sample hors d'oeuvres served by pretty boys in-between modeling gigs.  I have to say I love love, love her fall line. Mohair dresses, jeweled tone colors, famous prints, all were to die for.(click here). Despite the fact I purposely wore a vintage wrap dress, I sadly did not get to meet my fashion icon, because of yep, long lines.  Hence, the life of a New Yorker facing the city's ferocious fashion crowds.

Across the street  at Betsy Johnson – girls were dancing in the windows, bartenders were pouring some bubblegum colored  champagne drink  and the dance music  was spinning. Stylists were on site to curl and style your hair . They were also offering free makeovers with any purchase, and were giving away Yoplait yogurt. Yogurt? Not sure what that was about, but my friend Karen was happy to get one for free! I passed on the makeover, because  I  don’t think a woman of a certain age should experiment with electric blue eyeliner, but hey- that’s just me. We soon realized we were in the wrong demographic .and headed to our next stop.

 My absolute highlight of the night was the Ralph Lauren Polo, store. I fell in love with some beautiful rain boots, which I would have bought had the tag not read $400. Perhaps rubber is worth more pound for pound than gold these days? What do I know?

That is where I met Nacho Figueras, the Argentinian polo player, who is the face of the Polo ad campaign (click but you may not want to click back ). Seriously, if he is not the most handsome man on the planet I don’t know who is. Even the free Pinot Blanc however, could not help me gather enough courage to ask him for a photo. A fellow fashionista saw my hesitation, and asked  if he would take a photo with me. That is when this hard core New Yorker let her guard down and handed my brand new iPhone to a perfect stranger, who agreed to snap a pic. In retrospect, I really wish I had that makeover.  And maybe even plastic surgery to make me look like Brooklyn Decker.  Not only is Nacho gorgeous, he is genuinely nice.  I told him he is my favorite polo player in the world, because he is. So what if he is the only polo player I know?  Now I can die happy.

Me and Nacho Figueras

Dr. Ruth at Taschen

 Next was the Taschen store; where the art of the book is curated within retail setting.(click here  for the coolest art books ever) Upon entering, we were asked to sign a waiver, as a segment was being filmed for the television show of interior designer Nate Berkus.  Nate was charming and friendly, as was his latest client and guest of honor,sex therapist,  Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Free drinks and free sex advice all in the same place. 

At Burberry there was a lot of loud music and a crowd so dense you could not even tell you were in a retail store! The party atmosphere was in high gear and there was more free champagne to go around! But tired , buzzed and hungry , we left as the party was just getting started, as tomorrow was a work day.

At Burberry party. I love this pic because I appear as blurry as my vision was...

 We grabbed diner at a typical downtown trendy restaurant, where the service and cuisine were lacking in every aspect , but you pay for the privilege of being there. The price was right, because we did not have to pay for any more booze.  My Amex and debit card went untouched and my expensive shopping night out, only cost me about $30.00! Talk about having fun with no money. Of course, my wish list for the upcoming season is longer than a six- year-old’s to Santa. But that will be in my next post.  I’m off to count shoes, dresses, and let’s not forget it’s time to bring out those tights!

Very Good Old Things!

I know, I know, it’s been a while since I blogged. A bad cold, a trip to Florida, holidays and a day job had me distracted. But I am back. Since I have been gone, I fell off the wagon a bit. I did end up getting some new trendy Hunter rain boots and those over the knee Julia Roberts boots, (which really don’t look all that whorish when you pair then with a twin-set and pearls, although I have to admit I did get some second-glances in Starbucks).

 

 I also had to have a new pair of everyday black leather boots because my old ones left me in crippling pain. Three pairs of boots are a bit much in one season, I admit, although they each have different functions. (A work attire function, a function to protect against the elements and the function of getting noticed in Starbucks). I also bought some fabulous resort-wear at a Sample Sale. Never mind the fact I don’t even have a vacation booked. So now I am stuck with the realization that I don’t have a new coat to keep me warm, and my hat, gloves and scarves are all mismatched. I guess I am going to have to spend the frigid winter months wearing linen dresses and hooker boots with clashing winter accessories. I made my wardrobe, and now have to live in it; which brings me to the topic of this post: “Very Good Old Things”.

American culture dictates that we always have the latest and greatest; the newest lightest fastest computer, the trendiest most inventive cell phone, the just–released tiniest camera with the most mega-pixels in the world.  I don’t really care all that much for technology. But fashion is my middle name. I hate wearing last year clothes. And even worse, I hate wearing accessories from seasons past. Maybe it is because I live in Manhattan where the sidewalks are virtual runways. People are wearing the latest collections and trends, sometimes before they even hit the stores. I feel like my fellow fashionista Manhattanites can just give me a four second once over and declare “She is soo 2007!”  So historically, I update my wardrobe. Every season. Then someone pointed out to me how ridiculous this is. Not to mention expensive.  So alas, this season, my main shopping destination… was in my closet!

I found some pretty interesting stuff. Like a Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress I bought last year for a pretty pricey penny. It looked pretty dated to my fashionable eye. But then I realized the dress was a re-issue of a 70’s print and part of her 2009 “vintage collection.”  I had a classic vintage dress! I put it on, and remarkably it still fit…and if the dress fits…wear it! So I did. Oddly, I got dozens of compliments. It was a real show-stopper. Same goes for a lovely grey wool dress by my favorite designer Michelle Smith. A coworker sent me an email saying my outfit was an “A+” and thought it was a Halston! Really who needs Bloomies when you have a walk-in closet full of very good old things?!

Then there were the three-year-old waterproof Merrell leather boots, I forgot I had. They were almost in perfect condition. So I tried them on. And they hurt like hell. Maybe because they were a size 8 and I have not wore a size eight for years. Apparently our feet get wider as we age (I wish someone sent me that memo before I splurged on ill-fitting shoes). I was about to toss them when my husband (who buys everything except maybe used underwear on EBay) suggested that I sell them. So I list them on EBay and a minor bidding war ensued. I ending up walking away with eighty bucks! One woman’s garbage is another woman’s treasure.

Who knew the things in my Goodwill pile would fetch me both compliments and cash?  My austere new year’s budget looms ahead. My goal for 2011 to clean out my closet, try on and try out some old things and see what happens when history repeats itself. And if the experiment fails, here is to hoping there is money in my mistakes. Happy 2011!