One Last (Shopping) Hurrah!

2011 was quite the year. I came out to the world as a closet shopaholic (no pun) and made a resolution to stop using my credit cards. If you have been reading my posts however, you probably learned I did stop using my credit cards (it will be one year on January 26!) but did not stop shopping. Stopping shopping, is akin to stopping breathing, for me at least.

What I did learn in 2011 is that  even if you pay cash, or use a charge card like Amex, it is still quite difficult to pay down your debt. Especially if if your cash flow is being diverted through the retail flood gates of Madison and Fifth Avenues.  Hence, as we welcome 2012, I resolve not only to continue on my credit card ban, but to stop shopping and commit to not buying any new clothes for three months! That may not seem like a long time, but for a shopaholic/fashionista it is an eternity.  

That being said, how did I end 2011? With a shopping spree!
With the clock rapidly ticking and New Years Eve celebration just hours away. I hit the stores hard. And they hit back even harder . Even with the after Christmas sales, I learned that ANYTHING sparkly was marked UP not down.

 My dilemma was that I was going to a nice restaurant for dinner, but then to Times Square to watch the ball drop. Born and raised in NYC, I have only seen this spectacular event on TV. The challenge was how to look fashionable at dinner, yet stay warm and comfortable standing on my feet for several hours. I had bought a J Crew sequin tank on sale, but did not have a suitable bottom (no pun, once again). One friend advised me that you can't wear sparkly on top and on bottom, because it becomes a clash of the sequins! I was also informed sequins make your ass look ten pounds heavier. I was about to give up when I was saved by the Japanese... who can miraculously combine fashion with technology.

 I found a great dress by Tashishi Shoji.  With ruching across the bodice,sheer sleeves and  sequin detailing, it was sophisticated,sexy and sparkly!
 And it was on sale!  At 40% off  from $345, it totalled, well... who had time for math? It was on sale! 
To stay warm I turned to my favorite  fashion invention, the Japanese brand Uniqlo's Heat Tech line which is super thin microfiber that retains heat sans bulk. I layered a tank underneath my dress and layered Heat Tech socks over my tights then finished styling with a pair of last years Cole Hahn boots . No peep toe stilettos on this night. I was going all for the Nike Air technology!

I then hit the Chanel counter. Can they do my makeup? The associate laughed at me."Do you know night this is?" she asked.

Me in Tadashi Shoji and Laila Rowe!

She helped me pick a new lipstick and gloss and sold me a concealer to hide the dark  circles  under my eyes, I mean the night had not started, and I already looked exhausted! What is a girl to do?
Then off to my hair at Frederick Fekkai. Michael, a brilliant stylist made me look like a million bucks .It also cost me nearly that! I almost forgot- I needed accessories!
 Accessories? I had no money left.
So, I was off to Laila Rowe for cheap jewelry. Yep Laila Rowe. I don't shop there. Really, I don't. But with a near zero bank balance, I wasn't exactly marching to Harry Winston!
I bought a set of sparkly bangles and a pair of earrings for $20 total that were too cute!  
My total for the  last night of 2011 was close to $400 including tax and tip and a  lip gloss application.And this is with wearing last years shoes!!  Was it worth it?

 For the first time in my life, I experienced Times Square on New Years Eve, rocking away to Lady GaGa and feeling that NYC energy turned up to a volume I never knew existed. Words cannot describe what it was like to be in the center of the universe when the Waterford Crystal Ball descended at midnight. The experience, however, was more about the people and places, not the price tag of my outfit!

Yes I watched the ball drop, but when it came to spending , I was the one who "dropped the ball." Another lesson learned.  Here's to a Happy Healthy 2012, and all my NEW resolutions!

The Sample Sale -Only the Strong Survive

The Sample Sale –Only the Strong Survive

If relapse is part of recovery, I am well on my way.  Some people catch summer colds, well I caught a shopping bug.  How did I topple off the proverbial wagon? Well, as I said in prior posts, seasons change and so do our wardrobes. And unlike a good girl scout, when we had a June heat wave, I was not prepared! (What do girl scouts know anyway?)

So not wanting to spend retail (translation: top dollar) for spring clothes (or early summer clothes), I succumbed to the sample sale. A sample sale is when a manufacturer sells their samples and /or excess stock for near wholesale prices. Wholesale prices for a retail girl on a clothing budget? Sign me up!

Although there are many sample sale sites such as Rue La La ( click here)or Gilt Group (click here unless you are a shopaholic) which allow you to buy designer clothing at deeply discounted prices for a short amount of time . Living in NYC, the fashion capital of the world, I am privy to the brick and mortar sales, where you can physically see, touch and taste the clothing.( Just kidding about the taste part, just wanted to see if you were paying attention).

Spring apparently is sample sale season. The sales are sent via emails, advertised in The Post, and since I work in the Garment District, the latest sales are all the chatter by the water cooler. There was no avoiding it and off the wagon I went!

It started with one of my favorite designers, Tocca, (non-shopaholics click here to check out) which was quite a success. I scored two adorable dresses for $85 bucks a piece that usually retail for at least $300.00. Madison Avenue at Main street prices? I could not resist!

Next was Tory Burch, where the ghetto-fabulous wrestled with Upper East Side socialites for the same tote bags. I won’t say who won the battle of the bag.  I dashed there after work , only to find they did not have many dresses in my size. There were a lot of winter items , lovely wool dresses ,  cashmere cardigans, But I needed clothes to wear right here , right now! No way was I walking away with $500 of winter clothes!

The coup de grace was J Crew. I got there at 5:30pm and there was a line. The security guard,( yes, security guard) turned me away from the end of the line and motions to his left. There was another line half a city block long. It was a LINE to get on the LINE for the sample sale!

Really! What is wrong with women these days? Like people never saw a discounted tank top before! To wait in oppressive heat to possibly try on last season’s clothes in size that probably is not your real size anyway? You have to be crazy!

Call me Crazy.  I got on to the back of the line and waited 20 minutes to get in.

Once you get in, it is like being at the airport, you have to check your coat, and your purse, and relinquish all belonging except for your wallet. For the privilege of shopping below retail, you get to be treated like a criminal!

Chaotic, is an understatement. Girls pushing and shoving as if the never saw a cotton tank top before! As I am sorting through the disarrayed racks, I feel a sharp pain in my rib. A petite Asian woman, barely 5 feet tall jabbed me in the ribs! As if I was really going to steal the last sequined skirt in a  size Double Zero! As if I even look like I can fit into a double Zero!

A male staff worker looks at me aghast, and asks if I am ok. “Guys have Rugby, Females have sample sales. Bruised ribs are one of the hazards of the game.” I explained.

Since there were no try-ons, I had an armload of t- shirts (so what if I hated the colors), grabbed some of last-seasons jewelry, and found this season’s beloved cable sweater that was just too expensive retail. I also found an adorable pair of gold shoes, but had no room to try them on.

While waiting on the checkout line, a mile long, I was able to brace myself against the counter and slip the shoes on. Only to find out they did not fit!  I flung them to the side. For less than one hundred and fifty bucks, I walked away with an embroidered tee, a cotton cable sweater and two bracelets. Not half bad.

Several days later, I learn J Crew retail store is having a sale. And guess what? My T-shirt is cheaper in the store, where they offer an extra 30% of all sale prices.  I wore my cable knit for the first time last week only to learn the inside is chalked in large block letters “SAMPLE”

Sometimes sample sales are great ways to get great stuff at nearly wholesale prices. But it is also a gateway to buy things on impulse that you probably don’t need. The “now or never mentality” can wreck one’s shopping budget, especially when you can’t try on or return, let alone exchange.

So the next time you get on  a line , a city block long , think twice , because you may end up with buyer’s remorse and some very sore ribs!