This Charming Closet

So I mentioned Emerson Fry last week....

And I have to come back and say that I am OBSESSED with this dress.

Seriously. 

I mean, I can't sleep for thinking about it.

It's not available until mid-April.....

*heavy sigh*

I'm on the email list.

Black Friday

I was pretty good on Black Friday.  And I didn't buy any Christmas presents.  I'm not ready for all that yet.

Baby steps....

I did pick up a couple of things on line, though.

First, I got a Flip video camera from Amazon.

I've been thinking about getting one for about 8 months and when I saw that they were going to be on sale for $99, I decided to go for it.

Y'all can all look forward to a few Bean videos in the future....

And then I got a couple of things from Talbots because all their accessories were on sale at 50% off.

First, I got these three-quarter length gloves:

I've been looking at them since August or something.

And then I got this, a faux fur neck tube... that's right, I said faux fur....

I'll admit, the faux fur neck tube is a little bit excessive for the Carolina League, but I get sick of the same old, same old.  I want a little glamour in the New Year.

And I had $25 in appreciation dividends so it ended up being $49.

Not bad for leather, silk lined gloves and a faux fur neck tube.

Forever Skinny

My friend, Sarah, alleges these jeans to be magical and promises that if we wear them we will become the objects of lust from men and admiration from other women.  They slim, lift and stretch just right. 

They are the Forever Skinny jeans from the Gap. 

I'm not sure that I can wear these jeans, mostly because the last time I wore super skinny jeans it was 1987, I was much firmer then and I tend to think if you were there the first time it went around you may be too old for the second time. 

But I think I may try them on, just the same.  I mean, I have no ass.  If a jean will make me look like I have an ass, I feel obligated to at least check it out. 

Furbish Online!

Hey!

Do y'all know about Furbish over in Raleigh?  You can read more about it at I Suwanee.

Anywho..... Furbish just opened it's on-line store and you can go shop for cool, cool stuff here.

Go.  Buy a pillow or something.....

Shopping

You know, when I fall off the wagon, I really don't do it in a half-assed way. Fortunately, I'm so enamored of the cute that I'm not really worried about the credit card bill right now....

These are the Steve Madden Kinetic flats from Nordstrom.  I like them.  They are just the right amount of sparkly to go with my shorts and skirts.   However, like every other pair of Steve Madden shoes that I've ever purchased, they rub my feet.  *Heavy Sigh*.  Still,  I'll wear them - because they're cute and  I'm a shoe slave.... Seriously, you just get to the point where you don't even feel your feet anymore...

I also got these:

the BP Frankie flat.  Also at Nordstrom.  I found them surprisingly neutral, given the print and I see from Vogue that animal prints will be HUGE this fall, so they'll carry me through.  They looked really cute with my khaki shorts/black t-shirt shopping outfit...

And then I got these:

I never pegged myself for a Chuck Taylor kind of girl, but I've been seeing them more and more lately and I've warmed to them.  And when I put them on I had to do a little happy dance.  They're fun little grocery store and dog walking and flea market shoes.  Sold.

And then I also got these - which are marketed by J. Crew as the 'miracle' pant....

I'm not sure that they're a miracle for me.  In reality they're called the Minnie Pant.  I'm still on the fence about them.  I think I got the wrong size, though and I really think that they're too short.  I know they're supposed to be short, but I think mine are too short.   I see from the website that they come in 'long' so I'm going to head back over there today.  Despite my shortness, I have incredibly long legs.  Seriously.  I'm 5'4" and 3 and 1/2 feet of it is legs.  If my torso were proportional to my legs I'd be 4" taller.  Also, being PMS-y and bloated is never a good time to try out skinny pants.   In any event, they are super comfortable and look great with the new flats so we'll see.....

Shopping

As I said before, shopping was done this weekend.

Here is a little run down of the damage:

First, I bought the beaded black faille sheath from Talbots:

And then I got these shoes,  for several reasons.  First, they were on sale.  Second, they are comfortable.  Third, they are black patent leather.  And fourth, I thought they looked very retro Kate Spade....

And because of this picture:

I NEEDED a bag like that.  And since the $2300 cost ain't happening here, I had to go in search of a more viable alternative.....

And did I mention that Talbots was having a sale?

So I got this one....  It's not made of real snakes, but I just pretend that it is....

And then I went over to Nordstrom and the FUN SHOES ARE BACK!!!!!!

I got these.  Pewter metallic!  I'm wearing them today.

And then I ordered these because I think they will do wonders for my boring black dresses.  And I have a denim skirt I want to wear them with.  Oh,  and jeans.  I'll wear them with jeans.

They are nothing but fun and I want fun shoes.

It's been too long.

And I went in to Kate Spade and actually met this bag, which we talked about last week:

The good news is that I didn't so much love it in person.  It was a lot more bubble gummy than I thought it would be.  And it was super light.  It didn't feel like an expensive bag and if you're gonna charge a girl four hundred and seventy five dollars, you ought to give her a more substantial bag.

At least that's my view.  But anyway, I don't want it anymore.  At least not for this price.

And Tim Gunn was in Charlotte at the South Park Mall.  I am NEVER in the right place at the right time, but I was at Aveda buying shampoo and he was over in center court hosting some sort of local fashion show.  He looked just like he does on TV.

Doesn't everybody say that?

It's the Kate Spade Sample Sale

It's here. 

Go.  Shop.  Now.

Shopping on Monday Even Though It's Now Wednesday

Things change when you get older. It's inevitable.

Sometimes, the changes are subtle, like those little lines around your mouth.

Sometimes, at work, you hear yourself start discussing privity of contract and holders in due course and you remember not knowing what either of those things were in law school and wonder when you figured them out and how it could be that you're pretty sure you know what they are now.

Sometimes the changes that come upon you surprise you.

One of those changes has become apparent to me lately.

I have, in my older age, become a stockpiler.

Yeah, I can't believe it, either. I never thought it would happen to me.

I've known a few other people in my life who stockpile. My dear friend from law school- and she is reading this now and knows who she is - stockpiled so many tampons in her hall closet that I had begun to think she had some sort of advance warning about the apocalypse.

Until the last couple of years, I had just never done it. I was always the one who was digging through my old makeup bags praying to find one forgotten tampon until I could make it to Walmart.

Not anymore.

Man, do I hate to run out of stuff.

Yesterday I swung by Target and picked up extra hairspray, extra mousse, extra toilet paper, extra tampons and enough shaving cream to stock a locker room. Let me tell ya'll, I am good to go and I am pretty happy about it.

I have extra cold medicine, extra large bottles of both advil AND tylenol, extra floss and extra Qtips.

I'd like to stockpile dog food but I don't have the closet space.

Then there is the diet coke. I, like any junkie, fear running out of diet coke so I have taken to stocking a case of canned emergency back up diet coke in my refrigerator. I truly only drink it in case of emergencies, which is to say when I am out of the diet coke in bottles. Then I go to the cans. I try never to drink the cans unless, you know, it's an emergency. Otherwise, it would defeat the purpose. I don't care if that doesn't make sense to the rest of you, it makes sense to me. Also, what constitutes an "emergency" is subject to my sole discretion.

That's another thing about getting older, you start not to care so much about whether or not other people find your eccentricities weird. I used to care deeply about being normal, or at least being perceived as such. But then a few years ago I decided to embrace my weirdnesses and market them as cute and endearing, in a slightly obsessive-compulsive way. My friends already knew I was weird, so it wasn't like I was kidding them anyway.

As for the stockpiling I don't expect it to get any better. I am only constrained, as I said, by my lack of closet space.

My New Love

It's called "We'll Always Have Paris" and it is currently making me swoon! You know I am a sucker for anything with the words "Paris", "French" or "Metropolitan". It's true, advertisers, just use one of those words to describe your product and you've got a good chance that I'll have to have it.

It's sort of a dark brownish reddish purplish. I really like dark nails but I was a little tired of Black Onyx and Lincoln Park After Dark and anything too red just seems - I don't know - done -to me. Also I read that the women in New York think that french manicures are provencial and tacky and - damn it! - their opinion matters to me.

I wasn't sure about it but I tried it because it had "Paris" in the name. It turned out to be a happy surprise. The next time you get your nails done, check it out.

Recession?

I didn't mean to go to the 60% off sale at Bob Ellis.

But then, you know, I went in just to "look". And, in my defense, I wanted these shoes last summer but I DID NOT buy them. I said "no", "these are too expensive" and "I'm being good". But now they're on SALE. So I bought them.



I also got some Stuart Weitzman booties, because they were also on sale, and I have needed some booties for a really long time and I looked other places and couldn't find what I wanted.

I also tried these on for fun:



They were just about the most gorgeous thing ever! Totally and completely impractical and overpriced, but it was so much fun to wear them for 5 minutes!

A Fragrant and Pretty Thing

I had a challenging day at work today and I was feeling a little down when I left so I swung by Neiman Marcus on the way home and picked up a Jo Malone candle. I know they are ridiculously expensive but I wanted to splurge a little and I thought that a sweet smelling candle wouldn't be a bad way to go. I got the "Wild Fig and Cassis" candle and the sales lady assured me that it would "burn beautifully". And so far, you know she is right!