Monday, June 30, 2008

Return, return, return

J.Crew at ShopStyle


Yesterday I spent the day returning stuff online. I returned $923 worth of merchandise!! May was a bad month for self-control. First up was J.Crew where I returned a pair of shorts (they were marked down even further so I bought them again & returned the more expensive pair), a slub cotton t-shirt & a cardigan--both of these were in green & a prettier color than the bright orange pictured above, but still not a great shade of green...and neither matched my Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes (see the curse post below). I also bought some flip flops for $11 b/c I my feet were killing me in platform wedges.

Next up: Neiman Marcus. I returned a Chip & Pepper Bama t-shirt (it's the family team) because I it was $37 at NM, but $23 at Nordstrom. I also returned a Joie top, which is so cute, but even the XS was too big. Finally, I returned the Marc by Marc Jacobs bag because the stitching was coming apart. I ordered it's replacement a few weeks ago & so far so good. NM is great about returns. I forgot the receipt for the bag, but they were able to look it up my order and return it without a problem.

Bloomingdales: In theory it was a great outfit--Alice + Olivia pink shirt & white pants to go with my Betsey Johnson pink plaid peep-toe platforms (that's a lot of Ps!), but the top didn't match the shoes & really, $100 for a fancy t-shirt is a rip-off. I returned the pants too because I didn't need them. I also returned a Velvet cotton jersey shirt dress. It was a great fall dress for $15 (!!) and matched a pair of shoes perfectly, but it didn't fit right across the chest. Ya know that annoying button bulging thing? grrr.

Last stop, Saks. I was a little worried because I bought the dress 5 weeks ago and the receipt said sale merchandise must be returned within 30 days. I tried on a cute yellow Vince dress, but it wasn't very flattering (I thought maybe if I made an exchange, they would look past the date issue). I couldn't find anything else, so I decided just to go for it. Fortunately the saleswoman didn't say anything at all. Sadly, the DVF dress is no longer mine.

My good friends Mastercard, Visa, and AmericanExpress are much happier today.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

I heart Milly's Green Dresses

Milly at ShopStyle


Every time Milly comes out with new stuff, I want to buy it all. Green is my favorite color, so I think I may have to get one of these dresses. But which one?!?! The halter shift dress (bottom left) is so adorable, but the wrap dress (center) I could wear to work, which means I'd get more wear out of it. The Valetta Dress (bottom right) is cute, but probably wouldn't be very flattering on me, so the banded pleat dress (top left), which is almost the same dress, would be better. The shirtdress (top right) would also be a good work dress, but it's not my favorite. I love the bold green flowers more than the small leaf print. I'm going to return a bunch of stuff this afternoon at Neiman Marcus, Saks, & Bloomies--I think I'll have to try some on. I have a wedding to attend next weekend & the halter shift would be perfect for the country club event.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Hey Barneys, it's 2008!

I've wanted a Mike & Chris jacket ever since I read a story about the designers in Vogue a couple years ago. They are a husband & wife team (and a very cute couple). While I'm totally hypocritical when it comes to owning leather shoes and bags, I cannot handle leather anywhere else: furniture, car interiors, clothing--including leather jackets. If you aren't familiar with Mike & Chris, well, that's kind of their thing. I was delighted to learn last year that they are more than leather; they've basically taken the sweatshirt to a whole new level. I've been on the lookout for cheap jackets now that it's summer and found fleece biker jacket at Barneys for half-price. Score! They only have black (M) and navy (L) left, but the one I bought is white. Hopefully I won't spill coffee on it when I start wearing it this fall.


Because I've had my eye on this bag, I bought it to get free shipping. I love the Marc by Marc Jacobs airliner series! The Airliner Jacquard Pilot Bag is my favorite:

(I also bought the wallet in green a few months ago--finally got a big girl wallet after carrying around a credit card holder I got at from my law school after graduation):


Unfortunately, the bag was not what I expected. I should have returned it. It's a shoulder bag & I really wanted it to be a mini-messenger bag. I'm trying to figure out if I can do that. The strap is great, so I don't want to just replace the strap. It's blue with a white strip just like the part that connects to the front clasp. Maybe I can get a link or two to put in between the bag & the strap? Any suggestions are welcomed. I really want to be able to use this as a messenger bag!!

So the title of the thread suggests that Barneys is behind the times. Yes, apparently they don't see any reason to have an accurate inventory count. I ordered my bag & jacket online and both items were listed as "in stock." Shortly after receiving my confirmation email, I got a notification from Barneys stating that the MJ bag was not in stock. Because I love to go back to websites to look at what I bought, I was browsing barneys.com the next day. The MJ bag was still listed as in stock. I emailed customer service, who quickly responded telling me to call the New York store. After a bit of confusion (the wrong department just hung up on me instead of transferring me), I spoke to a very friendly salesclerk who informed me that there was ONE airliner pilot bag left in midnight. He took my credit card information and I got the bag one day after the jacket. Friendly service, but seriously Barneys, why can't you keep track of the items you have in stock?

The Curse of the Marc by Marc Jacobs Shoes

This past spring I took my boyfriend out to look for more flat-front pants. I had recently introduced him to the flat-front pant (one thing at a time--it took me a year to get rid of some hideous jeans) and was delighted to hear he wanted more. Unfortunately, he has limited patience when it comes to fashion and while I would have stood at the register all afternoon while the salesclerk called every Macy's in Chicagoland, my boyfriend decided he'd just get pants another day. On our way out I convinced him to stop by the shoe department. The great thing about Chicago Macy's is that they used to be Marshall Field's so they have much nicer stuff, including one of my favorite brands: Marc by Marc Jacobs. I saw this fun pair and tried it on (the best thing about being a size 6 is they are usually the display size).



A sale sticker indicated they were $147, down from $295, which actually sounded a little cheap for MJ b/c they are usually in the $300-400 range. So I leave them with my boyfriend & his crossword puzzle while I look around at the other shoes and when I came back the shoe salesman had brought out the box for them. I decide to get them but I notice the price on the box says $470.

Up at the counter I wait for the salesclerk to give some shoes to another customer and talk to two other salesmen who mention that they just got those shoes, so it's strange if they are already on clearance. The sales guy comes back, rings the shoes up, and says, $515. I was like, huh? He repeats $515. He had been joking around earlier, so I thought he was joking again. I wait for the punchline, but it doesn't come. The guy must have thought I was an idiot, cause he's like, "the shoes. five hundred. and fifteen dollars." The other sales guy comes to my rescue and we open the box to see the clearance price. Yeah, someone messed up. The shoes weren't even supposed to be on sale. But they have to give them to me as marked, so the guy scans the sale price and I pay $160. The second sales guy even takes out his cell phone to take a picture of the shoes with the sales price so my sales guy doesn't get in trouble for selling them to me at that price. I practically ran out of the store before they changed their minds.

But what do I wear these shoes with? I bought a beige Isaac Mizrahi dress from Target that is my go-to dress for these shoes. I've also tried to get a DVF dress, but unfortunately the one that looks totally fab with them doesn't go with my hips. I bought a size 4 from Shopbop and returned it & tried a 6 from Saks, but unfortunately it's just the shape of the dress (ok, fine. and the fact that I need to lose 15 pounds). Here is the look that I wish fit me:

Diane von Furstenberg at ShopStyle



I cannot find a matching green sweater to save my life--I bought and returned at least 3 sweaters. Great shoes, great bargain, but they spend more time sitting in my shoe closet than they do on my feet.

Guilty as Charged

It was a lapse of judgment. While browsing one of my favorite websites (FabSugar!), I saw a pair of semi-fab sunglasses on ebay. They were cheap and cheap-looking...just like all of my sunglasses. There's a reason I don't spend more than $10 on sunglasses: the more I spend the quicker I lose them. For the last year I've wanted designer sunglasses, but never got up the nerve to buy them because I was sure I would lose them even before I got home.

After voting "no" on the cheap FabSugar recommended sunglasses, I made my fatal mistake: I typed in "Stella McCartney" in the search box. Oh, temptation! Two things caught my eye. They were both ending within 2 hours (I'm all about instant gratification) and they were both very reasonably priced with no other bidders (I hate last-minute bidding wars). The first auction was for a pair of Adidas runners. I love the Stella McCartney for Adidas brand. I *try* to be vegan, so I'm always on the lookout for vegan shoes. Check 'em out:


The second auction was for SUNGLASSES! That's right! I now own designer sunglasses. Fingers crossed that I don't lose them before the end of summer.