Penny jar wishes

Kohl's money

2009-11-22T14:52:00.000-08:00

Kohls is awesome because every now and then, it mails out $10 gift cards good for anything in their store. I always try to take advantage of these, and admit to being such a cheap ass that I have purchased just socks and managed to spend the $10 exactly, down the the penny.

This time I planned on doing the same, as I am strapped for cash thanks to student loan payments. However, this time I shelled out an additional $6 and got a warm pair of Isotoner fleece gloves for winter. It's been hard to find gloves that aren't leather but have some grip to them, that are also water resistant and warm. These seem to fit the bill. Yay! They are so soft inside, it's like wrapping your hand in a warm kitty cat.

I also helped some random lady pick out a pair of leather gloves, she asked me for assistance. I don't think I look like I work there, so I could only take it as a compliment. She must have thought I was stylish! She left with a pair that fit and I didn't have the heart to tell her I was a vegetarian. I did feel a tad guilty about it though. Sorry cows!

Post in which I covet Shield DVDs, reach new lows in cheapness

2009-11-17T13:59:00.000-08:00

I don't buy many DVD's, I'd rather rent, but sometimes I like to own so I can watch repeatedly, get through the extras, and have at my leisure. I'd really love to own The Shield - The complete series box set. My favorite tv show, it absolutely blew me away. I rented it and burned though episode after episode until there were none left. It is so intense and morally ambiguous and over-the-top. Well written and acted and gritty, it's the best crime series ever. Everyone who's watched The Wire tells me that's the best, but I couldn't get through one episode. It was so boring compared to the Shield. Cops were following rules! Whatever. Pffft. This cop show has shootouts at drive-thru funeral homes and cops who steal money from the Armenian mob. It has a crazy big bald man, and undercover hookers who sleep with cops, and Forrest Whittaker getting so angry his eye almost bulges out of his head.

All seven seasons of the Emmy®-winning, groundbreaking series in a collectible 34-page bound anthology book filled with photos, quotes and a special letter from creator Shawn Ryan! Loaded with DVD extras including new featurettes, this set includes all 88 arresting episodes and an amazing ensemble cast featuring Emmy® winner Michael Chiklis.

WANT WANT WANT. $107.99 at Amazon. That is cheaper than Target's advertised at $129.99. Sadly, neither is within my budget, which is strapped due to school expenses. So I will continue to rent from Netflix and watch stuff online.

The Criterion Collection, which strives to collect the best movies in the world and preserve them in high-quality, multi-featured DVD's, has free online steaming movies now. Just go here and select "views" and you'll see a list of free films (the free ones are the most viewed, of course). They have a free online film festival every month, which is supposed to be listed here. However, they seem to be a month behind (even though last month's films are still available). I guess that's why it's beta.

Yesterday I returned a few shirts that I bought at JCPenney that didn't fit. They had cost around $4 each and another size would have been too much work to find, as they had rearranged the merchandise. The two other shirts I had purchased fit, they were both white. You can never have too many white shirts, or at least I can't. I'm always getting stains on them. :-( One of the shirts has a lace lined v-neck, and the other is v-neck and ties back around the waist, and has blue embroidered flowers in the front and on the short sleeves. It's a little peasant-y but not too much. I love it! $4. When I went to Target later, I found myself scoffing at the outrageous prices of $8 or $10 for clothing on clearance or sale. Wow. I have hit a new level of cheap. I just kept thinking, "I could probably find this at JCPenney for $2 or $4!" It's true too, I probably could! You have to search a lot, but that place is full of cheapo sweet treats.

So what did I do at Target? I bought socks, of course! Cheap and satisfying. There were the cutest socks for $2.98, marked down from $5.99. Two shiny pairs of over-the-knee rayon socks, one gray and one burgundy, with a puffy/wrinkeled texture and ribbing. They fit great under boots and look great with heels. Yay. I love socks. I also got a $5 glass necklace on a ribbon at the mall.

Tomorrow night a friend is going to teach me how to crochet a hat. I need one, so I'm going to make one. Looking forward to that. There was a cute hat at Target I wanted but I thought I could probably make it with yarn I already have. I have a set of arm warmers half finished.

I couldn't find photos of my purchases, sorry. They're not exciting enough for the effort of photographing them. I will make up for this by showing you other photos of fabulous things.

Adi Designs Flowing A-line Easy Care Skirt - Purple - This skirt from Target comes in many different colors and is $39.99 at Target. When it gets cheaper I may have to buy one or more. I love skirts like this, they're basic and go with most tops, and they can show off your legs (and new socks!) or boots. Easy to travel with and wash. Made of 62% Polyester, 32% Rayon, 6% Spandex...but for some reason, I see some skirts that are the same but just a different color don't have the spandex. Weird. Anyway, they have some other basic skirts like this at Target that are different lengths and styles.

The holidays are coming! Target has a Christmas section on their website. I'm a Buddhist but I celebrate the holidays anyway. Why turn down a chance to decorate and do other fun stuff? I try to celebrate holidays whenever I can. I need to get a new menorah, I lost the one I had in a move. Gotta make my Jewish friends feel at home. Target's got a brass one that looks like the one I lost:

They also sell candles, which better fit. The last Menorah I had came with candles that were too big, so I sat at the table with friends shaving them down. We laughed that this should be the new tradition, the shaving of the Menorah candles! It took a long time, I'd rather not repeat that. Oy.

I love that Target has not just one, not two, but THREE cat Menorahs.

These LED string light snowflakes are so pretty. They're $15.98, 10.3 feet long, and have 60 blue and white lights. I'd love to get these. I might! I like the icicle and hanging style lights, although I have never bought any before.

Set of 9 Snowflake Light Sculptures - Sculptures? I guess these are just bigger lights, but they're awesome too. I like making paper snowflakes every year, I stick them all over the place - in the windows, cupboards, hanging from gift bows, the ceiling, whatever. This year I think I want to make a paper chain like we used to make in elementary school. I know some kids that could help me. Good times.

I can't sit here all day uploading pictures, so I will find a few inspiring holiday photos. Shopping will come easier then, perhaps? Photos all ~~stolen~~ borrowed from Apartment Therapy.

Oddly, there's not a lot of holiday themed decorating entries at Apartment Therapy. These are from HGTV:

Set of 9 Snowflake Light Sculptures

"Urban" Outfitters...or Rural Crime Scene?

2009-11-10T13:17:00.000-08:00

I received the new Urban Outfitters catalog in the mail today. I have never seen so many beautiful young people look so miserable. Seriously, I feel like I need to call someone as a mandated reporter. Why should misery sell clothes? It's not just the misery, it's the settings. Urban Outfitters is never photographed in an urban setting. It's always some creepy place in the country somewhere, or near the water. Perfect crime scene areas! Combine that with all the retro/antique camera stuff they're hocking, and the whole thing is pretty spooky if you ask me.

Wait...honey? You okay? Did you have too much to drink? Did someone put something IN your drink?

You should lie down before you hurt yourself.

That's better.

It also doesn't make a lot of sense why there even is a print catalog. There are scarce details for any of the items, and many of them refer to the website for more information. Why not just cut out the middleman? I think a catalog is for ordering from, or what's the point? The only thing this is good for to me is to get a better look at the stuff they're selling, and they're not giving me that. I guess I forgot - there are stores to go to. None near where I live, which is why I forgot. I might go to a store if I saw something I liked in the catalog. I guess that's the angle. Not much bang for their buck. Print isn't cheap.

Hey, that is NOT the kind of attention I was talking about! Not that kind of cheap. We've got our old Brittany back, times have changed. You can't go flashin' your hoo-haw for just anyone like that anymore.

Well congratulations, you put on some underwear. That doesn't mean pants optional, missy.

Whatever, fine, go out, don't wear pants, get pneumonia at the beach, see if I care. It's your life!

Oooh ho ho, I see! Pneumonia isn't the only thing you can catch at the beach with no pants.

You know that the male models of Urban Outfitters are always fully clothed, right? Usually they're wearing layers even. LAYERS! And you girls prance around with your frail little t & a sticking out. Don't you feel that is sexist and unfair?

sigh. I wasn't asking you, we don't pay you to think. No, I don't know where your one-hitter went, go check behind the beach shack.

There you go. Well, it SHOULD make you mad! Remind these people that you're supposed to be selling clothes. If someone wants to buy underage sex they should go to jail.

A tip: They're selling very expensive Polaroid film and cameras through Urban Outfitters. Don't buy it. I read recently that Polaroid announced that they will be making film again at the beginning of the new year. First they'll roll out black and white film only, and then color will come later. Don't spend $30 or more for a pack of film. If you want, you can buy Polaroid note cards, that have dreamy pictures on them. They did all the work! They sell them at UO for $14.95. There's also a book about Polaroid (that might be cheaper elsewhere, though).

I have purchased housewares from Urban Outfitters in the past (paper lantern, album cover frame, etc.) and socks. The socks really caught my eye in the catalog. What catches my eye every time is a sale, and they have one. Of course, retailers are on to us sale lovers now. I've noticed that now more than ever a sale is sometimes a starting price. I've seen clothing items in stores this season go up in price after they were on sale. The thing that I love about online is that you can sort by price and find out where the real bargains are.

Excuse me for a minute...

I know honey, I thought he was gay too. That's what usually happens when I find someone attractive. You just can't trust these Urban Outfitter shoots! Just be glad they didn't make you do something else to that pole.

I'm not blown away by the value of the socks at UO right now, but they do have a lot of cute new socks/leggings/tights. I'm all about warm over the knee socks, living in the frozen north and being a skirt and boot wearer. The only ones I really would like in my collection are the most expensive (figures) Betsy Johnson socks.

Betsey Johnson Flirty Over The Knee Sock $28. Available in Sea Foam and Black. I like them both.

Betsey Johnson Ski Bunny Striped Over The Knee $30, available in sea foam and red. Both cute! I love the bow, it's a nice touch.

Super-cute! If it's a casual day at home or with friends, I'll wear my crazy socks with a skirt and mary jane shoes to show them off. If it's not a casual day, they hide beneath long boots now that winter is here. So every day is a good day to wear fun socks, as far as I'm concerned.

Yeah, like that! I guess socks don't cheer up EVERYBODY.

Oh.

Sorry to hear that. They have a book that addresses your problem at UO, just in time for the holidays.

Don't blame me. I told you to keep your pants on.

Mad Men fashions

2009-11-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

Mad Men Pictures - Photo Gallery: Mad Men Fashion

Tonight is the season finale of Mad Men, which I LOVE. I adore the clothes in Mad Men, here's a link to a gallery of photos.
Janie Bryant, the show's Emmy-winning costume designer, walked TVGuide.com through some of her favorite selections from Betty's fabulous dresses, Don's sharp suits and Joan's impeccable accessories.

This dress is stunning:

In this scene, Betty is about to learn that Don is having an affair with Bobbie Barrett, so Bryant opted for a stronger shade of blue for this dress as opposed to her usual lighter shades. "It was all about finding those color choices when telling the story of Betty's evolution," Bryant says. The costume team had to create three of these gowns to serve as "stunt dresses" for when Betty vomits in the car. Bryant also found the scene to be the perfect opportunity to abide by the "seasonal rules" and put Don in a formal, white dinner jacket.

Broke Browsing

2009-11-05T16:31:00.000-08:00

I'm broke. Anthropologie has new inventory. I'm convinced because I am broke, this inventory is cuter than anything they've ever had before. This is probably not true. So I will take a look at the sale items I cannot afford.

Um, whut?

Whether you're dressing them up with a silk blouse or toning them down with a chunky sweater, this billowy pair from Elevenses is up to the task.

Anthropologie shouldn't be hiring Elves to make their clothes. A silk blouse and chunky sweater? How about pair of tights and curled shoes to go with that. And juggling lessons.

I like this, but I can't stop picturing it with the above Elf pants. The green color doesn't help matters. The sleeves are neat though, aren't they! It's on sale.

Let's see what's new over at Modcloth, shall we?

This is adorable. It's a lightweight coat, $84.99. Look at those buttons! If only we had a fall up here in Minnesota. We had one for about 2 days.

I love this dress. The Cezanne dress. Love the detail.

So cute! $99.99. Nice, you get to save tax on that last penny!

Hitchcock Nostalgia

2009-11-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

I had a thrilling conversation about my student loans today over the phone, which pounded home the reality that I am so broke ass, I shouldn't even be window shopping. So I haven't been, it's just too sad.

I did watch some Hitchcock last night on TCM though, and it made me wish I had lived in the 50's or 60's. Or, at least in that fashion period, women didn't have it so great back then. I love those old styles of dresses, hair and make-up. Mostly the hair, the rest is all pretty classic.

Kim Novak in Vertigo. How does she keep that coat so white in the Redwood forest?

Stiff gray suit looked uncomfortable, but with the right lighting, it was magic.

Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest. Loved his glasses, their cool demeanor. I guess clothes aren't everything. You have to be able to carry them off!

Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly in Rear Window. She was very stylish.

Shock socks

2009-10-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

I admit, socks with sandals is a fashion atrocity in my eyes. Until now. Maybe.

I just saw these socks at Sock Dreams. They're called Tabi socks.

TABI SOCKS or split-toe socks have been worn in Japan since the sixteenth century, reaching their peak during the Edo period (1600-1868). They were developed to wear with sandals & wooden clogs called geta. There is a special place for your big toe. Lots of people wear Tabi socks~ People who practice Japanese martial arts like Aikido and Karate wear Tabi socks and so do Taiko drummers, Suzuki actors and traditional Japanese folk dancers. According to Shiatsu theory, wearing Tabi socks benefits the back, the spine, and the digestion due to the acupuncture meridians located between the toes.

Okay, I guess that's cool. Actually, I welcome socks that are actually made to accommodate flip-flops. I think if they weren't made for that purpose they're dorky though, sorry.

Anthropologie party dresses

2009-10-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

I just stopped by Anthropologie and I see they have a new section of party dresses. Sadly, I have no parties coming up that would require a fancy frock. Or happily, because I couldn't afford one right now anyway.

I like a lot of these dresses, but if I had to choose one, I would probably pick the Spirited Away dress:

I have to say, a pet peeve I have about Anthropologie (and a lot of catalogs) is that they don't always have someone modeling the clothes. This dress doesn't (although it is shown on a hanger, which is pointless). I understand that this is an added expense for them, but sometimes I have trouble visualizing how something would look on an actual person. Clothes look different on a dress form or a hanger than they do on a real body. The styling and accessories can also sell a dress, because whether or not you want to buy those extras, it can help you visualize yourself wearing it - not to mention help those who don't know how to put an outfit together.

Case in point: the dress below is beautiful, but it looks a little over the top and prom night to me on the dress form. The length is a little odd too...is it above, at, or below the knee?

Once I saw it on the model, though, I was sold.

Maybe it's because she's in the snow, and waving her arms around because she's delirious from hypothermia. I don't know why, but this picture makes me want the dress. It looks flowy and not stiff. No huge pettycoat-like hoop skirt. It's silk, not taffeta, which is what I thought it looked like on the dress form. You can see the length that it's meant to be (slightly above-knee, or at the knee), and that it looks great with black tights. A suggestion of a coat might be nice here, but I guess she just stepped out...or in...the door. What a weird photo. Is she inside, and it's snowing inside?! Or is she going outside, and left the door open rudely so everyone inside will freeze to death? Why is she all alone here? Was she assaulted? Is she drunk and waving her arms around?

Anthropologie photos...who knew they could be so fun to deconstruct?

I like the Midnight Wanderer dress too:

Let's see if they show a model wandering...

Hm. She's not wandering, she's wondering where the bathroom is! Looks like the party food was tainted. That's why I hate buffets, too many people getting their germs all over the food. Gross.

I know it's a couture pose to look hunched over like you've got scoliosis or some other spinal problem (I learned this from Christian on Project Runway), and this looks like an attempt at that kind of pose. Why is it attractive to look like Gollum from Lord of the Rings? I don't get it. There are other ways to emphasize your hips. I'd like to see models and their photographers get more creative with props and poses.

Sale alert

2009-10-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

The Into the Blue Skirt is on sale now at Modcloth, now $29.99 instead of $64.99. So cute!

Shopping weekend booty

2009-10-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

JCPenney had a fantastic looking sale running Friday and Saturday. It turned out to not be so fantastic - they jacked up the prices so the sale prices were still pretty high. Boo. They did have some cheap things, but not much I wanted. I did walk away with a winter coat that may just be warm enough for the tundra.

St. John's Bay® Hooded Zip Front Pea Coat, blended wool and cashmere. It was around $80 on sale marked down from $200. I'm not sure that mine is exactly this one but it's pretty close.

I picked up another jacket to wear that's more lightweight and suited more for layering. It's a double-breasted wool pea coat with 3/4 sleeves. It's by Guess and was only $30 at TJ Maxx. It looks kind of like this one, but with a different lapel.

Instead of going for colors, I played it safe so I could have these for awhile. I plan on tailoring them so they fit better and can add color with scarves and gloves and hats. I'm working on learning how to make those myself. Scarves are easy to make and I have plenty, I have plans to make some arm warmers now.

Old Navy didn't look the same when I stopped there. The whole store had been remodeled, I'm not sure if it was for the new season or if it was a larger planned out thing. There wasn't as much rock-botttom cheap stuff as usual. When I went in they had a promotion where if you donated a can of food, you got 10% off your purchase. There was a fleece Sherpa hoodie there that I wanted, but I decided to come back with the can of food later in the week for the discount. Well, it turned out that JCPenney had the same hoodie for cheaper, even without the discount, so I never returned. What can I say, I like a bargain and I can donate food somewhere else!

SJB® Active Sherpa Hoodie from JCPenney. I have the red one, which is another option that wasn't at Old Navy. I like rocking the little red riding hood look. They had a lot of bright neon colors, as is the old/new trend. I remember that trend the first time, and I liked it then, but I was probably 11 years old or something. If I can remember a trend the last time it came around, I probably shouldn't be wearing it now. That's a personal rule. Anyway, I hate winter, but a cozy hoodie makes it a little more bearable. Socks too, and blankets, and other warm cozy things. Yay. Cardigans I wear all year long, I'm big on layering. Hey, it worked for Mr. Rogers.

St. John's Bay® Ruffle Front Cardigan - It was it was maybe $14 in the store. I got a tan version. The ruffles are pretty.

I didn't pick up anything with a lot of wow factor, but I'm satified. I've been organizing my stuff lately and fnding more and more things that I forgot that I had. Also, color-coordinating the closets and drawers makes putting together outfits so much easier.

Now that it is cooler, I have gone back to wearing my house shoes. They are these adorable clogs that I have had for a long time.

They're Haflinger Grizzly Wool Felt Clogs with Embroidery. So comfy! They look like they belong on a milk maid in Bavaria somewhere. Papa! I will be back with the milk! The hills are alive with the sound of moooing!

Apologies to Modcloth

2009-10-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

I am a bonehead. After whining the other day about Modcloth not saying what their coats were made out of, today I figured out that they do have descriptions. It's not on the quick look pages, you have to go to the item's page and click on "composition and fit". I just saw that little measuring tape and didn't bother reading to see the "composition" part. Now that I actually READ that part, I saw that they even give specific size charts and warmth ratings for the jackets and coats. Sorry Modcloth! My brain froze with the early winter, I guess.

I would love to have the Saffron Sophisticate Coat from Modcloth, especially now that I know it is 50% wool and 50% rayon, with a 100% polyester lining! Also, 2.5 out of 5 on the winter warmth scale. :-) It is so sunny and adorable. It is from BB Dakota and sells for $107.99. It also has a matching skirt!

The Saffron Sophisticate skirt has the same composition and is $72.99 at Modcloth.

Red Hots Heels would go great with that suit, and they're vegan too! $34.99.

How about a pair of Modern Jackie sunglasses to go with that? Only $9.99! I guess the modern part is that Jackie could be broke in this economy.

They're all out of pillbox hats, how about a scarf? It's a Crewel, Crewel Scarf (groan) for $15.99.

How did I miss this skirt? What lovely shades of blue...

Appropriately named Into the Blue skirt, from Modcloth, $64.99.

This Hepburn Blouse would look cute with that skirt. $53.99 from Modcloth.

Cute stuff on sale

2009-10-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

Sales right now are not as robust as one would hope right now, but there's still plenty of deals out there. Some cute stuff that I might buy, if I were not broke:

daisy fuentes® Favorite Geometric Tee on sale for $11.99. Love this shade of blue!

Mudd® Cable-Knit Marilyn Sweaterdress on sale for $23.99. Comes in three colors, this one is "Lakeview Blue", but it looks gray to me, and the "Slate Black" looks brown to me, am I going color blind or are they?

Short-sleeve tee with free scarf from Newport News. Rib knit cotton with dyed to match lace mesh scarf. Not bad at $14.99! Comes in different colors, availability dependent on size.

St. John's Bay® Squareneck Embroidered Tank from JCPenney for $6.99. Comes in different colors. Buy a cami for your mammy! Or for you.

a.n.a® Ruffle Front Top JCPenney for $6.99. Different colors, depends on size. I love the a.n.a. shirts at JCPenney, they're usually pretty cute. Penney's has great clearance sales, I've gotten shirts that I really liked for $2 off the rack.

Apostrophe Ruffle Cardigan by Sears, $24.99 each. Other colors available. So cute! Love the ruffles.

Isotoner Driving Glove, $17.99 from Target. I like that they're fake leather (85% nylon, 50% spandex) and more grippy than regular cloth gloves. If the gloves fit, you must aquit!

Xhilaration® Clutch in Red from Target, $14.99. Technically not on sale, but it's still cheap. That's the beauty of Target.

Danger: Curves ahead, clothes in restricted area

2009-10-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I tried on some wool winter coats at Kohl's, and was sadly disappointed. Why? None of them would fit me and flatter me. I am short, with small shoulders, fairly big boobs and a small waist. If the coat fit in the shoulders, it wouldn't fit around my chest, and vice-versa. They do not make clothing for women that have breasts! I forgot about this, since it's been a long time since I have gone shopping for a more fitted winter coat. It's stupid of me, really. I don't buy button-down blouses or for the same reason, and most dresses and certain kinds of tops are off limits. I'd really need to go to a tailor and do a lot of alterations or start from scratch, which is what the more famous big-boobed women like Angelina Jolie must do. However, I don't have that kind of money. Too bad, because I like cute coats like this one.

I've been thinking about female models lately, and the fit of clothing. A lot of people have been, after this Photoshop of horrors courtesy of Ralph Lauren. It's no secret that models have gotten smaller and so have the clothes, while the rest of the country gets fatter from oversized portions, high-fructose corn syrup and cheap fast food. What people blame first is usually a bias towards thin people in the fashion industry, or a trend started by Kate Moss that never died. While this bias exists, I suspect that this all started to save money. The standard size 8 that used to be sent to photo shoots and runways is now something like a zero to four. Less fabric! It may not be much, but it adds up. Especially for couture gowns, with details such as beading. Fabric costs money, and can cost time too. Anyone who does knitting or crochet like I do knows that. That's my theory: the fashion industry is cheap and greedy. They're sending out the cheapest samples they can get away with.

It's strange that while fashion designers make clothes for skinny, flat-chested models, Hollywood tells us that a desirable woman has a skinny body and a large chest. Increasingly, a nice round butt too. Most women are not built this way, so they have to get plastic surgery. I would almost be built this way if my stomach were flatter and I lost 10 or 15 pounds. I say almost because when I lose weight, I lose it from my chest first. Oh, that ticks me off! The one place that I WANT fat to be! Recently I have lost weight, and my reward has been that I fit into my older bras and tops. My belly I and butt just stay the same. Man that sucks!

I'm okay with my body as-is though, and I've watched enough episodes of What Not To Wear to know that we can all look good at any size, and it's the clothes that are the problem, not me. Shopping is work! You have to try things on! It's all about fit! Hire a tailor! Thanks, Stacy and Clinton.

I'm taking my mind away from getting a structured coat, it exhausts me thinking about it now. It's just not practical, especially considering I like to layer clothing in this cold tundra. I'm thinking about getting a thick wool sweater coat now, and I'll continue wearing my fake fur coat from Newport News for the really cold days. I look like a furry bear in it, but hey, it's Minnesota - nobody cares about fashion at -30 F.

I'd like to get one of those heavy wool cabled cream colored sweaters like the fishermen wear on the east coast in the movies. Accessories made from qiviut would be awesome too. Qiviut is from the underwool of the Arctic Musk Ox, and is 8 times warmer than wool, very lightweight and softer than cashmere. It's also very expensive and rare. There's a farm in Alaska where people gather the molts from the Musk Ox, so the animals are completely undisturbed. My parents saw some for sale when they visited Alaska. A 2 ounce skein of yarn is $80. My mom said it was so soft and light...oh, those lucky Musk Ox! What lovely belly fur they have.

Here are some sweaters that pretend to be coats:

Double-breasted shawl cardigan from The Gap (how is this a shawl?!), also available in gray and petite, $59.50. 45% acrylic, nylon 45% angora 10%. Probably not that warm, but it does look like a regular coat, only it is more pliable.

Heritage double-breasted cardigan,100% wool, $175 from Banana Republic.

Rachel Rachel Roy sweater coat, double breasted, 100% Merino wool, Macy's, $109.

Covington Sport mixed stitch sweater jacket, other colors available, $19.95 at Sears.

Victoria's Secret Bouclé peplum cardigan sweater, acrylic/nylon/wool/Lycra spandex, many colors available, $39.

You want to be taken seriously? Stop dressing like a little girl.

2009-10-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Joan! I love Joan on Mad Men, and I just happened upon Urban Minx, that has a celebrity style page. There was Joan! And I clicked on Joan, and there was Joan's dress! For sale, a mere $156! As my mother used to say when I pointed out the "low" price of something, "Let's buy two!".

Seriously, that dress is HAWT. It's by a company called Stop Staring. Well, I'm sorry, but I Cannot Stop Staring. If I could just suck my gut in some more, I could rock this dress too. It's perfect for the lady with curves.

I dig the other dresses by Stop Staring too. None of them are quite as awesome as Joan's though. Joan can really sell a dress!

And now, an ode to Joan Holloway (played by Christina Hendricks).

Joan is a brick house. I love her curves, no offense to the thinner ladies, I just love to see women of a different body type being celebrated. Woohoo Joan!

Joan and her awesome clothing in motion:

The frozen tundra does not wait

2009-10-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

It is freezing here in Minnesota, but the stores are not reflecting this harsh reality. Online and at the mall, the outerwear is still very much stuck in fall. Makes sense, since winter doesn't officially start until somewhere in December, but nobody told that to the arctic cold fronts swooping down from the far north. I need a new warm coat, but am not finding exactly what I want. So I am waiting. Watching. Stalking my prey, like a cat. Like one of those hairless Dr. Evil looking cats, because IT'S ONLY OCTOBER AND I AM FREEZING!

Ahem. I am finding some beautiful jackets and coats in the meantime. Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy them. I can still look at them though, and share them with you. Jackets and coats...what's the difference between a jacket and a coat? They seem to overlap, and I think this is just a scam they use online to get you to look at more jackets and coats. There's no difference that I can see.

The oracle (aka Google) tells me that a jacket is a short coat usually extending to the hips. A coat is a sleeved outer garment extending from the shoulders to the waist or below. Wait a minute. So a coat could be a jacket too if it's not long? Now I think the poor definition of either garment just gives stores a perfect opportunity to confuse us into buying more outerwear!

Now that I've established that conspiracy theory, lets move on to the coat and jacket porn:

This cardigan sweater jacket/coat thingy has those awesome sleeves that I love. The thinner arms are longer though, so rather than gigot I think these are called Juliette sleeves. Sounds fancy, huh? You can learn all about sleeves here at Wikipedia. This faux-fur trimmed cardigan has a great belt to make your waist look thin, a lovely gray color that will make you look sophisticated, and a faux-fur collar that will make you look like a movie star (or an animal killer - you can actually buy a faux not fur lapel pin so people will know you're not!). It's from Juicy Couture and retails for $280.

How cute is this? Military double-breasted coat with purple lining and cuffs. 90% Virgin Wool, 10% cashmere. Lining 60% acetate, 40% viscose. Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, retails for $755.

I love almost all of the outerwear at Modcloth. Here are some favorites:

West End Girls Coat (great, now I have that Pet Shop Boys song in my head!). So cute, $217.99. If only an East End Boy came with it.

Anna Von Diederitz coat, faux fur collar, $83.99. It is also available in white. One thing that bothers me about Modcloth is that they usually don't list the type of fabrics used. Is it wool? Cotton? Polyester? Who knows. It's adorable though. I've never actually purchased from Modcloth, but I'm sure they'd be happy to give those details upon request. I just prefer those details up front, ya know? It's important to me what something is made of, especially when it comes to outerwear. Moving on...

Five Alarm Coat, $64.99. I love, love, love red coats. I says look at me, I'm the life of the party, the heartbeat of this cold gray day! It says I'm not dead! I'm representing humanity, the heart of cold suburbia! I watch way too many movies with representative color, which have now has become a cliche, thanks a lot M. Night Shyamalan!

Yellow has that effect too. Modcloth knows it, they call this the When Life Gives You Lemons coat. $129.99. It has a satin lining, it looks soft, could be wool, could be cotton, who knows? Grr. It's by BB Dakota.

One more from Modcloth:

This Madison Jacket is so classic and classy. Love the belt, the single breasted simplicity, the seaming. Orchid purple satin lining, made by Tulle, $107.99.

I love gray and I love yellow, but I have not loved them together...until now.

Valentino Roma full-length jacket from Yoox. Satin, two pockets, snap close, lined interior. $790. If this were styled badly, it could go into bathrobe territory really quick.

Stella McCartney Tufted Wool Coat, $8,845. It does have a rather Muppet like appearance, but it must feel fabulous to wear. It's tufted wool and silk - mostly wool, it's only 5% silk (that's not including the lining). It looks like the wool was looped into the base fabric of the coat shaped, and then either felted with a washing machine or with a carder. I crochet and have knitted (I don't like knitting, too difficult). I'm curious if I could make a scarf or hat like this? Hm. Anyway, pretty pricy, but it is coat porn! It does look like it was a lot of work to make. Not THAT much, but...

Here's something you can maybe afford - Takeout Sherpa-Lined Hooded Sweater Coat from Kohl's, on sale for $27.99. If you order today, shipping is only 99 cents per item! This sweater coat comes in 5 different colors. I just noticed this is Juniors size. If you're like me, you can squeeze into the larger sizes. although this looks like it might be a little narrow for my knockers. There are a lot of cute cardigan sweaters on sale now at Kohl's in Women's sizes.

This coat from Kohl's is close to what I had in mind to get for winter. Croft and Barrow Hooded Wool Coat, on sale for $108.00, women's sizes S-XL. Kohl's has other nice women's coats and cute plus-sized coats too.

Effortless Velvet Coat from Boden, $218. Comes in 6 colors, but she wore blue velvet, bluer than velvet was the niiiight....

It's not easy being green

2009-10-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

It would be easy for me to love this green dress and call it my own. So pretty! $89.99 at Modcloth.

PLASTICLAND - Coinbeast Coin Purse by Blue Q

2009-10-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

PLASTICLAND - Coinbeast Coin Purse by Blue Q

This is the cutest coinpurse I've ever seen! Hahaha.

Staying warm this winter

2009-10-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

I need a new jacket to conquer the harsh Minnesotan winter. My jackets are either too heavy or too light, I need one that is just right. A little bird told me that alpaca is 3-5 times warmer than wool, and is hypoallergenic. I'm allergic to wool, but can still wear it with a good lining. The less wool the better, though, and I hear alpaca is lighter too! I'm seeing some blended fabrics that look ever so chic. Look at this pretty jacket (on sale for $199):

Or this sophisticated looking coat, with faux mink fur accents, also on sale! Only *cough* $339.

It reminds me a little of something you might see in Dr. Zhivago. Oh, how I love that film. I watched it again the last time it ran on TCM, sometime this month. What glorious clothes! I love Geraldine Chapman's pink coat and muff the size of a sheep:

Fabulous! The scene where she arrives by train looking all Hello Kitty pink in an ocean of gray and soot, I don't get why the good Doctor would want Laura instead. Well, I do, but...I guess Dr. Zhivago wasn't really into fashion so much. He was a tortured soul, and could not write poetry about the one woman in Russia who wears pastels. Look at how good everyone looks though, even when they're shooting each other!

Better late than never

2009-10-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

I finally got this necklace that I ordered at the beginning of September from JCPenney. It came via Fed-Ex. LOL.

It was on clearance for $15 and is made out of shells. It's cute! So was the Fed-Ex guy.

Messin' with Sasquatch: Finding wide width shoes

2009-10-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's really difficult for me to find shoes I like and can afford. I wear size 7.5 W and don't wear animal products. That makes my search limited to the old standbys like Payless and Lifestride. Those places are fine, but I'm picky and want more options. My search on eBay brought me a lot of slutty shoes for drag queens. My search for wide vegan shoes on Google either brings up ugly shoes that hippies might wear or fabulous shoes that Paul McCartney's daughter wants over a thousand dollars for.

However! Today I made some finds, although so far, I haven't found what I'm looking for.

Maryland Square - Nothing I want right now, but they have my size! Too much dead cow, though.
Onlineshoes.com - They have my size! Again, though, the dead cow problem. If these were fake I might be a customer.
Designershoes.com - Right size, wrong materials.
Zappos.com - Right size, wrong materials.

All the vegan shoe stores I've looked at don't have wide width shoes. So frustrating! I'm trying to ease my conscience while having happy feet, but it's difficult. Maybe it's for the best though, because if I had normal feet, I'd probably own a million pairs. If you are looking for vegan shoes and have normal feet, check out Moo Shoes.

I started this post because I wanted all my shoe links together, and I also was excited about finding a few new sites. One is T.U.K., which has some weird stuff, but weird in a way I like at times. I welcome weird, after seeing the same old pairs over and over again. They seem to make shoes for a wider foot, and they have lots of vegan shoes. I could probably wear these, although not to work:

These are cute - little cherries!

Some of their shoes remind me of Fluevog shoes, which have wonderful designs but are not vegan like most of these. They have a small selection of "green" shoes, but they're all casual.

Another link took me to Torrid.com, which says it has shoes that fit a "wider foot and calf". It's a plus-size store, and I'm not plus sized, so I'm not sure if this would work or not. That is, I have scrawny ankles on top of my big duck feet. That's another problem I have, I have narrow heels. So...dunno. They also don't have half sizes. Still, might be worth a shot if something really fits the style I'm jonesing for. I know where I'm going if I want to be Dorothy for Halloween!

ETA: Plus sized stores with wide width shoes:
Fashion Bug wide width shoes, man made materials.
Avenue wide width shoes, man made materials.
Roaman's wide width shoes, some have man made materials, check description.
Jessica London wide width shoes, some have man made materials, check description.

Acoustic Night Cardigan-Mod Retro Indie Clothing & Vintage Clothes

2009-10-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

Acoustic Night Cardigan-Mod Retro Indie Clothing & Vintage Clothes

Why do you have to be sold out?

Bargains and antiques

2009-10-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

My mom had to buy a vacuum cleaner bag at Sears yesterday, and in passing through I saw clearance signs, which are my kryptonite. I left with this top for $7.99:

It's really detailed and pretty nice for the price, the picture doesn't really convey that. I also picked up a peach colored tank top with a cute ruffly collar and bow thingy for $3. I can't find a picture of that online though, and it's not really worth the effort to photograph it. Can't really beat $3 though!

I just clicked the tv onto the Antiques Roadshow, and this gorgeous cabinet appeared. It's a 1680 era Italian curio cabinet. They also called it a coin cabinet. If I had woodworking and glass skills I'd make a knockoff of it. The photo doesn't do it justice, on the television it looked amazing. The video on this page shows some close-ups. The antique is worth around $5,000, I can see Anthropology knocking it off and charging twice that much!

China Traditional

2009-10-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

There's an online store that I like very much called China Traditional. They also have an eBay store. I haven't ordered anything from them in quite some time, but I see that they are still around. They sell scrolls, jewelry, paintings, tablecloths, embroidery, chopsticks, silk bags, etc. The items are made in China but are shipped from California, wrapped in Chinese newspaper. The prices are pretty low and the quality is pretty high. I've only bought scrolls, I have 5 of them, I think. More than I have room for at the moment! They're all hand-painted and so cute, similar to the one at the left. They have bunnies and pandas and birds and stuff on them. No frame needed! I'd love to get a peasant painting, they are so colorful, but I don't have anywhere to hang one.

The jewelry is very beautiful and inexpensive, and one always has more space for jewelry, right? Heh heh. Yes! The site has never been organized or constructed particularly well (spend time on it and you'll figure that out quick), and it seems the bulk of the jewelry is listed under bracelets. Some images you have to right click to view because they are squished. I'm attributing this to a language barrier or html troubles and think stuff will show up in a timely and interesting fashion as usual. Here are some things I find pretty:

I would love to get one of these peasant paintings and decorate a room around the color scheme. They're so bright and beautiful.

Fantasy fall outfit

2009-10-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

I added a bunch of links on the side for places to shop, help with shopping and other blogs I like. While doing so I remembered eShakti. It's been awhile since I've drooled over their custom (optional) clothing. Some of it is a little bit Mrs. Roper from Three's Company, but mostly it's very Anthropologie-esque. Vintage, pretty designs with embroidery and ruffles and lace and such. They also make clothes in a wide range of sizes, 0-38W and custom, so most women can wear them, yay! They are more affordable than Anthropologie overall, even with customized sizing. The overstock section has some significant discounts. I've heard mixed reviews about their clothing though, and that's made me hesitate to order. One of these days I'm going to take the plunge though, and just try something out. Something like this cute dress:

Another site that I revisited is Sock Dreams. I have never purchased any socks from them, but I have dreamed about it (har har). I recently bought a whole bunch of socks from Target on sale from $1.50-$3.00, quite the cheapo score (they used to cost around $8-$12). I love that they have thigh highs at Sock Dream, those can be hard to find. These could go with the above dress and give it a casual autumn feel:

Oh, that would be so cute with a red cardigan, like this one from Anthropologie...

I only wear synthetic shoes, unless they're vintage or hand-me-downs (I'm a vegetarian), and I have wide width feet, so my shoe choices are sadly limited. I do have these Mary Jane pumps from Payless though, I'd just have to order them in brown so I could complete this imaginary outfit:

If I start looking for accessories now I'll be here all day, and I have stuff to do!

Anthropologie purchases

2009-10-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

My mom would love this pitcher from Anthropologie, on sale now for $19.95:

It's so cute and pretty and would look nice with flowers in it. She likes pitchers. Then again, every day I see something she would love. She loves owls. Owls are everywhere now!

I have an unreasonable obsession with Anthropologie, and all things that look like they could be sold there. My dream is to have an entire wardrobe of Anthropologie clothes. To date, I only have one item. It's a skirt that I bought at an Anthro store, the first and only time I've ever been to one. I just happened to be in the neighborhood and saw the store and got SO. EXCITED. Then I went inside and saw that they have all this stuff that isn't in the catalog! (or, maybe it's just old stuff?) I couldn't afford anything so I did as I always do - I headed straight to the back of the store, where the clearance and sale items are. They had two small racks of clothes on sale, and I saw the most beautiful skirt. It was $60, marked down from...I think $160. So I splurged and bought it. When I got home, I saw that I had only been charged $30! What a score! That was my greatest shopping victory ever. It's a Moth "Lantern's Glow" skirt. I can't find it online except in dress form, it's brown with an overlay of crocheted birds.

Today I just got an email that my Anthropologie order has been shipped. Number 2 in my collection! It's a sweater that's been on sale for awhile, long enough that they ran out of the color I wanted in my size. I've wanted it because of the awesome sleeves. They're gigot sleeves, and I hunted the internet high and low for another top like it, and came up with nothing. Zero. What I love about these sleeves is that they are puffy around the shoulders, bringing emphasis to the bust area (the part of me I like) and the sleeves are tight from the elbows down, de-emphasizing my tummy, a part of me I'm not as proud of showing off. Even better than that, though, is the convenience factor. I'm always shoving up my sweater sleeves to do stuff, either because I'm warm or I don't want them to get dirty. No problem with this cardigan! Oh, and I love cardigans so much. Just like Mr. Rogers. I love layering. So anyway, I ordered the gray color, and got it in large even though I usually wear medium, because I want to layer it. Hopefully it will fit right. It's called the Juliet cardigan, it's $49.95 marked down from $88. That is a pretty big splurge for me, I'm used to buying clearance stuff that's less than $20. At this point, I'm becoming more inclined to save up for things I really love, rather than buy clothes for less that I just like. ShopStyle alerts are my friend! I have a rule that I will never pay retail. Retail is for suckers.

Chai Latte Dress-Mod Retro Indie Clothing & Vintage Clothes

2009-10-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

Chai Latte Dress-Mod Retro Indie Clothing & Vintage Clothes

This is so ridiculously gorgeous and detailed and sweet in a "this has been sitting in the attic for 100 years and now I found it and washed it and OMG I can't believe this is free!" kind of way, but it is not free. It is $117, which perhaps isn't that bad for a dress but when you have student loan debt, it might as well be $17,000. Maybe if the price goes down...