Shopping weekend booty

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!

Danger: Curves ahead, clothes in restricted area

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.