I Can't Wait for the Sex and the City Movie

Because I get to see outfits like this without watching TBS reruns. It's as if the big flower pin exploded. But, you know, I like this on SJP. And if I had the right occasion (renewing my wedding vows on a tropical island?) I would wear this dress.

Material Girl's Week of Savings!

I've made several good bargain purchases over the last week or so that I'm kind of excited about. Today I will share:

• Gap school boy plaid blazer, worn to work today--original price: $98; online price: $44.99; Material Girl price: $24.99 (in store); savings: $73.01.
• Kenneth Cole satchel, winter white leather, quite possibly my favorite bag ever due to all the hidden pocket and its capacity to hold my makeup bag, cell phone, wallet, one diaper, three toy tractor trailers, and a binky--original price: $274; Material Girl price: $69; savings: $205.
• Charles David Stunner black leather peeptoe wedges--original price: $194.95; Material Girl price: $58.79; savings: $136.16.
• My two Dillard's shoe purchases--original price (combined): $229; Material Girl price: $51.50 (how Van Halen!); savings: $177.50.
• A vintage brown sequin jacket that will possibly be an accessory at Donya's wedding if it's chilly--eBay seller claimed it was purchased for $700 at a vintage boutique in Beverly Hills (what the heck--we'll go with that); Material Girl price: $41; savings: $659.

So, ladies, here is my grand total of savings: $1250.67! What a week!

Open Letter to Target

Dear Target,

You know I think you have a lot going for you. You're bright and shiny and clean and generally well-stocked. You've got hip-nifty ads. And you attract exciting up-and-coming guest designers for your Go collection. Patrick Robinson's stuff was nice. Libertine's was brightly odd. Now you've got Brit Alice Temperley and her black-and-gray-heavy, Victorian-ish collection. Many of these pieces seem good. They look wonderful on the models. They look nice on the hangers. But on me. In your not-the-best-lighting-having dressing room. Well, 95% of the time they miss.

Now here's the part that might hurt, but I love you and I owe it to you to say it: These collections...they look cheap. There's always something that's a little off. They don't hang well. There's a bumpy seam. Whatever. They don't hit the bulls-eye. I came close to purchasing an Alice Temperley collection top today. It had a nice scoop neck, good colors, a dash of metallic thread, would have been nice for layering, and it was $16.99. But something about it wasn't quite right. The shoulder seams, maybe. And it was itchy.

I guess it comes down to this: A $16.99 top is a $16.99 top; a $39.95 dress is a $39.95 dress. When it comes to clothing, more often than not, you get what you pay for. (eBay and clearance racks not withstanding.)

I do have an Isaac Mizrahi for Target striped seersucker sundress that I got on clearance for $24-ish. I've worn it a number of times, and it's darling and looks $20 shy of J.Crew. But I've tried on probably 20 other Isaac dresses that were so not good.

Your guest designers' lines always seem to sell well in the stores, so certainly many consumers do not agree with me. I'll continue to browse these lines in store and hope for that one piece that will flatter--and hope it's actually left in my size (like may darling Patrick Robinson medallion skirt with pockets). Soldier on.

--Material Girl

P.S. Right now Patrick Robinson and Libertine lines are on clearance online. I hope they sell well for you, Target. And I hope my fellow shoppers enjoy them.

P.S.S. Isaac is doing bridal now. Bridal? Hmmmm

My Happy Shopping Story

Last Friday was Cheapy's birthday, so I went to The Mall to get him a new iPod. (He's been wanting to upgrade his for a while but didn't want to plunk down the dough.) I brought my 3-year-old with me so said birthday boy could enjoy some quiet time, and on the way to the elevators (you must always plot out your parking and shopping strategy based on elevator placement when strollering) we popped into Dillard's to check out the shoe selection. I really hate to shop for anything else in Dillard's. I don't even like to go in there. I always get lost and the dressing rooms are hot and poorly lit. This weekend they were practically giving shoes away, and the shoe department is right by the mall entrance, so there was no danger of getting sucked into the Dillard's vortex.

There was a pair of platform red heels that I tried on that were 75% off. They were tall. And comfy. And pretty hot. But the little dude was getting restless and I was getting tired (the Apple store on a Saturday sucks the life out of you) so I didn't buy them. But of course I kept thinking about them all day today. And they were like $19 and size 8.5 (which is very popular!) and I was sure someone would have snapped them up Saturday afternoon.

But lo and behold, when I returned today--there they were! And I bought them! Yay! So many times I've regretting not snagging something, and return to the scene of the crime only to be disappointed. Finding those shoes was like a little shopping miracle. And thanks to global warming, I'll be able to get in at least another five or six weeks of going-out-to-dinner in them. (Those are my actual feet in the actual shoes above. Please excuse my pink glitter pedicure. It's the only thing I can do on my own feet that doesn't look a kindergartner painted them with her fingers.)

I also picked up another pair of black slingbacks--MSRP: $150; Material Girl: $32.50.

Is It Just Me...

...or does Mandy Moore's head look GIGANTIC on this cover? (Cheapy thought she was Valerie Bertinelli.) Overall I give the October Lucky: The Magazine About Shopping and Style a grade of C minus. (The section on handbags saved it from a lower grade--loved the handbags styles they focused on. If only I could afford them.) Overall, however, I found many of the looks to be blah or two steps from ick--much like Mandy's cover look.

Randomly

• I've been on vacation. There was not much in the way of shopping opportunities since I was with all my in-laws, my three-year-old, and Cheapy. I did, however, manage to hit an antique mall, a pawn shop, and an estate jewelry store and picked up a great faux diamond cocktail ring, a quite fab turquoise necklace (partly subsidized by my mother-in-law), a pair of sterling hoop earrings, and a really weird necklace made out of...I'm not sure what it's made--acrylic or plastic, but with an organic feel. I saw said item in a wonderful jewelry section in the antique mall (which was one of the nicest ones I've ever seen--very classy and well-stocked, yet not overwhelming). I tried it on. I couldn't quite figure it out. I thought about it for two days. I went back and bought it. I have no idea what to wear it with, but I think it would be cool just hanging on my wall. I think my sister would dig it.

• There was an interesting article in the September 9th issue of the New York Times Magazine on designers doing lines for lower-end stores (Payless, Target. etc.) and how it has effected their careers. The gist of the piece was that the designers upped their visibility despite the fact that they occasionally were dropped (at least temporarily) by more upscale stores. For instance, I heard that Macy's dropped Vera Wang's lingerie line because her Simply Vera line, which recently debuted at Kohl's, includes lingerie. (If you haven't seen the Simply Vera commercials or ads, you might possibly be living under a rock. There was a good 9- or 10-page ad in September Vogue and I've seen TV spots, ads in Lucky, etc. It's also selling out online. I imagine in the stores as well.) I say hurray to the young up-and-coming designers and the Issac Mizrahi types alike. Those of us with limited discretionary funds should have a chance to find some affordable style.

• I'm beginning to get over my sequins phase (although not completely) and I'm working up a leopard print jones. I have this buttery soft brown leather tulip skirt I got at the end of the season last fall (a steal on eBay--the skirt cost a little more than the alterations). I'm thinking and nice animal print shoe would be just the thing to wear with it. Somehow boots just seem too, well, leathery. I found a tremendous pair by Donald J. Pliner. (If you click through to view them check out the multi-view and be sure to admire the heel. Since I can't really afford them at the moment, I found a cheaper alternative by Oh...Deer! (at right) They're cute and furry and I love the print/red contrast, but can I actually wear a shoe by Oh...Deer! Called Lipstick?
  

Looking for Fashion Week News?

Wish you were in New York for Fashion Week? You can live vicariously through bloggers:

• Check out this article--it lists a number of blogs covering Fashion Week (including two of my favorites: Go Fug Yourself and Fashionista).

• And here's an interview about Fashion Week with the editor behind Fashionista.com, Farrin Krentcil (who is apparently a fan of WKRP in Cincinnati. I wonder what she thinks of Jennifer/Loni Anderson's ensembles?). In this interview Farrin reveals her daily online fashion reading list--including more than two dozen sites.