My Evening at Macy's--In Store and Online

Macy's is having this "Friends and Family" sale going on for which they decide pretty much everyone in the world is a a friend of Macy's or part of the Macy's family and send them cards for 20% off pretty much anything.

I hit the store at 8 p.m. (when it's generally pretty empty) to try on some dresses. I grabbed a handful and found a dressing room which happened to be filled with a bunch of other dresses that were all my size. I tried on a dozen or so and settled on a cute black cotton dress with cap sleeves and white embroidery at the hem. It was $68 after the discounts and it's a perfect little dress for summer. I can't find it on the Macy's website. I can never seem to find anything on the Macy's website.

If I go to, say, the Gap and they're out of something in my size, I can come home, go to their website, and buy it (or at least find it, whether it's available in my size or not). Every time something is sold out in my size at Macy's, I check the website and it's not there.

For example...tonight I found a Michael Kors Petites dress that I really loved. Problem was, one size was too big, one size was too small, and they were sold out of the size in between. Of course, this particular dress it not sold on Macy's website. If I want an ugly gold Michael Kors swing jacket or an ugly yellow Michael Kors mini trench, I'm in luck. Dress I decided I must have--no luck.

I found it on the Nordstrom site (have I mentioned that I can't wait for Nordstrom to open at The Mall--hurray up with that construction, already), but there would be no 20% discount involved in that purchase. Full price is $159.50 and Nordstrom's shipping is $8.

I decided to call some other locations of Macy's to find the dress. After a few minutes on (long distance) hold I talked to the very helpful (albeit monotone) Tiffany at a Columbus area location and--yay!--they had my size. And she could send it to me. For $15.95. (Isn't that outrageous?) But with the 20% off, I'm still doing better than Nordstrom. With all said, done and rung up, I saved $9 off the full price. I really hope it's fits me perfectly when it arrives--I hope I still love it. Nothing is more annoying than blowing 16 clams on shipping only to return the item.

Here's the dress I ordered from Tiffany.


So maybe it's a little derivative of Balenciaga's spring florals. But it's less weird (and I can't afford Balenciaga). And let me tell you, that "petite" model must be at least 5'7" because that dress hit just above the knee on 5'2" me.

My Shopping Weekend: Vintage Florals for Spring, Cheap Accessories, More Shoes

Despite the fact that weather here insists on dropping below 60, it is indeed spring. And I indeed continue to work on my spring wardrobe. Here a bring you a few recent acquisitions.

First, I won an auction for a vintage Saks dress from a favorite eBay seller--because it's really adorable and because a like the ideas or florals for spring as recently seen on the runways. (Check out, for example, the odd shapes and crazy colors and patterns of Balenciaga.) The dress and jacket got (which fit me like a glove) are bold, but in a cute '60s shape. Both items have amazing rhinestone studded buttons, and the dress is finished with a blue velvet belt. The cropped jacket I'll wear on it's own over a t-shirt and jeans (once they get back from the dry cleaner. I'm sure these have been packed away in some old lady's basement in California for a couple decades.) The blond model below showcases all the item sold by the Timeless Vixen eBay store. They post new fantastic vintage dresses and suits every Friday and all auctions start at $24. And they often make a mint, many items going for upwards of $200. (This outfit set me back $118.)


I'm also thinking bold jewelry for spring. (But, then again, I'm always thinking bold jewelry.) Check out this necklace below--an eBay steal for $2.25. I can't wait to wear this.



My problem collecting clutches just won't go away. I got this red woven clutch (leather doesn't seem very springy to me) with a lucite handle for $9.99.



My loyal readers know I've been really loving all the yellow in the stores this season, but I often lament that I look like crap in yellow. I think it would be fine on my feet, however. I'd recently purchased a pair of uncomfortable yellow camper pumps from Zappos that I had to send back. I still had some Zappos gift certificate left over from my birthday, and in a total impulse purchase on Friday night I bought these super yellow pumps by Volatile. They arrived yesterday and I really love them. (They don't look quite as yellow in person as they do online.) Cheapy Jr. is not a fan of this shoe. When I test drove them yesterday he kept insisting I take them off--until I pointed out that they are the color of a DHL truck. Then they were good. (The boy loves delivery trucks. Me too.)

Things I Like in the Latest Vogue

I just got my first issue of my Christmas gift Vogue subscription my mother-in-law got me. (I always read hers and she remembered me telling her I kept meaning to subscribe but kept forgetting. It's nice someone gets it when I drop hints.)

The January issue has a sunny Kate Hudson on the cover and some non-dead-of-winter looking fashions inside. (Thank the fashions gods--I'm so over winter, so so so over my cold hands and static-y hair. I want to wear sandals.)

Wackiest stuff in the January Vogue: Balenciaga knee-high gladiator stilettos--but then Balenciaga offers all sorts of wacky footwear--and green lipstick. I don't mean environmentally friendly lip color, but Kelly Green lipstick (ickstick).

Things I dig in the January Vogue: Pins! Butterflies, dragonflies, flowers in clusters on jackets and dresses. Love love love. And everything Agyness Deyn wore in her two-page spread. I dig her style. I dig her messy blond hair. I dig her drunken pattern mixing. Kate Moss. Phhhh! I'm so over everyone thinking Kate Moss is so stylish. I've actually never quite gotten that. In candid shots I think she looks pasty and messy and is always with a dude who needs to wash his hair. Agyness rocks some color and some vintage and fedoras. She's my model of choice (despite the fact the she was born when I was a sophomore in high school).


I'm off to eBay to search for brooches. I've got plenty of flowers in my collection, but now I want bugs and butterflies. I'm also thinking owls. Hmmmm.