Showing posts with label Rockport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rockport. Show all posts

Sunday, April 6, 2008

A Boutique Fashion Show Date with Cheapy

Cheapy put Cheapy Jr. in the jogging stroller and took off on a run to the downtown area of our tiny city. A few minutes later, I got a phone call. Cheapy had found the perfect place for us to begin our Saturday night date: a Jackie O.-inspired spring fashion show at a neighborhood boutique. Go figure! (I'm starting to get that Cheapy likes boutiques way better than The Mall--woo hoo! It didn't hurt that there were free drinks.)

Needless to say, I was in on his plan. I picked out my outfit: an asymetrical black silk cap-sleeve top, a bronze and silver metallic shrug, and my sad Gap jeans. (I really need some decent denim. But that's another post.) I abandoned wearing my Poetic License two-tone metallic mary janes because it was chilly out and the event was outdoors, instead wearing my standard black Rockport boots.

By the time our babysitter arrived and we got to our fashion destination (Romauldo's for men/Kennedy's for ladies) we had missed the show, but the bar was still open as were the boutiques.

I found the sale rack in Kennedy's and came away with a Tracy Reese black silk tunic at 40% off. It's hard to see the details in this photo--a problem with viewing black clothing online--but it's got a pleated ruffle down the front and interesting seaming that gives it a really flattering shape. In the back, it closes with a shiny crystal button at the neck. (Why does the model have such bad posture?)


Cheapy and I found the clearance in the men's store as well. They had a shelf full of gorgeous $300 cashmere sweaters at 75% off. A sales associate got us in a conversation about his cashmere sweater philosophy: He advises men to start with navy blue and charcoal gray, move on to olive green, then begin to branch into other colors. I was enjoying this conversation immensely, happy with my purchase in hand which Cheapy paid for since I couldn't fit my wallet into my vintage clutch. Cheapy, however, was in pain. I'm fairly sure he would have gone into a retail-induced freak if he wasn't on his second beer. Too bad--he would look so nice in the navy cashmere.

He did spy a tie he liked for something like $145. It was black with purple paisley and made of buttery soft textured silk. He called it "Johnny Cash in Vegas," a fab description.

These boutiques were doing quite the business during the event, stuffed full of men in pink Bermuda shorts and blue blazers and women in $600 shoes. I saw a tall brunette with thick bangs, a thick ponytail and skinny jeans purchase a pink satin bomber jacket for $640 which she immediately began wearing. (I it found interesting yet a tad gaudy.)

Although I missed the spring fashion show, I picked up a guide which listed all the clothing the models wore. My favorite item on the list: Dion pink/blue pocket square: $40. I once saw an interview with a fashionable rapper that I'd never heard of say a man leaving the house without a pocket square is like a woman leaving the house without lip gloss. Ponder that for a bit.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

I Need to Clean Out My Closet: A Photo Essay

I've been reading a number of style books lately (some of which I've reviewed in this space, some of which I haven't gotten around to reviewing in this space) and everyone from Kim France to Tim Gunn seem to offer the same advice: Edit your closet.

I've been trying to do this, but it's quite the long-term project. (I think I'd need a week and half of PTO.) I've just finally unloaded the last of my fat clothes and I've recently taken 30 plus items to a local consignment shop, but I still fear that the addition of another half dozen items will cause some sort of garment explosion. I offer a tour of my dressing room--our spare bedroom which is home to my dresses, skirts, pants, jeans, jackets, sweaters, tops, shoes, boots and accessories of all kinds. (Coats live in Cheapy's extra closet. He's got two, both sparsely populated with varying shades of khaki.)


Full view of both closets. I know all of this stuff is not "soul-stirring," as Tim Gunn would put it.


In between is my earring collection, hung on two letter-size desk accessories I got from Organized Living. (I swiped them from Cheapy's computer desk. It's sort of a hopeless mess anyway. I think another trip to Organized Living is in my future.)


The dresses/pants/skirt/sweater closet. There are often sweater avalanches.


The tops/t-shits/jackets/workout wear closet. There are often t-shirt avalanches.


Three jewelry boxes. (All came from eBay. All are packed with pretty shiny things.)


Bangles and bracelets in baskets and on an old rubber stamp holder.


My vintage flower pins (a few were my mom's), buttons, and part of my necklace collection.


Bags (there is also a full dresser drawer of bags), drawers of summer shoes, drawers of belts and scarves, a stack of shoe boxes, and my rain boots. (Can't wait until it warms up so I can wear that red skirt again. I love that skirt.)


My boots live here. They are longing for more boot friends. Those flat brown Diba ankle boots are my latest edition. They make me feel all '80s happy. The Ugg boots are for yoga class only. The pink Rockports barely leave my feet on weekends--I wish I had a brand new pair stashed under the bed for when these finally bite the dust.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

My Review of Pomfert

Originally submitted at Onlineshoes.com

Discover all-day comfort in the Pomfert boot from Rockport. Soft, oiled nubuck leather upper has elastic goring at the sides for a snug fit. The Dynamic Suspension DMX foam chamber built into the insole board adds an additional level of cushion, while the rubber outsole provides steady footing on ...

Quite Possibly the Perfect Boot

By Material Girl on 12/16/2007

5out of 5

Sizing: Feels true to size

Width: Feels true to width

Pros: Stable, Cute, Durable, Comfortable

Best Uses: Casual Wear, Office, Travel, Going Out

Describe Yourself: Stylish

I love this boot--it may be the best boot I've purchased. I can literally wear them all day long, shopping, running around, to the office, out to dinner. They're more comfortable than some of my boots with much lower heels. They look great with skirts and jeans. I'm very pleased with this purchase.

(legalese)

Friday, November 30, 2007

Material Girl's This-Week-in-Shopping Wrap-up

I got the Rockport boots. The day after I blogged about them taking ever so long to arrive, my new boots were on my porch when I went home for lunch. I put them on and wore them the rest of the day and I love them. They fit perfectly and look good and they are crazy comfy (and not even crazy comfy for heels--just plain crazy comfy. I'm a Rockport fan.)

Emotional shopping at Anthropologie. Material Girl had a rough few days at work this week, so instead of emotional eating (there was an office rum cake and a food day calling my name) I and decided to do some emotional shopping. I went to Anthropologie and bought two things, one on sale, one full price. The full-price item was the coolest, most interesting little sweater that you can button a million ways and looks way better on than on-the-hanger. (Wackadoo Elisa on Project Runway would call it polymorphic judging from the SJP episode.) Buying this sweater gave me one of those all-too-rare and exciting and happy dressing room moments. I tried it on during my third trip in, and I hadn't yet found anything I loved or even liked. (I decided from now on I'm only buying things I love. Nothing I'm lukewarm about will be added to my bursting closet.) Then I put on the sweater and just got that vibe, sort of like when you're looking at apartments or houses or potential boyfriends--that vibe that says, oh yes, you two are meant to be together. I loved the look and the feel and the color and I love how I feel when I have it on. I am in love with this sweater. Every shopping trip should have such a moment. (However, I still stand by my post about about Antropologie's current ugly sweater collection.)

eBay hits and misses. You all know that Material Girl is an eBay addict. Throughout my years of purchasing garments and accessories through the site there have been some really good purchases and some not-so-great purchases. One should never buy something that one is not fairly convinced one will love just because no one else bid on it and it's cheap. Its like like buying something on clearance just because it's 75% off that you don't really need and does not really flatter you and you will never really wear. (Guilty!) This week I had two great purchases and two misses. First I got a black sequined J. Crew cardigan for $33.98. I had seen this in their catalog last year and I really wanted one, but it was expensive then it sold out. I got the eBay sweater in the mail today and it's gorgeous and fits me perfectly (and hopefully ends my current sequins phase). I also bought an off-white sequined angora shrug. It's not good. Not good at all. $5.99 plus shipping down the drain. Lastly, I won and auction for a vintage Bellestone handbag. Don't know if it's alligator or lizard or what, but it's a beauty and it's in near perfect condition and it was $31 plus shipping--a steal for pristine Bellestone. (I've wanted an exotic skin bag since my trip to Saks in L.A.) Lastly, I got a silk leopard print wrap dress. OK but not great. And billed as vintage but really Maggy London. $28.50 and disappointing. I really want a leopard wrap dress and I've been looking for a while. This is not the one.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Zappos, I Have Strayed and I'm Sorry

Recently I found a pair of boots I wanted on Zappos (other than the seven pairs currently in my Zappos shopping cart) but it was a tight week for the discretionary fund (just paid the Macy's bill), so I googled the boots (Rockport Pomfort--I have another pair of Rockport boots that are my favorite ones ever) to see if I could find them cheaper.

And, hurrah! I found them on onlineshoes.com. That day they were having a 15% off everything on the site sale or something like that, plus if you paid by PayPal you got $20 off orders over $100. Sold! Instead of paying $163.95 on Zappos, I paid $123.96. And can't we all use a spare $39.99?

This all went down on November 17th. Today is November 27th. That's 10 days. 10! I still have not gotten my new boots. If I would have purchased them from Zappos, I would have been enjoying them for nine days now, or I would have sent them back and gotten a refund a week ago. Instead, here I sit, bootless. Sigh.

(Okay, bootless is a little strong, I do have those other 20-ish pairs. But note that last week I gave away four pairs of boots along with two bags of clothes that don't fit me. I have some holes in my closet to fill. And I'm not happy with my currently black boot selection.)

So, I ask you fellow shoppers: Is it worth $39.99 for immediate gratification? I'm starting to think yet it is. I'm sorry Zappos. I'll try my best not to stray again. You are so so good to me, what with your free overnight shipping and free returns, and nice nice people on the phone who help with my shoe dilemmas (including last Christmas day when Cheapy was buying me a $100 Zappos gift certificate and accidentally purchased everything in my shopping cart, thus buying me $1,000 worth of shoes--a Christmas miracle!)