My Very First Pair of Keds--Should I Keep Them?

With the Clarks sandals I got from Zappos yesterday came the most darling pair of Keds. I've never owned a pair of Keds in my life--the basic white sneaker thing never did much for me. But I saw this pair on Mischa Barton in one of her Keds ads (you can find it in Lucky and Vogue) and I had to have them.


They are so very very cute for spring. This red wedge would be perfect with many of my skirts, casual dresses, shorts, and even my baggy Gap khakis. My mom and Cheapy both really like them. But they sorta squish my big toe a little. Should I send them back? Does canvas give at all? I have no Keds/canvas shoe experience (even my Chuck Taylors are leather). Guide me fellow shoppers.

Some Days It's No Picnic at The Mall...Returning Online Purchases: Gap--Bad; Sephora--Good

I took that lunchtime trip to The Mall the exchange my Petite khakis at the Gap. Things were going well. They had my size in every single color of the rainbow khakis (I decided against yellow), and off I went to the register for my quick-and-painless exchange--only to discover the receipt was no where to be found. The Gap employee would not do the exchange without it.

I figured I left the receipt in my trunk, so I hauled my booty back to my car. No receipt. I called the store. Do I really need to drive all the way home to look for my receipt? Yes says buy-the-rules Gap employee.

Twenty minutes later the whole deal was done, but I was a little annoyed. Sure, it was my own fault for forgetting the slip. But for an even exchange you'd think they could cut me a break.

I almost didn't feel like walking halfway down The Mall to the escalator and halfway down The Mall again to get to Sephora for another return. But I'd been carrying an unwanted Sephora cuticle trimmer around in my purse for a few weeks. I'd ordered it on Sephora.com and I was unsatisfied with its performance--it wouldn't cut through warm butter. I'd long ago tossed the packing slip. I wasn't even finished with my explanation and the friendly-and-helpful Sephora employee was dashing off to check the price. In two minutes I had a card in my hand with my store credit. Happy happy. I love that store and its liberal return policy! (I also love it because it's full of makeup. It's like a continuous girl party where everyone tries on cosmetics and says, "Oh, that lip gloss looks great on you!" to one another. If they served cupcakes and cocktails I would move in.)

The Gap: Petite vs. Ankle

As mentioned in a recent post, I ordered Gap kahkis online so I could get them in a Petite size. They arrived today (hooray for fast shipping!), but they're not good. I love the colors, but I don't like the Petite cut. Unlike Ankle length pants, these Petites are not just shorter than regular Gap pants, the cut is adjusted, including a shorter rise--that's too short for me. The rise on the regular khakis was perfect when I tried them on in the store. Everything about them was perfect except that they were a good four inches too long. I don't need Petite--I need Ankle.

So tomorrow on my lunch break I'll take them back to the store, my $6 shipping charge experiment a failure. But I plan to leave the store with two pairs of regular khakis. And I will roll them up, and look all J.Crew catalog-y. Keep your fingers crossed that they have some good colors left in my size in the store. (Who know--I might come home with yellow!)

Back to the store you go camel toe khakis and weird white jacket.

Saturday Afternoon--The Gap and Anthropologie

Sometimes I think I'm in a shopping rut, that I should find some new stores. But the familiar relaxes me, and I needed some Saturday afternoon Material Girl time, so I headed to my favorite Gap location which is just a few stores down from Anthropologie.

I wanted to hit The Gap to try on the colorful khakis. And I love the pink ones. They were sold out in my size, but I tried on the yellow just to test the fit. I've been in a yellow mood recently even though I'm certain it's a color I should never wear. In pants, though, it wouldn't reflect in my face and might not be bad. The Gap's colorful khakis for spring, however, only come in regular length in store. I'll purchase a pink petite pair online. (The light blue is nice, too.)

I did come home with this white jacket from The Gap. But it's weirdly shaped and I'm taking it back. (It looks much better on the model than on me.) Anthropologie does the nautical jacket thing in a much more flattering shape.














I also bought this top at Anthropologie (which I'm wearing right now) only in a really flattering rosey red color, not the yellow pictured, although I really dig this tumeric shade (just not on me).


To satisfy my sudden jones for yellow, I've been searching for a shoe. Last night I found one on Zappos.


This is the Camper Helena in in Banana/Cuarzo and I decided I must have them. I have a pair of Campers in the Helena style in green sans instep cutout and they're a favorite--cute, unexpected color, and very comfy. I wore them walking around New York during a 12-hour work day over the summer and my feel felt fab. These may be my birthday present to myself. (Although, fellow shoppers, we should treat everyday like it's our birthday--as long as we're easy on the cupcakes.)

P.S. I wore my new You by Crocs wedge boots (mentioned in my last post) while shopping and they were great.

Why I Love the J. Crew Catalog

I don't shop at J. Crew very often. I just don't think about stopping in--the store is at the end of The Mall I don't go to much. And when I do shop there I don't quite like the vibe or the price tags.

I do, however, love getting the J. Crew catalog. I often flip through it while I'm in the bathroom or eating lunch and conjure J. Crew fantasies, being transported inside the catalog to participate in the lovely vignettes the J. Crew model must surely be enjoying...

My long, silky blond hair (I'm always blond in J. Crew fantasies) is blown by the gentle breeze as I wander through the gardens of my Connecticut pool house. I've just unpacked my suitcase full of candy-colored mix-and-match bikinis and a rainbow of summer-weight cashmere cardigans that perfectly compliment my low slung khakis which offer just a hint of my lovely mid-section (my tummy is always impossibly flat in J. Crew fantasies). I dream about tomorrow--I'll don my swiss dot wrap dress, wellies and Italian poplin blazer as I pick wild flowers and tuck them into my sunny yellow tote. Then it's lunch by the water with my tremendoulsly gorgeous husband. Oh those madras trousers do wonders for him! Ahh, I love my perfect J. Crew life!

(I also love the necklace in this photo.)

I've Fallen In!

As I was driving to work today, I looked down and realized every single item of clothing I had on was from the Gap. Ack! (Not the accessories--they came from the nice jewelry store, eBay, Macy's and DSW).

However, it was a way cheap outfit, probably under $100 for all four pieces. The jury is still out on the odd blue top that my coworker Amy also owns. The color is beautiful and the fabric is nice, bit it's very billowy and hits me in a weird spot--too short for leggings (as if I'd go there), and well below my hips. (I'm sure the Gap model is a million inches taller than I am.)

I just read on Fashionista that Patrick Robinson is a Gap designer and that they're going back to basics--khakis, demin, and such and that stores like H&M and Forever 21 are kicking the Gap's ass in sales. You may notice in the NY Post article I linked too, that they say they are focusing on the 24- to 34-year-old consumer. Hey! 39 should not be too old to shop at the Gap! Blah on you, Gap. (I really could use some nice khakis, though.)

Has anyone noticed that all the pants at the Gap seem to have gotten longer? When they started carrying petite and tall sizes online, the Ankle length Gap jeans got about 1.5 inches longer. (I measured.) That did not make the 5-foot-2-inch me happy. Why should the shorties and the tallies not be able to try things on in the store?! The Banana Republic stores have started to carry a few petite items, so maybe the Gap will soon follow suit, thus winning over the petite and tall 24- to 34-year-olds along with all the average ones.