Saturday Night with Cheapy: Dinner, Wine, Fly London & My New Sweater

Shoetopia, the fab shoe store next to my favorite date-night restaurant, had an anniversary sale this weekend. I planned my date with Cheapy: wine store, shoe store, dinner, bar.

Cheapy bought me these incredibly comfortable Fly London buckled pumps for $20 off of the MSRP. (Cheapy is not so cheap after a sampling half a dozen wines.)


I almost got them in grey and black--I liked the combo and they'd go with everything--but Cheapy insisted on the red, which was a good choice.

Red was a theme for the night: red wine, red shoes, and red sweater--I'd finally purchased an Anthro beauty I'd have my eye on for a while and got compliments everywhere I went (even from Cheapy). I love love love this sweater. It's gorgeous, it's got a great shape, it's warm, it fits perfectly. I wore it with my destroyed Gap jeans and a seafoam grean lacy camisole which peeked out from the bottom.


It had been a raining most of Saturday (don't get me started on my flooding basement nightmare), so I also wore my new Tretorn Plask mid-calf rain boots I just bought in seal brown. I have a tall version in red, but they don't work well with pants. This shorter version is perfect with jeans, and, like their taller cousins, are deliciously comfortable and the best looking rain boots I've seen.

Going Scarf Crazy

I've had this black Pashmina for years and it's big and soft and warm and cozy I and love it. I ordered a couple of different colored ones from the same website a while ago, and I didn't like them. They didn't feel like that were the same quality as my black one. I sent them back.

Still, I wanted to expand my Pashmina wardrobe--fall is here; it's cold outside and in my office, so they are a really useful accessory. I clicked around online for a while and found Nimli, a site that features clothes, accessories and other items for the "natural, organic & green lifestyle."

They offered a huge array of wraps of all kinds, in wool, Pashmina and silk, solid and ombre, embellished and plain.

I got this cashmere Pashmina shawl in the blue pictured here, and in shades of rosey pink. It feels luxurious, like I'd-love-to-use-it-as-a-blanket soft.


I got this silk ruffle scarf in black (I had a hard time choosing a color) and I adore it. I'll be wearing this all winter.


Finally, I got a silk chiffon wrap in plum. (I wore this to work yesterday with a black boatneck dress from the Gap.) This is my least favorite. It's flimsy--as is all chiffon--and already has a snag. The silk doesn't feel particularly soft. The color is great, however.


I'd shop through this site again because overall I'm pleased with the products. I also like a lot of the clothing and jewelry offered on the site. Plus the shipping is free. However the items took forever to arrive. Three weeks after my AmEx had been charged, still no scarves. I emailed Nimli customer service, and the items arrived two days later, so I'm hoping it was a flukey glitch.

Learning About the Fashion World from Daniel Vosovic

Designer and Project Runway Season 2 alum Daniel Vosovic is currently on a tour to promote his new book Fashion Inside Out: Daniel V's Guide to How Style Happens from Inspiration to Runway and Beyond and he recently made a stop at my local independent bookseller.

I loved him. He came across as darling, down-to-earth, and driven and told stories of being on Runway, living in Florence and London, his days in as a young gymnast, his time in design school, and more, and fielded questions from the young and well-styled audience. I had popped into Antrhopologie before the signing and saw four college age boys browsing, which is not something I see ever in Anthro. When I got to the bookstore the four were already planted in the seats for the book signing. They were obviously fashion design students. I wish I would have taken their picture.

I wore a black tee and skinny black pants topped with my I-just-laid-people -off-now-I'm-emotionally-shopping Anthropologie army green sweater, which, to use a Tim Gunn-ism, is the most soul-stirring item in my closet. And by the way, Daniel said Tim Gunn is truly as nice as he seems on TV--he wrote the foreword for Fashion Inside Out.

I've read through a bit an Daniel's book which is filled with gorgeous pictures and a lot of Q&As with fashion industry insiders--designers, photogs, stylists and the like. The book offers a beautiful package (the cover has a velvety texture and online cover images don't do it justice) and great content. I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

One great moment from the signing--Daniel noticed a couple in the crowd who were from his hometown. When it was their turn to have a book signed, they handed him a cell phone and he happily talked to their daughter who had had taught in gymnastics. The whole exchange was quite adorable, including his observation that the parents had moved away from the hometown, but their kids all stayed.

Here's Daniel Vosovic signing his book.
His inscription: "Design Your Own Destiny."

My First New Pair of Docs Since the '80s

It's been decades, literally, since I've purchased a pair of Dr. Marten's boots. But I saw these in an ad and I had to have them--the pointed toes, the winter white, the zippers! (The Timberland boots I got recently zip up the back which I'm really digging, although I get confused every morning that I put them on and reach for the non-existent side zipper).



I wasn't sure about these as first. I ran them past my stylish friend, and she was iffy but thought I could pull them off. I considered getting them in black, but I felt like that was too goth kid for a Material Girl my age. Then I saw that onlineshoes.com was having a $20-off-a-purchase-over-$100 sale. That's a good offer, but I hate to wait for the non-overnight shipping. Fortunately endless has a 100% price guarantee, so they matched the onlineshoes price and shipped them to me overnight. And I super dig them.

Retail Is in Bad Shape--I've Got to Do My Part

Below is the retail news from NPR. It isn't pretty fellow shoppers. I fear for the under-construction Nordstrom at The Mall that's this close to being finished.

October Retail Sales Plummet Amid Financial Crisis

U.S. retail chains posted the worst monthly sales data in more than 30 years, as the financial crisis forced consumers to cut spending sharply in October.

The International Council of Shopping Centers called the retail sales environment "simply awful" and said the October results were the worst it had seen in 35 years.

The ICSC said it pared its forecast for what were already expected to be dismal holiday season sales. It now expect sales in November and December to rise 1 percent, down from its prior view for a gain of 1.7 percent.

The picture was particularly bleak for high-end retail stores. Saks and Nordstrom both had double digit declines in same store sales last month. In stores open more than a year, Saks' sales dropped more than 16 percent, while sales at Nordstrom were down 15.7 percent.

Kohl's, J.C. Penney and Macy's fared a little better, but they still saw sales slump in October. Kohl's same-store sales fell 9 percent in October, below expectations of a 6.4 percent decline. Department store operator Macy's, parent of Macy's and Bloomingdale's chains, reported a 6.3 percent drop.

J.C. Penney's October sales fell 13 percent, beating analyst expectations of a 13.2 percent slide.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. provided a bright spot in the report. Its sales increased 2.4 percent. The company now says it will introduce new price cuts every week until Christmas -- trying to win an even bigger market share.

Lest you think I've been a bad blogger lately, I've actually just been a bad shopper. I don't have much to report--not much, but a little. There's a boot, some accessories, and maybe an eBay find or two. Watch for some weekend posts.

(In addition to my uncharacteristic lack of retailing, I've also been awash in everything election. Material Girl is happy with the results--yesterday I dressed in blue to match Ohio.)

Now let's all do our duty and get out there and shop--I assure you there are sales and lot of 'em. The bad economy can be good for bargain hunters. (And if Sarah Palin can spend $150,000 on an election wardrobe, we all deserve an on-sale new outfit or two at the very least.)

Confession: I Love Infomercials (but Not Cindy Crawford's Meaningful Beauty)

If you know me very well, you probably know I'm a fan of the infomercial. Truth be told I cannot flip past one without stopping to watch. Proactive Solution makes me cry. Total Gym get me fired up for my next workout. That lady with the hand blender thingy who make fat free whipped cream in a plastic cup in seconds--well she amuses me greatly. And don't get me started on the force of nature that is Ron Popeil.

Although I love to watch infomercials, it's rare that I actually make a purchase. I did get the Jack Lalanne Power Juicer when I was pregnant and fruit-and-vegetable-juiced my way through 41 weeks of healthy pregnancy. (I still use it and I still like it.) Recently Cheapy bought a razor blade sharpener from TV. You know, because razor blades are expensive. Every morning I hear him using the cheap plastic battery operated device (which was $14.99 plus S&H), and he's getting a clean close shave--no nicks--and I haven't bought a $20 package of Mach III Turbo blades since.

When I was stuck in a beach house with my in-laws for a week this summer, I often headed back to my bedroom after making my oatmeal to escape the cacophony and enjoy some morning TV--talk shows, Lifetime movies and infomercials. And there I discovered Cindy Crawford's Meaningful Beauty. Ah, what the hell, though I. I'm not getting any younger. I'll give it a try. I grabbed my cell phone and ordered the whole enchilada of face goodies (including bonus gifts!).


Apparently Cindy developed these products along with her French dermatologist using an enzyme from a melon that never seems to rot. It took me almost one month to get my shipment of products. I followed the directions exactly. I used them morning and night. I thought maybe my skin was feeling a little softer. Maybe. I wanted to give them some time--it can take a bit for your face to adjust to new products.

So here's my verdict: they are on their way back and I'm expecting a full refund per their 90-day money back guarantee. The first week my face felt a little dry. The second week, flaky. My makeup was not going on very well. I broke out around my mouth. Week three I had a rash on my neck and chest. It itched. (I suspect the decollete cream may be to blame.)

Cindy, it seems, has skin that has not aged a day since the early '80s. She may drink the blood of virgins, or perhaps she sold her soul to the devil, or maybe she's a cyborg of some sort. But I suspect she's simply got some damn good genes. And while her Meaningful Beauty products purport to do wonders for her and Mariel Hemingway, these products are definitely not for me.


After three days back on my old regimen of Burt's Bees, Yes to Carrots, Sonya Dakar 365, and Arbonne, I'm feeling much much better, and so is my face.

Timberland Bargains from 6pm.com

My left knee has been giving me some trouble lately. The doctor told me: no yoga, no heels, no bending knee while sitting. Only one of those things is at all likely to happen. I did, however, decide that doc was, in effect, ordering me to shop for some flatter boots. (The day they gave me a brace which I hate and won't be wearing, I had on these.)

I clicked around for a bit and found these cool looking Timberland Flora boots on Amazon at a great price and I bought them. Then I googled the boot and found them on 6pm.com for even cheaper, so I canceled the Amazon transaction and bought them from 6pm. They're super comfortable and I love the look of them. In person they're a warm caramel color--good fall footwear. (They've since completely sold out on 6pm.)



Since I was so satisfied with these boots, I explored 6pm for other Timberland styles. There are a number of them that I dug, but very few were left in size 8.5--they've all gone of sale for $29.95 and seem to be moving fast. (I had a few pairs in my shopping cart for a couple of days and they went out of stock before I could snap them up.) I did find these rock star ankle boots. I couldn't decide on which color to get--the safe black or the wacky purple, so I got both. (They were cheap, fellow shoppers.)



Granted, these are not flat by a longshot, but they look like a steady wedge, they're cool, and I couldn't pass them up at the price.