Plaid to Be Alive, eBay Style

I wore my eBay safari shirt dress to work today with a pair of cowboy boots I got on eBay for $26 and a studded Calvin Klein belt I got on clearance at Macy's for less than $4. The outfit seemed to go over well and made me very excited by the eBay auctions I won yesterday: two more dresses--both vintage plaid--and a chunky vintage necklace.

The first dress is from a great eBay stored called Violetville Vintage. All the items from Violetville start bidding at $24.95 and are modeled by the same tall size-two blond woman--who, of course, looks good in all of it. Below she's wearing the dress that's soon to be in my closet. (It will likely need a good hemming.) Check out the great '50s cut, the wonderful little buttons (have I mentioned I have button collection?) and the rickrack detail at the neck. (I sort of can't resist rickrack. If I had a sewing machine and knew how to use it, one day I might go crazy and rickrack-ify all sorts of things. Luckily, buttons and torn seams are all the sewing this Material Girl can handle.)


The other plaid dress is a '60s dropwaist pleated little number in the shade of yellow I decided I can wear. (It seems to lean more toward green, but things often look different online than in person, especially with eBay). This dress is from the same eBay store where I got the safari shirt dress, Designer and Vintage Deals for All (where bidding for all items start at 99 cents).


I topped off my Sunday eBaying with a chunky, asymmetrical Trifari necklace in white beads, Lucite and silvertone. Very mod and statement making. It's from another eBay store that specializes in various vintage costume jewelry pieces, Violetsoup: Vintage Jewelry . The bidding here starts out low ($5.99-$7.99), and they currently have a bunch of stuff Buy It Now at %15 off.


The damage for all three eBay items (including shipping costs): $110.86, paid in on easy PayPal transaction.

DSW Spring Shoe Savings This Weekend

I remember the first time I entered my favorite DSW Shoes. The store was brand new, shiny, well-stocked, two floors, and it was one of the most beautiful and overwhelming moments in my shopping career. I almost teared up. I couldn't actually buy anything until the third time I entered the store. My first couple of trips I just took in the footwear. I admired it, maybe caressed a few pairs of boots. Ahhhhh.

Get to a DSW near you this weekend, enjoy 30% off, and take in the shoe love. It's sandal time, fellow shoppers!

Shirt Dress Throw Down: Vintage Safari vs. Old Navy Safari

Today I got a recent eBay purchase in the mail--an olive green safari shirt dress. The auction listing said it's a vintage item from the '70s. This was a good purchase. The dress fits me perfectly. It's in wonderful shape and has a wonderful shape (what's not to love about a shirt dress with a little flare at the hem and a little nip at the waist), and it's on trend with all the safari-ish items hanging around the stores for spring. I tried it on with my studded leather Calvin Klein belt and it looked fab. The eBay price: $20.50 including shipping cost.




Below is Old Navy's olive green safari shirt dress from their Urban Explorer line. Unlike my vintage dress above which buttons all the way down, this shirt dress only has three or four buttons at the top. I found it to be too short (even for 5'2'' Material Girl). It also doesn't do much for the figure, what with it being so straight. It's cute, but not cute enough for me to buy when I tried it on in the store a while ago. It's currently on sale for $22.99 (down from $34.50).





So, in the Shirt Dress Throw Down--vintage safari shirt dress from eBay vs. Old Navy safari shrit dress--vintage wins handily and for two bucks cheaper.

The vintage dress came from an eBay store called Designer and Vintage Deals for All. Check it out. They've got some fun stuff (sequined tube tops! '50s garden party dresses!) and the bidding starts out at $0.99 so you can come away with some real bargains.

Why I Shouldn't Look at eBay When I'm Sleepy

I just bought a hat. It's vintage brown felt with many feathers. It's been a Buy It Now item on eBay for a few months and I've been watching it, intrigued by it. (I generally watch lots of things that I have no intention of buying.)

But I was listening to an NPR show the other day (Talk of the Nation) and they did a segment about hats. The woman they interviewed wore a small beret with a grossgrain ribbon. (She said so--I couldn't see her through the radio.) A number of people called in during the show to agree with the guest that hats should come back into vogue. They were all older than dirt or worked in historical village hat shops or something like that. But they loved hats and reminisced about hats and wore hats themselves daily.

So I thought, Yes--hats should come back! Maybe I should get a hat! Then I thought, No--I'll get hat-head! People will think I'm turning into a crazy hat lady! I can't wear a hat!

And then today I browsed through My eBay. And there was the feather hat. Would I wear it if I bought it? Pretty unlikely. Did I want someone else to have it? Well, no! Click click click. That hat is mine.

Saturday Shopping: Anthropologie

I also made a stop at Anthropologie yesterday. I bought a light cardigan the color of butternut squash (they call it pumpkin) which I've decided is a yellow I actually can wear. I'm very into buying light cardigans for spring. This one is cut really cute in back and it's soft and flowy. I almost bought a green hoodie with a front tie. It's a great color and was very flattering on, but I was running out of discretionary fund. I might get it next time I'm in the store, since I can't seem to get enough cardigans.




My friend bought a pair of navy blue sailor pants and a cute striped swing jacket with yellow piping. The pants will need to be hemmed, but they looked great on her and I'm sure they will prove to be very versatile. The jacket was darling on. I tried it on last week and almost got it, but a more fitted cardigan won out.

Saturday Shopping: DSW

My friend was in town from New York this weekend, so I got in a little shopping with her and another friend. One of our stops was DSW Shoe Warehouse. I got this really comfortable pair of Matisse pumps. I love the buckles and the contrast stitching. They're for sale on Zappos for $110. The DSW clearance price: $32. Plus this weekend their doing double Rewards points. Yay!

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.

When Did Clarks Get Cute?

It's no secret I love footwear. What I don't love, however, are cruel shoes. It just ruins one's day to walk around with aching tootsies. I do have some less-than-comfy shoes, shoes that make want to cry by the end of a wedding reception. Once in a while a girl's gotta endure some discomfort to look good. So I have my special-occasion shoes, my going-out-to-dinner shoes, my walking-from-the-car-to-a-chair-and-having-people-fetch-things-
for-me shoes.

And, darling or hot as these shoes may be, they're not practical for wearing to work, then daycare, then the grocery store on a daily.

The other day I was cruising around Zappos looking for a nice way to spend my $100 gift certificate. I was thinking spring. A bit of a heel. Brown. Comfy. Maybe a little '70s looking. I came upon a pair of Clarks that I really liked the look of. I was surprised.

Generally when I think of Clarks, I think of shoes that look like these:


You know, bad Velcro-ed old lady sensible sandals that I would not get caught dead in. What I found and purchased were these:


They are happy comfy and I like the look of them. I could wear them out as well as to the grocery store. I've perused Zappos for more, and there are other Clarks styles I like, some even better than the ones I bought:


Pewter with stitching on the heel and the daintiest of t-straps--I love these.


These are a hot red and the contrast stitching is a nice detail. I could definitely wear these to dinner. And you know, I currently have no mules in my shoe closet.


These cute almost-flats come in great colors like this turquoise. I love the twisted thing going on with the t-strap.

Who knew my feet could enjoy shoes this cute and still feel as good as in my boots? (For nothing but reviews of comfy shoes, visit Barking Dog Shoes.)

I Actually Bought Something at Forever 21

It was actually XXI, which is pretty much the same thing.

Last night Cheapy, Cheapy Jr., and I went to see Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who (some fine work by Jim Carrey and Steve Carell). The XXI store at The Mall is very close to the movie theater, and while the boys were going up and down the escalators, I was drawn into XXI by a cute jacket. It was 10 minutes before closing (let me tell ya the place was packed--there were nine girls in the checkout line and I was for sure old enough to be their mother) and they already had a gate down, so I walked way around and found my way to the cute blue cotton jacket that had caught my eye. I took off my Anthropologie jacket, tried on the XXI one, loved it, and stood in line for 10 minutes to pay for it (last one in my size).

I can't find the jacket online. It's dark blue, big collar, slight swing, sort of cropped, three-quarter sleeves, and doesn't look like it cost $27 and change. I've picked out a few other cute and highly affordable jackets from the Forever 21 website.


Safari done a little cuter and a little more subtle than Old Navy did it. Price: $24.80.


I love the stripes and the little bows on the pockets. Price: $27.80.


Perfect for spring with three-quarter sleeves and a rounded collar. Price: $29.80.

Yellow is very on-trend right now and this is a great shade and a cute cut. Price: $27.80


I was really surprised to see a lot of items I liked at XXI (mixed in with cheesy/cheap looking and/or way too young for me stuff). Pretty much every issue of Lucky: The Magazine About Shopping & Style includes at least one Forever 21 piece--an ensemble consisting of $285 skirt, $550 jacket, $425 pair of shoes, $2500 bag and a tank from Forever 21 that costs $17.50. I plan on hitting XXI again in the near future for some cheap-and-trendy.

Happy-Birthday-to-Me Shopping at Anthropologie

My lovely friends know that I think the gift of shopping is the best gift of all. So, during the fun, cupcake-filled birthday party they threw me recently, they gave me gift cards for Anthropologie and Sephora. (My lovely friends also know where I like to shop.) This evening I skipped my yoga class (I'll catch one tomorrow) and went shopping. Here's what my friends and I got me for my birthday.

First I got this blue-green cropped cardigan. It actually looked different in the store--the buttons are the same color as the sweater. (I often find things on the Anthropologie website look like ass but are actually adorable in person. For instance my very favorite little black silk tee from Anthropologie. Terrible on line, awesome on me.) I got the sweater a little big and the bit of slouch makes it very cute over a tight tee.

I also got a black button-down shirt which I can't find online. A few weeks ago I purchased the same shirt in white. I'm not that much of a white shirt gal, however. I like them but I always get them so dirty so fast. I often wonder if I actually get the same amount of schmutz on my dark clothes as my white clothes and it just doesn't show up. If I think about it too much I feel like Pigpen. Anyway, I was happy to find the shirt in black.

My last item is a top that I just purchased online. In the store they only had two left, both the same size, and both way too snug on me. But, oh--darling! I love the embroidered embellishments (a hummingbird on the shoulder). I love the asymmetrical buttons. I love the cut. So so springy. (And, again, way better in person than online.)
A word about online Anthropologie shopping: I seldom do it. Why? The shipping charges are outrageous. Anthropologie has just started their Anthro Card program, however, and Anthro Card holders get free shipping through the end of the month. The card isn't a credit card, it's just a card you sign up for for free, and it allows you to return things without receipts, preview new collections, and other things. Read about it at my.anthropologie.com.

Shopping in South Beach

I just got back from my birthday trip to Florida. We visited my sister in Ft. Lauderdale for a week, but had a vacation within a vacation in the form of a weekend in South Beach. Cheapy and I strolled the art deco heaven in near perfect weather. We stopped in Alchemist, a Miami boutique (that I'm told will soon have online shopping), and for my birthday Cheapy had a very uncheap moment and bought me this 3.1 Phillip Lim top. (Click on the link and check out the yellow zipper up the back). I put on a mini fashion show for the sales person and Cheapy (who declared: "It's fun to dress you up!"), as they fed me designer item after designer item. (Diane von Furstenberg really makes some beautiful clothes.)


He also bought me a Versani ring with two amber-colored stones. More South Beach shopping was planned (wanted to find Cheapy some shoes), but, due to an unexpected bought of food poisoning (happy birthday bowels!) it didn't happen.

Shoetube.tv

My friend Michelle sent me a link for Shoetube.tv. Videos. Blogs. Lots of shoe love. Check it out.

Zappos Shipping Update and Customer Reviews

I mentioned below my surprise at the Zappos free-but-not-overnight shipping. Soon after I wrote that post, however, I got an e-mail from my friends at Zappos telling me that they would indeed ship my shoes overnight.

Perhaps it's because I'm a good customer. Perhaps it's my close proximity to the UPS Worldport. Perhaps they read my blog.

Whatever the reason, the shoes were on my porch on my birthday! The Camper Helena pumps were really adorable. I loved the look of them; I loved the color; I loved the heel height. There was a comfort issue, however, and they are already back with my friends at Zappos, refunded. (I'll go back to the drawing board with my BD gift certificate, don't you worry, fellow shoppers.)

There is a lesson to be learned from this purchase (besides that Zappos does still indeed ship overnight for free): Always read the customer reviews. I did read them, but chose to ignore them--I wanted to try the shoes anyway. The reviewers were right, however. They did really cut into my foot where the leather dipped on the instep. I will live and learn and shoe shop again. But I'll remember to listen to my fellow shoe consumers.

Jovovitch-Hawk for Target, Part 2

The Jovovitch-Hawk for Target items are already showing up on eBay. There seem to be plenty left on Target.com. Why anyone would be these item on eBay at this point is beyond me. And this phenomenon annoys me. Are people running to the stores when a new GO line emerges to buy up items solely for resale on eBay? No wonder they get so picked over so fast. For shame, you opportunistic people. Leave our in-store selection be!

Jovovitch-Hawk for Target Online Now

I was pretty excited when I heard that the next Target GO line would be designed by Jovovich-Hawk. The line debuts online today!

I checked it out in store yesterday and came home with three items, and would likely have purchased more if they have not already been picked over--there were a number of items that were practically sold out, and I heard the Target employees complaining about how often they were going back and forth from the dressing room to the GO display. It was hard to get to the racks at time--there were a lot of shoppers going through them.

Of all the GO lines I've seen, this is my favorite thus far. The items are fun and feminine and flirty. I bought these items yesterday (two of which I wore to my birthday party). And of course the prices are fab.


This is a tunic, but on I wore it as a mini dress with the star vest over it. (I'm only 5'2" so it was not scandalously short.) Its very soft and lovely to wear.


This is sheer and floaty and I love the detail at the end of the ties. This looks great under a vest.


The cut of this vest is so flattering. In addition to the star print, it comes in a linen chambray (which was no where to be found in store).



This tunic was practically gone in the my Target store--just one XS and XL left on the racks. It comes in blue as well. All about the buttons.


This dress is adorable--love the metallic pinstripes, which add a little sophistication and a little '80s vibe to the babydoll silhouette--and was also almost sold out in store.


This also seems to be selling like hotcakes. Only one was left in XL in my Target. I love the floaty layers.


This is a perfect top for spring and summer--very lightweight and well cut. I ordered one online because there were none left in my size. I wish I could have gotten one before my trip to Florida which is coming up on Tuesday.