Embracing Yellow

I've found myself drawn to--maybe even a little obsessed with--yellow lately. Which is strange. I've always said that yellow is the one color I could never wear, thinking it was reserved only for blonds and the dark complected (of which I am so neither). Aside from some '80-ish neon yellow pumps I purchased during some drowsy late night shopping a few years ago I can't remember ever owning any yellow clothing or accessories.

But it seems I was simply not looking for the right shades of yellow. Pastel yellows makes me look sickly, but, I've recently discovered, rich, deep, warm, honey-hued yellows with brown undertones are definitely doable.

I'm not sure why I'm feeling such yellow love. Maybe it's the promise of summer sunshine. Maybe I've been watching Transformers with Cheapy Junior too often and Bumblebee is burned in my brain. Maybe it's because I've spent a lot of time in New York this year and I've been affected by the cabs. Whatever the reason, the purchasing has begun.

Among the yellow items recently added to my closet are two tees from Simply Vera, Vera Wang's line at Kohl's. (The t-shirts in this line are great. I wear them constantly. Click the pix to view these tees on kolhs.com--they are more on sale now than when I bought them a few weeks ago.)




I also got a couple of yellow items from J. Crew. A cardigan with chiffon details (which is now sold out) and this cotton-linen-silk blend dress which is the perfect cut for my shape.



And besides all this shopping for yellow clothing, I recently blogged about yellow shoes for High.Heels.com. (Soon the neon pumps may have a more subdued neighbor.)

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.)

Birthday Shopping with My Mom for Simply Vera at Kohl's

My mom is a big fan of Kohl's. She says: "It's such a nice store--it's clean and they have good stuff." Plus her best friend Mrs. Valentini works there. During one of her frequent trips to Kohl's, my mom saw a Simply Vera dress she thought I would like, so she wanted to take me there to try it on and possibly buy it for me for my upcoming birthday. Here it is.


Today, since I was off work for the holiday, we went to check out the dress. I didn't buy it--it was not structured enough for my shape, but I loved the pattern and I thought the fabric was very nice. I did come home with a few other Simply Vera by Vera Wang for Kohl's items. Pictured below are the anaorak and printed tee Mom bought me. I also got a plain lavender tee and a black embellished tee (neither of which I could find online).

This is much ruchier in person. The collar has adjustable ruching. The fabric is really thin and light. It will be perfect for warm rainy days in spring and it could probably fold up small enough to fit in my bag.

The cotton this tee is made of is super super soft and it's thin for layering. The gray-on-gray pattern is cool. I am really into gray lately.


Overall, I liked the current offerings of the Simply Vera line. Good shapes, good colors (a lot of black and gray, but some greens, yellows and purples thrown in here and there). Compared with the Target GO lines, the Vera pieces are more expensive (although a lot of them were marked down) but the Simply Vera garments seem to be of better quality than the GO items I've tried on. Here are a few more pieces I liked. (All are clickable to the item for sale online.)

This dip-dyed cardigan is a great color. (One cannot have too many cardigans.)

This cami has beautiful detail--even on the back.


This nice, crisp pin-tucked shirt in a good pale gray is a nice alternative to a white shirt. (It was sold out in my size.)

I like the color and pattern of this ruchey jersey shirtdress. (I love me some jersey.)


There were also a few cute and highly affordable Simply Vera bags.

This canvas shopper is nice for spring and comes in three colors.


I dig this ruched nylon tote, particularly in this buff color. (It's also available in black and khaki.)