Fantasy Shopping: Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale

I've been shopping like a FIEND lately. Must. stop. shopping. And so today I'm just fantasy shopping, hoping that'll satisfy the urge. Here's what I put in my cart whilst shopping the Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale, where stuff is 40 percent off and seemingly going fast (anyone wanna actually buy it for me?!):


Robert Rodriguez lace overlay skirt, $144.90. So hot!


Leifsdottir "Ink" dress, $169.90.


Alexander Wang leather-trim sweatshirt, $354.


Theory "Kessie - Critique" pants, $139.90.



Eileen Fisher "Earth Conscious" double-wrap belt, $57.90.



Steve Madden "Serious" sandal, $39.90.



Tory Burch "Robbe" top, $129.



Free People two-tone strapless dress, $39.90.



Frye "Mary" sandal, $78.90.

Amount saved: $1075.40! PHEW!

Your Daily Dresses

Lead me not into temptation with these cute, affordable dresses.


Tommy Hilfiger "Lizzie" dress, $125. So flirty, colorful, fun.

And on the other end of the spectrum....


Michael Michael Kors grommet dress, $99.50 to $109.50. Uh, what is up with that price structure? If you wear a 14 or larger, you have to pay ten more bucks? Really? Did that dress cost even an extra HALF yard of fabric to make? Did the seamstresses work an extra three hours on it? I call utter bullshit. That is just plain RUDE.



Loft painted stripe dress, $79.50.



Ella Moss "Taffy" dress, $92.90.

Finally, a PSA: If you live near an Anthropologie, check it out! They've got a major sale going; I learned about it from Effortless Anthropologie, who tirelessly tracks the store's sales and merchandise. I got three skirts for a grand total of 60 bucks yesterday. Cute ones, of course! They're not online, except for this one:


Odille "Late" skirt from Anthropologie, $19.95.

Potential ModCloth Binge

Oh ModCloth. You're like Urban Outfitters without the copyright infringements! So many cute offerings, so little dollars in my pants pockets.

Were I to gorge on ModCloth's cute stuff, here's what I'd add to my sadly empty basket:

($149.99, Miss L. Fire, ModCloth.com)

Almost nothing else on this oil-stained earth makes me happier than a pair of '80s heels. And detachable gem clips with bows (bows are SO big right now!) are just icing on the cake. And honestly, icing's always my favorite part. Seriously, when will someone just make an all-icing cake anyway?

($47.99, ModCloth.com)

Seriously, I HATE summer and shorts SO much that I just wear black jeans all summer and pray for a freak snow storm. This cuters black and yellow top is perfect exactly such a scenario.
And it doesn't look hugely tacky or cheap like sooo many tank tops. Am I the only one who's encountered that? What's up with super cheap-looking tanks? Bullshit!

($49.99, Industry, ModCloth.com)

LOVE this tank. Reminds me of the type of shit you used to be able to find on St. Marks before it basically turned into McDonald's.

($44.99, ModCloth.com)

A crafty take -- check out the raised threads in the stripes -- on Breton stripes! Plus, button shoulders? Oh, ModCloth. You're too good to us.

Exciting Fashion Challenge: Hats!

So, in exciting non-recessionary news, my husband just got a freelance job doing graphic design for a polo event on Governor's Island, which means an opportunity to a) look at fancy people dressed up fancy, and b) dress up faux-fancy myself (it's free to the public unless you want to pay for a VIP picnic ticket). The "polo style tips" page emphasizes "hat first; outfit second" and advises a large brim and some sort of flair that "amuses" (yay!). And so, here is a short list of hats I am considering for either buying or inspiration: I may just MacGyver my existing H&M floppy straw hat with some fun gussying-up materials. Any hat I buy has to be extremely cheap, of course, because that's how I roll, i.e. not in hats, unless it's a costuming situation. Which I consider a polo match to be, or, really, any event involving horses. And so, perhaps:


So here's your basic fedora with a cute colored ribbon: French Connection Shamble Hat, $39.99. Of course, this is easily customizable if you DIY it. Colored ribbon plus cheap hat = done.



Sundried hat from Anthropologie, $128. This is one hundred percent DIY-able; just get some raffia and start tying. The only question is where does it fall on the cuteness scale?



You could probably just go to the dollar store and wild out, too, as demonstrated by this Juicy Couture "Pompom Tassels" hat, $88.



Pansy field fedora from Anthropologie, THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT DOLLARS. Seriously. Again, dollar-store doable. And cute!




A white hat would also be cute for summer. Here's a really basic white straw fedora from Tilly's, $12.99. Ribbon and done.



Or...handy with a grommet gun? Try to re-create this seriously cute Eugenia Kim grommeted fedora, $297.



Or add some sparkle with a sequined scarf, like Eugenia Kim did with this "Craig" sequined straw fedora, $315. I don't have to say that you could DIY this, right? Cough cough.

If you don't feel like doing any work and just want to spend a few bucks on a hat, here are some nice inexpensive options:



Forever 21 two-tone fedora, $8.80. (I'd probably still switch out the ribbon though...maybe?)


Aeropostale plaid-print fedora, $7. So sweetly preppy! I might just get this just because. It's seven bucks!



Torrid silver straw fedora, $18. Bling it out!



Tarnish floral overlay fedora, $38. Actually classy. I could totally see my friend Michelle T. rocking this.



Eugenia Kim for Target fedora, $16.99.

Now for the ridiculous:


ASOS bunny-ears fascinator, $33.82. This exists.

Finally, I am all for Betsy's tiny hat idea, which she executed wonderfully. I'd even go so far as to suggest pinning this item to your head if you really hate hats:


Blue and white straw hat, $2.50. (OMG.)

I would not, however, recommend bringing your, um, rat to this event, as the seller notes: "Never leave your rat unattended while dressed. While they can slip out of the outfit if needed, harm could still come to them if you are not there to watch them. Please note that it sometimes takes a few tries before some rats will keep their clothing on." Ain't that the truth!

I'll leave you with this fun fact: Carl will be taking direction at times from a star polo player named Nacho who also models for Polo. His assistant is also named Nacho and will also be contacting Carl. This is not going to lead to any hilarity at all!

Bra Romance

I don't know how this happened, but suddenly I'm in the mood to go bra shopping. Actually, I do know how this happened: I got fitted by a bra-fitter lady. I'd been invited to check out the latest offerings from Wacoal and get a free professional fitting (and—full disclosure—presumably a free bra, too). I was kinda psyched. As I had suspected, I am one of those eight out of ten women who don't really know their bra size. However, in my own defense, I will say that the fitter agreed with me that brands are different in their sizing, and I wasn't far off—though I was, as is typical of most women, wearing a too-big band and a too-small cup. Anyway, the bras I tried on felt great, and I now I pretty much want to replace my drawer of ill-fitting and various-sized bras. And Wacoal has some pretty cute stuff, it turns out:


Wacoal Embrace Lace push-up bra, $50. Now, I haven't worn this bra for more than two minutes, but it felt like it I found that magical combo of pretty and supportive in the same bra—which anyone with a cup size bigger than an A knows can be hard to find.



Wacoal Center Stage Camisole bra, $58.



Wacoal Embrace Lace underwire bra, $46.



Wacoal also has a line of "younger," sexier, flirtier (more fun!) underthings, too, called b.tempt'd. This is the b.tempt'd Passion Flower demi bra, $36, which I would totally get in this eye-popping turquoise color, though it also comes in black and white. Some other tempting ones:



b.tempt'd Desire contour bra, $40 (with the crazy prints on sale for $9.99).



b.tempt'd Pretty Please contour underwire bra, $44.



For those of you into shapewear (not me; I didn't even wear it at my wedding), Wacoal has some actually kinda pretty pieces, like this high-waisted brief, $56.

And since I had bras on the brain, I did a little search around the Internets for other cute frilly things. Here's four to grown on:


Elle Macpherson Intimates Operetta bra, $49.99.



Betsey Johnson Eyelet Lace demi bra, $48.



DKNY Intimates Every Day Luxe balconette bra, $38.



Kettle Black studded bra, $56.10. (Yeah, I have no idea what you'd wear this with, either, but it's fun!)

Heaven Is This Temperley London Studded Leather Jacket

If I had a one-day pass to heaven, I'm pretty sure this Temperely London Ava grey studded leather jacket would greet me at the pearly gates. For truly, something this gorgeous must've been heaven-sent.

($2150, Temperley London, Net-a-porter.com)

+ Video that encompasses the feelings I'm feeling for this jacket: "You Got It All" by The Jets.

The Jets - You Got It All @ Yahoo! Video

Stress Shopping = Maripol x Marc Jacobs Madonna Makeover

Sooo, yesterday I was under the gun at work, so I stress shopped, which is what happens when pressure and adroitness lead to a brief power shopping binge. So I finally pulled the trigger and got that Marc Jacobs Maripol plastic spiked necklace I'd been considering:

($41, eBay)

Maripol, a French artist, was Madonna's stylist during her "Like A Virgin" days. Or, as I like to refer to them, her salad days. Not to be confused with her Botox days.

Check out more Maripol x Marc Jacobs at the Marc Jacobs site. Annoyingly, most of it's only available in the store, which I tend to NEVER visit due to potential lack of impulse control. But it's all super affordable.

And check out this old-school video of Maripol interviewing Madonna.

Oh yeah, and I also stress shopped this adorable white lace top from Fred Flare

($34, BB Dakota, Fred Flare)

If I were a gambling woman, I'd put my money on "immediately" when wagering a bet as to how soon it'll be before I spill coffee on this.

And now, please to watch Madonna perform one of my all-time favorite songs: "Into The Groove." (This came on at my wedding while I was talking to some "grown-up" and I wanted to push them over to get onto the dance floor. Truth.)

Skinny Cargo Pant Party

I'm a little late, but: Have you heard about these things? The pants that Bloomingdale's can't keep in stock and have sold 75,000 pairs of? I've definitely seen some ladies in these pants, and I have to say, they look damn good. (Check out the Sea of Shoes chick in them.)


J Brand Houlihans, $230.

But what's a girl who's morally and practically opposed to paying $230 for a pair of trendy pants, no matter how "very flattering" they are, to do?


Shhhh. Victoria's Secret has a similar pair on sale for about a tenth of the price. Skinny cargo pant in stretch twill, $29.99.

Or, if it's just too hot for your skinny ass out there, try a cargo skirt:


Silk cargo skirt, $19.99.