i bought this

Faded Glory Organic Cotton T-Shirt Dress

Recently, I scored a Vena Cava print dress off of Gilt for a mere 15% of its original asking price. This was a sweet steal, but still not what I would call cheap. At the same time, I bought this dress, which is clearance priced on the Wal-Mart website, and with shipping and tax, came to less than $9. I shit you not. I think the dresses at Goodwill cost more. I had absolutely no expectations. Worse, actually, I kind of expected it to be unwearable, but for less than a 10-spot, I just haaad to take the chance.

As a small child, I was taken on seasonal trips to Wal-Mart and told to pick 3 outfits from the $3 rack. Summertime meant three solid color cotton t-shirts and 3 cotton print shorts. And choosing two items from the $4 rack was not permitted. Junior High saw an upgrade to Kohl’s when seasonal (now, Back to School) shopping was required, and I’m not sure I’ve purchased anything clothing related from them since. Every once in a while I recall those days somewhat fondly and proudly, but I’d never considered actually returning to them. I’ll go naked if it means I can dress my children in Petit-a-Porter and Stella McCartney for GapKids. 

The Vena Cava dress came first. I was nervous that it would be too small because I’ve never bought designer before and my understanding, based on celebrity weight obsession, was that whatever size I normally wear would need to be multiplied by two if I wanted the item to fit. I couldn’t bear that, so I went with the higher of the two sizes that I fluctuate between. No doubt, the dress is gorgeous, but it doesn’t fit (too big, hooray!) and will have to be altered. Still a sweet steal, but now it’s gouging my wallet a little worse and chewing up a chunk of time, as well. 

Three days later the Wal-Mart dress came. It’s soft and comfy, and since it’s essentially shapeless, it fits perfectly. This is the easiest to wear dress I’ve ever purchased. Usually, I avoid t-shirt dresses like the plague because they just seem to accentuate whatever curviness I’m trying to avoid, but this one hangs nicely and the braided rope tie is the perfect nautical accessory. I like to pizzazz it up with an initial broach my grandmother gave me and pair it with simple sandals or sneakers for a timeless look. This dress will be a summer staple, for sure. 

MONEY WELL SPENT (LIBERTY OF LONDON FOR TARGET)

By the time I discovered Target’s high/low collaborations, many of the best had already come and gone. And what remained to be seen, while mostly wonderful in concept, was progressively worse and worse in execution. The first line/s I was cognizant enough to purchase from were the Loeffler Randall and Richard Chai collabs. And I bought heavily from both and still wear the pieces I purchased, and love them, and consider them pretty much classics. And they’ve, for the most part, held up really well. Good materials, good construction, worthwhile purchases. The collections since then, it pains me to say, have been an almost universal letdown, despite having some really great names attached. I bought heavily from the recent Rodarte collection, mostly because it’s Rodarte, but I’ve only worn one piece regularly. I liked the designs, they just weren’t well executed and not of great quality.

I haven’t bought anything from the very recent Gaultier collaboration and I have no desire to. The designs are awful, the fabrics are awful, and I could tell without trying anything on that it was all ill-fitting. It was a huge disappointment for me. I have no doubt that these one-off collections are the only way I’ll ever have a piece of many of these designers. Certainly my Alexander McQueen motorcycle jacket from his Target days will be the only thing I own bearing his name. When these collections come out sloppy and unwearable it’s a really big disappointment for me. I want to enjoy these designs and feel good about purchasing them and supporting these designers (in an insignificant way, I know). The Gaultier was a huge disappointment at the end of a long downward slope.

So, cue my surprise when early reviews of the Liberty of London for Target started rolling in and were extremely positive. I’d originally heard about the collection from, of all sources, my fashion unaware mother. She was quite surprised to have scooped me on the latest Target news, and admittedly, after the Rodarte, I was out of the loop. Her interest piqued mine, however, and I had to see what the deal was because, if I’m honest, I didn’t even know what Liberty of London was. I’m still not sure I totally understand this collection. I think Target bought the prints and then used them in a GIANT collection of everything from teapots to boxers to dresses. I don’t think Liberty of London had any part in the designs, aside from creating the prints, and I don’t think Target used their fabric in creating their product. Given that, the designs are pretty impressive. The first pictures that leaked left me warmish, but cautious. Floral print wellies? Count me out. But a flirty floral summer dress? Well, that’s heavenly. But if it was Target’s usual awkward brand of inspired design and shoddy realization, then you could count me out. 

The fashion blogosphere started getting invitations to preview the collection and candid photos started popping up. The praise was starting to heat up, and the shots of Target’s staging (wall to wall, floor to ceiling florals) were pretty cool. My excitement was building. Then the massive Gaultier fail. The collection was pretty universally panned, despite also selling like crazy, which drove me nuts. I had just about resolved to stop caring about the Liberty collab when they opened their pop-up in NYC. The thing shut down after two days because it was so well received that the stock sold out almost completely in 48 hours. Blogs interviewed customers and got pictures of their hauls; people were completely crazy, spending easily $500 on turning their homes into Liberty print paradises. 

My anticipation reached its peak on Friday when Racked announced that Targets across the country had started putting the collection out in stores two days early. It was like watching state after state fall on election night. Massachusetts was out early. Texas. Ohio. I didn’t know what the deal was in Chicago, but suddenly I was on a bus headed North, unable and unwilling to miss out on a minute of this collection. I got there just as a saleswoman was putting the dresses on the floor. I snatched up 4 of them and headed to the dressing room. The prints are, across the board, delightful. The fabric was, across the board, of quality. And the fit of the dresses was, almost across the board, perfect. I had some trouble with a shift dress, but I always do, as a lady with a smaller chest than hips. I had planned on just picking up one dress, as I’m now on a pretty tight budget, and I had already picked out the one based on the promo shots I saw. However, when I tried THIS DRESS on, I was convinced I needed two dresses. It was, without a doubt, the most flattering thing I’ve ever put on my body. It fell perfectly. It slimmed my hips, it drew attention to my bust, it hit right before my knees - at, easily, the best part of my legs. I was so amazed. I never expected construction this on from Target, but I was beyond excited to find it at a $30 price point. 

Bottom line: If you you have a $10 and a $20, do yourself a favor and pick something from this collection up. Each print is perfect in its own way, so I suggest basing the decision around what colors make your skin look glowy. Not only did the shift dress not fit me quite right, but its mustard based print didn’t do much for my coloring. Or, buy something from their housewares collection (piggy bank, bedding set, throw pillows, motherfuckin’ bicycle -!!!!-). If you are a dude, there is Liberty for you. If you’re a small child, there is Liberty for you. There is Liberty (and justice) for all. And it’s all really cool, cheap, and well-made.

Price: Inexpensive. The dresses are half what the Gaultier’s are going for, and those dresses are made out of windbreaker.

Aesthetic: After google searching for Liberty prints, I was reminded that actually I did know about them. About a year ago they collaborated with Nike for a paisley men’s high top. I recalled a Fashionista article that asked if said sneakers were a good idea or over the top. I still don’t know. Luckily, there are no men’s sneakers in this collection. Sneakers I’m not sure about, but button downs, ties, even boxers covered in florals is cheeky and wonderful. I’m all for it. Today it rained like crazy. Look at these prints and it’s impossible to avoid a world where the sun always shines, the grass is always green, and the birds always sing. 

Functionality: Some of it is pretty darn functional, but no, none of it is necessary for my survival. 

Regret Factor: No way, baby!

Sugar Rosé Lip Treatment $22.50, available in stores at Sephora and online at most beauty retailers

It seems like around Fall 2009 every fashion and beauty mag I read was tooting the horn of this tinted lip treatment. I felt, naturally, incredibly drawn towards it, but simultaneously skeptical. I am forever searching for the lip balm that will make my lips feel like my hands do after I use the right hand cream. And it’s easier to define that by what it does NOT feel like: 1) it’s not waxy, 2) it does not wear off in a half hour making my lips feel weirdly more dry and chapped than they did before I applied the lip balm, 3) it does not have a weird flavor or chemical combo that gets in my mouth and makes it taste bad or feel slightly numb. I’ve long held that this mystery lip balm exists and I can find it at a drugstore for less than $5. So far, I’ve come close. I use a couple different Blistex products that come close to what I want (or want not) and some rose salve that not only makes my lips nice but also sometimes has doubled as pomade when I’ve had rough fly-away issues and ointment when my nose gets chapped from having a cold.

So winter set in and I guess the funding for Sugar’s massive magazine campaign ran out because I was no longer reading about their lip treatment. But I was thinking about it. And then this week I temped in the management office for Water Tower Place. And for, like, the whole morning I couldn’t stop thinking about going to Sephora and getting all the things I had wanted at Sephora but couldn’t get when I lived closer to an Ulta. So, obviously, we all know how this story ends. I went there on my lunch break and showed GREAT restraint, only buying the lip treatment and not also various cosmetics, hair products, and giant ring filled with Marc Jacob’s Lola solid perfume.

I am honestly both shocked and pleased to say that this stuff really lives up to its hype! I never thought that tinted anything could really be very moisturizing, but this stuff gives a nice little punch of color and when it wears off my lips just feel regular, not suddenly over-dried. I’ll tell you how good this stuff really, this will put it into perspective, it’s so good that despite reading several articles on the best lip balms and tinted lip balms, I didn’t feel any urge to buy any of them. I am truly converted to this stuff. No more chapsticks, no more lip glosses, I’m totally set. And in fact, I know some ladies who will be getting this stuff when the next gift giving time rolls around. I like it so much, I want to share it.

Price: Certainly more than drugstore chapstick, but it comes in a metal tube (prevents it from getting all melty) with a screw on top, and it is kind of a wonder product

Functionality: The design is really functional, and really, no one likes chapped lips.

Aesthetic: I like it. It’s simple, but a lot sturdier than most of the junk I own. Also, I’m not a huge germ freak (like at all), but sometimes I wonder, do I make myself sick using potted lip balm? I know my hands are pretty much never the cleanest, so I must be making my lip balm pretty germy, right? Good thing this is in a tube.

Regret Factor: None, unlike some of my other recent spending sprees.

Pierre Hardy for Gap ankle boots in Chipmunk (available on gap.com, but not in stores)

I apologize for the posting hiatus, but as I recently, ahem, moved, I haven’t been buying fun things, and despite my original plan of using this blog to chronicle my literal every purchase, I haven’t found it necessary to extol the virtues of Miller High Life, critique it’s aesthetic and then rate it as a worthwhile but only vaguely functional purchase. Though, thinking about it, maybe it does warrant its own entry.

I focused on genuinely functional purchase (shower curtain! can’t shower without it!) and forbid myself from even looking at the j. crew website. Between loneliness, despair, an intense (and thankfully short lived) job search, and interviews I didn’t even have the desire to buy luxurious indulgences. But, lo, I am on the cusp of employment and I felt a serious reward was due to me (maybe a few serious rewards, this is a long time coming).

Enter these, god, amazing Pierre Hardy boots. Yes, they are expensive, but, also, yes they are tip to toe sofffft suede and listen, I’m not chilling in the ‘burbs where it doesn’t matter if your frock is from the HOFF, you’re going to look 90% better than the random encounter because you’re putting thought into it. I need genuinely nice things now. And I need to learn how to walk in heels, for real, because I can’t and it’s driving me nuts. So I thought, buy the boots and just see, maybe they won’t fit and you’ll send them back, but maybe they’ll change your life.

THEY ARE CHANGING MY LIFE, OMG.

Now I get why you need to spend xx.xx on heels. I don’t even feel like I’m wearing a heel. It’s so comfortable, even when I’m walking. And the picture doesn’t even do the design justice. It’s way less Jessica Simpson and way more MK + A. I can’t return them. This is my first adult purchase!

Price: Pricey. This is definitely the most I’ve ever spent on myself shoe-wise. Which is so weird now that I think about, because shoes are easily my favorite aspect of fashion, so I probably shouldn’t cap out at $75.

Aesthetic: It looks basic, maybe even staid at this point? Wrap around straps, buckles, hardly revolutionary. But the shape of it, when it’s on your foot, it’s magical. It looks like a claw or something. Weird, but cool, and wearable.

Functionality: None. Except that secretly I think it’s functional to finally learn that, yes, the secret to heels is to pay more.

Regret Factor: NONE! So I have seared the plastic that makes up my credit card a tiny little bit? I can handle it.

Daisy by Marc Jacobs

I have been experimenting with perfume for about a year now, with limited success. No one in my family likes the smell of any perfume. I, myself, do not care for the smell of a lot of perfumes. Perhaps even the ones I wear. But, I like the idea of perfume and I’m dedicated to making it work even if it’s a costly project.

So it started last year with Clinique. I may or may not like the way Clinique smells. What I definitely did not like was my sister telling me it was the perfume my grandmother wears (it’s not) and my parents complaining of the smell. I wore it infrequently at best and because of it’s boring bottle design, kept it in the box.

Then came Gap’s Dream over the summer when I found out they were re-issuing their perfumes. Gap Dream was my original scent, dating all the way back to the 7th grade, and probably one of the main reasons why I’m undertaking this perfume project. When I smell Gap Dream, I can remember specific school days - the way the sky looked, how our desks were arranged, the clothes I wore. Scent is strongly tied to memory, and I love to remember. I got a sample size of Thierry Mugler’s Angel my freshman year of high school and I wore it for the first month. I can remember what seat I chose on the bus and what outfit I wore on the first day when I catch a whiff of that stuff. However, after reading an article on Fashionista about the Gap reissues, I realized I kind of smelt like a 7th grader, especially to others my age who were also wearing Gap’s perfumes in middle school. Oops. I wore it throughout the summer in order to reminisce, but gave it up when the leaves changed.

This I bought on a whim. I was at Macy’s, I wanted some MJ, I sprayed a couple testers, I liked this one, the saleswoman told me that most people also liked this one, so I bought it. I wear it pretty regularly and have not yet received a complaint from my parents or anyone else. It’s certainly girlish and youthful (which maybe reveals something inherent about my personality - I was hoping to be drawn to something either sophisticated or sexy, I was not) but it’s also pretty simple and straightforward. A safe bet. A lucky impulse purchase. Hopefully, it won’t get lost in bad memories.

Price: It’s a touch expensive. Much much more than any other perfume I own.

Aesthetic: I threw the box away! I like MJ’s over sized caps. When I went to the perfume counter, I expected to walk away with Lola since I really loved the bottle design, but Daisy won me over. Something about that huge cap really reminds me of his ad campaign with Victoria Beckham and the huge shopping bags.

Functionality: I think (the smell of) perfume is preferable to (the smell of) deodorant. So, smelling good is always functional.

Regret Factor: Minimal. I wish I had been patient and found something inexpensive. But I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it.