Friday, December 26, 2008

A Very Classy Christmas

Hello friends and readers! I hope you had--or are having--a wonderful holiday! I've been a ghost here over the past few months (as I told Julia, who reigns as queen here, I am a "contributer," which is a nice way of saying I'm enormously lazy). ANYWAY... I thought I would share some of the loot I asked for and received this year. Forewarning: in making this post, I realized that I'm actually a huge spoiled brat, but I promise that it's not about bragging rights! A lot of it is currently on sale, and I have a feeling they'll be reduced even more in the post-holiday blitz.

First up: my JCrew stuff. My sister bought me two really cute headbands that I, unfortunately, can't find online, but you better believe I let out a squeal of delight and glee when I opened up Houndstooth bow-button cardigan ($59). It's so soft and cute in person. I love that it's a cropped sleeve and the length is much shorter than the slouchy boyfriend sweaters that Katie Holmes had been whoring out all over New York this past fall. The little bows are snaps so you can wear it either open or closed. My only gripe about it is that it JCrew didn't really take into account the fact that most women have boobs greater than the size of mosquito bites, so you might want to go up a size if you have a rack on you. I'm sure my sweater will stretch a little bit, but the space between the top and middle snap does pull open when I have the thing buttoned down. Still. SO CUTE.


My other awesome JCrew deal was the Dream taffeta-sash cardigan in black (also $59). I still can't figure out if I like wearing the ribbons tied as a bow better than leaving it open... but the beauty of this sweater is that it's perfect for dressing up and down. I can't wait to pair it with a cute dress, and it looked perfect with the pair of jeans that I wore today. The sleeves are also cropped on this one. Have I mentioned that I LOVE THE COLLAR? The ruffled look of it is so girly and prissy. If I had the money, I'd go to JCrew tomorrow and grab it in the mustard color. Ah, my poor, poor trembling debit card.



So you all know I have a huge love for GAP, even though I think they've jacked up their prices over the year in a way that could be considered cruel and unusual punishment in this economy. BUT! Lucky for me, GAP has also been having a wonderful sale, so I got two things that I was REALLY pining for.

After I visited NYC, I resolved to buy a puffer jacket. I'm not 100% sure why I was suddenly possessed by this need (other than the fact that when the temperature drops below 50 degrees I'm suddenly freezing my ass off), but I digress. I researched a number of puffer jackets because I wanted to find one that fit relatively close to my body (you know, despite the fact that I would essentially be wearing a pillow) and wouldn't break the bank if I ended up not living on the east coast after college. But, wouldn't you know it, the temperature in Arizona has been RAINY AND COLD the entire time we've been back. That's where GAP's Warmest Puffer Jacket ($49) comes in. I wasn't sure I was going to be a huge fan of it, because, let's face it, I'm all about the bows, ribbons and clean lines, but I'm super happy with this investment. The pockets are lined with fleece, the hood is detachable, it doesn't make a weird noise when I walk around, and, so far, no feathers have escaped the lining. Win!

Because I'm all about looking for clothes that will translate easily between work/play, I have been stalking the Ruffle-neck shift dress ($31) in a way that some might consider sad and slightly pathetic. Really, it was the friend that I visited every Friday to see if it had gone down in price at all.

The ruffle detail (again with the ruffles!) on the collar and the button on the sleeves spruce up a dress that might otherwise have been really drab and/or boring. The fit of it is really nice, by the way. I'm a big fan of shift dresses to begin with, but the fabric is a little heavier, which means that it's great for the autum/winter months, but also that it'll be a little more forgiving in covering your post-holiday pudge/food baby.


Okay. So Coach has decided to not only jack up their prices, but also to go in a direction that may
or may not be a rip-off of Chanel. Check out their new logo if you don't believe me! Or ask my Mom, who, as an empty nester, decided that she needed a part time job to keep her busy and is now a purse pushing machine. She, of course, gets an awesome discount on stuff, so I don't feel like that big of a brat when I tell you that she bought these adorable peace sign earrings ($95, but you can find a similar pair by Lucky for $22). Very light and pretty. It also means that I got an insane amount stuff from Coach--scarves, a pair of black flats, perfume, etc. They're also selling lip gloss now, apparently, since I got a tube in my stocking. Not complaining!

So, as if that stuff wasn't enough, I also got this super cute surprise: a Burberry Headband. Unfortunately, now that I've looked at the price I'm not sure I can ever wear it without feeling really guilty. Still, it's quite pretty and just the right size. OH! The best part? It's just tight enough to hold your hair, but not enough to give you an awful migraine after wearing it for a few hours. I think my parents have excellent taste--and I'm lucky because they also understand the need for nice, quality pieces that I can have and use for many, many years.
So what did YOU get for the holidays? Everything you asked for, I hope!

1 comment:

Julia York said...

So cute! So classy! And I'm so jealous that your mom works at Coach.