Belt Dy-No-Mite

I got this groovy belt at Anthroplogie's big sale for $8. I love the linkiness and the seventies-ness. I'm not quite loving that the purchase of this belt has sent me on a mission, scouring stores and sites for a nice sweater or dress or sweater dress to wrap this belt around. Who am I kidding? That's actually an added bonus.

Learn From My Mistake

This dress is $11.50. $11.50, ___ (insert "yo," "dude" or "man" according to your self-perceived age group)! I bought myself pretty much this exact same dress by ABS for $69. And I thought that was a bargain, marked down from $240. I paid exactly 6 times what this dress costs. Yes, there is no band at the neck like there is on mine, but had I seen the two dresses side by side, I am preeeetty certain I would not have opted to pay an extra $57.50 for that band. You could buy a dress in every one of the four colors it comes in, and still not pay what I paid for one. Of course, people would talk about you behind your back as that weird woman who keeps wearing that same dress in a bunch of different colors. Maybe you would like that, though, what do I know?

Open (Salad) Bar

This is not the year of the holiday party. I know I was not the only one who noticed the great irony, or possibly the desperation, of Ann Taylor's recent campaign, "There will be parties." No, there will not be parties. Or if there are parties, they will be on a much smaller scale. This year, for example, my company's party will be held in the cafeteria. Former locations have included the ballroom at the Waldorf, the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum, the main branch of the New York Public Library. But, really - not one of those venues offered those salads where you pick 17 ingredients and the man behind the counter tosses them all together for you (what makes those taste so good? the aforementioned 17 ingredients?).

Even for a party in the caf, you need to look good. But, as befitting a party at which where you have to tug each paper napkin one by one from the 4 foot tall dispenser, asking yourself with each pull, "Do I really need all these napkins? Am I singlehandedly killing the planet?" you have to do it on the cheap. $21 oughta do it.

Miracle Anti-Whining Device Invented!!!

The temperature in NYC has dropped to the 30's and everyone is complaining. I don't quite get it, it's not like it's August. We weren't walking around in tank tops and flip flops (and no scarves) yesterday only to wake up today not knowing where our down coat is and where we put any of our 14 pair of boots (no, 14 pairs of boots is not excessive, thank you). It's November, it's the northeast, it's cold. As my friend Suzanne would say, "suck it up."

After several days of my being annoyed at people for expressing great horror at the dropping temperatures, I had to acknowledge that there were two additional causes for my annoyance. The first cause is my general crankiness that, like every New Yorker, I artfully nurture through mostly real, but sometimes imagined, confrontations throughout the day. But the second cause is the amazing hat I have been wearing - it keeps me so toasty, I really can't even tell how cold it is. Amanda and I each bought this hat back in sweaty August (when I was annoyed at everyone for saying "hot enough for ya?" Yes, it's hot in New York in the summer. New York has seasons, I got it) at H&M for $12. We felt foolish wearing them around the store back then, but who's the fool now, you silly whiners? Here's the Wilson's Leathah version, at twice the price, since H&M has a very poor site.

Real Feel of 15 Degrees

It's finally here - actual scarf weather. For those of you who had to be chastised, first for the inside scarf (how many American Idol wannabes crooned their hearts out whilst being strangled by a 6 foot long indoor scarf?) and then the summer scarf (please), your time is here.

Make hay while the sun shines, or some other Laura Ingalls Wilder aphorism, because, once those cute little green buds of spring make their first appearance, I will be coming by your apartment, condo, house, co-op, or commune and confiscating each and every scarf for storage through the warmer months. Protecting you from yourself.

Keeping Up Appearances

*Cough* I'm still sick. Well, I'm mostly better, but my voice has reached that raspy hoarseness that makes me sound sicker than I am, so that, ironically, it's when I am on the mend that people think I am sickest, and finally offer to do nice things for me. They offer, but I don't take advantage. Well, not every single time.

Keeping up the perception that I am still sick requires me to dress the part. And what better than this cozy belted hoody, ideally over the pj's shown below, purchased for me by some sympathetic soul. Not yet, but any time now. The Gap has a coupon going around for 30%, so this is only $16. *raspy cough*

Lounge Your Way to a Healthier You

I am so sick. Please feel sorry for me. In 24 hours I went from healthy to exhibiting every symptom listed on the side of the only box (of 4) of cold medicine in my apartment that has not yet expired. You know what would make me feel better? If you would please buy me this pajama set - pardon me, loungewear set, now 25% off. I would lounge my way through my cold, box of tissues on one side, rehydratory (I'm in pain, I can make up words if I want to) liquid (diet coke) on the other, the final disk of "The Wire" playing on my dvd player.


If I were Amanda, I would probably require the recuperative power of these pants below. Oddly, my seven sisters college is not included in the Victoria's Secret "Collegiate Collection." And we are so known for our strong athletic programs. Clearly delirium has set in - I better go lounge.

I'm Too Tired to Come Up with A Title for this Entry

I once worked on a project at Nine West. It was located at - surprise - 9 West Street. I am hoping there wasn't a huge amount of cash dropped reaching that branding decision. They told me that the company names the shoes after people they know (again, I hope some brand management firm was not engaged to make that decision). They even promised to name a style after me. To the best of my knowledge they have not. But, I don't hold that against them. Much.

But I can put that grudge behind me, at least temporarily, to purchase these awesome shoes I have been watching for quite a while. They are $48, with free shipping. Let's call them "Jayn" and heal my apparently still raw wound.

Because I want to spare my cousin the pain and suffering of not having a shoesake, I am hereby naming these $32 dollar beauties "Amanda". They come in awesome colors like purple, teal, and brown patent.

Waffling on Leggings

Amanda and I have an ongoing argument. Well, two. The first argument is over which cupcake place is the best in Manhattan. That argument involves mostly research. The second argument is over leggings. While we both agree that a pair of leggings is not a pair of pants (or even a pant), I believe that leggings are a good substitute for tights, in a casual environment. Amanda believes they are a symbol of all that is wrong and evil in this world. She also believes that tights work well as tights.

As best as I can figure, I won't wear tights in my casual life because I wear them to work. Not that I should wear tights at my blue chip firm, but I do, because I am always one notch too casual for the activity at hand. Were I to win one of the few, but coveted, Oscars given out for management consulting work, I would show up in a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress. It would be very pretty, but completely too casual.

In deference to Amanda, as well as my well-documented love of all things thermal (I am still trying to justify someday purchasing a thermal tank top I've been visiting at Urban Outfitters), I purchased these thermal tights at Old Navy. And you know what? Tights function surprisingly well as tights!

Friendly Fire

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try to spread the gospel of what is both cute and affordable, our advice goes unheeded. Our warnings are ignored. Our good intentions go to waste. And, dear readers, we are here to tell you, you are only hurting yourselves.

Take, for example, my dear friend Hillary. Normally a chick of exceptional taste (not to mention sparkling wit and gracious hospitality), she ignored our stand on the bootee and went out and bought one anyway. Even worse -- she bought two! One for each foot! Didn't she read the part where we said we would hate her as a result??

So I suppose now I am forced to stand by my principles and hate her. But that makes me sad. Maybe I could try to look at things from Hillary's point of view. You know, walk a mile in her shoes. Except -- then I would have to wear bootees! And walk a mile!

But . . . isn't friendship [just barely] more important than footwear? If the Luckier Chicks can teach you only one thing, let it be that crucial tenet. So clearly my only option is to overlook this little oversight -- whilst wearing my own shoes. Probably these.