Get Down

A couple of years ago I bought my current jacket from the Company Store, hugely on sale. It is big men's olive parka. I love that it is a winter version Lindsay Weir's ubiquitous army jacket. I love that when I needed a car service driver to be able to quickly find me, I turned it inside out to its incredibly, flamingly fluorescent orange side. I don't so much love that I know a two-year-old with the same jacket. And I really don't love that it has no shape to it at all, meaning I appear as just a big olive blob, or a big orange blob if you work for all sixes (or is it all sevens?).

So, I set out to find myself a more shapely down jacket, and ended up with this one from Brooklyn Industries - almost exactly the same one that Amanda bought last year - at half off. After the most recent snow storm, the length is really appealing to me. And now preschooler Josh and I will never again be confused for each other, although all sevens (or is it all sixes?) may have a hard time spotting me at LGA.

previous link

All Weather Pleather

The snow/sleet/freezing rain misery has begun and should continue for the next several days. And with my walk to my office, as I have already mentioned, being overly long and unbearably weather-y, of course my first thought is how I will protect my nice purse from the precipitation. Here's how - I will buy this lovely $10 bag, made of "supple faux leather," and wear it instead. It actually looks a lot like a Miu Miu bag I have admired, although I would imagine that anyone who spent the money to buy the Miu Miu would strongly disagree.

Also, I must admit that I am a little concerned that the bag will "add uptown sensibility," as its copy promises, since I myself am always trying to add downtown sensibility. Maybe together we'll end up somewhere in midtown - say, 50th Street?

Party Off

I loved this dress when it first came out, at $78. It looked perfect for a nice holiday party. But as we all know, my firm's holiday party was not going to be nice, located as it was in the cafeteria, where this dress would be a little out of place, next to the 10 gallon ketchup pump. My guess is my firm was not the only one to scale back on holiday parties, and this dress just did not sell... and now it is only $25. It really is adorable and since it's silk and cotton, wouldn't it be a cute dress to wear in the summer? Or maybe if you were heading down to Florida, in say a week or two, you could wear it there.

And, to keep you all up-to-date, my holiday party was canceled due to snow. What a disappointment.

iPod Gloves

You know how lately they are passing off just about anything as an iPod speaker? Chairs, stuffed animals, pillows, jackets, a pack of chewing gum. Cars are marketed entirely upon their ability to easily connect to your ipod (presumably these campaigns are aimed at women, who no longer purchase cars based solely on the number of cupholders, but now buy them based on whether they can easily figure out how to hook up that mp3 player thing-y into the hole-y place in the dashboard).

Well, despite this entry's title, these $11 gloves do not hook up to your iPod. They do, however, allow you to easily operate your iPod, while complimenting your cute, new wool coat, on the seemingly endless, insanely frigid walk from the subway to your office.

Talking Ass Pants on the Cheap

It's the semi-annual sale at Victoria's Secret and words on your ass, otherwise known as the PINK line, are going wicked cheap. I have spent more time (and money) than I can afford, frankly, pondering my obsession with these derriere scribblings, and I just give up. Ditto with understanding why someone who dresses in an entirely muted palette chooses 'loungewear' in such insanely bright colors, sometimes festooned with gold and rhinestones. Possibly those colors are the secret to my ability to stay up so late - who could possibly sleep in the glare of hot pink and turquoise with gold lame writing and rhinestones?

I picked up this cute sleep tee for $10. It's almost muted, but it does have the hot pink and the words, albeit not on the ass. Plus, as someone who leaves Manhattan once every six months, and then only head to Queens to hop a plane some other large city, the expression "nature lover" really makes me laugh. I mean, I'm annoyed by the stupid ginko trees, 2 to a block, and how they dare drop their 7 measly pods once a year, cluttering our sidewalks.

And of course, there are the talking ass pants ($16).

Oh, I understand that you can also pick up other things at the sale - crazy good deals on bras, panties, pj's etc, without words emblazoned on them. I don't know why a person would want those, but, to each his own.

(Oooh) Growing Up

I recently realized that a friend of mine goes everywhere dressed as if she is attending a bar mitzvah (or bat mitzvah, to be fair). I myself arrive at the same event looking as if I have come to clean your garage, and possibly your gutters, time permitting. OK, I exaggerate slightly (at least about my style), but I am a casual chick, in love with my jeans and cords.

I resent any event that demands a skirt, possibly out of a childish "you're not the boss of me" attitude, but more likely due to a skirt dress code imposed on me throughout my formative years. Today I was supposed to attend an event in a skirt, but I found a way to weasel out of going altogether. Had I had this $37.50(from $128!) suede skirt though, I feel certain I would have behaved like the adult I ostensibly am, put it on, and actually shown up, if not grown up.

Boot Up

I love these boots, only $67 (coupons, my friends), but I can't decide which color. Buying either would be insane, since, as I've mentioned, there is currently no room for the boots I already own (physically, that is - emotionally I can love each and every pair I bring home limitlessly - I am like Angelina Jolie that way. And in that way only).

Of course, I did notice the other day that one pair in my closet, with a non-replaceable, rubber sole, has a hole in the heel. So I could possibly send those boots to live on a farm upstate, where they could run free with other beloved, but tired, soles.