Yesterday I needed to leave the apartment to hubby so that he could work without distractions. Because, in his mind, even if I'm in the other room with my computer, TV, Kindle, magazines and a huge bottle of sparkling water, I might be out of sight but I'm never out of mind. After 7.5 years of marriage, I take that as a compliment. And if he asks me to take a hike to let him work, I graciously do so. And I go shopping, or at least window shopping. He even volunteered to drive me to the mall since it was snowing and I wanted to wear my red shoes.
I got there with a few things in mind. Firstly, we have a wedding to attend in July, and I'll need a dress. It's a family wedding so I'd like something nice but not too elaborate since we're on the groom's side. There's no chance of shopping now, but it's never a bad idea knowing what's out there. And since I already know what I'm wearing for the rehearsal dinner (a Free People layered floral print I bought on sale forever ago and I absolutely love it), there's only one dress to shop for. Preferably something that goes with accessories I already have.
Secondly, I need more work clothes. Last time I worked anywhere I was 4 sizes bigger. And although some stuff I could still wear, fitted shirts and the like are out of the question. So, a couple of tops for really cheap would be really nice.
And thirdly, I've been wanting a good pair of black boots for some time. And now it's the perfect time to shop for them because they all go on clearance with spring items coming into inventory.
So, I started with Banana Republic. I love their dresses. Their waist is always nicely placed, the skirt length is perfect for my height, the quality is decent and the prints are to my taste. I was ready to walk into the store and try some of their printed numbers, but a crochet-like white dress that's part of their
Mad Men collection caught my eye and I had to try it on. I did, and it fitted well. I'd not buy it till the summer w'the slimming and all, but I was ready to put it on the top of my mental list, when it downed me that I should probably not wear white at a wedding as it's not done here, even though I'd probably accessorize it with bold color stuff. So, I tried on a polka dot and a print, liked them both, and left.
From there I walked into H&M where I had my Downtown Abby moment. I tried their long pink pleated dress from the pre-fall collection. It's not currently on the website, but a Google search ought to yield result. I could sincerely see myself with a row of pearls, a chin-length hair cut and t-strap heels being an extra on the show. It would probably be a bit too much though, not to mention that the length was a bit odd, so I left it for someone else and I decided I was done with dresses for the day. I should probably wait for the spring collection to hit the stores anyway.
Boots were next. I went to Macys, because Macy's never fails me in regards to shoes. And as expected, they had them for 60 to 75% off.
Now, let me tell you about my calves. No matter what amount of diets I've done in past and present, my calves are the last to get the memo. Their circumference just won't budge. I'll probably need to look into specialized workouts for them. Having said that, I also don't like boots that have elastic panels because they distract from the rest of the boot material. The perfect pair would have to either zip or not.
My prayers were answered with a pair of Franco Sarto's Upton in black. They're made of a man-made material that looks like leather, but it's incredibly stretchy. I picked them because they had the perfect little heel, and then I put them on.. and then they zipped all the way up. Both of them. Even the one that it's not tried on day after day. A miracle.
Then, as the universe was conspiring, not only they were extremely comfortable to walk, they were also asininely cheap. What's a girl to do? Pick them up, run to the cashier and shut up already. I had to actively talk myself out of buying them in brown too. And in a way I'm glad I did, because when I browsed the brand back home, I found out that they come in wine red, and that's something I might actually consider. Because I simply cannot have enough red shoes. We've been through that already.
So that is done and I can still hear angel choruses and all but I still need to look into tops. Clearance section, here I come. I just need something lightweight but long sleeve because we actually get spring here for more than one week. I found this purple top from DKNY that has a nice scoop neckline and a gathering detail at one end. It fits well, it's less than 10 bucks - it'll come with me.
And then I saw the perfect "adorned tee". It was a fitted white t-shirt with three rows of large sequins in silver and bronze around its neckline. It screamed "vacations". I could see myself wearing this with the perfect pair of pants and the perfect flat sandals and the perfect straw tote and the perfect scarf during vacationing at my family's summer home where none gives one shit about perfect anything. But I bough it anyway. Because it was cheap, it fitted well, and I could easily live in it even when not in vacations. I hope I won't give it spaghetti sauce first time I'll wear it.
I have no idea what the tree on the third picture is, as I'm no horticulturist, but these flowers smell like mushrooms. I get a hobbit-like hunger pang every time I walk by one, and the streets are quite lined with them.
