I seem to be having a bit of an image-posting problem at the moment! I tend to not want to post if I don't have pictures, but pictures be damned! Here we go.
I recently received a very nice comment from reader Alya, who suggested I write more posts like this one. I have to admit that it may be the first time any one has directly told me, "I like this, do more of it."
So I'd like to pose the question to all of you, and I would love, love, love to hear from each and every one of you so I can understand exactly why you come and read! If you've been reading a while, you'll know there are some types of posts that I've drifted away from, such as the "here is a theoretically cool outfit" post and "here are 5 dresses I like that adhere to a price-point/theme" and also "listen to this/watch this video", mostly because they didn't generate as many comments as straight outfit posts, but I'd like to know exactly what you guys come here for so that I can use your thoughts as my blogging compass.
Thank you in advance,
Elissa.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
UGH! Or, the story of why I never buy anything online.
Why should it be that one of my all-time favorite brands is one which I rarely ever buy anything from? Oh yes-- that's it-- because it's J.Crew and I'm a chickadee of simple means. But, I got in my email box today a notice that all sale items were an additional 30% off until midnight, so I gamely picked out a few things, then deleted almost all of them from my cart except for these lovely Tretorns...
The white rubber and gold-inflected canvas are perfect for summer anything, and at the "sale on sale" price, only $38. OK. Then, my interfering mind chimed in. It said, "Do you really need more shoes?" "Can you find something more practical to spend $38 on?" "You've never even seen these shoes before, and there are some that you have been wanting for longer. As long as you're venturing to spend $38, why not put it towards something you've actually been wanting?"
The shoes I've been wanting are another pair of Toms... During the 2008 election, I did a lot of work for the Campaign for Change, and found it meet to show my political proclivities with a pair of natural canvas Toms that said "Vote" on one shoe, and had a graphic of a donkey on the other. Now that the election is over (I think it was my shoes that swung the vote), it seems silly to wear them around now. I haven't until recently, when I found them under the couch and decided to try them on again. I took them on a walk around the neighborhood. These are damn comfortable shoes, readers, better than flip-flops. Having examined it from every angle, there really is no way to resurrect this dated style, and so a new pair of Toms is in order.
Behold, the burlap pair. I love solid colors that are highly textured, and this definitely fits the bill. But, I did read some bad reviews about the burlap coming apart, and then I decided to look into getting the natural canvas pair (none in my size) or the gray pair (is gray a falling star in the color-trends world yet?) or the blue pair (too mannish) or the red pair (not versatile enough). I returned to the Tretorns.
They're the right color, and they have this amazing deer print on them. God knows I'm a sucker for deer. Plus, I'm going on vacation soon with a few friends, one of them has a pathological fear of deer. I could wear the shoes and it would be a hilarious joke for us all to enjoy, and I could terrorize her with them all week long. And then again, my annoying inner voice said, "But aren't deer more like a Christmas thing?" "Is this too tongue-in-cheek?" "Tretorns are so classy. These.... aren't."
So I returned to the Tretorns. But they have laces, I thought... I love the appeal of just throwing ones shoes on as you skip out of your bungalow down the pier. But Tretorns are sexy. I returned to the Tretorns. I pried my credit card out of my wallet, all the time saying, "Hm... this is a week's worth of parking and two really good lunches worth of shoes." I entered my information. I entered the coupon code. And then--- what the what??? I was timed out of my session! I frantically re-did the whole process, only to find that by the time I got to the checkout, the coupon code had expired, and the shoes were no longer $38 with free shipping, but now $55. And as long as they're $55, I may as well buy a pair of Toms and use a $5 off coupon code from RetailMeNot. Or maybe I'll just use my gift card to Urban Outfitters. Or maybe I'll just see if I can be happy with what I already have....
AKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Anyone else have these problems???
Yours,
Elissa.
The white rubber and gold-inflected canvas are perfect for summer anything, and at the "sale on sale" price, only $38. OK. Then, my interfering mind chimed in. It said, "Do you really need more shoes?" "Can you find something more practical to spend $38 on?" "You've never even seen these shoes before, and there are some that you have been wanting for longer. As long as you're venturing to spend $38, why not put it towards something you've actually been wanting?"
The shoes I've been wanting are another pair of Toms... During the 2008 election, I did a lot of work for the Campaign for Change, and found it meet to show my political proclivities with a pair of natural canvas Toms that said "Vote" on one shoe, and had a graphic of a donkey on the other. Now that the election is over (I think it was my shoes that swung the vote), it seems silly to wear them around now. I haven't until recently, when I found them under the couch and decided to try them on again. I took them on a walk around the neighborhood. These are damn comfortable shoes, readers, better than flip-flops. Having examined it from every angle, there really is no way to resurrect this dated style, and so a new pair of Toms is in order.
Behold, the burlap pair. I love solid colors that are highly textured, and this definitely fits the bill. But, I did read some bad reviews about the burlap coming apart, and then I decided to look into getting the natural canvas pair (none in my size) or the gray pair (is gray a falling star in the color-trends world yet?) or the blue pair (too mannish) or the red pair (not versatile enough). I returned to the Tretorns.
But wait! I thought-- I have a gift card to Urban Outfitters. Maybe they carry Toms? Or maybe they have some slip-ons that would be just as cute as the ones my friend has with whales all over them? Yes, Virginia, they do!
They're the right color, and they have this amazing deer print on them. God knows I'm a sucker for deer. Plus, I'm going on vacation soon with a few friends, one of them has a pathological fear of deer. I could wear the shoes and it would be a hilarious joke for us all to enjoy, and I could terrorize her with them all week long. And then again, my annoying inner voice said, "But aren't deer more like a Christmas thing?" "Is this too tongue-in-cheek?" "Tretorns are so classy. These.... aren't."
So I returned to the Tretorns. But they have laces, I thought... I love the appeal of just throwing ones shoes on as you skip out of your bungalow down the pier. But Tretorns are sexy. I returned to the Tretorns. I pried my credit card out of my wallet, all the time saying, "Hm... this is a week's worth of parking and two really good lunches worth of shoes." I entered my information. I entered the coupon code. And then--- what the what??? I was timed out of my session! I frantically re-did the whole process, only to find that by the time I got to the checkout, the coupon code had expired, and the shoes were no longer $38 with free shipping, but now $55. And as long as they're $55, I may as well buy a pair of Toms and use a $5 off coupon code from RetailMeNot. Or maybe I'll just use my gift card to Urban Outfitters. Or maybe I'll just see if I can be happy with what I already have....
AKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Anyone else have these problems???
Yours,
Elissa.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Little floral skirt.
Shirt: TJ Maxx. Everything else: Thrifted.
Today is the first time I've tried to "work-ify" this skirt; scandalous? Maybe. The slightest updraft is dangerous, indeed, as is the slight sheerness to the skirt. Couple that with the fact that my shoes are dying a hideous, awful death and this outfit veers perilously close to FML territory. However, things remained in balance and the breezy skirt felt summery, casual and cheerful, and the flat shoes kept things from getting too slutty. Let's take a moment and honor the last wearing of these shoes...
Here are a few other ways in which I've worn this skirt:
With blacks and grays, very austere...
Hm... very similar actually! Looks like I enjoy pairing this belt with this skirt...
Mixing patterns up... I ended up giving this necklace to a friend. I hope she loves it! I'm missing it, looking at it now...
Yours,
Elissa.
What's goin' on.
I feel bad. I haven't had as much time lately to devote to blogging, and I feel like I'm wasting something or letting somebody down-- but what I'm wasting and whom I'm letting down are unclear.
I'm at a strange point right now. I had an interview last week for a position that by all rights is just the thing that I have been trying to do since I graduated last year-- being a merchant. But I went in, this time, with the mentality that I was also interviewing this place of work-- I wasn't just being interviewed by them. They described a work environment that seemed stressful and overwhelming-- when I asked what a typical day's hours were, there was no definitive answer. One of the interviewers said she had even once worked a 23-hour day. Technically, they said, a work day should be 8:30-6pm, but that was more theory than practice.
This place was also a 45-minute commute from home. I didn't consider this lightly. For the first time in my life, I pre-emptively rejected the position; and not just any position, but one I've been angling for, for like, forever. I know myself, and I know that having a work life that supercedes all other aspects of one's life whittles me down fast. No matter what it is that I'm doing, I need relief from doing it; and if I'm not in control of when I come or go, I get ants in my pants. And not cute picnic ants, but red, fire-breathing, corpse-munching ants.
I wrote the interviewers an email and let them know that the position wasn't in line with my desire for balance in my life, but the chapter isn't completely closed for me. Sometimes I'm afraid that the rabid squirrel in my brain that is ADD sabotaged me. Maybe I wouldn't have such a need for "quiet time" if I were properly medicated. Maybe I would have taken the long view and said, "Screw it, I'm going in. There's health insurance and some more money and maybe some choice promotions at the end of this road." Maybe, maybe, maybe.
But, I am of the opinion that most things happen for a reason... and besides, this didn't "happen", I chose it. And I did have my reasons. I just hope that there's something out there in the fashion universe for me to do that doesn't involve working constantly around the clock (as it seems most positions do), or maybe there's something else out there for me to do that I wouldn't mind working constantly around the clock, and all other things would just naturally fall into place around it.
We'll see. For now, I'm running late to see and possibly participate in an open-mike, different venue this time.
Yours,
Elissa.
I'm at a strange point right now. I had an interview last week for a position that by all rights is just the thing that I have been trying to do since I graduated last year-- being a merchant. But I went in, this time, with the mentality that I was also interviewing this place of work-- I wasn't just being interviewed by them. They described a work environment that seemed stressful and overwhelming-- when I asked what a typical day's hours were, there was no definitive answer. One of the interviewers said she had even once worked a 23-hour day. Technically, they said, a work day should be 8:30-6pm, but that was more theory than practice.
This place was also a 45-minute commute from home. I didn't consider this lightly. For the first time in my life, I pre-emptively rejected the position; and not just any position, but one I've been angling for, for like, forever. I know myself, and I know that having a work life that supercedes all other aspects of one's life whittles me down fast. No matter what it is that I'm doing, I need relief from doing it; and if I'm not in control of when I come or go, I get ants in my pants. And not cute picnic ants, but red, fire-breathing, corpse-munching ants.
I wrote the interviewers an email and let them know that the position wasn't in line with my desire for balance in my life, but the chapter isn't completely closed for me. Sometimes I'm afraid that the rabid squirrel in my brain that is ADD sabotaged me. Maybe I wouldn't have such a need for "quiet time" if I were properly medicated. Maybe I would have taken the long view and said, "Screw it, I'm going in. There's health insurance and some more money and maybe some choice promotions at the end of this road." Maybe, maybe, maybe.
But, I am of the opinion that most things happen for a reason... and besides, this didn't "happen", I chose it. And I did have my reasons. I just hope that there's something out there in the fashion universe for me to do that doesn't involve working constantly around the clock (as it seems most positions do), or maybe there's something else out there for me to do that I wouldn't mind working constantly around the clock, and all other things would just naturally fall into place around it.
We'll see. For now, I'm running late to see and possibly participate in an open-mike, different venue this time.
Yours,
Elissa.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Pussy bow fever.
All day long, I thought, "Somebody, please ask me what this thing on my neck is, please!!" I was so desperate to blithely inform them, "Pussy bow." "Take a look at my giant pussy bow, boys. Matter of fact, take a picture cuz the pussy bow don't hang around forever."
This look evolved out of some laziness. I woke up, feeling like putting on clothes was the very last thing I wanted out of life. But, I decided the closest thing might be to just wear a chambray chirt and a khaki skhirt. Alone, they might give off a casual, American flair, I thought. I was wrong. I riffled through the drawers to come up with some black to add zing to an otherwise Wal-marty palette.
What can I say? I added the sunglasses, and I felt all prowly and whatnots. For having thrown together some rather disparate elements-- khaki skirt, patent belt, untucked shirt, lizard shoes, the end result felt quite alright.
Til later,
Elissa.
Shirt: thrifted. Skirt: Target. Shoes: Steve Madden. Belt: Victoria's Secret. Scarf: Found on the street! Shades: 80spurple.
This look evolved out of some laziness. I woke up, feeling like putting on clothes was the very last thing I wanted out of life. But, I decided the closest thing might be to just wear a chambray chirt and a khaki skhirt. Alone, they might give off a casual, American flair, I thought. I was wrong. I riffled through the drawers to come up with some black to add zing to an otherwise Wal-marty palette.
What can I say? I added the sunglasses, and I felt all prowly and whatnots. For having thrown together some rather disparate elements-- khaki skirt, patent belt, untucked shirt, lizard shoes, the end result felt quite alright.
Til later,
Elissa.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Shady!!
Heeeerreeees Johnny!
Shirt: TJ Maxx. Tiered Skirt: TJ Maxx. Shoes: JC Penney. Sunglasses: 80spurple.
What the hell? Why yes, these are the third pair of sunglasses that I sprung for on a dark and stormy night. As some comedian other than myself once said, it's nice sometimes, to shop online on a head full of wine, because, come a few days later, your mailbox is full of mystery presents you forgot were coming to ya.
Score! I'm loving these, and I love to flip them up on people instead of guilelessly removing them from my face. You see, these sunglasses have evolved. Speaking of "score!" and "evolved", I'm happy to say that this entire look, head to toe, was $46.
I broke.
Also speaking of "evolving", the guy who runs a sketch comedy group in town has asked if I would write a skit for the show... I'm super flattered and pumped as hell--- visions of skits revolving around texting while driving, super-annoying cats and Bombshell McGee are floating through my head-- if it could be said that a skinhead chick with a neck tattoo floats through one's head.
And now, off to cogitate...
Yours,
Elissa.
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