Glow, baby, glow.

I'm getting bronzed and I am loving it.

Got my Juicy Couture sweats from the tailor... one pair is perfect and the other is, eh... not so much. But she's fixing them and they should be back this week. Hopefully they won't look jacked, since she has to make one leg longer (but she put extra fabric in the hems)... I'm not really in a hurry since I'm going to Nashville this weekend and I probably won't want to run into anyone I haven't seen in five years while wearing sweats...

For the last couple of days, no one has come into the store... So my days have primarily consisted of: watching Food Network, reading message boards via iPhone, explaining iPhone apps to my boss, cuddling with Schnoodles, hula hooping, doing yoga in the big fitting room, re-arranging tables, eating, eating Bissinger's chocolate and checking Facebook 10 times an hour. I think tomorrow I will get my hair cut on my "break."

Bought and returned...

Man, all week I've been looking forward to going to Louis Vuitton for the brass plated bolt extender keychain. Since I've been saving more aggressively and I'm starting my first 401k next week, I've been cutting down on the frequency of my purchases.

My Louis Vuitton accessories have been gifts (so I've gone in for an exchange), and I figured instead of spending my money online... I would drive the 30-45 minutes it takes to go to the local store. I for sure wanted the one item, but there were a couple of pieces I have been eyeing online... and who knows, crazier things have happened...

So I walk straight into Louis Vuitton. No one is on the sales floor. I give a very friendly "Hello!" and I see a male SA stay behind the counter. I'm the only person in store, so it's obvious that he doesn't think that I look like I should be in there. I walked right up to him and said that I wanted to purchase the Bolt keyring/ pochette extender in brass. He said that he "thinks we don't have it." I asked him to make sure since I drove out for it.

"I'm pretty sure we don't." Asshole... I asked for the Nashville store's inventory and said I wanted to look around. I asked about a scarf that I saw online and liked, a Stephen Sprouse Limited Edition tribute pareo:

"Oh, we don't have one." Sure enough, they had one in the window display... which he sure hated grabbing for me when I asked him for it. I don't know what it was, but I just whipped it around my neck... and while I knew that it looked absolutely horrendous on me, I could see in his face that he thought I couldn't afford it.

"I'll take it." I, of course, confirmed the return policy in case B.A.C. thought it was ugly (likely). He kept repeating that if I needed to, I could "make the exchange in Nashville when (I) pick up my keyring." Oh, in hindsight I get it... this guy wanted to make sure he kept his commission by having the return take place in another store.

While I was making my rounds at Plaza Frontenac, where brain cells go to die, I received a call from my guardian angel... my BFF Sally. Oh, Sally! I cannot thank her enough for being honest enough to tell me that the scarf was an expensive piece of ugly and a few "oh no he d'int"s. She convinced me to return the scarf just then and there.

I did wander into Juicy Couture beforehand though... they are having an awesome sale, BTW. It's 25% off the sale prices... I picked up a hot pink tracksuit and a neon red pair of their snap pocket velour pants. I'm pretty excited for my new exercise clothes since I tend to walk in Forest Park and they are cute enough to be seen in public in.

When I walked back into the store, the original SA ignored me and walked away from the counter. Talk about rude! The lady who has helped my mother buy a bag before handled my return and was lovely... But yeah, that guy really annoyed me. Fuck him.

Justin was fuming mad when I told him about my experience. It still baffles me the looks that guy was giving me. Granted, I walked in freshly showered (so no, my herr was not did) and I was very casual: Juicy hoodie (with Swavorski crystals, so one of their more expensive ones), Kasil denim, Tory Burch flats, Botkier handbag, LV keychain (VW and BMW keys) in my hand, Tom Ford sunglasses on... Now, I've never been one of the retail types to only want to help people dressed up (ironically, usually people dress up to browse) but if I were one of those idiot sales associates that did do that, I wouldn't look in disdane at the girl wearing a $200 hoodie, $250 jeans, a $700 bag, a $200 keychain and $400 sunglasses when my store's price points range from $200-$3,000.

I'm really glad I decided to return it.

"You may WEIGH more..."

I've fortunately never been ripped off on eBay. Probably because I'm obsessive and can usually track down the best price possible on items that I want from authorized retailers for designer labels.

But I definitely have helped out friends... like, the day before yesterday I helped my friend Kaci find a pair of Burberry rain boots on EvilBay. And sure enough, some boots that she almost bid on were fake and the minimum bid was $130. That's a nice chunk of change for some fake rubber boots... "Made in Malaysia, Fuck NO!"

So, I wanted to share nine minutes of PWNed. Judge Judy berates an eBay Scammer:



Apparently, Karma came back to that bitch in the form of extra pounds! I personally wouldn't want bad karma on my ass!

Now that I'm not wasting time...

Okay, updating my blog is kind of sort of wasting time. But you know how you know you are a supreme procrastinator?

When you procrastinate on the things you do when you procrastinate.

I know, I know... But to be fair, I woke up this morning (my day off, in my defense) to a congested face. So I've been lazily laying in bed and reading my message boards from my iPhone... We currently have some Indian that we've made from scratch in the crock pot, the curry should definitely help with my sinuses!

But for my fellow homies, I'm happy to announce that my friend Paloma, author of La Dolce Vita (design and travel blog), has started a new decor and lifestyle blog!! She told me about it a while ago, but I just haven't had the time to update with Valentine's Day and all.

So if you cannot get enough decor and lifestyle tips from fellow bloggers and enthusiasts, you should definitely join:



It might be your next way to procrastinate from your procrastination.

What am I wearing with these?

I bought these Mui Mui shoes last year I think. I haven't worn them outside of the house once. When the weather warms up, I want to rock them... with what exactly, I'm not so sure...




Any ideas what will go with the proportion of the shoe? Definitely not leggings or skinny jeans...

Throw me an email.

Let's get motivated!

I've decided that I really need to make an active effort towards staying in shape. Long gone are the days that I could eat nothing but Krystal sliders and drink nothing but mixed drinks... and look I spent hours in the gym. Yes, now I actually have to spend hours in the gym.

I've been cutting down on meat (we primarily eat a vegetarian diet at home, I usually order seafood when we go out to eat) but I still am looking "fuller" than what I would like, so I am going to make the following additions:

-Exercise 3 times a week, either by walking 1-2 hours in Forest Park or exercising by treadmill/ weight machines in our resident gym.

-Take the stairs to the 5th floor on the way home.

-Maintain my floor exercises to really tone up.

-Always volunteer to go to the bank or do neighborhood errands at work, walking is key!

-Weather providing, walk to work and walk the neighborhood on part of my hour break. (*And try to avoid buying a pair of shoes each time at Mary Jane's)

Justin normally does not understand the concept that it is mathematically impossible to own too many shoes, but he's in support of this: if I hit my personal fitness goal, I'm going to buy an absolutely fabulous, impractical pair of reward shoes.

Boyfriend Jeans

How could I forget to mention--- I decided to try the trend! Since I get some pieces gratis at work, I decided to try the trend with no cost.

I think they'll look cute for going out paired with high, high heels. And they'll be easy for work paired with flats and flip flops.

I got a pair of Adriano Goldschmied's new Tomboy cut in the 17 years wash.



Cute?

Lucky, lucky me!

This weekend was just so nice! I know most women hate their in-laws, but I actually love seeing Justin's parents. Usually because his mother helps me gang up on him and force him to do "things" he doesn't want to do, like buy jeans or discuss getting some housekeeping to help with the cleaning.

I got the plaid shirt I wanted! Justin's mom bought it for me as an early Valentine's Day gift... I'm in no hurry for the cream since it won't layer as well (and it IS winter), but it is still on my "hit list" since it will be nice for spring. I'm kind of "over" tee shirts.

And as exciting as early Valentine's Day gifts are (*hijacked thought... anyone have ideas on how to score Joel McHale tickets for the Pagaent?), late holiday gifts are fun surprises too! My grandmother sent me a Jay Strongwater miniture picture frame and a very pretty elephant brooch. My parents also threw in my Louis Vuitton chain with the package... I definitely had fun modeling for my SO the different ways I can carry my pochette now. It's perfect for dinner or bars!

Here's a fun, little evening bag:

But it also makes an edgier small bag too:


Just as I was home and winding down from being overstuffed (*all I did with the in-laws was EAT), overworked, and unwrapping so many shiny things, my boss called and asked if he could come over. I was hoping that everything was okay... turns out, everything is okay! He brought over the Schnoodles!!! OMFG, they just ran around our loft in circles... they were so excited. It seriously made Justin's night!

Now I'm able to wind down and catch up on my blogs and message boards, all while watching Tool Academy and Rock of Love: Bus. We don't have many groceries in the apartment, but we do have red wine and seven layered brownies...

Lucky, lucky me this weekend.

Why didn't think of this?

First there was the idiotic, yet brilliant idea of the Snuggie.

Now there is the After Party Shoe.

Why can't I think of anything so simple? And for a shoe that folds up to take up the least amount of space in your handbag, they are pretty cute too.

Thank you?

For some odd reason, checking the Google search phrases that lead people to my blog always cheers me up.

Today, somebody found me by searching the phrase "fucking hilarious."

Runner up for my second favorite key word search goes out to my anonymous buddy that wanted to know where to find "to go containers like QDoba?"

I hope you found them, buddy... I hope you found them.

I think hell has frozen over.

I have a Ball And Chain approved purchase!

I tried on a couple of these plaid button down tops by Adriano Goldschmied today. The fit on these is seriously like photoshop... they seriously will make any girl look like pin-up. The darting in the back falls into the small of the back making the waist look super tiny, and with the casual plaid " a little bit country a little bit rock n' roll" motif... it's totally sexy without looking like you are trying to look sexy.

I'm getting two of them! I know you can find similar styles at Urban Outfitters for less than $135 each, but the construction and material on them seem worth it.

As if you needed another reason to support Marc Jacobs.

I'm happy that NYMag.com is reporting on the cut-backs at Marc Jacobs. As some of you may know, his after-parties are notoriously the best part of NY Fashion Week but have been cut this year due to the economy especially hitting the luxury market hard. 

Well, Marc Jacob's business partner is also cutting back on the runway show: 

"... It's not surprising to learn those cutbacks will carry over to the runway show as well. The number of invitees has been cut from 2,000 to 700. Typically, 1,100 sit while 900 stand, but this season only 500 to 700 will sit while 200 will stand, with virtually all of the standing spots this season going to employees. As for celebrities, Jacobs's business partner Robert Duffy said, 'There may be one or two.'" 

You can read the rest of the article here: NYMag.com

I, for one, am happy to see Marc Jacobs and Robert Duffy show loyalty to their employees. It was just a few weeks ago that Karl Lagerfield had two elaborate runway shows, including the construction of a several stories tall Chanel jacket, only to lay off thousands of Chanel employees world wide. 

While runway shows are glamourous and fun, at the end of the day... it's just a business strategy. The fashion shows aren't for little girls to dream of, for fashionistas to coo for, or for celebrities to party after... It's technically for buyers to see the clothes so they can place orders for their boutiques and department stores. It's for fashion editors who plan their upcoming editorial spreads months in advance... and technically for too long of a time, the fashion houses have been overpaying to put on shows so the "fluff" can attend. 

Bravo, boys. 

Gimme Gimme Gimme Shoes, Gimme Shoes

The weather the last couple of days have been such a nasty, dirty tease. The Midwasteland  went from 15-20 degree weather to the 60s. It was enough to inspire me to start searching for future spring purchases and get really, really excited for spring. 

Without a doubt, 2009 is the year of the "IT" shoe. Investing in a great designer (or designer inspired) shoe is key this season. First, a great shoe is the perfect glamourous balance to this season's grunge looks like the rolled up slouchy boyfriend jean and the oversized cuffed denim shorts. Neon and colored shoes are on trend to balance out all the sleek black that is hitting the stores... it keeps the look modern and in spring season! The high heel is more important than ever, because all of the clothing trends this spring are centered around the ankle or showing off the leg. I don't know about you, but I would much rather rock a 5" heel than spend two hours a day in the gym in order to rock this season's shorts with flats. Baby don't have that attention span. 

I personally am looking for a great neon cage heel this season. But I compiled a collage of some great shoes from all different price points. Each pair reflects different shoe trends for 2009. Most of what I selected has a stiletto heel, because the stiletto heel will be back in full bitch-from-hell force in 2010. Mark my words. 

                       
Year of the Statement Shoe - by AddBubbles on Polyvore.com

From Top Left: Christian Louboutin satin gladiator sandals available at Net-A-Porter.com, yellow conical heel platform pumps by French designer Lanvin, gunmetal silver sandals by Jimmy Choo available at Net-A-Porter.com, hot pink fringed ankle pumps by Christian Louboutin available at Neiman Marcus, bright neon yellow Christian Louboutin hidden platform pumps available at Saks.com, royal blue gladiator platform sandals available at TopShop.com, hot pink scuba pumps by Stella McCartney and available at Kirnazabete.com, black cut-out booties with neon pink trim by Alexander McQueen and available at Net-A-Porter.com, electric blue suede platform gladiator sandals by Nicholas Kirkwood available at LuisaViaRoma.com, black cage wedges available at UrbanOutfitters.com, silver glitter platform pumps by Report Signature at Heels.com, greige cut out booties with silver trim by Nicholas Kirkwood available at BrownsFashion.com, black caged pumps by Fendi and available at Neiman Marcus.com.