just another manic monday

Here is my outfit. I tried to come up with three interesting (we'll use that term in its loosest sense) things about each piece. Read on to see if I have succeeded ...

Boots: Chinese Laundry

1) Inspired by the boots worn by Blake Lively (hers were grey) on an early episode of Gossip Girl.

2) Took two wayward purchases of grey suede OTK boots from Steve Madden and lots of internet research to figure out which boots were actually worn on Gossip Girl - by which time, Chinese Laundry was sold out of grey, hence the black.

3) What, you might ask, became of the other two pairs of grey suede boots purchased from Steve Madden? One pair sold on Craigslist and one pair sits in my closet begging to be worn.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Do your research! Don't buy something online just because you think it might be the item you saw on a television show. Google the sh*t out of it, post on Makeup Alley, and if you love Gossip Girl style check out Shop Gossip Girl.

Jeans: Gap Always Skinny

1) purchased on a semi-lark. Wanted distressed skinny jeans (aka ones with holes in them already), but  saved $10 getting these and will probably wear these more. GO ME!

2) Should have purchased a 2 rather than a 4. THEY STRETCH! Saggy butt in skinny jeans at end of day = NOT SO ATTRACTIVE!

3) Received a $20 Gap store card for purchase of denim due to in-store promotion. Resold said $20 card on Craigslist for $10.

TAKEHOME MESSAGE: People will buy just about anything on Craigslist. See #3 under Boots.

Sweater: Limited

1) NEVER purchase anything at Limited for full price. There are coupons out there I PROMISE you. They send me one like every other day. E-mail me, I will send them to you.

2) Purchased on sale (see #1) because it seemed like a good basic piece that could be worn ALOT. Guess what? IT IS, IT IS!

3) When shopping at Limited, I try to only pick up basic pieces. Pieces that people will not automatically recognize were purchased at Limited. As an aside, I do this at IKEA too.

TAKEHOME MESSAGE: For the love of all things holy, DO NOT purchase an item at Limited unless there is some sort of discount and the measly 10 or 15 percent discount for opening a Limited charge account does not count unless you are spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars!

Faux Fur Vest: Old Navy

1) This, my friends, is the coup d'etat. LOVE IT.

2) Purchased several years before Mary-Kate (or was it Ashley) made them trendy. I only reference the Olsen twins because I recall seeing a picture of one of them wearing a faux fur vest and it reminded me that I should really get mine out and try to incorporate it into my wardrobe. Someone entirely different could have made them trendy.

3) Didn't wear it for several years until Mary-Kate made them trendy, but now LOVE LOVE LOVE the style so much that I had to purchase another faux fur vest from Forever 21.

TAKEHOME MESSAGE: Sometimes, just sometimes, you purchase a piece that you don't wear for several years and then find out you LOVE IT! This makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and SO FASHION FORWARD because you already owned the piece before it got labeled as a must-own by US Weekly or some such publication.