shopping trip.

for those of you who don't care at all about clothing, you can skip this blog entry because it's all pictures and stuff about clothes. check back later!

for those of you who like clothes - hi!

i have been really impressed with the discount clothing sources in the world lately. i'd like to say it's because of the economy, but it's not, though this is a well-timed observation on my part. payless shoes, off saks (the saks fifth avenue outlet), target, old navy (though that's not exactly discount, it's the cheapest of the old navy/gap/banana republic family... all these places have had some really, really good stuff lately, for totally great prices.

i went to target for a gold digital watch yesterday (sure, why not?) and then filled a cart with some amazing finds, all for target-cheap prices. then i felt guilty for shopping more because i have been on two big off saks sprees in the last couple weeks and i feel like a loser, so i abandoned all my finds, but i took pictures that i wanted to share with you.

okay, we'll start with some housewares.

this bedding set has the ikat print that all the fashion and decorating magazines have been really excited about this last year. the lamp below has a great shape, it's a nice size, and i like the kinda flashy body (silver metal with clear glass over it or something) with the staid navy shade. i am pondering this for my new bedside lamp.

i'm a sucker for green glass, though these are the kind of vase that i always have a hard time using, since i seldom have only a few of a certain kind of flower, like...three tulips. but these together on a coffee table would be very west elm.

this vase is kick-ass. obviously my iphone photography doesn't fully convey what it looks like, but let me describe it. it's a rectangle vase, big enough for a dozen and a half roses probably, and it's got the shape of a curvy vase printed on it. brilliant. i have a crush on this, even though i absolutely do not need any more vases at all.


SHOES!
the shoes right now at target are solid. i could have seriously bought an entire new shoe wardrobe yesterday, i think.

cute shoes. they came in a bubblegum pink, too. sort of 60s flight attendant barbie shoes.


i would not wear these shoes personally. they're not my style and the older i get, the less reasons i can come up with to wear heels of any kind, much less vaguely avant-garde future shoes, but these are really, really "editorial" as the fashion world might say. with the crazy shaped heel and the wide strap across the foot, they're like something an olsen twin would wear, with slouchy menswear pants that are pegged and cuffed. can't you see it?


these are total urban outfitters shoes. i think that designers from the urban family might have jumped ship and taken over at the target brands (mossimo, exhiliration) because it's kinda uncanny. these are really cute fake huaraches, but they're made of plastic tubing and were flat as pancakes. they'd be misery during the summer. imagine your sweaty feet slipping around in those unforgiving little cutie pies. but seriously, they're cute as hell. these ones are fruit striped, but they come in brown and black and white, i think.


also, totally olsen twin shoes. shoes for women who are mean to others and their own feet. sexy. ouchie.


it is such a sign of the times that these are some of the shoes i seriously considered, when compared to the really cute heels i've shown you. these have a sensible heel, a soft, kinda molded faux suede footbed and leather straps that don't pinch. i'm old now, and i am concerned about having comfortable feet. or maybe i am too smart now, and too married, to feel that having sexy feet for a night is worth the days and possibly years of misery those sexy feet will buy me.


cute. you can't see it in this picture (though i am clearly a professional fashion photographer) that the bows are sewn above a little round gathered hole, and the toe scoops down to show some toe cleavage. not totally comfortable but maybe worth it.


this reminds me of a jacket i saw in a few fashion spreads. it was from vera wang's line at kohl's, which is also pretty solid. a little bit old for me, but some stand out pieces, and the fashion magazines really like it, too. this jacket is what i think of as a wasted layer. i'll digress...

before i learned how to drive, i walked everywhere. i can't even guess how far i walked on average every day, but it was freaking far. because i didn't have a car to stash stuff in, when i left the house in the morning, that was all i had to work with for the day when it came to layering for warmth or coolness. i started this habit of wearing a tank top under everything, every single day, in case it was warmer than i'd expected and i got too hot. one too many days smothering in too many layers, i guess. likewise, it was dangerous to wear any single layer that was TOO warm, because if it warmed up, i'd be stuck carrying it all day. (i carried this huge messenger bag sometimes, that could have easily carried a toddler, and it was mostly full of clothes. i like to be prepared.)

anyway, i discovered after a certain point, that certain types of layers were wasted. they were useless. perfect example: a jean jacket. not warm enough to keep you warm. if it's so warm that a jean jacket will keep you warm, there is probably a lighter, less stiff layer you could use instead. also, in order for it to look cute, it needs to be tight, but then it's too tight to wear layers underneath.
USELESS. GET RID OF IT.

this jacket is another one. besides being a shape and length that is hard to work out, it's also got 3/4 sleeves, which are really only appropriate for certain weather. it won't provide warmth or coverage from any type of weather, really. cold? whoops, it's got short sleeves. hot? it's material is weird stiff nylon. a waste.

but cute. i am imagining a spread in lucky magazine with this, a turtleneck sweater, a chunky necklace, a pencil skirt, and shoes like those avant garde ones from earlier.


urban outfitters bite again. hard to see the shape, but it's not ugly. i'd buy this blouse. plus, i'm a sucker for charcoal grey.


this looks like crap, but it's a lovely blush colored faux satin. the cut isn't my favorite and the ruffle itself is silly, but it's a very daring design, and i'm impressed at target for trying it out.


more urban biting. i think it could look very lovely on, though it looks a bit 'golden girls' in this pictures. quick, blanche needs a new dress for her date with the retired dentist she just met!


accessories.

this is a nice sized tote. it's got that convertible strap thingie that everyone is doing now, where it can be turned into a messenger bag, or be carried with this two shorter handles. it comes in charcoal grey, too.


ugh, i wish this picture had come out. these look like some vintage glasses that would be at an american apparel.


cute.


both these pairs are urban outfitters-style. they're cute. but really cheaply made. course, so is urban's jewelry.



i took quite a few more pictures, and there were TONS more cute things there, but some of the pictures didn't turn out great. i always forget that i need to hold my iphone for a second after i hear the little camera noise, because it hasn't taken the picture yet. they always come out blurred.