success...?

As may be apparent, I wasn't too sure where I was going when I started this blog. Now I'm beginning to see: this is me egging myself on into shopping like a hot nut. So far, I've managed to justify buying the Jeffrey Campbell shoes, the scalloped eBay frock, and the smoky blue tights. I guess that's okay... right?

Anyway. I want for nothing tonight, except for everything. I can't really narrow that down at the moment. You understand?

oh eBay, you tease!

You'll have to excuse the radio silence this past week. I've been on a sojourn in eBay-land and have only just returned from the far ends. It got ugly, but ultimately I return triumphant, loaded up with pressies and gems for you! Well, actually... for me. Check out my (would-be) new outfit, starting from the bottom up:



Lovely vintage Etienne Aigner brown leather boots—my favorite longtime eBay addiction (along with Danish modern furniture, but that's another blog altogether).


Black ruffled pintuck crepe dress from the seller Philadelphia Clothing Finds - some may say it's a bit morbid, I say it's beautiful and I want it on me now!


Sensing a theme? Yeah, I want to go back to 1978 and be a Republican war widow. But this Etienne Aigner wine-colored handbag, well, it goes with the boots. So.



And to top it off, a vintage pendant to go with the vintage purse, vintage dress, and vintage shoes.

I don't know where I would be wearing this outfit - a funeral, the mall?

A few other neat things I will be considering:


This black and white vintage-inspired scalloped dress.


Navy leather Etienne Aigner shoulder bag (I realize I have a problem).


Red jumper!


More Aigner - this time, kitten heeled black boots. Unfortunately, I already have a pair very similar, so this one's for you!

Agh! Well. I think it's time to wrap up what could easily be an eternal post, and I think the Aigner well has run dry anyway. Happy ebaying!

As promised, I did indeed go on a shopping adventure this Saturday. Despite having sworn off shopping in the month of September (which I will admit I only remembered with a start while scanning Urban Outfitters for the bomber jacket), I decided it was time I did a little field research. What kind of blogger would I be if I never tested the waters, I thought to myself. And what better way to ignore the ominous economic disasters thundering in our ears?

I imagined I'd actually drop a fair amount of coin and take home some fresh duds that would Change My Life. But in a day of shopping, I bought ONE T-shirt from Urban Outfitters! Granted, it's a pretty awesome shirt, but hardly a new wardrobe. Disappointing. I'm a little disappointed in myself for my frugality as well - though it is a defining characteristic of my personality - because if I'm going to covet things, I'd at least like for them to be fancy things I couldn't afford anyway. But no, everything I didn't buy was way over on the cheap end, nothing classy about it. Alas! Here are the also-rans:


Exhibit A: Old Navy "The Diva" kitten gray skinny jeans. In general, I wish skinny jeans were more straight-legged than skinny, and these are hedging toward that end, but in the end you can't fight city hall. A private note to Old Navy: Your nonsensical denim categorizations are perfectly ridiculous and I am embarrassed for myself for spending twenty minutes trying to find what I was looking for - the "The Diva" lowest rise skinny jeans in slate gray. Which I never could.


Exhibit B: Masaki Matsushima's "Masaki" perfume. I'm not a perfume person in general, but I tentatively dabbed and then slathered this on at Sephora while waiting for Sarah to make her purchases, and I was like, heyyyy you smell good! To myself. It smells sweet without smelling like a damn candy. And at a nice price: Sephora sells a $16 roll-on cologne.


Exhibit C: Kimchi dress in one of my favorite colors, fern green...


And these were not spotted on Saturday, but I'd just like to add that I am in the mood for a pair of penny loafers like these from Steve Madden, on sale at 6pm.com for an un-Steve Madden-like price, only I want them in shiny brown leather.

That is all.

Spree for me

I'm going shopping this weekend, I decided - it's fall, after all. As I keep saying. So in preparation for the big day, I decided I'd stroll over to Gap.com and give the old girl a fresh glance. I figured since they had their worst fiscal year ever last year, they might have some cool new stuff up to get the juices flowing again. They totally don't, not even a little bit.

I didn't really have a point there, just that the Gap is not looking so good. Or maybe my taste has changed. Never mind, I'll go elsewhere! Where, I don't know. I need your help:

I want a pink or blue button down work shirt in a thick (broadcloth?) cotton, you know what I mean? It's a little hard to tell by looking at a shirt online whether it's the texture I want. So I won't bother with pictures.

And I want a skirt with a wide waist and a bit of a flounce just at the hipbones below the waist, not too short but not too long either. I want to describe it as a "teacup skirt" and have even gone so far as to google that phrase, but by doing so I realized that I made it up in my own mind. But you know what I mean, right? The skirt itself may not actually exist, either...

Since I seem to be fancying myself a bomber jacket, I found this one that I like better than yesterday's bomber jacket (it also seems to share some traits with letterman's jackets, no?)


I also continue my lifelong search for cool plaid pants that I can wear to work. In searching for some, I came across no plaid, but instead some decent brown corduroys at urban which I like:


(And just for a laugh, I entreat you to take a look at the incredible clown-school-reject-inspired pants selection at urbanoutfitters.com.)

Bet you ten to one I'll end up finding none of these things and buying some other, cheaper impulse purchase crap that will fall apart in a matter of weeks. Wish me and my resolve the best of luck!

Wendy + Sarah 4 EVA

I woke up this morning thinking about you, OTW! Dear diary, I think this relationship is for keeps!

But enough pillow talk. Today started out very well for me: I picked up my black, low-heeled boots from the shoe guy, which means it's time to window shop for cute things to wear with said boots. Not surprisingly.

Since this IS a wish list, and I am allowed to wish for whatever I want, today I'm going to wish for some Built By Wendy fare. On the actual BBW site instead of trolling on eBay (where people use "Built By Wendy" to advertise their muumuu's, plaid workshirts, used underpants, you name it).


Like this dress, adorably named "Edelweiss". Boots would look quite sweet with this one, I tell you!


And this beauty, which would fulfill my dream of owning a leather bomber jacket! Well, maybe dream is a bit strong... more than a passing whim, let's say. Add black boots, result equals total hotness.


Hello, sailor tunic...


And this cute little purse, though I'm not exactly in the market... as if to imply that I AM in the market for anything else...

In case you didn't piece it together on your own, someone got her loan check for the semester. Shop shop shop shop. Books, what? Not here! Hey, at least most of my fantasy buys are on sale.

Bag it?

It's been no secret among friends that I have been eyeing this little Goorin Brothers Hobo bag for months and months... and now that it's fall, it certainly seems appropriate that I re-fire the lusting! In the interim, I've wasted well over twice the price of the bag trying to find cheaper substitutes that proved utterly unsatisfying... this could end soon, and end well!


Dare I??

Blue is me.

To be perfectly frank, I wouldn't kick this J. Crew A-line Cotton Taffeta Belle Skirt out of bed in either Dark Fog OR Deep Atlantic.


(Dark Fog pictured here)

The names seem a bit erroneous to me, since the gray looks a lot more like the Atlantic Ocean I know than any blue ever could... misnomers notwithstanding, I do like both tones. But since this craving is about blue, we'll be going with blue.


Hello, blue.

And while we're on the subject of blue, I also recently saw beautiful, thick blue tights of the same color on a girl, and wanted them desperately. I want them. If you see them, please tell me! I promise not to wear them with my imaginary Belle skirt nor the Seychelles flats in the same color family.

I wonder if I'm being subconsciously influenced by the predestined "it" color of the season that J. Crew or Banana Republic has deemed "hot".