A week into NaNoWriMo and I’m exhausted. HOW DOES ANYONE FINISH THIS CHALLENGE?
shopping
Dress Quest 2010
Three weeks ago, I posted about the agony of finding the perfect dress for my sister’s upcoming wedding. I talked about the bevy of stores I’d been visiting in person and online, and briefly mentioned the swing towards HOOCH many modern bridesmaid dresses have taken. As Maid of Honor, it was imperative I find the right dress. My sister didn’t want something too formal, but being an evening affair it couldn’t be casual either. She wanted it to be blue, preferably lighter in color, and shortish. No small order, given most of the dresses I was finding were 1) not blue, and 2) too short for someone as tall as me. To compound matters, I’d found dresses for my daughters in a pale ice blue – a great color but uncommon – and wanted to try to match mine to theirs.
I am not being dramatic when I say finding this dress was akin to being forked repeatedly in the eye whilst receiving electroshock. I spent hours online, cruising websites till my buns was numb. I went from store to store to store, trying on anything that could even remotely work, regardless of price or quality. If it was blue, I put it on. Most of what I found was horrific. Cheap fabrics, poor cuts, too short, too skimpy, too bad. A few dresses were lovely, and of course those were inevitably wrong, in whatever way. One was too casual – and waaaaaay too expensive. Another just too big – and past season. No smaller size available. A couple fit fine but were boring beyond belief. With each passing day my frustration and sense of desperation grew palpably greater, and I was sleeping poorly at night. Rather than dream, shades of blue would wash over me like waves, till it was time to start looking again.
And then it happened. I’d practically given up when SHE arrived in the mail. One look and I knew. The right size, the right fit. The silk chiffon was featherweight – no way would I be sweltering in the Georgia heat. Okay, she was dark, and long, but she was CLASSY. Formal without feeling stiff, flowy and feminine and beautiful. The minute I put her on, I felt like a princess. FINALLY! a dress to do my sister proud. I’d never have imagined it, but I knew she was the one.
Don’t I scream Matro(fu)n of Honor? YOU KNOW I DO!! And it even looks great with the shoes I’d bought! Even though it’s so long no one will ever even see them! YAY!!
Now, having survived this experience, I would like to share some of my newly-acquired shopping knowledge so that others may be spared a margin of agony in their own quests.
NUMBER ONE
J.Crew may have nice looking clothes, but they have the very worst shipping policy of any company I found. I ordered from them twice. On both occasions I bought two dresses, each weighing roughly 16 paperclips. The first time they charged me $17.50 to ship. You heard me right. SEVENTEEN DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS to ship mere ounces of fabric. And of course the dresses didn’t work and had to be shipped back – for an additional $7.50. That happened not the one time, as I mentioned, but twice. I told myself it’d be okay. Well, you know what, J.Crew, it’s not okay. Your dresses were labeled special occasion but you lied. They looked like office wear. And it’s not right to charge 4 times what a normal office dress would cost, plus an extra effing dress for shipping. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! (I am so sickened by this whole thing, I can’t even open my eyes – PS: the copier is broken and someone drank the last of the coffee)
NUMBER TWO
If you’re seeking nice footwear for any occasion, Nordstrom ROCKS. Cutest shoes ever, great price, and the BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE!! I ordered online, shoes arrived – mine fit, Maddie’s fit, but Georgia’s were way too big. I called them up, Adam (my rep) placed an exchange order for me immediately, which arrived tout de suite and fit perfectly. Oh, and no shipping charge either.
NUMBER THREE
I like Macy’s. They may have a pretty limited selection of formal wear in my local Portland store, but their website stocks it all. The orders arrived quickly and without issue. Free shipping (at least for me). Can you guess where the Dress came from? OOooh I feel preeeety, ooh so preettty, and … A+
NUMBER FOUR
Bluefly is a neat website and makes me wish I had buckets of money to spend. Their packaging was great. My dress came wrapped in tissue in a nice Bluefly bag and everything. Just like I’d been at their store (which I don’t think exists, but still..) Nice touch. Their return policy left something to be desired, as I was forced to print out a return slip. You know I kept the bag as compensation.
NUMBER FIVE
Like.com is cool. You type in just what you’re looking for, color, style and POOF! there is it, up on the screen. Little thumbnail pix collected from sellers across the internet. Simply scroll down and eyeball the selection. Easy breezy!
So, that’s it for now. I would say I’ll post more shopping knowledge as I acquire it, but now that I’ve found the dress I am avoiding retailers at all costs. So instead I will leave you with a parting shot of me & the Dress. Proof (at least to me) that God exists & loves me more than imaginable. Amen.
Weeding vs. Wedding
For the past several days I’ve been on FULL STEAM AHEAD. Not out in the yard, but in every bridal shoppe in town. Not to mention the mall, several discounters, the outlet stores, a couple thrift shops, and that one really funky vintage clothing boutique downtown. Plus, thanks to cyberspace, I’ve been cruising every upscale retailer in the country. All in the quest for THE DRESS.
Back in December I posted about my sister getting engaged. I joked about being Matro(FU)N of Honor, wearing a Scarlet O’Hara=esque gown, and so on. Well, fast forward five months. The wedding is now sitting on top of us and I’ve yet to secure a real dress. I may joke about a lot of things, but this is not funny.
Without disclosing her private life, my sister is in a grueling school program which barely allows for sleep, let alone shopping. The fact that she lives 1000 miles away isn’t helping. Thank GOD she has her own dress already!! But.. I hear you saying.. the mother of the bride always fills in the gap. The mother of the bride buys a dress for herself, then helps the bride select dresses for her party, and the bluebirds sing while little fairies float around their heads and they all live happily ever after. Well, of course. Except our mother is a high powered executive currently employed out of state. So NONE of us are together. And if you haven’t gleaned this quite yet, I am not exactly a shopper. Don’t get me wrong, if I had bags of money I wouldn’t have a problem spending hours each week in stores, but my life is not like that. I wouldn’t know an upscale dress shoppe if it bit me on the a$$. Which IT HAS.
Yesterday I had on a dress that costs more than I have in the bank. It was gorgeous. I wanted it BAD. But it wasn’t quite right. The day before I tried on roughly 25 dresses at a lovely bridal place downtown. Many of them were stunning, but none of them was IT. I have been to Macy’s more times in the past week than I have since we moved here. I keep pretending this dress is going to magically appear from doors at the back of the store, but it’s NOT!! I’m just trying on the same damn things I did the day before.
I want my sister to be happy. I want her wedding to be perfect. And in my own way I am trying to make that so. But it is leading me to obsess. And as many lovely dresses I have seen, in every color of the rainbow except for the one that I NEED, I have seen an equal number that should be stripped from the racks & burned. The running joke used to be how ugly bridesmaid dresses are. I think the backlash against hideousness has gone so far in the opposite direction, we’re now actually worse off. I will be blunt. I know every woman wants to look sexy and appealing, but if you are unable to discern the fine line between “gorgeous” and “cheap ho” please do us all a favor and stay home. A wedding is sacred, or should be. The BRIDE is meant to stand out, not your floozy self. Let’s show some CLASS, Ladies!
And on that note, I am off. So many dresses to eyeball, only so many hours in the day. Wish me luck.
Dear Trader Joe,
HEY BUDDY!! How are you?! Yep, we’re all good. I was thinking about you this morning & realized it’s been almost a Y-E-A-R since I last saw you. I KNOW! You still wearing that same crazy shirt? Yeah, me too. So. Listen bud. I wrote a few months ago, and I realize how busy you are – but seriously. The time has come. WHEN ARE YOU COMING TO MAINE???!!! B/c I am out of stuff.
Peppermint castile soap. Salt free tomatoes. No salt tuna and sockeye salmon. Dried mango. Knockoff cereal. chocolate chips. Emergen-C. Bargain priced stonyfield farm yogurt. Joe, I will be blunt. Portland is stupendous, but it simply won’t be paradise until you’re here too.
I emailed you weeks ago. Requesting a new location….and… and…Nothing. DUDE – I miss you! Baaad. The stickers and balloons. Those wild shirts. From your 2 Buck Chuck to your chocolate covered almonds. From your french milled goodness to your uncured hot dogs – to the tofu, Joe. I need you.
Portland *(maine) needs you.
Love,
your favorite MAINE-UH (really from away)
Dishy.
PS: And Please hurry, b/c my recyclable shopping bags have all sprung holes & I’m in need of some colorful new ones. But – only yours. xo
My quest for the perfect winter coat. SUCCESS!!
After days spent searching, my quest has finally come to an end. And though it might sound like an endorsement of polygamy – which it is NOT. I am here to announce my perfect coat is not actually ONE coat, But Two.
Meet Coat No. 1. The Spyder Glacier Jacket by Spyder Active Sports.
Facts:
1) This jacket is the MOST BAD ASS COAT EVER. It makes me feel like a million bucks. Which – given its MSRP of $600 FREAKING DOLLARS, I guess isn’t too far from the truth. Fortunately I got mine at the super ski-tastic sale going on right now @ T.J. Maxx in South Portland. And since you get the max for the minimum at T.J. Maxx, you know I did not pay full price.
2) As you can see from the photo below, my arms are indeed long. Yet this jacket does not leave inches of flesh exposed to the elements.
LISTEN UP, L.L.BEAN! Tall women w/ long arms are people too. In this case, people w/ cash. And though I did pay a good deal more for this Spyder jacket than I would have at your most beloved of Maine institutions, it was worth every penny. My advice? Next season, branch out.
3) Speaking of sleeve length. When I found this coat – in T.J.MAXX of South Portland w/ its super ski-tastic sale going on right now – I nearly swooned. It was IT. Hood – check. Front zipper – check. Roomy pockets – check & check. ADEQUATE SLEEVE LENGTH? With room to SPARE. But there’s more. The cuffs have adjustable velcro closures to keep out all the cold.
AND – the Best part ever? There are spandex half gloves – BUILT RIGHT IN!!!!! So no breeze will ever billow up my sleeve, my sleeve will never come loose from my glove, and every day will be better than the day before.
4) While I am discussing the superb features of this coat. I would like to compliment the genius designer who came up w/ this lil beauty. B/c it ROCKS. We have something here along the southern coast of Maine. Both a blessing & a curse, it is called coastal air. In the summer, the ocean breezes are a DREAM. But as the weather gets colder, and then colder still, this body numbing blustery wind has a unique effect on the bones. I liken it to death. So when I saw that this coat not only had a hood, but a hood w/ all sorts of hidden toggles, to cinch in my heat from that fearful icy wind, I thought to myself. BLOODY GENIUS.
PS: When I discovered two days ago that said hood also features a built-in VISOR. I nearly cried.
5) We have a running joke in our family about how much spiders love me. Wherever I go, Poof! there they are. As a child, I used to find them crawling on me in the night. Two months ago, a spider literally FELL FROM THE SKY right on top of my head. So imagine the jokes when I found this perfect coat, made by Spyder. With a spider logo right there on the chest. Calling all my minions to rally round and/or jump right onto me. It was fate.
But – I hear you asking – if this coat is so darn perfect (which everyone knows it is) then why Coat No. 2??
Like most stories about mothers and daughters and winter coats, this one isn’t simple. B.c it gets cold here in Portland. Really cold. Like, right now – even though it’s only mid-October, it’s 41 degrees. Sure, that’s warm in Alaska. But compared to HOTLANTA? nothing doing. My mommy is checking those weather forecasts every morning in the AJC. She already knows there’s a 40% chance of snow tomorrow in Portland. And being too far away to wind a scarf round my head, she wants to make 250% sure that I am warm. Like all good Mommies, nothing is ever good enough for her baby. Even when it’s a $600 FREAKING DOLLAR TOP OF THE LINE SKI JACKET MADE FOR PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES CASCADING DOWN MOUNTAINTOPS AT HYPER VELOCITY IN THE DEAD OF WINTER. It’s just a coat. A coat which doesn’t cover her baby’s tushy. THAT’S RIGHT! Even when baby is 3 decades out of diapers, momma still wants to dress you. SO/to recap. Not even the BEST is good enough for me. My beloved Spyder Glacier Jacket only comes to my waist. Leaving my derriere and nether regions exposed & vulnerable. I’ve got a brand new unbelievably pricy Spyder jacket now hanging (next to my forlorn former coat) in the closet, and I was STILL getting suggestions from my mom about long puffy parkas from The North Face. I felt like a newlywed, whose mother continues forwarding links to eligible bachelors on Match.com. Knowing this would not end until we were both satisfied, I soldiered on. It was essential to find yet another perfect coat. One which would cover my sensitive butt-ular regions, my chicken thighs, and perhaps – if I was lucky – even my two underinsulated kneecaps. And so I went. Back to that blessed Maine institution with the two first initials & the heavenly last name spelling out the very best of good fortune. NO, NOT L.L.BEAN!! I am talking about T.J. Maxx of South Portland. And as fate would have it. I scored once again. High five.
Meet Coat No. 2. Black Rivet brand 3/4 length parka.
Facts:
1) I love the fit of this coat. After trying on countless iterations of the same theme and being horrified by the marshmallow staring back at me from the mirror, I was genuinely pleased w/ this style. It is lengthy and provides the warmth I need, without the look of an overstuffed sausage. It manages to be both lightweight, yet well insulated. Wearing it, I look more like a sleek female seal than a male walrus, and for this I am grateful.
2) This coat has good features. For instance, the zipper. It works. Don’t laugh. If you had tried on as many coats w/ crap zippers as I have, you would know it’s no joke. Easy on & off, zero hassle. Check. A built-in hood, both roomy & warm – NO FUR TRIM – and without so much hang it renders me blind. Check. Only downside: I truly wish it had cinching toggles each side, but not every hood is perfect. I will wear this one w/ a hat.
Fortunately, this coat makes up for it in a very high neck. I like these types of collars. They are practical, providing excellent wind protection, plus they are attractive. The two zippered pockets are lined and roomy enough for my (very large) hands. Check & check.
3) The sleeves are long enough. HINT HINT L.L.BEAN.
4) Despite all the pluses. I am not big on the shiny factor of this coat. Although some may think it pretty and satin sheen seems quite the rage this season, this would not have been my first choice. Nor my second, nor frankly my 15th. The last time I owned a satin coat I was in late elementary school. Something about the shininess makes me feel like a little kid wearing brand new patent leather shoes, terrified of getting them scuffed. It also reminds me of Morticia Adams and/or the inside liner of a coffin. But I liked everything else so much, I am pretending i like the satin sheen too. Yes i am one of the satin ladies. Bling-bling. That’s no supernova – it’s just me in my new coat. Yay.
5) This coat, unlike my beloved Spyder, cost less than a casino outing. And at $49.99 a little sheen never hurt.