Wednesday, January 10, 2007

First day of the Sales- Damage report

Well, I spent all my "allowance" and I only managed to buy myself 3 things. Ella, on the other hand, has an entire wardrobe for next winter. I swore I wouldn't do it- waste all my money on fancy clothes for her, since there is a very good chance that they will all be the wrong size next year and considering how particular she is about her clothes, she will refuse to wear any of it even if it does fit. Already, I called her over to try on a little kimono that I think is adorable and she gave it one glance and then shouted "No!" in response. Repeated entreaties to come by mama were summarily ignored. Not looking good.

I, however, love love love everything that I did buy myself. I had my heart set on a Chloe Paddington, but they weren't on sale and I don't want to pay 1200 euro for one since I know that in 6 months I will want something different no matter how much I might love it right now. Instead I looked at Marc Jacobs, Mui Mui, and Luella and ended up finding exactly what i had been wanting at Luella. Its a great big gray distressed leather quilted bag with a folder over top flap, a little bit squishy but not too much either. There is this sort of weird key-chain closure thing that is already proving to be a bit annoying but it looks good. Of course, 10 minutes later I walked past the Dior boutique and found a really nice black bag, just the right size, just the right price (at 50% off, it was incredible) but it was a bit too structured. Looked very much like a doctor's satchel and I didn't think that it would be quite right. Not that I mind returning things. I think every floor manager at Bon Marche knows me because I return stuff all the time, very very un-French of me. But that is why its good to shop with a girlfriend. In situations like those, she is there to either say "Just buy it and think about it later" or "Leave it, its not you" and then the whole thing is settled. I hate standing there like a dope while the salesgirl is getting visibly bored, trying to receive some message from above. Elizabeth, this would never have happened if you hadn't abandoned me!

The second purchase was a cream-colored trench(type) coat from Prairies de Paris. Its more mid-season than winter but its perfect. Classic but with really modern details. Exactly might type of thing and it was a fantastic price. I bought a coat from this mark a couple years ago and I wore it to death.

The final purchase was a deep blue jersey dress from Tufi Duek, a Brazilian brand I adore. The cut of the clothes is just perfect and that is saying something considering that almost everything is made from a feather-light jersey. Incredibly sexy dress that I wish I could have bought in black and purple as well but even at 50% off, it was a bit more than I would normally spend on summer dress. The problem is that they are a bit too sexy- you can't just throw it on for a stroll through the park. Definitely the casual end of eveningwear. But, since we are absolutely positively spending two weeks on some tropical island this spring, I figure that I needed to buy this dress. Its perfect for St Barts or the Maldives. Otherwise I would just have to go back at the end of February when I was doing my bags and buy one full price in order to fill the big gaping hole in my wardrobe, right?

Then, I headed to the shoe department and it was complete chaos. I am a dedicated shoe person and I take advantage of the sales every year to buy something really gorgeous and a bit out of the ordinary. Saying that, I did think I should try to find some flat black boots and they had a beautiful pair in my size at Balenciaga, but it was nearly impossible to try anything on with so many people. I found a pair of blue heels from Micheal Vivien that would have been great with my dress but I hesitated. I tried on pair of ballet flats at Tod's but wasn't blown away by them although it would have been very practical to buy them. But I just hate wasting money on practical purchases during the sales. Practical purchases can be done any time- you just say, "Well, I have to spend the money. I need it." Purchase justified. During the sales, you can buy any crazy item that catches your eye and call it sensible because you saved so much money.

I learned that from my mom. Wisdom passed down through the ages.

2 comments:

MollyM said...

Hi Nicole:

Just wanted to say I love your blog - just read many of your posts with much pleasure! Continue! Ella is adorable.
Molly

Nicole said...

Thanks so much. Its great to know who is reading :-)