a material girl stuck in a not-so-material work world

7.26.2005

Pants! Pants! Pants!

Gap is having an amazing sale on tons of their pants, including jeans.

I went to the store and got 3 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of pants. I would have gotten more, but I absolutely have to have the Long length to wear with heels and because I'm tall and those are hard to come by. And for a while there (a year) Gap (and BR) did away with Long length pants in the stores (but still carried Petites!). Seriously; short people can have their pants hemmed, but tall people can't have their pants lengthened! I was livid. Thankfully, they have started carrying them again. I like to think that it was, in some part, my doing; since I threw about 7 fits in the stores and wrote some nasty e-mails to both Gap & BR.

Also, with your new pants, you will need a new cell phone to carry on them! Kidding! But I did get a new cell phone yesterday, and I love it. For carrying in my purse, of course. Without a case. Cell phone cases are like having plastic covers on your furniture.

7.25.2005

revelations

I need to get measured for my true bra size. Seriously.

In college, I found out that 4 of my girlfriends and I (all of whom are different sizes) all wore a B-cup. I remember thinking "I am right, they are wrong." I've doubted myself ever since.

Fact: 80% of women wear the wrong bra size. It was on Oprah a couple weeks ago. It was in the Houston Chronicle last week. I need to get fitted.

From the article:
YOU MAY BE IN THE WRONG SIZE IF...
Your bra moves when you move around. (me!)
Your breasts spill over the cup sides or tops. (opposite… I
don’t always fill them up)
Your straps fall down, even after adjusting. (me!)
Your bra rides up in the back. (sometimes)

Then, I was watching Full Frontal Fashion on WE, and they were doing the "Top 10 Ways to Look Slimmer." Number 2? Lingerie that fits. Number 1? Having your clothes altered. [Tangent: Why the hell is that annoying guy that's always on VH1's I Love the 80s shows on there?! He's such an idiot and reminds me of a bad pirate or something. He wears neckerchiefs for God's sakes! What can he know about fashion!?]

I was going to go this weekend, but started worrying about it: How do they measure you? Is it embarrassing? I have no problem getting a brazilian bikini wax, but for some reason this is different. I am going to get fitted.


Next up: getting clothes that don't fit properly altered. Sweater sleeves shortened, pants lengthened, and the most important one of all: Getting my jeans altered. Yes, I said it. We'll see how that goes.

7.19.2005

i heart this coat



This may be my new fall coat. I love brown, it's such a change from black. Gap.com is out of these right now, but hopefully the store will have them in this fall.

And cross your fingers that it's well-constructed and cute on.

7.18.2005

dream boots

So, sometime this weekend, I saw some boots. I don't know where or when (for some reason, I picture them on Jessica Simpson). I saw the Wedding Crashers*, and they very well could have been worn by someone in a preview (and no, it wasn't Dukes of Hazzard, I checked the screencaps).

I want these boots.

I scoured the internet, zappos, nordstrom, google, kitson. No luck.


These are the closest I could find. But they were more of a reddish color & had some kind of intricate flower(?) design at the top. And more "beat up" & less shiny.

Also, the heel was a little more stacked, like these or like these Ralph Laurens.


It's quite possible I dreamed them up.





*Also, the wedges that Rachel McAdams had on in Wedding Crashers? LOVE.

makeup products that i love

I am a sucker for new products. If I find something great, I'll stick with it for a while, then usually move on to something else. But there are some that I've been using for a few years now...

I love, love, love Revlon's skinlights (especially the foundation) line. After one super-tan summer where, in every picture, my face was white as a ghost, and the rest of me was super-tan, I discovered "light-reflecting pigments." These reflect the light, instead of absorbing it, so your skin looks more natural (especially in pictures). There are some more expensive brands that have them (I love Estee Lauder's So Ingenious pressed powder, haven't tried the foundation). I also use the Skinlights Illuminator as a highlighter on cheeks, inner-eye area (got that from Carmindy on WNTW), and for all over on a night out. It adds a hint of sparkle, smells like flowers, and looks awesome with a tan.

My favorite concealer is Revlon's New Complexion Concealer. And my friends tell me I "never break out." I totally do, but this concealer helps hide them (and undereye circles).

Also, I just tried Maybelline's Lash Discovery Mascara and it's awesome.

I can't usually justify blowing lots of money in a department store for expensive makeup, but for some reason, I spent a lot of money at the (now defunct) reflect.com. They had customized products, a money-back guarantee, and amazing customer service. I was sad to see them go. I loved their ($17) lipsticks. Especially the sheer shades.

The best lip gloss in the entire world (I have tried everything from Lancome to MAC to mark. to Estee Lauder... they are all sticky!) is CoverGirl Wetslicks. They go on good alone, or on top of lipsticks. They don't stay on forever, but what lipgloss does? AND THEY ARE NOT STICKY! However, the Wetslicks Crystals? No. It's like sand got into your lipgloss.

I also like mark's Kiss Therapy (original). It's a little bit sticky, but lasts a long time, and makes my lips super soft. It doesn't have much color, but really looks good by itself.

I'm always on the lookout for new eyeshadows (Maybe it's the humidity, but these suck and so do these). Currently, I'm using bronzer & blush for eyeshadow. And for eyeliner: Usually the cheaper, the better. As long as it's soft, and goes on really well. The two "expensive" (over $6) eyeliners I've tried, I hated. They were hard, and hard to put on. My mom loves Chanel's Aquacrayon, but that's a little "How much is it Marie?" ["It's very expensive."] for me.

7.15.2005

fashion laws

Toes & Leather never together.

Guys who don't wear undershirts cannot be trusted.

Cell phones on the belt is never a good idea. Especially woven belts.

Never take fashion advice from someone carrying a backpack purse.

Black + Brown = No.

Your socks should always match your pants. Except for jeans, then they should match your shoes.*

If you love the shoes that much, buy them. Your happiness will be worth the price.

If you love the shoes, but they "don’t match anything you own," buy them. You will be surprised
what you will come up for the love of the shoes.

If you own any platform Frankenstein Shoes (TM Stacey on WNTW), it's time to throw them out.

If you have never seen a Louis Vuitton purse in Real Life, you need to get out more.

If you are a female and you do not own a black shirt, or a black pair of pants, or a little black dress, you need to buy them. Today.

*Personally, for women, I hate seeing socks ever with jeans. I only wear no-socks-required shoes or boots.

7.13.2005

Fall shoes





Neiman's is taunting me: "Go on a quest to find these beautiful boots for the fall..." I'm on it! Hate the purse though - animal prints are soooo 1998.

Just how much do I love these $895 Prada boots?


Almost as much as I hate these $420 Fendi "shoes."

these aren't bad, right?


So, I'm getting old. My feet hurt. I think it was the aggresive pedicure I gave myself. And possibly the blister I got from 2-year-old shoes last week (WTF?).

But, I was surfing on Aerosoles.com. I won't even link it, because I'm ashamed. My friends would kill me if they found out.

But, I kind of like these shoes. The tangerine ones. They would look cute with jeans or a white circle skirt.

They are sold out. Hmmm...maybe the store would have them.

7.12.2005

BR for Fall


Looking at BR's clothes for fall. Now, I can get onboard with the colors: browns, greens, this yellow. But can we please stop with the pregnancy shirts? Who looks good in these things? No one. Not even this model. She looks 3 months along. Now, if I was pregnant right now I would be in heaven. So many clothes to choose from, so little time. But, seriously. It's Got To Stop.







What is this thing? Gross. It's like those things that Lucky kept trying to pawn off as a "hot" beach coverup for the summer.







Are they trying to make all of their models look huge? What is the deal? Yeah, ok, this SIZE TWO MODEL looks awful in it, where do I pick one of those up?

Also: Combining Styles. Fashiongirl's pet peeve #1. It's got billowly sleeves! And a sashy-belt thing! And lace trim! And if it doesn't have enough going on: Grandma's necklace.

7.11.2005

fashion girl, volume I

I love shopping. I love Lucky. I love clothes. And shoes. And purses.

Sadly, I work in an environment where fashion is not a priority. No one cares that I got my silver Nicole Miller hobo bag for $70, marked down from $200 IN APRIL. No one cares about the Hunt For the Perfect Black Open-Toed Pumps that ended in my finding the original pair that I fell in love with for $25.

I am a heel-wearing girl in a tennis shoes-wearing world. Help me.