I Can Explain this "Recession"

Recession? No, not so much. Bad merchandising? There it is!

Ok, while this totally isn't 100% to blame for the retail slowdown, I would like to point out that I was tryyyyyying to spend some money today. "Trying" being the key word.

I wanted a warm-ish or at least some sort of long-sleeve dress that was more cocktail than formal for today's gala. Here's how shopping went:Marshall's
-nada in the dresses and petites
-hella nada in the 2's

Old Navy
(thought FOR SURE this would be a one-stop shop because they usually have a great selection of professional wear that can dressed up for fun)
-FAIL!Finally settled on the following (sort-of) 1/2 sleeve length dress just because it worked. I frickin' HATE shopping like that.



The reason I say sort-of in reference to this dress is because a: the one I picked out was actually black and b: it was gathered with a belt at the waist. MUCH cuter. (Oh - and I have good enough sense not to go anywhere in public when it's 40 degrees in open-toe sandals. JUST SAYING....) Tights and boots for this girl!

Plus, the dress I got is crazy thick (the deciding factor) and not "lightweight" as described online.

So there ya go, had any of my convenient Cary, NC retailers stocked some seasonally-appropriate staples, maybe we'd be seeing less of a 5.8% decrease in the retail sector.

At least this weekend's bad luck wasn't wide-spread... some of my bloggin' friends had quite a few blog-worthy shopping successes:Lisa S. straight up CLEANED UP with some great winter staples

Biscuits are Never Boring took "warehouse fun" to a new level and saved some huge cash on some great Lilly items!On a positive note, the BF looked very snazzy for today's event. I hope to have pictures this week from the awesome photog who graciously took pictures in between bidding to share.

And a double positive note, the gala was a HUGE success and a lot of fun - for an AMAZING cause!

PS - Did you know that lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women and men in the US, taking more lives than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined? I didn't either. Pass it on. There is very little research and funding in this area which we know contributes to it's less than 15% survival rate within one year of diagnosis.

Deal of the Week: Old Navy Built-In Tanks

Took a quick browse through Old Navy last weekend and the only things I walked out with were two of these great tanks/camisoles:
Women's Shelf-Bra Camis
$12.50 each, buy two or more - $9.00 eachI actually scooped up a black and white for only $5.00 each. NICE!

These are just the type of camis you can never have too many hanging in the closet (or in my case, in the cami drawer). The neckline is very flattering and I purchased two x-smalls and the length STILL goes past my belt (I love a shirt that doesn't ride up and covers belly button still after a few washes!). Good stuff right there.

The same discount isn't available currently online, but $5.00 built-in camis are worth stalking your local ON for. I'll probably by one of each color next time I see this deal again!

Update: I Can SO Pull Them Off...

Remember this post from back in February?

..."Nick seems to think I'm not 'long-legged' enough to pull off the look... blasphemy. All it takes is a cute pair of wedge sandals or heels. (Although mine will most likely end up paired with ballet flats or cute flat sandals if I get them tailored.) Either way: it'll still happen."Well, well, well Mr. Pessimistic... what have we here?Still loving these pants!

The upside of a boyfriend with UNC season tickets (while I am a die-hard Wolfpack girl), is that I can still wear silver blue seersucker pants (not to be confused with Carolina blue) clear through the entire fall season! Bonus points for me!

What All You Well-Dressed Gentlemen Have Been Waiting For...

...and also for us southern girls who love a sharp-dressed man!Southern Proper "Tailgates and Ties" Trunk Show
Preppy and Football...It's What We Do.

Date: Friday, September 19, 2008
Time: 12:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Varsity Men's Wear, Crabtree Valley Mall

Stop by Varsity Friday before the NCSU vs ECU football game to get all your tailgating essentials, bowties, neckties, Proper Polos, and more! There may even be a free gift with purhase like croakies and koozies!

Ladies, come by and pick something up to surprise your beau!

Also, get the chance to meet the original belles of the business. Emmie and Reagan will be visiting from Atlanta for this special event.

Feel free to invite all your friends!Kisses to my lovely little Pi Phi - and fellow NCSU COT girl - Mary Lauren for sending me the scoop!

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” - CoCo Chanel

I am not a Lifetime girl by any means (well, except for the 1:00am hour of Golden Girls re-runs!) and I usually cringe at the thought of a Lifetime movie, but not this one.Super big thanks to Lauren's post on the upcoming movie for reminding me a: that I wanted to blog about this, and b: to add it to my calendar and DVR so I don't miss it!

September 13th - 8pm. (Attn: local sorority readers - that's during recruitment. Don't forget to DVR it on the house TV!)

Can't wait!

PS - Shirley MacLaine is the "stuff" (if you will), too. I think she'll make a fabulous CoCo!

Stalk It

Another Shop It To Me favorite... Ella Moss for dirt cheap. Nordstrom "claims" it's unavailable at the moment... this is worth stalking.Megan joked last weekend at the tailgate that her BF "Big Cam" and I really were meant for each other (we joke that he is my future ex-husband) - because we both can throw on a black shirt if all else fails and go on about our merrily. SO true. This is a closet staple (with a modern twist) worth owning.

(Too bad the lucky Ella Moss model looks anything but pleasant.)