Handbag of the Day: Cheetah Print Clutch

This is the Fossil Vintage Reissue Clutch.  It is $148. And it just screams I-wish-I-was-on-safari and Where The Hell Is My Camel Trench And Fedora, no?

It's fabulous, people.  Most of Fossil's vintage reissues are pretty fly, actually, but this one is particularly alluring.  It's huge, at 9" x 13.25", and it will work as a neutral bag with pretty much anything except another busy print. The cheetah print is calf hair, giving it some luxury.  Love.

Wear at Work is on Facebook!

I know, I know.  Welcome to 2009.  Better late than never?

Once I have 25 followers, I can secure a specialize user name and give you a link.  In the meantime, you SHOULD be able to search for Wear at Work once you sign in on FB...

A Retail Score of Epic Proportions

People, I am not a good second-hand shopper.  I rarely have the patience to paw through bins of leftovers and racks of crap.  I don't want my clothes to smell musty.  My gag reflex is easily triggered. And I don't like the idea of so much polyester in one place.

BUT..

My friend Friday is on a mission to go an entire year buying only second-hand and thrifted clothes to decrease her carbon footprint.  While admirable, this isn't something I could do.  For one thing, it's nearly impossible (in my admittedly limited experience) to find something very specific.  If you are suit shopping or trying to find the perfect black pencil skirt second hand, good luck. 

But if you are just browsing,you could find yourself part of the biggest retail score of the year. 

Ever since I saw these shoes on the feet of Dr. Elliot Reed in Scrubs, I have been lusting after- and searching for- them:

That was in 2008.


I orginally couldn't figure out who made them, so when I stumbed upon the orange version:

(I know they look red here)

...I found out they were Marc by Marc Jacobs.  And they were $500.

Periodically, I searched for them on sale.  But as time went by, they were no longer available. So, I put them on the list of The Ones That Got Away.

Cut to Friday and I at a random consignment store in SF, where everything was clean, nothing smelled musty, and high end designer clothes and shoes and bags were everywhere I looked. 

Being shoe obsessed fanatical curious, I tend to scan the shoe selections in such places first.  As we moved toward the back of the store, I hear "THOSE are FABULOUS." 

I look down. 

I spot them.  I garble something about how OMG-I-have-been-looking-for-those-for-years and OMG-they-are-amazing. 

I pick them up and hold my breath.  I turn them over. 

They are my size. 

And they are $69.  They were mine before I even hit the cash register.

People, this is a coup.  One that won't likely be repeated for a long, long time.

I doubt I will ever be a second-hand shopping expert.   But I will remember the thrill of that score forever, which might make it easier the next time I venture into a thrift store.  And obviously I will be returning to that one.

A Mullet Skirt. At Safeway.

I almost forgot the best/worst fashion news of my week!  I saw an otherwise normal-looking woman wearing a mullet skirt yesterday.  At Safeway.  In the produce department.  Different colors than this pic, but otherwise, that's the skirt she was wearing.  While picking out her bananas.

A Letter to InStyle

Dear InStyle,

I follow you on Twitter and often click your links to see who wore what to which event no one else knows about and which nail colors are hot that week/day/hour.  I appreciate the up-to-the-minute coverage of unattainable celebrity looks and overpriced skincare products.  You particularly excel in convincing me, while I stand in line at the grocery store, that I simply must have your latest print issue, even though I know that 100% of its content is available- for free- online.  With your colorful, glossy covers promising me better skin in an hour and that I will look more stylish in 30 seconds, I cannot help but succumb to your pages.

However, yesterday you posted a link to an article called "Vampire Girlfriends: Are You Like Bella, Elena, Sookie, or Buffy?"

So, um.  This is not a thing.  Which Vampire Girlfriend I am, that is.  It's not comparable to asking whether people have a classic, romantic, or edgy style, or whether we think Karl Lagerfeld has had botox.  It's just...not a thing.

Aside from the fact that I don't know who any of those chicks are (except Buffy, obviously), I am grossed out horrified a little concerned that you are telling women that they'd be good at being some vampire dude's gf.  Even if vampires existed (see: not a thing, above), they suck blood.  You know, to stay alive or powerful or whatever.  So that's gross.  And vaguely immoral.  And probably illegal.  Thus, a woman aspiring to date such a dude in real life, or even find out which such weirdo she'd be most compatible with, is disturbing.  Like Seek-Professional-Help disturbing, not I-Still-Like-Hello-Kitty disturbing. 

And you are not only encouraging such weirdness, you are tweeting it to all 2,021,019 (at last count) of your followers.

I read your magazine and site for its content on clothes, makeup, and which celebrity wore some fugly dress better.  Not for strange, off the wall topics like this one. 

Stick to what you do best, please.  All 2 million+ of us will thank you.

Ellen S.

Handbag of the Day: Weathered Shoulder Bag

For everyone who prefers a more rugged look- and even something a little masculine- I bring you this weathered shoulder bag.  It's $112.95, is fully lined, features some cool brass studs, and your purchase will fund 6% of a mammogram.  I can see this working in all seasons, with a variety of outfits; it will certainly lend a tougher vibe to whatever else you are wearing.

10ish Things You Must Own

It's been a long time since I posted about the items every woman absolutely must have in her closet.  Most lists are boring as hell and hardly capture the diversity of women and their needs.  Since most of these "must have" lists bug me, I usually create my own.

InStyle's latest list doesn't bug me, however.  It's actually updated for this year! And it includes animal print! And there's no white button down!  I recommend checking it out.

For the first time, I can get on board with 9 out of 10 items on such a list.  The one I disagree with?  An oversize watch.

Accessories, as I keep repeating OVER AND OVER, should be proportional to the person wearing them.  So, if you are a tiny person, have tiny wrists, or your frame generally gets overwhelmed by large peices, an oversize watch won't do you any favors. 

I can get away with huge necklaces because of my stature, but because I have small wrists, large peices there just look silly.

Ladies, read these lists with a skeptical eye.  Be open-minded about trying new things, but if something doesn't work, move on.