STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

1. I love to scout for a bargain (which is important for #'s 2 & 3)

2. I can only shop alone, but not for everyone elses reasons, I am paranoid who I am shopping with might snag the deal I could find. This includes my mother.

3. I love trying a Look For Less, but inevitably hate what I buy, so I buy something else, hate that and so on. By the time I am done price wise I should have bought the higher end item.

4. I rarely return things, I hate the hassle so I end up hanging on to it then eventually give it to charity.

5. I despise getting things altered, its a pain in the a$$.

6. I am meticulous about caring for my clothes to the point I am anal, I have a dry cleaner that does better with more delicate fabrics, one that does general stuff and another that steams/ presses better then the rest.

7.I have a whole spare bedroom devoted to my walk in closet, yet I suffer from major fashion rut frequently.

8. I hate to shop, it puts me in a very bad mood so I send my sister out for me. We are the same size but with completely opposite tastes. If she hates it I will love it.

9. I love the idea of scarves, not outdoor scarves for warmth but as an accessory but I cannot wear them correctly, it does not stop me from buying them.

10. I buy semi-flats or higher heels and there is no inbetween and when I wear higher heels my feet hurt. I need to wear a more moderate heel and don't.

11. I dress better then everyone I work with, it's a fact and it's noticed and then I feel uncomfortable.

12. I am obsessed with coats and buy coats to go with just a few particular outfits.

13. I do not like fakes and can spot one a mile away, yet I am forced to wear a fake LV bag when I am visiting my MIL/FIL. They live in a small town and no one else would know or care but I do. I cringe when I do.

14. I am a snob when it comes to clothes. I may buy on sale but I have taste, I expect it from others.

15. I get lazy when it's cold and I have a long walk from my parking lot to my building, so I wear pants almost daily. Like so many others I have beautiful, fun skirts and look at them when I plan my outfits and remember just how cold it is. I also walk in to work with ugly sneakers on then change.

 

quote:

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Originally posted by: jacmckenna
1. Nearly all of my sweaters are cashmere.

6. I have more blazers than anyone could ever wear, probably more than a dozen. In college, almost 10 years ago, my crowd was into wearing vintage velvet and cord blazers to go out and I've hung on to them ever since and then they became really fashionable.

7. I didn't wear shorts for a very long time, aside from boxers to sleep in.

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i can relate to all of these! i am a total sweater snob. i wear sweaters all the time so i really want them to be good quality and last long. i don't own any sweaters that are acrylic or 100% cotton. everything is cashmere, cashmere blend, or silk blend.

i also have more blazers than most people - i have 27! i started collecting vintage velvet and cord blazers in high school (friends made fun of me because they thought blazers were soooo preppy back then) and i've just kept them all because i wear one almost every day. i have way more blazers than i have pants, jeans, and skirts combined!

i have never owned a pair of non-gym shorts. for some reason, as hard as it is for me to find pants that fit, it is 100 times harder for me to find a pair of flattering shorts that fit me.

1. If I'm wearing tall boots, I'll wear two totally different un-matching leftover socks. No one sees them, right?

2. I've had a button missing on my dressy winter coat for a year and a half now...I just button the top two buttons.

3. I lie to people about going to the mall/shopping, even when i'm on the phone w/ them I'll say I'm somewhere else...

4. I hardly ever wear jewelry...I use to have a lot of nice stuff, but I accumulated it all as presents from my ex-BF, and when we broke up, I handed it all back. Plus I wear glasses and I have this thing against wearing earrings or necklaces w/ my black frame glasses. And I only have a few pairs of earrings and they are all for going out when I wear my contacts. I don't own a watch anymore either, handed it back to the ex...

5. If a piece of clothing is more than two years old I will give it away/donate/sell. I don't understand people in my office that have suits that are 15 years old. Yes they have more clothes than me, but I'd rather have less nice and current styles, than tons of old outdated crap, aka, the lavender skirt suit someone in my office is wearing right now...(I'm so mean)

6. I dress very conservative to work. I wear all solid colors. I try to be very boring, but I still get compliments from my co-workers and it pisses me off. I'm serious. I TRY to be unstylish and boring, and yet they still compliment me. It's annoying to me and i sometimes don't even say thanks I just ignore their compliment and talk about work. (I just want the focus to be on my work not my clothes)

7. I have two totally different wardrobes. One for work, one for weekend. I have probably three tops total that can be worn to work and on weekends. And I wear glasses M-F and strictly contact on the weekend. And I have a totally different shoe wardrobe for work and for weekends. M-F are all 1-2" heels. Weekends I either wear sneakers or 3.5" stilettos.

8. I have a weakness for stilettos. my highest pair is 4".

9. I hate the stress of shopping and putting together outfits. I feel too pressured and it usually takes me at least two days of shopping to put together one outfit.

10. I hate paying full price. I rarely do. I usually only buy things on sale...and discounted at least twice.

11. This one is awful and i can't believe I'm admitting it. Sometimes, if I'm not dressed up enough, and I'm not earning the salesperson's proper respect, I'll "name drop" or, for example, ask for the latest style of a pair of jeans in a certain wash for example, just to let them know "I know what's up" that's so pathetic and lame...I know...

12. I sometimes dance in the dressing room by myself to see if things will be comfy when I move around, only to later notice that my dancing feet were showing the whole time to the rest of the dressing room...whatever! ;)

-- Edited by Lola at 11:14, 2004-12-16

-- Edited by Lola at 13:42, 2004-12-16

-- Edited by Lola at 14:09, 2004-12-16

-- Edited by Lola at 15:26, 2004-12-16

quote:

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Originally posted by: atlgirl
"Yeah Nylabelle, it's a PITA because I love vintage--costume or real, though I can't afford much real--and I like other contemporary designers' work too.  Usually if I am wearing a "statement" piece of jewelry by someone else, I will try to pair it with something of my own so that I can say, 'No, I didn't make this, but I did make this piece"...I just hate to flat-out say "no" because that seems to make the asker embarrassed and me feel like a meanie.  Usually I'll wear others' jewelry when I am, say, out to dinner with my husband because it's unlikely that the question of "what do you do for a living?" will come up LOL
And my closet is color-coded just like yours.  I read about doing that years ago and thought, "how brilliant!" and have done it ever since. Prints first, then solids, short skirts, then longer skirts, etc..and solids from light to dark colors. It sounds really anal but once it's all hanging that way, I've found it *much* easier to see what I have and keep things in order.
 
 
 "

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Yeah, I've pretty much started doing the same thing with jewelry. I always have to be wearing *at least* one thing that I've made and I try to avoid styles that are similar to what I make or could be mistaken for something I make. Of course, I love estate-style jewelry and more modern things in settings (diamonds, emeralds, tanzanite, sapphire, ect), so I'll wear that--finer jewelry from a jeweler--with the stuff I make b/c it's so different from my stuff that I don't feel *too bad* saying, no, I didn't make this one. Besides, if I didn't wear the expensive 'fine jewelry' what fun would the bf have? He likes to buy me jewelry, but he knows that it has to be something that doesn't even resemble what I make.

This is hilarious! I feel brave after reading everyone's posts so here goes...

1. I keep Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" on loop in my head and walk with very good posture when I shop at the mall to counteract any negativity I find there. The song and posture are my body armor, if you will.

2. I don't know how to polish shoes. I try and I always make a mess and as a result my shoes stay scuffed until I can take them to the shoe doctor. (so shameful)

3. I am ashamed at my obsession with shopping. I abhor the concept of mass consumerism and materialism but in actuality, I'm a buyer in good times and bad.

4. I absolutely love almost everything in BR. I wish I could hate it because there are five million of them out there and everyone can buy stuff there, but I can't.

5. I love, adore and buy all forms of cardigans. Long ones, short ones, fluffy ones, silky ones - makes no difference. And if I could (and I do a lot of the time), I'd wear one everyday, even if it was under a jacket and no one could tell it was on! I think I'm a librarian at heart.

6. I brag about vintage store finds. If someone compliments something I found at a vintage store, I'll gush on and on about it and how little it cost. It makes me feel thrifty and original.

7. I love to shop at stores where I can't afford a thing in them. I love to wander the aisles and racks and imagine what I would look like if I wore the beautiful clothes. And I never leave feeling bad because the prices are so far out of my range, it's beyond impossible to purchase anything.

8. I wear real fur. I bought two vintage jackets (see #6 above) with real fur collars. Sometimes I lie and say I'm not sure if it's real or not, even though I know it is, just because I don't want people to look down on me for not having faux!

9. I totally do the ambush makeover thing in my head, too!!! I say to myself, if she would only wear a longer jacket and some darker jeans, etc. and then I feel really guilty afterwards and I know I'm going to get some bad karma.

After reading the other posts, I don't feel that weird anymore...

I own only 4 pairs of jeans. But I am VERY ashamed to say that 2 of them are Abercrombie, AND they are my favourite.

I just cut the label off the back pocket of my CK jeans. Dunno why, I hate people to know who I am wearing.

This is big: If I am wearing a red sweather, I wear matching shoe laces (God, I am feeling such a weirdo in this moment).

I choose the color of my nail polish at night, after deciding what I'll wear the day after.

Few people have actually seen me not wearing make up.

I always feel fat after shopping. Always!

 

Gosh, it WAS hard...

 

I just thought of another one...

I carry purses that are meant for 8 year old girls to carry, like bubblegum pink velour bags that are shaped like the LV Papillion (duffle-bag style) embellished with Hello Kitty on the front pocket.

I loved reading your confessions - here are mine....

1. When I had my mid life crisis I decided it was time to reveal my inner fashionista.  As a result, most women in my office are totally intimidated with my style.  The gals in their 20's and 30's think I'm ultra cool. 

2.  There is no thing as too much cashmere.  I have about 25 sweaters, but some are vintage.  Also socks, scarves, gloves, hats, and one pair of pants.  I buy something every season, even if it's from Target. I got an adorable 3/4 sleeve pale blue cardigan this season, great for spring and autumn. 

3.  For some reason, shopping in the malls makes me ill from all the chemicals sprayed in the air and on the clothing.  So, when I shop, I power shop and buy a lot all at once. As soon as I get home, everything new gets washed.  I shop more and more online. 

4.  I love shopping for shoes on ebay.  I can't buy regular priced shoes any more. I only buy shoes, bags, and accessories on Ebay.  The clothes never fit.

5. I love the look of designer, but nothing ever fits me.  I only have a couple real designer clothing items, like an adorable DKNY skirt I bought last spring in the Las Vegas store.  Designer items rarely are made in size 14 petite!  In my next life I'm going to be size 8 with long legs and wear Max Mara and the other Italian designers.  Or else I'm going to be tiny, Japanese, and wear baby doll Lolita! 

6.  I love low cut pants because I am so shortwaisted.  It's really hard to find a pantsuit with a well cut jacket and pants that don't come up to my ribcage.  I've had some luck with Gene Meyer at Marshall Fields (comes in size 14.)  I get my jeans and casual cords from Torrid, they are stretchy, with fitted legs, but only come up to my hipbone, yay!  I bought a cute Caslon pant suit from Nordies, the waist of the pants is too high, so  I wear a top over the waistband.  I get so frustrated at places like Talbots, the jackets  fit perfectly, the pants are three inches too long from waist to crotch and two inches too tight - who do they fit????

7.  I am totally obsessed with my clothes,  I arrange my clothes in color order, wash most items in cold water, hang to dry and iron.  I like to have everything ready to go in my closet at all times.  My undies sometimes match, not always.  Lately, I keep buying more and more socks.

8.  Since I became a Hag I can't stop shopping.  I love to buy for my son and hubby, but the more I buy for them, the more laundry I have to do!  I satisfy my urges, I buy lots of fancy soaps and lotions. 

9.  I used to buy all my makeup at the drugstore, but Revlon wasn't doing it for me.  I'm now a MAC devotee - I love Viva glam 5 lipglass.  I still use Almay mascara, though.  Some dept store makeup is overrated.  I never did like the Estee Lauder, Dior, Stilla, or Cargo items I got. I want to try Bobby Brown and get that Nars blush called "orgasm."

10.  I love vintage, but at my age, if you wear vintage you just look stupid.  I always look for vintage scarves and brooches.

11.  I've always loved clothes, design, and style.  I sew and make jewelry from semi-precious stones.  I bought a Betsy Johnson outfit from an outlet when I was 20 (in the early 70's)  I wish I still had it to show everyone how cool I was!  I would have been a great designer, but never took that route, but my daughter is already designing and has a job sewing and selling for a small boutique.

12.  Thanks so much for setting up stylethread,  and thanks again for FH.  Your hard work is appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

this is a fun poll!  here are mine:

i am simultaneously OBSESSED and horrified with dry cleaning.  i will never turn down buying a piece of clothing that has to be dry cleaned, but i have had a few bad experiences with dry cleaners, so i have a hard time trusting my clothing to them and live in constant fear that something will be ruined.  i have one cheap/friendly cleaner right around the corner from my house, to whom i take regular things that i won't be upset if they shrink/fade/etc.  i will travel to the ends of the earth and spend tons of cash to take my more delicate/expensive items to the "master" french cleaners--there is one that i like that charges $25 to clean a suit.  and i (grudgingly) pay it.  it is a sickness that i learned from my mother, who has three cleaners, one of which is a 30 min. drive from her house. 

i am really interested in fashion and read my magazines every month like a bible.  i try to put together interesting and unique outfits, and most of the people at work and my friends notice and compliment me--it's the best high.

my best shopping partner used to be my mother (and she still is sometimes).  she has a great fashion sense and knows everything about how things should fit, what they are worth, what they would look good with, etc.  i've been sad lately though, as she has taken to wearing things exclusively from j.jill and chico's, who make the exact same sack-shaped items every season and just rotate the colors.   it really makes me so sad because i can't help but think "woman, you are better than that! you still have it in you, i know it!"  so not only is it a bummer for me to waste precious shopping-hours in these stores, but i really wish she wasn't so interested in them. 

i am not so organized with my closet--sometimes i unearth things that i can't remember buying.  i'm trying to work on that, though.  i am, however, extremely organized about my shoes, and they have their own closet and are kept in their original boxes (except for sneakers and casual ones). 

sometimes i cut out the size tag if it makes me sad--who cares, right?

i don't feel bad about spending money on clothes, and i don't lie about it.  my dad is quite fashionable himself and never made my mom and i feel guilty about shopping and spending on clothing--i think it is kind of a source of pride for him that we are well-dressed (his fave nickname for me since i was in HS is "ms. style").  i should add that i am not at all out-of-control about it--i don't shop at high-end designer shops, just normal everyday type of boutiques and dept. stores.  i will spend money on things if i think they are worth it, but not on overpriced or too-trendy items. 

i have a cardigan obsession also--i have probably 50.  no exaggeration.

most of the time i can't be bothered with accessories either.  i get the clothes right but then just don't think about the rest. 

-- Edited by bumblebee at 17:54, 2004-12-17