Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Wishful Wednesday, June 30th, 2010


"I wish..."

I had Saks Fifth Avenue as my personal closet to shop from each day!


You thought I was going to say Lilly Pulitzer, didn't you?

Well, here's why I didn't.

Lilly Pulitzer is my favorite designer, but I love so many other designers, as well. I do not wear Lilly exclusively because then I wouldn't have my own style. I love to mix&match other designers with my Lilly items. & as I have only been buying Lilly apparel for myself for about a year (my Lilly addiction started in my home); there are often days when I am Lillyless head-to-toe until...

...I pick up my agenda...
...or put on my eyeglasses...
(I have those Saylie frames in tortoise/lime, in case you cared to know.)
...or throw my Pandamonium tote over my shoulder...
...etc.

I am consistently amazed&wowed by everything new that the geniuses at Lilly Pulitzer come up with, so I doubt it could ever happen...

...but I love Lilly too much to ever risk growing bored with their selection by limiting myself to only wearing Lilly.

Saks was the first place I ever really began buying designer clothing.

Sure, I had accumulated a few designer items here&there over the years - mostly handbags. But I grew up in a small enough Southern town that dressing well only required consistent attention to coordinating, & occasional attention to updating.

I was aware of brands&labels from an early age...

(Did any of you also have to have those denim Guess? shorts with the triangle on the back pocket, in fifth grade?)

...but my mama was generally happy to buy most of my clothing from GapKids, & then the Gap; & I was generally happy to wear mostly classic preppy-casual basics - with the occasional

armful of random bracelets
(most of them handmade),
or pair of black Dr. Martens Mary Janes
(well, you know, I had to portray the deep intellectual),
or pair of overalls
(though I can't recall ever wearing them with one strap unbuttoned),
etc.

I certainly paid attention to fashion. My mama can attest that I had a serious magazine addiction that began, oh, probably in about the fifth grade. My Prince can attest that I have not kicked the magazine habit.

(In fact, it's now grown to include cooking, entertainment, fitness, home, parenting, regional...)

Then I didn't really pay more attention to fashion in college, but I found I had more reasons to dress up. Having more opportunities to wear more luxurious styles of clothing was fun. But since I worked at Gap, a good number of my purchases did come from there & from Banana Republic.

After I graduated, though,

I got a "real" job,
went to graduate school for a while,
& then went to law school.

I lived in bigger cities than I'd ever lived in before, & I discovered the joy of shopping in boutiques. Then when I began commuting from the newlywed home I shared with My Prince, to my law school classes, I found myself passing Saks almost every day.

& I fell in love with Saks. It all began with that pair of Citizens of Humanity jeans, which I had tailored. I began to truly understand that

classics are always better than trends,
(except during those lucky periods when the trends are your personal style),
quality is better than quantity,
you feel better about yourself when you are good to yourself,
& you generally get what you pay for.

(& by the way, that pair of jeans is still, to this day, my favorite go-to pair of jeans.)

I have paid ridiculous sums of money for designer clothing, & I have gotten unbelievable deals on designer clothing. I don't know if anybody has ever used the phrase, "Once you go designer, you never go back..."...but that has sort of been the case for me. I definitely still incorporate finds from

department stores,
"mall stores,"
outlets,
& even Target.

But I would much rather buy one designer dress that fits me perfectly & makes me feel great, than eight or nine random finds off of a rack at TJ Maxx. I prefer the "splurge" to the "steal," in most cases.

(Not that I don't occasionally make a great random find at TJ Maxx!)

So for me, Saks Fifth Avenue would be my ideal "daily personal closet." I could still choose Lilly Pulitzer pieces, but then I could rotate them with other great designers, like

etc.

& I could accessorize from collections from

etc.

But y'all knew I couldn't leave it at that, right? Y'all know I can't do a post on anything without sharing some retail eye candy...

(Yep, that's why I always end up late publishing my posts. I write them on time! But then I will search&search&search until I find the perfect images&items to share with y'all. I hope y'all don't mind my punctuality issues too badly. I am sorry, but I do have a life to live before I can blog about living it, & I know y'all can all relate to how that goes! ;))

Admittedly, right now my life is a bit less glamorous than what Saks is prepared to outfit me for. But I love my life as a stay-at-home-mama, & I am not inclined to "let myself go..."...so let the fashion show begin!

Material Monday:


(Ideal for a typical Monday...take the White Dog to the groomer, go check out bargains at the semi-annual kids consignment sale, take Pretty Little Bare Feet to a momfriend's house for playgroup, spend the afternoon cooking supper for a momfriend with a newborn...)

Traditional Tuesday:


(Perfect for a usual Tuesday...share special time with Pretty Little Bare Feet in the morning at the library for storytime, go to lunch at Chili's with our playgroup, take Pretty Little Bare Feet to a park later in the afternoon with momfriends, go to a dentist appointment, attend a friend's baby shower in the evening...)

Well-Groomed Wednesday:


(Excellent for a conventional Wednesday...go to our MOMS Club monthly social, head to the farmer's market, pick up some of Pretty Little Bare Feet's photos, go on date night later with My Prince...)

ThursdayFashion Trends & Styles - Polyvore


(Fitting for an average Thursday...go to book club in the morning at Panera Bread, venture out to Pretty Little Bare Feet's toddler gymnastics class, take Pretty Little Bare Feet to a well toddler check-up...)

Fashionable Friday:


(Practical for a classic Saturday...go shopping, followed by our weekly lunch date out with My Prince...)

Stylish Sunday:


(Sweet for a common Sunday...go to church together, get my eyebrows done, participate in a garden tour in the afternoon...)

(Okay, so no, I am not usually that busy every day. But days that busy do happen occasionally, & we almost always have something going on each day. & I do have Pretty Little Bare Feet with me for pretty much all of it! But if I had a big ol' Saks closet, these are just the types of things I'd pull out of it, & the types of places I'd be wearing them to!)

(Sorry I'm even later posting than usual...as y'all can clearly see, I struggled with Polyvore. Going to need to play with it more to hone any ability for it!)
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