January Jones as Grace Kelly on SNL

I laughed out loud for most of this video...Sorry if some of you find it crude!

The O'Hara Maxi Dress...Oops, I mean "gown"

I love J. Crew. I really do. Even though I can't afford to support their company very often, I love to browse their catalogs...they're just so...lovely!

But every once in a while I will come across something that I can't believe people actually buy...like the Crepe Mimi T-Shirt gown...(I don't know, maybe it looks good on someone).

I recognize that we all have different tastes and that what appeals to me may not appeal to someone else. I also must admit that pricing makes a huge difference in how I see an item.

Exhibit A:

The O'Hara Gown



To me, this looks like a glorified Maxi dress (a trend I was never too fond of to begin with). Aside from the glorious fabric, there is nothing about the gown that would ever make me want to spend $2,200.00 on it (giant flat screen TV, anyone?)

If anyone can speak in the defense of this dress, please do, because right now poor Scarlett is not faring well in my view.

Thank Goodness for Sarah Haskins!

In the words of my old boss at the Colby College Bookstore, "she's a garl afta' may own haat" (Mainer for "She's a girl after my own heart)

I love Sarah Haskins...she takes all the bull%*%# that the media uses to target women and takes it down a notch by satirizing in her delightful, snarky manner. Every woman should watch her program "Target Women" a segment of the show "Infomania" on Current TV (available online of course)

What.The. Frack??

PFP, this is in your hands now (J. Crew Math anyone?)

Coco Après Chanel

Today I received the ultimate fashion compliment: someone told me I looked like Coco Chanel!! She said she liked my scarf (I was wearing a huge, elaborate black tube/wrap number that I snagged at T.J Maxx last weekend) and then said that with my pearls and everything, I looked just like Coco!!

It is possible that this woman was totally deluded,and somehow confused my shabby, bargain-loving, cheapskate style with that of the utter-fabulous fashion icon, but I am still totally thrilled!!!

Here's what I was wearing (I'm being very sincere here by saying "was" because I am now chilling out in my tights and bathrobe until I have to put my clothes back on and go to class):

-A cream colored turtleneck from Target
-My black, high-waisted trapunto pencil skirt from Target
-A lovely chocolate brown fitted cardigan with rhinestone buttons that I received for my birthday
-Patterned tights from Express
-my black/wine Saida T-Strap pumps from Target
-A fabulous (and huge!)black tube scarf
-Forever 21 faux pearl double strand necklace

Coco Apres Chanel by Zoë Moët featuring Forever21 jewelry

I apologize for this shabby rendition...I am simply far too busy being utterly fabulous to take a photo of my real outfit :P

Seriously, I really need to get a small, manageable camera so that I can easily take snapshots of myself before I run off to work in the morning!

My New Not-Inghams

You heard right ladies, I've just purchased a new pair of Not-inghams: JC Penny's utterly fabulous alternatives to J. Crew's Nottingham boots.

Not-inghams by Zoë Moët featuring J Crew shoes

How, you might ask, did I get this fabulous deal?!

Well, let's start with the boots themselves. They can be purchased at your local JC Penny and they are the A.N.A. (A New Approach) "Lorelei" boot. They are real leather, and look much less shiny and tacky than they do in the picture above (IRL pics to come, I promise!!!)

I got mine in brown, but they also have them in black.

Now, the boots are originally $130 dollars (still a pretty good deal). It just so happened that when I was in the store Friday night, there was a sale going on and much of the merchandise was down 50 percent, making my boots about $65. But apparently that was not low enough for little miss bargain-pants over here...I was able to talk the salesman down to about 50 bucks thanks to the fact that my right boot, the only size 7 left in the store, was the display shoe.

I have already worn my boots twice! Once on Saturday with my Target chambray "Minnieternatives" and once last night with my ON floral chiffon flutter-sleeve dress, black tights, and a black turtleneck underneath (with a long sweater coat as my outerwear). So far, these babies have been a great addition to my wardrobe, and I know I will be grateful for them when it starts to snow!

OOTD

Okay, pardon me for not including any visuals, but polyvore was just not cooperating with me! I'll just have to describe my outfit today...one that I'm exceptionally proud of and just had to share with you all.

-Tiffany Blue crew-neck sweater
-Merona gray plaid Trapunto pencil skirt
-Blue Tights
-Blue pumps (pretty much the exact color of the tights...trying to pull off the monochromatic look)
-awesome blue/teal/gold bib necklace I snagged at JC Penny

I'll try to remember to take a pic when I get home tonight (before I strip and head for the sweats!)

For shame, for shame....

Ok folks,

I have to apologize for dangling lovely promises of Crewternatives, fabulous outfits, and cheapie finds in front of your starry-eyed, expectant faces, only to snatch them away again through my hopeless bloggie negligence. With that said, I'm done post-postponing, and I'm going to tell you a little bit about my shopping life lately. We seem to finally be experiencing fall here in Michigan, and it's awesome!! I have always loved fall, but usually with the sad acknowledgment that winter is soon on its way. This year, I am not as terrified as usual of the coming winter. It could be the lovely down coat I purchased from J. Crew last winter (even though it's pretty big on me now, and therefore makes me look like a chocolate-covered marshmallow). It might be the fact that I'm trying to relocate, and therefore may be somewhere slightly less miserable (DC or San Fran?) by the time winter starts to get old (AKA February). I also think that having a fall shopping list, a sort of short-term shopping goal if you will, has helped to give me hope. On that note, here are the items I can now remove from my list (because I have purchased them of course!):

1. Office Worthy Sweaters



Check



Check



Check



....aaaaaaand check!

*The last one gets bonus points because it doubles as a half decent jacket, buttoned or unbuttoned (since I haven't found a real jacket yet)

2. Cords



Half a check since it's a skirt and not pants ;)

3. Dress pants

The Minnieternative



Okay, maybe not so "dressy" since I opted to get them in the "chambray" to change things up a bit. Still, it's basically a dark jean fabric (although a bit lighter weight) so I think they still look pretty snazzy. Gonna have to get some boots, though, before I can wear them in the cooler weather.

AND



Trust me, they look much better on than they do in the picture (which seems to be a pattern with Old Navy pants, no?). These pants are awesome. I've been searching for years for a pair of dress pants/trousers that did not make me look like a hobo. For some reason, they always tend to be too long, to baggy, too something...But these pants are different! Because they are cut with a "straight leg" they look much more sleek and sophisticated on me! I highly recommend them.

4. The Sweater Dress



I wore this on Saturday night and got a lot of compliments. It is perfection! The collar is so cozy and extravagant, it makes me feel like a real fashionista! Love it! Still, I'm thinking I still need maybe one more sweater dress...or two...or three...

5. Patterned Tights

I've got a whole mess of these now. One pair is herringbone (black-Calvin Klein @ TJ Maxx), one is a cool diamond print (black-Express), and another is mini-cable knit (black-Calvin Klein @ TJ Maxx). I also got quite a few pairs of plain opaque tights, some in black and some in crazy colors like teal and grayish blue (oh boy...I've got some intensive outfit planning ahead of me).

I've still got to find some fabulous boots (I've got my eye on a couple pairs) and a great jacket, but I think I'm off to a great start!!

The Absentee Bloguette

Ladies, I owe you an apology!

My life has been so crazy lately that there are times I feel there are literally too few hours in a day, and I have let my blogging fall by the wayside somewhat. Because I work for a University (on top of being a student here), the start of a new semester not only means taking on new classes, buying new books, and so forth, but also a lot of craziness around the office. By the time I get home, I just want to down a glass of wine and watch a movie. The good news is, I miss blogging!!! so I plan to start making time for it again once things at least start slowing down with work.

Here's an overview of what's to come:

I've been doing some fall shopping, and starting to collect the types of items I listed on my shopping list (though not the J. Crew versions, which I haven't been able to afford). So I plan to tell you all about my new purchases, though IRL pics might not be a possibility for a while.

I made a fall shopping trip to the Crewlet near me, and I've got some things to say about that too!

Because I'm doing a lot of Crew-ternative shopping, I want to talk about some of the products I've found that are inexpensive substitutes for some of J. Crew's trendy but pricey options.

I've been a terrible follower of some of my favorite blogs, so I plan to get a little more involved with that too!

I plan to start all this blogging soon, but right now I'm going to go blow off some steam with some Beatles Rock Band!!

Back to School Shopping List

Okay, so I may only have one more semester left, but I still need some cooler weather essentials for the Fall and Winter! Plus I have my whole new resolution about being more put together for work, so I have to get some cool weather staples that are formal enough for that purpose. The key here is selecting items that will transition me into my new career (whatever that may be :: laughs like a madwoman::) so I need to be picking items that won't look too stuffy in a University setting but will still hold up to corporate (or non-profit, or political) standards. Quite a challenge, but here's my list:

1. Some great cords in some fabulous colors:

J. Crew Vintage Matchstick Cords


J. Crew Toothpick Ankle Cords in Aubergine


Perhaps these are not strictly "corporate" but I do think they will be fine for my current job, and also great for weekend wear. Plus, I may (and hope to) end up in an office that's casual and hip enough to wear something like this. The only roadblock is the price. If anyone knows where I can get relatively high-quality cords in a nice straight or skinny cut for a more reasonable price, do let me know!

2. A couple of great jackets:

J. Crew Stretch Wool Two Button Jacket


J. Crew Professor Blazer


I can't believe I don't have a single fall or winter blazer or suit jacket that fits me! All I have is my bright chartreuse linen tulip jacket...and we all know that's not going to work for fall!!

3. Some office worthy sweaters:

J. Crew Cable Knit Turtlenecks


J. Crew Cashmere Crewneck Tee


J. Crew Merino V-Neck


The idea behind these would be that I could wear them with a skirt or trousers and they would keep me warm and cozy but still look polished.

Which brings me to

4. Dress Pants:

J. Crew Twill Club Pant


The Minnie Pant...how I covet thee...


City Fit Classic Trouser


Wow! I seem to really like the short pants :) I think I gravitate to them because regular trouser cuts have a tendency to be to long on me and end up looking hobo-ey (I guess a trip to the tailor couldn't hurt).

5. Some Simple Black Pumps- Pretty simple, but they must be in some material that can survive rain, slush, and even some snow, because I'm not the type of gal to carry around multiple pairs of shoes in my handbag. I also have a bad habit of buying too much suede and then never wearing it because I'm afraid it'll get ruined!

6. Textured tights- Like J. Crew's Herringbone tights...just because they're so cute (plus they'll keep my legs warm)!



7. Boots!



There's no question that I need a new pair of boots, since the ones I've worn for the past two winters literally fell apart (Michigan winters are rough!)Plus, I need to have a great pair of snazzy boots that can be worn to the office over a pair of tights with a skirt or with all the short trousers I seem to be obsessed with! The question is, what color would be the most versatile?? I tend to love cute brown boots like the ones above, but perhaps black would work better if I were going to wear them in the office. But would Black be to much if I were wearing black pants? Help!

8. A cool Sweater Dress to wear with bright tights and maybe my new boots!



These are just some of the basics that I would like to get for the Fall/Winter (and I'm sure I'll be adding to the list). Obviously, I can't really afford all of this stuff, and I'm going to need to find some cheaper alternatives to the items listed above if I am even going to come close to fulfilling my wardrobe wishes. So, as always, your suggestions are more than welcome!