Friday was sort of Christmas-esque for me. I had a special package being delivered, and I couldn’t wait for it to arrive. From the time I got home from work till the time said package arrived, I walked by the front windows of my house every few minutes looking for my delivery guy. I wanted to be ready when the Fedex truck pulled up. And ready I was. I heard his truck coming down the street (yes, from inside my house) and was waiting for him on my front doorstep as he walked up to the house. He seemed a little surprised to see me, but I’m sure that happens all the time. Right? Riiiiiiiiiight? Surely.

I happily took my package inside and started opening it – my first online order from Zara. I’ve always thought their clothes were nice, but I really fell for the brand back in November when I visited the store in San Francisco. Not only are the clothes gorgeous, they fit my awkwardly-shaped body pretty well, and you probably know how hard it can be to find a clothing line that fits.

I ordered a few things, but I’m still trying them out and seeing how they work with other items in my wardrobe. I haven’t decided which pieces I want to keep. Well, except for the studded blazer…

I had to wear the blazer immediately. I threw a quick “outfit” together as I rushed out the door to catch the mall before it closed. I decided to pair my new blazer with the same top I wore last Friday. I’m pretty sure the long-ish blazer look is not a good one for me since I’m a shorty, but…I love it too much to care. I believe the trick is pairing it with shorter bottoms, like shorts and mini skirts. Does that sound right? Surely there’s a way I can make it work. Any tips?

Hubby and I had plans to go shopping for a locket for his mom for Mother’s Day. We hit up the mall, and I brought a couple items I needed to return while we were there.

And after shopping, we continued our date at PF Changs for dinner. We love their won ton soup…

…and their spicy green beans. And we shared mu shu chicken for the main event. Yum!

Reader question: have you ever been excited for a package delivery? What did you get (care package from your mom in college, special order, etc.)?

Hello TCL Readers! Hope you’re all doing well.

I’ve had so many blog post ideas swimming around in my head lately that I think I may have short-circuited. Or maybe I’m just suffering from writer’s block. Either way, I’ve been meaning to post more, and I’m going to go ahead and start getting some of these ideas published for once!

First up…I want to talk to you about closets and clothes. I’ve been thinking about mine a lot lately, and I think I want to work towards something different. I call it the “Parisian Closet”. I’ll explain the meaning in a minute, but first, let’s talk about “Then” and “Now”:

Then {Quantity Over Quality}

Back in the day, I used to be quite the bargain shopper when it came to clothes. I think I could have taken down almost any coupon mom out there in my heyday, except I just knew how to shop the sales racks (they didn’t seem to have as many coupons for clothing back in the day). Now, don’t get me wrong, I still love a good sale and a great deal. But, where I think I went wrong was that I was so focused on quantity over quality. Was there ever enough clothes in my closet? No. It could have been bulging at the seams with clothes falling out in some grotesque hoarder-esque way and I still wouldn’t have had enough. I didn’t really care how nice something was, I just wanted more. Did it look kind of cute? Is it super cheap or greatly discounted? Sold! Luckily, I didn’t have a lot of money, so the lack of funds kept me from getting too out of control. Oh, and this will sound pretty crazy, but when I was in high school, and Cher (not the singer) was my “idol”, I used to track my outfits. I’d write down what I wore to school each day in my planner so I wouldn’t wear the same thing again for at least a month (preferably never).

Now {Quality Over Quantity}

These days, I’m starting to focus on quality over quantity, and I don’t mean just expensive things. I don’t think something has to be pricey for it to be quality. I’ve just noticed that I have a ridiculous amount of clothes that I’ve collected over the last several years. Do I wear most of it? Not really. I find myself wearing a lot of the same things over and over. So, what’s the point of having all those clothes if you aren’t even going to wear them? I don’t think there is one…at least, not for me. And unlike the days of high school, I actually like wearing the same outfit repeatedly. And what I really like is when you get to wear that one special piece of jewelry or unique dress that makes you feel like a million bucks. I don’t want to have a giant closet full of okay clothes. I want a smaller closet of clothes that make me feel wonderful. I want to find more of those magical pieces and slowly collect them.

The Parisian Wardrobe {Or Parisian Closet}

I could be wrong here, but I’ve heard that Europeans tend to have less clothes than Americans. Can anyone confirm? It seems like Europeans are generally more concerned about the quality over quantity. With this idea in mind and since I love all things French, I’m nicknaming my goal the “Parisian Wardrobe.” I just think it’s more catchy than “European Wardrobe”.

Reasons

I have a few reasons, some mentioned above, why I’m working towards a “Parisian Wardrobe”:

• Wearing the same thing: I’ve noticed I wear the same things from my closet. There’s no point in cluttering up my space with stuff I don’t use. I need to purge and be more selective about what makes it in the closet. Which brings me to my next point…
• Space: We have an older house with un-renovated closets. We’re hoping to remodel one day, but let’s get real – that’s not going to happen any time soon (unless I win the lottery). I have clothes spread out between 4 tiny closets in the house, which is simply ridiculous.
• Easier to Dress: With less so-so clothes cluttering up my closet, I believe I’ll more easily be able to put outfits together.
• Eco-Friendly: It’s more eco-friendly to have a “Parisian Wardrobe.” I’ll be purchasing less from the stores, which will at minimum save waste from all the packaging tied to shopping.
• Magic Items: Instead of having a lot of so-so things in my wardrobe, I want more of those magic items that make you feel special when you wear them.

Challenges:

I have a couple challenges to face as I work towards my goal:

• Shopaholicism: Okay, I don’t need a therapist for this or anything, but I have definitely been a bit of a shopaholic in the past. If I’m going to have a smaller wardrobe one day, I need to slow down on the shopping. Luckily, my mortgage and other bills help keep this in check by stealing all my shopping money!
• Too Much Clothes: Like I mentioned before, I already have too much clothing. I’ve tried purging in the past. I’m having a hard time letting go of a lot of my clothes, even if I don’t wear them. I’ve tried doing the whole “if you haven’t worn this in a year then get rid of it” thing, but that’s so much easier said than done.

Projects:

To reach my goal, I’m going to have to tackle a few projects:

• Closet Pare Down – I’m going to have to get serious about purging
• Adventures in Re-Sale – It would be pretty sweet if I could make some money on all those items I purge.
• Strategic Shopping – I’m going to have to work on my shopping style so it’s more in line with the “Parisian Wardrobe” concept. Less is more!

***

What’s your wardrobe style?

***

Now, is it just me, or does anyone else feel like watching Clueless?

***

Reader question: I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. How do you keep your wardrobe/closet in check? Do you think you have too much clothes, the right amount, or too little?

I was on the fence about posting this outfit because it’s so simple, but I’ve realized something about myself style-wise. I like simple, and that’s okay. In a world of amazing fashion bloggers like The Blonde Salad and Atlantic Pacific, I sometimes wonder why I even bother posting photos of my (by comparison) boring-a$$ outfits. Maybe it’s because I’d consider myself more of an everyday fashion blogger. I guess I do it anyways because I enjoy the ability to add another dimension to my blog. But, I’d also like to take the opportunity to learn from you. Yup, you heard me right – I think it would be really cool to interact with you guys about fashion and styling and to learn from you. I mean, I’m no fashion expert. Who is? Okay, this guy is…whatever. Either way, here’s an open invitation to add your constructive criticism to my posts. I always learn so much from you guys through my other posts – whether you’re helping me correct a recipe or sharing personal advice. I’d love to hear your fashion advice, too!

In other news, these jeans don’t quite fit me right anymore. I bought these jeans a few (several?) years ago, and I’m currently down about one size. I’ve just been too cheap to buy new ones. I’ve been lusting after a pair of Citizens for the last several years, but I’ve been waiting for the time where I could afford them, as well as, the chance to score them on discount. I just felt silly paying full price when I knew I could pay less. So, I was quite happy when I saw a coupon for ShopBop.com pop up on See Chloe Shop the other day. I finally had the money and the coupon, so I happily ordered a pair online and even got free 3 day shipping! I’ll have to post photos of my new jeans sometime soon, but they seem to fit really well so far.

Side Note: the ShopBop coupon has expired, but there’s a new one for Saks Fifth Avenue on See Chloe Shop for 20% select brands, including several popular denim designers like COH.

But, back to the outfit, I saw somewhere (a magazine…a web site?) that people were putting brightly colored tops under see-through-ish (lace/sheer/etc.) tops, so I thought I’d play with that idea. I put an orange-red tank top under this loose-fitting blouse. I also wore red MAC lip stick, and my nails just happened to be a similar color.

Tank top: H&M
Loose Blouse: Old Navy
Skinnies: Guess
Shoes: J Crew
Bag: Ziordia
Lipstick: MAC

***

Also, I posted a Note on my Facebook wall about online shopping. I’ve always used online shopping as a way to purchase things I’m 99% sure I want to buy and that will fit me (based on familiarity with sizes of the brand). But, after reading a review of several shoes purchased online by another blogger, I realized that maybe it’s okay to use online shopping to select items to try on in the comfort of your home without worrying about returning them. Click here to join the discussion.

Thanks for reading!

*Remember to enter the giveaway – I’m giving away 2 $50 gift cards to The Limited – click here to enter {you have until 10pm Wednesday 11/2311}*

I recently had the opportunity to do a really cool interview. I got about 30 minutes of one-on-one time with The Limited CEO, Linda Heasley. Just after attending the ribbon-cutting for the latest The Limited store to hit town, and after checking out the new boutique-style of the store, I sat down with Linda for a quick chat. She was warm, engaging, and easy to approach, which made the interview, which I was a little nervous about, comfortable and fun.

This was my first real interview, so I guess I didn’t know all (any?) of the tricks of the trade. I just brought my laptop and took notes. I think I was supposed to record the interview, but I didn’t. So, please forgive my amateur-ness, but instead of quoting Linda word-for-word, I’ve compiled notes from the interview into the following:

I’ve been shopping at the Limited since I was in high school, and I still shop there now. The Limited has obviously been successful over the years. Tell me about The Limited brand – where you’ve been and how you’ve helped keep the brand relevant over the years.

Linda joined The Limited in 2007. The brand was getting ready to be sold. Linda wanted to get back to profitability and establish relevance. She started by setting targets based on who their customer is. She also looked into streamlining operations. She worked on non-merchandise procurement, sourcing, and production. The company started investing in market research. In 2009, The Limited became profitable for first time in 17 years, and they’re still growing. There are 244 The Limited stores now, and they’re adding 20-25 next year.

And where do you see The Limited in the future?

The Limited is always looking for opportunities. They’re adding footwear next year, and increasing stores that have shoes from there. The Limited wants to open internationally. They’re also looking at other businesses to start, including a full figure line for the plus-size customer. In fact, the new line, eloquii, is launching next week. Linda even showed me a sneak peek of the new beta web site, and I must say, it looks fantastic. eloquii will feature the same level of fashion as The Limited. They shot product on full-figured women for the web site. Sizes 16 and 18 were used to design clothes. They’ll start with two pant fits and two jacket fits. Once the fit perfected, they’ll put jacket fits in all of suiting. Fun fact – this idea started when a fashion blogger approached Linda at an event.

*Update – eloquii is LIVE! Click here to check out the site*

Highlights Linda pointed out for eloquii:

• Pencil skirts and dresses
• Models are 14 and 16. Sizes and statistics will be on site – maybe not at launch, but at some point soon
• Celebratory
• Get the look section
• Jodi Arnold
• Sign up for mailer to get invite to shop when it launches

Which projects are you most proud of and why?

Eloquii when it launches. The focus on positioning around your personal success (she’s talking about you Limited customer!). How the brand celebrates women. Every women defines success individually and personally. They can help them remove one key problem – what to wear. They want women to make friends with their closet and help her feel great so she can deal with more important things. They recently received a wonderful customer letter demonstrating this. The woman had gained a lot of weight, needed new interview clothes and went into the store twenty minutes before close to get something for an interview. The woman went in for the interview and got the job. She said she was able to focus on interview because she felt confident and felt great. She went back in the store and the associate who had helped her before asked how her interview went. She was delighted about being remembered.

Who is the ideal Limited customer?

Research shows The Limited has five segments open to them. They decided to focus on 3.

“Tyler”:

• 25-35 years old
• Old enough and sophisticated enough to appreciate fashion
• Loves fashion but also wants to be appropriate
• Well-paid
• Active
• Able and capable enough to take on more responsibilities
• Dressing for next level
• Likes to spend money on fashion
• Often in malls several times a week
• Very involved in community
• Going from work to another event – charity, business, girlfriend
• Doesn’t always have time to go home – If going from desk to dinner, she can change shoes and is good to go.

“Amanda”:

• Young girl
• 18 to 25
• Introduced to The Limited by her mother who says she can’t go to interview wearing “club-wear”
• Doesn’t want to wear mothers suit
• Age appropriate but fashion-forward

“Megan”:

• 30+ but now married, having kids, making purchasing decisions about house as much as clothes

***

Reader Questions:

{I asked you guys via my Facebook page if you had any questions for Linda, and here are two you asked. I actually did pose a third, more difficult question , which Linda happily answered – check out my Facebook page for the Q&A}

“What are your main considerations when designing for the modern woman?” (Alex)

A combination of class and trend.

Keep to Tyler for assortment. The names help them talk objectively.

For example, they have “Brand Day” where they talk about what’s going on with Tyler and research. What’s Tyler. What’s not Tyler.

Open your closet first. Go for those foundational pieces that can take you millions of miles. Bring in a fashion jacket to go with a bottom you bought last year. Get a one shouldered top or leopard print belt to freshen up your wardrobe. Don’t walk away from fashion. Balance and make it versatile. They want her to mix it up. If she has ten things in closet, they hope eight are from the limited. They want to be on her as much as possible. They want her to feel feminine and beautiful.

“When you design a new line, do you keep the “city girl” or the “suburbs girl” in mind more often?” (Cait)

Tyler is the edit point. There’s an urban Tyler and suburban – they have a lot of things in common. Tyler walks on the wild side and goes to exotic places. They bring other labels in with different design inspiration to take her across the train tracks.

***

Random Questions:

{Here are a couple non-The-Limited questions I asked}

Have you ever tried Zumba? If yes, what did you think?

Linda hasn’t yet tried Zumba but would like to. Since she frequents NYC, I recommended she do class with Tanya Beardsley.

What’s your favorite food?

Food overall – she loves to eat. Sometimes she has weird cravings, like artichokes. She likes a good hamburger. She likes to explore different cuisines: Thai, Indian, and French. She recently had some great Brazilian food.

***

Thank you so much to Michelle and The Limited for the opportunity to speak with Linda. Thank you to Linda for being so personable and easy to interview.

*Remember to enter the giveaway – I’m giving away 2 $50 gift cards to The Limited – click here to enter {you have until 10pm Wednesday 11/2311

The Limited’s New Look

I was recently honored to be invited to the grand opening of a local The Limited store. Not only did I get to attend the store opening, I saw the ribbon cutting, got a tour of the new shop look, and interviewed the CEO. The CEO guys!

(FYI – I was not paid or compensated for this post. I was invited to attend the store opening and interview the CEO, and this post contains my thoughts from those experiences. I was given 2 gift cards to give away to TCL readers, but I was not required to blog about the opening in exchange. Ok, enough boring-talk…on to the fun!)

Not sure if you’ve ever heard of The Limited, but I’ve been shopping there since I could fit into the clothes. Me and The Limited go waaaay back.

Anywho, we got things kicked off with a ribbon cutting (btw – can you tell which one is the CEO?).

With a real ribbon…

…and real (really big) scissors!

i was scheduled to do an interview with the CEO, Linda Heasley, around lunch, but since I was early, the store general manager, Michael, took me around the store to check out The Limited’s new look.

The brand has made over its showroom with a more boutique-style feel.

Our tour started at the front of the store where Michael explained they put the most fashion-forward and latest styles on display, along with accessory options and mannequins in full ensembles to give you outfit/styling ideas.

This area will be most frequently updated to stay on-trend and keep fresh options available to shoppers.

Besides the actual clothes, accessories, and mannequins, there was a lot of awesome PR material – photos with outfits and signs with fashion tips.

Most of the suit options were in the middle of the store. Michael explained that they want to provide lots of options for the busy working girl/woman so she can easily go from work to play. The Limited customer is busy with a full life and the brand wants to make that life easier on her so she can focus on her life instead of worrying about her clothes. And the clothes are trendy while still being work-appropriate.

Here’s an example of a dress that goes from day to night. The blazer next to it ups the ante for the daytime, business look, while the the dress alone would work for after-dinner drinks. Remove the blazer, do a quick change of accessories, and you’re ready to go!

And check out this travel suit – anti-wrinkle, ya’ll! It’s been awhile since I’ve had to fly for work, but there was a time where I needed to go straight from the plane to the office…this type of suit could come in handy.

They had tons of bottom options – various sizes with different lengths.

And the clothes in the back are (if I remember correctly) inspired by trips The Limited team has recently taken. The colors and fabrics are the key take-aways.

***

Overall, I was really impressed with not only The Limited but the friendly and helpful team behind the product. They seem to genuinely want their customer to be happy and have a great experience shopping with The Limited. And I love how The Limited clothes and accessories are geared towards the young working woman like me! The have a lot of options for the young, fashion-forward working girl, and they love to create simple solutions for us working women. For example, they have several sets of bottoms and blazers made from the same material. Why? So you can mix and match your pieces, even if you purchase items across different years. I can’t wait for you guys to read the interview I did with the CEO – I think that will help tell the store a bit more.

Of course, I had to try on some of the new clothes at The Limited while I was there.

I really liked this top, but it reminded me a bit of something I already have, and I’m trying to be more selective about what makes it into my closet.

They did have a 40% off sale going on in honor of the new store opening, so I picked up a thing or two.

I had fun chatting with these ladies – Marci Milito (The Limited’s director of PR – you may be chatting with her if you’re contacting the Limited via Facebook or Twitter) and Michelle Hubacher (with a local PR company who helped organize this event). Did I mention Michelle is a blog reader? Too cool! Hi Michelle!

Win a $50 gift card to The Limited

Michelle and The Limited hooked me up with two $50 gift cards, and while it was tempting to spend them at the opening day of the new The Limited shop, I saved them to give away to you guys!

There are 2 easy ways to enter (tell me what you’d buy and share the URL to that item):

• Blog entry: Leave a comment on *this post* with the URL to The Limited item you’d like to buy if you win the $50 gift card (psst – click here to go to The Limited’s web site)
• Facebook entry: Leave a comment on my Facebook wall (click) post where I ask you, “What would you buy with a $50 gift card to The Limited?” with a URL to the item you’d like to purchase.

The rules:

• You can enter until 10pm ET next Wednesday 11/23/11
• US only
• Up to 2 entries per person: 1 entry on this blog post and 1 entry on my Facebook wall
• Winner will be randomly selected (1 from this blog post and 1 from my Facebook wall)
• If winner doesn’t respond within 1 week of posting winner information, I will select a new winner

Ready? Steady? Go!

And be sure to come back soon for my interview with The Limited CEO!

As I work through editing the photos from Foodbuzz Festival, I’m realizing that there are so many that I want to share with you that many of the related posts will be pretty photo-heavy. This is one of them.

Remember that time I went to Chez Panisse? Did I mention that Mara and I went on a mad shopping spree just before dinner? Ok, not really. I only had one store I wanted to visit this trip – Zara. I’ve lusted after their clothes for a long time, but they don’t exactly have tons of Zara shops in the South. I wanted to go by this shop the last time I was in San Francisco, but by the time I swung by the store, it was closed.

This year, I was determined to make it, and make it I did.

I was like a kid in a candy store at Zara and oohed and aahed at all the pretty clothes. I haven’t had a chance to wear the goodies I bought very much yet, but so far, the store has impressed me. The clothes seem reasonably priced with up-to-date styles (that seem to be pretty well made). The huge plus is that the clothes actually fit me pretty well – especially the blazers, which is normally challenging for my wide shoulders.

Anywho, we actually really did go to Zara on Thursday, but it was too dark to take photos, so I snapped a couple when we happened to pass it Friday on our way to the Fisherman’s Wharf.

The first goal of Friday was to sleep in. We ended up waking up kind of early, but we still got to enjoy a lazy morning, which was close enough for me. No rushing to the office for me, thank you!

The second goal of Friday was to get a crab roll for lunch, thus the trip to Fisherman’s Wharf.

I had to snap a photo of Boudin at Pier 39. I really enjoyed bringing some sourdough home from my last SF trip, but since they sell it at the airport, I prefer to just get it there out of convenience.

The weather was gorgeous – i only wish we’d had enough time to go by the Golden Gate Bridge.

I got to see the famous sea lions again. Love those cute “little” guys.

Mara and I approached a row of restaurants and decided to go ahead and find a place to sit down and enjoy lunch.

We ended up going with Nick’s Lighthouse.

The interior had a funky, eclectic style.

Coca cola and a water to drink.

We each got a small cup of crab chowder. With the weather around 59 degrees F (which is cold for this Southern gal), this hot chowder hit the spot.

And we decided to share this crab roll with french fries. It was a good thing, too – do you see how big that sandwich is?!

The crab salad wasn’t at all what I expected. I thought there would be bigger chunks of crab so it more resembled potato salad or something. This crab salad had a texture and consistency like chicken salad made with pulled chicken.I actually found this to be a nice surprise, and I really liked the way they prepared it.

After lunch, we walked down to Tcho, a chocolate shop that Mara discovered on her last SF trip.

Tcho makes their chocolate from-scratch (like, from the cacao bean) right here. Love that!

Unfortunately, we missed the tour by 20 minutes (they only do two a day at this time – one around 10 am and one at 2pm – call Tcho for actual times), but there were at least plenty of samples around to taste.

We decided to bring some chocolate goodness home with us. This drinking chocolate caught my eye…

…as well as these Tcho a day containers that looked sort of like protein powder at first glance.

I got drinking chocolate, Tcho-a-day, and some cacao nibs to bring home. Gotta love an edible souvenir.

Next time on TCL – the first Foodbuzz event!

Reader question #1: Have you been to Fisherman’s Wharf? What was the most memorable place/restaurant/etcc of FW?

Reader question #2: What type of souvenir do you prefer – one you can keep forever (magnet, picture frame, etc.) or one you can eat/drink/consume (chocolate, spices, etc.)?

On Sunday, we took my parents to The Flying Biscuit for breakfast.

They’d never been before, but they loved it!

We wanted to get a semi-early breakfast in so we could hit up IKEA before it got too busy.

IKEA seems to be one of the main things people want to visit when they’re in the area, even for my parents. My dad was interested in checking out a paper lantern that he’d seen online. He’s a big fan of paper lanterns and has had them in our house for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, he didn’t like them as much in person. Fortunately, he found a couple other paper lanterns to get instead.

Hubby and I were going to scope out furniture for our still semi-empty house.

We liked this china cabinet to potentially go in our dining room.

And we need a new bed frame. I love the ones with under-bed storage, though I did see a neat roll out box that can apparently go under any bed. I’m just big on efficiently using space, and there is so much you can put under a bed!

We also liked these lamps to possibly go in our living room or guest room.

Please note that the lamp is taller than my mom.

But we couldn’t leave IKEA without one of the $1 cinnamon rolls. Yum!

After our IKEA shopping trip, my parents had to head back home…and just like that they were gone again. I’m so glad we finally have a second bed in the house because I’m hoping more people will visit us…especially our families! I’m hoping we have many more fun weekends like this one.

For lunch, we had grilled hot dogs, sweet potato fries, and steamed green beans (from my family’s garden).

And even though I had a ton of things to do, I took some time to relax with some DVR’ed Cold Case…

…a new Apple Spice IKEA candle, and some hot tea.

We had some more of my parent’s veggies for dinner in salad form. The spinach was from the store, but we sliced up a green bell pepper and some fresh tomato from my fam. Home-grown tastes so good! Maybe because they’re grown with love?

And for dinner…we actually had a hand from Maggiano’s. They’re doing a new deal on their classic pastas where if you order one to eat, you get one to go! My parent’s gave ordered lasagna as their take-home and gave it to us.

I baked rosemary focaccia to go with the lasagna.

And even though the bread took awhile overall, dinner was a cinch. Thanks Maggiano’s for helping us with dinner!

Reader question: Do you make time for relaxation no matter how busy/crazy your schedule is? How do you relax?

I’ve been shopping around for several things to update my wardrobe. I’ve been in a bit of a drought the last couple years, so now that I’m buying again, I’m stocking up on staples while still trying to incorporate a few new, trendier items to keep my wardrobe fresh.

One of the trends that I’m drooling over right now is the trend of leopard print. I love it all: skirts, pumps, belts, scarves – you name it, I want it. But, I’m trying to make a couple strategic purchases rather than filling a closet full of cat-themed clothes and accessories. And let’s face it, there are certainly enough options out there to fill more than a closet (even if you’re Cher).

Here are some of my favorite leopard print flats (most I’ve tried on, too!):

Target actually has a cute option. I’d link to them but the Missoni launch today crashed target.com, so you’ll just have to check later, or visit your local store. I actually thought they were pretty and comfy. Plus, they were suuuper affordable.

Aldo – Warnack – $70 – I tried these on and found the sides to be a bit stiff. I really like the overall style – the ballet shape and the tiny bow. I’m looking for a pair I can wear all day long, so this one didn’t make the cut for me.

Banana Republic – Anna rouched ballet flat – $89 – Online reviews claim these shoes are more comfortable than Tory Burch Revas. I don’t have any Revas, nor did I buy these shoes, so I can’t vouch for those reviews. The reviews also claimed that these flats are extremely narrow. Now, I didn’t buy the shoes, but I did try them on. The reason I didn’t get them? They are narrow! I’ve seen BR do 30% off sales on shoes several times over the last couple weeks, so look for the sale!

Banana has another flat option – the Denise bow ballet flat – $68.50 (down from $98) – I tried these on briefly. They were pretty comfy, but I didn’t like the bow as much or that weird line going around the top opening of the shoe. These could prove to be a good option.

Ivanka Trump – Magnolis – $130 (available on zappos.com and nordstrom.com) – I went to Nordstrom a couple weeks ago eagerly expecting to fall in love with these shoes. Based on extensive internet research, these seemed like the best investment with great online reviews. Unfortunately, Nordstrom didn’t have these in stock for me to try on. I may order them from Zappos in 2 sizes and see which fits and if I like the fit in person. But, in the meantime, I’m hoping to stumble upon these shoes somewhere like Belk or Macys where I may be able to use a coupon. I love a discount.

And in the event you are a Tory Burch fan, they have leopard print flats, too! They did theirs in shiny material (I’m seeing this shiny look in a lot of leopard print options for some reason, but it’s not my fave) – Eddie Ballerina Flats – $178.

Prefer designer? Then check out these uber fancy Leopard-Printed Suede Ballerina Flats by Manolo Blahnik – $645. I didn’t really research these since they’re well outside of my budget, but MB has a reputation of great shoes, so these are most likely awesome.

Reader question: Have you found some cute leopard ballet flats? Where are they and who makes them?

Note: photos in this post belong to respective web sites linked

Important question for you guys – remember to check the end of the post!

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My friend Kayte and I made plans to hang out Sunday afternoon.

FIrst on the agenda – eats!

We hit up The Flying Biscuit. Luckily the wait wasn’t too long.

I decided to order something new-ish. I usually get the High Flyer, but I wasn’t feeling the oatmeal pancake. So, I got the Bacon and Eggs breakfast instead. I love the turkey bacon in the Southern Scramble, but turkey bacon by itself usually tastes weird to me solo. I think next time I’ll either get the chicken sausage or soysage.

After brunch, we went shopping! I’m in the market for cross body totes. I’d like one dressy one (for going out) and one casual one (for everyday as well as use on trips – needs to fit my DSLR, though!). We looked at a few gorgey bags in Nordstrom. I especially liked this Marc by Marc Jacobs.

We also swung by Neiman Marcus where I promptly fell in love with a Chanel quilted, patent leather wallet/cross-body purse. *le sigh* A girl can dream, right?

And to finish our fun afternoon – froyo!

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Fashion Blogging

So some of you guys know that I used to run a fashion blog called Shopaholics Anonymous. I’ve really been missing fashion blogging (which I actually did before I even started The Chic Life), so I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to start doing fashion blog posts again. I’m thinking of either putting them here on TCL and making it easier for you guys to sort those in/out depending on if you’re interested. I’ve also considered just restarting Shopaholics Anonymous and picking up where I left off. Thoughts? Would you be interested in seeing fashion/shopping/outfit posts here on TCL or would you rather I link to an external blog?

So the last couple times hubby and I have been to Durham, something has been missing.

I haven’t been getting my occasional dim sum fix! And you guys know how I feel about dim sum. So, this weekend I managed to talk hubby’s family into visiting my Durham-fave – Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant.

Have you guys ever tried dim sum? I’m thinking of writing a pocket-guide or how-to for dim-sum-newbies. It is a bit intimidating if you don’t know the ropes. But, I’d be happy to help you navigate your first experience with confidence.

I always get hot tea with my dim sum. But if you can’t drink hot tea without sugar, you may want to skip it. Hot tea here is served sans sugar.

We normally go to the restaurant right at opening, but hubby and his brother were watching the new X-Men at 10:30am. So, we met at the restaurant at 1pm.

Normally, I have to wait for one of my faves – roast pork bun, but today, since we were there later, we got it first!

And though I normally get Chinese broccoli, we decided to try something new for our veg – baby bok choy. Aren’t they cute?

Yes…cute…and tasty!

Another fave of mine – har gow (shrimp dumpling).

And with a couple more orders, our lazy Susan was really filling up.

Sticky rice (I usually either get this or the lotus leaf version).

And hubby’s brother requested this tofu, which was really tasty (never seen this one before!).

At this point, I was pretty much done. lol But we still ordered a couple more things for hubby and his fam…

Fried shrimp/crab balls.

Spring rolls (I never eat these at dim sum since they’re so readily available at every.single.Chinese restaurant – why waste the stomach space when you can try something new?), but hubby loves them, so he got them.

And another hubby fave – calamari. I must admit, they have a wonderful calamari here, though I still only end up eating a couple small bites.

And for dessert, I split these sesame balls for dessert with hubby’s mom.

I’m totally eying this for next time – hot/cold soybean milk! I wonder if they make it themselves here? That would be cool!

This little Durham dim sum restaurant is turning into a favorite. The food is always wonderful and the servers are so helpful and nice.

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After lunch, I went with hubby’s mom to a consignment shop. As we started browsing the goods outside, they stepped out to tell us they weren’t open, but they were still working and to let us know if we saw anything. Since there were a couple baskets of plateware, I had to take a look.

And wouldn’t you know my eye was drawn right to a brilliant, TCL-blue plate at the bottom of a heap of (beat-up) glassware.

Turns out it was a cup and saucer of vintage fiestaware! And upon inquiry of the price, I found out there were 2 more sets, plus 4 plates! Shibby!

I also scored a small pink Depression bowl.

Yes, only I would manage to purchase stuff from a closed consignment shop. lol. Actually, hubby’s mom bought the plate-goodies for me. Thanks!

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Hubby and I came home, packed up and headed home. We had grand plans to grill out, but we got rained out instead by a giant storm with lots of scary lightning. We’re planning to raincheck the meal for Monday night. Instead of BBQ, we had pizza.

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Do you like to shop at thrift/consignment shops? What do you look for there?