Bargain hunting

I live in Phoenix, a city that, despite its size, has for the past 10 years been nearly completely devoid of discount designer boutiques or consignment shops. That is... until now. Yesterday, me and the girls went bargain hunting at Last Chance, which is where items that didn't get sold from Nordstrom Rack, go to for their "last chance," and My Sister's Closet, a consignment shop in Gilbert. At Last Chance, I found a mint-condition black leather Charles David bag with gold metal detailing. It was buried beneath Longchamp bags with broken zippers, Marc Jacobs totes with ripped corners and stained Juicy Couture carry-alls. And it was a steal for $40 (originally $250)! At the consignment shop, I found some J Brand jeans ($17) that I altered to create some short shorts, as well as a vintage Fendi bag for $25.

John Galliano show

Breathtaking.

Reward

I finished my undergraduate thesis paper last night (3 am! Ack!), and in celebration of writing that 30-page (60 pages double spaced!) paper, I awoke to a doorbell this morning! My Aldo suede Eberts boots had arrived!
It's almost like UPS was rewarding me for finally finishing my paper. :)

MAC Hello Kitty commercial

Cheesecake and new shoes

What a wonderful day so far. A friend and I went to Wildflower Bread Co. for a late lunch/dessert, and I ordered the homemade ginger-biscotti cheesecake. It's no wonder this is one of my favorite restaurants.
After was a bit of shopping, where I purchased a long navy blue cardigan, with sleeves that roll up and button, perfect for when it's hot outside but cold in classrooms and offices. I also purchased a pair of Steve Madden nude-color slingback peep-toe pumps, perfect for dresses and outfits that aren't all black (granted, most of my outfits are black or have a hint of black, but I figure I can wear these with black as well). I love how they make my legs look miles long, though I'm not sure how everyone will feel about the shoes adding an extra 3 inches to my already-5-foot-8-inch body. Oops.

To ruffle or not to ruffle?

Smitten, one of the many blogs that I read, had an entry on ruffles the other day. It was asking guys about whether they liked ruffles on girls. To my dismay, an overwhelming amount said it was either reminiscent of a Seinfeld episode, clowns, or old English people. I asked a guy friend the next day, who reiterated the Seinfeld comment. How sad! It's common knowledge that I'm a sucker for a good, well-placed ruffle or bow, but this finding just goes to prove my opinion that girls really do just dress for other girls.

So in celebration of ruffles (who honestly cares what the opposite sex thinks about fashion, anyway?), here are my favorite ruffled looks out in stores right now:

Banana republic striped ruffled shirt, $49.99 (photo courtesy of bananarepublic.com)

American Eagle party top with ruffle, $29.50 (photo courtesy of aeo.com)

White House Black Market ruffled poplin shirt, $78 (photo courtesy of whitehouseblackmarket.com)

BCBG Max Azria ruffle-front shift dress, $218 (photo courtesy nordstrom.com)

Elizabeth and James chiffon Eva dress, $385 (photo courtesy neimanmarcus.com)

And my favorite one of all...
Elizabeth and James cascade dress, $385 (photo courtesy neimanmarcus.com)

Wrist envy

I go through phases.
About three years ago, it was all about the earrings. The more outrageous, the better. I had anything ranging from peacock feathers, to 6" dangling glass beads, to pearls, to plastic hearts.
But then my ears got tired. It happens.
So I moved on to necklaces. Long necklaces with elephant tooth pendants, short silver necklaces with shell flowers, chains that hit right at my breastbone.
But now, I must admit, it's all about the wrists. Recently, I've been especially enamored with the more "natural" looking hand decor. Here are some of my current favorites:


Coach mirrored linked enamel bracelet, $198 (photo courtesy coach.com)

Coach wood snap bangle, $178 (photo courtesy of coach.com)


Coach heart leather bracelet, $88 (photo courtesy of coach.com)

American Eagle statement bracelet, $12.50 (photo courtesy ae.com)
Banana Republic braided enamel bangle, $49 (photo courtesy bananarepublic.com)

Bye bye Ben

(Ben the betta, pictured here last summer)

My pet fish died yesterday. I received him as a gift on April 12, 2008. 10 1/2 months of life isn't too shabby for a betta, I think.