Sweater Fail

A couple of months ago, I got up all early to get some of the Missoni for Target goods. I had seen this sweater in the ads and on the web site, so I thought it was a must have:


Plus it looked fantastic on models and celebrities:


See, I've worn it twice and I feel that I look like I raided Bill Cosby's closet.



Actually, this look would be an improvement...

Etsy Loves...First Edition

I'm not particularly artistic or crafty myself, but I certainly appreciate it in other people - and Etsy is a super place to shop for such things! Plus, you get to deal one-on-one with the designers, who truly value my shopping addiction, and in my experience, have been amazingly nice and accommodating!

Granted there is a fair amount of chintz-y stuff (which is showcased in all of its hilarity on Regretsy!) but if you're brave enough to wade through it, there is some pretty fantastic fashion to be found.

Some of my favs:

Carol Hannah: http://www.etsy.com/shop/carolhannah

Not only has she shared the stage with Tim Gunn on Project Runway, she's also super nice and a tres talented designer! Some of my purchases:


Coup: http://www.etsy.com/shop/coup

Amazing t-shirts for the horsey set! Also, the amazing gift wrapping is worth the price of the shirt :) I own and have gifted too many to post 'em all here, but a sample:


Purusha People: http://www.etsy.com/shop/purushapeople

The most comfortable yoga pants. Ever. And they're not those crazy too-long pants that I trip over with my short little leprechaun legs! Plus the designer is lovely to deal with :)



xoxx Muffie

Formal Wear Emergency and Coupon Glory

A last minute invitation to plus one at a fancy dress party a couple of weeks ago struck me with terror because, of course, I had nothing to wear! I think the last time I wore a long dress was high school prom, and while I squeezed myself into that black strapless number it was, to say the least, unflattering. So with 24 hours until said event, I grabbed my mom and headed to our local mall - which, at the best of times, is uninspiring.

Her first suggestion was Le Chateau - and while I realize its no longer exclusively trashy club wear as it was when I was growing up, its still not really on my radar. Plus, their return policy sucks - store credit is no good for a impulse shopper like myself. The first option made me look like a tragic figure skater. But, in a lucky dress destiny moment, I found a reasonable dress that would work - the only one left in that style and it was my size (see left, but in navy) Navy is my new neutral and it was vintage-esque and sparkly, which is attractive to the raccoon in me!

My new nine west neutral pumps (I was so late to get on that trend train) worked perfectly! Although after walking in them for three hours - what do these events have against chairs - I was ready to burn them.






My new online shopping bestie is retailmenot.com - coupon codes (that work) galore! I've saved 20% on a couple of orders that I was totally unaware of coupons being in existence for - plus they tend to be valid on Canadian orders. Love!

That's what you get for (shopping) in Vegas

So next month I turn 30 so to celebrate, five of my closest friends and I went to Vegas! 29 was a bit of a rough year (actually 28 wasn't wholly spectacular either) so we clearly needed to celebrate my making it through the wilderness (mostly) unscathed.

I'm not a Vegas virgin by any stretch of the imagination, but since this was my first trip there with the girls, shopping...and well, Chippendales (thanks Deborah) was a logical attraction. When one is about to turn 30, the most logical place to be shopping is...Forever 21. Yeah, I flew five hours to buy fashions I could have driven half an hour to find! Going with my "dress your age" theme, I bought a sensible navy blazer:




And followed it up with a dress fit for a small child (but in oh-so-trendy coral!):





Mine did not have the belt, nor do I intend to wear ankle socks with it - although they look plenty cute on this model (I would be sent back to grade 7 if I tried to pull this off)...


Cirque, Chipotle, Chippendales, the Flamingo pool on opening weekend, drinking for free at Tao, Forever 21 and my amazing sister and fantastic besties make one hell of a Vegas vacation!


xoxx Muffie

What I'm Reading

Every now and again I buy something that is not a shirt, pair of shoes or a handbag and when I'm looking for a non-fashion shopping fix I usually head to Chapters! My taste in literature is in all honesty, not very highbrow - Sookie Stackhouse and Stephanie Plum have a good amount of space on my bookshelf. However, in this case, I heard Ann Patchett's State of Wonder reviewed on NPR and was so intrigued, I bought it, read it in a couple of days and thoroughly loved it! The story and characters are beyond intriguing...and the South American rainforest setting gave me an almost Southern Gothic vibe with the connections and intricacies of "place".

Also, the book is rather beautiful - get it now ;)

Repeat Offender: Forever 21

This time I shopped at Forever 21 online, so I cannot even claim an impulse shopping experience. This time the haul consisted of three pair of leggings (in grey, navy and chocolate, which have oddly been hard to locate without lace on the bottom of the legs) and:



I've been on the hunt for a red polka dot blouse as if it would be the one item to complete my life. I'm hoping these two will work together with a red cardigan and/or black blazer...if not, at least Forever 21 has a reasonable return policy (and free shipping)!

I'm Coveting...Jason Wu for Target

I confess that I adore Target - even the fact that they won't ship their adorable designer collaboration fashions to me in Canada has not dampened my love for the store (although it has made me eternally grateful to the member of my dad's golfing foursome who very generously allows me to use his U.S. mailing address).

I stalked Target stores and the web site to purchase Tucker, Tara Jarmon, Temperley, Thakoon and Proenza Schouler items and woke up at an obscene hour to get a couple of Missioni sweaters so am understandably excited to shop the Jason Wu collection! I feel so very Michelle Obama...

The fact that the ads feature a Prince-esque black cat only makes me love it all more! A few of the covet-worthy pieces below.

The trench:



The dress:

The cat tote I will never use, but inexplicably, must have:

So y'all know what I'll be up to in the wee hours of Sunday morning!