Weekend Recap

Due to budgetary constraints and a new knitting project, I did not do quite as much research as intended this weekend. But nonetheless, I did do a little exploring.

Shoes by Lara
I had heard from a shopping buddy that this was a place I just had to check out; after viewing her finds, I was sold. I visited the store on 14th St, NW and was rather skeptical at first. When you walk in, you have to go downstairs to get to the shoes. At first I saw many many boxes of nothing terribly exciting. My friend quickly grabbed my arm and guided me to "the back wall." The back wall is 50% off all shoes AND that's where the good stuff is hiding. The shoes in the rest of the store are what you might find at a mid-level department store, and they're not any cheaper. On the 50% off wall, though, you'll find Stuart Weitzman, Betsy Johnson, French Sole, Delman, Sigerson Morrison, and Roberto Cavalli, just to name a few. Apparently the turnover is high, so it's a good place to drop by on a regular basis to see what's in stock. One of the best things about this store is there are 4 of them! So, I mean, if you don't find something at one location, you can simply check out one of the others. Who am I kidding: go to all of them, all the time! However, if you wear a size 8 you should probably steer clear or at least go at your own risk, because I may have to fight you for those really cute quilted French Sole's...

While in the vicinity, I felt it my duty to go to Filene's to see what they had to offer. The one downtown was overhauled recently and is quite nice now. Just to give some quick highlights...Upstairs they still had some of those wonderful Missoni scarves, that I previously wrote about and they had a large selection Spanx footless pantyhose for 50% off! Moving onward and downward, in the basement there were not really any shoes that caught my eyes except for a snazzy snakeskin pair of Sam Edelman t-bar flats for $60 that were really hard to leave behind. It gets better. Lurking in the racks of clothing from Barney's was this amazing giraffe-print, Valentino, wool cape. Sadly, it was still almost $1,000 a.k.a. not in my budget. There were some affordable pieces in the Barney's section, so it's definitley worth a look.

All in all, it was a productive weekend, and I can't wait to scope out the other Shoes by Lara locations to see what they have in stock!

Mother's Day

With so many ad's out about "the perfect gift for Mom" where does one begin? How about those diamond earrings from Jared the Galleria of Jewelers or something straight from the heart from Shaw's Jewelers; I know...what about Alase laser hair removal! Let's be honest, those ad's you hear on the radio are far from helpful. I mean, you may as well just get Mom a car from Eastern Motor's while you're at it.

Mother's Day gifts are a tough item...you want to get something nice, something memorable, something she'll like, but not expensive. It's also a plus if you get something that's somewhat original. I also like the idea of a gift that she'll be able to have for awhile. Gift certificates to spas, salons, etc. are nice, but when they're used up there's really nothing to show for it.

All that being said, I still haven't bought anything for my mother yet! However, I do have a plan of attack...keep in mind, though, that everyone's mom is different and what my mother may like, yours may hate.

The first place I plan on scouring is Annie Creamcheese in Georgetown. It's an excellent vintage store that has tons of designer pieces (I found an incredible Pucci dress from the 70's there)! So, I'm thinking of finding some little deisgner accessory like a coinpurse or something similar. There are so many treasures there, though, so who knows what I'll find!

My next stop is Filene's Basement (the new one that opened by Tyson's). This is the perfect place to find really nice silk scarves. Most Filene's have a pretty good selection, of big, rectangular designer scarves for around $60; you can find Gucci, Missoni, Moschino, YSL, etc. In addition the last time I was at Filene's they had smaller, square Missoni scarves (perfect for headbands) that had been around $100 for only $15! Now if that isn't a great gift idea, I dont know what is. Plus, that's cheap enough you can pick one up for yourself while you're at it...

I really like the concept of a nice scarf as a gift. There are so many different varieties, they're pretty, they last for ages, and they're versatile! As I mentioned earlier, though, just make sure you get something that Mom will actually like; it doesn't matter if you just forked over several paychecks for something from Mervis Diamond Importers...if she doesn't like it, it's not a good gift.

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Mother's Day Shopping!!!

Lounge Wear

The weather forecast for the District of Columbia is gross with a 30% chance of miserable. This morning as I was in bed listening to the rain, work clothes were the last thing I wanted to adorn. On rainy days there's really nothing better than lying on the sofa watching the recently released 90210 Season 1 DVD's in your finest loungewear. Seriously, shed the PJ's; that can be the one productive thing you do all day...

Loungewear is one of my favorite types of clothing. If you get the right items you can compose an ensemble that's comfy, flattering, and stylish. An outfit that feels like you're wearing PJ's, yet is appropriate to wear in public; it just doesn't get much better than that!

I love Juicy with Primp coming in a very close second; I'm especially keen on their T's with the sparkly rhinestones! However, there is absolutely no way I can justify spending $80+ on what are, essentially, sweatpants. Fret not, you can still have your Juicy and Primp and afford it too.

Have you ever heard of a place called Gabrielle Brother's (Gabe's)? For those in the DC area, the closest one is in Winchester, VA, and well worth the trek. Gabe's is a warehouse-type store that sells clothing and much much more, but in all fairness Gabe's deserves it's own post so you'll have to wait to find out more. Chances are if you have heard of Gabe's it was probably in reference to someone looking through clothing and finding pants with one leg, shirts with holes, and dresses with stains. Amidst all the one-legged pants, though, are Juicy pants (both velour and terry) for a mere $10!

While not as exciting/scary as Gabe's, TJ Maxx is a great place to find Primp (they occasionally have Juicy, but it's still not as cheap as Gabe's). You have to look in the new Runway section that select TJ's have, but it's well worth it since the Primp pants are marked down to $30. You can also find Primp at Filene's Basement, Loehman's, and the sale racks at Neimans and Saks, but they are still usually over $50 there.

I think it's supposed to be pretty this weekend and what better to do than take a nice drive down Route 50 (stopping in Middleburg for some cookies at The Upper Crust) or I-66 and check out Gabe's to stock up on loungewear for the rainy days to come!