Notes of a shopaholic

Friday, March 14, 2003:

Readers of this blog know that lately I have been raving about Yoox.com, the Italy based discount designer site. Today I have been putting together some returns to them--and here we can see some of their limitations. To return items, they have a lengthy thing about how everything needs to be perfect, and a web-based return form that takes their site about 20 minutes to process! Plus all sorts of 10 digit numbers to insert in the proper place on the UPS form. Certainly could be easier...
Steven Sherman // 10:02 AM

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Thursday, March 13, 2003:

This week I went down to Athens GA for a book sale (selling books on Amazon is a great way to channel shopaholic energies profitably). I decided to skip a slightly-out-of-the-way trip to Discover Mills, which has a Neiman Marcus outlet. One, I was tired of driving. Also, I don't like to make trips to outlets--I feel pressure on myself to buy something. Better to just stop at them when they are between destinations. Besides, I've already spent about 200$ or so this week, since I will probably pick up the sweater from Ralph Lauren. I did get a vintage shirt at a store in Athens for $15. I don't wear much vintage, but this looks nice--it has a wheat pattern that reminds me of some stuff Marc Jacobs does, and also of a shirt from Diesel I wanted on Ebay but didn't get. Doesn't look escessively like 'look at me, mr. ironic vintage man!' Fits well, too.
Steven Sherman // 8:16 AM

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Sunday, March 09, 2003:

I wasn't planning to shop today, but on a whim I decided to stop by OffSaks. They have a big shipment of stuff from Earl Jeans for Men just in. I have to say, trying on a pair, I understood immediately what the buzz was all about. Very nice fit. I snaged a pair of black jeans for $60. (Look at what Eluxury wants people to pay for them). I've been looking for a pair of black jeans for the longest time. I can finally retire this pair of Banana Republic black jeans I've been wearing forever. I bet this happens to a lot of shopaholics. You buy stuff all the time, yet find yourself strangely dependent on items that are years old.

Then I noticed the sales rack for mens suits. I found a blazer from Donna Karan New York, cashmere blend, brown, with a subtle herringbone pattern, for $75 dollars! I've been trying to swear off DKNY since I read that some workers have been suing Donna Karan to get pay they are owed, but this blazer was made in Italy, so it probably wasn't made in a sweatshop...

I think I will have to decide whether I like this one or the one coming from Yoox better, and return the other.

After I left OffSaks, I discovered a Polo Ralph Lauren warehouse sale. For once it was not the boring stuff, but some of their more interesting items. I saw a lightweight wool cardigan that a friend and I had sneered at at Bloomingdales, where it was 'on sale' for something like $100, for $50. It fit perfectly, and had a nice style--more Marc Jacobs than Ralph Lauren. I was sorely tempted, but decided $140 was enough for the day. Anyway, there were two of them in medium, it was 6pm on Sunday, and that mall is always dead, so it'll probably still be there if I want to snag it on Thursday (the soonest I can get back there).

Steven Sherman // 5:26 PM

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This is how The Loop, a sort of combo e-zine/shopping site introduces itself:

Style and fashion matters to you. When the Paris couture shows are televised your heart races. When Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City wears a suede skirt with fringe you turn green with envy. When a handbag shown in VOGUE sparks a waiting list your name is always on it. You read W, BAZAAR and Marie Claire and know how the trends translate to your lifestyle---and you know the ones that don’t. You charm your girlfriends with the insider scoop on Galliano, Stella McCartney and Nicholas Gesquierre, and the starlets who wear their gowns. And the clincher: You can spot a fake Birkin across the room at Balthazar. If you answered yes to any of the above you are unmistakably "in the loop."

Is it just me, or does the whole idea of being 'in the loop' seem totally last millenium? See for yourself here.
Steven Sherman // 8:32 AM

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