Winter Wonderland

Is it just me or has it been winter FOREVER??

For the last two months the San Franciscan weather monster has had an insatiable appetite for the cold, the dreary and the downright dismal. Never have I experienced such bitter conditions in the city before and what’s worse, this frosty feeling seems to be permeating its way through our bodies and souls. Pedestrians are bustling through the streets with their heads down and bulldozing through anything that crosses their paths, cyclists are even less likely to stop at a red light and as sale prices hurtle towards the ‘70% off’ world fellow shoppers are becoming even more ruthless. Somebody actually kicked me in Macy’s the other day. True story.

But fear not, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We are starting to see the first sprinkles of Spring collection colors in stores. My gym is attempting to lure me back with promises of a ‘beach body’ and America’s favorite fame-whoring family are already promoting their new swimwear line (yes, the Kardashians for Beach Bunny Swimwear’s new 2011 collection is now available and yes, I’m just jealous cos I want their lives). Ah, summer is nigh and thoughts of flirty dresses and colorful tanks are tantalizing my sartorial senses.

But do not be fooled. Do not allow yourself to be seduced by BCBGs sassy summer window displays. Ignore the Victoria’s Secret swimsuit catalogue that is winging its way to you as we speak. For Recessionistas like us, now is not the time to start thinking about shorts and tees. Get your crystal balls out girls, cos we need to start thinking about NEXT winter.

Don’t you raise your eyebrows like that at me! I speak the truth. Just yesterday I was perusing through Betsey Johnson’s store admiring an array of stunning winter coats that were 60% off. Piperlime has an insane sale on their boots collection and Neiman Marcus is finally talking to me in a language that I can speak.  Right now, stores nationwide are a virtul winter wonderland of accoutrement delights at rock bottom prices.  Indeed, sometimes in life you need to take a step backwards in order to move forward. Well, as a Recessionista, sometimes you need to shop for this season after the fact. Just think about it, is there anything more priceless than finding a jacket or pair of boots that you have coveted for months on the 'Clearance' rack?? Doesn’t it just give you that extra swagger in your step when you really find a bargain? And think about it, as this season is (hopefully) winding down and the opportunities to wear winter clothes will dwindle you’ll find that come next winter you’ll have an array of virtually unworn garments adorning your closet walls.

And that’s when you start investing in swimwear…………see where I’m going with all this??! Tread carefully though – you don’t want to complicate your seasonal shopping too much and end up looking like Kim Cattrell below……

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Louboutins For Lunch.....

You’ve got the dress. You’ve perfected the smoky eye trend. Your vintage purse is simply divine but those clumpy old black pumps with the heels wore down just do not complete the look. So where does a recessionista turn to when you’re a shoe-aholic working off bad credit?? The Italians (and Claire Bear) say that you should always match your shoes with your bag. Indeed, this has been a simple fashion rule that I have followed for years. I always remember, many moons ago, marveling at this hot blonde wearing an LBD and rainbow striped pumps. I’m not joking – they were genuinely rainbow striped pumps of the Castro variety. I, in all of my nineteen year old wisdom, thought they were AMAZING but I was assured by my slightly more mature and infinitely fashion wiser friend that she looked cheap and nasty. It wasn’t much long after this that I learned this to be a fashion faux pas of catastrophic proportions on the streets of Milan. Indeed, sadly as one gets that little bit more mature and softer in the hot bod department you come to realize that less truly is more. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve never followed the advice of taking one thing off before I leave the house (were I to do this I’d probably join the ranks of P Hilton and Britney Spears in the unfortunate and unflattering angle-photo department). Nonetheless, I have realized that garish colors and mis-matching pieces can often look just that – garish and mis-matching.

A great dress is one thing. But there are few feelings that parallel donning a really sexy pair of heels. I HATE flat shoes. The best they can ever be is cute. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no stranger to strutting my stuff in them in a work environment or on a leisurely Sunday stroll but truth be told, us women all feel much sexier and stronger in a pair of killer heels. And men feel it too. There are certain shoes that evoke in men that ‘leave them on’ lust and trust me honey, that doesn’t come with a kitten heel.

So what I am about to disclose to you goes against the very ethos of this blog but here it goes – you need to spend money on shoes. There. I said it. Ladies, I do hate to admit it but it’s true. Now, I absolutely do not believe in spending money on fad shoes. A flowery espadrille or purple pump might go well with your specific look du jour but they’re not going to last you a lifetime. Think of Manolo Blahnik’s ‘Mary Jane’. Now that is a perfect shoe – sexy but still conservative, and above all insanely versatile. The only thing a shoe like that may not work with is a summer dress and let’s face it – there are a million $30 –a-pair of shoes at Marshalls or Target that will complete that look. Now if I were to pick a favorite shoe I’d have to go for the slick red-soled Louboutin. These shoes are simply – divine. I’ve been lucky enough to add a few of these babies to my wardrobe and wearing them is a guilty pleasure (I sometimes just wear them around the house). Now, I know – they are obscenely expensive but trust me, I get so much wear out of mine that it truly is worth it. One of the most sacreligious crimes a fashionista can commit is to not wear your more expensive items. Come on, we’re all guilty of it. You spend money on a pair of shoes and because they were so damn expensive you feel the need to only wear them on ‘special’ occasions. Au contraire, my friend, the reason why you bid adieu to your hard-earned American dollars is solely so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. It’s not often that I truly splurge but the biggest pleasure that comes with splurging is of course to enjoy the item (or items in some cases) - even if it means wearing your Louboutins while doing the dishes.

My darling Recessionitas, if Carrie could live off Vogue for dinner, we can have Louboutins for lunch….

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