Shopperella in Boston

Laying Down the Law

2009-05-16T16:11:00.001-04:00

I am a law student. This title is a pun...except not really, because, though this is a shopping blog and not a fashion blog, effective shopping and an understanding of basic principles of fashion are inexorably intertwined, and the situation in Boston's fashion/shopping nexus has become so dire it cannot go ignored.

I am sick and tired of seeing college aged girls walking down the street in outfits that make me want to scream, "Did you check your ass in the mirror before you went out in that?!?!?!" It's not even a question of style sense anymore, because that can be subjective (I guess)...but why do girls leave the house walking around in things that don't look good on them? I watch them being completely oblivious to the fact that their ass cellulite, completely defined through the flimsy fabric of whatever godforsaken goucho pantaloon gym bunny slut whore thong thing they strapped on this morning, looks like an f-ing treasure map. But even worse is the girls who KNOW they're wearing something they shouldn't be wearing and being completely self-conscious about it - you see the subtle smoothing of the hems, the adjustment of the cups, the strange slanted frown across the face. If you're not comfortable in it - WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING IT?

Good...God.

Therefore, I am laying down the following rules of the road:

Miniskirts...look good on NO ONE.
Mustard Yellow...looks good on NO ONE.
Leggings without a skirt or something over them....look good on NO ONE.
Printy fabrics featuring a combination of more than one of the colors in what I refer to as the "vomit trifecta" (lemon yellow, coral, chartreuse)...look good on NO ONE.
Terrycloth butt shorts...look good on NO ONE.
Letters printed on your ass...look good on NO ONE.
Not being able to walk in your own stiletto heels...looks good on NO ONE.

And for Christ's sake, if anyone can see your ass cheeks moving up and down independently of one another under your skirt DON'T WEAR IT.

I mean honestly, your University of Massachusetts shorts look like they say "Um, ass"... ON YOUR ASS.

And you wore these in PUBLIC? I don't CARE if you just came from the gym - put on some damn jeans.

And then there's this....That's right. They're bringing back the jumpsuit.

Oh heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell noooooo. No. I refuse.

And in DENIM of all things? Who looks good in these exactly? You'd better not let yourself be caught wearing these in public unless you were actually at the original Studio 54 and are now so made of plastic that you're body is still more fabulous than that of any McDonalds fed 20-something of my generation enabling you to pull this off without anybody pointing and laughing after half a block.

Honestly, I would have considered this look before it came "into style" ("into style" used here used more in the it's an economic crisis and the fashion industry is scraping the barrel and this will be gone in less than year sense - please don't mistake this for any indication that this look could ever actually be stylish post 1977). I saw a bright purple 70's jumpsuit at The Garment District's vintage section once and would have bought it if it were a size larger. Because then it would have said something, something akin to words like "unique" "quirky" "old school" "playful" "edgy" "discoglam." But now that it's an actual fad? That just takes the fun right out of it. And now such a getup only says "Hey, I'm wearing this only because the new ad campaign at Express told me to and I'm so brainwashed and conformist and incapable of developing a style of my own that it's fairly easy for the ponytailed little gnomes that run the fashion industry to convince me I ought to be wearing something this ridiculous."

But that's OK. Jumpsuits really aren't that offensive anymore considering how Arden B. has also been daring enough to bring back THE ROMPER

I'm pretty sure my mother had the exact same thing when she was in college.

Seriously, ladies. We're going to have to lay down another rule specific to 70's era, I'm the rejected fourth Charlie's Angel style clothing : if you wouldn't feel comfortable discoing down Beacon St. slathered head to toe in rainbow body glitter and cocaine, don't wear it. If you would...I'm willing to make a concession...IF, and only if, you video tape it and give me the youtube rights.

Etsy Hot List Number 4 - IN THE WHITE ROOM

2009-05-15T19:28:00.000-04:00

10. Geometric Pillow in black and white by Yeshleesod

9. Mini White Porcelain Vases by RouDesigns

8. Birch Bark Nesting Boxes by NHWoodsCreations

7. Stained Glass Candle Holder by imagineglassstudios

6. Pineapple White Lace Table Cloth by SimonDesign

5. Ocean Day Dreams Beach Glass Mosaid Picture Frame by Sirenetta

4. Inner Peace Bamboo Zen Garden by bornefrielife

3. Swan Designs by SophiaMcD

2. Zebra Stripes Vinyl Wall Decal Kit by SavvyGalDesigns

1. Black Curtains by jeffandstephs

Etsy Hot List Number 3 - IN THE RED ROOM

2009-05-14T19:19:00.001-04:00

10. Aluminum Picture Frame by BlushDixi

9. Damask Pillow by PillowThrowDecor

8.

7. Antique Red Stained Glass Decor Vase by Glass2Class

6. Scarlet Poppies Original Watercolor Painting by printmakerjen

5. Dried Brick Red Lin Flower

4. Recycled Vinyl Record Storage Container by retrograndma

3. Tufted Red Chairs by fabulousmess

2. Staggered Nightlight in Red and Purple Stained Glass by BrazanDesign

1. HUGE World Map Wall Decal by SmallTimeArt

They should just rename Cache "The Cougar Den"

2009-05-12T20:42:00.004-04:00

So the other night when I was off buying tea at teavana (I know, I'm addicted) I made the mistake of wandering into Cache, where (1) they don't carry my size because suddenly a 14 is no longer acceptable (I remember back when a 16 was a normal size, don't know about you) (that was 3 in a row - I'd earlier stopped in a couture store where I wasn't shocked but Express??? Express has stopped selling size 14 pants except online? I'm getting paranoid that suddenly every store is going to stop selling my size, which I have been consistently since I was 12 years old - early bloomer, what can I say)

but worse than that

(2) THEY CARRY NOTHING BUT COUGAR CLOTHES.

Don't know what the hell I'm talking about?

For your reference:

Urbandictionary.com

The oh so grammatically correct College Affair Magazine (that's embarassing)

Lipstick Jungle

Yeah. It's like that.

I mean, everything was nicely made and flattering, and I have to hand it to them that everything was vibrant and colorful....but it was a lot like the high end version of a Wet Seal, Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe - plus grandma's vintage outdoor-indoor palm frond chaise pillows from her Florida home in the 1960's. And just like grandma's outdated Florida pillows, these clothes go perfectly with a third Cosmopolitan.

So without a do, I give you this season's tropically/jungle print inspired cougar clothes from Cache:

THE ULTIMATE KNITTING POST - PART 3

2009-05-12T00:30:00.002-04:00

Finally! We have come to the VERY END, Part III of THE ULTIMATE KNITTING POST.

..... S.

This is where we come when we are LAZY or simply too unskilled or without enough time to do it ourselves but still covet that delightful, kitschy, handknitted look. The following are incredible places to get bodaciously beautiful knits and knitted thingies online.

The first stop should always be Anthropologie. Overpriced (same company as Urban Outfitters, go figure) but GORGEOUS and they don't have sweaters like this anywhere else. I think Anthropologie seriously corners the cutesy popcorn stitch and unusually colored fair isle retail sweater market... Couldn't find many online pics of the pieces I have most loved in the past, but this one will do:

And then, for knitted funk that makes even Anthropologie look prudish, check out Dreamwoven at dreamwoven.com ...

Wowza.

Here, however, is couture house Rodarte's take on "knitting":

Oh, come on! It's avant garde!

No? really, no?

Back to the traditional then...

Or you can go super duper traditional, as in centuries of Irish clan tradition, with clanarans hand knit sweaters, not cheap but phenominal and straight from Ireland (This one is the traditional sweater of the Kennedy clan, which, despite its being Irish, has somehow come to rule the United States of America o_O ):

While I knew that there were clan tartans in Scotland I was completely unaware until researching for this post that there are, apparently, clan arans in Ireland. Definitely check out the history section of their website, explaining what exactly an Aran sweater is and how it came to be. Apparently the stitches are a code that can pass along information - Can anybody say Tale of Two Cities? Meanwhile, if you have an even remotely, tangentially Irish last name they have a whole index of names for you to look under to find your family's traditional Irish sweater. It will tell you what sweater is yours, what the symbols in the sweater stand for, and the story and history of your family that led to the development of said sweater. Pretty nifty. I have seriously blown hours looking up the sweaters of Irish people I know - is that weird?

And then, of course, how could I do hand-knit without a gander at Etsy.com? Observe, minions!

First of all, elf518 may be the most talented knitter I have ever seen.

This piece of work, for the modest (and probably deserving) price of $600 smackeroonies, was HAND KNIT

Are you kidding? I have serious needle envy.

OffTheHookSweaters offers surprisingly sound prices for their sizable, wrapparoundykeepwarmy sweaters given how much labor and yarn must go into them -I enjoy this one:

And for truly delightful floral neckwear (with matching hats!) consider xeino's creations...

And finally, because this is an equal opportunity shopping blog, I have included one token crochet item from MyissaG - wasn't gonna do it but the cuteness compelled me (check out her pretty colored wash cloths, lacy crochet scarves, and bunny plushies)

Greener Pastures Farm offers what they call Real Socks, custom made by hand with high quality wool yarn at $199 a pair. The seller makes a point - that in order to sell high quality, hand knit items made with tight, small stitches out of good materials you have to charge less than minimum wage for your labor...according to the website these socks would cost over $400 if she paid herself minimum wage, and I believe it. She also made a good point in her May 6, 09 blog post about women's work being undervalued in comparison to the work of men.

Still...I don't know that I can afford $199 a pair, no matter how high quality the socks are. This is part of what stinks about selling hand knit, and hand made in general - someone, either on the selling end or the buying end or both, has gotta get screwed. This is why I knit for myself.

THE ULTIMATE KNITTING POST - PART 2

2009-05-08T20:04:00.001-04:00

So, we have procured our yarn from THE ULTIMATE KNITTING POST - PART 1, either by purchasing a gorgeous specimen already made or spinning up some luxurious fibers on our own...now it's time to procure a pattern. I'm a fan of winging it myself, perhaps picking up just a stitch pattern and turning it into something...but then again, I would NEVER be able to improvise these babies:

Knitted Lace of Estonia.

They're soooo beautiful but SO intricate. I'm going to have to work my way up to that one.

In the meantime, I can sate myself with

Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders

Loooook hoooow fluuuuuffffyyyyyy....o_O

Purlbee, along with offering a slew of free knitting patterns (among other things) on its site offers a wide array of knitting and stitch pattern publications, such as these prim-covered little Treasuries by Barbara Walker.

And then there's Ravelry which is alarmingly overwhelming with free and purchasable patterns FOR EVERYTHING.

I happen to own The Big Book of Knitting which is, frankly, really difficult to navigate through...but it has SO MUCH in it that it is inevitably helpful. It just takes some searching to find it...

Meanwhile, I eagerly await my One Knitting Pattern a Day calendar that I ordered for my desk at work so that when I'm not knitting I can fantasize that I am.

Finally, Vogue Knitting offers a ridiculous amount of fancy-shmancy (if cumbersome) fashion knits both in print and online.

And there's always Google.

Then there's a question of knitting implements, mainly needles, stitch markers, crochet hooks and stitch holders.

I'm personally a fan of Brittany needles

Because, though a bit pricey, I believe it's important when making beautiful things that you use beautiful things...it puts you in the right state of mind.

I've never used a Brittany crochet hook

but they look stunning. I know they're available at Woolcott and Co. in Harvard Square.

and Lenabrowndesigns.etsy.com offers endless beautiful knitting needle cases to store them in.

I have one and it has made my knitting life that much more organized.

And in case you ever needed to order circular needles in bulk, check out Brilliantknitting.etsy.com

My goodness!

Then for complex patterns, you'll need markers. Etsy offers stitch markers galore, for every project and personality...but I would be partial to using these markers by meredithknitting.etsy.comfor my next Irish aran:

And speaking of Irish arans, I will be featuring some beautiful, hand-knit Irish aran sweaters in my final post of this series, dedicated to lazy-(wo)man knitting - buying premade! Stay tuned for a plethora beautiful sweaters and lovely knitted items in THE ULTIMATE KNITTING POST - PART 3!!!

THE ULTIMATE KNITTING POST - PART 1

2009-05-07T20:40:00.002-04:00

So, are you an ultimate knitter? Or, alternatively, do you sometimes see yarn that makes you want to drop where you stop or stop where you drop and learn how? Or will you have none of that and purchase your beautiful, sumptuous knits pre-knitted? Do you swoon at Anthropologie in the Winter, browse Etsy's litany of oversized, alpaca cowls and drool, Covet those ridiculously splurge-tastic cashmere and ribbon fingerless gloves you saw the other day done up in stockinette stitch with a scallop edge? Do you want to make and/or have ALL OF IT?

Then you are probably my soul mate, because I most certainly do. And to honor the romance of the gaping hole in my soul that can be filled by nothing that is not warm and fuzzy and like the wearable version of hot-cocoa (and because Boston seems to still think it's Winter) I give you...

THE ULTIMATE KNITTING POST. That's right, boys and girls. Yarn, books, implements, spindles and rovings, and knitted up goodies all right here. A post SO ULTIMATE it has to be broken up into parts. This is part 1. I'm excited. Let's go.

First stop, yarn. Some people pick a pattern first, then find the yarn...this technique is so...sad. And mechanical. And blah. And flavorless and boring. AND BACKWARDS IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY. There's no color in it! When I knit I have to feel the yarn, get inspired by it, find that perfect color combination that just screams its unique need to be concocted, let it speak to me, get ZEN with the YARN.

Therefore.

Number one stop, artfibers. I first ran into artfibers when I was interning in San Francisco a few summers ago. The ridiculousness of San Francisco real estate + economic crisis appears to have forced them into a new, suburban location, and poor little me - I'm on an opposite coast! But have no fear as you can order ALL their incredibly unique yarn on the intarnets in various quantities. Artfibers, how I love thee - especially thy current obsession with bamboo fiber (which, if you've ever worked with it or worn it, is like the cashmere of the non-animal world. Great to spin up, too.)

Artfibers is always discontinuing old lines and starting new ones, so be careful if you fall too much in love; buy in bulk - but always always ALWAYS stop back to see if there's something new.

Phos, pictured here, is probably the most unique of all their yarns. The pictures of it knitted up really don't do it justice so I haven't featured them. It's a strange, strange yarn, but it stands up in this super weird texture that makes me think of tiny Martian stalagtites. They used to have a radioactive snot green that I'm not finding on the website, which bums me out, but this one was always a close second.

Golden chai and tsuki are also two personal favorites, but I frankly have never been disappointed with ANY of their yarns. Plus, the option to buy in various quantities on cones is awesome. It's always spooled up so it never gets tangled. Super super efficient. Their story is also interesting if you check it out on their website and they clearly strive to come up with new and more interesting yarns as often as possible. Quality is great.

For a while they were offering beautiful, natural Japanese silk fiber that I have personally spun up into a ball on my drop spindle, but I'm not finding it on the website :(

Another yarn I've particularly fallen for is Rowan Tapestry, which seems to be generally available in a variety of yarn speciality stores such as Windsor Button at Downtown Crossing, Boston. I'm partial to the
Lakeland Colorway, which (though it's hard to see from the picture) knits up into subtle stripes of light to medium dark blue. It looks like the ocean meeting the sky on a misty day. I don't know if the words "luxurious" and "Beanie" ever belong together, but if they do, then this knits up into the most beautiful, luxurious beanie in the world. 70/30 Merino/Soy. Mmmm, sooooy...

Then there's this lovely shop I fell upon while browsing Ravelry, Redstoneyarns.com - with its earthy name and sumptuous treats I couldn't resist adding to my favorites. I haven't had the opportunity to work with this gorgeous looking stuff quite yet, but it's on my summer to do list (once the law school has released me from its insipid bowels.) It ain't cheap, but it's gorgeous, including the holy grail of yarns - pre-beaded yarn, and some beautiful tussah silk bats in ridiculous jewel tones just begging me to spin them...

A brand I have worked with and highly recommend is Manos del Uruguay, for their international flair, socially-conscious mission, and high-quality product. Their big schtick is that their yarn is artisan made by rural women. And I gotta tell you, it worked on me. I purchased a gorgeous 50/50 silk/merino blend with a tag stating it was handmade by "Graciella." I was like...Graciella you are awesome. Plus, according to their website, they've supplied fibers to Ralph Lauren and DKNY. Don't we feel exclusive and luxurious now?

Some gorgeous photos from their website I could not resist posting, their silk blend colorways, for instance:

Then there is handspun on Etsy.com - just LOOK at these lovelies:

LOOK at this magnificently plied pinky-red handspun by windroseyarn.etsy.com and tell me it doesn't make you make incomprehensible gurgling noises of lust:

But WAIT! Then there's this incredibly textural yarn from cecilemarie.etsy.com...

TwilightKnits.etsy.com handpainted yarns...

Spirally wonders from sagefox.etsy.com

and delicious colors from beeskneesknitting

BUT WAIT! There's still the option to Make Your Own with beautiful drop spindles from 3gwoodworks.etsy.com

or BrandywineWW.etsy.com

And alpaca roving from alpacadirect.com

or one of these magnificent Etsy fiber gurus:

Gorgeous fiber by isjulafiber (and she's right- I bought some, and it IS gorgeous)

Incredible contrast by Spincerely.etsy.com

Wowie Kazowie bats from DeepSeaFibers

and finally, Gorgeous handpainted Mongolian cashmere and mulberry silk by exclusivelylindalee

which I have purchased, spun up and adore in precisely that colorway - haven't knitted it yet, and am in fact thinking of striping it with my artfibers silk.

Let me tell you a little bit about my last featured roving genius, Ms. LindaLee (naturally her shop's inactive just as I go to feature her because they're moving!)... I purchased this fiber from her after moving, myself, and for some reason the post office didn't forward it to my new address. This seller was soooo helpful, getting back to me right away with tracking numbers and communicating and check in for status reports...meanwhile the post office did nada, and that was after I went back to my old building to look for the damn thing and contacted my landlord and everything (we think someone stole it but...how many people steal roving???). When Ms. LindaLee heard of this she wouldn't have it -she sent me another, free of charge.

THAT is love...of fiber. Keep an eye on this shop because I guarantee you that when she starts posting new items again they're gonna be GORGEOUS.

Now...phew...we FINALLY have a yarn to inspire us...or at least some fiber to turn into yarn to inspire us...

and NOW it is time to find a pattern....I have some books on Amazon.com in mind that can provide us with precisely that....but it will have to wait until...

dum dum dum....

THE ULTIMATE KNITTERS POST - PAAAAAAAAAART TWOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UNDERPANTS!

2009-05-06T15:28:00.001-04:00

That's right, UNDERPANTS. The most important, essentialest, superduper hardcore necessary wardrobe item EVAR.

Unless you're the commando type. Which is icky.

Let's start off with my most essential of essentials, the Victoria's Secret VS Cotton string bikini.

This is my favorite pair of underpants because it is simple, cheap-ish (if you do the 5 for $25 deal that is, $7.50 for a pair of plain old underpants is kind of steep), and most importantly - they don't go up your butt. That's my favorite part about a good pair of underpants, the not-going-up-your-buttness. They're also comfy, and made of a nice loose cotton so they don't get all gross or itch or chafe or interact strangely with your jeans like some synthetics do. They breathe, so to say. And what distinguishes these from other cotton underwear is the cut - it's like you're not wearing any.

Granted, when I (and I presume, most humans) wear them they don' t look NEARLY as sexual as they do on the model here - but that's why I like them. No pretentions, assumptions...they're made NOT to be seen, not to be seen, if you catch my drift. Plus they come in a very practical beige/tan color that stays pretty invisible under everything, and your staple grays, blacks, and whites. They come in all kind of printies but printes on your ass? Right.

If you're going to have DESIGNS on your crotch, then you should forget the cute little florally things Vikki's puts out and go for GOLD.

As in, pot of gold, with these little numbers titled "Rainbows Shooting from a Mystical Pot of Gold," available from ruffeoheartslilsnoty.etsy.com

And with other variations such as rainbows shooting out of "geoducks," rainbows shooting out of mystical clams...you catch the drift. Kind of irresistable.

Meanwhile, who doesn't want butt cleavage?, available from knickerocker.etsy.com

...whose metalic gold and silver underwear makes me wonder if these aren't meant to be worn outside your pants...say at the roller derbie.

...

I'd do it.

Etsy features some sweeter and more traditional forms of underwear, like from sandmaiden.etsy.com, who is repeatedly showing up as one of Etsy's lingerie mavens in searches and front pages galore. As well she should, because her stuff is gorgeous. Check this out:

And then there's Hot Topic, where Everything is clearly not about the music. I am especially a fan of the pleather bandeau bra which they're hawking to their target age group of angsty girls wearing too much eyeliner between the ages of 12 and 15 o_O.

Now if you're REALLY in the mood to spend some mullah on undies, check out these Embrace Collection G-string Shorts from La Perla

at $203 USD. Pas mal, n'est-ce pas?

And if you like the romantic, international import style, you should check out Koniakow, a sweet little village in Poland, traditionally renowned for its handmade, traditional lace. It evokes images of little grannies sitting around painstakingly working thread into beautiful, patterned table cloths, curtains, and doilies for the back of your toilet.

But that stuff got old hat, so Koniakow adapted - and now they make traditional Polish granny lace underpants. Apparently village elders have gotten a little uptight about this, but they certainly seem to be sexing it up at the website. But what I especially enjoy is that the website isn't koniakow lace or koniakow underpants or koniakow & co. Nope. Just koniakow.com. Koniakaw is the actual name of the village in Poland.

How would you like it if you lived in a city and some website just up and usurped your town's name for its website so they could sell stuff?

Boston.com

But anyway, the city of Koniakaw really doesn't have anything to be ashamed of...(as long as you don't mind a healthy dosing of T&A). Because the styling and craftsmanship of their underpants would do any old Polish granny proud. $82 USD please:

Well.

Maybe not the G-strings.

For the quirky

2009-05-03T19:46:00.009-04:00

Well, it's finals, I'm clearly not making very good use of my time but I just don't care anymore, and because being stuffed into the law library with all the other stressed law students who haven't bathed in three days and have all developed ticks of various sorts, typing and turning pages with the dapper enthusiasm of a Siberian Gulag inmate is making me somewhat neurotic.

THEREFORE! Because in law there is always a THEREFORE!

I'm dedicating today's post to (love how I spend my weekends btw) quirky and idiosyncratic things that appeal to the ~~freaks~~quirky bits in all of us.

Interestingly, when I googled the words "buy law student" the first hit was an ad for prescription pills.

ANYWAY.

Feather Your Nest by FatTabbyWoolens.etsy.com is a cage of wool scraps you can put out by your birdfeeder, enticing the little fly-y thingies that come by to include colorful scraps in their nests.

The Sugar Glider Pet Shop offers, among its myriad boring animals, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, and kinkajous.

What the hell is a kinkajou, you my ask?

This thing:

Shown here vomiting on your carpet.

Actually, if you google image search them they're kind of cute.

Meanwhile, and please don't cite me as any level of authority, I've been told that sugar gliders
are illegal in the state of Massachusetts. Don't know why...invasive species problem, maybe, or maybe just cause they're so damn easy to kill. Or maybe because they threaten to take over the state with all their cuteness, melting the stone hearts of all those Massholes that drive around Boston hitting pedestrians for fun - and that would very much upset the order of things around here.

Don't bash the website though - they publicize the ASPCA pledge against animal cruelty, and that I dig. Prolly gonna do some pro bono work for the MSPCA this summer in fact.

And moving on to humans...who wouldn't want this ACCURATE Christmas Story reproduction leg lamp? Classy, eh?

But wait wait wait wait wait, if you REALLY REALLY want to do something nice for animals and the environment...

Did you know that you can buy one ton of sulfur dioxide emissions??? That's right, apparently the going rate for sulfur dioxide emissions (at least as of 2006, the date of the article), is the bargain basement price of $425 per ton at the EPA's annual emissions auction! Sounds like a gas. Apparently a University of Iowa student group purchased an emissions permit under the Clean Air Act, thereby preventing that allowance from being used by some industrial producer. Makes sense. If everybody went and bought a ton of sulfur dioxide emissions we'd end global warming AND return to a barter and trade economy. A++

Meanwhile, over at agrijewelry.com you can buy fine gold, silver, pearl and precious stone jewelry inspired by things like wheat, rice, peanuts, cotton, tractor tires, grapes, alpacas, LLAMAS (I f-ing love llamas), almonds, pecans, corn and...

Cows.

I don't know why my quirks post seems to be about things that are alive... let's see if I can find something a little bit more inanimate to feature...

Ah yes, Coffinitup.com. Ba da ching. Their tag line should be: Blood, coffinitup? Coffinitup!

Actually, they don't appear to sell coffins. They appear to sell coffin theme merchandise only. Shucks.

But look, they've got coffin jewelry, coffin purses...Coffin...

...Kitchen Cabinets. Personally I wouldn't want to store my food in any of those but to each his own, I guess.

Also, there's TheRobotShop.com which offers items in a wide variety of price ranges. Such as the "Hawk Wireless Networked Autonomous Humanoid Mobile Robot with Dual Arms" for 20,000 British Pounds.

No thanks. That creeps me out, too, frankly (I have had a fear of robots since I was a small child - call me a luddite...me and my...intarnets...blog...)

And naturally, because animal stuff seems to keep popping up everywhere as I research for this post:

PETA apparently tried to buy a giant robot elephant for the circus. As for the author's suggestion that we retire circus animals and just use robotic dinosaurs instead that would eat all the scarry clowns...iawtc.

Which brings me back to my work for the MSPCA...A bill has been filed in Massachusetts seeking to ban elephant hooks in circuses, these nasty and unnecessary little buggers that basically just discipline by causing pain. Write your state legislator.

Finally, in my quest to entertain you I stumbled upon this website on weird things you can buy online that that has entertained me. Thought I would share.

The Museum of Fine Arts store

2009-05-02T12:46:00.002-04:00

If you're not from Boston but you plan on going at some point in your life, you MUST (this is an order) go to the Museum of Fine Arts. It isn't a massive 3 mile (or was it km?) monster like the Louvre, nor is it almost imposingly modern and chic like the Met or the Guggenheim, but it is truly a fine museum. The art there is just beautiful, plain and simple, and while some of the collections may be a little small the diversity and quality are unbeatable.

I've traveled a lot. I've been to the Uffizi in Florence. I stared at the Mona Lisa.

I am convinced that THIS

Renoir, Dance at Bougival

is THE most beautiful piece of artwork on Earth. No digital image online, no print in a book can do it justice. You have to, HAVE TO, see it in real life...and here it is, in my own back yard, at Boston's MFA, where I have stared at it until my eyes blurred. There are some impressive Monets, Degas, Van Goughs, Picassos...who cares? This painting is the end all be all, I swear. It glows in real life, GLOWS. It's really unimpressive when you look at it online by comparison.

So why mention this on a shopping blog?

Because the MFA has a STORE of course!

There's a large location inside the museum itself, the online shop, and then at least one smaller location I've been frequenting at the Faneuil Hall shopping area because it's near where I work in government center.

The MFA store is good shopping, if a little pricey, because it offers unique pieces directly inspired by the art. You won't find things like that elsewhere. Frankly, I've always been a fan of museum stores, when it comes, literally, to The Museum Store or to the tiny but always fascinating shop at the lesser known Morikami Museum and Gardens in Boca Raton, Florida (also highly recommended, bring a camera and comfy shoes - as for the shop, I got a GORGEOUS bamboo fiber oblong scarf featuring monochromatic images of...bamboo! and omg the kimono are beautiful) precisely because they offer pieces that make statements without the cliche of being a pre-labeled "statement piece."

I find that museum shop selections are often, well, curated, with the ideals and purviews of the museum itself in mind. And then there's the lushness of being inspired by art. I remember they had an incredible art deco exhibit at the MFA a few years ago and they set up a separate gift shop just to go with the exhibit - it was wonderful. Cloche hats and geometric silk scarves and wind up, stylized silver airplane desk toys that looked similar to the ones in the old, brightly colored travel posters promising the lush, tropical ocean air of the South Pacific...

And MAGNETS! Boy do museum stores like their magnets. I've plastered them all over my cubicle at work.

A few selections from the MFA store online I particularly enjoy (it's interesting - pricing is always unexpected - great deals on things like stationery and jewelry, and then you turn around and a magnet is $8)...

The MFA has an incredible selection of Asian pieces, with a gallery dedicated to ancient Asian sculpture near the antiquities and Egyptian relics, and then an entire wing dedicated to a wide range of modern East Asian artwork including oversized buddhas, kimono, Chinese bottles and caligraphy, swords, and Korean stonewear...

No wonder the MFA store features a variety of striking scarves with just a touch of the art deco or art nouveau in them, such as this phoenix scarf ...

Sumptuous tapestry-based pillows - normally I'd consider pillows like this to be old hat but these are particularly well done...

A handbag featuring a traditional tree-of-life motif from a past exhibit on Assyria

And OF COURSE....BOSTON KITSCH!

I just found one of these at the bottom of my purse the other day o_O (Boston hasn't used T tokens in a few years now since they switched to plastic cards - prolly gonna be worth something some day)

Memories of Boston trivet...

Boston Common Ornament...with the Statehouse - Paul Revere did the original metalwork on that, you know - and I interned there last semester!

They also sell Make Way for Ducklings :D

GAP gab

2009-05-01T20:53:00.002-04:00

So...I'm a little bit convinced that the GAP may be evil.

You ever notice how you go in there and try on some basic slacks, and you look in their magical mirror under their magical lighting and the pants look absolutely fabulous, and then you get home and look at them in your mirror like...a month later when you finally go to wear them and they don't look nearly as good as you remember?

How do they do that?

That said, I'll only wear GAP jeans. Not because I'm one of those fanatical GAP shoppers who will wear nothing else except slum it at Old Navy or spruce it up at Banana...or dare I say...get super duper adventerous and wander into a.... J. CREW!

No, no, no, no, no. My wardrobe is half Urban Outfitters, half American Apparel, and aaaaaaall of it chosen specifically to spite my mother. But GAP jeans fit me, they typically hold up for a long time, and they seem to be able to cope with my Kim Kardashian butt by doing something other than slumping and forming a coin slot in which to collect .25 cent donations towards purchasing some filler denim.

I do not believe in the "premium denim" mumbo jumbo. Frankly, with the exception of other purchasers of and believers in premium denim, is anybody going to notice what jeans you're wearing? I mean, I should only be so flattered that someone has taken that much interest in my ass but really...or should I say butt really?

I frankly just don't get the premium denim thing...except for an extra $150, how exactly is one pair more evening appropriate than the other? Is the denim woven more tightly? Are the pockets that much flatter? Slight variations in shade? Patent rights to International Klein Blue? No, no, no, no, no. I bang the hell out of my jeans. I'm not about to waste $200 a pop. $200 is better spent on art, wine, silver, or things that are illegal.

So for this purpose, and this purpose alone, I am a GAP shopper. Aside from that, I find the GAP mildly disturbing. Because evil really only disturbs me mildly. Allow me to explain.

a) their children's clothing is frequently more sophisticated than their adult clothing.
b) they manage to have about 27 MILLION different items of clothing and yet....EVERY SINGLE ONE IS IDENTICAL. It's like an experiment in conformity.
c) pricing? Everything in that store is priced to go on sale.
d) Because I have an unhealthy paranoia of WASPy soccer moms invading like zombies. Not that I have anything against WASPy soccer moms - some of my favorite people, truth be told are WASPy soccer moms. But ZOMBIE WASPy soccer moms? I WILL CUT YOU.

Let's analyze.

Oh, wait, what's that you say? STRIPES?! How incredibly innovative! And ... what's that it's paired up with? A...a....a STARK WHITE PEASANT TOP?!?! I ... am ... f-ing ... amazed.

Actually....

That outfit is pretty cute.

SEE?!?! That's what I'm talking about when I say evil. Why do I find this outfit cute? I don't know. Because it's the GAP and the GAP is made of magic. Or maybe it's the advertising methods:

"Our summer favorite: Lightweight denim plus chic stripes equals your new wardrobe staple. Get it now."

Maybe it's the fact that it's worded like a command, not a suggestion. Or maybe it's their incredibly effective use of a word that looks like it should be two words even though that is the correct grammatical useage (I checked). Or maybe there's something hypnotic about the color scheme.

Let's try another.

Blue and white. Why we love it. Blah di blah di blah....but they're so right it kills me. It makes me feel like sipping on a mimosa while lounging with Muffy and Billy out on the terrace lounge at their vacation home on the cape, enjoying the shade of my wide-brimmed straw hat and dangling my toes into the cool water of their luxury lap pool because I'm wearing clammdiggers.

Except I don't hang on the cape. I don't know people named Muffy and Billy. I live in Boston. I wear black and gray and occasionally horrible indie colors like mustard and chartreuse.

Why does the GAP love blue and white? "it's a classic color combo that always feels fresh" <-- said in snotty voice. Why do I love it? God only knows. But I want it.

Touche, GAP marketing team, touche.

The strange and terrifying world of DeivantArt.com

2009-04-30T12:39:00.001-04:00

So...Deviantart.com.

What shall I say about thee, strange alternate dimension where popular items are anime screen captures and MS Paint scribblings of furry/plushy porn while excellent traditional art is abundant but hardly valued.

Deviantart.com is a land of fantasy...

Water Spirit by Pygar.deviantart.com

...One where Labyrinth era David Bowie would be entirely comfortable.

Labyrinth: the devil in love by lily-fox.deviantart.com

GOD Bowie is sexy.
Bowie Owl by shannonott.deviantart.com

And all that fantasy and alternate universe-ness can be ordered neatly packaged in matte or glossy prints of varied sizes, post-cards, magnets, on a mug, on a jigsaw puzzle, on a mousepad, on a coaster, or in a calendar. Bowie would be proud.

Deviantart is also host to a lot of really really graphic lesbian porn photography. Sorry folks, no photos. Which can be ordered neatly packaged in matte or glossy prints of varied sizes, post-cards, magnets, on a mug, on a jigsaw puzzle, on a mousepad, on a coaster, or in a calendar.

You'll also see your fair share of sparkly-pretty-whimsical-dreamy

christmas dream by demony.deviantart.com

and thoughtful

Photographer in L0ve by Sup3rfi-ciel.deviantart.com

or classical

The World of Bacchus by julie-rc.deviantart.com

She's Lost Control by Osnafotos

My Window by andrewcruz.deviantart.com

Or even Morbid...

Possibly Human Skull by PixelTribe.deviantart.com

Pastoral...

Cape Cod Cranberry Bog-Pastel by babsalaba.deviantart.com

Or Ominous...

The Big Bad Wolf by priteeboy.deviantart.com

Or Complex...

Hands by MPhilipPhotography.deviantart.com

And then there's the wide variety of closeups of ridiculously bright makeup:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

And then there's just friggin' cute:

Are we friends by krizziademetilla.deviantart.com

Pet Shop Puppy by The VampireDred.deviantart.com

I AM Big:: That's true:: by sekhmet-neseret.deviantart.com

And then there's just lots of stuff that's Asian.

red angell of revenge by yangqi.deviantart.com

Happy Three Friends by Slumberdoll.deviantart.com

Shichinin No Samurai by nami86.deviantart.com

Duel Abstract 2 by jaescott30.deviantart.com

mao is back by hooyoo.deviantart.com

Penis-Vagina by julietverni.deviantart.com

(the last two are my FAVORITES!!!)

But more than anything on Deviantart.com, more than anything that is fantasy, Bowie, thoughtful sparkly, classical, morbid, pastoral, ominous, complex, makeup-y, cute or Asian...

Deviantart.com is full of Naked.

It is a strange, strange place.

Etsy Hot List Number 2 - PURSES

2009-04-29T19:56:00.003-04:00

Hello boys and girls! I present to you another Etsy Hot List featuring 10 items direct from my Etsy favorites!

10. Ruby Red Corduroy Tote Bag by JoyceBuckley

9. Brooklyn Pigeons Hanging Out Tote by mycutehandbags

8. Shaggy Coffee Tote by ShaggyBaggy

7. Medium/Large Vigga Bag by valhallabrooklyn

6. Blossom in Hemp Denim by infusion

5. Felt Handbag by lusitania

4. Chartreuse stripe silk lined clutch bag by redrubyrose

3. AandV Market/Tote Bag Turquoise-Gold by aandvdesings

2. Red Flower Purse by ShibaNgDesigns

1. Enfold Clutch by hierapparel

Shopping Scene: Provence

2009-04-28T14:00:00.001-04:00

** This article is "vintage" era shopperella, reproduced from when I was still using livejournal as an interface. I'm particularly proud of this article, and I think it's relatively timeless, so here it is again.

I spent the first half of 2006 living in Marseille, the second largest city in France and the largest city by far in the region of Provence. Provence is home to its own culture which grew up quite apart from the somewhat colder culture which Americans often think of when they think of France, that of Paris and Northern France, where the weather isn't quite as warm and sunny. Provence has its own ethnicity, language (Provencale, though it's almost dead) and thick accent.

Marseille itself offers what you would expect from any major European city. It is home to large shopping boulevards and malls which host everything from celebrated French stores like Les Galleries Lafayette to international and American brands. Le Canebiere is a major thoroughfare which hosts crepe shops, currency exchanges, the local tourism office and the official store of the Olympique de Marseille, Marseille's football (soccer) team. ALLEZ OM!

Typical OM merchandise

It is also the site of a very large, yellow and happy-looking biscuiterie, a store dedicated entirely to cookies and candy, situated directly in front of a shopping mall. This biscuiterie has a wide selection of cookies including traditional treats like a leaf-shaped buttercookie called a navette and realistic-looking olives made of chocolate.

Le Rue St. Ferreol, a major pedestrian shopping street (though unkind to stiletto heels one is apt to wear while in France with its large cobblestones instead of pavement) is flanked by numerous shoe stores and sandwich shops as well as recognizable shops like Sephora, Claire's and H&M.

Le Rue St. Ferreol

Le Rue St. Ferreol begins at a gorgeous, domed baroque government building and the city's major police station and ends where it intersects Le Canebiere at Le Centre Bourse, the city's large shopping mall located directly in the middle of the "centre ville" at the division between more affluent areas populated by native French-persons and the Arab quarter.

Le Centre Bourse

Interestingly, in laying the foundation for Le Centre Bourse construction workers found the very large leftovers of some ancient Greco-Roman ruins. Marseille (ancient name Masillia) was founded to celebrate a marriage between a member of Greek family and the daughter a local Provencale tribe leader. Apparently stumbling upon ruins by accident happens a lot around there. No worries; they let the ruins be in a garden-type area which can still be viewed from inside the mall, a major portion of which is dedicated to a museum about Marseille's vivid history and ongoing tradition of internationalism.

Speaking of internationalism, Marseille's prime location on the Mediterranean leaves it a very traditional spot for international commerce and immigration. While waves of Italian immigration occurred in the past few centuries, the most recent immigration waves come from Arab North-Africa, leaving Marseille home to large Arab quarters which also boast large, Arab and Mediterranean markets. At certain points Marseille no longer even resembles France, its shops offering fragrant Middle-eastern spices by the pound, massive olives, Arab pastries, belly-dancing costumes, Halal meats, amazingly cheap produce, Halvah, hookahs. Unfortunately I have not been able to locate my photos dedicated to these vibrant sections of town.

Another distinctive marketplace in Marseille is its fish market, located right on the vieux port, centre ville. Marseille's fishing population is traditionally Italian and fish are sold literally feet away from the boat, often still moving.

Fishermen selling their fresh catches at Le Vieux Port

A traditional product still sold in Marseille is the celebratedly Savon de Marseille or soap of Marseille, an olive-oil based soap known for its softness and ability to not irritate the most sensitive skin. My host mother and host brother were both very sensitive to soaps, fabric softeners and detergents. Savon de Marseille is all she was willing to use.

Savon de Marseille for sale

Marseille also offers plenty of good boutique shopping as any major French city should, especially along Le Rue Paradis, the ritzier "old money" area road which runs parallel to Rue St. Ferreol and is home to one of the most incredible florists I've ever encountered. I could kick myself for forgetting the name, but not only does the inside of this quite delightful smelling little shop look like a rainforrest with cut flowers sometimes towering taller than myself, but it is home to a little dog who often sits in the window on a bed of moss under a ceiling of lush greenery as though he is a moving part of the window display. Also of note is a boutique dedicated entirely to the selling of white, tailored blouses and dress-shirts for women starting around 150 Euro.

But boutiques and tiny shops are all the more specialized outside of Marseille. My absolute favorite small finds were located in Cassis and Roussillon, the latter located in neighboring Languedoc. l'Eau de Cassis is a small store selling a variety of types of eau de toilette and eau de parfum made entirely out of ingredients found in and around the small and delightful town of Cassis. It is truly one-of-a-kind and intrinsically linked because of the ingredients to the geographic region. I picked up an eau de toilette titled "soir d'ete"- summer evening- which really does have the fresh and almost grassy smell of a walk through down a dirt path in June at 7 PM. They also offer raw scents such as violet, rose and mimosa, soaps, and a variety of floral or musky concoctions.

Eau de Cassis, label and store interior

Luckily for you, you don't have to go all the way to Cassis to pick some up as their perfumes are available to order online at leaudecassis.com. Unfortunately, you do have to go all the way to France to smell the perfume before you buy. Still, it's easier to get to than the much larger Fragonard, whose factory and factory store are located up a misty mountain in Eze near Monaco and whose products are worth their own article.

My other favorite place to buy products completely unique and tied to the geography of the region is the pigment factory in Roussillon. Rousillon is a beautiful little area to spend an afternoon, unique because of the bright red, yellow and white sediments of the earth on which it is situated. These pigments are then extracted and made into powders which, mixed with water and gum arabic, become extremely thick, extremely bold paints. I adore the earthy colors, if only because my host mother had her entire kitchen and bathroom done up in bright ochre yellow and terracotta red using these very colors.

pigments from Roussillon

And because these pigments are abundant throughout the region, there was plenty to coat the entire town, which glows a deep red in the afternoon sunlight on its hill overlooking the whole of the Luberon valley which strikes a deep, contrasting green.

Typical buildings in Roussillon

Painted shutters like the ones you see above are also a typical feature in Provence. The lightish blue on the left is made from lavender. Roussillon is also a great place for thyme and lavender flavored ice cream if you stop by.

But what would Provence be without its famed open-air markets?

Soaps for sale at the market in Apt

The most fragrant and delicious soaps in the world are a staple product at any Provencale market. You can get a taste for them here by hitting up a local L'Occitane (or L'Occitane.com) but at a much greater price- still, almost worth it, especially if you happen to be an American urbanite desperate to return to the leisurely agrarian lifestyle of southern France and almost able to do so over a whiff of Verbena hand-lotion or lavender soap. Apt is a charming and rather ancient town in the Luberon valley. It is also home to a massive open-air market offering a wide selection of produce, olive oils which come in a number of varieties and tastes, much like wine, and provencale textiles like these:

The yellow-and-blue prints that typify French table linens

Another city definitely worth going to is Avignon, home to the papal palace from when the popes lived in France. Go to Avignon for the palace (a giant, medieval fortress of a place which looks much more like a "fairytale castle" than monarchs' palaces such as Chambord or Versailles- it is here that you truly realize the papacy was at one point the most powerful government in all of Europe), but stay for the market, which is quaint, urban and somewhat more high end and antiquish than other more agricultural-based markets in other cities.
Even so, it is still home to a fragrant flower market and a fish market- watch out for dripping water.

Fish for sale in Avignon

Aix-en-Provence is the French version of a college-town and is often what Americans tend to think of when they hear the word "Provence." Its market is famous for long rows of sunflowers, mimosa and lavendar though it is also home to a variety of agrarian products and Provencale textiles.

A market stall in Aix

One more product, of course, comes to mind when we think of France. Wine, of course! Southern France is not as celebrated for its wine as other regions such as Champagne (yes, it's a region, and sparkling wine is NOT champagne unless it is actually from Champagne), Bordeaux and Alsace. The southern regions do, however, specialize in great rose, and are a great place to find wonderful table wines at much more moderate prices, mainly because its weather is conducive to healthy vines.

Bandol is one town of many that produce a variety of wines, including rose

An American friend sampling wines at a small vineyard we passed just outside Cassis

Shopping is certainly only the tip of the iceberg in terms of things to do and see while visiting Provence, but it is not to be missed because Provence is home to so many unique products that cannot be replicated elsewhere at the same quality and prices. Additionally, the bright, airy and colorful nature of the Provencale shopping experience is accurately representative of Provencale people and culture. Southern France is a laid back, relaxed, leisurely, bright, sunny kind of place with friendly people in touch with their roots. The shopping mimics this; it is less a mission and more a cultural experience.

Tea time

2009-04-27T11:57:00.001-04:00

So how many times have I been at the Prudential Center downtown and walked by Teavana with absolutely no intention of buying tea only to find myself lured inside by the delectable smell of about a zillion fruity and flowery scents wafting together, sampling from every possible pot and pitcher in the joint, and waiting in line to buy loose teas as gifts for people (knowing full well that they'll end up serving it to me) or a cup of some delectable blend concocted just for me by one of their doting, apron-sporting attendants...and random chopsticks ???

I'm particularly a fan of their Lavender Dreams White Tea for de-stressification breaks, which is funny given my normal preference for much stronger green and black teas.

And teas are such sensual feasts, aren't they? Stacked up like pine needles in the woods with their variously colored blossoms and berries all jingle-jangled together like the 80's exploded and was magically turned into a bush by the deliciousness-fairy but then lit on fire again. And the smells! And all the creative combinations...Not to mention the purported holistic benefits.

For this reason I am a fan of tea as social activity. I have been known to frequent from time to time Waltham's ever-more-kitschy room, The Tea Leaf, which offers both tea service and tea shopping, plus related gifts and accessories.

Meanwhile, you can buy the essential implements you need, including a special tea delivered monthly, whisk, and special tea bowl, for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony at the Kaji Aso Studio in Boston, which also offers both tea ceremonies by reservation and in-depth classes for those really interested in learning the art of Japanese tea service.

And while everything on Etsy, now that my addiction has literally taken me to the ends of the crafty-kitschy Earth and back again, has started looking suspiciously similar to me, I am surprised to find an abundance of tea sellers online. Here are some tea listings worth checking out:

Matcha Mate by ruatea, , also a seller of multi-tea tin gift packs;

Kyoto Cherry Green Tea by TeaForAllReasons,
;

and what I find to be rather contemporary, creative and giftable items: purposedesign's chai tea kits.

But really, what tea post would be complete without an entire section dedicated to BOBA?!?!?!?!

Now being from California, where boba was all the rage, I'm a bit of a boba snob, and I hate to say it but the boba, or as you people call it "bubble tea" (retahded if you ask me), here PALES by comparison. So sad. I find that around here, simpler is better. The best bubble tea I have managed to find in Boston is a low key tea, the straightforward milk tea available at Japonaise Bakery (I go to the Brookline location, just on Beacon). DO NOT order the green tea bubble tea. It's powdery and grainy, but the milk tea is just about right - though the boba texture is hit or miss sometimes (frankly, though, their curry donuts are like manna from heaven, so suck it up).

Or you can try to make it yourself with the dried tapioca balls available at Super 88. (not suggested).

And now I really mean it...what tea post from a blog titled "Shopperella in Boston" would be complete without some hokey Boston Tea Party reference? What, did you think there was no pun intended this whole time? Right.

The Boston Tea Company, est. 1773 began, according to its own website, when its founders salvaged undumped crates of tea from the Boston Tea Party ... and essentially started the American Revolution.

Guys, there's a reason Boston has a Starbucks on every corner. I mean, would YOU want to drink anything that went anywhere NEAR the stinking poluted water in Boston Harbor? I don't think so.

That said, Boston Tea Company has some beautifully packaged gift items available in their online store, and while their site doesn't have the world's best navigation (look, I made a nautical funny!) if you search around enough they offer extensive information regarding the origins of and differences between different kinds of tea (I suggest just clicking on the sitemap link at the bottom.)

And of course, Boston Tea Party Tea.

Save the world; Eat Chocolate

2009-04-26T14:11:00.000-04:00

Taza chocolate (available online and in stores nationally) is an organic, environmentally sustainable, direct trade company situated locally in Somerville, Massachusetts. Their products are the perfect combination of country-style tradition and modern, green, urban sensibilities.

I am partial to the Guajillo Chili Chocolate Mexicano - the contrast between spicy zing and sweet chocolatey goodness in this bar is not unlike the company itself - polar opposites working in complete synchronisity: local and completely global, old school and modern, responsible but a hell of a lot of fun. Their traditional stone grinding technique leaves the chocolate simple, natural and grainy (but grainy in a good, sensual, textural kind of way.)

I guarantee that unless you've been chilling in the Dominican Republic or the Yucatan, you haven't had chocolate like this before.

When you check out their website, I highly recommend that you read the company's Story. They also offer a blog, factory tours, recipes and chocolate facts. This is clearly a product made with thought, labor, and love.

And guys? They're on Twitter. o_O.

Etsy Hot List Number 1 - SOAP

2009-04-25T13:01:00.000-04:00

God- don't they all just look so edible? I've gotten into trouble tasting my bath products. I'm not allowed to have yummy smelling bath products anymore :(

So, anybody who's experienced with etsy.com knows of the thing I have come to call "favorites addiction." The urge to sit online for hours and just click click click away adding items and sellers to our favorites list in hopes that we shall one day return to buy ALL OF IT. It rarely ever happens. Occasionally I'll decide it's time for an Etsy splurge and browse through, but nothing seems to have the same panache as when I first saw it, or it's sold. There's something about the hunt, something about the energy and the surprise of new, fresh shopping that quickens the blood in my veins.

Sick, isn't it?

So what to do with all these lovelies relegated to the nethers of my favorites list? Sure, I go back and browse around from time to time, looking for inspiration, just enjoying the preties that I already know I'm going to like. Essentially, it's shopping for the lazy. Or overwhelmed. Never underestimate the power of being overwhelmed. Sometimes when I find so many things I want, and can feel the cash register in my head ding ding dinging and finally busting its gears, I get so scintilated and overloaded that I just burst and shut off and say THAT'S IT, I'M NOT BUYING ANYTHING. The etsy favorites list is so perfect for this. Because Etsy is one giant overload. Etsy basically has everything I ever wanted ever. It's hard to go through and scrutinize, especially because it's impossible to pick things up and really feel them out, compare quality. Everything looks so peeerty...

Anyway, I have all these favorites and I feel like they're sitting there idly not being loved. So here I present to you what shall, I'm sure, become a long-loved shopperella tradition: the Etsy hot list.

And in keeping with Iron Chef America, for no particular reason, I shall chose a single SECRET INGREDIENT.

I now present to you, Etsy Hot List No. 1 - SOAP!

10. Vanilla Musk by BeautifulSoaps

Described by the seller as sweet and exotic. I describe it as something that I cannot buy because I would want to eat it.

9. Casablanca Soap by DancingZebra

A rose and amber soap the seller describes as lush, mysterious and romantic.

8. Carrot and Honey Granola Bar Soap by inalather

The seller claims that this bar is luscious, luxurious and delightful, with scents of tangeringe, ginger and clove bud. Sounds good to me.

7. Lemon Poppy Seed soap by mybirch

You know, I've never been a huge lemon fan but this looks like a confection. The seller describes this as refreshing and promises that the lemony scent is light and pure.

6. Honeysuckle soap by morganstreet

Contains scents of rose, sun-kissed honeysuckle, and jasmine with clay, shea butter and tussah silk???

5. Orange et Fleurs Shea Butter Soap by naiad

The seller claims that this mix of smells is intoxicating and reminiscent of "a perfectly romantic summer" with olive and avocado oils and red clay.

4. Romance - lavender jasmine - Handmade shea butter bar soap by abreathoffrenchair

The seller says this will fill your bathroom with romance.

3. Egyptian sassafras and charcoal handmade coconut milk soap by soapstore

The seller compares this vegan soap to lapis lazuli and says its scent will bring out the wonder of ancient Egypt.

2. Pear Ginger Soap by adorationsoap

The seller says this mouthwatering soap is like candy. It's coated with gold leaf.

1. And my number one featured soap seller on Etsy is:
TheExquisiteBath!

Let me tell you something about the featured seller.

I was putting together donation items for a charity auction being held at my law school. I made an announcement in the Etsy forums asking that bath and beauty sellers each donate a small item to go towards a spa kit I was putting together. I got a lot of great responses from a lot of AMAZING sellers...but this particular seller wowed me both with her generosity and the quality of her product. The soaps came with a brushing of gold in individual organza bags. They were molded into beautiful shapes. This seller clearly takes pride in her product. I couldn't stop sticking my head into the gift bag and sniffing each time I walked by it - so worried the person who bought it is going to end up finding my hair in there o_O.

I highly recommend the garden mint fragrance. When she says exquisite - she means it.

This seller also has an independent website at TheExquisiteBath.com.

Adventures in High End Shopping

2009-04-24T20:33:00.000-04:00

This post is prompted by a recent stop into Barney's New York at Copley Place.

I walked in and there was literally one other person in the store. Walked around, browsed, called my parents on my cell, took my time...and there were two other groups of people who came in the entire time I was there, both groups of teenagers who were probably just coming in to look. It was sad.

But what really got me was that, in this economy when all the papers are reporting about how it's the super high end brands who are getting hit (NYTimes had a long magazine piece recently about the economic situation for the uber-wealthy Palm Beach, where Madoff had a home), there was nothing on sale, and the sales associates didn't acknowledge me. I had come from work so I was dressed like an adult and wearing my expensive wool button down coat - Jones New York, so not Armani or anything, but not exactly derelicte either. I looked like a viable customer. After being in the store for a good 20 minutes one person gave me a brief "hello" and nod as she walked by me. That was it. Later I was looking at The highly overpriced (even for diamonds) Zoe Eternity Band in a glass case about two feet from the jewelry sales associates and they did nothing. I would've tried it on, though it never occurred to me it was over $3000 (Barney's or not; think of the economy.) The band is super cute and original because it's so damn tiny - super duper thin but with diamonds all the way around. I look at women with big engagement rings on their fingers and think to myself "I hope mine just donates the money instead - these giant ices are so garish and such a waste of money" - so this piece intrigued me. If it had been around $800, which is what I expected given how little precious materials actually have to go into a ring this thin and tiny, I might have considered saving up for it over the summer.

But anyway, these ladies don't know what I can and cannot afford. If I had walked in head to toe covered in Hermes and Armani, or on the arm of some pimp-like guy in Armani with a slicked back pony tail and a name like "Jorg" - would they have helped me then? You should really never have to ask.

Or maybe it's been so long since they had a sale that they just assumed there would be no purchasers today.

Anyway, I'm being a little cruel to Barney's. They still have some of the nicest pieces around town and a selection that is almost worth paying the money for...almost.

I did have a fine time trying on the Jennifer Oulette hair pieces at $65 and up a pop. These two sparked my interest in particular:

1

2

(sorry folks, no pics as Barneys.com won't allow me to grab a capture)

and they ARE very well made. That's the thing about items like cosmetics, hair accessories, gloves, earmuffs...even the most expensive splurge in the category is still relatively affordable...long as it isn't diamond encrusted.

Even so...I'm not spending $135 on a hairband. Screw you. I'd rather take myself out to dinner. 5 times. Or buy expensive yarn o_O (a yarn post is on its way, believe you me.)

Still, Barney's is infinitely better than Saks. I don't know what happened to Saks. I remember going there with my mother as a little girl and it actually makes me kind of nostalgic. I remember getting a $150 gift certificate there and being able to actually find things to buy with it - hair pieces, mainly.

So I obtained a $500 gift certificate to Saks Fifth Avenue last year. Not going to say where it came from as I am paranoid that I may have broken the terms of a credit card contract somewhere. Those things are impossible to read and I'm in friggin law school. Did a research project on the disclosure laws regarding credit card contracts, in fact, and apparently they're written at the "college graduate plus 8 years" literacy level. I'm currently at college grad plus 2.

No wonder the entire economy tanked.

Anyway, I had this $500 gift certificate and went to Saks. It was just before Christmas, and all through the store, Emily scampered and made out like a whore. They had a big 60% off the mark down price of rack in the women's - none of it especially couture, but I did get a gorgeous Eileen Fisher duster that was originally $400, a no-name skirt that was originally $350, and a fabulous new no-name cocktail dress that was originally $600 all together for approx. $350. That was a good buy.

I now realize after a walk through Barney's that on the high end scale, Saks is like a T.J. Maxx.

Except that I came back with $150 left on my gift card and had a hard time figuring out how to spend it. I distinctly remember being able to find $40 and $50 items when I was a teenager with that first gift card. Dinky little hair things that I never got much use out of, but something.

It's like Saks has eliminated all those even-the-biggest-splurge-is-affordable items I was just talking about. If I had denied myself the Eileen Fisher sweater I could have gotten a tiny Louis Vuitton change purse or something at the Louis counter.

But no wonder Saks is in trouble. They stopped providing any alternatives to spending a ton of money, and yet there's nothing all that special about any of what they carry. I took a look at some of their costume jewelry and they should be ashamed for charging what they're charging. I'm not opposed to paying big money for something fabulous, but why would I spend $350 on a basic, thin, sterling silver bangle I could get for less than $100, possibly even less than $50, anywhere else. Handmade, even, on Etsy.com. And at $350 it's not even enough of a splurge to be ridiculous. If you're going to do that you may as well charge $1200 for the sterling silver bangle so that those cocky assholes who don't know what to do with all their money can say they have a $1200 sterling silver bangle. I just don't get it.

Barney's I think is going to stick around, if for no reason other than that every element of their selection is pristine. I saw brands and items in their cosmetics section that I had never seen before, not even at my beloved and earlier mentioned C.O. Bigelow. But Saks is going down the crapper. The clincher was that I make jewelry and have been to an occasional hotel ballroom bead show, and at Saks necklaces made entirely of stones and beads that I could buy in bulk for less than $100 total were being sold (well, I guess I should say displayed in hopes of a sale) for over $1000. It's ridiculous.

Ended up spending that last $150 on a chartreuse Fox fur collar that doubles as a ridiculous U.S.S.R.-esque head band and that I feel so guilty about I won't wear it.

C.O. Bigelow, land of wonders

2009-04-23T22:04:00.000-04:00

So this past weekend I went to C.O. Bigelow for the first time ever. It's located in the Copley Place mall, which is convenient to the Copley T Stop and attached to the Prudential Center mall by skywalk. Which feels so incredibly sciency every time I go through it.

Apparently this is also the location of recent nefarious events. Boston Luxury Hotel...they mean the Westin Copley, right?

Oy, anyway, C.O. Bigelow is a lovely apothecary themed chain owned by Limited Brands, and according to its Wikipedia Page it currently has 10 locations open, plus products in numerous nation wide chain stores.

Now, I had encountered products by this brand before at places like Bath and Body Works. The item that immediately comes to mind is the mint rose lip balm which comes in an old school tin and immediately stands out as having the wholesome, traditional, holistic appeal of a 19th century secret apothecary formula. And apparently Bigelow is the oldest apothecary in America still running, so it very well may be.

Anyway, the Boston store is magnificent, not to mention huge. Rooms and rooms of goodies stacked on shelves from floor to ceiling. Fragrances popping out from every which way - the body lotions, the salt scrubs, actual perfumes, reed diffusers, and a host of products you wouldn't immediately think to look for. I walked in to a store relatively devoid of other shoppers, which gave me the two highly knowledgeable sales associates all to myself. I took advantage, demanding that they show me the items they feel are most unique to their store. Something I wouldn't be able to get anywhere else.

The results of my demands were given: a sake bubble bath made of 50% real sake packaged in an authentic sake bottle - at a whopping $80, and Lippman brand nail polish that just won't chip, with music inspired names like "Dark Side of the Moon." I was offended that nothing had been named "Space Oddity."

C.O. Bigelow carries both its store brand, which tends to fall in the higher end of the affordable category. The rest of the brands fell more into splurge territory. But let me tell you - the store brand products are more than luxurious enough to satisfy good ol' Emily, and that's saying something.

The following are two products I have since tried and highly recommend:

Kose - Seikisho Exfoliating Massage Gel

I asked the sales lady for something that would suck the gunk out of my pores like a vacuum. She threw a sample of this stuff in my bag. Holy crap. Kose boasts that its product is filled with Japanese and Chinese herbal extracts and let me tell you, I have become a believer. This stuff is pretty gross when you get it out of the tube - it's like a sticky black tar that you have to rub onto your face - kind of like the squid ink that comes on risotto or pasta. It feels like you're getting a spa treatment just by nature of how freakin' weird this crap feels. This is not your typical face cream.

But it smells pretty nice. And when you get it on and start to rub it in, it heats itself up and gets smoother and smoother. When it turns gray you're done. Rinse.

This stuff made my pores half the size. I highly recommend it. You won't find anything else like it.

Bigelow Chapped Hands Remedy
The reason I went into C.O. Bigelow in the first place, this came highly recommended by a friend. Being a current Boston resident, winter had made my hands dry, cracked, chapped, itchy, red, and ouchied. My friend said I had to get this stuff - 40% glycerin. I did. And boy was she right. A little expensive for hand lotion, but you only need a tiny little squeeze once a day.

My hands went from cracked, chapped and friggin' awful to silky smooth in ONE DAY. They're softer than my face now which is actually kind of disconcerting. But while I had been slathering on giant dollop after giant dollop of regular hand lotion just the tiniest little smidgen of this stuff has operated like a magic potion. In the long run it will probably cut my lotion budget significantly. I have moved on to include it in my regimen for elbows and feet as well.

I also picked up some of the C.O. Bigelow brand shaving cream, which comes in an over sized green toothpaste tube in the men's shaving section. I like it well enough, and it's certainly fun because it's so old school, but I'm not as impressed with it as I am with the other products - though it's certainly not bad. But the two above products have absolutely blown me away whereas this one has just left me satisfied. Bigelow also sells those old school shaving lather brushy doodads, the ones made with real rabbit or badger fur, and this cream is sold more with a good, traditional facial shave in mind. I did not pick up such a brush - they're not cheap - though I was tempted, and have been using my hands to lather my legs in the shower. The stuff is extraordinarily light and airy for a shave gel - not in the way that a moussey gel is light and airy because it isn't aerated like the other stuff. Literally just a cream being squeezed out of a tube - and yet it is strangely reminiscent of marshmallow fluff (DO NOT EAT). A good gift for Dad, I think IF you pick up the brush to go with it.

Welcome to Shopperella in Boston

2009-04-22T21:25:00.001-04:00

Hello wonderful people. Welcome to this, my blog of wonders, land of shopping bliss; home to pretties, baubles, and things I can't afford but wish to salivate over; material pleasures, sinful lusts, passions, desires, debauchery and coveting; simple pleasures, small splurges, big splurges, ridiculously unintelligent splurges; and economical musings.

So why blog about such a trivial thing as shopping and, of all things, why now? The economy has imploded upon itself, Congress is scratching its collective and proverbial buttocks, John Q. Public has stuffed his savings under his mattress and the media is talking about monetary issues like it used to talk about terrorism.

I've thought on this long and hard and, for the most part, have come short on any single, deep, thoughtful, pensive answer. I could BS you with something over-the-top-ly metaphysical, some reflection on the state of man and how shopping is a foil upon the species...but maybe it's just more the fact that

I

Love

Shopping.

Irresponsible? Perhaps. Trivial? Quite possible. Fun? You betcha. And the reality is that sharing is love. The joy of the intarnets is that it allows (wo)man to live vicariously more than ever before and, frankly, when I come upon something I really want but cannot buy, talking about it, coveting it, appropriating its image and posting it for all to see is almost as cathartic.

Almost.

Shopping is also the ultimate stress relief (finals are upon us!). I mean, what is it about material possessions that makes us so damn giddy? Some of us (aka, me) are more materialistic than others...but to what extent do we distinguish between materialism, the love of material possessions, and the love of material - things like fine textiles, premium teas, and sumptuous, tactile pleasures - the stuff of life?

To me, shopping is a pleasure that, like all pleasures, comes with both elation and guilt. It is a form of outward expression, not unlike standing on a soap box or writing into a diary (or a blog for that matter). After all, money does the talking in the modern age, as we have come to know all too well in recent months (she said, with the tang of bitter irony on her tongue.) But sometimes it's nice to take comfort in the consistency of a familiar brand, the revelation of a new scent, the coziness of a cashmere scarf. Possessions have symbolic value. We surround ourselves with nice things, things that bring us joy, things that call up fond memories, things that memorialize fleeting moments in our lives.

You will notice that the name of the blog is Shopperella in Boston. My name is not Shopperella, believe it or not. I'm Emily. I'm a law student here in Boston. I've referenced Boston to alert you to the fact that the stores to which I have access are stores in the Boston area. Does this mean you need to be in or from Boston to appreciate my adventures? Not at all. Even if you never set foot in any of the local Boston shops I feature, I think there's a certain worth in just enjoying the experience (and the acquisition!) vicariously. Plus, I hardly intend to limit myself to just Boston. My shopping escapades know no bounds! Really, this blog is going to go all over the place - from recommending single, widely available products you can pick up at Target to reviewing one tiny shop near Fenway Park to featuring the shopping scene in a foreign city I've visited to discussing the works of a tiny craftsman in Hell, Michigan or Blueballs, Ohio. Shopping is a global art and I intend to bring you with me.

So join me in memorializing the fleeting moments of my life through the wonderful world of acquiring new possessions, and all the romance hidden within them.